cindianne320
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2010
Bummer that Evie missed Anna and Elsa, but at least she got a good nap in! Glad Landon was able to enjoy the Meet and a spin on Living with the Land!
My apologies to everyone for my extended absence. Earlier this month, Alex’s father passed away so we had to fly back to the states. The kids and I only stayed a week before coming back to Germany (had to get Landon back to school) but Alex is still over there helping his mom. Not going to lie, it’s been a difficult few weeks. My father in-law wasn’t that old, and the death was very unexpected. (Complications that arose from a car accident.) And because of all this, the DIS was put on the back burner for me.
April will mark 3 international trips in 9 months!)
Believe it or not, this was my first time visiting the shopping district since it had transformed into the Springs, and I was a little taken back by how big it has become. Lots of stores and lots to take in.
Oh, I almost forgot! We also stopped by the Ganachery and split a piece of fudge that tasted exactly like the Cast Member said it would. That happened on the way to the Lego Store; on the way back to our car we pit stopped at Vivoli Gelato and shared a medium cup of mint and chocolate ice cream. We had promised Landon a dessert for putting up with our shopping, and when asked he picked ice cream. The mint, in particular, turned out to be delicious and sharing it between two adults and two kids was the perfect amount.
I think since we’re dragging them on yet another long international flight 40 days after their last one, they deserve an awesome new toy from Disney. Don’t you think? It’s the least we can do.
where we went through a long bag check line. Then to the Epcot monorail, where we rode it to the park entrance and….what do you know? We did bag check again.
Looks like Landon won the battle for the beloved stroller that morning. But it also appears that I plied Evie with food to get her to cooperate.
That’s kind of how my parenting style is summed up.
Avoid meltdowns through food.
Yep.
A+ mom skills.
but I still think the new video fits into Epcot seamlessly.
While on the ride, I was seated next to a mom, her kid, and her mother who were visiting from the UK. The mom was an absolute delight to sit with; she ooohed and aaahed at every scene, became so excited to name the locations, and even teared up at the end of the ride! As we were being lowered back to the theater floor, she wiped tears away from her cheeks and told her family, “That was the best ride I’ve ever gone on!”
Her enthusiasm was so sweet that I had made the decision mid-ride to make her day a little brighter. As we were walking down the exit hallway, I stopped her and handed her the Rider Swap pass I had received a few nights ago. Once I explained how it worked and convinced her that I wouldn’t miss it, her face lit up and her kid was jumping with joy. “Let’s go do it again, Mom! Let’s go!!!”
Without question, one of my favorite moments of the trip.
The kids stayed busy watching all the different fish:
We stopped for a diaper run at the new bathrooms, and I remember being very impressed that they had more than one changing station in the restroom.
He completely missed the adorable queue area, including the sauna section. Personally, I loved that!
Right as we were boarding our boat, Evie decided to ruin her nice new diaper and leave us and everyone else in the boat struggling for fresh air during the ride. Thanks, kid. What a way to ride Frozen Ever After for the first time.
Yeesh.
The ride was good. It was entertaining, timed really well to the music, and reminded me of all the other dark boat rides I enjoy.
That’s Evie for you, rebelling against my plans since 2015.
It was really fun looking around at the architecture and designs and being so familiar with it. In a weird sort of way, it felt like being back in Germany. I was almost more comfortable standing around in that pavilion than I was anywhere else that trip.
There’s a hiking trail that you can take, and at the very end you round a corner and there's Eltz...it’s breathtaking.
Looking at the photos, I guess I was the only one out of sorts by my daughter’s attitude. Probably the difference between a parent and a grandparent. Nana got to step back and let me deal with Hurricane Evie because she’d been there, done that. She’d passed that baton on to me when I decided to create Mini-Me’s.
I ordered the kid’s spaghetti and meatballs for Evie, because she’s the one kid on the planet who hates pizza.
Yes, you heard me right.
She hates pizza!!!
She doesn’t like hot dogs, either, and only tolerates chicken nuggets. She’s my future foodie; give it a few more years and she and I will be splitting meals off the adult menu in order to let her have her steak and roasted veggies…
One of my favorite photos from the trip….that pizza was bigger than his head!
But you better believe he ate it.
Unlike my son.
Who was sitting next to his Nana, who just so happens to be the biggest sucker when it comes to her grandson.
I looked over and she had cut a third of her cake and given it to Landon, who was inhaling it!
“Mom!”
“What? I’m allowed to give my grandson some cake…we’re at Disney!”
“I get that, but this cake has espresso in it! You just gave him straight caffeine!”
My mom’s face turned to shock and she threw her hands over her mouth. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t even think of that!”
“He’s going to be bouncing off the ceiling soon!”
Up Next…I Like Your Dress, It’s Really Pretty and Sparkly
This was the second time I visited in July, and I have to say…the crowds were very manageable.
