Disney Pins

So, we are in Disney World.  And, I decided I need to blog about specific topics.  And, today - we shall bog about pins.

James Morris was very good - walking home with me, in Epcot.  We stopped in France to buy my annual perfume (if you go during Food and Wine, and probably other times too, you can get some to engrave your name on the bottle, which is pretty neat).  Anyway, he was great.  He was patient, and nice, and kind.  And, we were leaving the Park after I had bought my perfume (and had it shipped home, so I wouldn't have to pick it up, pay tax, or check my bags) - and he remarked on just how good he was, could he get a special treat?

Here's the deal.  My son has had a hard time adjusting to Kindergarten.  Continues to have a hard time.  He is a mess.  When he is good, I want to reward him.  (this may or may not be effective but is not the point of the blog post).  He was really good, and what was more, he pointed out he was being good.  So whether or not this was a good plan, I wanted to reinforce for him that if he is good, good things happen, so when he asked if he could get something special in the next store, I said yes.

In the next store was lots of the same, stuffed animals, t-shirts, etc.  We need something more.  Something entertaining and that will last.  PINS!  We bought a lanyard and a starter set of pins.  He was proud, happy and excited.  He learned about trading and was in. I was in.

Then, the next day he proudly adorned his pins, and his brother stated: "Where are MY pins?" While the boys were looking at the manatee, I bought Joel Andrew pins, again not to give the baby what he wants, but because he was excited to participate.  Set aside your Disney is evil mentality for a minute (don't worry, I'll get back to the commercialism of it later) and let's discuss:

• The pins allow the guys to have conversations with others.  They need to be polite, and to ask to trade.  They need to look people in the eye, and they need to be nice.
• It is something that they can identify with others in the park.  You are wearing pins, so am I.  Hate as you must about Disney, but a common core of it is that people who come here and love it, love it. And when someone is wearing that pin necklace, you know they are in. If your kid is in, why not let them talk to Danielle from AK, Rodney from IL or Clara from NJ.  Or, the cast members.  And that brings me to my next:
• The cast members cannot refuse the pin trade, so the kids will gain confidence trading with them. The rules are the cast members will trade up to two pins with you.  They get pins with little mickeys on them that you cannot buy.  You have to trade for them.  

So, I'll get my child these infernal pins, what's the deal?:

• There are "cheaper" pins, and more expensive pins.  Buy a starter set of the cheaper pins, and let that be the only pins that your child trades.
• Every once and a while, you will want to buy a nice pin.  You can.  But don't let your child wear it, or if they do, get the locking back.  Pins fall off.  You do not want to pay $20 for a pin and have it fall off. Nor do you want to argue with your irrational 6 year old about this pin cost $20 and that one cost $6.  So from the very start, set pin rules.  "That's a saver pin, we save that one for home."
• We use the more expensive pins as big milestone moment rembrances.  (or at least we will now).  You rode on that rollercoaster for the first time?  You get a pin!
• I want to repeat.  The pins will fall off.  Schedule pin time vs. non pin time, buy extra backs, and if a pin is loved, do not wear it in the parks.

Enjoy.  Both my boys have loved the process, and loved trading.  We will continue, but we will be more careful.  Above all, this is not a cheap endeavor.  So - plan accordingly!

Last Minute Disney Tips

The theme of this trip was - change it up, do not be afraid to try and get last minute reservations - and really, you do not need to book everything 180 days in advance at midnight in order to have fun.  You can have fun booking the day of, too.  (please note, there are still some awesome things that you will only likely get to do with advanced booking, it is just the way it is, but this post is for all of you last minute people who are booking a month out and want to make it memorable and fun).

You may not get on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and you may not eat in the Beast's Castle - but what you can do in a day's notice is pretty awesome. (please note, this does not count for peak times like holidays, but for all other times of the year). Here are some tips:

1. Show up to the Park early, at opening.  Have your goals for rides mapped out ahead of time.  I would forget 7 Dwarfs as it seems to be a 90 minute wait the second they open the park - but Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain - they are 5 minute waits from park open until about 20-30 minutes in.  Then they are really long waits - and you should stay away.  Other advantages of being there park open, no matter what park - is there are really cool things that happen, like in Animal Kingdom a fly over of 20+ macaws; or at Magic Kingdom all the characters come out and do a little dance.  Then, you walk into the Magic Kingdom, and HUGE TIP - wait in town square and within 5 minutes Pluto will come out and you get to meet him.  We do this every time and we love it.  Take advantage of the lesser and more dispersed crowds in the park and get there early and no lines will happen.
2. Get the app.  You can get fast passes at the last minute.  People drop them all the time, in favor of something else, or the park releases more depending on the day, I'm not sure - but we noticed that you can change things around and sometimes get really lucky.
3. This is the same for dining reservations. People cancel those all the time and you will be surprised what opens up.  Just keep checking on your phone.  We could have had some great reservations while we were there as I was just testing it out all weekend just to see what would open up.  If you are a newbie, too - this is a nice way to have the restaurant self-selected for you.  Go with the flow.  Choose which park you are in, what time you want to eat, and see what comes up.  Say you want to eat there and you are done.  Simple and awesome.
4. One great thing about being last minute is going with the flow is just what you do.  Happen upon a show or a ride that doesn't have a wait, go on it - it will be a new and fun experience for you no matter what.  Sometimes when you get so caught up on having to do this ride or needing to be here for this dining reservation at this time, the joy of just seeing where the day takes you is gone.  Don't be frustrated by the long wait lines at the "must do rides" and instead focus your attention on having fun as a family and seeing what crosses your path.  Joel Andrew and I had a blast doing the pirate hunt at MK this last trip, and I would have never known about it had we not had time to kill, and just decided to try it out.  
5. Final tip - for last minute Disney, is to not book up your whole stay in the parks and enjoy some hotel time too.  Ask your hotel what is happening on grounds during your stay and enjoy some of these things - a band in the lobby, a movie at night, trivia at the bar, its vacation people!  Enjoy it!

Change of Plans and New Things Learned

This trip we did something we have never done before -- we willingly, and without influence from others -- cancelled dining reservations.  And, we cancelled not one, but two!

We had plans to start today early in Epcot, and then go to lunch at Spice Road, then come back to the hotel for pool, then make it to the Tea at the Grand Floridian, and then go to the Magic Kingdom.  Instead, we cancelled almost all of that and now it is almost 4pm and none of us have been to a park.

What, what?

When we we were in Epcot yesterday it was so hot, and the sun was blazing and we had spent the morning at Hollywood Studios, and with no strollers the boys walked the whole time (this was the one time I missed a stroller, as James would have totally napped).  When we got back to the hotel finally, I was done and I was on a mission to blow up our next 24 hours.

So, here is the secret.  I went to the front desk.  I asked them to help me.  They gave me some help.  Go to the front desk of your resort, and ask questions like:

• What is the pool schedule and do you have after hours movies?
• Where is the ice machine?
• What else should we do/see while we are here?  (at the Floridian they would tell you about the band that plays in the Lobby and when, etc.).

Don't ask them to do your reservations for you.  It will take forever, and they will generally tell you that there is nothing left.  At least, this has been my experience.  You try your own way!  Instead, I would say, go to your My Experience App or go online in your room and try to make your own.  It will work much better and I promise I will make Joel Husband post a how to when we get back...!

Anyway, I digress.  The front desk helped me to understand all the things there are to do in the hotel, and James and I enjoyed a lovely evening of one on one time while the Joel's went to the park last night.

And then I cancelled all of our next day reservations and planned for a morning at the pool, a new meal at the resort, and some blogging time (your welcome! - ha!)...

We cancelled the Tea because we figured out the tea was fancy only and not with any characters.  There are a whole bunch of teas here at the Grand Floridian, and I really want to do the fancy one sometime, and Joel Husband told me I can have a spa day followed by a tea sometime. But we didn't do it this time because on Day 4 or 5 you should plan for a break, and a straight up 24 hours of relaxation.  And, a fancy tea with the boys was not going to be relaxation.  (FYI - when I say there are more teas, there are a ton of teas. There actually is a character Tea here where you meet Alice and the Mad Hatter, but it is only mid-week and from 1-3ish, check that... There is a PRINCESS TEA which is $333+ for one adult and one child and $234 for each additional guest!  CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?  - we were there when it was going on, and we could see the whole thing and I can't believe people would pay that.  If our family was to go it would be almost $700 to go for an hour.  Are you kidding? YIKES!).  Anyway, moral of the story, check which kind of tea you are signed up for.

