Trip Report A Not So Splashy, Very Dashy, Somewhat Sleepy and A Little Frisky, Uplyfting Sept 2018 TR (Completed!)

Once again, it is so hard to believe that our adventure in WDW is over. I don’t understand how time goes so fast when we are there. Even though this was our longest trip ever, it still flew by.

We returned home around midnight on Saturday and I’ve been getting back to reality and catching up on reading other TR’s before beginning my own.

Just in case you may not know us…

Me: Mary/mom

Ross – Dad AKA Grumpy, but was acting more like Sleepy on this trip. (And yes – those Crocs came along with him.)

Julia – DD Sweet 16 this trip

Hope – My 9 year old princess whose diagnoses of Autism usually lends itself to some interesting tidbits for my TR’s.

Trip details:

September 6th – 8th at Art Of Animation (Room only)

September 8th – 22nd Pop Century (MYW Package Free Dining)

Yep- that’s a LONG trip – our longest EVER. Still it managed to fly by in the blink of an eye.

If you’re not familiar with my crazy crew or you need to catch up, feel free to check out my pre trip report here:

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...feet-a-september-2018-pre-trip-report.944145/

All caught up? Are you ready? Okay then, here we go!

 

[RememberWhen]

I’m all teary reading about your MNSSHP experience. What a fantastic bit of pixie dust for a fantastic family. I’m so glad you had such an awesome time!!

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Wow, what a great magical experience! I've just caught up. I can only read trips reports on the weekend now that school's back in session!

 

[DisneyGigi]

I got cold chills aka pixie dust bumps- reading about the CM giving you the tickets to MNSSHP. Disney is amazing enough on it’s own, but I know how I felt with the upgraded room this year. I cried like a baby. So awesome for you guys to have gotten that, so happy for you and that the girls ended up loving it.

 

[blreinsel]

Holy cow! Free MNSSHP tickets!? That’s amazing! So excited for such a large dose of pixie dust to start your trip! You had amazing luck with low crowds at the party, too! I’m so happy that your trip started off so perfectly.

 

[dizfan917]

WHEW! I'm glad those girls came around and decided to enjoy the party!! I kinda figgered they would. You handled it like a pro! I think you guys were able to do more than we did.

I love the pic of you and Julia in front of the castle with Hope asleep.

I have to say, with the issues that I read about in the Forums and hear about from people who visit, it is truly heartwarming to hear about all the kind things that CMs are doing (and are able to do) to really make guest's vacations MAGICAL.

We got FREE Mickey ice cream bars at EPCOT because the CM told me that if I could name all the countries in World Showcase, she'd give them to us for nothing. I named them all in order AND threw in the African Outpost for good measure. She said no one ever mentions Africa.

 

[LMSB]

What an AWESOME surprise for you & the girls! We've never done MNSSHP -- thinking we may have to include it in our plans for next year
I saw a photo of the Peter Pan float on Instagram, looks so good!
Hope looks so teeny on the Splash Mountain pic, glad she liked it. Also, love the photo at the end of the night of her sleeping. Too cute!
Looking forward to reading the rest of your TR!!

 

[LMSB]

Also, love Julia's MU student costume

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

LOL = Lil Outrageous Littles

They come in these balls that you peel open different layers. They are creepy looking - in my opinion, and crazy expensive - $13-$15 each!! Hope went on Amazon and ordered a series 1 doll that was almost $25.00! I canceled the ordered and realized she knows how to order without me knowing!

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My 7 year old wants some for her birthday. I don't get them.

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

By the time we had finished our “testing” the rain had stopped, but we decided to skip the mermaid pool for today and get changed instead.

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We walked to our room and I was happy to see ME dropped our luggage off. Julia wanted to do the drawing class at 5:00PM so we returned to Animation Hall and had a snack while we waited.

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Julia did the class, which she LOVED while Hope and I walked around.

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That is a fantastic Stitch that Julia drew! I was so sad when they got rid of the animation classes at DHS. At least they have them at AoA.

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

Day 2: Friday September 7th, 2018

By 6:00AM I was up and getting ready for the day.

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I woke Julia shortly after since she had her Japanese class at 7:00AM.

