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

[amazingact21]

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.

The first haircut was a nice memento for us, and I was honestly surprised that we were able to get Evie's hair done there. Back when we found out we were moving to Germany I thought for sure that wouldn't be something we could swing.

Oh my gosh, putting confetti in greeting cards sounds terrible! I have no doubt the person meant well, but gosh...you must have opened all cards with hesitation!

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

ugh such a bummer about BTMRR I'm sorry!

I still have nightmares about that glitter.
And I know in a couple more years, Evie's going to want to do BBB and I'm gonna have a repeat performance of it all!

I hope the dragon returns to the parade, even if it can't breathe fire anymore. Or if not, I hope they bring back the arches on Main St. during the holidays. I know the only reason they took them away was because the dragon couldn't fit under them, and that was a holiday decoration I always loved.

I love how happy and excited you all look. A perfect Disney moment.

So sweet even without the smile.

Thanks! The parade ended up being one of my favorite moments of the trip, if only because it was something all four of us enjoyed! And with Evie, that was a big deal.

Thats awesome she loved the parades so much! How does she do with stage shows?

Oh boy! At least it gave more Disney magic!

She actually hasn't seen a stage show yet, but I'm sure she'd really enjoy them if she did. She likes to see the characters, just doesn't want to get too close to them.

 

[amazingact21]

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!

When we found out we were moving to Germany, I didn't think there was any way Evie would get her first haircut at Disney. It was pure luck that it all worked out and we were able to make it happen.
But man...that glitter. I know BBB is inevitable, and I think I'm going to make sure it happens at the beginning of the trip so all that glitter has time to wear off before we get home and I'm trying to wash it out of sheets for months to come!

All caught up now.

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.

Now that's agreat family photo

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.

It's great to see you back on the boards! I thought of your TR and how you stopped by Harmony Barber Shop to get sprinkled with pixie dust when I was there in April!

My husband is the same way with clothes. He'll bring extra shirts because he wants to be able to pick based on his mood...thankfully since we have to fly everywhere nowadays it's gotten better. But he'd pack his whole wardrobe if I let him!

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

Yes! Save yourself and Delilah's hair and skip the glitter! I mean, both kids loved it but it was just too crazy to try and clean later on.

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

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


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





Sweet! Nice photo to have.

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







Oh no!!

Alex and I were taking afternoon naps long before we had kids! It's amazing what some quiet time at the resort can do to recharge one's batteries!

I was so happy that we watched the parade and discovered that was what Evie liked. It only took taking her to Disney 3 times to figure it out!

That glitter was madness!

Hey me too! Kindred spirits

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

Disneyland Paris runs their parades at 5:30pm, and I think that's a perfect time. When it's summer and hot out, you get a bit of a reprieve from the heat.

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

Wonder if they'd pixie dust me?!

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

You can! I read a DISers TR from last winter and she went in and asked to be "pixie dusted" and they were more than happy to do it. You just gotta stop by and ask!

 

[amazingact21]

Hi! World's worst TR reader reporting back several months later. 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. Also, thank you for the Happy Hippos - we loved them as well!

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.

Hi!!! It's good to see you on the boards! I miss your TRs and reading about Izzy's adventures in various Disney locations.

Disneyland Paris was so much fun; thank you guys for spending so much time with us! I felt a little guilty taking up all your family vacation time, but I enjoyed the company and sharing in the love of Disney. It was great to finally meet you all in person; Izzy was the sweetest! And Landon had a blast playing with his new friend. I'm pretty sure one of his favorite parts of the trip was getting to play on the playground with Izzy. Nothing solidifies a friendship more than sharing a slide...

I miss WDW, too. DLP is great, but nothing beats the Florida parks. You'll have to try and make it WDW before June next year, so you can say you went to 3 Disney parks within a year.
We have to leave Germany around May/June of next year and no matter where we go, Alex and I figure we'll visit Florida for a few weeks. We have slowly been trying to figure out a way to incorporate a Disney trip into the mix. If so, you should sneak down there, too.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Ive finally managed to get caught up again and I’m loving all the updates. I laughed out loud when I read your description of you and Alex’s opposing tour styles as it is exactly like my husband and I except I’m Alex and he’s you! Love staying onsite so that I can toddle off and do my own thing while he lounges by the pool. Don’t get me wrong I love some pool time too ( quite a bit in fact) but I adore MK and he just doesn’t ( isn’t it as well I love him or that’d be grounds for divorce right there). I’m hoping when we go with our grandson ( in 2020 fingers crossed) that he will fall in love with it all again as he did when our kids were young.
Evie sounds like my youngest son- happy to see characters as long as they are “over there” She looks so gorgeous and totally in her element have her photos taken and I love that she has a mind of her own as it bodes well for those teenage years when you want your kids to be able to say no and not blindly follow the crowd
Happy faces all round at the parade but wow on the glitter I’ll bet you’re still finding it Great keepsake memory and so glad you got to do it with both Landon and Evie.
Can’t wait to hear where you guys are moving to next btw