What was awesome for relaxing day 4/5- was pool, in-room movie, listening to music in the lobby, eating at a character themed place in our hotel, watching tv in the room while mommy blogs after the pool (and packs), more pool, and then more hotel wandering.

Hollywood Studios

This trip to Hollywood Studios was short because as Disney even admits, they are in transition.  They are building Pandora right now (I'm not sure why), and they are certainly building up the Star Wars presence in the place too. So, we did some of our old favorites (you must get a Fast Pass for the Toy Story ride here), and tried some of the new things.

We got an early breakfast appointment at the Disney Junior breakfast because then the husband could sign the boys up for Jedi Training and get a good spot.  This worked out well, as they signed people up even before the park opened to the public.  We not only got our spot, but when we realized it wasn't ideal we went back to update it.

The breakfast was delicious, and plentiful.  The characters were ok - but James kept calling Manny Handyman.  Which was funny.  Joel Husband says they are going to update these characters in the fall, maybe they will include Miles from Tomorrowland, something Joel Andrew loves now.  If your kid loves Disney Junior though, this is the breakfast for you.

As the boys are getting older and moving from Disney Junior to Star Wars, I also was able to for the first time since having kids - miss the Disney Junior floor show which I was psyched about.  That is a must if you have a little - but I do not miss sitting on the soggy floor for 30 minutes while littles bounce all around you and all the parents knees creek and crack.  You do not realize how old you are until someone asks you to sit indian style on a floor for 30 minutes.

The other thing to note - they still loved and had a successful visit with Woody and Buzz, and their shirts certainly helped for that - but I couldn't help but think this time is dwindling fast too.  James picked out a Star Wars shirt at the end of this visit, and insisted he put it on at the end of the park.

So, new this trip was the Star Wars things.  We were able to meet Chewbacca and visit a Star Wars area where we also met Kylo Ren (he tried to turn the boys to the dark side and Joel Andrew was almost obliging - shrugging his shoulders when asked if he would go).  James did not go to the Dark Side (surprising!) but instead kept his distance a few steps away and on the other side of his brother.

Walking around the Star Wars land we also ran into storm troopers, a Jawwa (which really liked me), and all sorts of artifacts such as the different storm trooper helmets and light sabers and such.  The boys geeked out over it.  It of course all ends in a store which offered a $4,000 Darth Vader outfit.

The big thing we did do was Jedi training.  This all started out very confusing with lots of rules of don't snap a snap, and parents stand here and get a photo card and stand there.  It was also 90 degrees+ and super sunny and the height of the day that we picked, so we were all hot and bordering cranky.  But the boys were super excited and happy to be doing some training.  You have to be there 30 minutes before the show time, and it is mostly 25 minutes of getting each kid a robe and parent confusion.  The last five minutes we all marched from the robe place to the stage.  Then the fun started.

The boys learned light saber techniques, and then it happened - the bad guys came out, the kids went into two groups and each child had a chance to fight a bad guy.  We were super lucky that the boys were in the group that got to fight Darth Vader.  Though for some reason Joel Andrew said he wished he could have fought the Inquisitor.  Really, Joel Andrew?

So - guess what?  They won the fight, they used the force, and they got a badge.  They had a great time and at the end I hugged James and exclaimed: "You just won a light saber battle with Darth Vader" - he beamed!

That was pretty much our day, with of course a Toy Story Midway Mania thrown in, and this time Mommy got really close to Daddy's score, my 133,000 to Daddy's 144,000...  James and Mommy won the accuracy department and the Joels won points.

Till next time Hollywood Studios, where we will do some new things!

Epcot and Flower and Garden Festival (Askerhaus and Illuminations too)

It is no secret that we love Epcot. We love it a ton.  This is the first time in a while that our visit was not for Food and Wine, and was for another Festival, the Flower and Garden Festival.

We have to say that everywhere you turn there are beautiful topiaries that you take for granted.  There were all sorts of breakout things, a butterfly garden and a cactus walk.  An area for the kiddies to play surrounded by beautiful plants.  Each country had their own plantings which were pertinent to their country, I assume.  Honestly, I did not get as excited for the plants as I should have...  I was still too excited for the fact that they had food carts much like food and wine.

