"I'm NOT a Princess, I'm Izzy!" - May '15 Land/Sea ~ Updated 6/4: Link to Disneyland TR!!!

[BlvInMagic]

Whoa..what was up with Mickey?! Agree, super awkward character meet(s) poo! Thanks goodness for Chip and Dale, they are always so much fun. Disney seriously needs to slow the pace when it comes to meets during character dining. It's definitely too rushed these days. It feels like being at a character drive-thru or a character speed date ...hee hee! Food looked super yummy btw...mmmm!

 

[cynditech]

Whew - just caught up on your report! Your daughter is just adorable! I'm loving all the pictures. We've never eaten at Garden Grove - food looks pretty good (even though the Mickey encounter was odd). Looking forward to more - thanks for sharing

 

[ashw100]

Wow that meet with Mickey was super awkward, he didn't even try to interact with her. I can't believe that characters came around that fast. I hope you did get to enjoy some food eventually. Even though you were slightly behind schedule it sounds like it turned out to be a pretty fun evening.

 

[hokieinpa]

Cute new Disney stuff for Izzy! I'm heading to Kohls this weekend to scout for some Disney stuff for the boys!

That princess cruise looks like a fun bit of Disney between trips. But those princesses look...unconventional.

My mouth is watering looking at the food from Garden Grill!! And I'm glad to see the kids options. The boys wouldn't be fans of most of the entrees but the sides and kid options look like that would be acceptable!

Sorry about the awkward Mickey meet. At least Izzy was excited to see Chip again!

Excited to read more updates...and to see if you actually got to eat dinner!

 

[sparkle.castle]

I've always wanted to go to the Mall of America! It fascinates me. Looks like you had lots of fun! Love Kohl's and love bargain shopping. You got some cute stuff!

Izzy's twin! That's sooo crazy. I didn't know which one was her at first.

I love character meals, but I always get anxious with whole ok I'm eating, wait I'm talking to Mickey, now we're taking a photo, ok I'm sitting again, wait here comes Chip. Then when they're awkward I get super awkward, like with Mickey - what's up with that?! Then not only did you go through it once, you had to again! Chip was such a great example of how a character meet should be - Izzy was adorable! So excited. Food looks good - I'll have to add Garden Grill to my "to try" list.

 

[Dugette]

We love Garden Grill the food is so good and its nice to meet the characters too! Although, I can see why you think the Mickey interaction was a little awkward. Mickey certainly didn't seem to want to stick around for very long. It was not our best interaction either. I hope despite the Mickey interaction you enjoyed your meal, it certainly looks delicious.

Oh, yes, we enjoyed it overall. And there was really nothing WRONG with the Mickey meet exactly, it was just that he was way less into the fun/playing than the other characters. He was more into the obligatory things, then moving on. Which is fine, I guess, since Izzy was more into her lid anyway.

What a weird Mickey meet! Sorry he was so strange. All I could think is that the CM was feeling dizzy or sick lol (bc that is maybe how I'd act if I was made to work but felt like I was on the verge of throwing up) haha.

Haha, that could be the case. Just going through the motions until you can get out of that suit and head home. That would be a tough gig if you don't feel well.

Chip and Dale here for dinner though are so great! Glad those meets were great. I don't recall ever meeting all 4 more than twice - that is crazy you've met them all two times and hardly had a bite.

Chip and Dale are the best! So much fun! I don't think we met them more than twice previously, but they must have been bored this night.

Speaking of the food - those mashed potatoes are TDF. I usually eat a nice helping of those, request more, and have some of Aria's mac & cheese and that is about good for me. Very worth the $50+ price tag for my meal lol!

Mmmmmm....they are really good! Haha, love your all-carb meal.

I'm sure you read that they opened up breakfast and lunch? I am SO excited to hear what they serve for breakfast - lunch will be the same as dinner I guess. I made a ressie for both in Feb lol

I did hear that! I think I saw a preview of the breakfast menu...on the Disney Parks Blog maybe? I'd love to try out a different meal there!

The last video of Izzy with Chip is adorable, I love how she greeted him all excited and then collapsed into his lap. So sweet.

Thanks - I thought that one was so cute and sweet. You can see how excited/happy she is and Chip handles it great.

It was nice that he sat down and looked at the sticker and shirt. Not sure he would have without me prompting him, though.

Strange!

Guess he didn't have a lot of patience for toddler nose-squeezes after working out on the farm all day.

Little Miss is getting into an "I pour" phase.

