Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler: Mardi Gras with the Mouse! Feb 2016 TR **NEW 11/25 *NEW TR LINK

[khertz]

Day 2 Continued: Sunday February 7th

DH and I were getting hungry, but my parents and the girls wanted to go ride Tower of Terror and didn’t want to eat first, so we split up. We ended up at Backlot Express where DH got a burger meal and a chicken & waffles meal for us to share.

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After lunch we were about ready to head out but we wanted to check in with the Muppets before we did.

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I am pretty excited that Pizza Planet is getting a Muppets makeover! We are big Muppets fans in this household. I’m so bummed the TV show got cancelled because I was actually really enjoying it!

Then we were ready to leave DHS to head to MK. Just a few pictures on the way out…

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“Daddy, can you take my picture with this dog?”​

Once we finally exited the park, we split up again. DD was sleeping in the carrier and I didn’t want to wake her up by taking her out to put her in the car, so I decided to take the bus. DS wanted to ride the bus too, so he came with me while DH got the car and moved it to the TTC. DS was super excited to get a ride on a Disney bus!

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Meanwhile, DH took the ferry over to the park, where we were waiting for him before the entrance because he had DS’s Magic Band so we couldn’t go into the park yet.

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Once we were all back together again, we were ready for some fun in Magic Kingdom!

UP NEXT: Away We Go!

 

[Imagineer5]

A Wild Africa Trek in progress, but no Imagineer5!

It started sprinkling just as we were finishing up our Trek, so you were probably on the Safari as we were heading out!

It was a pretty fun safari with the baby rhinos, a ton of elephants, and the active lions…well, minus the pottying part! But about 2/3 of the way through, it started raining. Thank goodness we had thought to put the stroller cover on before getting on the ride! Once we got off, we hurried over to the stroller to grab our ponchos and throw them on. Then it was time to use our FP+ at Dinosaur. You might remember from my October trip that DS didn’t make it past the pre-show on his first attempt at Dinosaur. This time, though, he said he was going to be brave and ride it, so we booked the FP+ and decided to see if he would be able to follow through. DH and DS decided to ride first, and we grabbed a rider swap just in case. DD was still sleeping in the carrier, so I hung out with her in the gift shop.

That was a great safari, loved the lion pics! Awesome that Paxton loved Dinosaur

OMG she is so cute!!

Once we got to the lobby, we noticed some characters were out and meeting! It seemed to be a pretty random assortment of characters, including Launchpad McQuack from DuckTales & Darkwing Duck! We hopped in his line, but were unfortunately too late to meet him as the characters started going in right after that. But DH did get a few pictures OF him.

Wow, I didn't know they met there! How cool

It was freezing that morning! Temperatures were in the mid-40s and it was VERY windy. DS was huddled up in the stroller and trying to keep warm.

We had such WEIRD weather during our trip. From 40's to 80's.

We got to the room with the jawa walking around, and he/she/it was looking at DD with interest, but when I said she wasn’t available for trade, the jawa walked off. Lol

LOL, I get it after @Dugette's TR mentioning they brought stuff to trade with the Jawa

When they found me in the shop, DS insisted on building a droid. Actually, he insists on doing this every single time he rides.

Can you do this for free, or do you buy it every time?

After TSM, they took DS to play at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground.

So sad this is closed now! Do you know what they plan to do with the play area?

First, DS was upset at even doing the meet. He has been like this the past couple of trips where he really doesn’t want to meet the characters and will put up a fuss about it sometimes. But I keep reminding him that this is everyone’s vacation, not just his, and that DH and I like to meet the characters. So sometimes, like this time, he will act like he’s scared even though he’s laughing the entire time.

That is a good way to put it!

I have no idea what I was fussing at him about, but my dad was all too happy to take this picture. He has one just like it of my mom fussing at my sister on our first family trip when she was 6. lol

Hahahaha that's a good pic, just like Aria's time out one.

am pretty excited that Pizza Planet is getting a Muppets makeover! We are big Muppets fans in this household. I’m so bummed the TV show got cancelled because I was actually really enjoying it!

