Trip Report *COMPLETED* No bouche for you! But do you want to build a snowman?

Hello all! We've been back for almost two weeks now, and while the holidays are still winding down, I still wish I was back in Disney so I figured I'd get this TR started! First the intros -

Who: Myself (Frank), my wife K, and our 4 year old princess C. This would be our second trip as a family in just as many years. I had been many times when I was younger with my family, and K had been a few times in the past. Once we hit college years we had stopped (for some reason), but after last year we were hooked (again for me).

Also joining for the first half were my in-laws, G & P. They prefer to not have pictures on the internet, so they won’t be visibly appearing in this report.

When: December 9 - 15th 2018 (G & P were the 9th - 12th)

Where: Caribbean Beach Resort, stayed in Aruba 4626. I've always wanted to try this resort, and when I saw the concept art for the renovations I was really excited. We knew it was a risk that construction could get pushed back (and I started getting really nervous in August/September), but with a free dining promotion it was a deal I couldn't pass up! I'll give my thoughts on the resort including the renovations in the report.

Why: I detailed this more in the PTR, but long story short - we're expecting a little mouseketeer in April, and wanted one more big trip just the three of us. Plus the past year had it's ups and down and we could use a good vacation to round out the year. 65 days out G&P asked if they could join, and while it meant re-arranging a bit, we figured the more the merrier!

What this trip report has in store for you: Transportation failures, face-stuffing and imbibing, magic band failures, scooter drama, seasonal merriment, DVC dilemmas (do we join? you'll have to find out!) and of course quite a bit of magic.

 

[fractal]

Let's get back to it, shall we?

Last I left off we were finishing up in the photo studio, and had a few hours to kill before our ADR.

I have to admit - this may be one of my favorite views of the castle.

View attachment 368135

We decided to slow down a bit. As much as I wanted to head over the Frontierland and get a ride on BTMR or Splash in, I knew I was the only one since K couldn't ride, and C was all dressed up and not in prime wilderness attire. Instead we decided to head over to Tomorrowland.

First though, we stopped for some pictures.

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As you can tell, it was very wet at this point. And pretty soon after this picture was taken, the skies opened up. Good thing we were headed to a favorite of K's that was indoors - Carousel of Progress! With the rain, it being near C's nap time, and all of us feeling the wear of the trip, this was perfect timing.

I took 0 pictures at this point because of the rain, as it was still coming down when we exited. We had no plans, so we decided to do another indoor attraction (and one that was new to us) - the Laugh Floor! The stroller parking here was horrendous, but after getting it parked and covered, we headed in.

I'll preface this next part with a realization that it was humid at this point, we were tired, and maybe getting a bit grumpy. But you know what sound I can't stand - wet shoes on linoleum. When it's accidental it doesn't bother me, but there were at least 3 groups of late age teenagers who just kept scuffing their feet to make noise in the holding area. Most stopped after a few minutes, but there was one girl who just kept going. Much to K's chagrin, I decided to make eye contact with this girl until she stopped. I think she finally caught the hint (or just got bored), and silence was restored.

The show was definitely cute and funny. C isn't yet at the age where she understands most jokes, but I think the opportunity to sit in an a/c room was worth it for her. I don't think this is a must do for us on every trip, but it was enjoyable.

As we were exiting, the rain was finally stopping even though the humidity stayed high.

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Our tummies started growling, so we headed to grab a snack. I believe C got popcorn, K had a Mickey Pretzel (her first, and a new found love) and a coke slushy for me. The candy coated straw was a bit weird when it started falling apart, but the level of sweetness coupled with the cold drink really hit the spot.

We looked to see if any FPs were available, and sure enough some favorites were, so we made our way to Fantasyland.

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First up - meeting Ariel. It seemed silly since we already met her at Trattoria, but to a 4 year old, mermaid Ariel is very different than human Ariel. Especially when C was saying her Christmas wish was to be a mermaid.

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Awesome!

I miss those days.

 

[Spash007]

@Spash007 You went!!! how did you find it?!
We have just booked CRT again for our September trip... I do love the princesses!!

I'll detail more in a bit in the TR, but the food was amazing! It's funny that that was my biggest concern! We just had bad luck with other people sitted around us this trip, so that took away from the ambience a bit. But just thinking of the pork is making my mouth water.

