I DON'T Walk. A kids rule May 2015 TR *Completed 2/13*

[rteetz]

Great update!

I'd love to go during flower and garden one of these years.

That piggylicious cupcake has been one of the talks of the festival the last two years, I have heard mixed reviews on it.

 

[Dugette]

had to leave over a tantrum caused by giving James the wrong drink

Haha, was it the Beverly? (Totally understand, though - last night, Izzy was very adamant about wanting only a certain cup of water, no other water or milk or anything liquid allowed).

Some of the boy's favorites are from Peter Pan

I love how they are just running around and enjoying themselves in these pictures. Looks like they were having a great time.

I tried to share my macaroon with the boys but they wanted the push up. Okay, this was a parenting fail, I tried to eat this as fast as possible and promised them an ice cream after lunch. The push up had a very strong alcohol flavor and it was too sweet to be refreshing. The macaroon was delicious, fluffy on the inside with fresh strawberries.

Yep, I can relate to that. I didn't really enjoy the push pop that much, as it melted quickly and I was trying to devour it before Izzy demanded some. Luckily, I got her distracted with the macaroon. Which, of course, turned out to be AMAZING and I had to battle her for bites.

Between Connor and James wanting to be in the stroller constantly and Nicholas couldn’t walk and needed to be held the whole time, it seemed like an apt title for my TR.

Ugh, I feel your pain (though not as much, with only 1 kid to carry). I don't know how you managed. My arms hurt so much after our trip.

 

[ashw100]

Yum! Some of those food both items look great!

Did you at least get some Mom arms out of the no walking?

Nope still flabby post baby weight arms

So happy to see an update! Sounds like you had a lot going on.

I've already decided we won't be getting the push up thing they're offering for F&WF, cause I'm certain DS would only want it for himself!

Very smart, its just one of those things that is not worth the drama it caused.

I totally get it. BTW I find that the like button is ever so helpful in this case. It sometimes acts like a bookmarker for where I left off.

OMG that's genious didn't even think of it as a bookmarker. I always forget about the like button. IT will be my new go to when I don't have time to reply, so umm don't be surprised if your TR has a lot of likes soon.

Ugh, gotta love public meltdowns in the heat!

Yeah, it was spectacular.

Nah, Not in the least! It would only be a parent fail if you let them have one! Kids have a knack for wanting to try what they shouldn't have. For instance, little miss loves coffee so much she will eat the beans whole if allowed! Also, Little miss has asked to try alcohol as well.

That's so true, next time we will pass on kid friendly looking things.

Great update!

Thanks

I'd love to go during flower and garden one of these years.

I love it so much. I think Epcot should always look like that, I mean it was gorgeous.

That piggylicious cupcake has been one of the talks of the festival the last two years, I have heard mixed reviews on it.

You know I should have said I don't generally like bacon on or in things so that may have had to do with it. Also, the actual cupake was super dry and the bacon was all rubbery. Maybe if the quality had been better my review would have been different.

Haha, was it the Beverly? (Totally understand, though - last night, Izzy was very adamant about wanting only a certain cup of water, no other water or milk or anything liquid allowed).

It was not. That's funny because James is in the stage that Izze was in in May. He throws fits about certain clothes now, I don't know when he became so picky about his outfits

I love how they are just running around and enjoying themselves in these pictures. Looks like they were having a great time.

They were, its the small things that they really love.

Yep, I can relate to that. I didn't really enjoy the push pop that much, as it melted quickly and I was trying to devour it before Izzy demanded some. Luckily, I got her distracted with the macaroon. Which, of course, turned out to be AMAZING and I had to battle her for bites.

Ugh, that was my plan but nobody want the macaroon. On the brightside, I ate all of the macaroon

Ugh, I feel your pain (though not as much, with only 1 kid to carry). I don't know how you managed. My arms hurt so much after our trip.

Mine too and my back

 

[Gracefulskinny]

OMG that's genious didn't even think of it as a bookmarker. I always forget about the like button. IT will be my new go to when I don't have time to reply, so umm don't be surprised if your TR has a lot of likes soon.

Sounds good! and glad I could help.

