Trip report-January 13-20

DSaturday -Arrival Day

Our trip began on Saturday January 13. The group consisted of myself , DD-25, DS-29, DDiL and two granddaughters who are both 4. They are cousins. We booked two rooms. One for son, his wife and daughter and I stayed in other room with daughter and her little girl

We set out at 9:30 that morning and arrived in Orlando about 3:00 on Saturday. We drove fron Georgia and stopped for lunch with my brothers family near Gainesville. It is about a 5 hour drive if driven straight through. We checked into pop century and I was hoping for renovated rooms. Our room was ready upon arrival. We opted out of housekeeping in both rooms so got 2 -$60 gift cards. We got the area we requested in building 7 in the 80’s section—so renovated rooms! Yay!!! I had wanted ground floor right next to parking lot and that is what we got. We had decided to drive each day to parks since we had 2 strollers and 2 -4 year olds. So this was what worked best for us. Our room was maybe 20 yards to the curb at the parking lot. So convenient and we are not in room much so didn’t care about view or being close to lobby.

We unloaded and got ready for our first planned Disney experience. We had an ADR for luau at Polynesian. We had picked up tickets in lobby at pop century. And arrived right at 5:15. It took us a while to find parking spot as it was a holiday weekend. But sat right away and enjoyed the show and the food.

The show was over before 7. We went thru security at Polynesian and hopped on monorail and arrived at MK. We had to activate our annual passes. This took about 20 minutes. It was almost 8 by this time. We had booked 3 fast passes So we went straight to Jungle cruise with no wait. Then rode Magic carpets with 2nd fp. I was able to modify the 3rd fp for Small World to earlier time so we went straight to it after Magic carpets. We then got fp for Little Mermaid then stopped at Dumbo for last ride of the night. It was 9:30 and time to get girls into bed. It took us almost an hour from time we left Dumbo until we got back to hotel I forgot how long it takes to get around Disney. But we got back to hotel , took baths and into bed with visions of Disney characters all in our heads. End of arrival day.

Sunday-Epcot/Magic Kingdom Day

So we jumped up when alarm went off the next morning. The temperature was all over the place during the week so the first thing my daughter did was open the door to see how cool the morning was. Good thing she did— WE WERE LOCKED INSIDE OUR ROOM. We had done the deadbolt the night before and it would not move no matter how hard we tried. We fiddled with it for maybe 10 minutes then called front desk. It seemed to take forever for someone to arrive. I kept going back and trying over and over. Finally it budged. About the time i got it open the maintenance guy shows up. Like 15 or 20 minutes later. I was panicked by this time. Not only were we locked in but we were now late because we spent all this time messing with door and calling front desk instead of getting dressed. So when maintenance arrived they decided to take lock off and work on it . So we now are trying to get dressed with a strange man in our room. Not a good start to day!!!

However we finally escaped our room and headed to Epcot.

We were about 20 min behind schedule- which was pretty good considering Our first fp was space ship earth. It was down so we went straight to The Seas with Nemo and friends then Turtle Talk with Crush. My girls loved both of these. Next we had ADR at Akershus at 10:30. The line to check in and to be seated was long. We waited a few minutes and someone open the rope and asked for the Locke party. Wow.! I felt special and was excited. They said because we were first time Ap holders we got a little pixie dust! The girls took Picts with Belle, then we were seated. We really enjoyed the food. We saw Cinderella, Snow White, Mulan and Aurora. The girls walked in the Princess Parade. The castle was beautiful.

After our meal we had Fp for Frozen ride. When we got on the seat was soaked and we had to sit right in the water so all of our bottoms were wet. I do not remember getting wet like this in the past. It was a little uncomfortable for a while but we dried out. My girls did not like getting splashed though so even though we had another fp later in week the girls did not want to ride and get wet again so I canceled.

We saw Elsa and Anna next. The wait was 15 or 20 minutes. The girls loved them and took tons of pictures.

At this point in day my son and his wife wanted to go around the world, so my daughter and I took both girls back to Magic Kingdom So we hopped on monorail and made it to MK in about 35 minutes. I secures fp for Tea cups then we went to see Ariel. The wait time said 40 but I knew it was time for parade so I asked if ttime was correct. The cm went around corner to check line and she said you are right. The wait time is only 20 minutes. In reality we may have waited 8 minutes. So lesson learned. It never hurts to ask. Girls got autographs and pictures