Awesome!

I miss those days.

When we left, I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get all the rides in that I wanted, but I realized that those should (hopefully) still be around in a few years. But these kinds of memories when she's young are pretty limited and I'm glad we got to make a lot of them this time around,

 

[Spash007]

With our appetizers, the Princesses started coming out. Do they still rotate the Princesses? We were hoping for Belle, but she seems so hard to see unless you do Enchanted Tales (or Akershus)

First was Snow White, who did a lovely spin by the table:

Around this time the noise level was seriously bothering me. I'm all for detail, and they were making announcements about the Princesses and their stories and we couldn't hear any of it. We had no idea who they were even announcing until we first saw them.

They also made another Wishing Star announcement that we could somewhat hear, at least enough to tell C to make a wish.

Soon after Aurora came out.

Followed by Ariel.

And then last, but not least, Rapunzel.

I know these are some of their most popular Princesses, but I wish they would mix it up a bit, with a Mulan here or there sometimes.

Between the Princesses, our food came out.

K got the Beef and Shrimp.

I had the Braised Pork Shank.

And I believe C got the Mac n Cheese, but we didn't take any photos.

Oh my gosh. I was getting worried that I would be let down after eating at Citricos, but I definitely wasn't. That pork, and the bite of the beef I had, were amazing! The food quality was right up there with Citrico's. The pork was falling right apart, and mixing with the potatoes was heavenly.

 

[Spash007]

Next up was the dessert. I can never pass up a good Chocolate Mousse, so I got the Clock Strikes Twelve.

I'm not sure what K got, maybe the same thing? Or the sorbet?

The waiter was really pushing the cupcake on C, but she isn't a big cake fan so she went with the sorbet.

Like the pork, the mousse also melted in your mouth. And it was so good!!

One thing that K really wanted to get done was the Tangled lantern pictures. Since this was a party night, we knew it would be a push, but we finished eating around 5:40 pm. While I finished up with the check, she and C rushed over to the pictures, because she had read that on party nights you need to actually have your picture done by 6, not just be in line by then.

One thing I have to add about CRT, is that while it is a 2 credit meal which doesn't seem to be a great deal, I didn't realize the gratuity was included! That makes it more worth it in my head.

On the way out of the dining room, I took in the lovely nighttime view of Fantasyland.

As I got out I huffed and puffed my way over the Tangled restrooms, keeping an eye out for the pictures. All of a sudden, I was by HM! What the? Did I take a weird path and miss them? As I was about to call K, my phone started ringing, and K explained to me that the pictures weren't being taken this night. There were a lot of disappointed people by the restrooms, but a CM was there letting everyone know. Disappointed, we met up in Liberty Square, and headed to the front of the park.

I do love the detail of Liberty Square, I think partially because so much of it is "original" to WDW.

Yes it's a crappy photo, but I wanted a picture of the 13 lanterns.

Since we weren't really planning anything after the meal besides the Tangled pictures, we were pleasantly surprised to come across the Castle lighting ceremony! And we were able to get a prime viewing spot!

 

[Spash007]

Some more castle pictures:

Does it get any better than this?

The crowds leaving the park weren't awful, and I was very happy to see Main Street again at night. The snoap was falling, and without the scooter, it was a lot easier to just enjoy the walk out.

I wish I would've seen the Candy Cane garden up close. Next time!

Originally this was going to be our second night at DS, and we were planning on relaxing and shopping a bit. but with our early night the night before, this was our last chance to get to Epcot and see Illuminations one last time

On our way out we were talking transportation options, and the monorail seemed slammed so we made a noob mistake - we headed to the buses. It didn't take long for us to realize there was no bus to Epcot, so instead we decided to take the boat to the TTC. This would be another first, and it felt closer.

There was already a boat there, so we got on the dock and started making our way, to only stop on the ramp. The boat was PACKED. To the point where it didn't feel safe. Add in the humidity, us being corralled on Main Street earlier, and making the silly walk to the buses, this just didn't seem like a good idea. But the CM's had already laid down the chain.

In a brief moment of rebellion, I opened up the chain and made our way back. K wasn't as comfortable with my rebellion as I was, but as I pointed out - what would they do? Yell? They can't kick us out, because we weren't in a park! (Don't you love logic when you're exhausted?).

