I’m just getting around to writing this. I got back Friday. Kids 2 and 4 and DH has their first trip to WDW and it was my first since 1995 so it was like my first. I don’t need to bore everyone with the details but here is what stood out:
PPO BOG - this was disappointing. Adult food just mediocre and kids hated the crepes(I tasted and they weren’t sweet at all). Kids barely ate anything and so of course we’re hungry. They also didn’t like the atmosphere. We were in the ballroom and it was so dark. Only good thing is we were done by 8:45 and I’m a good position for RD. We lined up for Fairytale Hall.
Fairytale Hall - I wanted DD4 to see Rapunzel but they had mystery princesses listed. I asked who they were and the CM wouldn’t say. It ended up being Aurora (who I knew we’d end up seeing several times) and Tiana. This was disappointing so be prepared. They also didn’t start letting people back until 9:02 but this was still I good think to do first thing since we waited less than 10 minutes.
Dumbo - This was next and was supposed to 8 minutes. They were only running one set of elephants so we ended up waiting 25 minutes which got us behind. Be prepared for this too.
Barnstormer- kids hated this. Good coaster to do early on to gauge how the react. I swapped 7DMT for HM as a result since DD wanted no more coasters.
Running behind - even though I set plan to very relaxed we ran behind a lot in part because of stroller. I would suggest everyone set to very relaxed and if you have stroller I would add in a 15-20 minute break every 90 minutes or so. I didn’t do this and wish I had. I was able to adapt our plans by skipping the things O marked skip if necessary so we ended up doing almost everything I really wanted.
Snacks - don’t be stingy with snack credits. Just use them on anything from the get go. We also bought of bag of rainbow popcorn which was a great choice because we carried it with us for multiple days.
Rest - I posted about this but don’t underestimate this. I knew the kids needed to nap and they did a great job stroller napping. But even us adults needed a good rest. Find a shady spot, grab a drink and relax. We liked the fan shaded porches at Cosmic Rays. I also thought the gardens at UK or inside the China temple would be good spots
UK garden maze - kids loved it as much as Boneyard. Don’t miss it if you have young kids.
FOTLK - we arrived about 20 minutes early but lines weren’t clearly marked so I saw a long line near TH and got in it. Ended up being the FPP line. Didn’t get into standby until about 10 minutes before and we couldn’t sit together. Don’t make this mistake.
TSL - I posted about this but if you have FPP for SDD o recommend going back to AS2 first. It’s quiet and less chaotic. We walked on then went to TSM with a 10 minute wait. I didn’t try to M&G but I would sandwich between the rides. Line liked about 15 minutes or so around 9:06 when we finished AS2. They were already on break when we got out of TSM around 9:25.
ST - This made DH nauseous. Of prone to motion sickness don’t ride.
Adventures Outpost - still wanted 25 minutes with FPP. Be warned.
FPP lines - we ended up waiting 15 minutes for PP and WTP. HM was a bit too but there was a minor technical problem. Just plan accordingly.
We used both baby center (forgot diapers one day) and first aid for Advil in Epcot. Very convenient.
Japan pavilion- we got some candy snacks here. Good choice since they’re light and not too unhealthy.
Rain - we were lucky to have no rain except last day but when it rains indoor attraction lines get long I waited longer than I should have (over 20 minutes) for IASW but I did t really care because I got out of the rain and it was over when off the ride.
Mobile order- very convenient although it was down for a bit during the rain. A CM told me that when the orders get busy they disable it so don’t wait until the last minute.
Frontierland parade viewing - watched at Pecos. I highly recommend this spot. Could arrive 20 minutes ahead and still get a good spot.
BBB and CRT - my DD4 favorite things. We were actually taken back to BBB 2 minutes early and then done in 20 minutes (diva style). I didn’t know you got included portraits at Castle Couture - nice touch. Definitely bring your own dress. I thought DD would see them there and jealous but the dresses for sale weren’t obvious. Cash tip only - come prepared.
CRT - decent dinner although we didn’t have a window and table was crammed. They did give DS2 a free side of Mac n cheese and threw a cupcake on DDs plate.
Since both CRT and BBB are hard to book and special I booked them the last day and DD spent the entire trip asking when’s my makeover and dinner in castle. Perhaps try to book earlier on or just surprise them. She also thought the princesses were actually going to eat with at the table with us but she still loved it.
I think this is all I can think of for now!