 

[mommaof3boys]

I loved the haircut and the glitter! I love glitter. It's part of the job teaching preschool.Such a bummer you didn't get to ride Big Thunder. I'm glad Alex got in his shopping. It's so much easier when the kids are sleeping.

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm glad you guys got a chance to see Festival of Fantasy! We saw some or all of it 3 times last trip, but no dragon ... it just seems wrong.

Oh glitter. We had glitter-filled balloons at my friend's wedding that were popped during the wedding ... and when I got home I found glitter in my suitcase. Glitter is very pretty, but it's also very annoying. Sorry you had to deal with so much pixie dust.

Bummer about Big Thunder.

 

[Dugette]

You'll have to try and make it WDW before June next year, so you can say you went to 3 Disney parks within a year.

That would be awesome! I just had to check my signature on this to remember when we last went to WDW and it looks like we're going to do three in one year already if we count backwards: Oct 2017 WDW, June 2018 DLP, and August 2018 DLR! Not bad! But last fall clearly seems like forever ago to me.

Alex and I figure we'll visit Florida for a few weeks. We have slowly been trying to figure out a way to incorporate a Disney trip into the mix. If so, you should sneak down there, too.

Yes, let me know, that would be great! Wouldn't it be fun if we managed to coordinate the circle of DIS folks that share TRs with each other on a trip someday? I was thinking about that earlier - we'd have to go, even if we didn't have a trip planned.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Wee bit off topic but I’m just back from visiting my sister and she told me that she is going to Disneyland Paris with her 2 adult kids for 3 nights at the end of August. I’m ever so slightly jealous lol. She did ask me if they had fastpass there and I’d no clue but I told her I “knew” someone who’d know Any advice gratefully accepted

 

[amazingact21]

Wee bit off topic but I’m just back from visiting my sister and she told me that she is going to Disneyland Paris with her 2 adult kids for 3 nights at the end of August. I’m ever so slightly jealous lol. She did ask me if they had fastpass there and I’d no clue but I told her I “knew” someone who’d know Any advice gratefully accepted

Haha, well thank you for thinking of me!

Disneyland Paris does have Fastpasses; it's still the traditional paper ticket route. The return window is only for 30 minutes, though, so that's something to pay attention to.
I might miss a few rides, but the ones I know for sure that accept Fastpasses are:
Peter Pan's Flight
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Indiana Jones
Big Thunder Mtn
Star Tours

And in the Studios it's:
Ratatouille
Tower of Terror
RNRC


There's no Fastpass for Crush's Coaster, so if they want to ride that I would suggest going to it first thing in the morning, because that line builds up so quickly.
And I'd also suggest if they want to go on the coasters then to get a FP for Big Thunder Mtn, that was the most popular ride in that park!

 

[amazingact21]

Ive finally managed to get caught up again and I’m loving all the updates. I laughed out loud when I read your description of you and Alex’s opposing tour styles as it is exactly like my husband and I except I’m Alex and he’s you! Love staying onsite so that I can toddle off and do my own thing while he lounges by the pool. Don’t get me wrong I love some pool time too ( quite a bit in fact) but I adore MK and he just doesn’t ( isn’t it as well I love him or that’d be grounds for divorce right there). I’m hoping when we go with our grandson ( in 2020 fingers crossed) that he will fall in love with it all again as he did when our kids were young.
Evie sounds like my youngest son- happy to see characters as long as they are “over there” She looks so gorgeous and totally in her element have her photos taken and I love that she has a mind of her own as it bodes well for those teenage years when you want your kids to be able to say no and not blindly follow the crowd
Happy faces all round at the parade but wow on the glitter I’ll bet you’re still finding it Great keepsake memory and so glad you got to do it with both Landon and Evie.
Can’t wait to hear where you guys are moving to next btw

I hope you all get to go back to Disney in 2020 and that your husband enjoys Disney through the eyes of his grandson. I know my dad isn't the Disney fan we all are, but he seemed to have a blast when he was there with Landon in 2016.
That is a great way of looking at Evie's personality. I can only hope that she keeps that determination as she gets older.

