"I All Done!" A Nikki and Tom/Mommy and Jack SWW TR! UPDATE 6/28 pg. 3

[Tracy161]

Nikki!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's SO great to see you back!!! I've missed you and have been wondering how you and Tom and Penny have been. I was thrilled to see in my inbox an update with this link. So excited to be on board for another Nikki/Tom adventure!!! And excited to meet Stephanie as well

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

So happy to be reading your trip report - you have come a long way from July 09!!!

Wendy

Such a long way, right?? Haha!

joining in! Looking forward to hearing from both of you!!!!

Hey Jen!

How wonderful to see you and your family again!!

Thanks for joining in!

Joining in!!! Looking forward to reading another one of your TR. your daughter is adorable!

Aww, thanks! Glad you're here!

Nikki!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's SO great to see you back!!! I've missed you and have been wondering how you and Tom and Penny have been. I was thrilled to see in my inbox an update with this link. So excited to be on board for another Nikki/Tom adventure!!! And excited to meet Stephanie as well

Heyyyyy!!!!! It feels so nice to be back. I'm so glad you found us!

 

[knewton64]

YOU AND YOUR FAMILY WILL ALWAYS HAVE A FELLOW DISSER DOWN HERE N DALLAS, TEXAS.
(missed ya!)



Subbin -



T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[missangelalexis]

So glad to see you back on here and with a TR! I remember how much I enjoyed your past ones! Look forward to hearing about this trip, Penny is adorable!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

So happy to see that you're back. I think I've read all of your previous trip reports. Stephanie welcome to you as well. I look forward to following along on this joint adventure.

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Another one of my concerns for this trip was how well Penny would nap in the stroller while we were in the parks. She usually naps around 10am but since she was woken up early and napped a little around 7am on the plane, I wasn't sure if she was done with naps for the day and would be super cranky or if maybe she would sleep again.

So by the time I got my ticket/FP situation settled, it was around 11am. Tom took Penny to look at the monkeys for a little and she loved them!

I met up with them shortly after but not before snapping this pic of what AK looked like at the entrance. So much construction!




I wandered through Harambe Market before meeting up with Tom and Penny and suggested we eat there for lunch.

Like a horrible, horrible DISer, I did NOT take pics of our food. It's so hard to remember things like that with a toddler to be concerned with!

Tom got a corn sausage which is like a corn dog...but with a sausage. He didn't love it at all and was disappointed because there are so many good food choices at AK and it felt like a waste. I was in the mood for ribs but after the sticker shock of the ribs meal, I settled on the kids ribs meal which was much cheaper and just the perfect size.

Penny was happy to be out of her stroller and stretching her legs for a bit!



(Click for video!)







We had a Safari FP that was almost up so we headed there right after lunch. Penny sat with me on the right side and unfortunately, most of the animals were on the left. She also didn't understand why they went by so quickly. We would point out an animal to her and then before she even got a good look, they were gone.





After the safari, I thought we would go on a nice walk through the Pagini Forest trail so Penny could see the gorillas and other animals. It was around 1pm at this point. She was looking sleepy, so as per the plan, I gave her Monkey to snuggle, at which point she threw him on the ground and asked for Bunny... So Bunny it was.

And much to my excitement, she fell asleep! Just like that. We walked quickly through the rest of the trail and then what do we do when the child is asleep???





Head to the Dawa Bar, of course!!






It was so nice to sit and relax while Penny slept. We sat for about a half hour and Tom got a second for the road. We had a FP for Everest. Tom didn't want to go but we walked over there together so I could ride.


I got second row, which was cool! So we get to the part where you're "stuck" on the top of the mountain. And we're waiting for it to go backwards. And we're waiting. And we're waiting....







It was just STOPPED! Everyone started chit chatting, some people were making phone calls...I was sweating my butt off! And also wondering what the heck was up with the pile of hair-ties off to the side of the train????







I had never noticed it before but assumed it was a "thing" so just for shiggles, I took a hair-tie off my own wrist and threw it on the pile. I've since googled it and the responses have been along the lines of "that's so gross and disrespectful to the CMs" so I now feel bad that I added mine but...oh well...