 

[ashw100]

Day 4-Part 4
Mickey is a Jedi

After our nap, we headed out to DHS for dinner. We stopped for some FP pictures on the way in.

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Joe and Connor wanted to go on ToT before dinner, I think we had a FP for it, either that or they used the riderswap from the other day. After we met back up, Conne said it was too scary and he never wanted to ride it again. This is the same boy that insisted at age 3 he must go on it and after riding said it was his favorite ride . Also, we had no problems the day before. You can see his fear in the rider photo though/

And his is a close-up because that face is too much

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While they rode, I realized we had forgotten the pacifier in the room. I know what you’re thinking, these people are the most forgetful people on the planet. In reality, I am never this disorganized but for whatever reason, my brain was too scattered and things kept being left behind this trip. I went to the baby care center to try and buy a pacifier. The baby care center is in the same building as guest relations here and unlike the other centers they do not sell baby items there. The baby items are sold at the souvenir stand right next to it. We had a very nice CM that I chatted with for a minute. All they had were nuks which are the normal pacifier with the handle hanging off the end. The paci Nicholas uses was given to him in the hospital and try as we might, he will not take another kind. Knowing I would not be able to make it all night with nothing I bought it anyway and spoiler, he refused to take it. With that out of the way we headed to Hollywood and Vine for dinner. Joe and Connor met us there and we checked in. The wait was very short and soon the force was calling us to dinner. This dinner was booked with James in mind and leading up to the trip all he talked about was meeting Darth Goofy (and Darth Vader) but he was still not warming up to the characters. We took our photo with Jedi Mickey in the entrance and James wanted nothing to do with him.

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At this meal you take a picture with Jedi Mickey and a CM hands you a PP card and a postcard with all the characters signatures on it.
We were then shown to our table and we were given paper lightsabers. Having done my research I knew last year they didn’t give you anything to keep it together after you rolled the paper into a cylinder. Thinking ahead I brought scotch tape to tape ours together. I noticed everyone around me had theirs rubber banded together and I assumed that this year they were handing that out and I could save my tape. Our server never offered us a rubber band. She was also super curt and unpleasant. Every time she would come to the table it was as if it was the most unpleasant task she had ever had to do. It made us very uncomfortable and she alone made this one of the worst dining experiences I have had anywhere. On top of that, she was very bubbly and happy with other tables. I even heard her offer rubber bands to another table right as we were leaving. I don’t know why she disliked us so much, but I couldn’t wait to get out of there and when you are spending that much money on a meal that should tell you something. On to more pleasant things, the characters came around right away and up first was Donald.

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Then we saw Ewok Dale.

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Then we had Chip.

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Princess Leia Minnie was next.

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James saw Darth Goofy off in the distance and got really excited.

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But of course when he came to the table he was too scared.

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All the characters were fun and interactive. The food here is pretty good. This restaurant gets a pretty bad rap (by me as well) and most of it is deserved but, one thing I actually enjoy is the food. The make your own pasta is my favorite. After James was done eating he kept telling me he wanted to go see Jedi Mickey. I know that they are pretty strict about this since he was in the front. Figuring he would be too scared to actually interact with him I thought it would be harmless to stand off to the side and let him wave to Mickey. When we went up there, no one was there and Mickey called us over. I asked the handler if it was okay and she said yes. From the safety of my arms James gave Mickey a high five. Four days in and he finally warmed up to someone. They were also kind enough to take more pictures of us. I was very grateful to them for allowing us to do this. I mean look how happy he is.

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When we went back to the table characters were starting to make their rounds again. Now just a warning, I am about to rant a little bit here. We were told in the beginning of the meal that the characters would not be signing to save time. I had made a special autograph book with pages for these characters to sign and even though I know they still only sign Mickey or Minnie it was still a big letdown. On top of that, this is a very expensive meal and how come somewhere like Cinderella’s Royal Table with a similar setup can have the time for characters to sign? Then to add insult to injury, the supposedly too busy characters were somehow able to make their second round in less than an hour?? Its not a huge deal but this really annoyed me. Despite that and our horrible waitress, we still managed to have had a good time thanks to the awesome characters.

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The deserts were very good though and everyone enjoyed them.