So. Much. Glitter!!

Alex and I are really, really hoping there's an opening in England because we're not ready to leave Europe yet. But wherever we get sent, we'll make the best of it and make the place a home.

I loved the haircut and the glitter! I love glitter. It's part of the job teaching preschool.Such a bummer you didn't get to ride Big Thunder. I'm glad Alex got in his shopping. It's so much easier when the kids are sleeping.

Hahaha, yeah I feel like you gotta love glitter to work with that age group. I worked in a child care center for a few years while going to college and my coworkers learned that I was not the arts and crafts person. They usually did art in the mornings, then when I came in for the afternoon shift I'd be responsible for "moving and grooving" and playground time, even storytime. Just nothing creative.

I'm glad you guys got a chance to see Festival of Fantasy! We saw some or all of it 3 times last trip, but no dragon ... it just seems wrong.

Oh glitter. We had glitter-filled balloons at my friend's wedding that were popped during the wedding ... and when I got home I found glitter in my suitcase. Glitter is very pretty, but it's also very annoying. Sorry you had to deal with so much pixie dust.

Bummer about Big Thunder.

I can understand the parade feeling incomplete without the dragon. That's kind of the showcase piece of the parade, and it kind of provides that Wow factor.

Glitter filled balloons??! Oh my....I'm sure it looked beautiful for the wedding but sounds like it'd be a nightmare to clean.

That would be awesome! I just had to check my signature on this to remember when we last went to WDW and it looks like we're going to do three in one year already if we count backwards: Oct 2017 WDW, June 2018 DLP, and August 2018 DLR! Not bad! But last fall clearly seems like forever ago to me.


Yes, let me know, that would be great! Wouldn't it be fun if we managed to coordinate the circle of DIS folks that share TRs with each other on a trip someday? I was thinking about that earlier - we'd have to go, even if we didn't have a trip planned.

That's awesome! I didn't think about counting backwards. That's pretty fun to say you visited three of the Disney parks within a year.

I wish we could have a big TR meet up in the parks! I'd find a way to hop over there no matter where we were living.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Wouldn't it be fun if we managed to coordinate the circle of DIS folks that share TRs with each other on a trip someday? I was thinking about that earlier - we'd have to go, even if we didn't have a trip planned.

I wish we could have a big TR meet up in the parks! I'd find a way to hop over there no matter where we were living.

Interesting timing that you ladies bring this up, because just recently a bunch of Dis girls who write TRs have decided to do an epic Disboard trip in May 2019! I don't know how many of these people are people whose reports you follow or who you know, but just in case, here's the PTR link:

The Most EPIC Pre-Trip Report - Group PTR for 2019!!

You'd be more than welcome to join and/or to invite other female-identifying folks you know who might be interested.

 

[Stasieki]

The first haircut for my 12 year old was $14 back in 2007. Talk about a steal!!! Still a great deal at $25, but that's some inflation.

 

[amazingact21]

Interesting timing that you ladies bring this up, because just recently a bunch of Dis girls who write TRs have decided to do an epic Disboard trip in May 2019! I don't know how many of these people are people whose reports you follow or who you know, but just in case, here's the PTR link:

The Most EPIC Pre-Trip Report - Group PTR for 2019!!

You'd be more than welcome to join and/or to invite other female-identifying folks you know who might be interested.

Oh man, I can't believe I didn't know about this sooner! When Alex got home from work, I asked him, "How impossible would it be for me to fly into Orlando on a Thursday and then fly out that Monday?"
Of course, it all depends on when and where we're moving because that's right smack dab in the middle of our expiration date here in Germany. But nobody would notice if I snuck away for a weekend.

The first haircut for my 12 year old was $14 back in 2007. Talk about a steal!!! Still a great deal at $25, but that's some inflation.

That's a huge price difference in 11 years! Wow. I wonder if more people know about it now and it's more popular, because there were a lot of kids in the shop getting their first haircuts the day we were there. That could explain the huge price jump.