All in all, we were up there for about ten minutes before the ride resumed. Some part of me hoped that we would have to get out and walk down....just so I would have a cool story to tell. But some cool picks will have to do.


















By the time I had gotten off the ride and met up with Tom, Penny had woken up. We headed to Dinoland to see if there was anything there that might interest her.






We showed her Triceretop Spin and she seemed into it. We asked her if she wanted to ride and she said yes. There was a short line.







She was okay for the first maybe 30 seconds and then she said "I all done." She didn't cry, just was done. It was kind of disappointing because I figured that was going to be her response on all rides from here on out.



We left AK around 2:45 and Penny was able to get her own seat on the bus. That helped her enjoy the ride a little more and she lasted about 8 minutes this time before she was "all done."








Back at the resort, Penny spent some time at her fountain! I swear, she would've spent the entire vacation at that fountain if we let her.





Up Next: Let's go to Epcot!!!

 

[disny_luvr]

I'm glad you made it to Disney without any problems or freak outs from Penny. It looks like you guys had a fun, quick visit to AK. When my boys were younger they always missed everything that was pointed out on the safari - it just took them too long to find whatever the driver was showing us. It's funny how Disney trips with a child(ren) are different than adult-only trips. There is nothing wrong with them, just different.

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

I'm glad you made it to Disney without any problems or freak outs from Penny. It looks like you guys had a fun, quick visit to AK. When my boys were younger they always missed everything that was pointed out on the safari - it just took them too long to find whatever the driver was showing us. It's funny how Disney trips with a child(ren) are different than adult-only trips. There is nothing wrong with them, just different.

Soooooo different!!!!

 

[archdandy]

Well, fountains are pretty interesting! Glad you guys had such few problems with Penny getting scared. It's too bad Tom didn't like the sausage from Harambe. I actually thought it sounded tasty and thought about getting one on our next trip. It's the one with the curry in it right?

 

[YoNoSe]

Well, fountains are pretty interesting! Glad you guys had such few problems with Penny getting scared. It's too bad Tom didn't like the sausage from Harambe. I actually thought it sounded tasty and thought about getting one on our next trip. It's the one with the curry in it right?

It said it had curry in it but it was super bland. I bought a corndog for Penny to try and the corndog was much tastier. The dominating flavor is the dough of the coating.

I'm Tom, by the way.

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

YOU AND YOUR FAMILY WILL ALWAYS HAVE A FELLOW DISSER DOWN HERE N DALLAS, TEXAS.
(missed ya!)



Subbin -



T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

Good to see you!

So glad to see you back on here and with a TR! I remember how much I enjoyed your past ones! Look forward to hearing about this trip, Penny is adorable!

Yay! Thanks for following along!

So happy to see that you're back. I think I've read all of your previous trip reports. Stephanie welcome to you as well. I look forward to following along on this joint adventure.

Welcome!!

Well, fountains are pretty interesting! Glad you guys had such few problems with Penny getting scared. It's too bad Tom didn't like the sausage from Harambe. I actually thought it sounded tasty and thought about getting one on our next trip. It's the one with the curry in it right?

That was not the only fountain she spent time with this trip! But I think it was her favorite...

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Day 1 - Epcot

Back at the hotel, I gave Penny a bath and we all freshened up a bit.
We didn't have anything official on the itinerary for that night. With such an early flight, we weren't sure we'd be up to doing anything after AK but we were all feeling good so decided to head to Epcot around 5:30pm.







Once again, Penny was "all done" on the bus to Epcot and really was acting done this time. Didn't want to sit and was really squirmy. There's only so many times you can say "we're almost there!" before she starts questioning our integrity....

But finally we did arrive and walked into Epcot without any trouble.

Luckily, the Fountain of Nations was doing a show just as we walked up to it and Penny was way into it.





I totally hate that she has a paci in her mouth in this picture. I tried to take them out for all pictures. Like I said, normally we don't let her have it except for sleep but since it was an unfamiliar place, we thought she could use the comfort.

