hahah ehhhh I can forgive this. 
Those things are about the size of manhole covers and I’m not the biggest cinnamon bun fan.
Plus your wanting to save room for Tiffins is definitely the wiser move.
That’s awesome, all the way around.
Too funny - we have the same experience. All the talk about Rope Drop being so early always makes me laugh because by Rope Drop time we’re well into our day.
Loving your trip report!
I’m loving your report too! Your DD4 is the opposite of my kids re ride preferences and I love that there are kids for whom the lack of lapbelt is reassuring instead of a deterrent.
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Your DS is super cute! Roaring at everyone. I love it. We’ve been sat in the giraffe section both times we’ve got to FotLK. I feel like it’s the least exciting one cuz everyone is always all like “giraffes say what?!”
And yay Tiffins! That place is so yum.
You guys! I can’t believe I went the whole day without a post…I swear I wrote something this am, but we have gone four full days without daycare now, so I could just be exhausted.
Today was HS. Park opened at 7 and I wanted to get there early since, you know…5 am wake up calls in this joint. But didn’t feel the need to get there for RD because I didn’t want an early BG and DD4 was not going to ride SDD anyhow (though I do have a FP for it on Friday!) We got to the parking lot at 7:13 and we’re through tapstyles at 7:26. I hit “my status” to refresh the app and then immediately got BG 114 for DH and me. Backups started at 109 today but thanks to the amazing work @Jeff_AZ @Shellott-hilland @SteveBloom have been doing, I was fairly confident we’d get on. In fact, I had been hoping for a BG around 90, so I wasn’t too far off.
So we rope dropped a meet and greet with Bo and Woody. 45 minutes later and we were fourth in line when it looked like Woody’s head was about to fall off…so he had to go back. CM claimed it was an emergency with Bullseye. But I told DD that it was all girl power. She was fine. When we got to Bo, I told her I thought Woody was great and all but that I would’ve chosen Duke Kaboom personally… she laughed and then tried to say hi to DS, who apparently hates face characters. She got a Woody sticker from her handler and proceeded to draw a mustache on him and give it to DS to warm him up. One of the best character interactions ever.
Then DH secured a spot in line with Jessie so we went to meet her before using our FP at AS2. We then met Darth Vader - I totally geeked out. He’s like ridiculously intimidating. I asked if I could call him Ani and he said, “I think not.” DD did get a little scared - not so much that she cried or didn’t want her picture. Only enough that she didn’t want the photo alone and I don’t blame her.
Then we used FPs for Frozen and headed to Pixar Place. Everything I had read a few months ago when I originally made my HS TPs said the Incredibles (and Mike and Sulley) we’re going away - but they were all there. We met Frozone, Edna Mode, and Mr Incredible (whom DD called “Big” - because “incredible” was really hard for a two year old to say) before heading back to the hotel.
Babysitter arrived and DH and I headed back to Batuu. More on that in a few!
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Ok, so I knew I was going to enjoy Batuu, but wow. Just wow. DH and I got back to the park around 3:15 and there was only a 20 minute wait for Chewy so we went to meet him. They were calling BGs in the 90s then so I figured we’d be able to head over to Batuu just before our BG of 114.
Sure enough, we got the notification about halfway on our walk there so we joined the RotR line as soon as we arrived. About 3:50 by that point. We were in the first room about 20-25 minutes later and were really impressed with the ride. Enjoyed every step and only wish it had been longer.
When we exited, we took pics of the Falcon and saw that MFSR was posting a 35 minute wait. It wound up only being about 25 minutes. Of course DH and I were hoping for pilots but we got engineers and honestly? Totally glad. After watching, I think the pressure of being a pilot would’ve been too much. I thoroughly enjoyed my role…and this ride FAR exceeded my expectations. We did well - got one canister. But the whole thing was just way more well done than I anticipated.
After that, we grabbed dinner at Docking Bay. DH had the fried chicken and I got the pot roast. I won dinner. SO good. That gave us about five minutes before our droid reservation. DH built an R2 and I a BB (“BB-41”). The experience was fun and I look forward to playing with them and hoping my kids don’t break them… we were able to walk around for a few minutes before a reservation at Oga’s. I will say, being in the land and doing the droid build made me really sad we didn’t book Savi’s, but I just don’t know what I’d do with a light saber afterwards…aside from constantly telling my kids not to touch it.
Oga’s was incredibly fun. We got boring drinks (the lager for DH and a wine for me) but it was hot out and we’re not really rum or tequila or juice fans…though I did get the souvenir porg mug. I look forward to drinking out of it during future work related video conferences. As we started to wind down, I realized the park was closing in about 15 minutes and I really wanted to pop into some more of the shops.
I know there are a lot of opinions that there should be more of the original canon in Galaxy’s Edge but after seeing it I’m 110% in the camp of “because it’s Batuu, we can’t nitpick the details” - and y’all?! The details are outstanding. I loved exploring this world and am so glad I was able to do it without my kids.