I hadn't read this either (can you tell DHS is my least fave park lol, I don't keep up with all the news). I'm sad that Mike & Sulley are gone too, but look forward to the toy story stuff. I'm surprised they are making over the pizza planet to make it like Muppets, although they will probably open a Toy Story themed eatery in that new section? (How awesome would a Pixar character meet meal be!)

 

[rdkeim]

Enjoying both of your TR's! Your DS's reaction to seeing Grandma and Grandpa is priceless! Your DD is absolutely adorable. Such a little princess

 

[missangelalexis]

That stinks that it was so cold!

Glad you got a TSMM right away!

DS looks so cute reuniting with grandparents!!

DD is adorable in all these pictures!

The photo your dad snapped of you talking to DS is too funny- for sure something to laugh about in the future!

Sounds like a nice time at DHS overall!

 

[Carathryn]

His favorite reason for why he just NEEDS to have something is because “he’s never had one before.”

DS is a genius! I never thought to try that excuse for needing everything

Here’s a few pictures my dad took of their reunion.

These pictures are all so adorable!!!

As it turned out, she wasn’t actually interested in Mike & Sulley at all. She was interested in grabbing at DS’s hat!

Your DD and her antics are so entertaining. I am jealous that she got to meet Mike AND Sulley and she did't even know it was a big deal. I am pretty sad they got rid of the meet before I got to do it.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I have no idea how I missed this starting so i am way behind but excited to follow along!

Sounds like a crazy stressful time ... gotta love those "upgrades" service providers can do - hope you got the floors all take care of by now! Sound like a stressful time getting to the airport as well, but thank goodness for that women helping you get through security! Glad you got the extra seat for DD and that the flight was smooth!

My goodness your DD is such a smiley and photogenic baby!!!

How great that Courtney was working and you were able to be checked-in by here - and very cool swag the kids got!

I think the boneyard is really cool - but it can be hard to keep track of kids in there between the two areas and slides and stuff - I am sure it is doubly hard with a baby strapped on!!!

Nice safari pics - love the one of the Lioness stretching!

Great job by DS to ride Dinosaur - giving him one more ride on that attraction than I have

Your room looks really nice - especially the kitchen with the island and everything. And how cool that you can do an Animal Checklist at your hotel?!?!? And the rarest animals of all - Launchpad McQuack - I would have fan-boyed out a bit .... Oh wow - and Big Al too!

I was going to say you all were doing great with getting on TSMM first and then having the FP+ for later, but I guess that luck ran out when you wanted to use your FP. Oh well.

That's funny that you have the tradition in your family of fussing at 6 year olds in Disney World

I am interested in the pizza planet overhaul - I hope they do a good job with it and not just a quickie re-theming. I never got into the new Muppets but it is still too bad it got cancelled. I was hopeful that Disney's new deal with Netflix could mean shows like that could find a new home, but not likely

 

[khertz]

It started sprinkling just as we were finishing up our Trek, so you were probably on the Safari as we were heading out!

DH didn't know what was happening, I just started smacking his arm and saying, "Take a picture, take a picture!" lol

That was a great safari, loved the lion pics! Awesome that Paxton loved Dinosaur

Definitely a great safari. Maybe because of the cooler weather? Seems like when we go when it is warmer the animals aren't as active.

OMG she is so cute!!

Thanks.

Wow, I didn't know they met there! How cool

Me either! It was a great surprise! I just wish we would have seen them a little sooner to take some pictures.

We had such WEIRD weather during our trip. From 40's to 80's.

YES! It was uncomfortably cold for most of it, but we did have a day or two thrown in there with some nice temps. The worst part was feeling underprepared since we flew and didn't want to cram our big heavy coats in our suitcases. Layers were our friend!

LOL, I get it after @Dugette's TR mentioning they brought stuff to trade with the Jawa

I didn't get it at first either until DH explained it to me. This last time we went in May we made sure to bring stuff specifically to trade.

Can you do this for free, or do you buy it every time?

All the stuff is out there to play with, so we let DS build one but we have never bought one because it's too expensive for something he is going to totally forget about when we get home.

So sad this is closed now! Do you know what they plan to do with the play area?