Sure enough, as I was holding the chain for C, and noticing that at least 10 more people were now coming off the ramp, a CM came over. My brazenness started dissipating and I told the CM the we just didn't feel safe, and could we just get on the next one. Of course it was ok. We were silly to even think they would be upset about it!

Another boat was in the process of docking, so we got on, and noticed there were a total of 2 benches on the lower level. We were definitely hoping to be able to sit, especially for K, but we made our way to the railing to watch the sites in the dark. After probably about 15 minutes we were on our way.

 

[PrincessJasmyn]

I'll detail more in a bit in the TR, but the food was amazing! It's funny that that was my biggest concern! We just had bad luck with other people sitted around us this trip, so that took away from the ambience a bit. But just thinking of the pork is making my mouth water.

I'm glad you liked the food at least. I was a little worried raving about it so much, and then you not enjoying it!!

I'm only up to page 4 of your TR (i only just found it yesterday when i saw you tag me!) so im trying to get caught up. Cant wait to read the rest of it.

BTW, C - oh my lord she kills me with how cute she is!!! I wish we could meet up one time and i could just steal her for a couple of hours. Ill swap her in exchange for my husband any day!

 

[Spash007]

The boat ride was humid and sticky. If it wasn't for the breeze (and the lovely scenery) it would have been a pretty miserable ride.

We got to the TTC and the queue to get on the monorail to Epcot was pretty long. We made our way down the platform and were able to get into one of the lines, but weren't too hopeful we'd get on the next monorail. After a few minutes a monorail pulled up, and I have to say, this was probably some of the best guest behavior we saw all trip. Everyone was working together Tetris style to fit everyone on the train, and I believe everyone pretty much did. It was crazy, people were helping each other with bags, helping people with strollers, it was actually really nice! Even a young guy, probably late teens, immediately offered K his seat without prodding from anyone else!

Soon enough we were in Epcot, and I was ready for a few of my favorite things: the view of SE at night, getting a lot of Bouche de Noels, trying some new beers, and watching Illuminations. I also was looking forward to getting C on Figment since we hadn't yet.

K got me to watch Funny Girl the other night, so all I'm thinking right now is "Hello Gorgeous"

We attempted to get some PP pictures done here, but C was not having it. Seems like the whole day out was catching up to her, and she was not in the mood to smile.

The one thing she was in the mood for though was to go "on Epcot" (her name for SE). How can I deny a 4 year old a ride on SE? I can't!

We ended up getting stuck a few times, which was actually pretty neat since I could take some good photos, and really notice some of the details.

As we were getting off, a CM there made a huge deal about a Princess arriving back from journey, and asking C "How was your journey my lady?" Needless to say she soaked it up and was thrilled.

At this point it was a bit after 8, and I realized I made another noob mistake - Figment closes at 7! Oh well, at least C had the foresight to go on SE.

At this point we started heading to WS to explore the countries a bit more.

I wanted a photo by this tree but the line was insane. And when we looked down in the stroller, C was fast asleep. That's ok, it's honestly easier (and I feel less guilty) exploring the shops and taking our time around WS when she's asleep. With less than an hour and a half hours until Illuminations, we knew we couldn't get them all in. So we decided to head right.

Right there was the Holiday Sweets & Treats booth, and earlier in the week I was tempted to get the Eggnog White Porter. This was my last chance, so I went for it. It definitely was different, and the smoothness of it was great. Not being a huge fan of eggnog, I enjoyed the flavor honestly more than I expected as it tasted like a porter with some extra spices too it.

When we got to Canada, K said she'd rather sit and people watch while I went in to explore - fine by me! While there, I found a lovely soap called "Beaver Butt Soap". They had some other fun ones too, but we were doing a Secret Santa with K's family, and my person was her dad. This fit within the price limit, so I went ahead and got it. Luckily he found it as funny as I hoped he would.

When inside the store though, there was a rather odd interaction with the cashier CM. The people checking out ahead of me were from Canada, so they were being friendly, asking the CM about his role, where he's from etc. When they asked how he liked working for Disney, he pretty much said "it is what it is", and when they pressed more, he said "well, I'm an intern and I only have a few more months left". He had a rather negative demeanor about him, but it was the end of the night, and if my country was reduced to "beaver butt soap" maybe I wouldn't be thrilled either.