They handed out a little Garden Passport, and with each place you visit you can get a stamp which was fun for the boys.  We tried some of the food carts, and meant to save a few more for another visit.  But, see future post about changing plans - and our visits to Epcot will be quick this year.Sadly, we will not make all of them.  But that's ok, there are too many other things to do!

In Epcot there are tons of other fun things to do as well, other than the Festivals.  We met with the Solso family and of course did the Seas.  We enjoyed a Turtle Talk with Crush, which is a must.  Please prep your kiddos with some good questions for Crush before you get inside.  He interacts with you, and Uncle Mat and I spent the entire time trying to figure out just how they did it.

We took the shark mouth photo, which is a must, and visited the Manatees - my favorite, who came right out to see me.  For the first time in a very long time we went upstairs to the top of the tank, which is fun too.

Of course we also did Test Track, a must for any boy who likes to build cars, likes cars, likes going fast in cars.  Fast Pass is a must for this as it always has the longest wait.  Soarin' was closed for refurbishment, so it really limits the "fun" rides, and makes the lines longer.  I still have yet to do Mission Space, maybe next time.

Other new things to Epcot since our last visit include Baymax which was exciting for the whole family.  That costume is just THE BEST.  We messed up though, we should have done the fist bump with him, and should have said we were satisfied with our care when we walked away.  Next time we will do.  He is in a pavilion with Joy and Sadness from that Disney movie I didn't really like - they had a huge line so we told the kids we would see them later.  Epcot does have the best Character spot for Goofy, Donald, Mickey and Minnie - but the waits were so incredibly long, that this would also be a good Fast Pass point.

Of course we met the princesses at Askerhaus.  They were new princesses compared to the last time we dined there, more "hip" ones than the Sleeping Beauty one from our last dinner.  Debate ensues, as this is in Norway, where are Anna and Elsa?  I am guessing it is because they are not princesses, technically, right?  Their parents were just rich?  Not sure, can't remember...

The dinner was delicious - but I will tell you that everything is timed, and if you are late - it is not good for this particular dinner.  We were 15 minutes late and just made it in, and for the first 5 minutes it was like rapid fire everything.  Rapid fire princesses one after the other; rapid fire drinks, then apps, then order, then dinner, lots of rapid fire.  Uncle Mat was getting so stressed out we made the men do some shots, and all got better.

This was extra fun because it is buffet apps which are delicious.  So much salmon of all types, smoked, poached, grilled, was consumed that the earth was out of balance for a while.  What I didn't remember was that there is also a delicious plated meal, of course - for me, was more salmon.  When in Rome, right?

Dessert was also a trio of treats and my newly picky eater Joel Andrew raved and said: "he loved all of them."

We were out of there by 8, which allowed us an hour to walk the countries, grab some more drinks, and let the kids hang out together.  Joel and Maddy have a budding romance/friendship that unfortunately ended up in them antagonizing their younger siblings a little.  Everyone smiled for many, many photos.  We did not really have enough time to go into the countries, but rather just walk around and then we grabbed a good spot around Great Britain to watch the show.

Illuminations is a fun show.  Here are some important tips to remember when watching Illuminations:

• Bathe right after.  You will get doused in fireworks debris, no joke, because they light off from all areas of the lake in the middle which you are likely going to be standing around.  The last time we saw the show, and got on the plane the next day, James set off all the alarms at the airport and needed to be swabbed and pat down.  No joke.
• If you want to, make your dinner reservation so you can see the show.  Make it for about an hour before the show, at either the Rose & Crown Pub, La Hacienda de San Angel, a Spice Road (the one on the water) in Morocco and hope and pray you get a good view seat outside.  Ask for it special, make up a special occasion.  The reason why I say an hour, is because if you don't get a good spot you can still eat and run out to see it when you are done.
• They stop selling everything the moment Illuminations starts.  So, if you are not seated, you will want to grab your beer or drink before the show starts, as there is no chance at anything just after.
• The show is the last thing...  So, once it is over, you will be fighting the crowds back to the monorail or bus or whatever you came in on.  We like to watch from England, and then walk to the Beach Club.  From this walk, if the timing is right, you can then see the Hollywood Studios fireworks.  Then, you can get a cab from the Beach Club resort and beat all the people home to your home resort.  That was huge.