Oooh, we're getting into that here too. Izzy is surprisingly good at pouring so far, but it's still terrifying to me.

Yum!

It was!

Of course not! Did you expect her to do what you actually thought would happen? She can't have that!

Heaven forbid she eat her favorite foods! She's have her toddler card revoked.

At least I got to try some.

Unfortunate that Mickey was so Awkward.

He seemed so out of place with the other characters being so much fun and so interactive. Oh, well.

Chip and Dale are definite favorites throughout this trip.

So cute!!! Love that Chip!!

Thanks, me too!

Sorry about Awkward Mickey, must've been the same one I encountered at AK.....

Haha, I bet you're right! Clock in, clock out Mickey.

I ALWAYS go for the kids meal at Garden Grill too. That mac and cheese and sweet potato fries are delicious.

They are really good! I'm glad we got to try them, even if Izzy didn't care to.

Sorry to hear it wasn't the best Mickey interaction - maybe he just got thrown off by something or took it as Izzy not being into meeting with him and he didn't want to push it or something

Beats me. It was just off. Part our doing, but part his. I don't know - nothing to really complain about, but it just stood out as having a different feel to it than the other meets.

They really are coming like non-stop! We definitely got through more than a full rotation but also had time to eat

It was really crazy how fast and often they came around this meal. It honestly was hard to eat (and we were starved!)

Glad at least the meets with Chip have been so fun though

Definitely! She loves those chipmunks!

I'm drooling over the food! I really want to try Garden Grill in March, but now I'm debating if we should do breakfast, lunch or dinner!

I don't know what to tell you. Is lunch cheaper than dinner? That might decide between those two. But I'm intrigued by the breakfast idea, so I'd probably do that if I had another trip to plan. Plus, I wonder if you could get into Soarin' at rope drop?

Wow, I thought they came around to our table quickly back in April, but it was nothing like what you experienced.

It was really insane. We'd take one bite and another character would be there.

Too bad that the meet with Mickey wasn't the greatest.

Yeah, it happens. And it wasn't BAD, just strange. Nothing that left a mark, though.

Our food wasn't that hot when they brought it to us, so I can only imagine if we had to wait to eat as long as you did!

I honestly have no clue what the food temperature was like, now that you mention that. I know we were starved, as we'd subsisted on a few bites of F&G booth food for "lunch", so I think we just inhaled what we could between character visits.

Sorry the meeting with Mickey wasn't that great, but it was cute anyway! I can't believe the characters came around so many times! I always think about going to Garden Grill, but I assume the food isn't that great, but yours looked pretty good. It looks almost like Thanksgiving!

Yeah, the pictures with Mickey still turned out cute. I don't know why they came around so often that night, but it was quite the experience. The first time I went to Garden Grill was because I'd read a TR where they talked about how good the food was, actually. The fresh salad grown in the greenhouses, etc. And it's pretty tasty. Not 'Ohana or anything, but a good solid meal, I'd say. Very much like Thanksgiving.

We LOVED Garden Grill on this trip! It wasn't even on our ADR list, we managed to snag a last minute one and it was one of our favorite meals. We met the characters multiple times too. I guess making their rounds doesn't take as long at GG as other restaurants!

Glad you enjoyed it. Garden Grill is really a great deal - lots of character interaction, really cool scenery, and a tasty meal. I'm glad I booked it this trip (Dug was hesitant on doing it again, but I knew Izzy would love Chip and Dale and I wanted to see the views again since it wasn't rotating last time I visited).

Sorry for the abrupt Mickey, but it didn't seem that short from the video, at least for us since we are adults and just take a picture with the characters and that's pretty much it. I guess with kids you want more of the interaction and I definitely see that a lot and find it very cute! It's so sweet that Izzy loves Chip n Dale and they seem to love her too!

Abrupt is a good word for it. And you are right, that's pretty standard with adults or even older kids - just pose and get your pictures and move on. But with a toddler who is excited, many of them take a little time to play and interact, but Mickey wasn't too keen on that. The chipmunks made up for it, though!

Do you remember seeing Mickey, Izzy?
"Mickey, who?"

"Oh, that mouse who admired my amazing lid?!"

Coming soon: "Mom, can I have the keys to the car? I want to go to the mall with my boyfriend."

Noooooooo!!!! Do kids still go to malls these days?

Well, sure. It's all part of the experience.
You don't have to cry over it.

I nearly threw a crying over spilled milk reference into the update.

Yep, we go through a lot of paper towels around here.

Not a fan of sweet potato fries. Did Izzy like them? Or the broccoli?