Next we headed to England where I got some more Christmas gifts from the tea shop, and hopped into the toy store again hoping to get something good for C or little man to be. I was still rather disappointed with the selection at this point.

As we were going, we were discussing our strategy for the night, and it became pretty clear we were both thinking the same thing. The walk from Illuminations to the bus stop can be brutal, and we just weren't in the mood. We could just stop on the IG bridge, and then walk to Beach Club to grab a Minnie Van (our new found loves), and save a lot of time on our feet. Not the most financially sound decision, but it was worth it at this point.

As we got to the bridge, there were still quite a few spots, so K grabbed one while I ventured on to France.

At some point, I realized I made a third noob mistake for the night - the booths for the festival were closed, and there would be no Bouche for me afterall Luckily the Vins de Chefs de France were still open, so I grabbed myself the one beer they had on the menu. I don't remember what it was, but it was ok. Nothing special, and honestly wouldn't get it again if there were other options. I also felt a bit odd getting beer from the wine location, but luckily a guy in front of me ordered the same, so I didn't feel as awkward.

Beer in hand, I ventured into the pavilion. This time I wanted to see more of the decorations, and also look for some Princess gifts for my nieces.

Closest I'd get to a Bouche this trip...

There were some nice things in the store, but they seemed a little too "old" for our nieces who are 2 and 4. There was also this nice pillow I figured would be cute in our guest room, but wouldn't fit in our suitcase (and I wasn't in the mood to carry it on the plane).

While in here, I got a text from K saying the bridge was getting crowded and to make my way over. I was thinking of stopping at Les Halles, but Illuminations was more important so I headed over.

 

[Spash007]

I've always loved Illuminations. I have so many memories of it, but I have to admit, I prefer the original. RoE is good also, but I miss the way each country was "introduced" in the original (I think that happened - my 5 year old self may be steering me wrong). It was clear that I wasn't the only emotional person here either. The couple next to us recently retired to Florida, and said they loved coming at night to watch Illuminations, and would miss it dearly. As the woman started queing the music, I knew I was in good company haha.

While we were chatting, the torches started lighting. Except for the one right in front us! We all had a good laugh about it being the "lame" one.

Right before the show started though, it came on to massive applause from the people around us.

I mostly took video, but here are a few pictures we took as well.

I wonder if there's any hope for the globe to be in the new show?

Before the show started, I nudged C to tell her the fireworks were coming, and she just shook her head. I felt bad since the night before she really wanted to see them, but she was content this time in the stroller. As the fireworks were going off, we kept checking on her.

After some of the larger bangs, the people around us would say "she has to be awake now", but nope - she slept through the entire thing!

 

[Spash007]

A few more Illuminations pictures:

There was also the Holiday ending, which I never saw before. It was sweet, but in my mind didn't add too much. I also have no idea which of these pictures are from the Holiday section.

When it was over, it was rather bitter sweet knowing I won't see it again in person. I know not everyone loves it, and I do understand how parts of it can be boring. I hope they come up with something good, but it is the end of an era.

Once it was over we made our way through the IG, and while we expected it to be less crowded than the front of the park, we didn't expect it to be as empty as it was. There were some people, but it was very easy to walk through. As we approached BC, I pulled up the Lyft app and ordered us a Minnie Van that was there a few minutes later.

Overall, I'm very glad we went this route as it saved us a lot of stress, time and walking. Once we got back to the room, we got C ready for bed (even though she was still fast asleep), and then got ready for bed ourselves. For me, this meant digging into that Rice Krispie treat from earlier in the day.

Coming up: Last Day

 

[krisri18]

The boat ride was humid and sticky. If it wasn't for the breeze (and the lovely scenery) it would have been a pretty miserable ride.

We got to the TTC and the queue to get on the monorail to Epcot was pretty long. We made our way down the platform and were able to get into one of the lines, but weren't too hopeful we'd get on the next monorail. After a few minutes a monorail pulled up, and I have to say, this was probably some of the best guest behavior we saw all trip. Everyone was working together Tetris style to fit everyone on the train, and I believe everyone pretty much did. It was crazy, people were helping each other with bags, helping people with strollers, it was actually really nice! Even a young guy, probably late teens, immediately offered K his seat without prodding from anyone else!