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I let Hope snooze since we weren’t leaving the room until 9:30.

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The plan was to head to Captain Cooks for breakfast followed by an exploration of Julia’s beloved & abandoned River Country, AKA Project 89 which we figured would certainly be demolished by our next visit.

I left the room and headed to the food court to get some coffee.


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While I was there, I walked over to the lobby to ask some questions about switching resorts the following day. I’m always paranoid about what I need to do, so I just like to confirm before we head out. I also wanted to pay off our room charges with my gift cards.

I paid the bill and the CM answered my questions and said basically I just needed to leave my luggage in the room and call bell services to pick up. He said I did not have to be there for them to pick either. He also conformed we could swim at AoA the day we checked out and that our dining plan would kick in that morning.

As we were talking he asked me if we visited any theme parks yet. I said no – this was a room only and our package would begin the next day. He mentioned that MNSSHP was taking place during our stay and asked if we had plans to go. I said no – not this year. He then asked if we had ever been to one. Again I said no – not yet, but I’m sure one day we will. Then he said, “There’s a party tonight. Would you like to go?”

I laughed and told him it was not in our budget this year, but that I was sure one day we would go.

He then looked at me in a rather mischievous way and said, “That’s not what I asked. I asked if you would like to go to the party tonight?”

I was confused. So all I could get out was, “Yes?”

The next thing I knew, we had 3 Tickets to MNSSHP! WE WERE GOING TO MNSSHP!!!

I couldn’t thank the CM enough and felt like I was walking on air as I made the journey back to our room. I was bursting to tell the kids! But I knew I had to wait for Julia’s class to end.

On the walk back to the room, it was just about 9:00, so I called my parents. My mom and & talk to each other every day at 9:00AM. One always calls the other and being on vacation didn’t change that except for a few days that we were too crazy for us. I told them what happened and they were so happy for us. Part of me felt sad that Ross wasn’t here. I finished our conversation before I went back into our room. For some reason, I had no phone service inside our room. I always had to walk outside to make or receive a phone call.

As soon as Julia was done with her class I told them both the good news. I was soooooo excited! I exclaimed, “We are going to the Halloween party!” Julia looked at me and said, “Oh, OK.”

What? Did she not hear me? I proclaimed again. “WE ARE GOING TO THE HALLOWEEN PARTY!!” I looked at Hope and she replied with, “NO Halloween Party – just the regular Magic Kingdom.”

I was completely blown away. Have my children gone mad? Julia seemed unimpressed and Hope did not want to go!?!?

I announced we were going – like it or not! Not only that... but we were were going to have the BEST time EVER!!!!

Wow! Free tickets to MNSSHP? That is some Disney magic!!!

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

After the fireworks, we escaped the crowds a little into Adventureland. By now it was around 10:30 and Julia still wanted to ride Space Mountain. We decided against riding Pirates but I wanted to check out the wait time for Moana. When we got there the CM said the wait was around 20 minutes so I got on line. Julia was worried that it would take longer so I told her to go to Tomorrowland and ride Space Mountain and wait there for me. Hope dozed off while we were waiting, but when it was our turn I gave her a nudge and she was up and ready to meet Moana.

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The line did end up taking about 20 minutes. From there I went to trade in the rest of our tokens and then met up with Julia in Tomorrowland. She had rode Space two times and LOVED it in the dark. We stopped so Julia could pick up the MNSSHP pin and Hope got a Halloween Minnie Mouse.

Hope dozed off, so Julia played a little SOTMK – but I wanted to try for one more thing before we left We walked over to where the 7 Dwarfs were meeting. When we asked how long the wait was , the CM said… 10 minutes!!! We hopped on the line and sure enough, 10 minutes later…

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By now it was almost midnight. We walked toward the front and noticed the Hocus Pocus show was starting. None of us have seen the movie but all of a sudden Julia asked if that’s where a certain song was from and started to sing it. I had no idea, but sure enough, the sisters starting singing the same song so we laughed and stayed so Julia could watch the show. It turned out to be one of her favorites of the night!

At 12:30 we dragged ourselves out of the MK and to the bus stop.