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This was a very expensive meal given the food and service, but for us meeting those characters would have been impossible on a SWW day and now that these characters will probably never be seen again and that made the experience priceless to us.
▼▼▼Keep reading for more ▼▼▼

 

[ashw100]

We had FP for Star Tours so Joe took Connor. While they were riding, Jedi Training Academy was going on and I wish I had captured the look on James face when he heard Darth Vader’s voice. His whole face lit up and it was literally like his idol had just shown up. It was the end of the show and he was sad Vader had to go and he wanted to go say hi. To distract him I let him ride the speederbike.

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We went to Tattoine Traders to wait for their ride to be over. James found this adorable R2 hat. He wanted it so bad but I had already bought him a hat so he just wore it around the store.

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When Joe got off the ride he was so excited because he thought he got something new because the scene was different from last time. I actually felt a little bad bursting his bubble and telling him about there being different sequences. Next, Connor and I went on Star Tours.

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Meanwhile, Joe put James on the speederbike again.

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After our ride, I wanted to see if Cinderella’s carriage had a shorter wait this time but apparently, the glass slipper and its attendant leave early in the evening. So instead we took a selfie.

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We still had our final FP of the night, TSMM. This time Joe took the baby so I could really play. He got a red card and was very excited about it.

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When the ride was over, we saw the green army man outside and the boys wanted a picture.

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James didn’t want to talk to him, but for the first time he was okay with not being held. We are getting warmer here. At this point, it occurred to me that I forgot to grab the Fanatsmic tickets from the table before we left. I did not want to go back and talk to that mean server again and I knew the boys probably wouldn’t make it anyway. We decide to once again skip Fantasmic. One day we will make it to this. Since we had nothing else to do for the night, I seized the opportunity to do a quick tour of One Man’s Dream. Connor went with me and he really enjoyed looking at everything. This was a huge change from a year ago when I took him to the Walt Disney exhibit at the Science and Industry Museum in Chicago.

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I promised Joe I would be in and out so we could head back, but the attraction ends with a movie. As much as I really did want to see it, I knew it would take too long. Sadly, the cms standing by the door knew by my look I needed to leave before the movie proving that not many people ever stay for it. Before we headed out, I went to look in the Mickey bag for something, probably a wipe, a low a behold I had the Fantasmic tickets right there. Joe and I still decided that we better not push our luck and skip it though. As we walked out, the line for Fantsmic was all the way down Sunset Blvd and wrapped around to the Hollywood Blvd. I don’t know if this is typical but it made me less sad about leaving.

That pretty much wraps up our fourth day.

Next Post ​

 

[Dugette]

After we met back up, Conne said it was too scary and he never wanted to ride it again. This is the same boy that insisted at age 3 he must go on it and after riding said it was his favorite ride .

How quickly things change.

All they had were nuks which are the normal pacifier with the handle hanging off the end. The paci Nicholas uses was given to him in the hospital and try as we might, he will not take another kind. Knowing I would not be able to make it all night with nothing I bought it anyway and spoiler, he refused to take it.

Ugh, of course. Hope he was okay that night.

I noticed everyone around me had theirs rubber banded together and I assumed that this year they were handing that out and I could save my tape.

Yes, I think they handed them out. If I remember right, our waiter kept forgetting, but we did get some.

I don’t know why she disliked us so much, but I couldn’t wait to get out of there and when you are spending that much money on a meal that should tell you something.

How bizarre. So sorry she ruined the mood so much. Pretty un-Disney-like for sure.

The food here is pretty good. This restaurant gets a pretty bad rap (by me as well) and most of it is deserved but, one thing I actually enjoy is the food.

I agree, I enjoyed the food (during the few chances I had to eat it, as Izzy was a pain during this meal).

Figuring he would be too scared to actually interact with him I thought it would be harmless to stand off to the side and let him wave to Mickey. When we went up there, no one was there and Mickey called us over. I asked the handler if it was okay and she said yes. From the safety of my arms James gave Mickey a high five. Four days in and he finally warmed up to someone. They were also kind enough to take more pictures of us. I was very grateful to them for allowing us to do this. I mean look how happy he is.

Yay, so glad that he was feeling brave and you were able to get photos too!

