Spring Break Trip Report March 13-20

[Becky75]

We recently returned from our third trip to WDW. I enjoy writing a trip report to re-live the fun and so that I can re-read it in between trips. I originally booked this trip in August 2019 for a July 2020 trip for DD’s eighth birthday. I rented DVC points through DVC-Rental to stay at BCV. We had to reschedule the trip because of COVID as the parks re-opened on the day that we were originally supposed to check out. This was the second time that I have used DVC-Rental, and they were great and quickly had us re-booked at BCV for Spring Break. This trip included myself, DD8 and my parents who are in their early 70s. I was a little apprehensive about a Spring Break trip, but we had a fantastic time!!

Day 1 – Saturday, March 13

We had a direct flight on SWA from Indianapolis to MCO. We arrived at MCO around 2:30 pm. We retrieved our luggage and made our way to DME. There were long lines at DME, so we had to wait awhile until we finally boarded our bus. Once we boarded, we were quickly off to BC/YC!

Our Amazon Prime Now order had already been delivered. Unfortunately, our room was still not ready when we arrived at BC. It was approaching 5:00, and we wanted to get over to Epcot. So we headed to the bathroom in the BC lobby to get park ready and then left our bags with bell services. Naturally, I got the room ready text within a few minutes of being inside Epcot. I did not get my room request, but we still received a room in a great location on the second floor close to the elevator.

The goal was to do a couple of lower priority/wait rides before our dinner reservation at VN. We first stopped at the World Traveler store to purchase a Spike scavenger hunt map. DD8 absolutely loves doing the scavenger hunts at Epcot on each of our trips. Alice was out when we walked past the UK, so we stopped there to chat & take pics with Alice.

We then walked up to the Land pavilion to ride LWTL. Next, we headed across to do Mission Space Green. Then we made our way back to World Showcase. We leisurely made the stroll from Mexico down to Italy stopping along the way to browse various kiosks, take pics, and find Spike. We were fortunate to come across Anna while in Norway so we stopped there to chat & take pics with Anna.

We arrived at VN for our 6:45 dinner reservation and were seated right away. We have eaten here before and still very much enjoyed our pizza and salad. However, we were seated inside this time and realized that I prefer the ambiance of dining outside at VN. It was fairly dead inside as apparently their ovens stop making pizza at 7:00. I will definitely request an outside table next time we eat here.

I suggested the possibility of riding FEA after dinner, but the group was tired and not wanting to wait in that line. We enjoyed the nice stroll around to the IG and back to BCV. Once inside our room, I called bell services, and they quickly delivered all our groceries and luggage. It was a great start to our trip! And now we were off to bed, ready for an early Sunday morning with the time change and trying to get a ROTR boarding pass!

[wolfpackfam]

Looks like you had a great start.

[Becky75]

Day 2 – Sunday, March 14

I was up bright and early to try to secure a boarding group for ROTR on Sunday. I checked the speed on my phone using WiFi vs data in our room, in the drawing room off the BCV lobby and in the main BC lobby. I ended up using WiFi while sitting in the drawing room and secured boarding group 58. Yay! Quick stop at the marketplace to get caffeine and then back to the room to get the troops ready.

It took about 25 minutes to walk to HS with my somewhat slower group. Still, we were quickly in the park and headed straight to TSL. DD8 does not do coasters, so we typically split up when it comes time for them. My dad & I started with SDD. TSL opened shortly after our last trip in 2018, so this was our first time on SDD. So cute, loved it! While we did SDD, DD8 and my mom did ASS x2. They let them stay on for the second ride which DD8 thought was really cool. Next, we all did TSM and then ASS again. If you have ever wondered who they made ASS for, it was my DD8. She absolutely LOVES that ride!

We then headed into Galaxy’s Edge and did MFSR. From there, we walked over to do ST. And then into the next showing of Muppets. ST and Muppets remain huge favorites of DD8. Such a smooth, great start to our day, it was now just 11:00. We still had some time to kill before our boarding group, so we decided to take a break in the Indiana Jones theater. This is the BEST spot for a break! There was no one else in there, cool with huge fans running.

After enjoying a nice break, we walked back to Galaxy’s Edge for some exploration and pics. They called boarding group 58 at 11:40, and we immediately got in line. Just as everyone says, this ride is hugely impressive the first time you experience it. And for anyone else who has kids that are not thrill riders, my DD8 was fine and really enjoyed it.