We figured we wouldn't really do anything except take a stroll around World Showcase - my absolute favorite place in the world. I always said, if heaven exists, it will absolutely be World Showcase at dusk. It's my happy place.


We entered and headed to Mexico and as we passed, we noticed Duffy had a short line. It was now or never! We let Penny look at him from a far for a few, then asked if she wanted to go see him. She said yes. We waited in line and as we got closer she started saying "no, no, no, no." I was holding her so all we did was walk by him and get a high five.






Again, didn't cry or freak, just was not into it at all. That is, until she got back in her stroller and we left. "I want to go see Duffy." Grrr. Too late, kid!

As we got to Mexico, we saw that Donald was meeting. Penny knows Donald and is a fan. In fact, there is a picture of that exact Donald and us with him as my laptop wallpaper. She looks at it all the time and points out that it's Donald and her and everyone else. So we asked again, "Do you want to go see Donald?" Again, yes. She was SUPER into meeting Donald. Tom stood in line with her while I got myself a long-awaited margarita!!!





The whole time she was in line, Tom said she was so excited, saying she wants to see him "right now" and that she was going to walk up to him. Well when it came to be her turn, she decided against walking...


In fact, she decided she was not into Donald at all.




Until, he did the hot dog dance for her!






She still didn't want to get any closer but she may have cracked half a smile.

Cheers, Donald!





Before moving on from Donald, I snapped this pic of the floral decorations in Mexico to send to a friend of mine who is actually FROM Cancun so she could validate the authenticity. You'll all be happy to know that she knew immediately what kind of flower it was and said it really does grow in Mexico.





Back on the trail, Penny immediately began talking about going to meet Donald and how she wanted to see him "right now." Sorry!! You had your turn. We'll see him again later. This is pretty much how every single character encounter went from here on out....



We stopped in Italy so Tom could get some nice wine.

We hung around the fountain while we waited for him to come out of Tutto Gusto.









We kept moving along and I was reeeeally hungry at this point. I had gotten teryaki chicken from Japan in the past and knew it was really good so I decided on that.

While I sat on the steps to eat, Tom let Penny stretch her legs a bit by climbing up and down the stairs. Most fun she had all day!











We finally wrangled her back into her stroller and continued our way around World Showcase. In the UK, I got a Harp and we got some "chips." So yummy!!

As we passed the UK, I noticed someone familiar - Warwick Davis! He was with his family and some CMs in the wheelchair viewing section for Illuminations.







It was around 8pm when we finished our loop and decided to call it a night. I remember walking by Spaceship Earth thinking, "I guess I'm not riding that this trip..." now knowing that Penny was "all done" on most things. There's no way she would sit happily though 15 minutes of Dench. Oh well...


Back at the hotel, we were pretty tired but Penny was bouncing off the walls. Or quite literally, the bed. It took a little while to get her to calm down and thank goodness, Disney Junior played Mickey Mouse Clubhouse at 10pm. At home, we watch Mickey and Sofia all the time on demand. It was hard to explain to her that we couldn't just put Mickey on like we do at home! But finally, we all fell asleep ready to meet up with Stephanie and Jack in the morning for our first full day!!!


Up Next: Stephanie's travel tales!

 

[photographymom517]

It sounds like a great first day!!! I love it when we worry for nothing & the kids end up dealing with things better than we expected! Even after many trips, I'll admit the airport still makes me nervous! You never really know what is going to freak out a child....one minute everything can be fine and the next it's the end of the world! I am so glad you had a good experience with Penny on the plane!!!! I love when they nap for a good portion of the flight!!!

(side note: even after 4 trips, Luke decided this trip he is going to REFUSE to ride the airplane...he threw an unexpected problem into my plans for sure!!! Too bad it's already booked lol)

Penny's reaction to the characters didn't surprise me because that's exactly what my kids both did the first trip they were aware of what was going on. Tyler's first trip -- I just put him in the stroller at some character greetings...that way he didn't even see them and couldn't be scared! His next trip will be interesting...I'm guessing I'll only get character pics at character meals (since he won't be able to run away from them! Lol)

Wow!!! AK has changed so much since 2012 when I last saw it!!!

