Trip Report STOP RUINING MY HAPPY PLACE! Feb 2020 TR!

I'M BACK!

I have been a fool y'all. I have sat here and read trip reports that detailed the struggles of traveling/vacationing with family and truly thought that I would never face that issue.

Did I have plenty of drama and issues with my OWN family growing up going to Disney during my childhood? OF COURSE. But it feels so different when it is your own flesh and blood. So.. this TR is going to be an interesting one. But just know.. Ian (my husband) and I looked at each other at the end and said "I can't wait to come back just us".

SO..

When: January 29 - February 4, 2020
Who: ME (Annie), my husband Ian, his twin brother Nate, SIL Kristy, nephew Jaxon, Kristy's parents Dicky and Julie and Kristy's niece Aubrie

Why: This trip was all about Jaxon's first trip to WDW. It was Nate's first trip as well! The rest of us had all been at least once.
Where: If you read my PTR, you know that we were upgraded from AS Sports to AKL! It was a fun surprise and one that everyone was very excited about.


Are you all ready to stick with me even if every day wasn't sunshine and rainbows and magic?

 

[DryerLintFan]

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How does this lady have 7 babies and I have zero? I promise I would only drop mine like one time max.

my EXACT feels at that very moment (all while traveling with a pregnant sister in law who complained about all the things she couldn't do when I would DIE to be in her shoes )

A) if you don't drop your kid or bump their head on the car door at least once, I'm pretty sure they revoke your parenting card

2) serious hugs

 

[Darstarr]

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How does this lady have 7 babies and I have zero? I promise I would only drop mine like one time max.

BES is definitely Future Mother of the year!

 

[NessNewt]

I have a lot of feeings.

I've injured my kids plenty (never on purpose) including catching their fingers in the car window twice in the same month (maybe let's pull our fingers out of the window when we feel it going up, OK kiddos?) BUT what 7 kids lady was doing was definitely excessive. Poor baby!

I don't understand how an adult can't understand why parties of 2 or 3 were being pulled from the line. It's not a hard concept to grasp.

To all you ladies looking towards motherhood, hugs and pixie dust!

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

BES is definitely Future Mother of the year!

Ha! Don’t even want to win. Just want to be eligible for nomination.

 

[annienevells]

Ha! Don’t even want to win. Just want to be eligible for nomination.

SAME

 

[StephK]

View attachment 454375

How does this lady have 7 babies and I have zero? I promise I would only drop mine like one time max.

my EXACT feels at that very moment (all while traveling with a pregnant sister in law who complained about all the things she couldn't do when I would DIE to be in her shoes )

 

[annienevells]

Friday, January 31st, 2020 continued..

When I last left off, Ian and I were headed back into Tomorrowland. Where to?

Buzz! We get very competitive here and I will be 100% honest and let you know that Ian kicked my sorry behind. I was hoping we would get a chance on our family MK day to get back at him!

I've NEVER looked so good in a ride photo y'all

We were feeling a little delirious but happy and enjoying our solo time together.

Where do you go when you have a nearly empty park and non-existent lines?

The PeopleMover of course We needed a little break!

We exited ready to try and tackle Space Mountain once again. Would we be turned away?

Ian.. totally clueless here LOL

I wanted to end our night with IASW to ensure the song would be stuck in our heads for the next two days when we were not in the parks. But first, we spotted a very short Mine Train line!

Ride number two!

When we saw this photo, Ian looked at me and said: "is that YOU Mike Wazowski?!"

 

[annienevells]

Friday, January 31st, 2020 continued..

We grabbed a treat before moving on

It was a little smooshed, but tasted good all the same

We enjoyed a VERY Shirley status (@Tuvalu) boat ride

Hard to tell, and I didn't even realize it when I took this photo, but Ian's name made it on the screen!!

When we exited IASW, we started slowly making our way out of the park. After Hours was officially over

Ian all of a sudden started speed walking somewhere and pointing. I had no idea what was going on

He stopped abruptly here and I had no idea why until he ran up

Got super close and shouted "IT'S GUS GUS!!!" (as I've mentioned, our dog's name is Gus )

He was not even kidding around about being so excited to spot this. He was very proud of himself LOL

Inching our way out...

What a great night we had! I am so lucky to be married to my Disney buddy.

 

[annienevells]

Friday, January 31st, 2020 continued..

We made way to the bus

Shirley status once again on our bus to AKL!!

We were so tired when we arrived back. We decided to order Domino's. I waited in the lobby while Ian went off on a mission for me. My "cold" had not improved at all, so he took an Uber to CVS to get me a full stock of different products to try and bring me some relief

I watched some cartoons while waiting for the pizza

Finally we made it back to our room.

Pizza devoured, we hit the hay. No park plans for the next day, but we had a breakfast with some friends of ours who are REAL characters

to be continued...

