Way Out Here, Eh? - A June 2019 TR *PTR Link Posted

[cindianne320]

What a fun afternoon! I'm glad Mimi and Eddie got to join you for some MK time! And WHOA- I can't believe that Landon was big enough/brave enough to ride Space! So exciting!

 

[missangelalexis]

So nice that you could have family join you for the day! It sounds like you were making wonderful memories that you will cherish for a long time to come

That is so awesome that you both could ride with Landon on his first ride on Space!! And I'm glad he loved it!!

And I'm glad you and your mom could enjoy a dole whip at the Poly together!!

 

[vamassey1]

I love this area of the park:

Me too!

I hadn’t seen my mother in-law since Christmas, so it was fun to be able to sit back and catch up while Tangled music played in the background. And fortunately, my mom and Mimi get along really well and I am pretty sure they spent the majority of the time talking, with me just sitting in the middle nodding.

So happy y'all got to visit in such a lovely spot.

Rapunzel couldn’t have picked a better time to go the extra mile and create a magical memory for my kids. My mother in-law is not a fan of theme parks, and if it weren’t for how much she loved her grandchildren she wouldn’t get within a hundred feet of Disney property. She has always carried that view of the parks being “too expensive, too crowded, and too busy.”

Amazing character interaction for all.

He might not have gotten a word in edgewise, but he did still get to enjoy the nauseating spin and blur that is the tea cups:

Love this photo!

Everyone surviving the tea cups with a weak hold of their stomachs, I spotted a photopass photographer as we exited and dragged everyone over for a group shot:

Great photo of everyone!

I guess they told her they were moving to England and she told them they had to drink tea while there. This was very important. The kids took Alice’s orders VERY SERIOUSLY. To this day, if they see Alex making himself a cup of tea, they comment that they, “Have to go back and tell Alice we’ve had tea now.”

This is just perfect.

He looks very happy to be riding Space.

Landon loved Space Mountain, and the now familiar barrage of “Can we go on that again?!” started before the lap bars had lifted and the vehicle had come to a complete stop.

Glad he enjoyed and of course he would want to do it again.

My mom and I stayed at the Poly and continued a long upheld tradition of ours.

Indulging in a Dole Whip.

Wonderful tradition!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Huzzah, I finally made it!

I'm too far behind for quotes, but your adult Disney time sounded downright lovely.

What a nice birthday in Epcot!!!

The TSL RD match is borderline scary, but I'm glad the AS2 to TSMM worked for you guys.

Fwiw, I think the kids wanting to ride with the grands just showed that you're raising confident, well adjusted kids who are comfortable exploring their independence. At least, I hope so, because my girls bail on me whenever they have the option to ride something without me, ride a row ahead of me, etc.

 

[afwdwfan]

My family doesn’t always go to the Magic Kingdom in the morning, but when we do…we ride IASW standby and then Fastpass Peter Pan’s Flight.

I like it!

I love this area of the park:

If only it were more than a restroom and stroller parking.

Rapunzel was up next, and my goodness! The kids told her about hunting for Pascals, which sent Rapunzel down a very long-winded conversation about playing hide and seek and the need to include Flynn in the game and how Landon and Evie needed to keep an eye out for the chameleon for the rest of the day.

The talk went on for so long that the three of them sat down on the ground to get more comfortable, and a significant line had built up behind us.

That is awesome! I'm glad Rapunzel made such a memorable meet for you!

It was so sweet of Landon to want to include everyone, but I know the poor guests behind us were like, “Good grief will these people ever leave?!”

Nah, you don't get the opportunity for a top notch character interaction like that every time. I think most people get it.

Okay, that’s enough of THAT sort of talk. This is a trip report, not a dissection into the fortunes my kids have inherited through sheer luck.

It's a great picture, and I love your reflection on what it means, and what your family means and the love everyone has for your kids.

I guess they told her they were moving to England and she told them they had to drink tea while there. This was very important. The kids took Alice’s orders VERY SERIOUSLY. To this day, if they see Alex making himself a cup of tea, they comment that they, “Have to go back and tell Alice we’ve had tea now.”

I mean, it makes sense! Better get that trip booked so they can let Alice know how they enjoy the tea!

Landon loved Space Mountain, and the now familiar barrage of “Can we go on that again?!” started before the lap bars had lifted and the vehicle had come to a complete stop.