Good question. I don't remember if she tried them. Maybe? I know she wasn't really into eating this night. I enjoyed them, though.

OMG. Want. Badly.

Mmmm, meat and potatoes!

So what did she eat? The grown-up food?
Can't blame her if she did.

Honestly, I don't know. We'll see if any future pictures clue me in. I know she ate dessert, though. Priorities.

Well, of course not. That would be almost criminal.

Locked in Disney jail for letting mac and cheese go to waste...

But of course. It's what takes the meal from merely "good" to "heavenly".

I suppose so.

Bad dog! Let the people eat! Bad dog!

And later it will be "Look at my new tattoo!"

That better not happen!

That's hysterical!

I think Mickey was really wishing he were elsewhere that night.

Oh, dear Lord.

It was insane.

Unfortunately, I couldn't see any of the videos.
No idea why.
I'll have to pull out my laptop where I know I can watch them.

Oh, well, maybe later. They're not going anywhere.

 

[Dugette]

Whoa..what was up with Mickey?! Agree, super awkward character meet(s) poo!

It seemed like his mind was elsewhere and his patience was low that night.

Thanks goodness for Chip and Dale, they are always so much fun.

They are a blast! Always so playful and fun!

Disney seriously needs to slow the pace when it comes to meets during character dining. It's definitely too rushed these days. It feels like being at a character drive-thru or a character speed date ...hee hee!

Speed dating! That's exactly what it was like!

Food looked super yummy btw...mmmm!

It was a good meal!

Whew - just caught up on your report! Your daughter is just adorable! I'm loving all the pictures.

Thanks for joining in and for the compliments!

We've never eaten at Garden Grove - food looks pretty good (even though the Mickey encounter was odd). Looking forward to more - thanks for sharing

Just to be clear, this was Garden Grill - since there is actually a Garden Grove too and we go there later in this trip. It was a good meal and the characters were (mostly) really fun.

Wow that meet with Mickey was super awkward, he didn't even try to interact with her.

That's just it - really a lack of interaction/play with Mickey.

I can't believe that characters came around that fast. I hope you did get to enjoy some food eventually.

We did inhale some when we could. You know, between character meets and bathroom breaks.

Even though you were slightly behind schedule it sounds like it turned out to be a pretty fun evening.

It did turn out pretty well! And, compared to much of the trip, we were just warming up on being behind schedule.

Cute new Disney stuff for Izzy! I'm heading to Kohls this weekend to scout for some Disney stuff for the boys!

Ooooh, good luck! Scour those clearance racks!

That princess cruise looks like a fun bit of Disney between trips. But those princesses look...unconventional.

Haha, unconventional is a good way to put it. But it was a good time, being on the river and all.

My mouth is watering looking at the food from Garden Grill!! And I'm glad to see the kids options. The boys wouldn't be fans of most of the entrees but the sides and kid options look like that would be acceptable!

Yeah, I think they would probably find something they like on there. I know I've read about other kids options too, like drumsticks and more, but this was what they brought us - maybe it's the toddler selection?

Sorry about the awkward Mickey meet. At least Izzy was excited to see Chip again!

Thanks, I'm glad she was happy to see Chip after that head-bonk earlier. Guess she doesn't hold a grudge.

Excited to read more updates...and to see if you actually got to eat dinner!

Haha, I know we did get some food in us somehow.

I've always wanted to go to the Mall of America! It fascinates me. Looks like you had lots of fun! Love Kohl's and love bargain shopping. You got some cute stuff!

It's interesting to live close to a big attraction like MOA. I think I speak for many locals by saying that we generally avoid it, unless there is something we specifically need to go there for (in our case, it's usually the Apple Store). But it can be fun. Oh, and I totally love the Kohl's bargain shopping. I got a $5 rewards voucher the other day and stopped in and found an outfit for Izzy for Hawaii (with a pineapple on it!) for 60 cents, after using the voucher.

Izzy's twin! That's sooo crazy. I didn't know which one was her at first.

I know, I was really surprised that it took me a moment to identify her when Dug sent me that picture.

I love character meals, but I always get anxious with whole ok I'm eating, wait I'm talking to Mickey, now we're taking a photo, ok I'm sitting again, wait here comes Chip. Then when they're awkward I get super awkward, like with Mickey - what's up with that?! Then not only did you go through it once, you had to again! Chip was such a great example of how a character meet should be - Izzy was adorable! So excited. Food looks good - I'll have to add Garden Grill to my "to try" list.

