Trip report begins....First time visit in 20 years, and with kids!

Wonderful trip report - thanks for sharing!

Sounds like a great start to the trip ( minus the blisters). Looking forward to hearing about the rest of the trip.

Day 3 - Magic Kingdom!

We had an 8:10 reservation for Crystal Palace that morning. The night before we were all so excited to get into MK pre-RD we had a hard time sleeping. So I set the alarm clock for 5:30 and tossed and turned for a while before falling asleep. Butā€¦

I set it for 5:30 PM! And my DH decided I was capable enough to set the alarm so he did not set his phone alarm the night before. Argh! I bolt out of bed at 7:30 on the verge of tears knowing we could not make it in time. I sprang to the phone and pushed the little button for the restaurant reservations, praying I could get in somehow and also not get hit with the fee. Pure luck and magic, there was a ressie for 10:20 available so I took it and we scrambled to get out the door an over to MK. The crowds were still not too bad when we got to Main Street around 9:55. Had the photographer take a few shots and headed for CP. We were seated within 5 minutes of checking in. I have to say I really enjoyed the food. Standard breakfast fare mostly, but there were also bagels and lox, some delicious french toast and tasty sweets too. Pooh and friends came around and took their time even at our table with older kids. I was disappointed that no photographers were there for the memory maker though. I didnā€™t realize this was not done at character meals, except for a group shot before you enter certain restaurants. CP was not one of them. (I have to say it was pretty unmagical when the photographer came around at TH and Hoop Dee Doo to try to sell us the group shot.)

Felling full and ready to roll, we headed to Adventureland and Frontierland and hit some rides, FPP for Splash, which was awesome and I hardly got wet that time. Hit BTMRR with a FPP too. I decided to bag the 7DMT FPP we had for that night (GASP!) knowing weā€™d be back in 2 days and hoping the wait would be short-ish late at night, which it was. So I snagged a FPP for PotC when the wait was over an hour. We were pretty full from breakfast so we didnā€™t have lunch, just snacks, nothing amazing to report about the snacks. Mickey ice creams all around, and popcorn. Got into almost everything show-like pretty fast, Tiki Room, walked Tom Sawyerā€™s Island, Bear Jamboree, Swiss Family Treehouse. Also got a fourth FPP for Jungle Cruise, and waited while it was shut down due to lightning earlier, but it was just not opening so we moved on and explored, and then headed back to the cabin to clean up for dinner at Sanaa for 5:20!

Took the bus to AKL just as the rain started, Unfortunately we couldnā€™t go out into the viewing area before or after dinner due to heavy rain and lighting. But Sanaa: what a great dinner we had! Not a window seat, but by then the animals had taken shelter, but we were still close enough to see out the windows. Great service too. The food was delicious all around. The bread service was my favorite part, though we did have to order more naan for the 6 of us. Three naans was not nearly enough to finish off the different dipping sauces. I had the butter chicken/short rib combo. Loved it. DH12 had the Durban Shrimp and it was actually pretty spicy-hot for her, but not for DH who gave her some of his shrimp with green curry sauce and short rib. He loved his food as well. Another DH had Tandoori lamb and loved it. The rest had the butter chicken, which IMHO was probably the tastiest of the lot. It was very relaxing and we were not rushed at all. We explored AKL after dinner and then headed back to the cabin as the rains continued. Headed to bed early because the next day was a 7 am EMH at AK and I set three alarm clocks to make sure weā€™d get there!

Day 4 - Animal Kingdom

All the alarms went off and we were inside AK by 7:10. We headed straight to EE and rode it two times in a row, though DH rode only once. It really made him feel kind of crummy, and I can say that I felt a bit woozy after the first ride too, but there was no way I was going to let my kids have all the fun, so I sucked it up and rode again. Actually, the second time I felt fine. I guess my brain was already scrambled so it didnā€™t react to the second ride. The we hit KSS. While I loved the theming, the animals did not cooperate much. No lions at all, no hippos or cheetahs, not even a glimpse, plenty of elephants and giraffes though, and birds. Took advantage of the photographers along the way and got some nice shots, and some magic shots with Tinkerbell and Stitch, though the giant crane near the Tree of Life was somewhat visible in the pics.