DH and I totally geeked out and it was so. much. fun.
Off to bed now - we’ve got early morning magic tomorrow!
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This is making me smile so much. Thank you for sharing your trip with us!
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Loving this, thanks for sharing! Our trip coming up we have a 4 and 2 year old too, so great insights.
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Loved you Black Spire review! It brought me back into the land and how much I really enjoyed it.
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The second last photo, of you and your husband, is WONDERFUL! Frame that one!
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Keep the pics coming! Love them!
Love it. And I love that you enjoyed Batuu so much. Thank you for sharing your adventures!
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Oh, man, was this day packed full!
We started With Early Morning Magic - worth. every. penny. We got to MK parking lot at 7:20 and were at the tapstyles right at 7:45. They let the crowds in a couple minutes later. At first I was concerned given how many people there seemed to be but most of them must have had ADRs because we practically had Fantasyland to ourselves. We did stop for some castle shots on the way back because I wanted some family pics without the masses.
We then proceeded to ride Peter Pan’s flight 2x, then DH went to 7DMT while I took the kids to meet Elena and Cinderella. DH had the entire train to himself. He then met us for Rapunzel and Tiana (two of DD’s favorites). Then they went to Under the Sea while I did 7DMT. There was a couple on the very first row and I was in the very last. That was it. We seriously could’ve ridden 7DMT probably 10 times in a row if we wanted.
Then we did teacups 2x and DH took DD back to Peter Pan for one last ride while I went to get in line to rope drop Merida. Unfortunately, Merida’s brothers were up to no good so she was going to be late. So we went to eat our breakfast first. It was what you’d expect but it was filling and needed after an hour of hardcore playtime!
Then we went back to Merida. (I should mention here, by the way, that DD needed to buy a new autograph book this am because she used the last page of the first one for Elena. Kid is on a quest!) She was great … and she LOVED my baby boy (pic below).
After that we did Tales with Belle. Standby was posted at only 10 min so we decided to go then (because I had tried to modify a late FP for it without success). The wait actually wound up being about 25 min and by then DD had to pee. We told the CM and they were gracious enough to have us come back through the FP lane. What a fun experience! They had chosen the girl next to DD for Mrs. Potts but she didn’t want to do it so she (her parents) gave DD the “costume!” I was so glad she got to participate for reals. Though she did say afterwards she was sad she wasn’t chosen to be the Beast!
By the time that was all said and done we had missed our Buzz FPs,which I was disappointed in but more for DH and I than the kids. We used our next FP for IASW (DD’s favorite ride). DD was on the verge of a meltdown heading into it - probably overstimulated, definitely tired, maybe hangry despite having eaten her weight in watermelon at Cosmic Ray’s… and DS was definitely ready for a nap. So DH offered to walk the babe around in the stroller until he fell asleep so that DD and Mommy could have some 1 on 1 time. Dad also gave her a couple coins to toss in the water. DD asked when we were nearing the boarding area if we could sit in the front row of the boat, so we waited an extra turn but she got her wish. By the time the ride was over, she was in better spirits.
So we decided we’d head to People Mover (one of my faves) for a few more minutes of less stimulation. But on the way there, DD spotted Alice and asked if we could meet her. Of course, from that queue she saw Pooh and Tigger heading to their meeting spot so she then wanted to meet them… (btw, she doesn’t even know who Pooh and Tiggwr are really - never got into them (yet!) - but she apparently loves collecting autographs and having her photo taken…) The Pooh and Tigger line was LONG. The two interact more with one another in between guests elongating the process. But when DD met them, she said, “Mommy! They’re both so soft!!” And it was all worth it. Except…
Something must’ve happened on People Mover because suddenly there was a 25 minute wait. We had booked the Festival of Fantasy Parade Package lunch at Tony’s and I figured by the time we walked there, we’d be pretty close to our reservation time so we started the walk with a stop through the cooling spray zone in Tomorrowland.
I’ve eaten at Tony’s before and I’m not a big fan. Slow and spotty service. Mediocre food. And I certainly knew we would be given too much with the package especially having the free breakfast earlier. Tony’s met all my expectations to a tee. Still, it was a nice break from the heat (and DH and I actually never even ate our entrees - we brought them back to the hotel and had them for dinner instead).
Toward the end of the meal, DS was getting fussy and DH needed his afternoon caffeine fix so they went off to Starbucks while DD ate her gelato. When we came out, the Dapper Dans were doing a show so we went and watched and DD loved it! Especially when they sang “It’s a Small World.” After they were done we went up and asked for a picture with them and they saw my birthday button and sang to me. By the time we regrouped with DH and DS, it was nearly 2:30 - we were told to be at the flagpole by 2:45 for our VIP seating so we didn’t really have time to do anything else. We went ahead and got seats for the parade. DH and I lamented about our lack of time in Tomorrowland because we knew we’d leave after the parade given how long a day it had already been. There’s a very slight chance we can return tomorrow but it’s highly unlikely.
