Trip Report There's Something About Mary...and it's called DRAMA!

I think it's time to get this thing started...hoping it will help my mood and sanity levels. For those that missed the PTR (http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/lawdy-lawdy-look-whos-turning-40-ptr.867181/) - the early pages should help you catch up on the bulk of the big details, and for those that missed our problems from day 1 of our trip (http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/how-not-to-start-your-wdw-vacay.873853/ )...well, it kind of speaks for itself. I am going to try and keep this as upbeat as possible, but we have a very long road ahead to fix things...so, please bear with me as I vent in between some of the magic.

September 18th

I left work early on the 18th so I could pick up the girls at school and have them with us when we took our dog to get boarded. This is our Daisy Doggy...

What's really funny, the pic above was taken with Sammie's Fisher Price plastic kiddie camera!

After getting the dog situated at boarding, we went home, had some dinner, and the heavy duty packing started. I'd actually started packing my things on the 17th, but now it was time to really focus on the girls. I let them sleep in the guest bedroom that night so I could pack all of their stuff without keeping them up...i.e. so I could pack all of the surprise outfits without spoiling anything. It was A TON of packing, but I finished up around 1am. I had thought about setting up the outfits and bags in the guest room for the reveal, but Sammie got up to use the bathroom right around that time- soooooo, I decided to wait until just before the big reveal.

September 19

I guess I got close to 4.5 hours of sleep (good for the night before a travel day)...and at 6am, it was finally time to set up and reveal the big secret. I got everything set up and then DH came in to help me. The video I took is pretty awful and sleepy girls don't make for really good surprises, but this is the vid I took and I swear...they were REALLY happy.



You can all now probably appreciate what it's like getting these two up for school each morning.

Actually, the girls were super quick to get dressed once it really sunk in what was going on. They were even good with posing for pictures before hitting the road...

We loaded up my SUV and hit the road...sadly, we wouldn't get far. The accident took place about 2.5 miles from our house. I really don't want to rehash all of the scary details, but when we realized we'd all be able to walk away from this horror - we had to decide if we'd continue with this WDW trip. While the girls' initial screams and cries were from the accident itself, they morphed into cries that they wouldn't get to see their grandma and grandpa. We usually try and visit every 3 months, but we pushed it a bit longer b/c of this trip. It was for this reason DH and I decided to push forward with the trip even if the odds weren't in our favor. I guess I just figured getting everyone to "the most magical place on earth" could be therapeutic. Don't get me wrong...I love that the EMTs and lead sheriff on the scene were super lovey with the girls - they really needed something super positive...so, Disney it was!

So, after I took care of the most important initial phone calls, I got Southwest on the line (at the scene of the wreck) and started working with them to rebook the outbound flight. We were yelling over ambulance sirens and traffic, but after about 20 min, we were rebooked from our 9:15am departure to a 3:55pm departure. They also said DH could ask for a blue card for pre-board (we were now in group C after paying to be in group A on the original flight)...while it's gotten better, he had some leg pain that day and was limping from the aches. The timing also worked well since it gave me time to go to the collision center, talk to the various insurance companies, etc. My wonderful MIL was also kind enough to pick up DH and the girls from the scene. This enabled him to get his car and she was able to love on the girls for a while until we were ready to regroup and get travel plans rolling again.

While our flight out of Houston was delayed close to 3 hours due to weather and mechanical issues (not helping Kendall, who was now terrified that the plane would crash), but we got off the ground a little after 6pm and we were on our way...

Sammie sat with DH on the way to FL-- with Pooh, of course...

I had Kendall...

...and we spent the entire flight doing this big word search on her tablet.

We flew into terminal A and DME is in terminal B. It was after the girls' bed time, so we opted to just get our baggage. Soooooo, we went down to terminal A baggage and then lugged it over to DME in terminal B. Thankfully, Kendall has overcome her fear of escalators, so minus losing her shoe for a while on one of them we were in good shape.

