It is thank you! She had a cast on for most of the summer, but took it in stride and is now bouncing around at full strength!
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I wore my crocs sandals every day at the world and they were wonderful! Iâm like you- donât like the heaviness of other sandals.
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Transportation
We live in Atlanta, GA and so we opted to drive to WDW. For us, it is about a 7 hour drive. Our DDs ride well in the car, and driving allowed us to not worry about what we were brining with us⌠throw it all in the van and off we went.
We booked before the parking fees came into play so that wasnât a concern. We ended up driving to most parks because it is just faster a lot of times. We also had the broken leg/stroller issues to contend with and so we opted for the car to pretty much everywhere except MK from the Poly. I canât imagine the busses would have been any faster. There were many times when the busses might not have taken longer, but I donât think we ever sacrificed time because of driving.
We enjoyed the monorail on a couple of occasions, lots of boat rides to MK (Moorea building is right next to TTC so easy to walk over and hop on the big ferry) and took a Minnie Van to the HDDR.
Touring Plans
I created a fairly detailed TP for each day (not @profmatt detailed â but pretty detailed) in order to have an attempt at a logical plan for each day. For the most part, like an NFL coach who charts out the first 15 or so plays of each game ahead of time, I planned the first 5-8 steps each day ( or segment of the day if we were PH). I planned for FPP for those step zones and the first 5-8 steps were really the âgoalsâ for the day. After that, I would catch additional FPP for attractions, go back to the hotel if we were tired, eat ice cream if we wanted to or wander and watch. So, a very detailed plan, which we followed fairly strictly for about 2-3 hours, and then the TP served more as a guide. This worked well for our family. We were willing to get up early enough to be at the parks by RD and so we enjoyed a good plan and the lowest crowds of the day.
Attractions and Things to Do
Given the time of year we were going, and allowing for the heat, crowds and humidity, we decided to transform what was going to be a one week long trip into a 10 day trip. This was a great plan as it turned out. It gave us the chance to visit each park on at least two different days EPCOT and MK were visited on at least three days and, as such, we had very little trouble getting FPP for any of the rides we wished to try. Now, we didnât try to ride FoP six times, but we got two rides on FoP, one on Navi, three on 7DMT and twice on PPF. Beyond that we were able to experience pretty much all the parks had to offer as well as a day at Blizzard Beach and still be able to enjoy our resort. The cost to upgrade 7 day PH passes to 9 day passes was absolutely un-noticeable, given the relative cost of the vacation as a whole. I believe it was 19 or 23 dollars to add the two additional days to each pass, and the flexibility it provided was well worth it.
Blizzard Beach
We took a non-park day on day 5 of our trip. We slept in a bit and headed to BB. Now, DD5âs injury played the biggest bummer here. I think the girls would have had a BLAST but, while DD5 could ride everything, it just was not practical to get her to the top of most of the slides with her unable to put weight on the foot and walk. So, I hauled her as best I could. The ski lift could take her to the top for most all the slides, however it is not practical for the slides that end FAR from the lift to haul her back to the lift. So the ski lift was good for the slides that empty out near the lift, but not for the slides that end on the other side of the mountain.
DD9 had a great time and the older kid/teen area was great. We did splurge and rent a cabana, so that worked well for rest time, eating, and drying out. DW and DD9 ran rampant throughout the park and DD5 and I spent several fun hours in the wave pool.
We left after about 5 hours and, probably would have stayed a little longer but for the difficulties with DD5. All in all we had a good time though. I have been to TL and now BB. I would go back to BB again with kids under 10, but I think I prefer TL with older kids and adults.
Magic Kingdom
We spent large chunks of 4 different days at MK. On day 2, we rope dropped 7 am EMH and stayed through the parade. On Day 4 we rope dropped the regular 8 am opening, stayed through about noon, went back to the hotel, then arrived back at the MK for our 5 pm BOG ADR and stayed through the fireworks (then shopping). On Day 8 we had an 8 am ADR at CRT and spent most of the day there, leaving just before the parade. And on Day 10 we arrived at MK after dinner at DS and spent from 7:30 or so, until park close at 11. Phew. Thatâs a lot of MK.
