Our February Trip Report

Day 6: Hollywood Studios

It’s EMM day!!! Yay!!! I had gotten onto the kids to get to bed early last night and reminded them how early I’d be waking them up today. Well…we were watching the Super Bowl late so they went to bed about as soon as they could.

I woke up around 4:45 and got showered and dressed. I made a cup of coffee and grabbed my overnight oats to enjoy on the patio quickly around 5:42 before waking the kids up. Everyone woke up pretty easily and quickly. Got dressed and out the door at 6:25 (had hoped for 6:20 but not bad!)! DD2 was really cute. I got her dressed before she really woke up but she stumbled into my parents’ room and collapsed in my mom’s arms afterward. :laughing:

We got to the bus stop at 6:29. There were already several families there waiting to go to EMM also. The bus arrived at 6:36, we were out the of Poly at 6:42 and off of the bus at HS at 6:52. We got through bag check at 7:05. In between bag check and taps we had to wait in two lines. The first line was to check in to EMM with a CM and the second to get our wristbands. This seemed a little long in the tooth but didn’t really take all that long. We were through taps at 7:09.

We walked up towards TSL but were directed to The Commissary. There was a small group already in line for TSL but we all wanted a small bite. I was regretting not grabbing jackets. It was chilly and overcast and DD8 and DD4 were saying they were cold. Grabbed a couple pastries and coffees and I hustled everyone out of there around 7:25. They had already let everyone in to TSL.

Here’s what I got done:
Slinky: 7:42 (with DS, DD4 and DH)
DH and DS rode Slinky again
Saucers: 7:49 (with DD2)
Saucers: 7:58 (with DS)
Slinky: 8:16 (with DS)
Slinky: 8:25 (with DS)
Another Slinky (my mom, DS and my dad)
Slinky: 8:44 (with DS, my dad and DH)
TSM: 8:52 (with everyone)

I definitely could’ve ridden Slinky 2-4 more times but we had some time waiting around trying to find everyone and figuring out who was going on what. 4 times was great for me (you can see DS ended up riding it 6 times)!

DD4 was hesitantly agreeable to ride Slinky the first ride but tried to chicken out before we loaded onto the ride. We kind of forced her on at that point. She cried and cowered into DH’s arm the whole time but as soon as it was over she was grinning ear to ear and said she liked it (although she didn’t care to ride it again).

My dad and DD8 rode TSMM four times in a row before even considering doing anything else. I had to pull my dad out of the line so he’d have a chance to ride Slinky. Lol. Couldn’t convince DD8 to ride Slinky. She said it looked fun but was too nervous for the first little hill/turn.

My mom hesitantly agreed to ride it once with DS and my dad. She was nervous but kept saying how fun it looked so we nudged her on.

Never considered waiting in line to meet the characters. Lines were long the whole time (wouldn’t have been if we had gone to TSL before Commissary I bet).

After our last ride on Slinky we all rode TSMM all together before the RD crowd came in. I played with DD2 and she was so cute and excited to play with her glasses and kept saying “I got thousand points!!” When we came out the crowds had arrived. Slinky line was out past the entry to TSL and posted 90 minutes. I was so thankful to be leaving

Headed to the Commissary to get a more hearty breakfast. Ate the avocado toast and some pastries and yogurt. Great spread plus the ride access made me feel like the price we paid ($79/adult and $69/child) was well worth it!

After breakfast we caught the 10:00 March of the first Order and headed down Sunset Blvd to use our RnRC FP. Standby was posted at 120 minute and the FP line was fairly long as well. We still ended up getting in and out within 20 minutes I think so we were happy! It was DH’s first ride on it and he thought it was a fun ride.

Grabbed the girls and made the lonnnngggg walk to the bus stop. Made sure to offer everyone a chance to use the restroom before getting on the bus. Waited maybe 4 minutes for a bus to arrive and were back at the Poly by 11:20 for a nice, long break.

Grabbed some snacks and put Toy Story 3 on for the kids. I caught up on emails, confirmed our Kid’s Nite Out reservation for Wednesday and had some snacks.

After the kids watched the movie for a bit they were asking to turn it off and play on their iPads. We decided that’d be fine, but for 30 minutes only.

While they finished up, we asked my mom if we could take a walk (daddy was enjoying a swing on the beach) and she said sure. DH and I walked over to Pineapple Lanai and grabbed a couple of Dole Whips w/ Rum and walked the path to the Grand Floridian. It was such a lovely afternoon. We stopped halfway and sat on a bench and watched the boats go by. Then we walked to the GF, heard them playing bingo out by the pool and saw a girl having quincenera pictures taken just off of the lobby. Mainly walked in just to show DH the main lobby. What a beautiful hotel.

Walked back to the room to get the kids and my mom and took them for Dole Whips of their own (they all tried the swirl and it was delicious). It was about 1:50 and we decided we wanted to head back to the bus around 2:45.

Ended up leaving the room at 2:47 after much protest from DH that I was cutting into his relaxing time. :roll_eyes: Longest wait for a bus yet. Didn’t arrive until 3:08. No worries as it felt really nice outside and we just played while we waited. Staring contests mainly. I really suck at the no smiling ones.

We pulled into HS around 3:24 or so and made the long walk up to the gate (man that walk is long with all the Skyliner construction)! No lines at bag check or taps so we breezed right in. Got back to Sci-Fi around 3:50 for our 4:05 reservation. Received our table ready text within 5 minutes (later I would be glad for our early reservation time as there were tons of people waiting outside to be seated when we walked back by around 6:30).

They sat us in a 6 person car which was a tad cramped but ok. I wish the table space had been a bit deeper. They set up DD2’s high chair to the side of one row. Then the other 3 sat together in the front, DH and I sat in the middle and my parents sat together in the back. They really got a kick out of the whole place and reminisced about their younger days going to the show at the drive-ins. They even commented on how the speakers they have set up in there are exactly like the ones they used to have and how similar the commercials were.

All in all, fantastic atmosphere. Kids enjoyed the movie clips and found them hilarious, not scary in the least. Service was a touch slow toward the end of our meal but otherwise good. Food was ok. I ordered the falafel burger which had decent flavor but wasn’t crunchy enough for my taste. Had an ice cream sundae for dessert and it brought back memories of my mom taking us to Sonic after school on Fridays for sundaes. Delicious! :yum:

After dinner, I had booked ToT and ST FPs split. Both with windows from 5-6. In hindsight, I should’ve spaced these out a bit since we needed to RS both of them and they are on opposite ends of the park. Ended up working out ok as DS had asked me on the walk in if he could pass on Tower of Terror today anyway. So, we skipped ToT and just popped over to ST. I had booked FPs for DD8, DD4, my mom and myself so we went over and got RS on my dad, DH and DS’ bands and went on through. As soon as we got to where the line goes inside DD8 makes a face and tells me she needs to go to the bathroom. No problem. Call my dad and switch DS and DD8 out so she can go.

