Man, hate you missed the IC sandwich. It was a great find.
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I just knew the label said it was certified for aircraft use. I used it forward facing since DD is 3 1/2, not sure if they can be rear-facing flying. Honestly we used to just take the easy and cheap route and have our under-twos be lap children. But it worked out well bringing the seat and the airline staff were very accommodating.
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I’m still determined to get it on round two of the parks. It will be Dino Bites or bust!! I am really liking our studio in BRV. The resort is lovely and the kids love the pools. The fold down bed is pretty sturdy, more so than the CBR one as I recall. And DD11 says the sofa bed is comfortable enough and it is a good size. I like the villa room setup and perks better than I expected, it’s all working out really well. Only thing I would change is to request a room nearer the elevator, as we are at the far end of the hall. And although we never really got the torrential rain that was threatened, there is a good wide covered walkway to the main lobby so I think we would have been fine.
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Determination!
Thanks for the info on BRV. More I look into it, the more I think it will be a great fit for our family. Love hearing about the pools, pool themeing was something I really missed at FT. W. Bed info was great too. Not sure if one of my kids will fit the pull down, but could stop a few fights before the begin if they can.
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Day 3: Break/Hurricane day
Isaias was supposed to hit today and rain started a little before 10. But, it only lasted maybe an hour and that was all the rain we saw all day! Luckily for us Isaias had shifted away. We were prepared to hunker down but no need; however we also did really need a break so were still glad for the day off. The storm brought cooler air and lower humidity. It actually would have been a great day to be in the parks.
DH took the girls to the pool In late morning and DS and I met the Walmart delivery driver for our order.
We ate leftover pizza warmed in the microwave, watched Mickey shorts on TV (no way to use our Disney+ in the room…come on Disney! But I suppose replacing resort flatscreens just might not be in the budget this year) and lounged on the balcony. Later went for dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe, another restaurant I’d always wanted to try. We really enjoyed it- ketchup was a non-event but our waiter still inserted a lot of fun. DD7 spilled her drink right off, so he brought her first a tiny new cup:
and then a secured model:
He didn’t want to be bothered with DS11’s refills:
The plant-based sausage was better than it had any right to be, and the piggy wings were also delicious.
After dinner we went for a walk around the resort grounds and then headed to get the kids to bed for our early morning tomorrow. Looking at the forecast, I decided to swap our parks for the next two days. But, MDE didn’t want to cooperate with this for the 4-park magic tickets and I spent 30 minutes on the phone getting it straightened out. I was glad IT works Saturday evenings.
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Day 4: Magic Kingdom
We decided to take the boat from WL to MK. The official word is that boats start at 8:30, but we were there at 8:12 and the first boat showed up at 8:15.
By 8:30 we were off the boat. Very nice start to the morning! We headed first to 7DMT and rode twice by 9:15.
Fantasyland at 9:30 AM:
We caught a few more Fantasyland rides and then off to Sleepy Hollow for waffles with fruit for breakfast!
As we waited in line there, the Cavalcade came right past us with Mickey and friends! After 2 rounds of HM for DH, we did all the Adventureland rides and then headed to Splash.
DD7 didn’t want to try BTMRR yet so she and I waited while the rest of the crew went, and were treated to another Cavalcade albeit at a distance. We then all were ready to cool down and went to Plaza for lunch which we really enjoyed.
Tomorrowland was next; DS11 rode SM, a walk-on, 3 times, with me, DH and once by himself. The girls did a few rounds of Buzz while waiting. Sadly the PeopleMover was still out of commission. We all saw COP and then headed for Dumbo and Ariel. The girls and I did IASW while DH and DS rode HM 3 more times.
Quick stop for Dole Whip, another ride on BTMRR which DD7 was finally up for (and then wanted to ride again!) and it was time to head to Be Our Guest for dinner. Overall lines were short, and usually shorter than what was quoted.
At 4:30 AM on the day ADRs resumed I had scored a 6:55 pm BOG reservation, and luckily I didn’t cancel it right away when I had moved our MK day away from Isaias. We had not done dinner at BOG since it went prix fixe so looked forward to trying it. Overall it was so-so. Our entrees were brought right after the appetizers, too soon. DS and DH didn’t care for the lobster bisque, but my French onion was pretty good. DD3 had the kids fruit and cheese app - the cheeses were not very kid friendly, a white cheddar and a smoky cheese.
DD7’s peach applesauce app was good and was a huge bowl, they shared it. Both DDs had the Mac n cheese which was fine, big servings. Two of us ordered the filet which was excellent but the mashed potatoes with it were too salty. DH ordered the scallops, they were very good but only 3 of them. The desserts were all the same, a dark chocolate almond truffle, raspberry macaron and grey stuff in a white chocolate cup. The kids’ version came with an empty cup that they could paint with edible paint, and grey stuff on the side.
The kids barely ate any of the desserts, actually DD7 spit out the chewed truffle all over her napkin, although they enjoyed the painting part.
They did enjoy seeing the Beast and took a distanced picture with him, but kept asking when Belle was coming out. Really, why don’t they include her, especially now that she isn’t busy with Enchanted Tales?