Soon enough we were in Epcot, and I was ready for a few of my favorite things: the view of SE at night, getting a lot of Bouche de Noels, trying some new beers, and watching Illuminations. I also was looking forward to getting C on Figment since we hadn't yet.

K got me to watch Funny Girl the other night, so all I'm thinking right now is "Hello Gorgeous"

View attachment 369092

We attempted to get some PP pictures done here, but C was not having it. Seems like the whole day out was catching up to her, and she was not in the mood to smile.

View attachment 369093

The one thing she was in the mood for though was to go "on Epcot" (her name for SE). How can I deny a 4 year old a ride on SE? I can't!

View attachment 369094

We ended up getting stuck a few times, which was actually pretty neat since I could take some good photos, and really notice some of the details.

View attachment 369095

As we were getting off, a CM there made a huge deal about a Princess arriving back from journey, and asking C "How was your journey my lady?" Needless to say she soaked it up and was thrilled.

At this point it was a bit after 8, and I realized I made another noob mistake - Figment closes at 7! Oh well, at least C had the foresight to go on SE.

At this point we started heading to WS to explore the countries a bit more.

View attachment 369097

I wanted a photo by this tree but the line was insane. And when we looked down in the stroller, C was fast asleep. That's ok, it's honestly easier (and I feel less guilty) exploring the shops and taking our time around WS when she's asleep. With less than an hour and a half hours until Illuminations, we knew we couldn't get them all in. So we decided to head right.

Right there was the Holiday Sweets & Treats booth, and earlier in the week I was tempted to get the Eggnog White Porter. This was my last chance, so I went for it. It definitely was different, and the smoothness of it was great. Not being a huge fan of eggnog, I enjoyed the flavor honestly more than I expected as it tasted like a porter with some extra spices too it.

When we got to Canada, K said she'd rather sit and people watch while I went in to explore - fine by me! While there, I found a lovely soap called "Beaver Butt Soap". They had some other fun ones too, but we were doing a Secret Santa with K's family, and my person was her dad. This fit within the price limit, so I went ahead and got it. Luckily he found it as funny as I hoped he would.

When inside the store though, there was a rather odd interaction with the cashier CM. The people checking out ahead of me were from Canada, so they were being friendly, asking the CM about his role, where he's from etc. When they asked how he liked working for Disney, he pretty much said "it is what it is", and when they pressed more, he said "well, I'm an intern and I only have a few more months left". He had a rather negative demeanor about him, but it was the end of the night, and if my country was reduced to "beaver butt soap" maybe I wouldn't be thrilled either.

Next we headed to England where I got some more Christmas gifts from the tea shop, and hopped into the toy store again hoping to get something good for C or little man to be. I was still rather disappointed with the selection at this point.

View attachment 369101

As we were going, we were discussing our strategy for the night, and it became pretty clear we were both thinking the same thing. The walk from Illuminations to the bus stop can be brutal, and we just weren't in the mood. We could just stop on the IG bridge, and then walk to Beach Club to grab a Minnie Van (our new found loves), and save a lot of time on our feet. Not the most financially sound decision, but it was worth it at this point.

As we got to the bridge, there were still quite a few spots, so K grabbed one while I ventured on to France.
View attachment 369102

At some point, I realized I made a third noob mistake for the night - the booths for the festival were closed, and there would be no Bouche for me afterall Luckily the Vins de Chefs de France were still open, so I grabbed myself the one beer they had on the menu. I don't remember what it was, but it was ok. Nothing special, and honestly wouldn't get it again if there were other options. I also felt a bit odd getting beer from the wine location, but luckily a guy in front of me ordered the same, so I didn't feel as awkward.

Beer in hand, I ventured into the pavilion. This time I wanted to see more of the decorations, and also look for some Princess gifts for my nieces.

View attachment 369103

Closest I'd get to a Bouche this trip...

View attachment 369104

There were some nice things in the store, but they seemed a little too "old" for our nieces who are 2 and 4. There was also this nice pillow I figured would be cute in our guest room, but wouldn't fit in our suitcase (and I wasn't in the mood to carry it on the plane).