First of all, that's awesome! I'm glad he enjoyed it so much.

But... uh, oh...

The heat from the midday sun and the busy morning had caught up to him, and when Alex and I firmly told him no, that we needed to get out of the heat and rest, he became a sourpuss.

Gotta love those family pictures taken under protest!

Navigating kids and Disney is sure an adventure!

Nothing says enjoying Disney with my Mama like an ice cold pineapple Dole Whip, sitting and people watching and chatting about absolutely nothing and sharing in an experience that’s so simple and yet so lasting.

It’s the little things, you guys….

I'm glad you got your chance to do that!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Oh, how I had some major catching up to do! I'm so enjoying reading about your trip, Alicia!

How has everyone’s winter been going?

Oof. Busy. I'm a month from what's basically the end of my masters. How the time manages to drag on in the moment and simultaneously have flown when you look back on it.

We’re still waiting on Landon’s post op appointment for his eyes (gotta love handling insurance claims at an overseas location) but Alex and I are confident the procedure helped at least a little bit. There’s a 30% chance he’ll need the surgery again in his life, and all I’ll say about that is…it better hold off until he’s old enough to administer his own eyedrops. I looked like I was wrestling a greased bear!

Poor Landon, having gone through his surgery and those nasty drops. I hope he's doing well now and seeing some benefit!

I’ll take them into London and Cambridge, and then we are all going up to Scotland for a few days. I actually found a lodge attached to a castle that we are going to stay. How exciting is that?!

This sounds amazing! Sometimes your adventures sound like living a real-life fairytale. I'm sure there are cons to having to move away from family and live abroad, but you also go on some wonderful excursions. Your children will have such wonderful travel experiences to inform how they learn about the world.

This is going to be a drastically different kind of Disney trip than we have ever taken before.

There will be 5 kids under the age of 8.

Oh good gracious! Good luck to you! That sounds like it will so much fun, but also a little nuts.

But listening to him go on and on about TSMM forced me to accept that he had grown up a lot since our last vacation.

I was now going to have to approach Disney in a different way.

Wow. This must have been a bit of a shock to the system. Amazing how they turn into little humans right before your eyes, with their own ideas and opinions and everything!

WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF?! Every year, I tell myself not to suffer through summertime in Florida with small children. And yet, almost every summer I find myself back in the parks, toting around a little furnace in 100 degree heat.

Will I never learn???

LOL

I still have memories of being on a Florida trip with my mom and her grouchily refuting my hugs saying it was way to humid for affection

Unfortunately, Landon’s eyes were bigger than his stomach and he ended up eating too much food, too quickly.

Oh no! Poor Landon, and poor you. This would be one of my major challenges if we ever had kids.

If you’re not toting tiny humans or heavy bags are you even a DISdad???

Not all superheroes wear capes. Some wear kids.

My mom, like always, smiled and listened patiently to my grand dreams. She’s so tolerant of my wishful musings.

I have gotten some real gems from these pre-park opening Main Street shots in the past. Some of my favorites, actually.

But alas, the kids were not having it this day.

Oh my goodness!!

“Evie, we’re at Disney! We’re inside the Magic Kingdom.”

*Glares*

“We’re going to go on the carousel, meet princesses, eat lots of good food!”

*Continues to glare*

She's a hoot! I'm sure it was a little less funny at the time though.

I wanted us to get the usual assortment of photographs and just had to tell the kids they had to suck it up and stand for a few minutes. Which resulted in a series of art I like to call: Frowning through the Generations.

These were seriously hilarious.

So I spent the entire time in the line straightening his wrist before the grapes on his plate rolled onto the carpet, all while apologizing to the guests behind us for my son taking twelve years to pick up a waffle.

I'm sure they weren't nearly as concerned about it as you were, but fostering independence is A TASK. I don't envy parents of kids Landon's age. Someday you'll look back and miss the days of having to help hold his plate straight.

This is precious. Their faces!

He replied with: “Hey, I’m on vacation. I can have ice cream for breakfast!”

100%. This guy knows what's up.

There was a very kind woman next to me on the attraction that offered to take our picture, and I’m forever grateful to her for her kindness.

So lovely! Great picture of you both. And very kind of the lady on the carousel.

I do love meeting her, though, because I think she has one of the prettiest dresses of all the royal gals.