This was a very expensive meal given the food and service, but for us meeting those characters would have been impossible on a SWW day and now that these characters will probably never be seen again and that made the experience priceless to us.

Good point about the characters not being seen again, I hadn't thought about that. Glad we got to do it too!

While they were riding, Jedi Training Academy was going on and I wish I had captured the look on James face when he heard Darth Vader’s voice. His whole face lit up and it was literally like his idol had just shown up.

Cute! He and Izzy would get along - she thinks Darth Vader is awesome too.

We still had our final FP of the night, TSMM. This time Joe took the baby so I could really play.

Glad you got a chance to focus on the game and not the baby for a bit!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

She was also super curt and unpleasant. Every time she would come to the table it was as if it was the most unpleasant task she had ever had to do

How unfortunate! I think DH or I would have ended up complaining if we had service that bad.

On top of that, she was very bubbly and happy with other tables. I even heard her offer rubber bands to another table right as we were leaving.

Very Odd!

Four days in and he finally warmed up to someone. They were also kind enough to take more pictures of us.

At this point, it occurred to me that I forgot to grab the Fanatsmic tickets from the table before we left. I did not want to go back and talk to that mean server again and I knew the boys probably wouldn’t make it anyway. We decide to once again skip Fantasmic.

a low a behold I had the Fantasmic tickets right there.

 

[afwdwfan]

I tried to share my macaroon with the boys but they wanted the push up. Okay, this was a parenting fail, I tried to eat this as fast as possible and promised them an ice cream after lunch.

Well, you could cave to them and maybe they'd nap...

We sat down to eat this in France and I figured that I should try an Orange Grand Marnier Slush while I was there.

When in Rome... or when in Paris, as it may be.

Again, not being a big drinker I thought it had a lot of alcohol in it but, that’s good that their not stingy in France.

One thing the French seem to know is their alcohol.

Between Connor and James wanting to be in the stroller constantly and Nicholas couldn’t walk and needed to be held the whole time, it seemed like an apt title for my TR. When we got back to the room everyone was too hyped to sleep so we went to the main pool. James and Connor had a fun time running around the play area and Nicholas was just happy to splash around near the edge.

So they can't walk, but can run around the pool area.

This is the same boy that insisted at age 3 he must go on it and after riding said it was his favorite ride . Also, we had no problems the day before. You can see his fear in the rider photo though/

Kids... who knows what they're thinking.

The baby items are sold at the souvenir stand right next to it.

Because why wouldn't they be sold there?

Our server never offered us a rubber band. She was also super curt and unpleasant. Every time she would come to the table it was as if it was the most unpleasant task she had ever had to do. It made us very uncomfortable and she alone made this one of the worst dining experiences I have had anywhere. On top of that, she was very bubbly and happy with other tables. I even heard her offer rubber bands to another table right as we were leaving. I don’t know why she disliked us so much, but I couldn’t wait to get out of there and when you are spending that much money on a meal that should tell you something.

Oh, yuck. I'm sorry the server was that way with you. Were there kids at the other tables? Maybe she just didn't like kids? But then again, why in the heck would you work at Disney World if you don't like kids.

But of course when he came to the table he was too scared.

Well, Goofy is a pretty big guy...

After James was done eating he kept telling me he wanted to go see Jedi Mickey. I know that they are pretty strict about this since he was in the front. Figuring he would be too scared to actually interact with him I thought it would be harmless to stand off to the side and let him wave to Mickey. When we went up there, no one was there and Mickey called us over. I asked the handler if it was okay and she said yes. From the safety of my arms James gave Mickey a high five. Four days in and he finally warmed up to someone. They were also kind enough to take more pictures of us. I was very grateful to them for allowing us to do this. I mean look how happy he is.

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Awesome! I'm glad that Mickey helped save the day for you!

While they were riding, Jedi Training Academy was going on and I wish I had captured the look on James face when he heard Darth Vader’s voice. His whole face lit up and it was literally like his idol had just shown up.

That is awesome!!!!

We decide to once again skip Fantasmic. One day we will make it to this.

I'm sorry you had to miss it. Especially when you paid for that premium meal to get the passes.