View attachment 369106

While in here, I got a text from K saying the bridge was getting crowded and to make my way over. I was thinking of stopping at Les Halles, but Illuminations was more important so I headed over.

Love that pillow! I've got one on our couch downstairs. It goes great with my BATB lithographs, wall tapestry, and Lumiere door mat!

 

[Spash007]

Love that pillow! I've got one on our couch downstairs. It goes great with my BATB lithographs, wall tapestry, and Lumiere door mat!

Nice!

 

[Spash007]

December 15th: Last Day

Going in to this trip, I wasn't sure how I felt about going to a park on the day we were leaving. It just seemed like it was going to be really rushed, but waking up this morning knowing we were still going to MK definitely helped the last day blues. The night before we had packed up almost everything except what we needed this morning, so we were able to get out of the room pretty early. We also had to figure out what to do with that Frozen balloon. We told C she pretty much had two options - either we pop it and bring it home, or we bring it to the park this day and pass it off to another family. I was leaning towards the latter option, but she really didn't want to let go of it. So I very carefully popped it, and packed it up. Of course she now has it out in her room. JK - we have no idea where it is. Maybe on a shelf?

Since we had to get our bags out of the room, we had to walk up to OPR instead of just catching the bus by the room. Before going I dropped off our extra water bottles in the vending area, and posted on the CBR facebook page hoping someone would be able to use them.

We had a bit of mis-communication this morning as I brought the luggage up the front to the airline check in, but found the line to be pretty long and just left it with the valet. After talking it over with K, we decided that was not the best idea and the airline check in line had gone down quite a bit, so I brought 2 out of our 3 bags over, while leaving one still with the valet for us to put our park stuff in.

Looking back, it's funny that this morning we still did not go into Centertown Market for breakfast or to get coffee. I think we were just rushed a bit, and also so used to grabbing breakfast to go from the room (and trying to finish everything) that we didn't even think about it.

Because we changed our plans around somewhat last minute to go to the park this day rather than Wednesday, we had to re-arrange FPs. Wednesday we lost two big ones - 7DMT, and Enchanted Tales. We knew there'd be no chance of getting another 7DMT FP, but I was able to get a Belle one, starting at 8 am this day.

I was hoping to try one more time for 7DMT by getting there right at park opening at 8, but with packing and getting checked in for the flight, that wasn't happening. We ended up getting to the park around 8:40, and high tailed it back through the castle to meet up with Belle.

Luckily this morning, the pathway through the castle was open, so we were able to see the murals inside.

Looking at crowd calendars, we expected this day to be very crowded. When the parks were announced to be opening earlier at 8, we really thought that would be the case. Either most of the Christmas crowds were still traveling, or the rain kept people away, because we actually had fairly low crowds to start the day off.

We soon tapped in, and pretty much got right into Maurice's workshop. I'd love to know how this mirror/door works. I can't see any gaps in the wall when the mirror is up!

I know some people have mixed feelings about this being a glorified M&G, but the extra touches like the mirror and the participatory element really make it special. It's weird to think that in 5-10 years we'll probably be skipping this! (Granted that will free up a lot of time because this is a long one!)

Last year C did not want to participate at all. She just stayed glued to us, and we were pleasantly surprised that she still got her picture with Belle. This year was the exact opposite - she couldn't wait to go up. And luckily she got a great part for her - Chip!

I may be slightly biased, but she was the cutest hopping up to Belle.

Would any Disney character interaction be complete without a parade around the room?

 

[Spash007]

The one thing I don't like about this is that the pictures with Belle aren't part of PP. At least they let you take some of your own.

After this, we had one goal in mind - a Cinnamon Roll from Gaston's. Surprisingly, it again wasn't that crowded, and we got a table inside pretty easily.

I use anters in all my decorating...

We had a bit of time to kill, as this day there was going to be an 11 am FoF parade that we wanted to catch (Thank goodness for Disney news sites!) I wanted to head over to Splash and BTMR, but counting that was across the way and that it was raining a bitat this point, we figured we'd give C some options. Her pick - Haunted Mansion. Going in, we were planning on skipping it as she can scare a bit easy sometimes. We kept telling her over and over again it would be dark, and it might be scary, but re-iterating that we would be there with her. She insisted she wanted to see the ghosts, so off we went.