She really does have a nice dress. Well-dressed, smart, makes a good pot of gumbo, what more could you possibly want in a princess?

This is a sweet family photo I also never realized how much Landon looks like Alex's side until I saw him with his Mimi. He looks like both of you, for sure, but I really see a resemblance between the two of them.

Well, Mimi walked out of the princess meet and greet very impressed by the level of attention the kids received. She couldn’t believe how they struck up a conversation and allowed the kids to express their thoughts, and I could practically see the old views turning and evolving in her mind.

This is wonderful! I love moments like this, and good on Rapunzel for taking the extra time and making it a special moment for your family.

I guess they told her they were moving to England and she told them they had to drink tea while there. This was very important. The kids took Alice’s orders VERY SERIOUSLY. To this day, if they see Alex making himself a cup of tea, they comment that they, “Have to go back and tell Alice we’ve had tea now.”

This is awesome

The moods of a school aged kid….I was not prepared for it!

 

[NJlauren]

Believe it or not, my family didn’t visit the Magic Kingdom until the third day of our trip. With two little kids, I’m not sure how I managed to stay away for that long; I suppose the excitement of Toy Story Land and my mom’s birthday helped them forget what they were missing.

This has happened on 2 of our last 3 trips, MK was on day 3 both times! I think it all just depends how i work out the schedule I find it odd i am no rushing to MK but then again its nice to be in a good rhythm when i get to hit it up too !

I have used both forms many times and found it's easiest to walk to the Poly in the morning hours, when the sun hasn’t fully risen and feet are fresh.

Not to mention, the quiet hours of the Polynesian as the grounds are first beginning to buzz are my favorite.

I am all for walking as much as i can! I want them to have a walk way from the poly to MK, so i don't even need to take the monorail.... not that i have stayed there recently but i want it anyway!

I also spent the duration of the walk from the first floor lobby to the monorail security check telling my mom how one day her and I were going to stay at there. We were going to sit by the pool with Dole Whips in hand and watch the MK fireworks over the water of Bay Lake.

My mom, like always, smiled and listened patiently to my grand dreams. She’s so tolerant of my wishful musings.

I love this! Its one of those things that make a great mother daughter relationship!

But alas, the kids were not having it this day.

Evie was downright grumpy.

OMG i love this kid! You go girl!

The only reason we got a semi-decent expression out of Evie was because the Cast Member was waving a strand of Mickey stickers in his hand, promising both kids a ream if they cooperated. This man knew the way to a kid’s heart.

Straight up bribery.

You know it! ALLL the stickers!

Not long later, the wedding party arrived. One of the girls was wearing a Belle dress and a man was in a Beast tux. We thought it was the bride and groom but then we saw who we assumed was the bride in the carriage in a big white ballgown. So we could only assume she had her Maid of Honor and Best Man dress up in Beauty and the Beast attire.

I am sorry what? How did it look, i am picturing it looking VERY odd!

I took Landon and Evie to get their plates of food first. With very firm instructions to Landon to moderate himself. That boy has no control at buffets. Especially breakfast ones, and I wasn’t having a repeat of the night before.

Buffets are great in the sense that you get to pick and choose what you want to eat, but they are a nightmare with six year olds. Landon wanted to hold his plate and dish his own food, but he was notorious for forgetting to hold his plate straight. So I spent the entire time in the line straightening his wrist before the grapes on his plate rolled onto the carpet, all while apologizing to the guests behind us for my son taking twelve years to pick up a waffle.

Giving up control and allowing kids to gain independence is a hard transition!

HHAHA Story of my life! Dillon is 5 and its the same thing, all the time she wants to do it her self, but i am so worried its going to end up everywhere!

No trip to the Magic Kingdom is complete without riding It’s a Small World!

And yes, my kids banished Alex and I again. We had pretty much accepted this fate by now.

100% agree! - Re small world not the banishing

Oh, how my heart sings whenever I see this photo. I have it in a framed collage in our upstairs hall, because it brings me joy to see it as I walk through the house. I’m old enough now to understand what a special occasion it was to have the kids spend time with both grandmothers.

ok nope i am not crying this is a Disney stop you stop that right now!

Landon wasn’t nervous about riding Space whatsoever, although he did become a little hesitant when we explained that he would be sitting in a chair on his own. I had to reassure him that I would be right behind him and could touch his shoulders whenever he needed some help.