Their Royal Sommerhus was lovely and provided plenty of little details to look at while we waited the short while for the meet and greet. I know most everyone has already been inside the house, but it was a new experience for me and one I’d gladly walk through again.
These stood out to me because they reminded a lot of the Welsh Lovespoons that are sold at bazaars around here. Originally, lovespoons came from Scandanavia and were given to girls from hopeful suitors. The items carved in the spoons each represented something, such a lock for security, a bell for marriage, and balls for hopeful number of kids.
Nowadays, the lovespoons are given for anniversaries or wedding gifts, but a lot of people stationed over here buy them for everyday gifts because they are so beautiful. The intricacies in these spoons are unbelievable. (Alex if you ever manage to catch up on reading my reports before we move you now have a great gift idea. *hint hint, wink wink*)
Landon, as expected, was very difficult to tame while standing in line. He knew he couldn’t move around or be loud, so he stood and bounced in place, smiling and laughing at absolutely nothing.
Evie had gone the opposite route of her brother and wanted to work off her full belly with a long nap in the baby carrier. I was a little disappointed she couldn’t stay awake for the meet, because of all the princesses she was most familiar with Anna and Elsa. (Well, princess and queen.) But I guess had she been upset and fussy it would have been more stressful so better to have a sleeping baby than a crying one…
This was actually the only photo we managed to get of all 4 of us together. My mom and I really should’ve invested in Memory Maker, because obviously we were slacking in the group photo department.
Then again, the first statement out of Landon’s mouth when he was with Elsa was:
“Ooooh, I like your dress. It’s so sparkly!”
I love Living with the Land. Always have and always will.
My mom suggested we stop for a picture or two since we failed to get any that morning. It was too bad Landon was crashing from his sugar high and looked zoned out in the pics.
I'm glad you had yet another great meal at Via Napoli.
Wow! I'm impressed at Landon's appetite. Growth spurt?
Again, it is funny (and very familiar to me) to see the differences in your kid's eating habits. My boys couldn't be more different. Nate was very fussy and didn't eat much at all when he was younger and Ben polished off everything in sight and had a very adventurous palate.
Thanks for the info about Happy Hippos (at first I was picturing Hungry Hungry Hippos), the lesson about the spoons and the background about Germany's castle. I hope to do the backstage World Showcase tour sometime on a future trip because I am fascinated with the countries of EPCOT.
Bummer that Evie missed Anna and Elsa, but at least she got a good nap in! Glad Landon was able to enjoy the Meet and a spin on Living with the Land!
I'm once again trying to get caught up.
I'm very sorry for your family's loss. The unexpected losses are the hardest.
I'm very impressed! You're an expert now.
I hate the new bag checks especially at Epcot. So much time is spent in line for this. But I guess it does make us all safer, it's hard to remember that when your waiting.
I love the Norway bathrooms. I couldn't wait to show Michelle in February.
I've always loved this pavilion. It sounds like Germany has really become your second home.
Yep, that what we grands get to do. Payback is hard.
Great picture and I'm very impressed with his appetite.
Nice to know but I just don't know if I could stand the heat.
And I learned something new. Very interesting.
I love the Anna in the wood.
I have a feeling that happens alot.Poor Anna, getting overlooked by her older sis…
Too funny! Landon is a funny little guy!“Ooooh, I like your dress. It’s so sparkly!”
Ha!Landon just wanted to see the prettier dress, not necessarily the lady in it.
Can you park at Shades of Green and stay at the Poly? I am seriously considering a split stay or even a 3 split stay to get a day or two in at the Poly. And really enjoy the resort. We will see.but it’s only 7 dollars and it’s in a garage and the rooms cost a lot less than the deluxe resorts for the same square footage.
But we’ll see. I might change my tune after staying at the Polynesian for a night and remembering how amazing the resort is.
All caught up again and loving the updates. Landon is king of one-liners with the princesses lol. What girl doesn’t like being complimented on a sparkly dress
My youngest is the fussiest eater on the planet- no pizza, pasta, rice or mash thank goodness for bread ( and vitamins). He had to go gluten and dairy free for a while which was tough but he can now eat small amounts of gluten and is totally fine with dairy. It has made him wary of food in general so we tend to not worry too much on holidays as long as he takes calories in some form but we look like the world’s worst parents as we feast and he has a bread roll and fruit!!
Glad Landon enjoyed his tiramisu and didn’t make you pay for the sugar rush too much
I love how Landon just dives right in with the characters. And it's so funny he's so wowed about their costumes. LOL!
I can see how much they loved LWtL with comments they were making. Love how Evie was pointing out the foods along the way.
That IS slow! 4 FP's?! Wow!
Parking fees at resorts. What a gigantic load of poop! And that's all I have to say about that.
I love the Anna in the wood.
