I really enjoyed reading your report!
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I love seeing that your girls enjoyed repeating rides, because I think weâll end up doing that with DS2 as well! Never thought to repeat characters though!
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Great trip report
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prior to Pandora we skipped AK because we too live in STL and the zoo here is just too good!
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Friday September 21, 2018
Hollywood Studios CL2 (actual CL2)
On our last day we tackled Hollywood Studios. Today should be a more relaxing day as it is mainly a lot of shows and it is a smaller park so not nearly as much walking as the others. We continued on the Tylenol/Advil regimen even though DD1 was just as spunky as ever. We took the first Shades of Green bus and arrived at 8:50 ish. Security was a bit of a wait. Once we made it through we headed towards the Jedi Training sign ups. On the way we saw Olaf had no wait so we dropped in there first and met him. He has a cute setup that looks like summer. He doesnât sign, but we did get a card with an Olaf sketch. Afterwards we stopped by the Indiana Jones outpost to get the trio signed up for Jedi Training. The early morning slot we wanted was already filled so we opted for the 4:20pm slot to give us plenty of time to get back from our lunch/nap break.
We had a FPP for Star Tours, but we walked right by it and there was only a 10 minute wait so we got the rider swap for that in lieu of coming back later with a FPP. In reality it was a walk on. DH took DD4A and DD4C on the ride while I waited with DD4B and DD1. I took pictures of them on the Star Wars speedracer and they played around a bit while we waited. Once they finished DD4B and I hopped in. I love that ride! It is so fun and exciting, but clearly we are Star Wars fans. I wish we could have ridden it more as there are different scenarios, but we didnât want to make DD1 wait since she couldnât ride it. After the ride I had to get pictures of the other 2 kiddos on the speedracer as well. I try my best to keep all things fair and get pictures of everyone. Iâm embarrassed to say I have over 1,600 photos from this trip.
We then headed to TSL for our TSMM FPP. The girls loved this ride, but again wouldnât let us help much and they all had low scores. The 3D glasses were a bit hard to stay on DD1âs head. We took some pictures, but didnât want to wait for AS2 as it was a 30 minute wait. The wait for Jessie and Woody was long too so we headed over to BatB show.
BatB is an awesome show! It is covered, but still hot so it was great to catch the first show of the day before it got even hotter. The girls loved this one as well and were really into it. Everyone was quiet around us when the Beast fell and DD4B says loudly and in a distraught voice âOh no what happened to the Beastâ people around us were chuckling and we were too; it was really quite cute. Very well done show and I highly recommend especially if you like the movie.
We then made our way to the bus stop to catch the Shades of Green bus. We had the whole bus to ourselves and were back in the room at 12:20 for lunch/nap.
We decided to drive back to HS after the nap for timing and ease. This maximized the girls naps as the busses at Shades of Green are on a schedule. The bus schedule is both good and bad in my opinion. We had to be back for Jedi Training check in at 3:50 so we left the resort at 3 and that gave us plenty of time. Parking was $22, but was well worth it and we wished we had driven all week to any of the parks that we could have. The double strollers fit great in the SUV and the girls were occupied by the dvd player while we were driving, and timing wise it was just easier. They had us park way out in BFE, but we didnât mind at all. I enjoy walking, but the walk in with all the construction going on isnât the prettiest. Security was a breeze at this time of day.
We were the first ones to check in for Jedi Training and were assured we were in the Darth Vader line (with a wink wink from the CM). The girls would have been devastated had they not fought Darth Vader. The CM was chatting with them and he asked how old they were and they were saying 3. He looked at me and asked me their birthdate and said they kept saying they were 3. They had just turned 4 a week prior so they were still getting use to their new age. Heck it takes me the whole month of January to get use to writing a new year so I can totally understand!
Jedi Training went great and the girls had a fun time. I was a little afraid they would go rogue and beat the heck outta Darth Vader as the months prior they kept saying they were going to âknock Darth Vader down and make him take a nighty nightâ. Luckily, we didnât get kicked out or anything and the girls did great and afterward were saying how they knocked âDarth Vader downâ. They talk a big game. DH was saying that next time he is going to research the moves so he can practice with them beforehand. We have pool noodles that we cut in half and the girls pretend those are light sabers. They donât hurt as much when you get hit with one 
While on the Star Wars high we headed over to meet Chewie. On the way we saw Sofia the 1stand there were only 2 other people in line so we hopped in line for that. DD4A put on her Sofia the 1st dress for the meet. The girls were checking out her shoes like they did all princesses.
After we wrapped that up we walked over to meet Chewie. A few random Stormtroopers were behind us and the girls were pointing them out. They said something like âmove along citizensâ. The wait for Chewie was maybe 15 minutes or so. It went great and DH and I got a big hug in too. Chewie noticed Princess Leia on my shirt and pointed that out. He also noticed the Darth Vader on DHâs shirt. DH even did his Wookie roar. I loved that meet and greet and the girls enjoyed it too. Letâs be honest here, that meet and greet was for DH and myselfâŚnot even going to lie. The girls liked it too, but at their age they only know the characters from the Little Golden Book stories.