 

[DryerLintFan]

Friday, January 31st, 2020 continued..

We made way to the bus

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Shirley status once again on our bus to AKL!!

View attachment 455323

We were so tired when we arrived back. We decided to order Domino's. I waited in the lobby while Ian went off on a mission for me. My "cold" had not improved at all, so he took an Uber to CVS to get me a full stock of different products to try and bring me some relief

I watched some cartoons while waiting for the pizza

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Finally we made it back to our room.

View attachment 455325

Pizza devoured, we hit the hay. No park plans for the next day, but we had a breakfast with some friends of ours who are REAL characters

to be continued...

I love him. What a great partner. You were feeling under the weather and not only did he keep you in good spirits, but he got you meds at an ungodly hour while he was exhausted. I love seeing when partners help solve instead of add to situations like this. I hope you gave him a gigantic thank you hug (without wiping your sickly nose on his shirt!)

 

[joshsprincess921]

Loving your report. I misread in the beginning and thought I read that his brother was YOUR twin brother. I kept thinking, wow, it's so weird how much her brother and husband look alike! Then had a duh moment when I realized that he and Ian are twins. Ian is a true sweetheart!

 

[StitchSNK]

I've never been convinced to do After Hours as much as this TR is making me convinced! I love following along!

 

[annienevells]

I love him. What a great partner. You were feeling under the weather and not only did he keep you in good spirits, but he got you meds at an ungodly hour while he was exhausted. I love seeing when partners help solve instead of add to situations like this. I hope you gave him a gigantic thank you hug (without wiping your sickly nose on his shirt!)

He really is the best!! We are so different in terms of personalities and in the way we grew up - but somehow a perfect match for each other!

Loving your report. I misread in the beginning and thought I read that his brother was YOUR twin brother. I kept thinking, wow, it's so weird how much her brother and husband look alike! Then had a duh moment when I realized that he and Ian are twins. Ian is a true sweetheart!

LOL funny because nobody has ever assumed my own brother and I are even RELATED

(though here it looks like Ian and my brother tried to be twinning with the sweaters )

I've never been convinced to do After Hours as much as this TR is making me convinced! I love following along!

We are After Hours addicts now! We really enjoy it!!

 

[annienevells]

Saturday, February 1, 2020

We woke up ready for a couple of relaxing days. It's hard for me to do COMPLETE relaxation at Disney and not hit the parks, but my sickness was not getting any better so my body needed it.

Where were we off to today?

I was excited about my $10 dress from Amazon. I wore it to work last week and my admin asked if I was Disney-bounding

The group met at the bus stop, where I explained our route: MK bus, and walk over to the Contemporary. We had plans at Chef Mickey's! I had not been in YEARS, but it was my first character meal as a toddler and I wanted it to be Jaxon's as well.

It was cold and rainy, so the walk was not as enjoyable as it could've been.

Luckily, no complaining was being done and soon we were checking in.

We had just finished taking a group picture when our pager went off and it was time to be seated

We had a nice round table by the buffet and not far off the restrooms. We took a look around and did not spot any characters, so we were off to the races to get our first plates

My first two! I thought that the quality of food and options were much better than recent reviews made me expect. Our entire group was very pleased with the offerings.

Before long, we had some friends making their way toward our table. Jaxon got VERY excited when he would see them, but was very patient in stayed seated while waiting his turn.

First up- his favorite! Jax requested a high five with the big cheese

A break in characters for napkin twirling. Ian was the one to get our table into the spirit (I love this man, have I mentioned that yet? LOL)

 

[annienevells]

Saturday, February 1, 2020 continued...

Jaxon had selected some cars from the shop before breakfast, and he was successful in getting his new friends to play with them

Donald liked the Lightning McQueen car best

I love this one

Minnie was the only one I made an effort to get a photo with, as I had dressed in her image!

Success!

Everyone had a BIT of sticker shock when the checks came, but we kept saying that the experience was worth it and we certainly didn't need lunch.

We made it out to the lobby to collect the stroller and a DVC rep overloaded me with stickers. I made a sash and proclaimed that I was Miss Disney World for the day

Jax thought this was silly and asked if he could be king. I made him a crown!

We made our way back to the bus, ready to get back to AKL for some rest. Ian decided he couldn't wait until we made it back to do just that

Poor guy!

Once back at AKL, Kristy and I took the kids for a VERY cold swim. We loaded up on hot chocolate first to ensure we had some way to warm up post pool adventure

Ready for the pool! I knew that the water would be warmer than the air, so I was more than ready to jump in

We swam around for quite a while, but eventually needed to call it quits. Jax needed a nap, and we all needed to lay low and clean up before dinner. We had plans at Disney Springs!

The peace sign in the mirror photo - how many of these have I taken?!

To be continued...