As it turned out, though, once on the ride and moving along the track he forgot all about being on his own and had a fantastic time.

LOVE that you both got to do this with him! So amazing! So happy he loved it as well!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Brilliant updates. You had me getting so blurry eyed at the love your family have for eachother and the efforts you all make to spend quality time together. Love that Landon made it to space mountain and I also agree sometimes it’s the little things like a shared dole whip with your mum that make life precious

 

[TanzUnited99]

Haha on Evie’s grumpy face!

Lovely pics of Crystal Palace breakfast...I’m looking forward to dining there again

Aaw on Rapunzel taking her time and making the M&G extra special

 

[amazingact21]

What a fabulous interaction!

Character interactions aren't my top priority, but I've done a lot of them with the kids over the years. This one was one of my favorites!

Absolutely! Recognizing and cherishing those special moments is what makes life so sweet.

Living so far away from family, I have come to put a lot of value on these special vacation memories with loved ones.

What a great day for all of you! Love the picture of all of you together. I guess it's a double edged sword that your DS loved SM. I'm sure at his age it's hard to understand why you can't just get in line and go again. He looks so little in the ride photo. Hope your MK evening is a good one!

Nowadays, whenever he talks about Disney he brings up the coasters. It's gotten worse since Evie has reached 40 inches and is tall enough to go on some of them now. Our vacationing priorities have definitely shifted...

Glad to see Evie became happier as the day progressed. OMG! She is the cutest!
And, I can't believe Landon rode SM!!! That's one brave kid!

Evie is something else! I love her spunky personalty, though it does prove interesting at Disney.
The only Disney ride Landon's scared to try is Dinosaur. He recently became tall enough to ride RNRC and is anxious to experience his first inverted coaster.

 

[amazingact21]

This photo is absolutely precious.

I love tea cup photos, even if I'm not thrilled about the ride itself.

Gotta love that juvenile honesty

In his defense, my household runs on the very clear rules that "Mommy needs time alone sometimes." The kids know I'm a lot more patient and happy if their dad takes them on an adventure while I get to read in silence for a few hours.

That's pretty cool!

Having my brother in-law getting those tickets every year has allowed for a lot more Disney time with them. The kids have gotten to hang with him, their aunt, grandma, and grandfather over the years which is really special.

This is Mike also lol.

I used to get annoyed with how many conversations Alex strikes up, but now I've just accepted that it's going to happen and walk off to entertain myself until he's done.

Oo no! Glad she was ok!

My MIL is extremely accident prone, so her falling wasn't a surprise. (She was all right.) She broke an ankle four weeks before our wedding, and broke a foot ten minutes after arriving at my SIL's house over the summer. My kids tell her all the time that she's not allowed to go up and down our stairs without their assistance.

 

[amazingact21]

Awww, this is just so sweet!

I'm very fortunate that my extended family gets along. Alex and I enjoy seeing our moms hanging out and having a good time. My SIL will be living near my mom soon, and they've already made plans to meet up for lunches when my MIL comes to visit.

 

[amazingact21]

What a fun afternoon! I'm glad Mimi and Eddie got to join you for some MK time! And WHOA- I can't believe that Landon was big enough/brave enough to ride Space! So exciting!

He's tall enough to ride RNRC now and keeps talking about how he wants to try it. While Evie is thrilled she's 40 inches now. Alex and I have accepted that our Disney trips are going to be all about the coasters now.

That is so awesome that you both could ride with Landon on his first ride on Space!! And I'm glad he loved it!!

And I'm glad you and your mom could enjoy a dole whip at the Poly together!!

Whether Alex and I like it or not, our kids are becoming coaster junkies. I can't wait to take Landon on EE next and see how he likes that one.

One day my mom and I will stay at the Poly and enjoy another Dole Whip...

 

[amazingact21]

Love this photo!

The tea cups provide some great photo opportunities!

Wonderful tradition!

My mom and I love our Dole Whips at Disney time. A tradition we began back on our Mom/Daughter trip in 2012.

Fwiw, I think the kids wanting to ride with the grands just showed that you're raising confident, well adjusted kids who are comfortable exploring their independence. At least, I hope so, because my girls bail on me whenever they have the option to ride something without me, ride a row ahead of me, etc.