But we were able to ride EVERYTHING, many things more than once, some more than twice. As I discussed above, we had a pretty solid TP which we followed pretty faithfully through the first 6 or 7 steps, then just grabbed FPP for other attractions, hit up large capacity attractions (HoP, Phillharmagic, etc) and enjoyed shows.
Favorites for the family were pretty standard. I think DDs loved Splash Mountain most of all, I think we rode Splash 5 times during the week. BTMRR and SM were other favorites. Girls liked 7DMT, but it was âjust okayâ. DWâs favorite is the Carousel of Progress ( I know, right?), so we hit that once. I mean DW is a total adrenaline junkie and canât get enough SM, RnRC, ToT, etc. but if something had to go, she would probably skip SM before CoP. I love the HM. I could ride that every time I go to MK.
In reality, there are no loser attractions for DD9 and DD5, except for possibly the HoP (they fell asleep). They liked the parade, they liked the Country Bears, and, of course Tea Cups.
EPCOT
We spent parts of 4 days at EPCOT, one full day, one half day, and two partial days (one based around a meal). Girls, total Frozen junkies, liked FEA, but oddly, didnât ask to ride it more than once. Everyone loved Soarin and TT. Girls liked Imagination, but could care less about The Seas, in any way shape or form.
Basically DW and I like EPCOT, the girls liked parts of it and then, mostly, tolerated it for the parents. The EPCOT WS passport was a huge hit and the girls liked visiting the countries to explore and complete their passports.
AK
We spent parts of 2 days at AK. Day 3 was a Saturday, and it was, seemingly, the hottest and most crowded day at the parks. We RD AK and hit Navi, then headed back to KS, Gorilla Falls, FOTLK before our FPP for FoP. After that we hit up EE, and KRR. It took a long time on KRR. At that point we couldnât take the heat and crowds so we headed back to the hotel. We planned on dropping back into the park to catch a couple shows, etc. before dinner at Jiko, but the heat kept us in the pool and we didnât make it back.
We also RD AK on Day 9. We had an early FPP for FoP, again rode KS, then rode Dinosaur, and spent some time in Dinoland. Went back to EE, then Tough to Be a Bug and lunch at FlameTree. We then hopped in the car and headed off for DHS.
DHS
We spent about 5 hours at DHS on Day 1 and then the evening on Day 9. DD5 loved ST and we rode it probably 5 times. Everyone loved TSMM and Frozen sing along. We experienced all there is to do, but we steered away from most Star Wars heavy things, just due to the interest of the girls. I dragged them to Indiana Jones, and the Muppets, we hit up ToT (not me) and RnRC (not DD5 who is too short, so, again, not me either). Sort of enjoyed Beauty and the Beast, and enjoyed Fantasmic.
We got a little pixie dust and had a private ride in ST
At the end of the day, we pretty much did it all, but didnât ACTUALLY get to do it all. However spending parts of 9 days in the parks was very helpful for covering most things without having to spend 9 hours in the park every day.
Conclusion
And so, our journey comes to an end . . . and I leave you with this thought:
There has been considerable discussion of which nighttime show at MK is better, HEA or Wishes. For me, this isnât even close: HEA is superior in every way.
It isnât just the fireworks, or the projections, or the soundtrack . . . itâs the fireworks lighting up the faces of DD5 and DD9 â and DW staring at them both; itâs the projections reflected in the excited eyes of two girls who have NEVER seen anything like this before; and itâs the soundtrack as sung by the strong (but still respectfully quiet) voice of a 5 year old who absolutely LOVES Moana.
And THIS is WDW. Itâs not just the Disney experiences, but itâs HOW those experiences blend with your family, your personal experiences and your life at different stages. Which is why we all drink the Kool-aid and why we keep going back.
DW and I are headed back for Food and Wine in just a few weeks.
Thanks for reading!! Cheers!