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DD4 ends up being terrified the whole time. Asks me if we’re really going into space before we load. Cried during the preshow and loading instructions. Kind of clutches at me the whole time but says she had fun at the end. She was picked as the rebel spy (again!) and we had a different flight pattern this time which was neat. Didn’t realize the had so many different ones. We waited and watched Jedi Training while DD8, DH and my dad rode. Then we headed into TSL for our last two FPs of the day. DD4, DD2, my mom and DD8 were going to ride Saucers. The rest of us, Slinky.

As we were walking I realized it may be impossible for my mom to take all 3 girls by herself so I determined to talk with the CM at Saucers to see what we needed to do. I explained to him, nicely, the situation and he said they could all ride at the same time but that DD8 would have to ride in her own car while the little girls rode with my mom. DD8 was way pumped about this!! I hung out to make sure they all tapped in ok and the CM started motioning for me to come talk to him. He told me he’d go ahead and let all 8 of us go through the FP line together if we wanted! How kind!!! I told him thank you but I was concerned about missing our Slinky window (it was 6:45 and our window ended at 7). He then offered to let us all come back after Slinky! Wow!! I genuinely thanked him for being so kind but doubted we’d take him up on the offer as everyone was tired from our early morning.

We all left the girls to ride and we went to Slinky. DH and I rode together!! Hooray!! That was fun and DH was being so silly on the ride. He screamed the whole way and I just died laughing. My dad said “Ethan mama’s screaming!” It was DH! Lol! He’s the best.

After we got off we met up with the gals and talked about plans for the rest of the night. I had planned on Fantasmic but we all just wanted to get home so we walked out to the bus and made it home by 7:45. DD4 crashed before we made it to the bus stop. We laid her down when we got back and she never made a sound.

My parents and DD8 went and watched the MK fireworks from the boat dock and DD2, DS, DH and I watched from our balcony.

Settled everyone down early and all were asleep by 9:30. Listening to the Water Pageant as we laid in our beds. Such a peaceful way to end the day.

Steps: 20,621

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Your pictures are so wonderful. Such a beautiful, happy family. The one with all the kids on the bed is adorable - also especially love the one in the car at Sci Fi.

I am also amazed that you are able to get them all up so early. And love all the matching tshirts!

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Great day! I am loving your trip report

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Thank you so much!! We’ve got some pretty amazing kids. And I think with us having them so close together and me being in survival mode for so long they got used to my hurry-it-up-because-we-only-have-5-minutes style. :laughing::persevere:

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Day 7: Animal Kingdom

After going to bed relatively early last night we all slept in until 7-7:30 this morning which meant everyone got at least 9 hours of sleep. :raised_hands:t3::raised_hands:t3::raised_hands:t3:

Heading out of the room around 8:50 to O’hana. Checked in for our breakfast and received our table ready text at 9:17 (ADR time was 9:05). Took our picture with our last character (Stitch) by 10:12. Kids didn’t care to wait in line to take a picture with Pluto. So we met Lilo, Stitch and Mickey. Good breakfast. I enjoyed the quick service pace of the food but the non-buffet aspect. Everything was brought out, family style, to the table. DD2 had three helpings of eggs but not much else. Everyone else enjoyed a variety of food and filled their bellies.

Took DD4 to the bathroom on our way out and met up with everyone else at the bus stop. A bus to Animal Kingdom was there but it was VERY full so we decided to wait for the next one. Waited maybe 5-8 minutes and were glad we did. We were all able to sit down and there was a fair amount of room but then we went to the Floridian and the bus quickly became standing room only full. No problem really. It wasn’t super uncomfortable, just crowded.

I think we made it into the park shortly after 11. I hadn’t planned on us being there until 1 which ended up being nice because we had all this extra free time to smell the roses. Spent about an hour exploring the Oasis Trail and Discovery Island Trails. They had this tiny little deer on the Oasis Trail that everyone loved, especially DD8. I especially enjoyed walking around the Tree of Life and looking at all the carvings. We also saw a couple of red macaws flying around the trails too which was really neat.

We came out of the trailhead in Africa, right by Creature Comforts, right around noon. Decided to stop for a Starbucks treat. No one in line which was amazing. Chatted with the baristas as they made the kids’ frozen lemonades and joked about bringing them back and leaving them there when all their sugar kicked in (they put whipped cream on their drinks). I also grabbed a caramel mocha cupcake. It was delicious but super rich. I maybe ate 1/3 of it and shared the rest with everyone else. Grabbed two tables just outside Starbucks and enjoyed our drinks in the shade.

Around 1:00 we left Starbucks and I was wanting to go through Africa to find the “you are most beautiful” wall in Harambe. I started on the path toward Asia thinking we could bank a left into Harambe. We stopped at a pin trading stand (kids each traded pins) and I asked the CM working there to confirm my directions. She told me we actually needed to go the other way through Africa (toward the safaris) and that the wall would then be on our left. So we turned around and went back that way to find nothing but a dead end and a penny machine. So I let the kids press some pennies. And we turned the other way and walked through Harambe and FINALLY found the wall at back of the market on the left. A bit of a pain and out of the way but I got my picture! Yay!

Now it was 1:30. First FP was split between PW and Dinosaur and started at 2. So we slowly walked from Harambe through Asia into Dinoland, stopping to trade pins along the way and stop at WE stations when we saw them.

We got into Dinoland around 2 and I was really starting to get hungry. Filled up the popcorn bucket for the kids and went to check out Restaurantasourus as it had mobile order available. When we got there though we found limited seating and nothing super appetizing on the menu so I decided I was fine.

We all headed back toward Dinosaur and set up a RS for DD4, DD8 and I while my dad, DH and DS rode with their FPs. While they rode, my mom and I took the girls to the Boneyard. We passed a snack cart along the way and I grabbed a chocolate covered frozen banana. That helped stave off my hunger a bit.

DD4 and DD2 really love that playground. I do too but I do not like not being able to see them and they get lost in there so easily!! I was happy when the boys were done because then they had more adults than kids and I didn’t have to be in there. Lol.

DD4 decided she didn’t want to ride Dinosaur so I took DD8 and DS. As we were getting in line I realized we wouldn’t make our PW FP so I went and modified it to start at 3:00. As we waited DD8 grew more and more nervous. She was brave though and went on it (even though she buried her face in my shoulder a lot of the ride).

Once we got off, it was around 3:10 and I called DH to see if they wanted to catch the 3:30 Finding Nemo Musical. He was with DD2 at the Dig Site Section so he asked me to call my parents. I did and they said that sounded good to them. I went and moved our PW FP again and moved it back to 4:10. The littles were unhappy to leave the Boneyard, especially DD4.