Next was Little Mermaid ride and then on to dumbo. The girls played on play ground there which they loved. We then saw mickeys philharmagic which is a family favorite. Then we walked back across to magic carpets and ate a late lunch since we had late breakfast. I used the mobile ordering for the first time. It was great. After eating we hopped back on monorail to Epcot. We had to go back through security- I hope they change this - and saw that Spaceship Earth was working again so we rode that. They had put anytime Fp on our account since it was down in AM. Afterwards we met back up with my son and wife in China. They took us to Japan to do the Pick a Pearl experience. It was incredible and the Japanese ladies made it so much fun! My girls had a blast selecting the pearls and watching them open up the clams

We then walked to Germany to see the model trains. Then walked back toward Mexico. Along the way they enjoyed the drums and instruments at a little hut between Germany and China. We rode the boat ride at the Mexican pavilion and then it was time for our ADR at La Hacienda. We had to wait about 10 min to be seated. We had 8 pm adr. Our plan was to watch illuminations from restaurant. I was under impression that all tables were in big room with huge windows but we were seated in a side room with one tiny window. So when show began my daughter took her daughter outside to watch and I just stood at small window and watched since we were only ones in this side area. My other granddaughter fell asleep at table and missed it.

So then it was end of day and back to the hotel. Both girls were asleep by the time we arrived. We had no trouble getting out of Epcot parking lot. We had parked in journey lot and it took us maybe 10 minutes to get back to Pop from time we reached our car. We pulled up to curb to get sleeping girls out so just a short walk to our ground floor room Another productive day!

Big mistake-Since girls were asleep we just put them straight in bed. About 4 that morning my daughter woke me up and said my granddaughter had wet the bed. Oh no. Something she hadn’t done in a while but we really should have woke her up to do bathroom before bed. Live and learn—. Anyway I picked up phone and dialed front desk to see about getting extra sheets. CM picked up phone and asked how she could help and I opened my mouth and nothing. I tried again and nothing. I had laryngitis and literally no sound would come out My daughter realized and took phone and explained. They arrived within 10 min with new sheets, blankets everything. And offered to help change bed. But we had opted out of housekeeping, so I gave her a tip and told her we would handle it ourselves. She did take soiled sheets away. After all the excitement I could never get back to sleep. The next day was going to be long with me waking at 4. But I hung in there!

Day 2- Animal Kingdom and AK Lodge

We were up and ready to leave by 8 AK opened at 7 but not much my girls could do was available during EMH and we had fp for FoP in afternoon for 2 people and Navri river for other 4 in our party so we decided to arrive by 8:30. The girls got their Wilderness Explorer books and saw a cm first thing before the bridge and earned their first badge. We then took time to take family pictures in front of tree

My girls love Pocahontas so we went straight to meet and greet which began at 9 even though park had been open since 7. We waited maybe 10 minutes and both girls loved the interaction. We met college age girls in line that were so excited when they met her for the first time. They were from Indiana and were so sweet talking to me and my granddaughters.

After meet and greet we walked along the Discovery Island trail - backwards( sorry ). And headed toward Africa for FoLK show. We had fp but it looked like everyone else did too. The fp line was out past Tusker House. We waited a while before we could enter. We all took turns running to restroom during the wait. To my surprise when we finally got in we got pretty good seats on end of second row. We love this show. It is incredible!

After lion king we made our way to the train to go to Conservation Station. We did meet and greet with Doc Mcstuffins, completed 3 of the W/E badges and saw a monkey getting checked out under sedation through the glass at the medical observation room Before we left the girls enjoyed the affection section brushing the goats. It probably took us 1 1/2 hour from time we left train station until time we returned

Next was Yak and Yeti for lunch. It was good but portions were large. We should have shared some of entrees but we did enjoy. Next we walked the Maharajah Jungle trek. And then made our way to Expedition Everest to use our FP’s After EE we made our way to the boneyard so girls could run and play for a while I made sure each day to set aside time in afternoon for girls to have some play time. This must have worked because we were at Disney for 7 nights and not one major meltdown and we never stopped for naps or anything. The girls really did well and were so sweet all week.

We finally were heading to pandora to ride FoP. We had 2 fp’s so we planned to do rider swap. My son and daughter rode first while my DiL and it took the girls on Navri river ride. The river was beautiful. My granddaughter said “ How long did it take them to build all this? It’s pretty! “. I think she was impressed even at 4.
It only took 15 minutes for my daughter and son to get thru line and they quickly met back up with us as we were exploring Pandora. Then it was my turn. My son and I went together this time to ride FoP and again it took 15 minutes. I loved the ride and so did my son. My daughter loved it too but got a little motion sickness We actually had fp for later in week but my son had ridden twice already and my daughter didn’t want to ride again so hopefully I made someone’s day when I released those Fp’s By time we got done in Pandora it was 4:30. We left to drive to AK Lodge which literally took 3 min from time we reached car.