 

[amazingact21]

Hi guys! Is everyone surviving summer? Germany is having the worst heatwave they've ever seen before. It's been in the mid 90's all week. And with no A/C me and the kids have been hot and crabby; we're hoping the rain that's forecasted for Saturday shows up and cools things off a bit for this weekend.
It's been so hot out, that people are drinking beer in record numbers and breweries are having to beg people to return their bottles so they can sell more! (Over here in Germany, beer is sold in glass bottles that can be returned to the store to be reused.)
Not going to lie, I will be happy to live in the land of air conditioning again by next summer!


Monday, April 30th, 2018 Part 4:

After a second failed attempt to ride Big Thunder Mountain, I had asked the kids what attraction they really wanted to ride next. We had any anytime Fastpass now and were willing to let the children pick what we used it on.

Their vote went to Dumbo, but before we could make it into Storybook Circus, Alex had to get his traditional shot of him and Landon pulling the sword out of the stone:


Alex doesn’t have a big nostalgia streak; there’s no “first ride” of a trip or a “eat here on our anniversary” or a “walk through memory lane” on kids’ birthdays for him. So, I think it’s cute that at least once every trip, Alex will stop me and go: “Take our picture!” in front of the sword.

I couldn’t be happier that Landon was able to pull the sword out in 2015 if only so I can have a multitude of shots over the years with a smiling father and son in the same spot.


When all of us made our way over to Dumbo, the wait time was listed at fifteen minutes and it seemed foolish to waste a pass when the standby was short. We decided to save it for something else and walked into the line. We made pretty good time until we got to the inside playground and everyone stopped moving. A Cast Member came by and told everyone that they had to temporarily close one of the Dumbos and therefore had to move everybody that was in the holding pen to the other Dumbo queue.


Whatever the issue was, it got resolved rather quickly and after a ten minute wait we were ushered to the broken Dumbo’s side.



While waiting for our turn, Landon spotted Barnstormer and started begging me to let him ride. Alex overheard and mentioned to Evie that she might be tall enough to go on it, too. She appeared really excited with that idea, but I suspected that was more because of older brother’s enthusiasm and trying to seem old like him. I told her we’d have to wait and see if she even hit the height requirement before we made any coaster decision.

But first, Dumbo:


Both kids loved it, and I am pretty sure this was our first time going on the side farthest from the castle. Kind of hard to believe in all the years we have gone on Dumbo since the kids have been born that was our first time…


Alex practically ran Evie over to the entrance of Barnstormer to check her height. Evie’s first coaster??? Let’s go!!!

What was the verdict?
In the Cast Member’s words: “Oh, she makes it by a mile.”


Landon and I had caught up to the two in time to hear this piece of news. Alex’s grin was a mile wide; for him, there’s nothing better than introducing his kids to a new coaster. It fell on my shoulders to be the voice of reason and inform Evie of what she was about to get herself into.

“Evie, this ride goes really, really fast. Are you sure you want to try it?”

“Yes!”

“Are you absolutely sure? This is a lot bigger and scarier than Dumbo.”

“Yes!

“I won’t mind sitting over there with you and letting you play while Bubba rides with Daddy.”

“I want to ride!”

Resigned, I grabbed her hand and walked through the queue entrance, knowing this wasn’t going to end well.


Surprisingly, we had to wait a solid twenty-five minutes to get to the front of the ride. I think there might have been a mechanical issue with this ride, too, because we weren’t moving for a good portion of the time. We were standing behind a dad and his son who kept looking out over the construction going on past Space Mountain and wondering what it was for.

When I told them Disney was building a Tron attraction, the dad gave me an incredulous look and hummed an “Okay.”

I swear he thought I was lying.

Poor man was not buying what I was selling. Wish I could see his face when he learned (or will learn) that I was telling the truth. Although, in his defense, I don’t blame him for not believing me. Tron wouldn’t be the first thing to come to my mind if I were just a casual visitor and not too knowledge on Disney properties.


Eventually, the line started moving again and my family was sent to the first and second row to await our seats. Evie was still all smiles when we boarded:



Then we took off and went around our first big turn….

I turned around to check on Evie and saw a look of sheer terror on her pretty little face. Her eyes were massive and her bottom lip was pulled back as if to scream but she was too scared to make a sound.

She was hating life at that moment.

Whereas, I gotta admit…it was kind of hilarious to me. She was just so sure she was going to like Barnstormer. One second she’s shooting me this goofy grin and then the next time I see her it was like a giant dog was barreling straight at her.


Alex and I got off the ride in stitches.