As we walked out, the line for Fantsmic was all the way down Sunset Blvd and wrapped around to the Hollywood Blvd. I don’t know if this is typical but it made me less sad about leaving.

Yeah... sadly that isn't a big surprise to me. That's why I'll only go if I have a dining plan pass or something.

 

[hokieinpa]

The thing I needed on this hot, stressful day was calling my name from France.

Hmm...I think I know what it is!!

The brisket was amazing, tender and complimented by the while cheddar and hash perfectly. The cupcake was gross to us maple, bacon, and cupcake are apparently not a combo we enjoy.

The brisket does sound good! And I probably would have been curious about the piggy-licious cupcake too but I'm just not sure I could deal with bacon on a cupcake!

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You look like one happy mommy!

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What a fun afternoon! Those look like some pretty serious rain clouds in the background!

After we met back up, Conne said it was too scary and he never wanted to ride it again. This is the same boy that insisted at age 3 he must go on it and after riding said it was his favorite ride . Also, we had no problems the day before.

Why can't kids just make up their minds?? I'm still not sure if Nate will go on ToT or Haunted Mansion on our next trip. He's really not sure and hate anything "spooky". Colin (my middle son) is gung ho about all of it which is just strange!

While they rode, I realized we had forgotten the pacifier in the room. I know what you’re thinking, these people are the most forgetful people on the planet. In reality, I am never this disorganized but for whatever reason, my brain was too scattered and things kept being left behind this trip.

Oh man, I've forgotten a pacifier many times. And I think everything at Disney is just so crazy that things can't run as smoothly as at home!

She was also super curt and unpleasant. Every time she would come to the table it was as if it was the most unpleasant task she had ever had to do

That's really sad. I wonder what her deal was??

From the safety of my arms James gave Mickey a high five. Four days in and he finally warmed up to someone.

Yay!! How exciting! And great picture!

We are getting warmer here. At this point, it occurred to me that I forgot to grab the Fanatsmic tickets from the table before we left. I did not want to go back and talk to that mean server again and I knew the boys probably wouldn’t make it anyway. We decide to once again skip Fantasmic.

We skipped Fantasmic last trip too. I really want to see it in May so I'm hoping we can do a dinner package. But it seems like it was a good night to try and get to bed early!

 

[Bebella]

Just joining in! I'm from Michigan too! Since you stopped in GR on your way to the airport, I assume we both might be west siders too!

 

[ashw100]

How quickly things change.

I know, I am hoping he will be brave again on our next trip though.

Ugh, of course. Hope he was okay that night.

He was, thank goodness.

Yes, I think they handed them out. If I remember right, our waiter kept forgetting, but we did get some.

Yeah, it would have been annoying but since I had my tape we were fine without it.

How bizarre. So sorry she ruined the mood so much. Pretty un-Disney-like for sure.

Totally un-Disney-like. I don't expect everyone to be chipper, but she was downright unpleasant.

Yay, so glad that he was feeling brave and you were able to get photos too!

It was really exciting not gonna lie./

Good point about the characters not being seen again, I hadn't thought about that. Glad we got to do it too!

Yeah, I'm still bummed about that but glad I got to do it once.

Cute! He and Izzy would get along - she thinks Darth Vader is awesome too.

It's funny because he was so obsessed then but now it is all about Boba Fett (he's Boba for Halloween) and now Nicholas is the obsessed one. He carries a Darth Vader action figure around like it is his baby.

Glad you got a chance to focus on the game and not the baby for a bit!

Even without the baby I am not good but it is more fun.

How unfortunate! I think DH or I would have ended up complaining if we had service that bad.

It's times like this when I wish I could be more assertive because we should have complained.

Well, you could cave to them and maybe they'd nap...

Next time

One thing the French seem to know is their alcohol.

Very true.

So they can't walk, but can run around the pool area.

Of course cause that makes sense.

Kids... who knows what they're thinking.

I wish I knew.

Because why wouldn't they be sold there?

Oh, yuck. I'm sorry the server was that way with you. Were there kids at the other tables? Maybe she just didn't like kids? But then again, why in the heck would you work at Disney World if you don't like kids.

Good point, the other tables did have kids but they were older. Maybe she didn't like little kids . Probably shouldn't work at Disney but especially not the restaurant that 2 out of 3 meals are geared toward my kids age range.