Everyone was getting a little hungry so I mobile ordered Backlot Express. I was looking forward to some Darth Vader waffles and chicken. We got a couple orders of chicken and waffles and a couple hot dogs for us to share. DH got the Caprese sandwich and he liked that for a healthier option than a burger. Standard fast food and was quiet while we were there. Iâm a very picky eater and quite content with chicken nuggets. My DH is adventurous and would try anything and everything. He says my eating habits make him sad because Iâm missing out on so many great foods. So bottom line, if you are reading this looking for food opinions DH would say to look elsewhere haha!
We had a FPP for the Frozen Sing a Long so we tapped in for that and grabbed a seat. The girls enjoyed it, but I think would have liked it if Anna and Elsa were out there more instead of some historians telling the story. The girls loved singing loudly to the songs as they were played. Itâs a good show if you like Frozen (we do).
We were hoping for a Mickey ice cream bar afterward, but the CM working the ice cream stand said she was closed. Bummer as we never got to try one. The girls were asking for a toy and they all wanted some light up bubble maker thing. We got each of them one of their choice as we headed out of the park. This was the only thing they asked the entire trip. I also ran into a shop to get some gifts for my parents since they were taking care of our 4 legged furry child while we were gone. We stopped at the resort exchange and got some ice cream bars there and called it a night.
Saturday September 22, 2018
The ride home was not uneventful. Nope, these girls keep us on our toesâŚalways.
We woke up and checked out and started making our trek back home with a stop in Atlanta for a couple days. After being at my in-laws less than 2 hours DD1 slipped while trying to get on a scooter car and busted her chin. Iâll spare yaâll the pictures, but she busted it wide open and was bleeding like a stuffed pig. An ER trip, 4 sutures later, and we were definitely ready for bed. She is a tough little cookie, but this ended up being a rough trip for our youngest. Side note: The Atlanta area is in serious need of more childrenâs hospitals. We had to drive 30 minutes to get to a childrenâs hospital. Maybe that is normal for most parts, but near us we have 3 childrenâs hospitals all within 20 minutes of our house.
We headed back home on Monday morning bright and early. We wanted to get home early to pick Buddy up as we missed him dearly and to start on the tons of laundry. DD4B woke up Monday morning as we were leaving and was in tears saying âI miss Buddy so muchâ. That nearly made me cry. Everyone missed Buddy and it had been a long trip so it was good to get back home. Buddy was very happy to see us all and get home as well.
We had an amazing 1st vacation with such great memories and photos. I canât wait until our next trip!
Thanks for all the help in planning and for reading along!
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Thank you so much for sharing your trip. I hope that your little ones chinn heals well.
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Great trip report and photos! Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks! Itâs looking much better now. Just a small scab left. There was a plastic surgeon on call that night so we got lucky in that regard, but it is the underside of the chin so even a small scar wonât really be visible.
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Poor mom - I remember those days of obnoxious people not understanding little children
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Funniest thing ever and the smiles while fighting DV
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Great report & pics of your beautiful family. I enjoyed following along.
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What an awesome trip report! Thank you for taking the time to share it. Makes me so excited to be there soon!
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Great Report! Sounds like a fabulous trip. I am going on a girls trip with my 13 year old daughter thsi January and we are staying at SOG as well. Seems like a great idea to walk to Poly. Weâll have to check out the boat from there as well.
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We absolutely love SOG and wouldnât stay anywhere else. Ok maybe the Star Wars hotel when it opens. We think SOG is a hidden gem! The walk is pretty, but if you donât want to walk they have a golf cart (Shady Shuttle) that will take you from the door to the end of the property. We never used the Poly boat since we would have had to fold up the strollers. Itâs an option, but we just walked to the TTC which is only a few more minutes and used the main ferry. I hope you have a great trip!
I love your report!! Your girls are so darling and it looks like yâall had an amazing time!! We have four kiddos as well just not quite so close together (5 1/2 year spread between the oldest and youngest). My husband and I havenât braved a trip with all four of them by ourselves yet but your report makes me think we could do it and survive! 
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Thanks! We had an awesome time! I donât know the ages of yours, but could definitely do a trip with 4 kids. Itâs all about managing expectations. We had rock bottom expectations and were very pleasantly surprised. We spent a lot of time counting heads and not so much taking it all in, but a good plan totally makes all the difference in the world!
Ours will be 8, 6, 4 and 2 when we go this coming February. My parents are coming with us so itâll be so fun. The older two really are getting pretty easy. They rocked Universal this past July. Walked 9+ miles in one day and 7 the next and they didnât complain. My four year old is almost there too butâŚshe likes to pretend to be little to avoid doing hard things. Ya know, like walking. 
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Oh that will be a fun trip! Having the grandparents there will likely help some too. That is a heck of a lot of walking for that age and no complaints! It may be easier on the 4 year old (and you too) if you get a stroller then.
Thatâs the ages my kids were on our last Disney trip! My DD4 is the same way! They are now 8,7,5,3. The 2 oldest seem like Disney veterans and are great with the walking now too!
cute kids!! great pics!
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