Can you park at Shades of Green and stay at the Poly? I am seriously considering a split stay or even a 3 split stay to get a day or two in at the Poly. And really enjoy the resort. We will see.
To go from never flying before to having 5 trips under my belt is pretty impressive.
I agree, safety is most important but man...that Epcot process can test the best person's patience.
Did she like them, as well? I bet as a fellow mom she noticed the extra changing space.
We love it here so much that we recently submitted a request to extend our stay another 13 months. Alex and I are really hoping we get another year to explore and go on more adventures with the friends we've made here.
You guys have earned it.
He can eat a lot of food when he wants. Thankfully, he'll eat healthy stuff as willingly as he'll eat junk food.
If you can handle the mugginess of Louisiana in the summer, you could do Disney no problem!
I'll have to take a close up photo the next time I see them being sold, because they really are beautiful.
But I stay inside here (in my best whinny voice).
True. I just know the summer I moved from Central FL to North Louisiana I thought I was going to die. The humidity in Louisiana is insane and so oppressive. I was never more happy to escape the summers there.
Since my mom had gotten the chance to see Happily Ever After the night before, she offered to babysit the kids so I could go see it on this evening.
Found out where all the people who WEREN’T at Epcot were hanging that day.
To celebrate my independence, I bought some corn dog nuggets, something I had never tried before at Disney.
The nuggets were okay.
Sitting around doing nothing.
It was one of the moms with young kids, because she was surprised when I told her I had two of my own. She looked at me and went, “You’re in a park…WITHOUT YOUR KIDS?!!”
The younger brother was actually making me a little misty-eyed because the little kids (his nieces and nephews) were hanging all over him and making him blow their bubble wands and it reminded me so much of my little brother with Landon and Evie. I think all kids who get to have a young uncle get a special gift, because they're gifted an instant friend the day they're born. My brother’s grown a lot since Landon’s been born (he was 18 when I had Landon) but in my kids’ eyes, Isaac will always be “the fun uncle.”
I don’t hate the soundtrack or the fireworks used. I think they are inferior to Wishes, but I don’t think they are bad. And in Happily Ever After’s defense, I am going to give it a second chance with a Dessert Party at the end of the month.
In the end, I scanned my band and used my pass for Haunted Mansion. I hadn’t been on this attraction since Landon was born because I knew both kids would be scared, so it was a treat to get to go on it that night. And being back in the stretching room, quoting the ghost host’s lines, made me remember how awesome the attraction is.
I get that it can be maddening when you’re waiting at the stop for fifteen minutes and up walks a dude at the last second and jumps on before you. That’s the downside to not having a roped off line like some of the resort stops implement. And I know they had probably been at the parks all day long, were exhausted, and had a sleeping kid to boot.
Kill them with kindness.
Corn dog nuggets- I'm not a huge hotdog fan either, and I didn't think they were all that and a bag of chips when I tried them. The French fries at Casey's, however...
That is hilarious that the mom couldn't understand you being there without the kids.
Your explanation about the problem with Happily Ever After is spot on. Viewing location is everything, and as you point out, there are limited excellent spots. That is totally the problem my group had the night we watched. It was a rainy night and you hit on one of the major issues with that.
I wonder if with all the emphasis on projections, there is less of a reliance on fireworks and perhaps some $$$ is saved.
Ahhhh... Haunted Mansion solo. Of course, you aren't exactly alone with 999 haunts hanging about.
I'm a little apprehensive about your bittersweet update.
Sorry to hear that your evening solo wasn't exactly what you wanted it to be. I have a love hate relationship with the projections. I love them, but it is really hard to get good views. I do think that next trip, we might do the dessert party to see if properly. And then probably skip it for awhile.
Ach I’m sorry you didn’t have the best time at MK solo but kudos to your lovely mum for babysitting and giving you a wee break. Love your attitude to the grumpy-guts of the world. You show them how they should behave- you never know maybe you’ll even convert their nasty manners to nice ones
Despite my lacklustre commenting, I'm still reading along and enjoying your updates! And I have to agree that while HEA is beginning to grow on me more, I totally agree with you that it's inaccessible to children from most of the park (and to short folks like me!) and it just doesn't match Wishes. I find it very frustrating to get stuck behind a sea of kids on shoulders, but I totally understand why parents do it because the projections are so hard to see for little ones. I laughed about that mother's reaction to you being without kids watching the fireworks though! How, as a Disney fan, could you possibly be interested in seeing a brand new state-of-the-art nighttime spectacular without small children to watch it with you!?
I felt the same way too.
As a Mom this is a rarity. Enjoy it while you can.
Danielle is like this, she's the fun aunt.
You're so right. The first time I saw HEA we were too far back so we couldn't see the projections. We did the Dessert party in February and really got to see the show. It was a really good experience all around. I think being out of the crowds will be good for Evie.