I totally agree - character meals can be pretty chaotic. In a way, I'd like it better if they segmented it - like half eating/half characters or something. Later in the trip, when we get to Jedi Mickey's, I really felt what you were describing. It was overwhelming. But, yes, Chip was fantastic (as was Dale). And it was a tasty meal too.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Oooh, we're getting into that here too. Izzy is surprisingly good at pouring so far, but it's still terrifying to me.

So we aren't alone then? Good. I know we are supposed to be encouraging self help skill development at this age but the developing of said skills might just be the end of me!

Heaven forbid she eat her favorite foods! She's have her toddler card revoked.

 

[Leshaface]

(I had to look that up – if it isn’t Disney, we’re not watching it, haha )

That's my motto! Except for Peppa Pig. DM showed him that one, but it is really cute so i'll allow it.

Omgosh, look how tall she's getting!!!

Dang that's awesome! I'd love to visit that mall one day.

WHOA!!! I actually guessed wrong.

So stinking cute.

I’d think it was a good meet, but after the Chip and Dale fun, it paled in comparison:

Yeah, Mickey's meet wasn't as fun as Chip and Dale's, but not terrible.

DS could eat these two items everyday! He loves roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes!

Love that they put fish crackers on top. Fun!

I mean, we were just about to complete our second full rotation of characters and we’d barely been served our food. I’ve dined here two other times and always met the characters more than once, but this was rather extreme. And, speaking of, here comes another one:

Dang they are really trying to make sure you got your moneys worth of characters! Cool, but now your food is getting cold.

 

[pkondz]

"Oh, that mouse who admired my amazing lid?!"

Noooooooo!!!! Do kids still go to malls these days?

Yep. Actually, I don't think the destination matters. It's the whole "getting away from the parents" that does.

I nearly threw a crying over spilled milk reference into the update.

I was a little surprised that you didn't.

Yep, we go through a lot of paper towels around here.

I remember those days.
Dinner routine was this.
Set table.
Put food on table.
Put drinks on table.
Sit at table.
Get up and spend next ten minutes cleaning up spilled drink(s).
Eat cold food.

I know she ate dessert, though. Priorities.

Locked in Disney jail for letting mac and cheese go to waste...

Throw away the keys!

That better not happen!

Oh, just wait.
Could be worse. Like those horrible massive holes in the ears that seem all the trendy rage right now.
Actually I don't mind them that much. I always think it would be a good place to hang an umbrella from.
Won't lose it that way. "Oh, Ted. Could you come here? I'm going out now and need my umbrella. Thanks."

Oh, well, maybe later. They're not going anywhere.

Tried it on my iPod. No luck there either. Sheesh.

 

[Dugette]

So we aren't alone then? Good. I know we are supposed to be encouraging self help skill development at this age but the developing of said skills might just be the end of me!

Nope, you are not alone. And, yes, it's so stressful to let them try these new things that have a high messiness risk! Today, Izzy helped me make blueberry muffins (for the first time in years!) and she helped me vacuum the stairs. Both those things are much harder with a toddler "helping" you, but I hope it's doing some good. At least she didn't knock the vacuum down the stairs or ruin the muffins.

They gotta stay on their game to be a winner at toddlerhood.

That's my motto! Except for Peppa Pig. DM showed him that one, but it is really cute so i'll allow it.

Haha, never seen it. We watch so much Disney Junior that Izzy often sings, "Disney Junior, where the magic begins!" I don't think she knows there are other channels.

Omgosh, look how tall she's getting!!!

Just over 36" in that pic, so not super tall, but getting there. By the way, the potential Disneyland trip has been delayed to February, so she has a few more months to grow - but I still doubt she'll hit anything awesome like 40" for Radiator Springs Racers (which she would LOVE!)

Dang that's awesome! I'd love to visit that mall one day.

Come see us!

WHOA!!! I actually guessed wrong.

I think you are the first person to admit that! I still can't believe that I had to study it for a few moments before picking out my own kid (thank goodness I got it right!)

So stinking cute.

I love that. We couldn't get her to pose with any of the others.

Yeah, Mickey's meet wasn't as fun as Chip and Dale's, but not terrible.

Exactly. It wasn't awful, just didn't live up to the fun of the others.

DS could eat these two items everyday! He loves roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes!

That's great! Izzy used to love broccoli until her daycare buddy told her it's yucky (according to Izzy's self-reports, at least).

Love that they put fish crackers on top. Fun!

I know, that was so cute!

Dang they are really trying to make sure you got your moneys worth of characters! Cool, but now your food is getting cold.