By the time we got to the Musical, I decided to run into the bathroom to take the chance to change DD2’s diaper. Got into the theater around 3:23 and got seats no problem but they were in the front section over to the side. Could still see most of the show very well. We all really enjoyed the show and I myself was incredibly impressed with the detail of everything and found the puppets in and of themselves to be mighty impressive.

After the show we went back to Dinoland to use our PW FP. DD8 had no interest so I told the girls we’d try to ride the Triceratops ride all together when we got done. I really felt sick at this point. My head hurt and I think it was from not drinking enough water and being hungry. Unfortunately, we got off around 4:40 and the posted wait was 10 minutes and we didn’t really have time before dinner. Apologized to DD4 and moved on.

We arrived at Yak and Yeti about 4:50 and checked in. I had made reservations for two parties of four but they were able to combine us and seat us all together. This was our favorite meal of the whole trip so far. I don’t know if it was just because we were all so hungry (we were!) or because it was that good but all the food was delicious!! We devoured three appetizers (egg rolls, shrimp and pot stickers), entrees and dessert. I had the chicken tikka masala which was phenomenal. The sauce was delicious. Mango sorbet for dessert which was light and refreshing. I loved the little mango chunks in the sorbet as well as the diced mango around the sorbet itself. DH had the mango pie which I will have to remember for next time. Delicious! I left dinner feeling 100% better.

It was now 6:25. Our FP for Everest expired at 6:30 so DH, DS and I hopped up to move it over there. My folks were going to stay with the girls while they finished dessert but they ended up being done right as we got up to leave so we all went together. My mom and the girls went and stood on the path where you can see the cars going down the track while the rest of us rode. The FP was basically a walk on. I think we were tapping in at 6:32 and off the ride by 6:38. DS LOVED it wanted to ride a second time. Standby was posted at 15 minutes. I asked my dad if he would go meet up with my mom and the girls while we rode again and he said yes! Actual wait time was around 10 minutes. Great timing with the ROL show going on I guess.

After we got off our second ride, we waited while they looked for DS’ lanyard and pins (DH had him take it off on our first ride and forgotten to get it out). They finally found it on the last (and 5th) car that came through! Yay!!

We met back up with everyone and headed to Pandora. I had booked FP for FOP for my parents, DH and DD8. DD8, however, hadn’t ridden River Journey yet and really wanted to so her and DS swapped. My mom didn’t want to ride FOP again (it made her feel sick the first day) and she said she didn’t care if she didn’t ride anything so she just ended up enjoying the nighttime ambiance of Pandora. We went to FOP and set up RS for DD8, DS and myself and then sent the boys up the FOP FP line. Once I saw the green circles the girls and I headed to NRJ. I really do love that ride. It’s so serene and peaceful.

After we got off, we found mama and watched the drum performers for a few minutes and then got in line for a picture in front of the waterfall. Got through that and still hadn’t heard from the boys so we went into the gift shop. DD8 had decided on our first day that she wanted to spend her souvenir money on a banshee so we went to pick one out.

As we prepared to head to check out the boys came out. At this point it was 7:54 and I didn’t know how they handled RS after park close so I hustled DD8 and DS over to the line. DH paid for the banshee and he and my mom took DD4 and DD2 back to the hotel. My dad didn’t ride FOP again but decided to wait for me so he could ride back to the resort with the three of us. While we rode, he walked to the front of the park and checked lost and found for his hat (he left it on FOP on Friday). No luck. Sad day.

The kids and I enjoyed our last ride on FOP. They had DAH at AK beginning at 8:30 this night and I don’t know if they were trying to hurry all the non-ticketed guests through or what but the preshow was really short this time. We didn’t even get decontaminated. It is such a beautiful ride. I was really struck this time by the breeze on my face the whole time. After we were done, DS decided to use the last of his souvenir money (plus some of his allowance) on a staff.

We walked toward the exit and used the restroom before heading to the bus. We did try and see our cute tiny deer pal one more time on the way out but couldn’t see him in his enclosure. The second ROL show had just finished and there was a large crowd leaving at the same time as us so we were worried we’d have a long line for the bus. We literally waited less than a minute for one to arrive after we got to our stop. I have been so impressed with Disney buses the whole trip.

Got home and both DD4 and DD2 were already asleep. I let DS and DD8 play with her banshee for 10 minutes in the bathroom before they got ready for bed. I think they were asleep within 10 minutes of laying down. Pretty amazing day.

Steps: 15,220

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Day 8: Epcot

Woke up around 5:15 this morning so I could shower and get ready before the kids woke up. Snuck out with my cup of coffee at 6:12 and enjoyed it and the view until about 6:20. I think our view has been my favorite part about these MK view rooms. It’s been so peaceful to sit outside and enjoy my coffee and the quiet of the morning. I went in and woke the kids up and got everyone dressed and out the door by 7.

We enjoyed a nice stroll to the TTC and made it through bag check and to the Epcot monorail at 7:15 only to discover it didn’t start running until 7:30! Ugh!! DH gave me a hard time “I could’ve been resting!! What the heck!!” but it was ok. The kids and the men ran around chasing one another and DD2 gave me quite a scare hiding behind a marquee. I went around it to check on her but couldn’t see her. She had snuck out the other side.

They finally opened the ramp to the monorail right at 7:30 but then when we got up there we had to wait a couple minutes for a monorail to arrive and then it was incredibly slow pulling out of the station. By the time we left the station it was close to 7:40 and I was beginning to stress about making our 8:05 ADR at Garden Grill.

As we where riding I noticed my phone slip out of my sweatshirt and made a mental note to grab it before I got off (DD2 was in my lap and I didn’t want to move her to grab it). We disembarked the monorail and went down the ramp to go through bag check again (ugh!!). Made it through and got to the metal detectors and I realized I had forgotten to grab my phone. Ahhh!!! Told DH it was on the monorail. It was 7:57 and I was stressed about being late and stressed they wouldn’t seat us late. DH got frustrated with me when he offered to go get it and I said as much. He assured me they’d seat us and said the best chance to get my phone was to go back right away. I said ok, took the bag and we made it through to The Land.

Arrived at Garden Grill right at 8:03 I think and they sat us immediately. Within 5 minutes (maybe) and before our drinks even came out we had met Dale, Mickey and Pluto. By 8:22 DH was back with my phone and 8 anytime FPs for the day!! He had sat at the station and waited for the Lime monorail to circle back around and while he was waiting he chatted with one of the CM there and he ended up giving him FPs for “our trouble” even though it was entirely of my own doing.

Garden Grill was lovely. The characters were all super interactive. Dale and Mickey came around twice and took the time to stop and play with the kids the second time around. Dale had DD8 put her Minnie jacket ears up and made a big deal of it all. Mickey kissed DD2. Loved it all. We ended up finishing by 8:45-8:50 and sent out first group up the Soarin’ line by 8:54.