We’re terrible parents, I know. But guys, if I had been coordinated enough to hold my phone and take a picture you would have laughed, as well. Her expression was priceless.

Of course, the Barnstormer nightmare had soured Evie’s sunny disposition and we were soon dealing with an extremely ornery two year old. The party was over; there’d not be a lot of smiles coming from Evie anymore.


I suppose it was for the best that our next Fastpasses had become available and it wasn’t something Evie could ride.

I walked over to the entrance of Seven Dwarves Mine Train with Alex and Landon long enough for them to grab a Rider Swap and then took Evie over to the Mad Tea Cups. I’m trying to remember why I thought it was a good idea to take a cranky toddler on a ride after she’d just had a fit; I think I simply wanted the experience of riding an attraction with only her. Normally, Landon demands he sits with me so it’s rare I get Disney time with Evie, and I wanted to use the opportunity while it was presented.

Things started off good:



But as soon as the teacups started moving, the smiles turned upside down:


So not the successful mother/daughter time I had envisioned, but in Evie’s defense…I had just laughed at her Barnstormer nightmare rather than be empathetic to her fear. Guess I deserved it.


And while I was trying and failing at the teacups, Alex was hanging with a very excited Landon:


Apparently, they had run out of 7DMT lanyards and gave Alex a Splash Mountain one instead. Interesting.


The boys got the first row:



This was a big moment for us three. 7DMT opened in late May 2014. Alex and I were able to see Disney testing the cars with Cast Members when we were there in early May but missed the actual opening. I went back without Alex in August and December of that year, but promised him I wouldn’t ride it until he was with me. Then in 2015, the two times we visited I was pregnant and couldn’t ride so Alex upheld the deal. And last summer in 2017, Alex was gone again thus continuing our streak of missing the ride.


Here it was almost 4 years later and we were JUST now going on 7DMT for the first time.

Based on the number of times we had actually been inside the MK since it had opened (7) it seemed unbelievable that neither of us had gone on it yet. And you never know, if Landon wasn’t with us we might still have not tried it, because he was the one begging us to take him before our trip.

We have to be careful now, though. I’ve been in Pandora twice since it opened and have yet to ride either Navi River Journey or Flights of Passage. I’m scared our 7DMT trend has passed over to Avatar!


Getting back on track, Landon and Alex finished their ride and met back up with me and Evie in the stroller parking area. Landon ran up to me and started talking a mile a minute; he was going so fast that I didn’t catch a word he said. Still, his excitement was adorable and it was clear he enjoyed the coaster.

Alex had to have told him that he was going to get to go on it again with me, because he was yanking on my hand and pulling me in the direction of the entrance. I barely had time to get the Rider Swap card and warn Alex not to take Evie on anything lest he want to incur her wrath before Landon had me in the queue.

My husband must have also told Landon that this was my first time on 7DMT, because I preceded to get the most endearing commentary on what to expect.

“Okay, Mom, it has some drops but they’re not too big. You’ll like them. And we go inside for a little bit, then we’re back outside. The car moves side to side, too, you’ll like it. It’s so much fun. It’s the best ride EVER…you’ll like it.”

I didn’t care how the ride turned out, I had already had a great time without stepping foot on the ride. Landon’s spewl made me want to send him on every new ride Disney had just so I could hear his thoughts on them.

Landon lucked out with me and got the first row, again:
f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


When our cart began moving, Landon turned to me and said: “Mom, put your hands up there’s a drop right at the very beginning!”

My enthusiastic little boy. There’s nothing like experiencing Disney with Landon…


When the ride was over and we were walking to meet up with Alex, Landon asked me if I liked it.

I told him it was fun.

I lied.

Sssshhhh.

It wasn’t a total fib. I enjoyed the dark ride aspect and the music. I just left out the part where Mama got super motion sick and needed to sit down on solid ground with some water.

Last summer I felt a little queasy riding Everest but it was minor and went away as soon as the ride finished, so while motion sickness is something that I think is sneaking up on me as I get older I wasn’t prepared for the reaction I had on 7DMT.

All I can assume is that the side to side motion – something I’d never experienced before – really threw my body into limbo and it wasn’t reacting well to the new sensation. It was probably the worst I’ve ever felt coming off a coaster (even Mission:Space) but I did my best not to let my disappointment shine through to Landon. He was acting like 7DMT’s emissary and would have been very crestfallen to realize it didn’t live up to expectations.