As we were working on our desserts at about 8:30 the lights dimmed…the music and snow stopped…and it was dark! Ok we were one of two parties left but still! They did turn the lights back on so we could finish. A park manager asked what resort we were at to ensure we had a bus ride home, although actually there were lots of buses still there and we were later told to take any bus 11-34 and tell them where we were going. So a quick, private bus ride back to WL! It was nice at least having a chance to walk through the park at night again and I got a few pictures.
We did notice the park manager and security followed us out at a distance, so much for DH’s hopes of spending the night on HM!
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Wow, can’t believe how empty it all is!
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I am loving your nighttime photos of Casey’s, the Carousel, and the Castle.
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Well I think your experience settles it - I will not be doing BoG unless quick service returns. That’s too much money for a mediocre meal.
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It’s so empy! I can’t believe they turned the lights out on you at BOG 
Great pics!
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Day 5 - Epcot
On the girls’ last day in the parks, DD7 was desperate to choose her souvenir! We headed to TestTrack first but had to wait through a brief shutdown.
Then to Gran Fiesta Tour (all 3 caballeros were back!) and Frozen whose line had gotten a bit long and stretched outside. We grabbed some food from the nearby China booth to snack on while we waited - the dumplings were outstanding and the bao was good also. After making it through Frozen and vetoing several poor souvenir choices, we set off through the World Showcase to find snacks to serve as lunch. Picked up cheese flatbread and cannoli in Italy, tempura shrimp and cold ramen noodles in Japan and beef kefta and baklava in Morocco. All were very good. We had to fend off the resident bird population however who were quite persistent and seem to really enjoy the Taste of Epcot also!
A character cavalcade came by while we ate.
The girls and I then headed for a trip on Skyliner just for fun while DH and DS checked out the French patisserie.
The girls were determined to find a Mickey bar, but somehow there were no ice cream stands around and they never achieved that goal. We stopped in a restroom and suddenly the rain let loose. We hightailed it then to The Land pavilion for DD3’s first ride on Soarin’. She had a mixed reaction; she liked it but also was very concerned that we had been in the air in the middle of firework! Next was LWTL which was enjoyable until we neared the end of the ride and it malfunctioned. We started floating backwards! It took 10-15 minutes for them to get the boats moving the right direction again. It was still raining but we made our way to The Seas, enjoying the Nemo ride and observing the fish for awhile. The rain had stopped so we tried to make it to Biergarten for dinner, almost making it before the skies opened again! Biergarten is a favorite for our family and we usually go once per trip. It was different this time however with family style service instead of the buffet. We appreciated not having to get up to fetch food, but there was a lot less variety offered. The band still played and was fun to watch; the girls danced by our table.
After dinner we made another round through Frozen and then tried to make it to SE for another ride, but were too late. We ended up shopping, where DD7 finally chose a water globe and journal and DD3 latched onto her new buddy “chicken”, aka Hei Hei, before heading out.
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This is too precious! Sound like a great last day.
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Day 6 - Group switch!
Packed up our room at BRV, loaded up the rental car and headed to MCO to drop off DH, DD7 and DD3. Both DD’s promised to help Daddy out at the airport! DS11 and I then headed to the Polynesian to fulfill his craving for sushi while we waited for DS16 and his GF16 to arrive.
I didn’t feel comfortable going anywhere else in Orlando at present although I have always wanted a chance to check out the mall. At Kona Cafe, we were one of only 3-4 parties. He had the spicy tuna and California rolls and I tried the chicken stir fry, all very good! We headed back to MCO and found the cell phone lot. Just after they landed however a big storm broke loose. Luckily they landed 10-15 minutes early; apparently the pilot said if they had come in to land a few minutes later they would have been diverted. As we waited curbside, fortunately it was a slow time, security told us the ground crew wouldn’t be unloading baggage for awhile but they had not checked any, so we were off into the storm to the Contemporary. Checked into our room in the Garden Wing. It’s very different from WL! Very modern and sleek, but less practical in terms of storage and space.
The beds have a thick pillow top and are really soft, even the daybed. We are on the first floor so no wait for elevator, actually we hardly ever see other guests, and the kids can go out the patio door straight to the pool. Also we can park practically right out the door of the garden wing. However the humidity level seems really high and everything feels damp, much more so than at BRV. There are cool motion activated nightlights in the bathroom! The reason I chose CR for this portion was the daybed which seems more suited for a bigger kid/teen, since we needed at least 3 sleep surfaces, and it is nice. The kids swam briefly and participated in a hula contest at the pool (!) and then we headed to Beaches and Cream for dinner. This was the first TS where I really felt uncomfortable. Of course it is very popular and not very big, and the restaurant was as full as they could get it and still say people were 6’ apart - but just barely. DS11 who loves Reubens ordered that, but said theirs was pretty bad. It looked really greasy. The rest of us had the French dip and that was good. Then of course we had to get the kitchen sink!
We tried valiantly but still left a lot behind.
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Love the Kitchen Sink! We more or less finished it when it was the 3 of us but DH doesn’t come anymore and I’m not sure DS and I could do it justice.
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Definitely one to share…none of us could finish it!
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Yum!
Boarded our flight, then sat for an hour waiting for storm to pass before they finally deplaned everybody. Weather channel looks as though the storm is going to be parked for awhile. Could get interesting.
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Back on board now, hopefully out of here!
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If I recall you are headed back to Lambert? Safe travels this evening…it is HOT here in the Lou. Heat indexes up to 107 tomorrow! Enjoyed hearing about your trip.