I think all of it (Streets of America, playground, LMA theater) is going to become Star Wars & Toy Story.

Hahahaha that's a good pic, just like Aria's time out one.

Yep! lol Not as exciting as a Parisian time out, but close!!

I hadn't read this either (can you tell DHS is my least fave park lol, I don't keep up with all the news). I'm sad that Mike & Sulley are gone too, but look forward to the toy story stuff. I'm surprised they are making over the pizza planet to make it like Muppets, although they will probably open a Toy Story themed eatery in that new section? (How awesome would a Pixar character meet meal be!)

I'm really looking forward to the Toy Story stuff too! Way more than Star Wars. So I hope they put as much effort into it as they sound like they are doing with Star Wars. I'm thinking since Toy Story will have its own entire area, they will probably have an eatery and thus having Pizza Planet across the park wouldn't make sense. A Pixar character meal would be AWESOME!! I'd be all over that!

Enjoying both of your TR's! Your DS's reaction to seeing Grandma and Grandpa is priceless! Your DD is absolutely adorable. Such a little princess

He LOVES his Nonni & Poppi, and definitely doesn't get to see them often enough. He was very excited to get to spend some time with them in Disney World!

Thank you! She runs the house, but she is also a sweetheart when she wants to be.

 

[khertz]

That stinks that it was so cold!

Glad you got a TSMM right away!

DS looks so cute reuniting with grandparents!!

DD is adorable in all these pictures!

The photo your dad snapped of you talking to DS is too funny- for sure something to laugh about in the future!

Sounds like a nice time at DHS overall!

Some days was really uncomfortably cold, and this day was one of them. I don't think it would have been so bad if not for the wind smacking you in the face!

That's our favorite way to start a DHS morning!!

I'm glad my dad got those pics. DS was really really excited to see them in Disney!

We all still laugh over the picture of my mom and sister, so I'm sure that picture of me and DS will bring laughs for years to come!

DS is a genius! I never thought to try that excuse for needing everything


These pictures are all so adorable!!!


Your DD and her antics are so entertaining. I am jealous that she got to meet Mike AND Sulley and she did't even know it was a big deal. I am pretty sad they got rid of the meet before I got to do it.

Right?! I can't tell you how many times a day I have to hear that from him!! 5 year old logic...

Thanks!

lol She cracks us up on a daily basis! Even the people in line were laughing at her going after the tip of that hat! She was intent! Aw, bummer you never got to do the meet. We have been lucky enough to do it a few times, which is great because I LOVE Monsters Inc!

I have no idea how I missed this starting so i am way behind but excited to follow along!

Sounds like a crazy stressful time ... gotta love those "upgrades" service providers can do - hope you got the floors all take care of by now! Sound like a stressful time getting to the airport as well, but thank goodness for that women helping you get through security! Glad you got the extra seat for DD and that the flight was smooth!

My goodness your DD is such a smiley and photogenic baby!!!

How great that Courtney was working and you were able to be checked-in by here - and very cool swag the kids got!

I think the boneyard is really cool - but it can be hard to keep track of kids in there between the two areas and slides and stuff - I am sure it is doubly hard with a baby strapped on!!!

Nice safari pics - love the one of the Lioness stretching!

Great job by DS to ride Dinosaur - giving him one more ride on that attraction than I have

Your room looks really nice - especially the kitchen with the island and everything. And how cool that you can do an Animal Checklist at your hotel?!?!? And the rarest animals of all - Launchpad McQuack - I would have fan-boyed out a bit .... Oh wow - and Big Al too!

I was going to say you all were doing great with getting on TSMM first and then having the FP+ for later, but I guess that luck ran out when you wanted to use your FP. Oh well.

That's funny that you have the tradition in your family of fussing at 6 year olds in Disney World

I am interested in the pizza planet overhaul - I hope they do a good job with it and not just a quickie re-theming. I never got into the new Muppets but it is still too bad it got cancelled. I was hopeful that Disney's new deal with Netflix could mean shows like that could find a new home, but not likely

Happy to have you here!!

After this trip, we had to spend almost 2 weeks in a hotel while they replaced the floors, but it really wasn't that bad. I had imagined it being a lot worse when I was trying to sop up all that water at 4 am when we discovered it!