Based on how long the ROTR line took, I knew that we were going to be late for our lunch reservation. We had a 12:15 ADR for H&V and did not arrive until 12:30. However, they were very nice, and we had just a short wait before being seated. DD8 is a HUGE character person. On our previous trips, we have always met a lot of characters in the parks and done several character meals. So I decided on H&V as our one character meal for this trip. We ate here on our first trip in 2016, but I was looking forward to the menu changes.

The food was decent. I had the beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes and green beans. The characters do a good job of making their way to each table and posing for pictures. We actually saw Goofy & Pluto more than once. After lunch, we took a trip on the Skyliner back to the IG for a mid-day break.

Once back to BCV, I took DD8 down to SAB. She had a blast making friends, swimming, doing the waterslide, etc. I think we headed back to the room around 5:00 to get ready to go back to HS for the evening. The plan was to take the boat back to HS. However, once the boat arrived no one got off at BC/YC, and they said the boat was full. Literally every single person in line turned around and started to make the walk to HS.

In retrospect, I probably should have insisted that we just wait for the next boat. But we wanted to get back to HS since it closed at 8:00, so we made the walk back over. I think it was during this walk that I agreed that I would order a stroller for DD8. I was enjoying our first stroller free trip to this point, but I could see that DD8 was not going to make it all week.

After arriving back at HS, we headed to MMRR. This ride is adorable, and we all really liked it a lot. After that, we stopped for a Mickey pretzel break. Next, we walked over to do ST again. And then DD8 chose to end the night in TSL. We all did TSM and ASS again. I informed DD8 that she was now old enough to ride by herself. So she did ASS two more times by herself to end the night, including hopping back in line for the final ride just before 8:00. She LOVED this! Final tally for the day for DD8 of ASS x6!

We then headed out of the park and waited to get on the boat back to BCV. Our group was super tired, so there was definitely no walking back this time. As soon as we got back to the room, I hopped on the Kingdom Strollers website and ordered a stroller to be delivered on Monday. It was a long but successful and fun day at HS!

[Becky75]

Day 3 – Monday, March 15

We slept in a bit on Monday and then made the walk over to the IG for Epcot RD. DD8’s faves are Soarin’ and FEA, so I decided to start with those rides. We headed to Norway first and walked onto FEA. We then hustled up to the Land pavilion and got in line for Soarin’. We had been in line for just a few minutes when they cleared the line and announced that the ride was down for technical difficulties. We soon learned that today was NOT the day to start your morning at Epcot.

Power Outage in Epcot closes several attractions | Chip and Company

We made the walk around to Test Track, and the line was INSANE. It was backed up practically to the main walkway into the World Showcase. We kept walking up to SE and got in line. We rode SE, and then my plan was to go into the Seas pavilion since I could see that the Nemo ride was still down on MDE. We headed that way, and that’s when I finally spoke to a CM and learned that the entire Seas and Land pavilions were without power.

We were already hot and tired at this point, so I got DD8 a frozen treat and we sat across from the Seas pavilion for a break. At some point while we were sitting there, Soarin’ finally came back online, and the line for the Land pavilion stretched past the entrance to the Nemo ride. So crazy! We bailed to head back down to the World Showcase.

We stopped in Mouse Gears for some shopping. I got a cooling towel, which really helped & came in handy over the next few days. And then we headed to the F&G booths for lunch. We got items from a couple of booths and stopped to eat at a table at the Honey Bee-stro. DD8 really wanted to go to the butterfly tent, so we did that next. She absolutely loves spending time in the butterfly tent and loved it once again. We also saw Pooh with his butterfly net outside the tent. So cute!

We noticed that there was now a short wait time at Figment, so we did that ride next. And now it was time to head back to BCV for a mid-day break, and I had to meet Kingdom Strollers at 3pm to pick up the stroller. I got the stroller, and we spent a couple of hours at SAB. We then headed back to Epcot between 5:30-6:00. The goal was to stroll World Showcase and enjoy F&G booths for dinner and ride Soarin’ and Test Track.

We started in France this time and enjoyed the walk around World Showcase. Stopping along the way to try various items at F&G booths, take lots of pics and finish up the scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt was a HUGE hit once again (we had previously stopped to choose a prize). All the food that I tried on this day was very good. My favorite item was the spicy shrimp & crab from Japan. So good, definitely could have eaten more of these!

Once we completed World Showcase, we headed up to the Land pavilion to ride Soarin’. The line was quite reasonable at this point. DD8 did not want to stay to ride Test Track, so my mom took her back to BCV. My dad and I then walked over to get in line for TT. The posted wait was 80 minutes, but I timed the actual at 38 minutes. It was my first time riding TT at night, really fun! We then walked back to BCV and to bed. The day certainly did not go as planned, but ultimately, we had a good day at Epcot. I still really want a trip that is Epcot focused so that I can eat all the food, browse all the shops, take in all the entertainment. There is NEVER enough time at Epcot!