By the time our first group came out of the ride it was already 9:14 and I was nervous the other lines would build before we were done with our swap. I decided to go ahead and have us head to Nemo, which was a walk on. A family of 3 was using a FP for it at that time which seemed so silly and unnecessary but their little dude was small so maybe their options were limited. Then, we headed back over to The Land and walked into Living with the Land. After that, DD4, DD8, DS, my dad and I went back to ride Soarin’ (DD4, my dad, and I with our swaps and DD8 and DS with two of our extra FPs). DH and my mom took DD2 over to the Seas to explore their tanks and play in the little play area near Turtle Talk.

By the time we got off of Soarin’, LwtL and Nemo were both posted around 20 minutes and I was feeling really great about my decision. We grabbed cotton candy for DD8 and DS and headed to our Figment FP. That ride is cute and ok I guess but nothing I would wait any significant time in line for. Around 11 we were wanting a snack so we popped into Fountain Place for some coffee and found a shaded seat to relax and enjoy.

Afterward, it was nearing noon and we needed to use our FP for SE. On our first Epcot day, DD2 had accidentally selected Spanish so it was nice to ride again with a language I could understand. Next up was Test Track. I had pre-booked DH, DS, and I on this for FPs but DD8 ended up deciding she wanted to ride it so we used one of our extra FPs for it and set up a swap with my dad, DH and DD4 to ride after. DD4 never did end up riding but DD8 declared it her favorite ride in Epcot (over Soarin’!) and wanted to ride it again so her, DS, DH and my dad rode Test Track again while my mom and me took DD4 and DD2 to Frozen Ever After for our 1:30 FP.

Around 1:45, we all convened back together and got a group picture with our “Today is a Core Memory Day” shirts (so cute even though DD2 was asleep in the stroller) and we parted ways. My folks went to check-in for their 2:15 Behind the Seeds tour and DH and I took the kids back to the Poly to relax for the rest of the day.

There was a monorail pulling in just as we got to the ramp (lime just like the morning) and we were back quickly to the Poly. We let the kids have some iPad time and then gave everyone a shower or a bath. My parents were back in their room by 4:15 but Daddy was in bad shape. He had spent too much time standing in one spot (the monorail had issues when they rode it back and they waited for a good 30 minutes on board before getting to move) and he was in a lot of pain. His leg was hurting so badly he didn’t know if he could walk to the Floridian for dinner. He laid down to rest for a while and then took a shower and said it felt a lot better but headed to dinner around 5:30 to make sure he didn’t need to hurry.

DH and I started working to clean the room up a bit and ordered a pizza via room service around 5:30 and requested it be delivered around 6. The babysitter arrived right at 6 (Michelle was her name and she came prepared with a bracelet making kit and card games). We had just started Toy Story 3 and told her they could watch another when it was over and not to worry about bedtime too much.

DH and I started walking to dinner a few minutes after she arrived. I had been feeling nervous the whole day about leaving the kids with a stranger. Just anxiety and fear rearing their heads but by the time we needed to leave i had settled down and felt comfortable with leaving them with Michelle.

We arrived early at Victoria and Albert’s - 6:15 for our 6:30 ADR and they already had our table set and ready. We were seated right in front of the harpist and the staff even requested my mom and I seat facing her so as to have a better view.

The whole evening was lovely. The harpist played tunes that were familiar and I enjoyed trying to figure them out. Tangled, The Greatest Showman and Mary Poppins Returns all made the playlist. As far as dinner, my dad was in awe all evening of the artistry of it all. Everything was beautifully plated and presented and delicious to taste. My favorite dishes of the evening had to have been the lobster dish (kind of like a soup but not. Round lobster chunks set in an amazing sauce with celery and these little round gelatin like things that had a very strong lobster taste. Amazing.) and the truffle tagliatelle accompaniment that I added onto our main beef course. The coffee was also quite a show. I can’t remember what they called the apparatus…something like a vacuum and it looked a little like a Bunsen burner…it was fascinating to watch it all shoot down to the bottom. I really didn’t feel overly full until the final dish. A rich, decadent chocolate treat that was amazing but put my stomach over the edge. We left around 10:30 and I really thought I would be sick on the way back.

Thankfully, I wasn’t and my stomach ended up settling down. We placed our bets as to who would be asleep when we got back (surely DD4! Probably DD2!) only to be surprised that everyone was still awake! Michelle had been making the girls bracelets (DS was disappointed we came back before his turn) and they had played some Uno (DS won) as well as watched Aladdin and started Coco.

We all fell asleep without setting an alarm for the next morning. Truly fantastic day.

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Love your report—- I LOLed because my DD2 set the language to French on spaceship earth. It was my DHs only time ever on the ride and no idea what it said. Haha

Thanks for writing sounds like a great trip.

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Really loving your report!! I love all of your details and pictures too :slight_smile:

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My son pulled his tooth at Disney and proudly announced to many a CM/visitor that Disney was Magic and he knew Tinker Bell would bring him $20 for that tooth b/c everything costs more at Disney. Guess who got $20 for that tooth?

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We have 3 boys and 1 girl too. Mine span a wider age range (8-17 now) but still a crazy crew. Disney with a big family is so much fun (and expensive! :slight_smile: ).

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Day 9: Magic Kingdom

We didn’t set an alarm for today as we had DAH coming up tonight as well as a late night for everyone the night before. Everyone ended up being awake on their own between 7:30/8. The kids just ate on the snacks I had bought for breakfast (unfortunately the last pack of apple slices had freezer burn from the fridge somehow) and we decided to try out the pool. My parents decided to take the boat over to MK to grab some Starbucks.

Got over to the Volcano pool around 8:50 only to discover it didn’t open until 10. No bother! We walked over to the Oasis Pool which had opened at 7. Grabbed floaties for DD4 and DD2. We still could never find ones weighted for under 30 lbs even though I swear I read they had them on the website so we still had to make sure we could hold onto DD2. Well, DH did. I had decided not to swim and really just wanted to watch and relax.

The Oasis Pool ended up being really nice for the kids. DD8 could walk all the way across and her and DS just kind of played and splashed around. DS pretended to be the king of the pool which was funny! DD2 and DD4 took turns jumping into the pool and playing with a beach ball the resort had out in the pool. A pair of ducks flew in the pool and DH scared them away the first time. The second time the resort employees were out there and didn’t seem to mind so he just decided to leave them alone. They didn’t stay in the pool for too long. I tried to sit in one of the cabanas that had a sign on them directing you to reserve them for the day and I had an employee ask me to move since I hadn’t paid the $35 or whatever it was.

Around 9:50 or so the big kids were getting bored in that pool so we moseyed over to the Volcano Pool, found new floaties for the girls and waited to get the ok from the lifeguards to let the kids loose. DD8 and DS wanted to go straight to the Volcano slide and the little girls wanted to play at the splash pad area so DH and I split up. We all really enjoyed this pool. DD2 and DD4 spent their whole time going down the tunnel slide. DD2 couldn’t quite get herself all of the wait out so I would watch pretty carefully for her coming down so I could pull her out before the next kid did. Every time I did she would shout “thank you monster pants!!” and run off to go down again. DD8 and DS also spent their whole time on the Volcano slide and made a point to scream the whole way down. Which illustrated to me how long that thing is! The kids convinced DH to go down one time and he confirmed that the slide is, in fact, long!