Well, this raised my spirits quite a bit. I love that train of thought.
I've always been grateful that my kids have felt comfortable staying with their grandparents and actually beg us to take them back to their houses. Neither Alex or myself grew up close to our grandparents, so this has been fun to see develop.

 

[amazingact21]

Gotta love those family pictures taken under protest!

They make the best shots.

Oh, how I had some major catching up to do! I'm so enjoying reading about your trip, Alicia!

It's good to see you back on the boards, and I hope the rest of your masters program goes well!

Poor Landon, having gone through his surgery and those nasty drops. I hope he's doing well now and seeing some benefit!

His eyes are doing well, and the biggest issue (his eyes turning inwards) has gotten better. He's back to his normal every 6 month check-ups, so we're happy.

This sounds amazing! Sometimes your adventures sound like living a real-life fairytale. I'm sure there are cons to having to move away from family and live abroad, but you also go on some wonderful excursions. Your children will have such wonderful travel experiences to inform how they learn about the world.

This is one hundred percent a special time of our lives. Alex and I can't believe the opportunities we have gotten to do, and we hope the kids grow up not missing too many "normal" childhood things they're missing out on.

I still have memories of being on a Florida trip with my mom and her grouchily refuting my hugs saying it was way to humid for affection

Hahaha, it's really hard to give that parental affection when the humidity is a thousand percent.

She's a hoot! I'm sure it was a little less funny at the time though.

I love Evie's personality, even when that means she's not in the mood for Main Street photos.

I also never realized how much Landon looks like Alex's side until I saw him with his Mimi.

He really does! We've compared childhood photos of Alex to Landon and there are a lot of similarities. And Evie is the spitting image of Alex's older sister.

 

[amazingact21]

I am all for walking as much as i can! I want them to have a walk way from the poly to MK, so i don't even need to take the monorail.... not that i have stayed there recently but i want it anyway!

That would be amazing! Alex would have to drag me away from trips if I could walk to and from the Poly.

I love this! Its one of those things that make a great mother daughter relationship!

I love how close I am to my mom; I am always laughing at having fun when I'm with her. I can only hope Evie wants to go on trips with me like I do with my mom when she's older.

I am sorry what? How did it look, i am picturing it looking VERY odd!

It was quite the sight! The bride was in her white gown, and standing next to her was a girl dressed in a Belle ballgown. Bright yellow and poofy and everything...

Brilliant updates. You had me getting so blurry eyed at the love your family have for eachother and the efforts you all make to spend quality time together. Love that Landon made it to space mountain and I also agree sometimes it’s the little things like a shared dole whip with your mum that make life precious

I'm grateful we get to live in Europe for so many years, but I do have a lot of mom guilt for keeping the kids away from their extended family. Thank goodness for video chat and long summer breaks.

Haha on Evie’s grumpy face!

Lovely pics of Crystal Palace breakfast...I’m looking forward to dining there again

Crystal Palace is such a classic MK restaurant! You can't go wrong with a meal there.

Evie has one strong personality. When she's grumpy she wants the world to know!

 

[amazingact21]

June 9th 2019 Part 5:


Following an ice cream treat and a short break back at Shades of Green, my family returned to the Polynesian for a light dinner at Captain Cook’s.



I love the Pulled Pork sandwich here, and my mom and I decided to share the meal in order to save room for dessert later that evening. The kids were predictable and got Uncrustables with grapes.


After our meal, we boarded the monorail and were soon seeing the Magic Kingdom train station:



Alex’s brother and mom remained in the park during our break (because of the nature of their tickets they weren’t allowed re-entry into a park) and they met us in Adventureland. My favorite land in the MK!

Before the trip, my mom asked that I try and score additional passes for Jungle Cruise and Pirates since those were two of her must-do’s for the Magic Kingdom. I managed to snag us all passes for Jungle Cruise and decided to get Pirate passes via the Pirate’s Adventure.

The kids were very interested in this scavenger hunt through the land, sending off effects in their search for lost treasure. Alex and his brother took the youngsters off to complete two missions (the amount needed to get Fastpasses) while I sat down with my mother and mother in-law near Tortuga Tavern.