Yeah, if you break down the price per character visit, it's probably not bad. Who cares if your food gets cold, it's practically free after that.

Yep. Actually, I don't think the destination matters. It's the whole "getting away from the parents" that does.

I just figured they all gathered around their phones in the rooms, I guess.

I was a little surprised that you didn't.

I know. I've failed as a DIS-er.

I remember those days.
Dinner routine was this.
Set table.
Put food on table.
Put drinks on table.
Sit at table.
Get up and spend next ten minutes cleaning up spilled drink(s).
Eat cold food.

How did you know our evening routine?!

Dessert and a roll seems to be what she ate for dinner. Smart kid.

Throw away the keys!

If you've gotta be locked up somewhere...

Oh, just wait.
Could be worse. Like those horrible massive holes in the ears that seem all the trendy rage right now.
Actually I don't mind them that much. I always think it would be a good place to hang an umbrella from.
Won't lose it that way. "Oh, Ted. Could you come here? I'm going out now and need my umbrella. Thanks."

Ugh, those disturb me. But I'm also the girl who never got her ears pierced, so not my thing.

Tried it on my iPod. No luck there either. Sheesh.

Huh, Photobucket must not like you? They are just uploaded to Photobucket, just like my pictures. Not sure what's going on.

 

[Dugette]

Illuminations on the Run

With our first two rounds of character meets complete and a few bites of food in our mouths, Izzy decided this was the time to demand a visit to the bathroom.

I volunteered to take her this time and we made our way through a fairly empty restaurant – it was certainly emptying out (probably so people could stake out spots for Illuminations), so maybe this is why the characters were coming around so quickly. Izzy was leading me through the place:



It was kind-of strange, since it’s a circular restaurant, I wasn’t really sure which way was the quickest to go to get to the exit (wasn't paying attention when we were seated). So, instead, Izzy just led us to a wandering Chip:





I don’t know if he was on his way somewhere or what (not at or near an occupied table), but he stopped to visit again for a few moments. No video this time, as I wasn’t prepared for yet another meet on the way to the restroom.

Once we got to the restroom, we went through what would become a common routine on this trip – get her on the potty and she says, “I don’t have pee!” and wants to leave. Despite begging for the potty just beforehand. Ugh. So, back we went to find our table.

Of course, once back at the table, it wasn’t long before she declared the she had to go potty! Dug got the honors this time. It was about 8:15pm now, by the way.

While Dug and Izzy were gone, who should come around but everybody except Pluto?! So, I did what any respectable DISer would do and took selfies with them :







And that was fun, but I have to say that I was really looking forward to a few minutes of eating in peace without a toddler making demands of me…and that didn’t really happen, since the characters kept interrupting my attempts to eat dinner.

I think that Izzy might have actually peed in the potty that time, but can’t recall. We had at least as many false alarms as real potty visits this trip. At any rate, once they were back, Dug made up a nice holiday sandwich for himself:



Izzy laid down in the booth and ate a dinner roll:



So, to those wondering what Izzy ate this meal, I can safely say that she at least ate a dinner roll and dessert. Not entirely sure she touched anything else, at least probably not more than a bite.

But, by now, you surely know what happens once we take a few bites of food, right? Character parade! Check this out:











They literally all came by at once! And, of course, all Izzy cared about was that tasty glass of lid-off milk she had.

And here’s the video:

(click to watch)

And, with that, it was time for dessert. The grown-up dessert is a tasty fruit cobbler:



Note that you are seeing whipped cream on top, not ice cream. It was good, but would have been even better with ice cream.

Izzy was quite pleased with the kids’ selection, which was a cupcake cone with chocolate frosting:





We really enjoyed our food here, even though it was hard to savor it.

With her little sugar rush adding to the lack of sleep, Izzy was starting to act pretty silly. Dug mindlessly starting singing, “Drunk baby, drunk baby…” and we giggled. Well, guess who likes to repeat things? Izzy started singing, “Drunk baby, drunk baby…”

In a valiant trip reporting effort, I attempted to get some of that on video. I couldn’t get the singing, but she did acknowledge the song:

(click to watch)

We finally ate enough to call it quits on dinner and head out at nearly 9pm. In case you were wondering, our meal with the Tables in Wonderland discount came to about $90 (Izzy was still free). Ugh, I don’t like the idea of it being over $100 if we go in the future! But it is a really fun dining venue.