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Have I mentioned that AoA has the farthest stop of all the resorts? Lol We waited on a pretty long line, but the busses were coming fast. We were some of the last to board. It wasn’t an overly packed bus, but there were no seats and I knew Hope would need one so we got off the bus and back in line. Everyone else managed to get on the bus so we were the only ones remaining at the bus stop. The CM in the bus area asked us to get back on the bus but I told him I couldn’t because Hope needed a seat. I showed him my wheelchair sticker. At first, he seemed annoyed and said I should have waited with the wheelchairs and have her stroller locked, but I said, all she needed was a seat – so I wouldn’t think to do that. He hopped on and spoke to the bus driver and then hopped off. He told me the next bus wouldn’t come for 40 minutes! I assured him I didn’t mind waiting; I just needed my daughter to be safe on the bus. He told me in the future to utilize the disability line to get her on and in a seat. (I’ve never felt comfortable doing that.) He walked away for a few minutes and then he returned and said a bus would be here in a few minutes. Sure enough, a bus pulled up in just a few minutes. We boarded the bus with one other family and off we went to AoA.

The night ended as magical as it began! When we reached our room, it was nearly 2:00 in morning! We collapsed into our beds with no alarm! It had been a perfect day and an amazing, pixie dust filled adventure. And yes, my girls began asking the next day if we could go back to the party next year! Lol

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Oh my goodness, those are a heck of a lot of treats!!! I am so glad that you and the girls loved the party. That is one we have never been to, but would love to go.

 

[becca_]

How amazing - I'm so glad the girls came around as well & enjoyed the night

 

[Figment Forever]

I’m loving your review, and getting to go to the party is just amazing! So glad you all had a great time!!

It was an amazing time. Thanks so much for reading!

Wow!! You really did the party perfectly!!! I love the Halloween parties. We’ve been 4 times but this year was the best! I’m loving your report. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks so much! It was truly a great time. I didn't think I would ever enjoy it as much as I did.

What an amazing surprise! I loved reading every minute of it. You guys accomplished so much without really planning too much! I can't believe 10 min for the seven dwarfs. Now I look back to when we went in August and I feel like we did nothing compared to you guys. That just means we need to go back next year lol.

Thanks so much! It was actually one of your past reports that made me aware Moana would be there. I think the best thing was not to have a year to plan it in advance. I'm so indecisive usually, so having to just choose quickly I think made a difference.

I’m so glad that Hope did well on the rides! We literally must have just passed each other at the party because we were in Frontierland during the parade as well. We rode Splash during the parade, by the time we got off, the parade has passed by. It was a great night for the party.

Wow - we were so close! I wish we would have crossed paths! It was such a perfect night!

Moana and the 7 Dwarfs in less than an hour?! Holy Moly! Touring Plans themselves couldn't have plotted that one out!

HaHa I was shocked too. I didn't think we had a chance for the 7 Dwarfs.

 

[joshsprincess921]

What an amazing night!!

 

[Figment Forever]

I’m all teary reading about your MNSSHP experience. What a fantastic bit of pixie dust for a fantastic family. I’m so glad you had such an awesome time!!

It was really a pixie dust filled vacation. The party was amazing and I would be afraid to try to repeat it because it was so perfect. Thanks for following along with us!

Wow, what a great magical experience! I've just caught up. I can only read trips reports on the weekend now that school's back in session!

Thanks for taking the time to follow our adventures! It was a very magical night!

I got cold chills aka pixie dust bumps- reading about the CM giving you the tickets to MNSSHP. Disney is amazing enough on it’s own, but I know how I felt with the upgraded room this year. I cried like a baby. So awesome for you guys to have gotten that, so happy for you and that the girls ended up loving it.

I couldn't believe when it happened! On our first trip with Julia when she was six, we were staying at ASMovies and when we got there they upgraded us to POFQ! It was so exciting! But I think MNSSHP tops that! lol

Holy cow! Free MNSSHP tickets!? That’s amazing! So excited for such a large dose of pixie dust to start your trip! You had amazing luck with low crowds at the party, too! I’m so happy that your trip started off so perfectly.