The Lodge was gorgeous. We arrived at feeding time so we saw many animals. Two baby giraffes! It was awesome.

Our Adr was 6:15 so the girls played on playground while we waited for time to eat. They met a little boy from Florida. He was only 2 but they had so much fun playing with him. When it was time for us to leave for adr he cried because his friends were leaving. He was so cute!

We checked in at Boma and were seated within minutes. The food was good and we loved the ambience of the restaurant. We planned an early night since we had to get up early the next day for breakfast at 1900 Parkfare. So off to our car and on the way Isabella tripped and skinned her knee on the asphalt. When she gets upset she wants her bunny. This is a little “softie “ blankie with a little bunny head. She has had this since birth and sleeps with her every night and holds it when she gets upset. Anyway it was at this point that we realized we did not have bunny. We had lost her somewhere along the way!!! I panicked. Bunny is very important and is also a keepsake that my daughter will always keep. We are usually so careful with her. I ran first to restroom because we had been in there earlier that evening. No bunny! So then I am sure the lady in the restaurant thought I was a wild woman as I literally ran back in and started hysterically explaining what I was looking for. First person shook head and sent me to another lady. She turned around and went into the back room and came back holding “bunny”. I have never been so relieved in all my life. Crisis diverted and off we go to hotel once again.

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Such great pictures! Thanks for sharing!

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Tuesday-1900 Park Fare and Magic Kingdom

We had an 8:15 reservation at 1900 park fare and decided to valet park the car. We had a great breakfast and character experience. Mary Poppins arrived first and then Pooh. The Mad Hatter was hilarious and sat at our table. Last was tigger. The girls loved all the characters and we were impressed with the breakfast. We were seated promptly and loved the fact they the buffet had a little station for the girls to fix their own plates. We had a family picture with Penguin on the way out.

We looked into the bath shop upstairs and got little bath bombs that had “mickeys” in them The girls can’t wait to try them out! Then we went through security at GF and a quick trip by monorail and was at MK by 9:45.

We took pictures on Main Street with castle in back ground and saw the Main Street performers sing and dance. We had 6 Fp’s for 7DMT but one of my grands was scared to ride and my daughter in law is pregnant so she could not ride so I approached a couple that were contemplating if they wanted to wait in line over an hour and asked them if they wanted to ride with us using our extra passes. They were a sweet couple from London and immediately agreed. They were in the U.S. for 2 weeks and had been to Disney in Paris and in China He had a brother who had moved to the states and lives in North Carolina. It was fun meeting them and they were so appreciative of the passes.

Next we rode the carousel and tried philharmagic but show was down so we went on to use our Fp for Peter Pan. Next we headed to meet Merida. It was about a 20 to 25 minute wait. While my crew was in line I ran over to stand by tea cups and got frozen raspberry lemonade. Yum!! I brought back to everyone and they enjoyed while they waited.

After Merida we made our way to the teacups and then to dumbo. I purposely scheduled dumbo around this time so girls could play on playground a bit after such a busy morning. As we began to walk towards Main Street we heard music. We caught the tail end of the dance party. It worked out perfectly. We just followed the “party” all the way from castle down main street so they paved the way and no traffic as we headed to Tony’s

We had a 1:15 ADR at Tony’s. We got tickets for reserved viewing of the parade at the flag pole Great seats and the meal was pretty good too. We were done eating by 2:30. We had fp to see tinker bell so walked right next door and had no wait Perfect timing!

As we came out we used the restroom there and then sat on curb waiting for parade. We arrived about 10 before 3 and got front row seats sitting at the curb The parade was incredible as usual. The Mad hatter came right up to Isabella and said “wooo”. Bella yelled back “wooo”. It was so cute!

After the parade we headed to Adventureland and let the girls climb through the TreeHouse and then saw the Country Bear Jamboree. My girls love that show. Then we visited the Tiki Room for the first time. It was “so so”. We were all getting a little tired by this time so we headed to the train and made a loop around the park. As we exited the girls saw a tiny play area under the station and played there for a short time and we used the restrooms right behind the station. I had secured a fp for pirates so we headed there next.

After pirates we had a 7:50 ADR at Crystal Palace. We arrived about 7:30 as they were doing projections on the castle and to our surprise they took us right in early. Think they wanted to be done with their shift because the characters barely stopped by table. They patted the girls on the head, waved and then went on to the next table. I was kinda disappointed considering the amount we paid for the “character experience.” It wasn’t much of an experience. Piglet was the only one that stopped and really saw the girls. While we were seated the fireworks began so once again my daughter took her little girl out on porch to watch. My sons little girl said it was too loud. I had hoped to watch from porch myself because last time we ate at CP we had to wait 30 min to be seated so I figured with a 750 time we would still be outside. Never dreamed they would take us so early.