Awesome! I'm glad that Mickey helped save the day for you!

Saved characters interactions for the trip too

I'm sorry you had to miss it. Especially when you paid for that premium meal to get the passes.

Yeah, definitely a letdown especially because this is now two times in a row with passes and no show. Hopefully, third time will be the charm.

Yeah... sadly that isn't a big surprise to me. That's why I'll only go if I have a dining plan pass or something.

Looks like dining package it is from now on.

Hmm...I think I know what it is!!

The brisket does sound good! And I probably would have been curious about the piggy-licious cupcake too but I'm just not sure I could deal with bacon on a cupcake!

Yeah, not my thing but I do like to try new things so now I never have to try it again

You look like one happy mommy!

What a fun afternoon! Those look like some pretty serious rain clouds in the background!

It actually didn't rain. We ha prefect weather albeit hot.

Why can't kids just make up their minds?? I'm still not sure if Nate will go on ToT or Haunted Mansion on our next trip. He's really not sure and hate anything "spooky". Colin (my middle son) is gung ho about all of it which is just strange!

Its crazy because you want to be able to plan for what you will do but at this stage what may or may not scare them will differ each time

Oh man, I've forgotten a pacifier many times. And I think everything at Disney is just so crazy that things can't run as smoothly as at home!

True, but I was getting sick of forgetting things and trust me this was not the last time either.

Yay!! How exciting! And great picture!

It was definitely a highlight for me.

We skipped Fantasmic last trip too. I really want to see it in May so I'm hoping we can do a dinner package. But it seems like it was a good night to try and get to bed early!

It was late nights are just really hard with little kids. We'll get to it one day I'm sure.

Just joining in! I'm from Michigan too! Since you stopped in GR on your way to the airport, I assume we both might be west siders too!

[/QUOTE]
We live directly north of GR, about an hour.

 

[ashw100]

Day 5- Part 1
Running of the Parents

This morning, we were letting the little boys catch up on their sleep. I woke up at 6:15 along with Connor and we got ready to head out. Since it was just the two of us, we stopped at OPR for breakfast. We got a cinnamon roll and chocolate croissant to split. They were both really yummy. I think the chocolate croissant will be my new go to breakfast while at Disney . We got over to DHS just past 7 this morning and we were actually early enough to be second in line at the tapstile . It was an EMH morning and it started to get crowed shortly after we got there. This morning we noticed the signs up for Star Wars Weekends and it was really exciting to see.

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It seemed like everyone around me was trying to get to Jedi Training Academy. The moms behind me were really aggressive about getting their kids signed up and it was making me tense. In normal life, I would never put myself in a situation where I have to fight, so to speak, for something. For example, Black Friday shopping terrifies me and you couldn’t pay me to shop on that day . At about 20 minutes to 8, the CMs started letting the people with breakfast reservations into the park. I did not think they did this on EMH mornings and it threw me off. Everybody in the regular line started to get angry . We could clearly see families go through the tapstile and then start fast walking as soon as they were in the park. If they truly were entering for breakfast, there would be no need for this because their reservation wouldn’t be up for at least 20 minutes. The two families behind me tried to sneak over to this line to get in, but were stopped by the CM right away. As soon as it hit 8 we were let in and I walked as fast as my legs could carry me to the sign ups . Even though we were literally the first group from the entrance, the line was already wrapped around the room and my suspicion was confirmed that the “breakfast” people got there first . We had to wait about 15 minutes for the sign up but thankfully, we were able to choose the show time I wanted and Connor and I were on our way. Our only real goal this morning was to do the sign up, but I figured since we were there we should get some stuff done. Our first stop was TSMM. I don’t know what the posted wait time was but we waited 20 minutes, not too shabby .

Poor Mr. Potato head was not ready for the early morning

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After TSMM, we basically just wandered around waiting for the park to officially open. We saw the Star Wars meet and greet props up and took a picture in one.

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Then Connor decided that he wanted photos all around the park.