Had a Tusker House ressie at 11:50. We did have to wait about 20 minutes for a table but that was fine. We had the group shots taken, and later hawked to us at the table again. Didnā€™t like that, but the food was terrific, the best buffet Iā€™ve ever had for sure. So many options for food too, with lots of traditional African, though more Indian, fare. I loved everything I ate, especially the carving station options. Iā€™m a meat and potatoes kinda girl most days. Though I really did love the seafood stew, shrimp, scallops, veggies. it was really very good. Donald, Goofy, Mickey and Daisy all made it to our table. The characters and their CMs moving about the restaurant did seem a bit unorganized compared to the characters at Crystal Palace, but it was still good. We did dawdle for quite a while after we had eaten to get to see Mickey. The waiter was not thrilled about that either. He had a bit of an attitude once I paid the bill. Definitely would recommend TH though. After lunch we had a KRR FPP. I donned a poncho, much to my kids embarrassment. LOL. But in the end, I was mostly dry and they were soaked completely. Loved the ride but wish it was longer. We walked the Pangani Trail and Maharaja Jungle Trek, but could not see the tigers at all from any vantage point, which was a bummer. I love tigers. But they were cool walks anyway. DH and I loved the short train ride to the conservation station. Hanging out in the petting zoo with the goats was a hoot. They just about knock you over to get to their hay. By this time, we were getting tired and the temperature and humidity had shot up too. It was so bloody hot, just sweat dripping off my face all the time. Thatā€™s when I realized we needed to drink more water. DH and I were hotter than we should have been. This was also about the time I had to head to the first aid station for my blisters. DH took two kids to Primeval Whirl, which I wanted to avoid anyway. Once I was fixed up we met up and sat and all had a frozen Dole Whip. It really hit the spot. More exploring, etc, and we left the park around 6, feeling pretty tired. We didnā€™t get to any shows though. :frowning:

We didnā€™t know what to do for dinner and no one had a burning desire to get on a bus and head to a quick service anywhere, so we went down to Trailā€™s End at FW and got take out. Sadly, this was the worst meal of our trip. The fried chicken was not very fresh, the baked beans were underdone and the fries were so salty that even a salt lover like me had a problem with it. I mean it was OK, but not cheap and DH and I were rather disappointed. On the upside, the Buffalo wings were pretty good! We should have 60 of those!

All in all, we enjoyed our day at AK, loved the look of the park, all the details of the design near Tusker House area. I thought it was a beautiful park, butā€¦ I wouldnā€™t necessarily go back again if I had a trip planed in the near future. Maybe park hopping would be the way to go next time. I donā€™t know, that bums me out because DH and I were SO looking forward to AK and looking back now, feel kind of meh about it. Maybe it was just a bad day.

Thanks for reading, all! Next installment will be another MK day and our DHS day. More later!

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5 and #8 are my two biggest pieces of advice for first time visitors.

I think if you would have seen the Lion King and Nemo shows you would feel different about your AK day.

I think youā€™re right. We were all so tired and hot and always seemed so far from the shows when we had some time. By trying to do all the non-show things, we missed out. I do think AK is a two day park now, and wish we had more time to do it properly.

Great trip report! Curious if you used a touring plan at all.