During what felt like hours ago, Alex and I had gone on to Pinnocio’s Vilalge Haus mobile ordering while we were walking away from Barnstormer and chose a few quick items to eat for dinner.

I had texted Alex before boarding Mine Train and told him to go ahead and place the order and I’d meet him there when we were done. It felt like a long walk over, but I think it was more the long day catching up to me.

Our method ended up working out flawlessly. Alex had just parked Evie at an empty table when I showed up with Landon, and he was able to drop our bag and go grab our food.

Absolutely zero waiting on any of our parts.

Again, mobile ordering is the best!


We bought a couple pizzas and salads to share; we didn’t want too much because it was almost seven o’clock and we had somewhere else to be in less than an hour. I picked at a few pieces of food but mostly sat and drank a bottle of water. Alex was becoming concerned that I wasn’t eating anything and started to ask if I needed to go back to the resort.

We had one more reservation in the docket, and I knew I’d regret missing it, so I told him I’d push through the last few hours. Had it been an actual Disney vacation with several days planned, I would never have pushed myself as hard as I did that day but Alex and I wanted to get so many things knocked out and we were short on time. It had to be then or never, because we were still under the assumption that it would be 2 more years before we returned.

I could rest and recuperate on the carride home. For tonight, I needed to push past the wall and keep my Disney wheels churning!


Aside from making that decision, dinner was unremarkable. Landon and Evie did more waving then they did eating.



Although, Landon got frustrated at one point and turned to me to say: “Nobody’s waving back at me!”


I had to gently remind him that a lot of people probably didn’t realize we were up there and the ones that did were probably very tired. It was the end of the day, it was hot, and Small World was most likely providing a cool resting point to sit down and zone out for ten minutes.


My family finished up with our food and walked back out into Fantasyland. We still had our Anytime Fastpass to use, but it was getting close to our check in time for our reservation so we needed to hustle. I wanted to go to Fairytale Hall and let Evie meet some princesses but was outvoted by the men.

They both wanted to go on the Many Adventure of Winnie the Pooh – another first for us. Alex and I had attempted to take Landon on it in 2014, but the ride broke down and we had to be evacuated and since then Alex has wanted to give it a second try.

This past Christmas, Landon and I began reading the Winnie the Pooh books, so it didn’t take much work from Alex to convince him to join his side and petition for Pooh Bear.

Silly old boys…


With the Fastpasses, it took us about ten minutes to board our honeypots. I think this photo Alex snapped shows how done I was with the day:


I love the Disney parks, but my days of running from ride to ride with Alex are long over. I can’t do too many more of these jam packed, park open to close, commando type days.

Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was a cute ride, though, with lots of classic Pooh scenes. Both kids had a blast, and I can’t wait to go on it again when I’m more awake and aware of my surroundings.



Up Next…No Sense in Paying for a Seat You’re Not Going to Use

 

[paradesintherain]

. And with no A/C me and the kids have been hot and crabby; we're hoping the rain that's forecasted for Saturday shows up and cools things off a bit for this weekend.

That sounds so miserable! Hope it cools down soon!

“I want to ride!”

Resigned, I grabbed her hand and walked through the queue entrance, knowing this wasn’t going to end well.

Oh man, I hope it goes well...

Aww she looks so excited!

We’re terrible parents, I know. But guys, if I had been coordinated enough to hold my phone and take a picture you would have laughed, as well. Her expression was priceless.

I had a feeling the excitement wouldn't last! I so wish you had gotten a picture!

But as soon as the teacups started moving, the smiles turned upside down:

She just wants to take pictures in front of Disney walls in pretty outfits, Mom!!!

Based on the number of times we had actually been inside the MK since it had opened (7) it seemed unbelievable that neither of us had gone on it yet

Wow, that is unbelievable!

“Okay, Mom, it has some drops but they’re not too big. You’ll like them. And we go inside for a little bit, then we’re back outside. The car moves side to side, too, you’ll like it. It’s so much fun. It’s the best ride EVER…you’ll like it.”

He's so cute I can't stand it!

t wasn’t a total fib. I enjoyed the dark ride aspect and the music. I just left out the part where Mama got super motion sick and needed to sit down on solid ground with some water.

Ack, that's unfortunate! Maybe it was a one time thing

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

We’re terrible parents, I know. But guys, if I had been coordinated enough to hold my phone and take a picture you would have laughed, as well. Her expression was priceless.