I'm glad to hear you liked the ribs because that's usually what I get! I'll have to remember to order the kids portion. Sorry Tom didn't like his -- I'll make a note of it because it sounds like something my husband or even Luke might want to order.

I am loving all of your pictures so far!!!!!! That's so funny about the hair ties on EE! I've been reading so many reports about people getting stuck recently. My kids would freak lol!

Steph -- Can't wait to hear about your arrival!!!!!

 

[anjalee6]

Penny is adorable. Love the picture of her looking out the bus window.

Isn't Disney different with a little one? We have learned to ride the tide with the kids. They change so much and like different things every time we go. Funny about the binky and bunny. My daughter was inseparable from her binky at that age. She used it for EVERYTHING! We were convinced that she would never little it go. At 18 months on one of our trips, a stepsister tried to get it out of her mouth, but the stepmother said, babies were better silent with plugs in their mouths. My son still tells her about it all the time. Her bunny, on the other hand, she still sleeps with at 6. Lol. Oh well.

Hmm...I always wonder about the hand bands on Everest. One fall we went and they were all gone....but this past summer all back again. It's strange. Reminds me of the gum tree at Great Adventure as a child. It was gross!

 

[stephielela]

Now that Nikki has told you about their wonderfully smooth arrival day, I can tell you the story of our completely OPPOSITE experience.

Our flight was scheduled to leave at 6:45 pm that Thursday. Now normally I wouldn't book such a late flight, but I have just started a new job and I was already pushing it to take Friday and Monday off because I have a bigger vacation scheduled for July, so I settled for an after work flight. All day at work I was super antsy to get going and my coworkers thought it was hilarious. Especially since work was SUUUUUPER slow and I totally wouldn't have been missed. I was fine though, I had a plan. I had already secretly packed Jack's new R2D2 suitcase full of mostly new clothes into my trunk along with my bag. The plan was to pick him up from daycare and ask what he wanted to do for the evening and surprise him with the news that we were leaving for Disney. So imagine my surprise when I get a phone call from Southwest around 2:30 informing me that our flight was delayed. And then a text confirming that delay, followed by ANOTHER call with a later delay and so on. By the time I was leaving work it was clear I needed to change plans. I quickly called my parents to see if they were up for an alternate surprise reveal and they were. I left work, picked up Jack as planned, and then picked up my dad. We told Jack we were meeting my mom for dinner and we could stop by the Disney store at the mall first since I had promised to take him the following weekend.

**Back story, I am a part time cast member at our Disney Store. I got a job there during the holiday season and stayed on after. I work VERY sporadically but it's still cool.**

By the time we got to the Disney Store, the flight had been pushed back until 10 pm. I was starting to panic about the lack of sleep we were going to get since we had an 8 am Be Our Guest breakfast scheduled, but then again, who really sleeps at Disney anyways? At the Disney Store they do several "celebrations" where they display a name and text on the screen and everyone claps along etc. They even have a special "Going to Walt Disney World" one. So naturally I decided this was the best way to reveal to Jack we were on our way that night! I let him shop around and drool over Star Wars stuff while I got it set up and then it was time! I had a cast member friend take the video and she didn't get a shot of the screen but that's ok, because I had gone in and gotten video of it the weekend before when I thought I'd be telling him in the car!

Video of screen

Video of reveal

In the video, basically it took a minute, and some coaching, for him to realize what it meant. He said at first he didn't notice the name. Then he repeatedly asks me if it's real, or if I'm joking. I explained to him that I would not be joking about this if everyone was there clapping for him etc. In the end he was very happy as was I.

With the big reveal out of the way, it was time for dinner. We headed across the street to Bo Lings for some Chinese and I emphasized to him how important it was he get full since he wouldn't be able to eat once we got to Disney that night. He actually listened and ate more than usual. I also told him it would be very important that he took a nap on the plane since we were getting in so late and had an early day Friday. I hadn't told him yet about Nikki, Tom and Penny being there, I figured it would be better as a later surprise. He did ask if they were going to be there and I looked at him like he was crazy and reminded him that they lived in New Jersey so of course they wouldn't be there. I'm getting good at lying to my child evidently...