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With not much to do, we went on Star Tours. After, I asked Connor if he would like to do a drawing class. This is something we cannot do with the little ones yet and something I really was interested in. Luckily, Connor was too so we headed towards Animation Academy. On the way, we saw the signage going up for the Rebel Hanger at the Backlot Express . Not going to lie, seeing all the SWW stuff up was getting me pumped.

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We missed the first class and ended up waiting about 20 minutes for the next one. Connor made some friends with a family full of little boys and they had fun with the guess the character game. The animation class was really fun and I am so happy we had a chance to do this since it is going away, at least for the time being. We got to draw Baymax which made Connor really happy. He did a surprisingly good job following directions until we got to the minor details. I thought I had a picture of his drawing but I guess not.

And here is my masterpiece.

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We took a look around the animation gallery but we were now going to be pressed for time so we made our way towards the front of the park. On the way we stopped for a phtotpass picture.

I don't know why he looks so sad

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And then I picked up some coffee at The Trolley Car Café along with a chocolate peanut butter cupcake for later. After that we headed back to the hotel to get Joe and the babies.

Up Next: Dueling with

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Sounds like a nice morning! Bummer that you got stuck in front of the super aggressive types.

 

[NJlauren]

I'm with you any event where I risk death to save a few bucks isn't worth it.

Yun how was that cupcake? It's on my must try list, and last trip I skipped Hollywood studios so looking forward to trying it this trip!

 

[afwdwfan]

Even though we were literally the first group from the entrance, the line was already wrapped around the room and my suspicion was confirmed that the “breakfast” people got there first

Wow. Sorry. I guess the fact that they let you in 20 minutes or so before your ADR gives them just enough time to sneak over to do that right at RD.

We had to wait about 15 minutes for the sign up but thankfully, we were able to choose the show time I wanted and Connor and I were on our way. Our only real goal this morning was to do the sign up, but I figured since we were there we should get some stuff done. Our first stop was TSMM. I don’t know what the posted wait time was but we waited 20 minutes, not too shabby .

That really isn't bad at all. I'd have expected the line to be longer than that after spending 15 minutes signing up for JTA.

With not much to do, we went on Star Tours. After, I asked Connor if he would like to do a drawing class. This is something we cannot do with the little ones yet and something I really was interested in. Luckily, Connor was too so we headed towards Animation Academy.

Awesome!! I'm glad you got a chance to check it out before it closed!

a chocolate peanut butter cupcake

 

[ashw100]

Sounds like a nice morning! Bummer that you got stuck in front of the super aggressive types.

yeah, it was unnerving but worth it in the end I guess. He got signed up and loved it I just wish there was a less intense way to do this.

I'm with you any event where I risk death to save a few bucks isn't worth it.

I agree especially with the internet. I have gotten the same Black Friday deals but from the safety of my computer desk

Yun how was that cupcake? It's on my must try list, and last trip I skipped Hollywood studios so looking forward to trying it this trip!

I am ashamed to admit but I only took a bite, it was too rich for me. Joe LOVED it though.

Wow. Sorry. I guess the fact that they let you in 20 minutes or so before your ADR gives them just enough time to sneak over to do that right at RD.

Yeah, it was so bad I did get signed up I just felt it was a little shady and then to be surrounded by an angry "mob", it was just a little intense for me.

That really isn't bad at all. I'd have expected the line to be longer than that after spending 15 minutes signing up for JTA.

I did too but I think the crowd levels were very low while we were there, there was never really bad line anywhere except during the afternoons which are always busy and on Saturday. I think we really lucked out with crowds and wait times.

Awesome!! I'm glad you got a chance to check it out before it closed!

Me too, it was awesome I hope they find a way to bring it back.

 

[Dugette]

Oops, just realized I read this and forgot to comment.

I think the chocolate croissant will be my new go to breakfast while at Disney .

Love these! Good choice.

Even though we were literally the first group from the entrance, the line was already wrapped around the room and my suspicion was confirmed that the “breakfast” people got there first

How annoying! The whole thing sounds very stressful, but I'm glad you did end up getting what you wanted.

Sounds like a really nice morning for you two. Glad you got to do the drawing class before it went away.

 

[ashw100]

5- Part 2


The Force is Strong with This One.