I think the CMs manning the DME entrance could read all of the stress and worry on my face, because they promised me pixie dust and magic from that point on. We had our Magic Bands on at this point, but I had my vouchers out so in the interest of time and sanity, they just used those. They directed us to the line for AKL and while we were let on the bus right away...we were so late that the bus was accommodating a number of resorts from various lines. Still...Kendall and I wound up with this prime spot!

I swear, I got choked up when I looked up and saw the screen...like that "we're really on our way" moment.

It took a while for them to load up the bus since they were waiting on people to come in from all of these late or delayed flights, but it wasn't long before we were off.

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

Yes, Kendall looks like Snow, and that is a funny pin!

 

[twinfo3728]

What or how do the band make things light up? Was that a random pin that found her or one that came off her lanyard? Been waiting for this wonderful trip report! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Jessica Meier]

We loved our Magic Bands too. I don't think we rode anything without a FP+. But that tells you how many rides we rode.

 

[Raven66]

36 and TERRIFIED of them too.

I'm older then 36 and I'm really scared of the down escalators but the up ones are OK. I make sure that my husband or daughter are behind me so a stranger doesn't have to see me trying to get on the stupid thing.

 

[Jessica Meier]

I'm older then 36 and I'm really scared of the down escalators but the up ones are OK. I make sure that my husband or daughter are behind me so a stranger doesn't have to see me trying to get on the stupid thing.

Going up is no problem for me either. Hate going down. Refuse to unless there is no other option.

 

[Raven66]

Going up is no problem for me either. Hate going down. Refuse to unless there is no other option.

I have to force myself. I'm way to lazy to use the stairs.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Glad to know the bands worked so well. we have already mad our FP times for our October trip! I didn't even think about putting out Halloween tix on there. Thanks for the heads up. Again, a fun read.

I think most people are reporting an extra 3FP+ by linking the MNSSHP tix. Now, the guy I spoke to on the phone said they're not supposed to do this...but what's supposed to happen vs. what's really going on are entirely different things. Thanks for reading

Yes, Kendall looks like Snow, and that is a funny pin!

She has a new found love of SW from all of this too. I was so afraid of her hating SW, and she actually wound up thanking me. And of all the pins to be stuck

What or how do the band make things light up? Was that a random pin that found her or one that came off her lanyard? Been waiting for this wonderful trip report! Thanks for sharing.

This vid should help show you how the magic bands work and how park entry points and FP+ points light up with your band...

If the band doesn't read properly, the lights usually stay white or turn blue.

As for the pin, it was from her lanyard. I just thought it was so funny that I kept telling her "surely, that's not a pin" when she complained of discomfort, just to have it be the "it's not a pin" pin.

We loved our Magic Bands too. I don't think we rode anything without a FP+. But that tells you how many rides we rode.

I really don't feel like we rode as much this trip either...although, I'm blaming hopping and in one case- Kendall freaking out.

Going up is no problem for me either. Hate going down. Refuse to unless there is no other option.

I have to force myself. I'm way to lazy to use the stairs.

Poor Kendall has to deal with both up and down escalators whenever she visits my office. The only other alternative is crossing a very busy and dangerous street.

 

[Allygator]

As for the pin, it was from her lanyard. I just thought it was so funny that I kept telling her "surely, that's not a pin" when she complained of discomfort, just to have it be the "it's not a pin" pin.

Moms know don't they? Lol. That made me laugh. Poor girl. Love your report.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Alrighty, before I get started tonight...I need to vent...out of frustration and some reserved joy as well.

Start Negative Venting

1. We were watching football yesterday when DH felt a drip from above. Turns it was coming from the ceiling...so I have to get a roofer out tomorrow. Ugh- when it rains- it pours...figuratively and literally. Hoping the roof part isn't too expensive b/c the ceiling repair won't be kind to the wallet. Why? Because 7+ years ago I just had to fall in love with a house with a 2 story living room with a vaulted ceiling for even more height. I blame the pregnancy hormones at the time.