My dad returned with DH and I’s Starbucks order while we were there. My mom had decided to stay at the MK and do some shopping, watch the random distractions on Main Street and soak in the atmosphere.

We got the kids out of the pool around 10:45 and had them rinse off in the shower before heading back to the room. We had two BOG ADRs for 4 at 1:25 and 1:40 so I went ahead and placed our pre-order.

I hadn’t planned on us being in the park until our lunch reservation but everyone was dressed and ready to go around 11:30 so we went ahead and headed over. There was some debate on which transportation method was preferred so we ended up splitting up to do a test. DS, DD2 and I took the boat and DH, DD8 and DD4 took the monorail.

A boat pulled in as we were walking up to the dock and we boarded immediately. After we got off the boat and went through bag check I remembered my fingerprint was linked to DD4’s MB and called DH to ask him if he wanted us to wait for them before we went in. He said it’d be fine and he’d just ask them to take her picture (which they did) so we went along.

16 minutes after getting into the boat at the Poly we were stepping into the Fire Station on Main Street and grabbing some SotMK cards. I asked them to set up DS as our Key Master. They had us begin our quest in Fantasyland which worked nicely with our lunch plans. We went to meet my parents at a table outside The Plaza and to wait for the others while DS studied the portal map for SotMK. My mom had some success with souvenirs today and had purchased a crystal trinket of some sort for her friend back home as a thank you for watching our dogs.

DH and the girls made it to the yellow umbrellas and we headed into Fantasyland to play around 12:20. I was so excited for them to play this game because I had read so many good things about it but it ended up kind of falling flat with my kids. We bounced around at three portals between the castle and the carousel. It was a little difficult to tell whether or not the kids’ spells were being cast or not. The first portal was Flotsum and Jetsum and we didn’t defeat them after three tries, got sent to another portal and then went back to the first one. DD8 was cranky because she didn’t think it was fair that DS was the Key Master and wanted to be the sole spell caster which I told her wouldn’t be fair. Anyway, probably mainly everyone was grumpy because we hadn’t had a proper breakfast and it was now pushing 1:00 and we were hungry. Plus, it was hot today. In the 80s and we were feeling it’s toll.

At about 10 till 1 we noticed that the sword in the stone was uncovered (it was covered up when we went last October and the kids were disappointed). They got excited to try it. DD8 and DS both got a chance to pull (unsuccessfully) but before DD4 and DD2 could two CMs in costume came up and asked them kindly to step down as they were about to start a show.

Oh my word! This portion of our day was so hilarious. These two characters…the Royal Majesty Makers…squire Tobias and the kind Lady Llewellyn were just wonderful! They picked a fellow out of the crowd to come pull the sword from the stone and were simply giddy at his appearance assured that he would be the one! Unfortunately, not so. And THEN they selected DH!!! Oh my gosh. He was so embarrassed!!! Lol!!! Lady Llewelyn said “oh my there is just something in your eye!” and as Tobias stood shouting “courage! Honor!!” she exclaimed “IT’S ME!!!” DH pulled hard on the sword but, alas, it wouldn’t budge. Finally, two children (both 3, a boy and a girl) were selected and (surprise!!) they were able to pull the sword from the stone!! They were immediately rewarded with some sort of special title - I can’t remember the name of. Honestly, perhaps one of the highlights of our trip seeing DH up on the stage.

Now, as everyone was crying “I’m hungry!!”, it was time to check in for our first BOG ADR. Yay!! They seem to think that me ordering all 8 of our food on one of the reservations was a bit odd but they didn’t really give me a hard time. They handed us a yellow rose and a red rose (I guess for both ADRs) to denote our pre-order status I guess. We walked across the bridge to find another line. Just waiting to be called into the restaurant when cleared I guess. We waited maybe 5 minutes and were called inside and I was thankful I had preordered because there was another lengthy line to order once we made it inside.

There were two tables already pushed together but being cleaned so we just waited on that and grabbed it. It was in the main ballroom and that ended up being just fine. I took DD8 and DD4 into the West Wing while we waited on our food. The food was just ok. I had a turkey sandwich, my parents had the veggie quiche and DH had the braised pork. I ordered 4 cupcakes thinking we could split them between the 8 of us. Should’ve ordered more. They weren’t nearly as big as the one I had bought at Creature Comforts a few days before and we didn’t really have enough for everyone to get what they wanted.

All in all, this is a good option for quick service for sure but the food is just decent, albeit above average quality for park food.

We we walking out of the restaurant around 2:10. I hadn’t wanted to feel rushed and didn’t book fastpasses to start until 3:20. The park felt really crowded and DH needed to call in for a work meeting at 2:30 so we decided to pop over to Tom Sawyer Island. My mom had left her crystal purchase at the store to pick up later (they were open until 10) but since we had extra time (and my dad would take any excuse for an extra boat ride) my dad offered to pick up her gift and run it back over to the resort. I have faint memories of TSI from my family’s one trip we took when I was a child. I remembered the caves and thinking it was so neat. My kids loved it!! What a fantastic little spot to escape the crowds. The raft ride over took maybe 2 minutes and we spent a good hour and a half exploring the island. The kids loved all of it. I mean, everything. The trails, the mine, the fort with the little escape route and the bunkers with the rifles. They pretended to shoot at BTMRR (don’t worry, it was down and these guns are fake). DD2 liked looking at the cows in the fort and the sleeping man in the jail. I really loved this part of our day. Nice and quiet. It felt like we had the place practically to ourselves. Very few people around and it was the perfect spot for DH to make his work call.

My dad made it back to the park and was standing across from the raft entrance to come join us when the parade started and blocked his path a bit. As he waited, I noticed that DD2 needed a diaper and realized we forgot to put them back in the backpack before we headed over this morning!! Ahh!! I called my dad and he offered to go back to the Poly (yay!! Another boat ride!) to grab a couple. Of course, as soon as I hang up the Liners on Chat remind me about the Baby Care Centers and the diapers for purchase there. I try and call my dad back but he’s walking and doesn’t look at his phone until he’s lined up to get back on the boat. He decides to go ahead and grab them from the hotel since he’s already half way there. I am bummed he doesn’t get to enjoy TSI with us because it is his style out there but he really doesn’t mind and I thank him for his willingness to help.

Around 3:45 we start trying to get the kids to head back to the rafts. Our ETwB FP window ends at 4:20 and I know we may be pushing it to make it on time since we have to hike through the congested park to get there. We honestly could’ve stayed on TSI for another hour and been happy.