It was so great that Courtney was working that morning and able to do our check in! She is working at the hotel we will be staying at in Universal now too, so we are hoping to see her again in October.

The Boneyard would be great if I was one of those parents that could just sit and let him run around without worrying. lol But I feel like I have to know where he is at all times, and there's just too much space for him to run around while I'm lugging the baby around too trying to keep up!

DH was so glad that not only did DS give Dinosaur a chance, but also that he loved it!

Overall, we were totally impressed with AKL. DS loved checking the animals off of the list, and the random rare characters was a total bonus. I remember looking up and seeing Launchpad and I grabbed DH's arm and said, "Oh my God, look who is up there!!!" We hauled butt upstairs, but were unfortunately too late. But it was really cool just to get to see them!!

All the more reason that I was glad we had done EMH and gotten to ride early. I would have been really bummed to miss out on TSM entirely! It's such a fun ride, and one we all really enjoy.

Haha I just await the day when we have a similar photo with me & DD...

Yeah, the Muppet makeover can really go good or bad depending on how much effort they put into it. I hope they don't just slap something on and that they really make it a great spot.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

I am pretty excited that Pizza Planet is getting a Muppets makeover! We are big Muppets fans in this household. I’m so bummed the TV show got cancelled because I was actually really enjoying it!

I am excited to see what they do with Pizza Planet. I was enjoying the new TV show as well. I hope they still plan on doing something with the Muppets down the road, maybe another movie (although I wasn't a huge fan of the last one).

 

[khertz]

I am excited to see what they do with Pizza Planet. I was enjoying the new TV show as well. I hope they still plan on doing something with the Muppets down the road, maybe another movie (although I wasn't a huge fan of the last one).

Yeah, I hope that even though the show didn't do that great, this makeover means there may be a resurgence of Muppets in the parks and beyond!

 

[khertz]

Day 2 Continued: Sunday February 7th

After a fun morning at DHS, we had hopped over for an afternoon at MK!

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By the time we got into the park, it was time for DD to eat so we headed off to baby care. I got a nice surprise when I went into the nursing room and saw they had replaced all of the wooden rockers with big, comfy upholstered rockers. SO COMFORTABLE. There were only 3, but when we were there a couple of weeks ago, they had added a couple more. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like they had brought them to the other parks yet because Epcot only had the wooden rockers still and I didn’t visit the other two.

While we were gone, DH and DS stopped to pick up some Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom cards for DS to play with.

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After heading up Main Street, they made a right towards Tomorrowland for an attraction that was brand new to DS.

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Stitch’s Great Escape! Boy, am I disappointed I missed this one. Lol

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They also stopped and picked us up some FP for Pirates for later. I met up with the on the Tomorrowland bridge when DD and I were done to see that they had met up with Jessica and Stryder. Uncle David and the girls were doing (I think?) Space Mountain. So we chatted with them for awhile, then went our separate ways. We tried riding the People Mover, but it looked like it might have been down because the line was HUGE. It was nearly parade time, so we decided to cross over through the hub to look for a spot.

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The parade route was busier than we had anticipated, but we ended up finding a spot to stand in front of Liberty Tree Tavern that wasn’t too packed. Within just a few minutes we could hear the music coming our way. It was time for Festival of Fantasy!

These are some of my favorite pictures DH has ever taken of this parade, so I hope you enjoy this photo interlude.

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Continued in next post...

 

[khertz]

Day 2 Continued: Sunday February 7th

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I just can't say enough how much I LOVE this parade! I think at first DH was a little disappointed at being so close up to the floats and not being able to get full length pictures of the floats, but after seeing it several times that way and having lots and lots of pictures, I have to say I really loved these. So many details I haven't even noticed in person before! It gave a really different and interesting perspective. I love how these photos came out!

Once the parade crowds had dispersed, we headed off into Adventureland for more fun!

UP NEXT: A Pirate's Life For Me

 

[hokieinpa]

I fell so far behind but I'm all up to date now! That's great that DS stuck it out for Dinosaur this time! Nate and I were not such huge fans and I don't think I'll be going on it again anytime soon! Very cute pictures of DS and DD back at AKL!