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The conclusion to your report was just perfect. Thank you for bringing us with you on your awesome vacation!
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What a great report! Thanks for sharing. I also love that pic from RNRC. Lol
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Aww, I got a little tear in my eye reading that last part. What a wonderful trip for you and your family. I am so happy your little oneâs injury didnât hamper too much of your plans. I also love that you and your wife each have a âmini me.â They are adorable!
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Awe! Thank you so much for sharing your familyâs vacation with us. You made me tear up describing your girls watching HEA. Iâve seen it 3 times and have cried each time, so I totally get what you are saying and I donât even have children of my own. You also gave me some things to think about when planning our next visit as we consider renting DVC points. Which companies did you rent through, if you donât mind me asking?
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@kadmgs We had a split stay and ended up using both DVC Rental Store and Davidâs
Both were great and had no issues. Davidâs is a Canadian company, so if you use them, make sure to use a credit card that does not have foreign transaction feesâŚ
Davidâs requires payment in full at the time of booking and DVC Rental Store requires a deposit with final payment due about 45 or 60 days ahead of your trip.
Both companies had great associates working and I had no complaints about either one.
Renting points is great and usually a pretty big cost savings. However, there is generally no refund and no cancellation - once you book, you are committed. DVC rental store offers a cancellation policy if you pay extra and it still isnât very generous. So, for about $150 I purchased a third party travel insurance policy that was much more generous in its policy and covered a much wider array of potential problems.
If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out.
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Any particular reason you picked one versus the other or both? I guess what I mean is, why did you rent from one in one case, the other in the other case?
DVC Rental was able to secure the Beach Club Villa right away, but could not secure the Poly, so I reached out to Davidâs and they were able to get the Poly lined up within just a few days. My guess is that they may have access to different buckets of pointsâŚ
I was seeking the reservations in the 11 month window, not the 7 month window, so I needed points for people who had home resortsâŚ
So, for my split stay, I ended up using both companies.
I love the way you described the fireworks and singing at the end of your report. That is what makes for an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing.
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Ah. Okay. So if we try to find what we want from Davidâs, and they donât have it available, it is worth trying the other.
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Dude⌠absolutely spot on. 
Now how in the world did you score a private Star Tours ride AND (most importantly) who was the spy?
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I think so. I donât have a huge sample size, but it seems like they each have different access to points.
Awesome picture!!!
So well said! I believe thatâs why we all love going back, seeing and experiencing those magic moments with our familiesâŚthatâs what itâs all about.
I agree with what you said about how you donât have to have such a strict TP if you are there for a while. Coming from the U.K. we usually have a 2 week break and therefore can be more relaxed about touring.
Thanks for the great report!
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I loved reading this. And you got me all teary-eyed at the end. I feel the exact same way when I watch the looks on my boysâ faces on our various vacations. Thank you so much for sharing!
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Okay. I had looked through the pictures earlier, but finally got a chance to actually read.
Um. Whatâs the deal? Making us cry reading your âConclusionâ? Not cool, dude! 
Great trip report. Great photos. Great looking family!
I have a question: How did you pull off what appears to be an exclusive ride on Star Tours? Are you all the ONLY ones on it? Clearly @Randall1028 has the same question:
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Thank you! Iâve put in a request with DVC Rental Store for July and Iâm happy with what theyâve got as well as their payment options. (On a teacherâs budget, here.) Now just waiting to see if Disney releases a new Salute to Service discount for 2019 at the end of the month before we make a decision. Which third party travel insurance company did you go with?
@Randall1028 and @ryan1 Yes were were the only ones on the ride. Because we had DD5 in a âstroller as wheelchairâ they always sent us to row 1 , where a wheelchair can transfer (regardless of the fact that I repeatedly told them that I could just pick her upâŚ)
ON this occasion, they didnât send anyone else down and the CM said that she got permission to give us a private ride. So we did. It was awesome DD9 was the spy.
On another occasion, a similar thing happened, but at the end, another family was added to our group, and so, while not private, there were only about 6 of us on the whole ride!
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