Too bad Barnstormer doesn't have a ride photo, would have been a great keepsake to show her when she was older.

 

[rdkeim]

What a day - you were a trooper to push through! Love your DS's commentary on 7DMT - so cute! Wish I could turn back time and experience the parks with my boys as young ones again. But, looking forward to taking our grandson when he's a little older. My daughter-in-law says it's a one shot deal - we'll see.....

 

[mommaof3boys]

Here it was almost 4 years later and we were JUST now going on 7DMT for the first time.

Wow! I can't believe you hadn't ever ridden 7DMT. I like how you guys waited for each other to be able to ride.

We’re terrible parents, I know. But guys, if I had been coordinated enough to hold my phone and take a picture you would have laughed, as well. Her expression was priceless.

I am that terrible parent that video tapes their kid hating life. In 2015, I got this adorable video of Ronan loving 7DMT. So this year I thought I would get the same of Annabelle. Well, she hated everything about the ride. Now, I have a hilarious video of her screaming on 7 DMT.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Oh man, I can't believe I didn't know about this sooner! When Alex got home from work, I asked him, "How impossible would it be for me to fly into Orlando on a Thursday and then fly out that Monday?"
Of course, it all depends on when and where we're moving because that's right smack dab in the middle of our expiration date here in Germany. But nobody would notice if I snuck away for a weekend.

It's a very recent development, but I thought of you as soon as you mentioned about a TR meet up! I can't imagine making such a short trip all the way from Germany when you're already going to be so busy...but I hope you can squeeze it in anyway! I'll probably also be down and back for the weekend, but that seems a lot more manageable from Canada.

Hi guys! Is everyone surviving summer? Germany is having the worst heatwave they've ever seen before. It's been in the mid 90's all week. And with no A/C me and the kids have been hot and crabby; we're hoping the rain that's forecasted for Saturday shows up and cools things off a bit for this weekend.

Oh man! It hasn't been quite that bad here. The temperatures are actually not bad at all, but with the humidity, we're dying here! Apparently we're in what they're calling "Atmospheric Gridlock" where the humidity just isn't breaking for a record number of hours. This was this morning:

Of course this is also the week that our AC has decided to quit, and we have the technician coming HOPEFULLY today *fingers crossed*

“Evie, this ride goes really, really fast. Are you sure you want to try it?”

“Yes!”

“Are you absolutely sure? This is a lot bigger and scarier than Dumbo.”

“Yes!

“I won’t mind sitting over there with you and letting you play while Bubba rides with Daddy.”

“I want to ride!”

Uh oh...I have an uneasy feeling about this...

When I told them Disney was building a Tron attraction, the dad gave me an incredulous look and hummed an “Okay.”

I swear he thought I was lying.

I mean, why would you make that up!? He'll be so surprised to learn it's actually true.

I turned around to check on Evie and saw a look of sheer terror on her pretty little face. Her eyes were massive and her bottom lip was pulled back as if to scream but she was too scared to make a sound.

She was hating life at that moment.

Oh no! Poor Evie! ....but I bet it looked hilarious.

But as soon as the teacups started moving, the smiles turned upside down:

Oh my goodness, that precious little sad face. Poor girl couldn't catch a break that day! Reminds me of the stories of my first Disney trip where I cried and ran for the exit on every ride.

We have to be careful now, though. I’ve been in Pandora twice since it opened and have yet to ride either Navi River Journey or Flights of Passage. I’m scared our 7DMT trend has passed over to Avatar!

Uh oh!

“Okay, Mom, it has some drops but they’re not too big. You’ll like them. And we go inside for a little bit, then we’re back outside. The car moves side to side, too, you’ll like it. It’s so much fun. It’s the best ride EVER…you’ll like it.”

Oh my goodness, what a sweetie! I love his Disney enthusiasm. He was obviously so proud to be in the know and to share it with you.

It wasn’t a total fib. I enjoyed the dark ride aspect and the music. I just left out the part where Mama got super motion sick and needed to sit down on solid ground with some water.

Oh no! Sorry you had this reaction! I know it all too well. 7DMT doesn't bother me too much if we sit toward the front. For some reason if I'm in the back it's another story. But I can see how the foreign side-to-side movement could knock you for a loop.

Although, Landon got frustrated at one point and turned to me to say: “Nobody’s waving back at me!”

Poor Landon! This is a good reminder for me to always look up when I'm riding this in case there are kids like Landon who just want somebody to wave hello.