But after our meal we headed out. We were not prepared for the huge crowd getting on monorail. My daughter saw the boat to GF and it had very little wait so we folded strollers hopped on boat and were at GF within 10 minutes. Valet parking was so worth the $25 we spent that day. We drove back to Pop and arrived by 9:15. We left park about 8:30 so with the huge crowd at park closing I thought that was great! Fell into bed once again Needing a good night sleep to be ready for MK once again the next day.

More to come…

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+Wednesday - Back to Magic Kingdom

We left hotel at 8. We decided to valet at GF again. It worked so well the day before. We were inside magic kingdom by 8:30. We saw the Main Street vehicle and rode one to the castle and back. We saw the new welcome show and then was ready to begin the day.

We made our way through the castle and arrived at Rapunzel meet and greet. It was a short 10 min wait We met rapunzel and we thought Tiana would be the second princess but we had Snow White instead. Disappointed. Because Snow White was at both castles so had already seen her at Akershus and would see her again that night at CRT. We were wanting Tiana, who we would not see elsewhere.

After Rapunzel we walked to Enchanted Tales with Belle and the wait was only 10 min. Bobbie Jaie was chosen to be the beast. She did so good and photo pass captured some really incredible pictures g

Next we headed to our 10:10 ADR at BOG. We had pre ordered so we were seated right away and food came quickly The girls wanted to sit in ballroom where they could see the snow. We enjoyed the breakfast but the portions were really small especially for the price.

After breakfast we made our way to front of castle for the 11;30 show-Mickeys Friendship Faire. We stood to the left of the castle behind the short wall along path that leads into the castle. This was elevated a few feet and no one was in front of us. It proved to be a perfect place to see the show.

We then had a fp for Winnie the Pooh ride and then got in line for Peter Pan meet and greet. We had to wait 15 or so minutes. We had not seen him before.

Then we headed back across to tea cups and fp for barnstormer. We planned to do Hall of Presidents next. It was 2:20 i believe when we arrived. I asked how long till next show and was told 8 min. So I figured we could watch the 23 min show and be out about time parade began so we got into line. We waited and waited and I looked at watch and realized it was 2:45 and we had never even been seated yet So we turned around and walked out front door which proved to be the ideal time. They were literally pulling the rope across as we exited so we walked right up and sat front row at rope. This proved to be a really good place to watch parade.

We had 2 Fp’s for Thunder mt at 3:30 so we headed over and used rider swap. After showing CM that we had small ones, my DD and DS rode first while my DiL and I took girls across to Tom Sawyer Island. Girls went straight to playground. When ride was over my DS called and I met him at dock and swapped out and I rode with Dd and he and wife kept girls. Afterwards we met back at island and explored the caves and paths around the area.

Next we headed toward tomorrow land. We had fp for speedway. Then 2 fps for space mt where we did rider swap once more. DD and I rode first while DS kept the girls. By time we got off ride it was time for ADR at CRT. So we checked in an was called back almost immediately to meet Cinderella.

After the meet however we had a pretty good wait to be seated. I was getting a little nervous because CM told us if we were not out of Castle by 7:45 we would be stuck inside til after the fireworks By the time we were seated, it was cutting it close. We had a good meal and saw Snow White, Jasmine, Aurora, and Ariel. When it was time to leave. It was 7:40 and CMs had already roped off area around castle They did allow us out but we had to be escorted. We then walked straight to tomorrow land My DS and DD went straight to Space to use rider swap pass and we took girls to ride people mover.

When we got off people mover the fireworks were beginning. We sat on little concrete wall at corner right before bridge across from Stitch. It proved to be a great place. We could see projections on castle, we were seated and tinker bell flew almost right over us. We only had one little bump when some young guys half way thru fireworks walked up and literally stood right in front of us and strollers. There was plenty of places all around and they chose to stand 2 feet in front of us. I very politely cleared my throat and said excuse me guys. They realized what they had done and quickly moved over a few feet After that we enjoyed watching the rest of the fireworks and seeing tinkerbell flying was the highlight of the night for my girls.

We rode one more ride - Buzz Lightyear and then headed to front of park even though there was evening EMH. But we had done all we wanted at MK and were tired out by that time. We again took the boat to GF with only a short wait while line for monorail was crazy long. We retrieved our car and was back at hotel before 10. Bath and bed one more time!

More to come…

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Thanks for sharing. The pictures are awesome. So wonderful to see the little ones so happy. You did a great job planning.