We made it over to ETwB and my dad met us there just in time to punch in for the end of our FP window. When we got inside they encouraged all of the kids to go up to the very front and (once all the kids were up there) the littlest ones to the absolute front which I really appreciated. This is still cute but I think it’ll for sure be the last time my bigs do it and perhaps the last time for DD4 also. They all were content to sit and watch which I feel like negates some of the “this is so cute and fun!” aspect of this attraction when they lack a desire to participate. Still a cute show and they enjoyed taking a picture with Belle at the end (well except for DS who was adamantly against taking pictures with the princesses the whole trip).

I had booked simultaneous FPs for Splash and BTMRR from 4:20-5:20. We made it over to Frontierland around 5:05 and I knew we needed to punch in quickly for BTMRR so we could make it over to Splash before our FP expired. DS, my dad, and I rode first and then DH, my mom and DD8 rode second with a swap. DD8 was nervous but decided to face her fear and asked my mom to go with her so she could be brave. My mom did but didn’t like it and ended up having to sit out on Splash to give her stomach a rest.

DD8 decided that BTMRR was her new favorite ride!! Once the second group got off it was 5:28 and we leaned on that 10 minute grace period and punched into Splash Mountain right at 5:30. We got a Rider Swap for my dad, my mom and DD8 while DH, DD4, DS and I rode first. The grandparents took the girls to play at the playground while we rode. DD4 really loves the animals and the story of Splash but really isn’t a fan of the big drop. Like, not at all. She hid her head in my lap as soon as we started up the ramp to go down and didn’t look up until we were all the way down the drop.

When we left to ride DD8 had been saying she probably wouldn’t want to ride it and my mom was nodding a hard no as her stomach was still recovering. And my stomach was getting hungry so I thought we’d head to the dessert party after we were done on Splash. But, when we got off DD8 had determined that she wanted to be brave and begged me to ride again with her. I agreed and my dad and I hopped into line with her while DH and mama took the other kids to find some popcorn to snack on.

It ended up being good for me to go with DD8 since I had just ridden it I was able to help her anticipate which drops were small, medium and the big, final drop which she was most scared of. As we rode she would rate each drop with a thumbs up, thumbs down or a fist (which meant she kind of liked it and kind of didn’t) and she didn’t give a single drop a thumbs down!! Seriously, so proud of her. She even said afterward that she wanted to ride it again!! Never would I have thought. Amazing! Unfortunately, the sun had sank, the temp had dropped considerably and I had gotten quite a bit more wet on my second ride than I had on my first and I ended up spending the next hour or so with a wet backside.

By now it was about 6:25. I had a FP for Pirates that expired at 6:20 and we probably would’ve had time to make it. We all decided we could ride it during DAH if we wanted and headed toward the dessert party instead. I had originally booked the After Fireworks Dessert Party but switched it after deciding to purchase DAH tickets. Tomorrowland Terrace was pretty crowded when we arrived but they had assigned tables and someone escorted us straight there. The lines when we got there were fairy long but they cleared out quickly and when we went back for seconds (and thirds) it had all but disappeared.

Dessert was good. They had a fair amount of non-dessert options including fruit, cheese, crackers, and cheeseburger egg rolls. My favorite dessert was the s’more. It was a warmed marshmallow rolled in chocolate shavings and graham cracker crumbs. Delicious!! DD8 and DD4 went over to the ice cream station at least four times seeking marischino cherries. Every time she’d see them she’d exclaim “oh you again! How many would you like this time?” The girls were so giddy.

They started making announcements for folks to head to the viewing area for OUAT. We weren’t in a hurry to see it so we lingered and enjoyed our coffee. During the party, I asked three different people what we needed to do to check into DAH. One said we needed to all go to Guest Services at the front of the park. A second person at first told me that we needed to go to Laugh Floor to check in but later told me that check-in was only necessary if we were DVC members. She said if we weren’t then the DAH tickets should just be linked to our MBs and we didn’t need to do anything to check-in, just start scanning at the FP line for rides once the event started. This really didn’t sound right to me but it was for sure the easiest option and I figured since she had double checked then perhaps it was correct. I’d regret this in about an hour.

Around 7:50 we made our way to the viewing area. Great spot and plenty of room. So much so that we didn’t feel cramped with our double stroller (as did several other families) and had space to set our backpack down. I have been inside the park a couple of times now for HEA but this was the first time I’ve been able to see the whole thing facing the castle. I really am astounded at the team that puts it together! Just thinking of all the different components (projections, music, fireworks) is amazing.

I don’t understand why DAH ran 8-11 instead of 8:30-11:30 that evening because once we made it out of the viewing area and swam against stream with the crowds it was 8:25/8:30 before we made it back to our first ride. We had decided to assign each adult a riding buddy for the evening. My parents were paired with DD4 and DD2, DD8 and I were buddies and DS and DH were as well. DS wanted to head to Space Mountain first thing and DD8 was excited to stick with her little sisters. She loves seeing them enjoy things and was excited to ride some Fantasyland attractions with them.

While the boys headed to Tomorrowland the rest of us headed to WtP where she asked to see our wristbands for DAH. Crap. I told her what was communicated to us and she kindly let us through the line but informed us we needed to pick up those bands to be allowed onto anything else the rest of the night. I thanked her and said ok.

While we walked through the queue, DH called me and said they had been turned away at Space and were walking over to the check-in station at Laugh Floor. He then called me back and said that they had got their bands but couldn’t get ours for us. He then also told me that they would leave by 8:40 and the check-in would have to be done at Guest Services ($*#!)! I think we got off of WtP around 8:35 and started booking it to Tomorrowland (which is hard with grandparents and a 2, 4 and 8 year old!!) while DH was trying to call me to tell me they said they would wait for us. I didn’t realize this of course and was power walking to make it there at 8:39! Ugh. So stressful. But now we all have bands and the night can continue.

DH and DS finally head off to Space. The rest of us hop on PeopleMover. We happen to get on Buzz at the same time as the boys after PM. Then, the boys head back to ride Space again and we go to FL. Teacups all together. I then tell DD8 we should go try and ride 7D (she rode it last year and hated it but has been brave all day). She agrees and my parents head to Dumbo with the littles. 7D was posted at 25 minutes. About 3 minutes after we got in line the ride shut down and never reopened. So bummed! Oh well. DD8 wants to go to BTMRR anyway. We head there and ride 4 times in a row (DS and DH join us for the second two rides after riding Pirates all by themselves and yelling “Dead Men Tell No Tales!!!” as loud as they could the whole time)! DD8 doesn’t want to leave but I wanted to go back to FL and convince her to go to see if 7D is back up.

While we were at Big Thunder my parents rode IASW and PPF with the little girls before they started to crash. They ended up taking them back to the resort around 10 and caught the last monorail of the day.