[lxlindsay]

Adorable - your daughter reminds me a lot of my DD6!

[Becky75]

Day 4 – Tuesday, March 16

We were up early on Tuesday to catch a bus to MK for RD. At RD, we started by walking onto PPF. We then headed to BTMR. They held us in line at BTMR and did not start the ride until 7:53. After BTMR, we did Splash. DD8 was a little apprehensive about doing Splash (even though she did it on the last trip), but she loved it once again! From there, we did PoTC, JC and Magic Carpets.

It was now around 10:30, and we were ready for a food break. We headed over to eat at Sleepy Hollow. We had never eaten here before, and I really wanted to try it on this trip. Very good! Everyone enjoyed it, and we saw our first cavalcade from here with Mickey & Friends. We then walked back to get in line for TSI. It had only been open about 15 minutes, and the CM said the wait was already 40 minutes for the rafts. So we bailed on that (even though DD8 really loves TSI) and walked across to Fantasyland.

In Fantasyland, we started with UtS. And for the first time, we got evacuated from a ride! We listened to Ursula sing for a long time before they finally cut the music and then eventually walked us off the ride. We got a FP that was good for anything but SDMT and PPF. Sweet!

From there, we walked my parents over to the relaxation station at Storybook Circus, and then DD8 and I rode Dumbo. Next, we all did the Speedway, Tea Cups and WtP. I told DD8 that she could choose the FP ride. She was leaning towards a re-ride of Splash (80 minute posted wait, sure I’ll walk across the park again) but decided on Buzz (still a good choice with a 60 minute posted wait). Well, as soon as we got on Buzz, she remembered that she is not good at this ride. She was VERY unhappy that she wasted the FP on Buzz. And naturally, it was my fault for not reminding her that she does not like this ride. Haha. And with that, we decided to call it a day!

We stopped at the Emporium on the way out for some shopping. We walked out of the Emporium to the cavalcade lead by Gaston and then Mickey & Friends dancing on the train station. Fun way to end our day at MK! We took the bus back to BCV. We then enjoyed some more time at SAB before our 6:20 dinner reservation at B&C. We ate here on our last trip and really liked it once again. We all shared the Minnie Sink for dessert, which DD8 loved. And then back to the room for an early bedtime. It was such a fantastic day!

[mathhound]

Great tip on the Indy show area as a rest area!! Thanks.

[Becky75]

Day 5 – Wednesday, March 17

We were up early once again on Wednesday to catch a bus to AK for RD. We walked straight into the park and in line for FoP with a short wait. I was the only one who had done FoP before, and the rest of my crew was blown away by it. All three agreed that it was their favorite ride at the end of the trip. We got in line to ride NRJ next.

From there, we walked into the next showing of ITTBAB. We had never seen this show before and really liked it a lot. DD8 loves the 3D shows! We then walked over to ride Dinosaur next. Another attraction that we had never done before. We loved it, especially DD8! I feel like this ride doesn’t get talked about much, underrated fun ride imo.

It was now 10:00 and time to split up. I instructed my mom & DD8 to ride TriceraTop Spin next and then find a Wilderness Explorer station in Dinosaurland to get the booklet and complete the badges in the area. My dad and I then left to go ride EE. The line was stretched out to the Nemo theater but only took 15 minutes. EE remains my favorite coaster in the parks!

After we exited, we quickly found my mom & DD8 headed our way. We then sat in the RoL theater for a short break and so that DD8 could tell me all about WE. We had never done WE before because I knew that she would be obsessed! Sure enough, she LOVED it and was all in and super excited to get all the badges.

Next, we got the badges near EE and then walked over to the Maharajah Jungle Trek to see the animals and get all the badges there. While on the trail, we stopped at a bench to place a mobile order for Flame Tree. Once we completed the trail, we stopped to get a badge near Y&Y and then made our way to Flame Tree for lunch. This was our first time eating here, and we found it quite good for QS. We had a great spot looking out to EE and saw lots of characters pass by on the boats while eating.

After lunch, we stopped to see the flamingoes and get a WE badge. And then we made our way to the train to RPW. DD8 has always loved it out there. The wait for the train out was not too bad. We got all the WE badges, and then I took DD8 into the petting area while my parents rested in the shade. It was super hot at this point, and as always, it was a struggle to get DD8 to leave this area. She LOVES animals and could pet the goats, sheep, etc for hours.