2. Sammie broke the toilet in the 1/2 bath. DH tried to fix it even though I told him to call his mom (she's quite the amateur plumber and handy woman)...yeah- not sure if she's going to be able to fix it now after his intervention. She's coming over tomorrow while I'm working from home- so fingers crossed her plumbing skills work in our favor. Just can't believe all of this is going on when we already have so many headaches.

End Negative Venting

Start the Positive

3. We were able to schedule an appointment with a recommended PI attorney later on this week. So, that's a start in that area.

4. I was able to fax over the police report to the insurance co of the lady that hit me. I got a message this afternoon that they are taking responsibility. I know we're not out of the woods with this, but it's a big step in the right direction.

I have to get dinner on the table, but I'm hoping to post more trip report stuff this evening.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

As for the pin, it was from her lanyard. I just thought it was so funny that I kept telling her "surely, that's not a pin" when she complained of discomfort, just to have it be the "it's not a pin" pin.

Moms know don't they? Lol. That made me laugh. Poor girl. Love your report.

Just crazy luck that out of all of the pins on her lanyards that night- it was that pin that fell off into her clothing.

We're about to hit the part of the report where she really reaps the benefits of being a Snow White doppleganger.

Thanks Will be posting more a little later on this evening.

 

[ThatBrunette]

I think most people are reporting an extra 3FP+ by linking the MNSSHP tix. Now, the guy I spoke to on the phone said they're not supposed to do this...but what's supposed to happen vs. what's really going on are entirely different things.

I only added my MNSSHP tickets because my regular passes were purchased in 2010 and are unable to be loaded. I got the 3FP+s and was able to add them to our bands. Oh, I got bands, too! The FP+ for MNSSHP days are only available until 7pm. So, I got one for 4, 5 and 6pm. I thought it was kinda odd.

 

[coachwnh]

Alrighty, before I get started tonight...I need to vent...out of frustration and some reserved joy as well.

Start Negative Venting

1. We were watching football yesterday when DH felt a drip from above. Turns it was coming from the ceiling...so I have to get a roofer out tomorrow. Ugh- when it rains- it pours...figuratively and literally. Hoping the roof part isn't too expensive b/c the ceiling repair won't be kind to the wallet. Why? Because 7+ years ago I just had to fall in love with a house with a 2 story living room with a vaulted ceiling for even more height. I blame the pregnancy hormones at the time.

2. Sammie broke the toilet in the 1/2 bath. DH tried to fix it even though I told him to call his mom (she's quite the amateur plumber and handy woman)...yeah- not sure if she's going to be able to fix it now after his intervention. She's coming over tomorrow while I'm working from home- so fingers crossed her plumbing skills work in our favor. Just can't believe all of this is going on when we already have so many headaches.

End Negative Venting

Start the Positive

3. We were able to schedule an appointment with a recommended PI attorney later on this week. So, that's a start in that area.

4. I was able to fax over the police report to the insurance co of the lady that hit me. I got a message this afternoon that they are taking responsibility. I know we're not out of the woods with this, but it's a big step in the right direction.

I have to get dinner on the table, but I'm hoping to post more trip report stuff this evening.

Good luck!!!!!

 

[ml123_9]

They started out by announcing Cinderella and Prince Charming. I got some lovely blurry pics of them promenading around the place...

I also got a fruity drink…some sort of passion fruit concoction…although, funny how it looks like it could be different things as my cube changes colors.

Those are the best looking blurry Cinderella and Prince Charming pics that I've seen in a long time.

I thought you had 4 drinks too, until I read the post.

I'm glad to read that your accident stuff seems to be heading in the right direction.

 

[Tiggerish]

I had dinner at. 1900 PF on Sept 7, and we had the same Cinderella. That night, the Prince had called out sick or something. She was a hoot!!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I only added my MNSSHP tickets because my regular passes were purchased in 2010 and are unable to be loaded. I got the 3FP+s and was able to add them to our bands. Oh, I got bands, too! The FP+ for MNSSHP days are only available until 7pm. So, I got one for 4, 5 and 6pm. I thought it was kinda odd.