Wellā€¦I had all the plans printed out and on my phone. But in the end, I actually only referred to them most of the time and didnā€™t actually follow them religiously. This was our first trip in 20 years, and with kids this time, and the times were all thrown off by our own inability to get out the door. I would have spent more time stopping to optimize than actually getting in the lines. So when I got in line, I would click ā€œdoneā€ for the things we finished, more to just keep track of what we needed to do. I tried to follow the basics though, but for example, everyone had to get on Space Mountain first thing on the EMH day. So I caved and ignored the other three or four rides the touring plan suggested in the first hour, That changed everything, but still, we were able to do a lot, just not commando tour the way the TP had laid out,

Also, I should mention that because we were not familiar with the park layout, we spent time waiting in a line we did not mean to be in. For example, we spent 20 minutes in the Ariel meet and greet before we realized it was NOT the Under the Sea ride. Study those maps!

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@McPluto, how did you like the Ft Wilderness cabins? Was there enough space or did it feel cramped. Also, would you recommend them for young children or would there be too much walking? Thanks for any insight you can share.

We loved FW and the cabin. My kids are adult-sized so it was essentially 6 adults in there, but they spent time in their room, with the bed and bunk and other TV, and DH and I were in the living space/kitchen, so we never felt cramped at all living in the cabin all week. There were times, however, when one bathroom to six people was a problem, but with the four girls, they all just come and go in a bathroom like itā€™s nothing, Modestly is not easy with a large family and they pretty much did what they do at home, so it was very doable. But on average we really on had about 3 hours awake time in total in the cabin every day. Also, it was pretty hot during the day so we only sat on the deck at night for a while, just to relax.

As far as walking, we were right near a bus stop and it took less time for us to get to the stop than it would to get from a top floor of a hotel to the lobby. Granted you have to take a bus to the main bus outpost for the parks, hotels, and DD, but the ferry to MK in the settlement area was awesome! The buses are fully dedicated to FW most of the time. We did have one bus trip from Epcot where they stopped at the Wilderness Lodge, but most of the time it was just FW, and there are plenty of people at FW to fill a bus and then some. Honestly, I canā€™t see an issue with young children there. Critters are there, we saw lizards, armadillos, and deer last week. We did some laundry one day, right by the pool. Thereā€™s a very friendly vibe at FW, I think due to the campers there also. Campers are always friendly! No matter where you are, if you have to use a stroller, it seems to me to be simple enough. Very quiet at FW too, especially after an exhausting and stimulating day. I loved not having to hear anyone in a hallway or noises from other guests. It is a unique place in WDW, IMHO, and reasonably priced for a moderate. I can honestly say that I thought I was going to miss the ā€œhotelā€ type experience, with a suite and room view, etc, but I didnā€™t at all. I would stay there again, no question. Feel free to ask me anything. Iā€™ll tell it like it is!

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Reading your posts it seems like your family spent a decent amount of time on table service/character dining. I bet it was a blast with your family. Great memories. Now that you have done that, maybe next trip you would do more counter service meals in the parks which would free up more touring time. You can still get good meals without using as much time and expense. The second trip is better than the first. Now you know the parks and what is important to your family. Our third trip is in November and expect it will be better than the first two.
Keep the reports coming!

What a fantastically detailed report @McPluto! Loving reading these, and loving the honesty with which you write! :smile:

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Thanks. :smiley:

Youā€™re right, we did, and next time I would definitely cut back on the TS meals. I just wanted the first trip to have a bit of everything, and I donā€™t necessarily regret it, but if I had cut out even one TS, it would have made a big difference in touring time. On the flip side, it was all good food and experiences, and really nice to just sit and guzzle ice water in a pretty air-conditioned setting! Iā€™m not so sure weā€™ll get back to WDW in the next 5 years either, but we did have a great trip with little to complain about. Though next time, we will fly!

