Your DD3 with Tinkerbell is such an adorable picture! So sweet! Another amazing day - thanks for taking the time to share it with us!
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Great information here for parents and grandparents traveling with littles. My grandson will be barely 5 when we go in early December, so we are trying to think
of the things he will like as well as appealing to his 9 year old sister. Your report makes me want to go RIGHT NOW (except there wouldnât be time to plan and scheme if we did that).
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Your reports are so vivid I feel like Iâm right there with you. I love it! Thank you for sharing your trip with us in such amazing detail. The pictures are lovely. I especially love the one of your DD with Cinderella. Canât wait for more!
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My husband eats like a toddler too! Iâm scheduling our quick service and carts around his palate so my six year old son and I can eat like adults, at table service and character meals lol!
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I took my daughter for her first trip in 2015. She was 7 and she was still in awe of the âmagicâ and characters at that age. We are going in September and my daughter will be 9 almost 10. I am hoping that is still magical and the characters are still real to her as I have several surprises this trip planned. She still acts like it is to her.
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I have enjoyed your trip report so much. I love all your pictures. Beautiful family. You are making me more excited for our trip in September.
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My daughter is now 16 and still finds WDW magical. To the point that she truly doesnât want to do any tours because she doesnât want the magic âruinedâ for her. Iâll eat that up as long as I can!
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That is a great idea @rrees! By the end of our trip, I realized it didnât really matter what TS I picked. DH wasnât happy. He did love Mickey pretzels though!
I am so glad everyone is enjoying our trip report. Thanks for reading. I love hearing that even older kids still find Disney magical. Iâm hoping our girls still want to go for a long time.
Iâm working on the next installment, but with little ones, itâs slow going. 
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I am 28 and I still find a way to believe in the magic - I am right there with @potternut2001âs daughter! I LOVE meeting fur characters - face characters are a little less magical to me, but when I finally lucked into meeting Robin Hood I definitely cried happy tears.
Great report, keep it coming! I have been enjoying peopleâs reports so much I will definitely take the time to write one for my November trip with my dad⌠I wanted to do one for my February trip with my husband, but graduate school always gets in the way. Now I fear that some of the details are too fuzzy to make a compelling report this late out, but there are definitely moments I will remember forever and could still write aboutâŚ
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Can you clarify one thing for me? were you able to pre-order your food at BOG and use your DDP credits to pay for it? I had understood that the pre-ordering system didnât allow the use of DDP. Maybe I misunderstood?
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Even if they guarantee/charge it to your card in the ordering/reservation process, when you arrive you should be able to get it refunded to your card and swap it to your dining credits. Iâll be doing that for CRT next month as well. I hadnât thought about that being an issue for BOG, so Iâm glad I saw your question!
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Yes you can use DDP when you pre order at BOG. You canât use it when you mobile order (not the same thing) at the participating QS restauarants.
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Yep, you do not pay in advance at BOG. You pay when you get there, so they ask you then if you are paying with a DDP or OOP.
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Yes, as others have said preordering is different than mobile ordering. You wonât be able to preorder for BOG on the MDE app. Youâll have to go into your reservations on your MDE on a computer or mobile browser.
When you get to BOG, they send you through a different line than those that havenât preordered. Youâll be sent to a register where they confirm your order and you can even make changes to it. You pay there whether you are using DDP or a different method. Itâs so easy and saves so much time!
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June 19, 2017- Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios: The best laid plansâŚ
Sorry this is slow in coming. I had starting drafting this installment and then somehow lost it (twice), and then DD3 had a trip to the ER that required stitches. We were in a store when DD3 walked right into glass from a broken picture frame. Cue a screaming mommy, a ride in an ambulance, and fifteen minutes of stitching while DD3 screamed and cried. Worst. Day. Ever. Itâs been rather eventful around here, and it took me a while to shake out of a funk from all of the trauma. Now back to the magic. 
DM and I were up again at 5:15. It was getting decidedly more and more difficult to get up each morning. When Liners tell you that you need to plan a resort day after a few days in the park, believe them. We couldâve definitely used an off day. When we first planned our trip, we thought that we could swing two days in the parks. When we discovered the Military Salute Tickets, realized that we could do four days in the parks. But when we went to buy our tickets, we found that the price difference between the four and five days tickets was negligible. It was the trip that just kept growing! I think next time we will shoot for a total of nine days with five park days and a few resort days. The pace we were going at just wasnât sustainable. DD3 was out so hard in the mornings that we were dressing her in her sleep!