Yeah- I had a hard time making any of the times work since everything was pre-party, but I was just happy to get one to fit in. At least you were able to get things in order like that. I had to redo mine 6 or 7 times just to get one that was timed after our dinner. Everything else was before 3pm.

Good luck!!!!!

Thanks!

Those are the best looking blurry Cinderella and Prince Charming pics that I've seen in a long time.

I thought you had 4 drinks too, until I read the post.

I'm glad to read that your accident stuff seems to be heading in the right direction.

I seem to recall that I was a bit surprised and having to scramble when Cindy and Prince came through the room, but just happy to capture it in some capacity.

4 Drinks would have been NICE! Well, except to the wallet Still, it is pretty deceptive with your taste buds when your drink keeps changing colors.

Thanks! I really don't respond well when too many things are out of whack, so hopefully this will be the start of positive things to come.

I had dinner at. 1900 PF on Sept 7, and we had the same Cinderella. That night, the Prince had called out sick not something. She was a hoot!!

Sounds like a great time at 1900 PF! I don't know why, but I also always think it's funny when others end up with the same people playing the face characters. We had this happen with a local friend and the Cindy at CRT back in 2010. Our kids truly believed they met the real Cinderella since our trips were a couple of weeks apart and it was definitely the same woman in both sets of photos.

 

[twinfo3728]

I think most people are reporting an extra 3FP+ by linking the MNSSHP tix. Now, the guy I spoke to on the phone said they're not supposed to do this...but what's supposed to happen vs. what's really going on are entirely different things. Thanks for reading



She has a new found love of SW from all of this too. I was so afraid of her hating SW, and she actually wound up thanking me. And of all the pins to be stuck



This vid should help show you how the magic bands work and how park entry points and FP+ points light up with your band...

If the band doesn't read properly, the lights usually stay white or turn blue.

As for the pin, it was from her lanyard. I just thought it was so funny that I kept telling her "surely, that's not a pin" when she complained of discomfort, just to have it be the "it's not a pin" pin.



I really don't feel like we rode as much this trip either...although, I'm blaming hopping and in one case- Kendall freaking out.




Poor Kendall has to deal with both up and down escalators whenever she visits my office. The only other alternative is crossing a very busy and dangerous street.

Thank you the video was quite interesting! When do we see cake?

 

[HouCuseChickie]

So, last post ended with us heading into the Haunted Mansion. I would like to point out that leading up to this, they kept announcing the party would be starting soon over the PA system. I guess this was the mild push to get non-ticketed guests to start heading for the exit. While we were on line for HM, a number of people with bands for the party started verbally inquiring about the other means they’d take to remove non-ticketed guests. Hint – Hint…the family behind us. I can’t blame them though…it wasn’t 7pm and they paid to be in the park until 7.
OK, so we headed into the stretching room and both girls were actually doing pretty well…shocking. They were still a bit freaked out, but no major initial panic this time. I got Sammie…who would eventually tell DH that I’m just no good at keeping her from being scared. Nice.

I actually tried to take a couple of pics from the ride itself, but I really don’t know why I bother. I have absolutely no idea what this first pic is and the 2nd one, well, it’s definitely the bride- but it’s pretty awful.

(I DO - not have a good grasp on taking pics in HM!)

We finished up and while I think both girls kept their eyes closed through the graveyard, nobody ran screaming from the attraction this time. Always a good thing! Actually, we got a very pleasant surprise after exiting HM. A CM approached us with her hands behind her back…she wanted to speak with Snow White. In a nutshell, she was really impressed with how much K looked like Snow White and wanted to give her a treat (that she had to share with Spiderman) – assuming mommy and daddy were OK with it. And we were- so now the girls were up one bag of cotton candy before ever hitting the trick or treating spots. SCORE!