Our plan that night was to just play it by ear on Illuminations. Most likely, we’d catch some of it as we walked back to the International Gateway to get to our resort. If we got out early enough, we considered trying the “super secret” viewing spot that Dug’s Orlando-based co-worker told him about. Given the time, we chose to just see what we could as we walked. This actually turned out to be a pretty cool way to see it (at least for someone who has already seen it, maybe not for a first-timer).

Izzy was in a hurry to get us out of the Land pavilion:



We collected our stroller in the dark and Izzy agreed to ride in it with her light-up spinning Minnie toy (we brought from home – genuine WDW merchandise we got at a consignment sale for a few dollars! ):



Ah, love Epcot at night :



Happy with her toy:



Oh, hey, is something on fire over there?



Nope, upon a closer look, that’s Illuminations over Imagination:





I rather enjoyed the view. Very different than being around the lagoon. You don’t see the globe, but you still see most of the fireworks. And certainly hear the soundtrack. Plus, it’s far enough back that I don’t think it would scare young kids as easily. It was a fun, different way to view the show (and this won’t be the only nighttime show I see from a different angle this trip! )

We also saw where the Disney ducks view Illuminations from :



See, cool, huh?



We walked by the (closed for the night) Monsters University playground that was set up as part of the Flower & Garden Festival:





Looked fun and I’m sure Izzy would have loved it, but we never made it back there on this trip.

We passed what we THINK is the secret spot that Dug’s co-worker told us about. She didn’t want us to share online, but because I’m not certain this is the spot, might as well (it’s just our best guess as to what she was referring to):



Canada. You see the doorway and lightpost in the middle of the tower? There is a upper-level deck in that area. We noticed a handful of people on it that were watching Illuminations. Based on where we were standing when we saw it, seems likely to be a fairly clear view. So, maybe something to try when it’s last-minute and you don’t have a good spot?

We just kept moving, though, since we wanted to get out of the park before everyone rushed the exits. But we did stop periodically and check out the view:



Izzy actually really enjoyed the fireworks:



She does not seem to have the fireworks fear that many young kids do.

And to wrap up this bit on Illuminations, I couldn’t help but take a few cell phone videos as we walked. They are not the best and just little snippets, but they make me happy. Hearing the soundtrack and seeing the fireworks puts me right back there. So, enjoy, if you’d like:







Up next: One last update to conclude our first day! Disney grocery shopping!

 

[soniam]

Illuminations on the Run

Ah, love Epcot at night :

Nice photo

 

[hokieinpa]

Wow, you certainly get good value out of the character interactions at Garden Grill!

I agree that the berry cobbler would be much better with ice cream...because isn't everything?

Those fake out potty trips are so frustrating!

Love the to go Illuminations! I think that's out plan at least one night for our May trip. We sat and watched in October but I don't think that necessary every trip (for us at least!).

 

[pkondz]

I just figured they all gathered around their phones in the rooms, I guess.

Oh, they do that too.

How did you know our evening routine?!

Off to read the update.

 

[pkondz]

Hey! Guess what?
This is so weird.
So I use different computers depending where I am.
I tried to see your vids on the public 'puters at work. Nope.
I tried on my 'puter running windows 8. Nope.
I tried my iPod with latest gen update. Nope.
On a whim I tried my work 'puter. Which is old, out of date and desperately in need of some updates.

Yup!

With our first two rounds of character meets complete and a few bites of food in our mouths, Izzy decided this was the time to demand a visit to the bathroom.

Were you hungry? Were you looking forward to eating?
Because, that's why.

it was certainly emptying out (probably so people could stake out spots for Illuminations), so maybe this is why the characters were coming around so quickly

Ah. I wonder if people were telling them. "Just a quick hello. We have to leave for Illuminations." So they were rushing.

So, instead, Izzy just led us to a wandering Chip:

Of course she did.

Once we got to the restroom, we went through what would become a common routine on this trip – get her on the potty and she says, “I don’t have pee!” and wants to leave. Despite begging for the potty just beforehand.

Chip distraction made her lose focus on the mission.

So, I did what any respectable DISer would do and took selfies with them

I guess I'm not respectable then.


This comes as a surprise to no one, ever.

but I have to say that I was really looking forward to a few minutes of eating in peace without a toddler making demands of me…and that didn’t really happen, since the characters kept interrupting my attempts to eat dinner.

D'oh!
"I don't mean to be rude but... GO AWAY!"

Not entirely sure she touched anything else, at least probably not more than a bite.

Kids eat when they want to.
Usually when you don't have the time, the supplies or the energy.

But, by now, you surely know what happens once we take a few bites of food, right? Character parade!