When I had made ADRs at 180 days, EHM for AK was at 8:00. By the time our trip rolled around EMH were moved to 7:00 at AK. With all of our reservations locked in (Some of them PPO), I really didnât want to move things around. We were at the bus stop by 6:30, and we made it to AK a little after 7:00. I had FP for Navi River Journey, and we werenât going to try to RD FOP. so we werenât in a rush. I know FOP was the big ride this summer, but it just didnât seem to make sense for use since the kids couldnât ride it, and DM and I were concerned about motion sickness.
Our TP had us heading to Kilimanjaro Safari first. I have to admit that I had messed with the plan quite a bit. It was one of the few times that I didnât rely on optimize. Looking back, I just should have trusted the software. On our way to KS, DM, DH, and I marveled at how much AK had changed. We had all been shortly after the park first opened and hadnât been back since. Ducking here because I know so many people love this park, but for me, itâs a miss. It just doesnât resonate with me the way the other parks do. AK wasnât even on my initial radar, but DH had asked to go.
Two CMs greeted us at the entrance to KS, and informed us that the safari would not start running until 8. I still canât figure out how I missed this. Nothing in my research cued me in that KS would not be open during EMH. It was a dumb move because we ended up wasting EMH, but we decided to join the few families who were in line. We took turns grabbing pastries from Kusifri (DH had this amazing looking elephant ear dipped in chocolate that I am still thinking about), and DH took DD3 to get her face painted. Iâm still rolling my eyes about that one. That and the $10 hair ties DD3 talked DH into. Next time Iâm budgeting for their indiscriminate spending. It was expensive!
CMs let us on the safari at 8:00. It really is an amazing experience, but the entire thing is colored for me because the jostling made me incredibly ill. I didnât have trouble with motion sickness on out trip at all, except on KS. Iâm guessing itâs because we were near the back of the vehicle and I was in the middle? DD1âs head was whipping around, and I was afraid that she was going to get whiplash. I know it sounds like I am exaggerating, but this was the roughest, bounciest ride of our trip. On the plus side, we saw a baby giraffe tear across the savanna, a male lion up high on some rocks, and the most adorable baby flamingos. My DDs loved it. Mommy could pass. I was so green by the time we were off. I needed a Sprite ASAP.
Gorilla Falls was next on my TP, but it didnât open until 8:45. At this point I had started to mentally adjust our TP, dropping and rearranging. It was a lost cause. We skipped the trail and headed over to Pandora to use our FP for NRJ. Pandora is such a sight for the eyes. I have never seen Avatar, but I am familiar with the basic plot line. We accidentally scared DD3 with talk of good and bad guys, and she was strangely quit in the stroller for 98% of our time in Pandora. It freaked her out. Ooops!
We used our FP for Navi River Journey. We loved it, except for the fact that two overeager adults crammed themselves in the row with DH and me. It was incredibly uncomfortable because the rows at most comfortably fit three adults, and then they talked through the entire ride. I still canât figure out why a CM didnât stop them! We didnât have this happen anywhere else. I would love to ride it again at some point with some room to move and breathe. It was really beautiful, and itâs so fascinating to watch the evolution of animatronics at Disney. The shaman at the end is quite breathtaking.
After puttering around Pandora, we decided to skip Kali River Rapids to catch up on lost time. We all admitted that we didnât want to get wet anyway, so we let that FP expire. Instead, we went back to Gorilla Falls and the Maharajah Jungle Trek. With the exception of the hippo pool and the aviary, we were all a little disappointed in our experience. We could have viewed so many of the same animals at our local zoo and the tigers were no where to be found. I think we finally spied a tail, and that was it. It could also have to do with the fact that at that point, we were all tired, hot, and in DH and DD3âs case, hungry. They needed another Mickey pretzel. 
Also, as much as I am for baby wearing, and as wonderful as it was to not stop when DD1 needed to sleep because she could sleep on me, after three straight days of baby wearing, I couldnât hack it anymore. My hips and back were killing me. We were at the point where we all needed a break. Lesson learned.