Wow! That's a busy morning at HS! We ate at the Backlot Express in May and I thought it has improved lately. Plus the subtle Star Wars theme helps some! And I actually really enjoy that picture of you and DS having a talk - Disney trips are not all castles and sunshine for sure. We've had our share of fussing and it just comes with taking kids anywhere.

Did DS enjoy Stitch? The boys have been asking to go on it but I'm thinking it will turn into a disaster pretty quickly when the lights go out! Sorry about the PeopleMover being down - that's always one of my favorite rides!

Great pictures of FOF. I love the details and close up shots of the characters!

 

[cajunfan]

Beautiful photos of the parade!!!

 

[missangelalexis]

LOL I can't believe you missed out on DS's first time on Stitch!

Love all the castle and parade pictures!!

 

[Carathryn]

Wow those parade pictures are amazing! I can't even choose a favorite, so many great character and float detail shots.

 

[Reflections of Earth]

Gorgeous parade pictures, joining in!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

The pictures are wonderful. I especially love the fire coming out of the dragon's mouth. The last time I saw that parade either there was no fire or he just didn't do it in front of us.

 

[skier_pete]

Nice parade shots. Everyone looks sort of bundled up. I guess it IS February. We haven't yet gone in February, but will be next year. (To Universal anyways - no Disney.)

 

[khertz]

I fell so far behind but I'm all up to date now! That's great that DS stuck it out for Dinosaur this time! Nate and I were not such huge fans and I don't think I'll be going on it again anytime soon! Very cute pictures of DS and DD back at AKL!

Wow! That's a busy morning at HS! We ate at the Backlot Express in May and I thought it has improved lately. Plus the subtle Star Wars theme helps some! And I actually really enjoy that picture of you and DS having a talk - Disney trips are not all castles and sunshine for sure. We've had our share of fussing and it just comes with taking kids anywhere.

Did DS enjoy Stitch? The boys have been asking to go on it but I'm thinking it will turn into a disaster pretty quickly when the lights go out! Sorry about the PeopleMover being down - that's always one of my favorite rides!

Great pictures of FOF. I love the details and close up shots of the characters!

No worries, I have been falling behind too!!

I am really not a fan of Dinosaur, but I put up with it because DS loves it now. I kind of wish he didn't though. lol!

We really enjoyed the addition of some menu items there! The Star Wars theme is pretty cool too. Absolutely true about taking kids! Unfortunately, we end up having several of these moments, but it's real life. He's a great kid, but definitely not perfect!

When I read you reply, I asked DS if he liked the Stitch attraction, and he answered with an emphatic, "NO!" DH said he panicked a bit when the lights went out and it just didn't go well from there. He didn't have a meltdown or anything, but he definitely didn't enjoy it very much.

I loved that he got those close up details! The parade is really chock full of them!

Beautiful photos of the parade!!!

Thank you!

LOL I can't believe you missed out on DS's first time on Stitch!

Love all the castle and parade pictures!!

Bummer, right!? At least he didn't like it, so we won't be subjected to it again for a long time, if ever!!

Thanks!

Wow those parade pictures are amazing! I can't even choose a favorite, so many great character and float detail shots.

DH did a really great job! It was hard to narrow it down from the ones he took to the ones to post. I didn't realize at the time that he had taken them so zoomed in, so it was a nice surprise when we were looking through them together to decide on which ones he would edit.

Gorgeous parade pictures, joining in!

Thank you! And welcome!!

The pictures are wonderful. I especially love the fire coming out of the dragon's mouth. The last time I saw that parade either there was no fire or he just didn't do it in front of us.

The dragon breathing fire is SO cool. Bummer you didn't get to see it!

Nice parade shots. Everyone looks sort of bundled up. I guess it IS February. We haven't yet gone in February, but will be next year. (To Universal anyways - no Disney.)

Ohhh, yes, it was VERY cold that day! It probably wouldn't have been so bad if not for how terribly windy it was that day. We never felt like we could properly warm up! And we ARE from the south, so we are pretty wimpy in the cold too.