 

[annienevells]

I just want all of my Magicians to know that I am thinking of them during this time. Whether you have had trips cancelled, sick loved ones, kids forced to quarantine away from school, or dealing with the logistical nightmares of work (ME ME ME), this has not been easy for anyone. I wanted to say thank you as well, because the past couple of weeks have been awful in my situation and reading your reports and sharing mine with you all brings me light every day ❤

I will get back to the reporting when my work mess is a little less messy! I am still registered for my conference in Orlando for the end of April because.. you know..

 

[MegRuss626]

I just want all of my Magicians to know that I am thinking of them during this time. Whether you have had trips cancelled, sick loved ones, kids forced to quarantine away from school, or dealing with the logistical nightmares of work (ME ME ME), this has not been easy for anyone. I wanted to say thank you as well, because the past couple of weeks have been awful in my situation and reading your reports and sharing mine with you all brings me light every day ❤

I will get back to the reporting when my work mess is a little less messy! I am still registered for my conference in Orlando for the end of April because.. you know..

We’ve still got our trip planned for the end of April....really hoping this thing calms down before then. We had our big studio wide dance competition canceled this weekend and a concert my sister I were attending postponed until July. We just got home from grocery shopping because all the pictures of empty shelves were making me nervous! We’re all going to need some pixie dust come the end of April!

 

[Spash007]

We’ve still got our trip planned for the end of April....really hoping this thing calms down before then. We had our big studio wide dance competition canceled this weekend and a concert my sister I were attending postponed until July. We just got home from grocery shopping because all the pictures of empty shelves were making me nervous! We’re all going to need some pixie dust come the end of April!

Yep, us too for now. We luckily have a weird 5 day weekend in October/November we're starting to eye though, not because we're worried about us, but more so my grandmother-in-law who we'd be visiting.

 

[annienevells]

Well.. my conference for the end of April in Orlando has officially been pushed off and so my trip, like many of yours, is no longer happening. I have been wanting to continue writing my TR to cheer myself up, but then a group of my graduate students ended up getting stuck abroad, our PhD candidates are in jeopardy of being able to arrive in NH, and a myriad of other issues came up.

Now that I am solidly working from home for at least 3 weeks, it's time to do some updates to bring a smile to my own face and hopefully yours too!!

Saturday, February 1, 2020 continued...

When I last left off, we were headed to Disney Springs for some shopping and dinner. It was a pretty chilly night, so I knew I would live to regret my choice to wear a dress but my options were pretty limited in my suitcase

Our bus ride to DS was uneventful, and soon we were arriving to a busy Saturday night crowd. Nate and I decided we needed some walk around beverages. I decided I wanted to try something I'd seen online a few times

I got the Freizling with Dole Whip Lime from the Wine Bar George kiosk set up outside. I LOVED THIS! I love all things lime and tart when it comes to drinks, and this hit the spot. I should also mention that I felt it to be STRONG, so worth the money.

We stopped for a little while so the kids could watch the amphicars hit the water.

I was enjoying our leisurely pace with no set agenda. I'm not much of a shopper, so I was happy to be just walking about.

Kristy and I only had one purchase we wanted to make. New sweatshirts!

Ian asked for a photo first before I ventured into World of Disney

Kristy and I ended up getting the same sweatshirt in different colors. Hers in pink, mine in purple. I didn't take a picture of it at the time, but I am actually wearing it today!

We started making our way for our reservation. Where were we going?

I will admit to my Magicians.. I wasn't exactly thrilled about this choice. But Kristy had requested it for the kids, and I am nothing if not a team player!

Jax and I in our matching denim jackets! He was enjoying watching the volcano go off as we waited.

It took about 25 minutes after checking in before we were at our table.

Aubrie was excited that her grandparents allowed her to get this cup and asked for a photo.

Honestly, I didn't take pictures of my food here like I usually do. I know Ian and I both had burgers that were just fine. I grew up with a Rainforest Cafe a couple towns over, but Kristy and her family (and Nate and Ian's) grew up VERY FAR NORTH in Maine and did not have the same kind of access. I tried to remember that haha

 

[annienevells]

Saturday, February 1, 2020 continued...

After my less than stellar supper, we decided we needed some treats. But first! something Jax had been requesting during our wait for our table

This kid love horses. And Kristy wearing her version of the new sweatshirt! We were together the other night and she went to put it on and complained that it must've shrunk... I just stared at her and said um, I think the fit might be more related to the fact that you are now 2 more months pregnant from when you bought it

My little buddy! He really was hitting his vacation stride and starting to get adjusted.

We headed to make our own treats at Goofy's Candy Co.!

Ian passed on creating his own in favor of these two beauties.

Aubrie went with M&Ms.

We had a VERY cold and brisk walk back to the bus and had a quick ride back to AKL. I ended my night with my carefully crafted treat.

To be continued..