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Day 5 - MK with EMH

Alarms went off and we were in the park by 8:05! I knew this would be tricky with everyone as far as which rides to hit first. I was inclined to follow the TP, but lost out on the vote and so we hit Space Mountain first with no real wait. Then we made the most of the early hour and walked on to almost every ride in Futureland. I had to laugh while riding the Tomorrowland Speedway. I swear those cars havenā€™t changed since I was there as a kid. The smell alone brought me right back to 1973. The car in front of me started smoking and spewing and they had to get the rider off, but otherwise it was a nostalgic moment and the kids had their first taste of driving and loved it. Didnā€™t do Stich though. :wink:

Then we headed for Fantasyland. I have to say I thought it was beautiful and felt like I really was in a fairy tale world. We hopped on rides as they came along with minimal waits, except for Peter Pan, which we never did get to ride. Small World also threw me back in time. We had a FPP for Anna and Elsa at 10:20 and got there about 10:25. The wait time at that point was around 2 hours. We strolled in and were in the room with them in 5 minutes. It blew my mind! In fact, I would have liked to explore a bit because it was such a pretty room, but they hustled us in and then the meet and greet began. What a fine-oiled machine that M&G was. Anna and Elsa were great, and my DD14 was in 7th heaven. She was far more excited than the DDs12. It was funny.

We had a 10:40 FPP for Enchanted Tales with Belle, and I thought that would be a nice precursor to our lunch at BoG. The wait was about 40 minutes, but we waited maybe 10 for the next show. I loved it, one of my favorite non-ride attractions. As I said above, I was moved to tears during the beginning when Belle was with a shy little girl. I loved the effects, the magical doorway, the audience participation, even though none of us were picked.

After Belle, we headed for BoG. I loved walking right up to the CM and giving our name, and then getting to bypass those on line. The wait was an hour at that point, which was at about 11:40. We met another CM to lead us to the ordering kiosk line. We did wait about 10 minutes before being able to order, and in the excitement of being there, we kept messing up our orders on the touch screen, but finally got it all right within a few minutes. It was crowded and I really wanted to sit in the West Wing with the rose and the cool picture of the Beast that changes. Luckily, a table for six was being cleared as we walked in so we hovered. It was a bit dark in there with a gothic theme, so if you like a light room, this is not the room for you. The main room was too busy and loud, I thought, but the Ballroom with Belle and the Beast dancing was beautiful and quieter, and it is larger. Our food came out within 15 minutes. It was all very good. The potato and leek soup was really delicious, the French onion soup was very good, not the best Iā€™ve had, but still very good. DH, two DDs and I had the Croque Monsieur with fries. Delicious! DH14 loved the braised pork, and I did taste it too and it was awesome. She could not substitute fries for her green beans though, but I was able to choose between fries and green beans with the sandwich. Donā€™t understand why that would be an issue really. DD12 (a quasi-vegetarian when the mood strikes her) had the Vegetable Quiche w/ salad and said it was very good. The only issue I had eating in that room was the sheer quantity of people coming in and taking pictures of the room and the rose area. Flashes were going off constantly, but I get it. It was just distracting. Well, there were a few rude people who flashed right in our eyes, but being at WDW I felt very forgiving and tuned out what I could. Definitely explore the other rooms just to see the details that went into creating it all.

After lunch we finished off some other attractions, and we all loved Mickeyā€™s Philharmagic a lot. I wasnā€™t sure what to expect but it was terrific. We headed to the Liberty Square area at about 2:30 and folks were lining up for the parade. No one in my family wanted to sit in the sun and watch it though. We had a FPP for the Haunted Mansion where the wait time was 70 minutes so off we went. We did miss out by not being in the queue, and there is a wall between the line and the FPP line, which to me is kind of lame. But the ride is as awesome as I remember. A wonderful classic I could ride over and over. Once done with HM, we were so hot and needed a break from all the touring, so we took in the Hall of Presidents. I think itā€™s quite a good show and the animatronics are just amazing.

We did get a fourth FPP for Pirates just because it was available and we all love it, so we headed back to Adventureland, also wishing there were FPPs available for Splash and BTMRR, but they were gone. Our plan was to return later that night after Hoop-Dee-Doo anyway. We did stop at Aloha Isle and got Dole Whips though! By 5:00 we were all feeling grungy between the heat and the sunscreen, so we took the ferry back to the cabin to shower and dress for the 8:30 Hoop-Dee-Doo Review show.