The wait for the train back was fairly brutal, our group was fading, and this is when I started to suggest to my parents that they go catch a bus back to BCV. As soon as we arrived back to Africa, I got DD8 a frozen treat, and then we found some nearby seating for a break. My parents wanted to stay for KS, and thankfully, the line went down while we were sitting there. So we did KS next. We had a great safari and also got stopped for quite a bit of time with a rhino directly in front of our vehicle. It took a lot of persuasion from another CM before the rhino finally moved out of the way.

After KS, we walked the Gorilla Falls trail to get all the WE badges. While on the trail, my parents finally exited to head back to BCV. At this point, the goal was simply to complete the rest of the WE badges. DD8 was determined, and I could not say no despite being hot and exhausted. We walked back into Pandora to get the badges there. Unfortunately, I discovered that they had missed one of the badges in Dinosaurland in the morning. So I had to walk her back over there to get that badge. And now we were able to finish up at the WE headquarters with the last 2 badges and the ceremony for her Senior Wilderness Explorer badge! She loved it!! It was a long, hot day but I felt like we crushed AK.

We took the bus back to BCV. And I was pretty much done for the day. We did laundry on this night, and I placed a mobile order to go from A&C. Very convenient and good alternative for dinner in your room at BC/YC. We were to bed early again on this night, but we all loved our day at AK!

[eeeevah]

Sounds like a great day! Can you tell me where that Raya sculpture is? We’ve got a new, avid fan in this household and we’re headed down there in just over a month…

[Becky75]

It’s across from Flame Tree as you’re walking towards Dinoland. Very cool!

[Ariel79]

Great shots of the animals!

[Becky75]

Day 6 – Thursday, March 18

We were up early to catch a bus to MK for RD on Thursday. At RD, my dad & I headed to SDMT and DD8 & my mom headed for PPF. For whatever reason, there was a delayed opening for SDMT on this day. We watched a bunch of test cars go by but did not see the first cars with people until 7:53. I can only imagine how insane the line grew as a constant stream of people passed us to join the line. Once the line started moving, we were on the ride pretty quickly and exited shortly after 8:00.

While we did SDMT, DD8 and my mom rode PPF x2 and then were first in line for the Carousel. We met up with them near WtP and explained that we were going to head to Space next. I had always skipped Space on our prior trips and decided now was the time to try it! Well, I don’t think that I’ll be rushing to do Space again in the future. I would have to agree with those who say that it is way too jerky. However, I was rolling in laughter the entire time as I listened to my 73 yo dad curse behind me throughout the ride. Haha!

While we did Space, DD8 and my mom did the Tea Cups and the Speedway. She LOVES driving those cars! We met up with them outside Space, and I took DD8 to ride AO next. This is another ride that we had always skipped in the past. Nice views, but again not in a hurry to repeat. After AO, we all walked over to ride IASW.

After completing IASW, it was around 10:30 and we were ready for a food break. We wanted to try Gaston’s, but the line was kind of long. So I got DD8 a frozen treat, and we sat on a bench to put in a mobile order for Cosmic Ray’s. We then walked to Cosmic Ray’s for an early lunch. This was our first time eating here. Obviously not amazing, but my spicy chicken sandwich wasn’t terrible either. We all enjoyed the nice, relaxing break. And of course, we had to sit near Sonny!

After lunch, we did UtS. No breakdowns this time! And then we headed over to ride HM. We decided to ride the Liberty Square Riverboat next. This was another thing that we had never made time for in the past. Everyone liked it quite a bit. There was a really nice breeze up top, and we could see the Country Bears dancing on top of CBJ and a cavalcade go by.

My group decided that they had experienced all the rides that they wanted to do at this point. We stopped for some shopping in the Christmas Shop and then also one last stop in the Emporium. Upon exiting the Emporium, we watched the princess cavalcade. DD8 was happy to see the princesses, so it was another great way to end our day in MK!

We took the bus back to BCV. As soon as we got back to the room, I decided to hop on Open Table and make a dinner reservation at Big River Grill. I then took DD8 down to enjoy SAB for a couple of hours. I saw that it was supposed to rain while at Big River Grill, so we packed our ponchos. We only made it halfway there before the rain started, and we dashed under cover to put on our ponchos. I wasn’t sure what to expect at Big River Grill as I had read mixed reviews for it on Lines in the past. But we all really enjoyed our meal. My blackened fish tacos were very good! We then headed back to BCV for another early bedtime. I could tell that we all lacked some energy on this day, but we still had a fun day at MK and accomplished all that we wanted to do!