Heading back into FL we stopped to grab Mickey Bars (one person in front of us in line). DS and DH went to HM and we went to IASW. Then we rode PPF all together.

After this, DH and DS headed back to Space one last time. 7D was still down after PPF so we headed back to Big Thunder. On the way, I noticed the Lantern pic line was completely empty and asked DD8 to take a quick picture with me. After we made it on Big Thunder two more times. The last time we sprinted out of the ride to circle back around to the front. They had just sent one last couple up the queue and were closing it off when they saw us and waved us in at 11:01. Made DD8’s whole night being the last one in line!

We met up with the boys and were on the bus back to the Poly by 11:25. Stopped at the Contemporary, TTC and then the Poly. DS was falling asleep on the bus. In our room before midnight. Great day!

Steps: 23,183

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OMG! Too funny!! :laughing:

I’m loving your trip report, sounds like a brilliant trip

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#gottoddlered

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Funny story… I have been reading your trip report and when you mentioned super bowl Sunday I realized we were at magic kingdom on the same day. We also had a 11:30 Crystal palace lunch. I just watched the video of my kids doing the parade and saw your family. I remember seeing those shirts on our trip and wasn’t sure if they were homemade!

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I love your trip report! Don’t ever say that you’re not a good writer again! I love writing trip reports so that I document the trip, too. Loved the idea of one adult to one kid on the late night at MK. I would have loved that as a kid!

No way!!! That is so funny!

You are so kind!! Thank you.

And it was fun having a buddy. I hope the kids remember it as a happy day! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Day 10: Magic Kingdom and Home

After a late night you’d think I’d be itching for some extra rest! Nope! I think I woke up sometime between 6-6:30, showered, enjoy my last morning coffee with that perfect view, packed 4 suitcases, dressed 1 kid and asked my husband and parents to do the rest of the packing. I hadn’t been able to do any shopping on my own yet and was hoping to spend some time without the kids to do so (they had spent all of their souvenir money already and I didn’t want to deal with them shopping and crowing “not fair!” at me). I made it out to the boat dock around 8:10. I really loved this as a transport option to MK. It was always so peaceful and serene boating up to the dock. A group of three ladies were on the boat with me but otherwise it was empty.

I made it through security, taps, Guest Services, the Starbucks line and over to the Emporium by 8:50. I had hoped to receive some anytime FPs for 7D being down during DAH the night before. The CM who helped me wasn’t willing to offer me anything compensatory which was slightly disappointing. She commented that I already had a FP booked for 7D this morning and didn’t seem to understand why that wasn’t satisfactory (because my kids want to ride stuff over and over! Hence, DAH! Sigh.). I did, in fact, have a 7D FP booked but I booked it too early (9:05 start time) after our late night and told her I wasn’t expecting my family to make it over in time to use it. She offered to try and modify it for me (she couldn’t) and assured me that if we missed our window we could go back to GS and they’d make sure we were able to ride it today. Eye roll. Doubted we’d have time in our day to make it all the way back to the front of the park. Oh well. I was able to modify it back to 9:25 while in line for Starbucks so I thought that maybe might help us make it.

One of my friends at home had asked me to get some Mickey ears for her son (he’s currently Mickey obsessed) so I grab some of those, Minnie ears for my niece, and a 2019 zip hoodie and coffee mug for me. I really liked the design of all the 2019 merch and am happy with my hoodie although since I’ve been home I’ve remembered why I shouldn’t purchase white clothing. Oh well! Still cute! I asked the clerk if I could have my merchandise held for pickup later and he said it would he available for pick up anytime after noon at The Chamber of Commerce. As he prepared the paperwork to send with my stuff I got a text from DH saying my dad was on his way over with DD4 and DD2.

My dad then texted to say they were inside the park and asked me if it was ok to take the girls to PM (their request). I said sure and headed that way to meet them when my shopping was done. I love my girls’ ages right now. When they saw me at the bottom of the ramp coming off the PM they just lit up! And wanted to ride it again with me…ok!

As we were on PM I got a text from DH saying he and my mom were heading over with the bigs. They were at the monorail station at 9:30 so I thought maybe we’d make our 7D FP after all!

My dad and I headed into FL with the littles and rode the teacups and the carousel (DD2’s fav!! “I go up and down mama!”). I tired to convince DD4 to wait in line to meet Rapunzel (a relatively recent favorite at our house) as the line was posted at only 20 minutes but she didn’t want to wait. At this point, everyone else was inside the park and picking up Starbucks for the rest of the group as no one had really eaten breakfast yet. DD4 and DD2 wanted to ride the teacups again so they rode with my dad while I walked to meet up with everyone else. We sat down outside Cosmic’s Rays and I encouraged DS and DD8 to eat quickly as it was already 10:25 and we needed to hustle to make our FP. When they were almost done eating I got a notification that our FP had just converted to an anytime FP and 7D was shut down (story of the last 12 hours!!). I was thankful though as that allowed us to sit under the shade, eat and let the kids be silly and play with our bubble wand.

After resting, it was time to head to the girls’ BBB appointment. They (especially DD8) had been most looking forward to this than anything else this trip! I had booked FPs for the boys to ride Space Mountain while we were at our appointment so they headed to Tomorrowland, caught the CoP for a second time this trip and took their ride.

I think we checked in at 10:45-10:50 for our 11:00 appointment. They asked me if I wanted them to be seated as soon as possible or it I’d want to wait perhaps a bit longer so they could sit together. I told them I’d wait. They called them back to change. I had bought their dresses and accessories from home and was glad I did. I didn’t look at the selection at Castle Couture and I’m sure they had more there but BBB had a pretty limited dress selection. DD4 selected the Cinderella bun for her hair and DD8 picked the Rapunzel style braid. One thing I forgot to do was remove their polish so their nails were clean. They painted over what they already had on and it was thick enough to cover the old polish but I wished I had remembered to have their nails clean. Their fairy godmothers were each so sweet. Making conversation with them and taking the time to ask them questions about themselves and their family, taking note to acknowledge DD2 (their “princess in training”). We didn’t feel rushed at all throughout the whole process but it was done fairly quickly. They had sat down in their chairs at 11:05 and were done by 11:33. They made a big deal when they were done to announce them to the whole place “presenting Princess Ariel!!” “Presenting Princess Alexis!” and made a point to ask each of them how they wanted to be announced. There were several photo pass photographers there who took pictures of both girls (and each gave me a card to scan to upload the pictures to MDE). They were also given little drawstring backpacks to carry all of their makeup and polish from their appointment which they just though was so cool.

After we finished, we went next door and did their little photo session at Castle Couture. Those pictures turned out sweet and I know I’ll treasure them forever despite some of their expressions being very obviously “we feel super posed and unnatural right now”.