I was feeling bad for Sammie at this point. On top of K getting a lot of attention for being Snow White, a lot of people thought she was a little boy and I think it was starting to bug her. I asked her if she wanted me to shift her pony tail to the top of her head so it was obvious- even with her mask on. Still, she declined.

They came over the PA system again about the party starting, so we decided to pop into the Diamond Horseshoe to check out Woody’s dance party.

On a side note, I was also shocked at the long lines at the various shops selling party merch…maybe it’s because we’re not big souvenir people, but I just couldn’t see camping out in long lines for any kind of merch. Different strokes I guess.
OK- back to the Horseshoe...
I really went in hoping it was more than just Woody. I remember seeing pics from MVMCP a few years ago and had seen that Bullseye was also part of the dance party line up, but tonight…it was just Woody. Not sure if they added anyone else later on, but the girls wanted nothing to do with this…so we moved on.

(and of course, I took a light pic)

(on our way out)

We happened on some live entertainment just across the way. I didn’t catch the name these guys were going by, but I’m guessing they’re some of the Dapper Dans. I could never get a good shot of them either, but they were great. Awesome harmonies and lots of corny jokes.

Sammie just gave up trying to see them…

(yup- convinced her to wear her light up Ropers)

…But Kendall had a better idea.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

After this, we just wandered around looking for trick or treat locations. Some wandering pics are better than others.

Like I said- we were moving the whole time, so not the greatest pics.

I even though about getting in the line for the 7 Dwarfs, but DH really didn’t want to wait. Hey, at least this time I got them in between M&Gs, so I wasn’t taking dwarf pics with total strangers.

We kept wandering and just happened upon the tea cups. I was still pretty full from dinner, but DH just loves to see if he can spin us to see if we’ll get sick. So yes, we boarded the cups.

I have no idea what I was trying to accomplish here with Kendall. It’s probably because I was trying to photograph, but also not keep my eyes open too long (helps with the tummy).

I actually tried using this décor after the ride to help stabilize myself. Just odd, but I thought if I could stop wobbling enough to get these in focus, I'd be OK to keep moving. Yeah-not quite...but a definite improvement from when we first got off the ride.

Ultimately, afterwards, we all felt sufficiently yucky…and for some of us (me and DH), that feeling would linger for a while. DH tried to blame dinner, but we all knew it came from that darn spinning. DH even let Sammie spin us for a while (best time of the ride), but he’d take over the wheel when it got too slow and overdo it. So yea- it’s his fault for making us queasy.

We headed towards Tomorrowland to try and pick up the trick or treat trail starting at Space Mountain. That's right, I'm queasy, walking, kind of dizzy, and trying to take pics. Good stuff.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I read somewhere that it might be an Alice Trick or Treat trail. Well, unless we were in the wrong spot or were too early or late, it was all pretty generic. OK- well, these blurry trees look kind of like someone had been painting the trees red…ok, reddish orange.

We came out over near Barnstormer and Casey Jr. DH ran into the restroom for a bit while I took pics of the girls and the area as we started to lose all signs of daylight.

I think we tried taking this pic about 10x and she just wouldn't sit still long enough...

For whatever reason, Sammmie really wanted to ride Dumbo…so, we headed that way. We ended up going in the exit at first and then DH and I had this big debate on whether or not you had to go in and then out again to ride standby…I won that one. I tried to get some decent night photos of it, but I was really shaky.

I mean, this is the best I could get of Beast’s castle after we were done on Dumbo.

In light of my shaky state, we thought it might be best to rest a bit. We thought maybe it was a thirst thing, so we popped into Gaston’s. DH got a soda and I shared Lafou’s Brew with the girls as well as some water.

The drink was OK...not rave-worthy, not bad.

I know we were missing valuable party time, but we really needed the down time. I don't know if it was the events of the past couple of days, or what- but I was just feeling really frazzled. The girls at least enjoyed the big chair.

And I still adore these lights!

 

[myhappyplace]

Those guys are the Cadaver Dans-I saw them at MNSSHP back in 2008 and loved them too!!