What can I say about Hoop-Dee-Doo? The show was fantastic! Entertaining, campy, funny. My whole family loved every minute of it. There is some refurbishment going on at Pioneer Hall, and I now see on the Disney site that they are revamping the area and calling it ā€œFort Wilderness Pavilionā€ and it looks like they will have character dining there as well. No more Trailā€™s End?? Weā€™ll see I guess.

We had Tier 1 seats and sat three table rows from the stage. I had my doubts as the price tag for the six of us was $400, but the show was worth it, the foodā€¦Iā€™ll get to that. There was plenty of audience interaction, calling out for birthdays and anniversaries, general good-humored fun with willing guests at their tables. Truly a talented bunch on stage, with some stand outs, particularly a guy named Six Bits. Reminded me of old school vaudevillian actor or someone the likes of Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. They all sang and danced their hearts out and really did seem to love what they were doing for us all. The only non-magical moment was when the photographer came to try to sell the pictures of us. I think thatā€™s just plain tacky. Alas, I had memory maker anyway.

The wait staff was simply incredible. Attentive and quick, ours even whispered in my ear and asked if I would allow the kids to have another soda. The wine and beer flowed if you wanted it, in fact my DH had his own pitcher of beer! All served family style, the salad and cornbread were first, on the table when we sat down before showtime, and the drinks came out super fast too. Salad was okay, iceberg lettuce. The cornbread was very good. After some entertainment came the food. I wonā€™t spoil the way itā€™s all served up at the tables, but itā€™s funny. The fried chicken was better than the take out we had a few nights before, certainly freshly made. The ribs were just good, though way too over-drenched in BBQ sauce for my liking. The mashed potatoes were very creamy and tasty, the baked beans were just okay, and we also had some buttered corn, not on the cob. Our server came around a lot to ask what we needed more of too. Dessert was a giant Strawberry Shortcake to share and spoon onto your individual plates. Iā€™d say the shortcake was the best part of the meal. All in all, the show was fabulous, so the food being about a 6 out of 10 wasnā€™t a deal-breaker. Iā€™d do it again.

Then we headed to the ferry to get to MK to experience it at night. By the time we hit Main Street it was already about 11:20, so we walked with extreme purpose (though I was limping with purpose due to the darn blisters) over to Splash and had a minimal wait. In fact, the CM said we could stay in our log if we wanted to go again, but we wanted to get to 7DMT hoping to not have a long wait. The Electrical Parade was also making itā€™s way, so we did get some cool glimpses of it, especially from the drop on Splash. We were tired at this point though and had a hard time navigating our way over to 7DMT, but we got on line at 12:01, and plenty of people got on line behind us. I guess the CMs were feeling generous. I think we were in line for about 10 minutes. The details in the queue to me were really nice, but the games/activities were just okay by my adult standards. Kids did seem to enjoy them though. We all did enjoy the ride a lot, especially since it was dark, and I suspect itā€™s much cooler at night in general. But who in blazes designed those seats?! My thighs were squashed!

Then we just made our way to the exit, stopping to enjoy the lights, takes some pics, and shop a bit, and we did see the Kiss Goodnight, which was so neat. We didnā€™t get back to the cabin until 1:15am. Exhausted, we all pretty much collapsed into bed to get rest for HS the next day. Our first FPP was for Tower of Terror at 10! This also meant that our trip was nearing its end. :frowning: Re-entry has been hard, by the way.

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That sounds like a perfect day! Really! Thanks for all the details. I could see every moment as I read along.

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This is a wonderful review. Thanks for sharing all your observations. I agree wholeheartedly with admiring the talent of the HDDR performers. Theyā€™re great. And congrats to getting so much done in spite of the blisters! Iā€™ve been there and know itā€™s harder than it sounds!

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Thanks, Sally! It was a good day, for sure.

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Thanks cruisers! I hoped to give back a little after all the good advice I got from you all!