[Becky75]

Day 7 – Friday, March 19

I was up early on Friday to try to get a boarding pass for ROTR. I went to the same spot in the drawing room and got boarding group 82 this time. Yay! We walked over to HS for RD. At RD, my dad & I headed to TOT and RNRC while I sent my mom & DD8 back to TSL. When we got to TOT, we basically walked onto an elevator. And then we walked onto RNRC next. Super fun start to the morning! Back in TSL, my mom & DD8 did TSM and ASS.

We all met up to ride MMRR next. As DD8 was boarding MMRR, she tripped and busted her knee on the floor of the train. So we had blood and tears on our ride aboard MMRR. Time for our first visit to First Aid at one of the parks! I took DD8 up to First Aid near the entrance to the park. The CM was great and supplied me with everything that I needed to clean and bandage up her knee.

We walked back to meet my parents and then over to ride ST. After ST, it was 10:30 and we had some time to kill before our lunch reservation. We walked back over to Hollywood Blvd to find a spot to watch the Pixar cavalcade. Very cute! And then I told DD8 to choose between the Disney Jr and Frozen shows. She chose Disney Jr, so I took her over to that area for the 11:15 show. Based on the line out front, I asked the CM if we would get into the next showing. He said no and that we should get in line for the 11:55 show. We were not going to wait an hour for the Disney Jr show!

We bailed and went back to find my parents and then all walked over to the Frozen show. We watched the 11:30 Frozen Sing Along, which everyone enjoyed a lot. We saw it on our first trip in 2016, and I found it even funnier this time. DD8 has grown out of her Frozen phase, but she still stood and sang along to all the songs.

After the show, we headed for our 12:15 ADR at Sci Fi. We had never eaten here before, and everyone really liked it a lot. My parents especially appreciated the theming. It was so quiet in there! DD8 and I shared an Oreo shake. I could only eat like half of my burger & onion rings, huge portions!

After lunch, we walked over to Galaxy’s Edge and waited just a short bit before boarding group 82 was called. It ended up being perfect timing, and we enjoyed ROTR as our final ride at HS! And then we stopped for some final shopping on our way out of the park. We took another ride on the Skyliner back to the IG and then walked back to BCV.

DD8 had been asking to do night swimming at SAB all week. So rather than return to HS for the evening, I let DD8 swim at SAB past sunset. Of course, she loved this! I ended up just grabbing some clam chowder from the marketplace for dinner as I still wasn’t super hungry. We had enjoyed two successful days at HS, it was a fun last day in the parks on this trip!

[Becky75]

Day 8 – Saturday, March 20

We had a relaxing day planned for our departure day. We slept in a bit and then packed everything up. I took the stroller down at 10:00 to return to the guy from Kingdom Strollers. And then at 10:30, we took all our luggage to bell services. We had a 10:45 breakfast reservation at A&C. I had the blueberry bacon pancakes which were very good. DD8 was happy to finally get a Mickey waffle! Everyone enjoyed this meal a lot.

And then the plan was to enjoy SAB for the next several hours. However, it was windy and only like 62 degrees out, so DD8 was the only one who even changed into a swimsuit. There were not many people in the pool, but she did not care and wanted to swim until the last possible minute.

At some point, my mom & I bailed to go sit inside at Martha’s Vineyard. We had drinks (very good watermelon margarita for me) and tried the calamari, which was good. And then shortly before 3:00, I had to pull DD8 from the pool and head to the restroom to change for our flight home. We retrieved our luggage from bell services, and then the Tragical Express picked us up at 3:35. We had a 6:50 flight home to Indy.

Despite the crowds, we had a fantastic time! Sure, the masks are not ideal (they bothered me way less than I anticipated), and we definitely missed the entertainment and characters. But there is still plenty of fun to be had in the parks, and we experienced all the rides that we wanted to do. We had less ADRs than normal on this trip because I suspected that we would want the flexibility and that was the right call. We normally wouldn’t RD every day but felt compelled to do so on this trip. I honestly expected to have longer waits heading into the trip. But I think the longest that we waited for any ride was in the 35-40 minute range. And that only happened on like 3-4 rides. So thanks as always to TP and the Lines chat for all the tips and info!

I’ve already started to consider when our next trip might be. My parents are acting like they would want to come again. And DD8 has also started asking about a possible trip to Disneyland. So we’ll see! Always look forward to the next time we get to return to the magic!

[gingerSnaps543222]

You should sign that girl up for modeling! So cute!

[Becky75]

Thank you! She sure loves everything about Disney!

[alittlerandr]

What a great trip. Thanks for taking us along!