Of course!
"She's starting to eat! Come on everyone! Full distraction mode!"

It was good, but would have been even better with ice cream.

Dug mindlessly starting singing, “Drunk baby, drunk baby…”

Given the time, we chose to just see what we could as we walked. This actually turned out to be a pretty cool way to see it

Interesting. Different viewing angles and foregrounds, huh?

Izzy was in a hurry to get us out of the Land pavilion:

Look at her go! Hurry! Catch her before she disappears!

genuine WDW merchandise we got at a consignment sale for a few dollars!

Ah, love Epcot at night :

Beautiful shot.

We also saw where the Disney ducks view Illuminations from

See, cool, huh?

Canada. You see the doorway and lightpost in the middle of the tower? There is a upper-level deck in that area. We noticed a handful of people on it that were watching Illuminations. Based on where we were standing when we saw it, seems likely to be a fairly clear view. So, maybe something to try when it’s last-minute and you don’t have a good spot?

Interesting. Might take a peak earlier just to see if there's trees in the way or whatevs.

Izzy actually really enjoyed the fireworks
She does not seem to have the fireworks fear that many young kids do

That's good. I don't think either of my DDs had problems with them.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

we went through what would become a common routine on this trip – get her on the potty and she says, “I don’t have pee!” and wants to leave. Despite begging for the potty just beforehand. Ugh.

Ugh! We are discovering this pattern in our house. It's fun to say the least.....

And that was fun, but I have to say that I was really looking forward to a few minutes of eating in peace without a toddler making demands of me…and that didn’t really happen, since the characters kept interrupting my attempts to eat dinner.

It really is the little things in life that we look forward to most as parents isn't it?

Looked fun and I’m sure Izzy would have loved it, but we never made it back there on this trip.

We never did make it to either playground.

 

[annie170]

Hi Dugette! I know I've been a lurker on at least two of your other trip reports and just got caught up on this one. Izzy is such a doll and your writing style is just laugh out loud funny!

The food at Garden Grill looks delicious. We've never eaten there because of all the options in WS. We really need to try it soon.

Chip and Dale are the best. Always a great interaction. When my youngest daughter was three years old, she happily exclaimed, "There's Chip and Dip!" It's kind of a standing joke in our house.

That Mickey interaction was awkward. He should have called off work that day if he wasn't feeling it. A couple years ago we had a similar one at Tusker House. My eighteen month old grandson was trying to touch Donald Duck's bill. Donald kept moving his hands away, not wanting him to touch him at all. This was before we had eaten, so it wasn't like his hands were dirty. It was really weird.

That photo of Dug is hilarious! I love some of the captions by the DISers.

That princess cruise looked......interesting. Nice that one princess remembered Izzy.

I love the early 80's Fisher Price Little People toys in that picture with Izzy. Were those yours as a kid and your mom saved them? Very cool!

Looking forward to hearing about the cruise, as that's something I would love to do with my grandkids.

 

[kroseycorn]

Whew... I had to catch up a bit!

Head-Smacking Good Fun

After securing the Garden Grill CM’s blessing, we headed down to Soarin’ to use my FP+ and get a Rider Swap for Dug to use later. A nice thing about Rider Swap tickets is that they are good for a 1-time-use any day for the rest of that month. So, if we had time after dinner, Dug could ride, otherwise he could save it for another day of our trip (which was the more likely plan, given the time). I was still holding onto my Test Track Rider Swap for another day too, as we didn’t have time to both ride this day.

There was a new process in place to get the Rider Swap ticket (new to me, at least, since last time). Instead of giving it to us at the entrance like they used to, I was given a lanyard to carry down the queue and then give to the second CM, who would give me the Rider Swap ticket in exchange. Not entirely sure why they changed this, but worked fine for us (not all rides did it this way, though). I headed into the FP+ queue:

Good to know!!

She was having a blast and laughing:

http://s1188.photobucket.com/user/L...B-4D08-8D42-28A6246481A0_zpsgng4niv1.jpg.html Chip and Dale look like such a blast! Did you see them on the ship at all?

They were having a good ol’ time too, until Izzy just got a little TOO excited and wiggly …and just smacked her head into the edge of the table! Poor thing! I think Chip felt really bad, but Izzy was fine (this age, they semi-regularly slam their heads into things, it seems). Right after smacking her head (by that eye):



Overall, a good meet. And, for your immense viewing pleasure (and discomfort ), I have video of the whole thing! I do lose focus for a moment while making sure she’s okay from her head slam and it might make you wince, so be warned if you watch. But, knowing she’s totally okay, it’s kind-of funny:

(click to watch)

YOUCH! Glad she recovered quickly!!! Maple has done that on a few occassions... she just forgets her surroundings when she's super excited. Glad that Chip was able to distract her into forgetting the smack and fortunately the table was rounded!