The grandmas ended up getting into a long and animated conversation while I sat in the middle, twiddling my thumbs. Think I might have been better off joining the boys and kids on their adventure…
At least then I would have avoided the odd interaction with a Cast Member who came up to the table to sweep. He started telling the three of us various rides we could go on in the area until I politely said, “That’s okay, we just want to sit.”

To which he replied with: “You want to sit HERE? Why?”

Uhm.

Well. I didn’t know why there, specifically. We were just sitting.
Thankfully, the Cast Member moved on before I could come up with a reasonable answer and not long after the adventurers returned with their loot:







Alex asked the kind CMs working if they could get three extra passes for us and they were happy to oblige. Looked like everyone was going on Pirates later!

But first. Everyone had Jungle Cruise passes ready to be used.
I believe it was @StarWarsMomofGirls! that forewarned me the Fastpass line for Jungle was as bad as standby lately, and she wasn’t wrong. We had to wait a while before we were loaded on a boat.




Once we disembarked with our heads (sorry Trader Sam, no deal from us that day) we were ready to use those Pirate passes.


And to absolutely nobody’s surprise the kids sat with the grandmas.




Talk about winning the lottery. What’s better than sitting next to one grandparent at Disney? Sitting next to two of them!

Shortly after the ride began I noticed the mist feature with Davy Jones wasn’t there and turned to ask Alex about it. And as I was talking about it I went, “Oh, dang, I need to put my hand down. There’s a Photopass picture in here now.”

Which meant….



I managed to hit the mark perfectly.


You can’t take me anywhere.



Two water attractions can really do a number on a poor mom’s tiny bladder, and I slowed any group member’s roll by making us all camp out at another table and go through the potty break routine. I asked Evie if she needed to go, and she said no. So I went. And by the time I made it back to her spot with the grandmas, she needed to go. Back to the restrooms I went.

Everyone finished, we decided to stay put and visit for a bit.




There was some nasty weather rolling in, and it cooled the temperature down quite a bit. I feel like that’s when you know it’s going to be a significant storm, when the air pressure drops and the wind picks up and all of a sudden goosebumps break out on the skin.

My mom and I began to worry about Mimi driving home in a major storm and with reluctance, she agreed it was best she left and got ahead of the nasty weather. I hugged her goodbye while Alex ran into a shop with Eddie to use his passholder discount to get him a souvenir.
And just like that, it was almost 8 o’clock, the skies were an even darker gray, and we were ready to check in for our dessert party!


Continued in Next Post:

 

[amazingact21]

Continued From Previous Post:


Alex and I had such a great experience at our Happily Ever After dessert party in May of ’18 that we convinced my mom to splurge and book a ticket on this trip. She was worried she wouldn’t get her money’s worth out of it because she wouldn’t eat much, but we tried our best to tell her that it was the no-stress aspect of the fireworks that you’re paying for. The food is just a sweet perk.

We were checked in and led to our table in no time at all, and I promptly took the kids to the food line so they could get some toasted marshmallows and cupcakes. I wanted to try their savory option – a new addition since our last visit – and their new cold brew coffee, so I got the egg rolls and a drink:




One of you guys, I’m so sorry I can’t remember who, let me know that the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake from Liberty Tree Tavern was now served at the party, and my mom got some for us all to try.




It was good but very rich. I’m glad we were able to get a small offering, because I don’t think we would have been able to split an entire serving after a big turkey dinner. I also liked that I could get it without ice cream!

After everyone had their fill of cheese and macarons and buttercream frosting, we headed over to the Rose Garden for our viewing spot of the fireworks. Unfortunately, not five minutes after arriving an announcement was made saying the show was delayed and the aforementioned storm showed up. With a venegeance!

We ran back to the exit and encountered a petrified young Cast Member at the rope. When my mom walked up, about to ask to be let out, the poor fellow shouted, “You’ve got it!” and fled.



No exaggeration in this story. He literally threw his arms up in the air and turned tail and ran.


My mom stood there, stunned, and as another crack of lightning lit up the sky, rushed to unhook the rope and let us out. Back at our table in the terrace, we couldn’t help but laugh at the crazy scenario. This kid must not have been familiar with FL thunderstorms or had a very healthy fear of them, and it soon became the running banter of the group. “Fend for yourself!”