We should have left, but we still werenât 100% committed to that plan, so we used our FP for Festival of the Lion King. It was exactly what we needed. We got to sit and it was air-conditioned! Disney truly knows how to put on a show. I would love to see it again, except for one hitch. DD3 sobbed through most of the show because she didnât get picked to participate. I donât know how I didnât see this one coming. She has been the center of every character interaction and she had been picked a few days prior to be Mrs. Potts at ETwB. She is still talking about how she wants to go back so that she can be picked at FotLK. I think it might be closed next time.
DD3 was tired and inconsolable. It was time to go. Our afternoon plans were always loose because I knew that we would eventually hit this point. My rule was that when it was no longer fun it was time to go. I was ready to go then and there, but DH and DM talked me into staying for lunch. I think they both felt bad that I had to ditch my Epcot lunch plans the day before, and we all really wanted to try Flame Tree BBQ.
DM took DD1 and DD3 to find a table while DH and I ordered. It was pretty busy because it was near 12, but the line moved quickly. Since we were on the DDP, we all had the platter that had a bit of everything. It didnât disappoint. DM even took DD1 down near the water after she had finished, so that I could actually enjoy my food.
After lunch we decided to leave. I was initially disappointed that we had to bail out ( I really wanted to ride Everest and take DD3 to Flights ofW onder), but it was the right choice. We just missed the bus to POR and had to wait for a second one. Almost as soon as we were on the bus, the sky let loose. My DDs were soon asleep, and I couldâve fallen asleep too.
We made a mad dash to our room from the West Depot, and without ponchos on, we were soaked. It rained all afternoon. DH took a nap, but our DDs werenât tired since they slept on the bus. That meant that DM and I had to keep the girls entertained in our room while DH slept when all we wanted to do was sleep! It wasnât productive for us. I think the key on our next trip is not afternoon breaks, but having a resort day after a few days in the parks.
While DH slept, I grabbed DM and DD3 FP for TSMM at Hollywood Studios. DH and I had anytime FP for AK (EE had closed due to weather and he had left before using the FP) that I couldnât seem to shake from our account. We had reservations for Hollywood and Vine at 5:35, so we headed back out around 4:00. It was still raining.
At HS Guest Services solved our FP problem, and we were able to get over lapping times for TSMM. We then sloshed our way to H&V. DD3 loves Minnie and Daisy, which is why I had booked it. We learned this trip that we just arenât buffet people. Itâs too hectic to get everyoneâs food while watching for characters. We also had to deal with DD1 who was still terrified of every fury that came her way. It was a mad jostle that we really did not find as enjoyable as meals where the food was brought to us.
DH was pleased to see ânormalâ food, and loaded up on chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. DD3 loved the turkey. The food wasnât bad, but it wasnât anything to write home about either, although there were some strawberry cheesecake bites that were amazing. The character interaction was fun but we had been spoiled at Akerhaus the night before. I think weâll probably try something different next time.
Our server offered us tickets for Fantasmic even though we didnât have the Fantasmic Dining Package, which was kind. We gratefully took them even though we knew it would probably be pushing the girls too far. In the end we decided to pay it forward and randomly pass the tickets along to a family of five.
Afterwards, we took DD3 to see Olaf since we had time to kill before TSMM. TSMM was one of DHâs favorite rides. He crushed us all. We had snack credits to burn so purchased frozen lemonades from the food cart near TSMM. They were the perfect blend of cold, sweet, and tart, and DH and DD bought another Mickey pretzel. Iâm so glad that we went with the dining plan. It wouldâve killed me to fork over $6 every time the two on them wanted another pretzel.
On our way out, DM stopped at Starbucks to get the HS You Are Mug, and we stopped at a few photopass photographers. DD3 had the Tinkerbelle magic shot down by now.
A CM stopped me at the exit to see if my frozen lemonade had alcohol in it. I didnât know that was an option, but apparently, there is a boozy version of it somewhere in HS if that is more your speed.
Back at POR it was time for bed. Everyone had showered during our midday break. We knew we would be up early for our PPO breakfast at Be Our Guest, and I had my sights set on another ride on 7DMT. With a little extra rest, tomorrow would be another wonderful day at Magic Kingdom. 
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Glad for another instalment! Hope your poor DD is ok after her accident, sounds very scary.
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It was awful. Thankfully, she is a trooper and the stitches are finally out.
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Wonderful installment! So sorry to hear about your DD3âs accident - how awful for all of you. I am happy to read that the stitches are out. 
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Iâm 70 and Iâll be 71 by December when we go, and it is still magic to me. I just set aside all my cynicism and enjoy the magic.