But you know what? It’s all okay. Because it won’t be our last visit to the World. And also? The reactions of DD4 during the parade were absolutely priceless. I swear the mediocre food was well worth the $54 to get the seats we got. And there’s pretty much nothing better than your kid seeing the next float coming toward the end of Main Street and screaming, “IT’S ARIEL!!!” “MOM! IT’S THE SEVEN DWARFS!!!” “CAPTAIN HOOK! IT’S CAPTAIN HOOK!!”
Nothing could top those moments. So when the parade had finished, we headed out the gates and back to the hotel for a swim and dinner and a relatively normal bedtime routine. Tomorrow morning I’ve - er, I mean “we’ve” got a date with Flynn Rider. And then the plan is to head to HS to use the FPs for SDD I managed to grab 10 days ago when they changed park hours. (Well, at least I’ll use one…) And then we’ll see what (who) else inspires us for our last day here.
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So Bon Voyage Breakfast this morning was great. Obviously we met Flynn and DD got to look inside his satchel <3
Then we took a Friendship Boat to HS to meet some characters we missed the other day and use at least one of the three SDD FPs I managed to grab last week. We got to the tapstyles at 9:19 and signs were out that BGs were already gone. And they seem to be having a rough day with a breakdown or two.
I rushed to SDD while DH, DD, and DS got in the line to meet Buzz. I managed to get a front row seat because I was paired with a family of three and they saw my birthday button. I enjoyed it - but I don’t think I’d ever wait more than 30 minutes for it. What am I missing? It just didn’t seem all that new or interesting to me - I far preferred 7DMT. So instead of using DD’s FP, I went to meet up with the fam. They were three out from meeting the Space Ranger.
After that, we decided to get in line to meet Mike and Sulley, who were really neat. Sulley was ginormous. Then it was off to Pixar Place to try and catch Mrs. Incredible. Not only did we catch her, she grabbed DD’s hand and led her all around Pixar Place looking for Jack Jack. After some quick hula hooping, we headed off for our FPs for Beauty and the Beast. Along the way a cast member told us we lost a shoe. DS1 had apparently managed to pull them both off and fling them out of the stroller somewhere along the way. I figured we’d deal with it later. In the meantime, I managed to pick up some TSM FPs right at the 11:01 drop.
We grabbed some fried green tomato sandwiches from Rosie’s right after (seriously, why do more people not mobile order?! But thank goodness they don’t!) and then decided we’d try and meet Olaf and Mickey and Minnie before TSM. I forgot Mickey was Sorcerer Mickey here and it was a nice “last” meet.
We had a few minutes to spare before our FPs and DS needed a nap so we walked through Batuu one more time. DD got excited about seeing Chewy but was sad she didn’t get to do more with him - hula hooping perhaps?! 
But she perked up when some storm troopers told her they had been warned about her and that they were keeping an eye on her. I got the blue milk (I actually really liked it!) and we went to TSM.
DH and DD decided to also do AS2 one last time and then we started heading out of the park. On the way out, DD said she wanted to meet one more character and since I had to wait in the guest relations line to see if someone turned in DS’s shoe yet, DH took the kids to meet Chip n’ Dale at the entrance. To be clear, DD had never even heard of them but she was still excited as ever. At night, she’s been playing “visit the characters” where she is Jasmine or Ariel and she asks the little princesses who come to visit her how they’ve been, etc. It’s totally cute and also unnerving. We’re gonna have our hands full with her in a few years.
Took the Friendship Boat back to Boardwalk to get the car and we stopped into Ample Hills for a scoop before saying goodbye to the World.
We’re all back at our hotel and pretty much packed and all feeling pretty darn sad - I’ll never say never but I think it’ll still be another couple years until we come back. Then again, my last trip was just 20 months ago and some days it seems like yesterday.
We were supposed to have brunch at Raglan Road tomorrow morning before an afternoon flight but a pending snowstorm in the northeast had us change our flight to first thing in the am. So I’ve got a 4:45am wake up call. Let’s see if the kiddos even let me sleep until then!
Thanks for following along. And thanks to all of you on this site; not only have you helped me plan a great adventure for my crew but you helped the countdown days fly by and I look forward to alleviating some of my melancholy by reading your trip reports in the coming weeks!
I’ll do one last post with our recap, favorites, etc. once I’ve had time to process it all. But now it’s time to say goodbye…M-I-C ya real soon.
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Thank you for writing! It was fun to follow along!
Loved your report and so glad you had a great time! Thank you for taking the time to share it.
I so much enjoyed following along with your trip. Thanks so much for sharing. Seeing the parks through the eyes of your children bring back great memories for me of my own 2 adult sons, abet a long time ago. I know you will be back and trust me it will be a totally different trip the next time, for the kiddos will be a little older but even more fun. You had a great attitude letting them lead the way and carefully planning the much needed rest breaks. Cherish those precious memories for life does go by so fast and those 4 am wake ups will soon be a thing of the past.