I think this photo Alex snapped shows how done I was with the day:

Aww man, long day! It's good that you managed to push through so the kids could have a full Disney day, but I think I'd be in a similar tired frame of mind by this point, too. I've already reached the point where I need some downtime if I'm going all day at a park.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Yes, let me know, that would be great! Wouldn't it be fun if we managed to coordinate the circle of DIS folks that share TRs with each other on a trip someday? I was thinking about that earlier - we'd have to go, even if we didn't have a trip planned.

I love that I was also about to send you over to our PTR but @MeghanEmily beat me to it! I even remember thinking - I really need to invite Alicia and Rita, but I don't know if they'd be available!

Alex doesn’t have a big nostalgia streak; there’s no “first ride” of a trip or a “eat here on our anniversary” or a “walk through memory lane” on kids’ birthdays for him. So, I think it’s cute that at least once every trip, Alex will stop me and go: “Take our picture!” in front of the sword.

That's so cute! Did the sword come back before you guys left DLP?

Alex practically ran Evie over to the entrance of Barnstormer to check her height. Evie’s first coaster??? Let’s go!!!

What was the verdict?
In the Cast Member’s words: “Oh, she makes it by a mile.”

I can see myself doing this when I bring my friend's kids to Disney for the first time. I still measure their 3.5 yr old every time I see her, because I have vowed not to bring them until she's tall enough for Radiator Springs Racers to prevent her from getting upset when she can't do it (she would be the opposite of Evie on rides)

Then we took off and went around our first big turn….

I turned around to check on Evie and saw a look of sheer terror on her pretty little face. Her eyes were massive and her bottom lip was pulled back as if to scream but she was too scared to make a sound.

She was hating life at that moment.

Whereas, I gotta admit…it was kind of hilarious to me. She was just so sure she was going to like Barnstormer. One second she’s shooting me this goofy grin and then the next time I see her it was like a giant dog was barreling straight at her.

Oh boy - that would be hilarious to see! But again, poor Evie. She is just not a Disney girl yet!

This was a big moment for us three. 7DMT opened in late May 2014. Alex and I were able to see Disney testing the cars with Cast Members when we were there in early May but missed the actual opening. I went back without Alex in August and December of that year, but promised him I wouldn’t ride it until he was with me. Then in 2015, the two times we visited I was pregnant and couldn’t ride so Alex upheld the deal. And last summer in 2017, Alex was gone again thus continuing our streak of missing the ride.


Here it was almost 4 years later and we were JUST now going on 7DMT for the first time.

I'm impressed by your dedication!

We have to be careful now, though. I’ve been in Pandora twice since it opened and have yet to ride either Navi River Journey or Flights of Passage. I’m scared our 7DMT trend has passed over to Avatar!

What are you going to do once Star Wars opens!?!

My husband must have also told Landon that this was my first time on 7DMT, because I preceded to get the most endearing commentary on what to expect.

“Okay, Mom, it has some drops but they’re not too big. You’ll like them. And we go inside for a little bit, then we’re back outside. The car moves side to side, too, you’ll like it. It’s so much fun. It’s the best ride EVER…you’ll like it.”

I didn’t care how the ride turned out, I had already had a great time without stepping foot on the ride. Landon’s spewl made me want to send him on every new ride Disney had just so I could hear his thoughts on them.

Oh so cute!

My enthusiastic little boy. There’s nothing like experiencing Disney with Landon…

Seriously! Best disney buddy ever!

It wasn’t a total fib. I enjoyed the dark ride aspect and the music. I just left out the part where Mama got super motion sick and needed to sit down on solid ground with some water.

Last summer I felt a little queasy riding Everest but it was minor and went away as soon as the ride finished, so while motion sickness is something that I think is sneaking up on me as I get older I wasn’t prepared for the reaction I had on 7DMT.

All I can assume is that the side to side motion – something I’d never experienced before – really threw my body into limbo and it wasn’t reacting well to the new sensation. It was probably the worst I’ve ever felt coming off a coaster (even Mission:Space) but I did my best not to let my disappointment shine through to Landon. He was acting like 7DMT’s emissary and would have been very crestfallen to realize it didn’t live up to expectations.

Oh no! I've also been feeling motion sickness more recently. Last weekend I spent a lot of time sitting outside ride exits when my sister and her boyfriend went on rides because I didn't want to feel icky!