We went to find the boys. The girls were so excited to show off their princess duds and looked at my husband with this look of “don’t I look pretty daddy?” We had a 1:00 ADR at CRT and it was around 12:10 so we decided to go ahead and use our anytime FP for 7D. I had booked FP for myself, DD8, DD4 and my mom to ride and planned on my dad, DS and DH to ride with a swap. This was the ONLY time the entire trip we received any pushback doing this. We went to set up the RS and the CM asked us if we all had FPs for the ride or just the first group. I told her just the first group and she said she’d let us all through this time but for next time we all needed to have FPs for the ride. Which…I get this is controversial…but completely defeats the purpose of setting up a RS. Anyway, DD4 decided she didn’t want to ride it, so we had DS swap bands with her and then put a RS on DH, my dad and DD8’s bands.

DD8 was feeling nervous but was brave and rode with her Mimi. My mom really likes this coaster. She loves that it’s so smooth and it doesn’t affect her motion sickness issues. DD8 gave it a “I sorta liked it” approval but wanted to ride it again so I think she liked it more than she let on. DH had bought some pretzels and fruit snacks to munch on when we were riding so we snacked on those while the second group rode.

After they got off, we went and rode PPF all together with our second FP before checking in for our CRT lunch. I think we got there around 12:45 and they wouldn’t let us check in until 12:55 so we just sat down in that breezeway and admired the murals on the wall. They really are beautiful.

I think CRT must be set up to take large groups of reservations up in waves because we were called back right on time, were the only ones in the room initially to take pictures with Cindy and by the time the called us upstairs the room had filled and was quite full. The princesses weren’t circulating yet at all when we sat down. I liked the table we had. Not directly next to a window but a table over and we had a nice view looking out at the carousel and the rest of FL.

Lunch was pretty good. The kids got mac n cheese (a constant meal the entire trip for them) and the adults all ended up getting the same thing I think although as I’m writing this I can’t remember what it was. The princesses were all pretty interactive and Ariel and Jasmine were especially conversational as they took notice of DD4 and DD8’s dresses. DS refused to get up at all for pictures with them and even stuck his tongue out at Ariel when she asked! Lol!

By the time we finished our lunch it was 2:30. I had split our last group of FPs between Big Thunder (for DH, my dad and DS) and Meeting Ariel (for the girls) which I thought would be fun with DD4 all dressed up as Ariel. Our windows ended at 2:40 :grimacing: DD8 really wanted to go on Big Thunder and my dad said she could use his FP but we told her she’d have to ride by herself since DS wasn’t old enough to do so yet. She said that was fine. My mom really wanted to stake out a spot to watch the parade so she forwent her last FP and her and my dad took DD2 to find a shady spot. DD4 and I went over to the Grotto and met Ariel. This was a super sweet character meet. Ariel commented on her dress and hair and asking all these silly questions that made DD4 smile. After we got off I told DD4 we needed to go meet up with my parents so we could watch the parade. She really wanted to ride Dumbo. I told her that was fine with me as long as she realized we’d be missing the parade. She said it was ok (which made me a little sad because she adored the parade last year) and I grabbed us a FP on Dumbo real quick. As we waited to board I found us a FP to meet Rapunzel but realized when we got off the ride that we just didn’t have anymore time. I sadly dropped it and mourned the last ride of the trip.

We went to find the rest of our group (DD8, DS and DH had found my folks) under a tree near Cosmic Ray’s and caught the end of the parade. We saw the Peter Pan float, the random float with Fastasia characters and Maleficient (was so glad she was back for our trip!!!)

After the parade, we went to grab my souvenirs and hopped onto the boat for our last ride across the lake. We were on our Mears heading to the airport by 4:30.

We said when we left that we’ll probably wait two or three years to return. It would be nice to wait to go back when everyone is tall enough to not have to worry about RS and splitting up but we shall see. DS has already requested to go back with just me for his birthday in July. I also have a trip booked for May as a kick off to our summer that I told DH I was going to cancel. But…I haven’t yet.

Thanks for reading our families’ trip report. I will post some final thoughts here in a bit. We really had a magical vacation. Lots of sweet memories I will remember for the rest of my life. See ya real soon, friends!

Steps: 9,346

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Final Thoughts and Tidbits:

  • my family doesn’t tour like I would by myself. We need snack breaks and time to regroup and figure out what we’re doing next. I shouldn’t plan for a TP that continuously goes from one activity to another. It literally assumes that is what you are doing and that is just not practical for anyone period. Especially 8 anyones all traveling in a small pack. Next time I need to add breaks in every two or three steps.
  • I would abso-freaking-lutely go for 10 days again. It was just the perfect amount of time to be there for us. We didn’t see everything of course but saw plenty of what we wanted without having to run around like crazy people to do so. And by the end I was ready to go home.
  • I wouldn’t plan a trip in January/February for the “low season” because I just don’t think it’s really there. Kind of like unicorns. They seem like they’d be so beautiful and lovely but, alas, are just a fantasy. Same with chasing the “low” crowds at Disney during these months. At least, this is my experience between 5 days in January 2018 and 10 days in February this year.
    I WOULD however plan a trip during this time of the year for the weather. Holy amazing. Almost perfect the entire trip. It rained twice - in 10 days - and we needed only light jackets the whole time. Even our last two warmer days yielded minimal perspiration and I was comfy in my jeans.
  • I am so thankful for RS but it is such a drag on the day. I can’t wait until my littlest is about a foot taller. :upside_down_face:
  • if we stay in the MK or EP areas next time I think park hoppers will be purchased. There were a couple of days on our trip where we had free time and someone just wanted to go across the lake to MK to sit in the magical atmosphere and we couldn’t because we didn’t have hoppers.
  • DH made the comment during MK DAH that if Disney was like that all of the time he’d want to go all the time!! He just really despises the crowds - when he was walking with DS and DD8 on our last day he actually had someone pass by them who put his hand on my son’s face to kind of push past him. He showed great restraint in only grabbing the guy by the collar and calmly letting him know he wasn’t allowed to touch his kid! That papa bear came out! I digress. Anyway…all this to say, I wish Disney would change their FP system. I like Universal’s a lot better. I know it isn’t free there but Disney is essentially doing the same thing by charging for unlimited FPs in 3 hour chunks (instead of the whole day) with DAH and EMM events. I also know this wouldn’t necessarily make the parks less crowded. But I think we would pay the premium for all day FPs for sure and then be able to accomplish everything in a fraction of the time I think.
  • I had read all of these opinions on what rides have value and what rides don’t. The carousel was one ride that didn’t according to what I had read. But you know what? It lit up my little two-year-old’s face and that made it incredibly valuable to me on our trip. I think it’s good to research what rides draw what kind of crowd to plan your day but don’t be afraid to change them to meet your group’s desires. If your kid’s favorite ride is the teacups then their day is made riding those 5 times during the day even if you could’ve spent that time riding all of the mountains in MK.

Alright y’all. If you read this whole mess of a report you get a gold star! :star2: Thanks for letting me relive the magic. :heart::european_castle:

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