So we made it to the airport and breezed right through security. We settled in to wait and found out our flight had made up some time so we were taking off at 9:30! Jack spent some time reading his new Star Wars Rebels book while we waited...

And then we finally boarded!!

The flight went smoothly and we got in right around 1 am.

Empty ME area

We made our way quickly to the Magical Express loading area and got right on the bus. Of course we had to wait for some more passengers so we didn't actually make it to our lovely home at Port Orleans French Quarter until 2:15am. After a friendly and almost speedy check in (I had to apply gift card to pay for the balance to the room) we found our way in the dark and extreme quiet to our comfortable and lovely room. We got in bed and to sleep by 3 am...had to get ready for our big day ahead!

 

[stephielela]

It said it had curry in it but it was super bland. I bought a corndog for Penny to try and the corndog was much tastier. The dominating flavor is the dough of the coating.

I'm Tom, by the way.

Tom, we need an updated countdown!

 

[stephielela]

It sounds like a great first day!!! I love it when we worry for nothing & the kids end up dealing with things better than we expected! Even after many trips, I'll admit the airport still makes me nervous! You never really know what is going to freak out a child....one minute everything can be fine and the next it's the end of the world! I am so glad you had a good experience with Penny on the plane!!!! I love when they nap for a good portion of the flight!!!

(side note: even after 4 trips, Luke decided this trip he is going to REFUSE to ride the airplane...he threw an unexpected problem into my plans for sure!!! Too bad it's already booked lol)

Penny's reaction to the characters didn't surprise me because that's exactly what my kids both did the first trip they were aware of what was going on. Tyler's first trip -- I just put him in the stroller at some character greetings...that way he didn't even see them and couldn't be scared! His next trip will be interesting...I'm guessing I'll only get character pics at character meals (since he won't be able to run away from them! Lol)

Wow!!! AK has changed so much since 2012 when I last saw it!!!

I'm glad to hear you liked the ribs because that's usually what I get! I'll have to remember to order the kids portion. Sorry Tom didn't like his -- I'll make a note of it because it sounds like something my husband or even Luke might want to order.

I am loving all of your pictures so far!!!!!! That's so funny about the hair ties on EE! I've been reading so many reports about people getting stuck recently. My kids would freak lol!

Steph -- Can't wait to hear about your arrival!!!!!

Seeing Nikki's posts and texts that day made the waiting that much harder!

Kids are so weird. Honestly even at 7, Jack's likes/dislikes still change with each trip!!

 

[knewton64]

RE - THE TITLE OF YER TR.......


LUV IT!!!
You have a family of very and highy creative people.......


I can tell..........

From the "Single Rider line" song
to now Penny's comment -


Like Mother like daughter -
LUV IT



ANYWHO -
So - when I head out to Disneyland / Universal Studios in 86 more days, I am going to use.....
er .......
"borrow" her phrase very time I am done with an attraction ride & see a CM nearby
(their reactions oughta be priceless!).



Yer tr has really brought a smile onto my heart today -
(can't wait to hear more)


T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[archdandy]

Hi Tom!

The curry flavor was what interested me in the sausage, so its really too bad. I'll have to try something else I guess. Did the ribs have good flavor? A big part of the reason I enjoy going to Disney is the food, haha!

Stephanie,

Ugh! I've luckily never had a flight that was pushed back before but if I did I would not be pleased. I'm glad you were able to stay positive and I hope you ended up getting some sleep that night.

 

[YoNoSe]

Tom, we need an updated countdown!

I know not how to do such things.

Hi Tom!

The curry flavor was what interested me in the sausage, so its really too bad. I'll have to try something else I guess. Did the ribs have good flavor? A big part of the reason I enjoy going to Disney is the food, haha!

I am also a WDW "foodie" so it was quite a bummer! Luckily it wasn't long before the rumbles in the tumbles returned.

It's also possible there was some kind of dip or sauce that I missed in my haste. I was very hungry after our early morning/flight/etc.