We didn’t say this as jab towards the CM. My dad was a meteorologist; we all have a healthy respect for the power of nature. My dad was that parent shouting at us to come out of the pool or off the street when he got an alert a storm was in the distance. So I completely understand and respect the Cast Member’s desire to get to safety. We were more amused by how he threw the reigns over to my mom. Sort of like a “I give!” move.


The front liked what it saw in the MK and decided to stall for a bit. Maybe it wanted to meet Mickey or grab a Dole Whip… either way, it postponed the show by first fifteen minutes, then thirty, and Alex and I were starting to worry HEA would be cancelled completely.


The kids passed the time waiting by dancing and moving around our table:



And eventually, at 9:30 I want to say, the speakers announced the show was starting in fifteen minutes. My mom and I heard the thunder growing fainter and saw on the weather radar that the worst bands were past. So we threw our rain gear back on and went back out to the garden.


It was still raining pretty steadily:


Thank goodness Alex and the kids had their sturdy rain coats from Europe and I had picked up a lightweight one from the Shades store on arrival day!


Thanks to the rain, there was not a lot of people in the area with us. The exception was a huge conglomeration of folks near the front railing, with many members moving and rustling about. When Happily Ever After started, they spent more time talking to one another and holding their phones than watching the show. My mom and I found it odd but didn’t pay too much attention.

We had a show to watch:







Near the end of the show, yet more people joined the group at the railing. They even wormed their way through some other guests. My mom and I turned to each other and kind of went, “What is their deal?”

Alex, who was closer to the front with Landon, got to see what the hub bub was first:



It turns out, a Cast Member was proposing to another Cast Member and they had their entire family and many, many CM friends with them for the big surprise.
It was really sweet to see such a special moment and witness the excitement and happiness in the air. Buttttt, us and everyone else in the area missed the end of the show.




None of us cared, because it wasn’t our first or last time seeing Happily Ever After but there was one couple behind us who….*ahem*….got quite perturbed by the interruption. There was a part of me that wanted to point out that I’d much rather see something joyous happening than the now-normal commotion of parents fighting over kids on shoulders or ipads blocking views or sidewalk territory.

I mean, in all seriousness. Nowadays there’s always go to be a disruption. And more often than not it’s disgruntled guests taking their frustrations and heat exhaustion out on strangers or innocent Cast Members.
Give me a sweet proposal scene any day.



My mom and I also couldn’t help but think about what those rain delays were doing to that poor guy’s nerves! We overheard them talking later about how he got her family members to come into town for a visit and he orchestrated the whole thing. And then he just had to sit in anguish as his big moment got pushed back and risked getting cancelled altogether. I bet his nerves were shot by that finale!

It also amused my mom to no end that we started our day witnessing a wedding the garden and ended it with a proposal. Love was in the air!


We hung back for a few minutes after the show to let the crowds disperse, and I tried to take a few group photos.







As you can see, one member of the family had reached her limit. She was tired and sick of being wet. We needed to get her back to the resort and dried off. Another Disney day was in the books!




Up Next…Baby, I’m as Clueless as You

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I asked Evie if she needed to go, and she said no. So I went. And by the time I made it back to her spot with the grandmas, she needed to go. Back to the restrooms I went.

One of my least favorite parts of parenting. I'm trying to loosen the reigns now that they're getting older, but from the time the girls trained at 2 until at least 4.5 years old, "I know you don't have to go but we're all going to try" should have been tattooed on my forehead for as much as I said it.

When my mom walked up, about to ask to be let out, the poor fellow shouted, “You’ve got it!” and fled.



No exaggeration in this story. He literally threw his arms up in the air and turned tail and ran.

poor guy! Although, I must say, the HEA dessert party sounds so much better when there's a storm. You had a dry place to retreat to with unlimited food and guaranteed viewing when the show finally started. It would have been a much harder choice whether or not to wait it out if you were jammed into stores in main St.

As you can see, one member of the family had reached her limit. She was tired and sick of being wet. We needed to get her back to the resort and dried off. Another Disney day was in the books!

I love her grumpy photos so much, thank you for always sharing them!

 

[cindianne320]

Your dinner looked really yummy! Cool that you got extra FPS! Was the Jungle Cruise a lucky 4th or do you have secret ways? I never knew about the Pirates scavenger hunt, either!

sorry that your dessert party got rained on - but how cool to see a proposal-we saw one the first time I saw Hea and it was so sweet!