We literally went straight to the room, helped Joe get the little boys ready and then turned around and went back to DHS. We were really pressed for time so once the car was parked, I put Connor in the stroller and starting jogging toward the entrance. We had parked near the back and even though this is not a huge lot, it was a hike and very difficult to do in that heat. We made it to the JTA area with a few minutes to spare. The CM we had was very good with the kids. She walked them through everything they needed to know. Connor was very excited to put on his Jedi robe.

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The CM then played trivia with the kids and I got to talk to another mom. Her son was 5 and a huge Star Wars fan. He knew the answer to every single question. They had driven all the way down from South Carolina just to do this. The CM then gave them a potty warning to which Connor said he was fine. Less than 5 minutes before the start, Connor tells me he does have to go. When we were done, the kids were already walking to the stage and we just had him slip right in. In the meantime, poor Joe and the kids were sitting outside for the whole 30 minutes because Joe thought the show started earlier. There is a photopass photographer there and she got some great shots of Connor.

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For those of you who do not know how this works, I will explain as we go. First, the Jedi Knight teaches the kids all about using a lightsaber. Connor was situated right in front of him and he kept picking on Connor, but not it a mean way, it was actually pretty funny.

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First Connor, couldn’t get his lightsaber to “activate” and the instructor ribbed him a little. Then he told everyone to face the audience and Connor was the only one not to. So he got ribbed some more. Then the instructor teaches them the moves which was to go left shoulder, right shoulder, left leg, step back a duck, then to both legs, and finally to the head. Connor basically just swung his around like a wild man. After they practiced that a few more times, Darth Vader comes out to try and turn the padawans to the dark side. Even though he couldn’t participate James was so excited when Darth Vader came out.

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Connor was the second kid to fight Vader and he couldn’t get his lightsaber to activate. It was really funny because every time they go to activate there is a sound effect and Connor had about three and no lightsaber. The Jedi Master had to eventually help him and he told Connor not to worry because we was already dead and in spirit form Vader couldn’t get him . Connor basically swung the lightsaber around and Darth Vader did a good job of making it look like a fight. When Connor went to duck the Jedi said wow you good at fighting from the afterlife.

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After everyone gets their chance, Darth Vader does some little speech and then the Jedi fights him and sends him away. Having boys that are into Star Wars, I think they would have had fun just watching even if they couldn’t be in it. At the end, they receive a diploma like thing and are sent back to their parents.

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Overall, I was very pleased with the experience and can’t wait until I can have all three doing it. [/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url]

 

[ashw100]

After JTA, we had about 10 minutes until our reservation at Hollywood and Vine so we went there to check in. The wait for this meal seemed very long. I think in reality we waited 30 minutes but it felt like an hour. The boys were hot, cranky, and hungry. James had a meltdown when I asked him to put on his Jake costume. Connor was Jake 2 Halloweens ago and we brought along the outfit for our last trip. It was really cute having the picture of them together. Not wanting to leave James out, I bought a bigger costume for Connor this time and had the old one for James. And after all that James refused to wear it. All I did was ask him and he flipped out, knowing pushing him would only make it worse I let it go. He still was mad about it and refused to cooperate the whole time we waited. Connor, in typical Connor fashion, was only too happy to don his costume. He ended up making friends with a little girl and played with her the whole time. After an eternity, we were called inside. And here is what made me mad. There were a plethora of servers standing around talking and a whole section of the restaurant was empty. Not wanting to ruin our meal, I decided to let it go and just enjoy being in the a.c. Once again, I know I am not in the majority but I don’t think the food is bad here. I got my make your own pasta and was a happy camper. Handy Manny was first to our table and once again James wanted no part of him.

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Joe took James over to the background near the entrance to get away from Manny.And he was all to happy to take pictures posing with the 2D versions of the characters.

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Next up we had Sofia.

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In between characters, there was eating happening.

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Then Doc came by for a visit.

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Connor wanted to go up and dance but we could only stay a short time because Jake was on his way to our table.

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James was having a really good time dancing around our table again out of character for him. It must be that Disney magic.

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Handy Manny made his way back around this time James was blowing him kisses and waving to him. I asked if wanted to go up to him and his actually did.

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After lunch we headed back to the room to relax before we headed for the evening parks. But first, you can never have enough photopass pictures.

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