Summer Update - Off Topic

Just thought I’d share some of our pictures/videos from this summer so far. I miss being able to throw these types of updates into a Pre-Trip Report as “Disney training” of some sort. Since I only have TRs going right now, figured I’d just drop it in here, for those who may be interested in a fairly random update.

Most of the rides in Nickelodeon Universe are not very short-toddler-friendly, so we avoided them. However, strangely, one of the few things she actually could ride was the Log Chute. 36 inches and up can ride with an adult and she was just tall enough. Think a wanna-be Splash Mountain and you’ll know what this ride is like. Well, after Izzy asked to ride it and assured me she really wanted to, we bought a ticket (Dug had joined us by then). Izzy kept saying, “I’m gonna be really scared!” But then I’d ask her if it was “good, fun scary” or “bad scary” and she was very much in the “good, fun” camp. So, there we go, off on our adventure:



The ride was actually better than I thought it would be (it’s been a LONG time since I rode it!) It lasted a fair amount of time (not as long as Splash) and had a lot of fun scenes and cruised around pretty fast. And there were actually two fairly big drops. One was hidden inside, but the other was visible to Dug:



That’s about it, but hope to make many more fun summer memories! Thanks for indulging me!

Blast from the past! I visited the MoA when I was probably 10 with my mom, back when it was Knott's Berry Farm or something (all Snoopy, anyway). The log chute was the first "scary ride" I ever did... at 10!!! Good job, Izzy!! I'll try and find the photo of me on it. I look TERRIFIED!

Looks like you're having lots of fun summer activities! She's getting so big!

Once we got to the restroom, we went through what would become a common routine on this trip – get her on the potty and she says, “I don’t have pee!” and wants to leave. Despite begging for the potty just beforehand. Ugh. So, back we went to find our table.

Of course, once back at the table, it wasn’t long before she declared the she had to go potty! Dug got the honors this time. It was about 8:15pm now, by the way.

"Izzy, what was your favorite ride?!" "Tangled Tinkle Spot!!"

I think that Izzy might have actually peed in the potty that time, but can’t recall. We had at least as many false alarms as real potty visits this trip. At any rate, once they were back, Dug made up a nice holiday sandwich for himself:

http://s1188.photobucket.com/user/L...A-4FC0-976C-E55DEE166D2F_zpshsx5eoh8.jpg.html

Cousin Dug and I have the same food tastes! Holiday sandwiches are my favorite!! We must be related!

With her little sugar rush adding to the lack of sleep, Izzy was starting to act pretty silly. Dug mindlessly starting singing, “Drunk baby, drunk baby…” and we giggled. Well, guess who likes to repeat things? Izzy started singing, “Drunk baby, drunk baby…”

Ha. Maple walks like a drunk sailor right now. It is so funny how crazy they get when tired-sugar-sun-fun collide!

We finally ate enough to call it quits on dinner and head out at nearly 9pm. In case you were wondering, our meal with the Tables in Wonderland discount came to about $90 (Izzy was still free). Ugh, I don’t like the idea of it being over $100 if we go in the future! But it is a really fun dining venue.

I don't usually think of this spot for a meal, but I definitely need to consider it!!

Ah, love Epcot at night :

http://s1188.photobucket.com/user/L...A-4C29-BB1C-1BA696E4E216_zps6yiwdhaj.jpg.html
My favorite!!

Nope, upon a closer look, that’s Illuminations over Imagination:





I rather enjoyed the view. Very different than being around the lagoon. You don’t see the globe, but you still see most of the fireworks. And certainly hear the soundtrack. Plus, it’s far enough back that I don’t think it would scare young kids as easily. It was a fun, different way to view the show (and this won’t be the only nighttime show I see from a different angle this trip! )

A great view. Sometimes Illuminations feels kind of boring to me... I think because it tends to be so crowded/crazy around the WS. We've left a few times and I always like looking back to watch it, but this looks like it would be a nice spot to just sit and watch!

 

[khertz]

Oh my gosh, I can't believe how many times you saw the characters during your GG meal!! It's hard enough to eat enough at a character meal, but I can't imagine how little you got to eat when they just kept coming and coming. At least the food was family style, because you might never have been able to make it up to a buffet!