And we got there just in time, as as soon as we were under the awning it started pouring. I believe I took this right before it started, because it was to the point you couldn't even see the Liberty Belle clearly.

So how did it go - surprisingly well! We were most worried about the stretching room and it getting dark, but she was fine as I was holding her. We did not realize though that the ride has been updated since we last went on it years and years ago, so it was actually "scarier" than we remembered. Oops! But overall she was ok - scared at some parts, but no tears shed. I also have to admit that there was almost too much going on for me to enjoy if that makes sense. I think it's the type of thing if I go on it a few times I'll really enjoy it as I find more details.

When we got off, the rain had mostly stopped and we had about 40 minutes before the parade started. We figured we'd watch in Frontierland, especially because we found a FP for BTMR at 12! The crowds were also starting to pick up.

After a restroom break we slowed to watch some of the Muppets show. I wish we had more time, and look forward to C getting more of the jokes as K and I found it pretty entertaining.

Before the parade started, we decided to check out the Country Bears, but we must've just missed a show. As it was getting close to 10:40, and we read the show lasts 15 minutes, we decided to bail, grab a spot, and then a snack.

I'm coming for a wild ride! (Or am I?)

 

[Spash007]

As a quick aside - I have to admit that I had a bit of a pause before continuing on with this TR. Not sure if anyone follows Tim Tracker (I'm sure some do on here), but over the weekend he and his wife announced their pregnancy, which got surprisingly nasty. People were commenting some truly awful things, including threats and apparently some even found out where they and their family members lived. Apparently this is actually pretty common in the "DisTwitter" community, even though that is to an extreme. I don't understand how people who consider themselves a part of a community focused on the Happiest place on Earth could be so nasty, especially about something so wonderful.

 

[aliceismad]

As a quick aside - I have to admit that I had a bit of a pause before continuing on with this TR. Not sure if anyone follows Tim Tracker (I'm sure some do on here), but over the weekend he and his wife announced their pregnancy, which got surprisingly nasty. People were commenting some truly awful things, including threats and apparently some even found out where they and their family members lived. Apparently this is actually pretty common in the "DisTwitter" community, even though that is to an extreme. I don't understand how people who consider themselves a part of a community focused on the Happiest place on Earth could be so nasty, especially about something so wonderful.

My goodness. I have no idea what that was about, but I'm glad I'm not a frequenter there.

Also thanks for the info on the Haunted Mansion ride with C. We're debating taking our kiddo, who just turned 5. I went when I was about that age and the preshow was awful for me, but I liked the dancing ghosts.

 

[meggo819]

People were commenting some truly awful things, including threats

Wait, what? Why would them having a baby be offensive/deserving of threats?

 

[Minnie1986]

Wait, what? Why would them having a baby be offensive/deserving of threats?

This is exactly what I would like to know. Isn't baby news supposed to be a good thing?

 

[Spash007]

Wait, what? Why would them having a baby be offensive/deserving of threats?

This is exactly what I would like to know. Isn't baby news supposed to be a good thing?

I would think so. At the base of it seems jealousy, or people trying to get more views on their own sites/accounts. But basically people are saying they don't deserve a kid/will be bad parents. I couldn't even imagine

 

[Spash007]

My goodness. I have no idea what that was about, but I'm glad I'm not a frequenter there.

Also thanks for the info on the Haunted Mansion ride with C. We're debating taking our kiddo, who just turned 5. I went when I was about that age and the preshow was awful for me, but I liked the dancing ghosts.

It seems like Haunted Mansion in particular is really hard to predict how a kid will react. I think it helped that it was towards the end of the trip and she already was familiar with the idea that rides aren't real, and she would be off soon.

 

[Minnie1986]

I would think so. At the base of it seems jealousy, or people trying to get more views on their own sites/accounts. But basically people are saying they don't deserve a kid/will be bad parents. I couldn't even imagine

That is the most vile thing I’ve ever heard. Even though it wasn’t directed at you, I can only imagine how it made you feel having just welcomed a baby. Thankfully, I doubt you’ll get anything even remotely like that here.