Thanks so much! It was truly amazing!! But don't worry, shenanigans will begin soon! lol Still bummed that I didn't plan better and try to meet up with you.

WHEW! I'm glad those girls came around and decided to enjoy the party!! I kinda figgered they would. You handled it like a pro! I think you guys were able to do more than we did.

I love the pic of you and Julia in front of the castle with Hope asleep.

I have to say, with the issues that I read about in the Forums and hear about from people who visit, it is truly heartwarming to hear about all the kind things that CMs are doing (and are able to do) to really make guest's vacations MAGICAL.

We got FREE Mickey ice cream bars at EPCOT because the CM told me that if I could name all the countries in World Showcase, she'd give them to us for nothing. I named them all in order AND threw in the African Outpost for good measure. She said no one ever mentions Africa.

Yes, I'm glad my grumpy girls got it together fast. Now my problem is they want to go back!!! lol I think if I had more time to plan, we wouldn't have had such a great time. I would have been too much in "stick to the plan" mode. So it worked out perfectly. It was amazing pixie dust.

What an AWESOME surprise for you & the girls! We've never done MNSSHP -- thinking we may have to include it in our plans for next year
I saw a photo of the Peter Pan float on Instagram, looks so good!
Hope looks so teeny on the Splash Mountain pic, glad she liked it. Also, love the photo at the end of the night of her sleeping. Too cute!
Looking forward to reading the rest of your TR!!

Thanks for following along. Hope is still a peanut. She will be 10 this year and yet size 7/8's can be huge on her! lol

Also, love Julia's MU student costume

She wears it well! lol

My 7 year old wants some for her birthday. I don't get them.

I hope it goes away fast because there are just too bizarre for me and WAY TOO expensive for what you get!

That is a fantastic Stitch that Julia drew! I was so sad when they got rid of the animation classes at DHS. At least they have them at AoA.

Yes - we were excited that they are there but hoping that it also returns tot he Studios one day.

Wow! Free tickets to MNSSHP? That is some Disney magic!!!

It was!!

Oh my goodness, those are a heck of a lot of treats!!! I am so glad that you and the girls loved the party. That is one we have never been to, but would love to go.

We still have a full bag left!

How amazing - I'm so glad the girls came around as well & enjoyed the night

Thanks for following along. Yes I'm so glad they enjoyed it, but now they want to go back! lol

 

[Figment Forever]

What an amazing night!!

It was! I don't think we would ever be able to repeat it. It was just perfect!!

 

[joshsprincess921]

It was! I don't think we would ever be able to repeat it. It was just perfect!!

What did Julia think of Space in the dark?

 

[Figment Forever]

What did Julia think of Space in the dark?

She said it was amazing and absolutely loved it. She said she wishes they would run it like that all the time.

 

[Figment Forever]

Day 3: Saturday, September 8, 2018

Today was our moving day. As sad as I was to leave AoA, I was excited to see the refurbished rooms at POP. I opened my eyes around 8:30 and showered and got ready. I was still almost in disbelief that our party night had taken place, but the huge stockpile of candy reassured me that it had! Lol

The girls got up and we all finished getting ready and started to pack up the room. At around 11:00 AM Julia left to go to the drawing class one more time while Hope and I finished our packing.

I called bell services and said we were checking out and then Hope and I made our final journey through our grotto, across the jungle and into the EAC.

As we were walking, a family was walking in front of us and the dad was yelling at his son who was probably about 8 or so, how he didn’t want to be in WDW. He was yelling, “I don’t even want to be here! We’re here because of you! I can think of a lot of other places I’d rather vacation!”

We passed them and met up with Julia in the lobby. I love the decorations in the gift shop. Of course it was Julia who had to point out to me that the store was desoigned to look like paint jars! lol

Hope was not hungry – I guess the candy was still keeping us full. So we opted to go swimming. We left Julia in the drawing class and walked over to the Cars Pool for a while and then we went to the Nemo pool.

At 12:30, we decided it was time to head out. So we got our stuff together and started our journey to POP.

 

[Figment Forever]

The walk is really pretty even with the construction. Hope was so excited to see the preparations for the Skyliner.

Julia carried Hope's backpack for her.