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Wonderful report! Your granddaughters are so adorable!!

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Thank you for sharing!

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Great report so far. Your granddaughters are so sweet!

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Thursday-Animal Kingdom and Ohana breakfast

We got up to 26 degree temperature that morning. We packed gloves, coats, hand warmers and blankets to be prepared for the cold day. We left Pop and arrived at Polynesian about 9:15. Check in was quick and we were seated within 5 minutes. We love breakfast here and my girls love Lilo and Stitch. We also saw Mickey and as we exited restaurant we were able to take pictures with Pluto.


We loaded back up in car and drove to Animal Kingdom. We arrived about 11:15 and had a fp for Safari at 11:35. So by the time we got through security and entrance we walked straight to Africa to go on safari. We pulled out blankets to use on the Jeep. We were worried we wouldn’t see many animals because of the cold but we really had a good Safari. The giraffes came so close to Jeep. And 2 or them had there necks wrapped around each other. We all thought it was so cute but driver informed us that this was aggressive behavior We saw elephants, crocodiles, flamingos, giraffes, antelope and much more.

After Safari we walked the Gorilla trail but due to cold weather the gorillas and monkeys both were in their “house” so we couldn’t see them. The girls did receive some more badges and then we walked around Hambre village a while until it was time for ADR at Tusker House.

When we arrived at Tusker House and checked in we were told they were behind and it would be a 30 min wait. So my son left to go to restroom and we were instantly called after maybe 3 minutes. We kind of got scolded because all our party was not sitting right there but I explained that we were told the wait would be 30 min. Anyway we got seated and waitress told us that it was a good time to go to buffet since characters would begin in 15 min. I went and fixed my granddaughter plate which only took 5 minutes and she and I were only ones at table when Mickey arrived earlier than waitress had indicated. My other granddaughter was still at buffet but would be back in a few minutes. So I told Mickey we had another child that would be right back. He turned to table right next door and my grand came back to table within minutes. He literally was backed up and touching chair at the end of our table. I asked waitress to let Mickey know that other child was now at table and she said “ oh once they leave table we cannot bring them back”. He will be back around in 75 minutes. I was floored. We literally could touch him. He would only have had to spin and look the other way with not even moving from his spot. I was so upset. It was ridiculous that he was right there and she couldn’t get him to come back. She is the one that told us to go on to buffet. We did not plan to still be there 75 minutes later. It wasn’t like I was wanting to grab him from across the room He was inches from us. But she was adamant. She could not bring him back. Anyway luckily a new couple sat down at table behind us and Mickey must have seen them arrive and he did come back to visit with them as they were being seated so he came to our table too at that point so we did get to get picture with him. I still think it’s ridiculous that the waitress would not even consider telling him that girls were both back at table since he was so close. She absolutely refused. I was almost in tears. We also saw Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy and received tickets for reserved seating at RoL

Next we went to see Finding Nemo musical. This was our first time and we loved it! Afterward the girls played again at Boneyard And my DS and DD rode Primeval Whirl while I watched girls. Then they took girls to do Triceratops spin while I filled our popcorn bucket. It was almost time for RoL so we all hit the restroom and gathered our blankets and popcorn and found a seat on the first row. We munched on popcorn while we waited for show to begin. We loved it!

After the show we headed towards Pandora to see it at night. It really was something to see. On the way out to car we stopped to watch the tree changing colors and we just planned to pick something up for supper and eat at room. It was only 7:30 when we arrived back at hotel My son wanted to order pizza—. Hour and half wait. We decided to walk to food court and bring food back to room. It was chaos and a long wait and food was cold by time we ate. I was not a fan of food court experience.
It was expensive and I wanted hamburger only. No fries or other sides but she said you could not do that. So lots of wasted food. We did get in bed early after such a long week we fell right asleep.

Friday— Hollywood Studios

We arrived at 9:00 and went straight to Tower of terror. We used rider swap and DD, DS and I rode together while DiL kept the girls. We headed to RnR and used riderswap again. My daughter and I rode using 2 Fps while my son took girls across the park to TS area. After our ride we met them there and DD and DS took girls on Toy story. When they got done we headed to Disney jr show. The girls love this. They dance and sing along!

When we exited Disney jr the March was getting underway so we walked over and watched that. When the March was over it was time for Frozen sing along. After the show we had ADR at Hollywood and vine. We had fantasmic package so received our tickets for reserved seating. Food was So-so but girls enjoyed the characters.

After lunch we had fp to ride ToT again so my daughter and I rode. Then she and my son used the rider swap pass for RnR while I took girls to get a seat at Beauty and the Beast. We saved seats for them and they came and joined us as soon as they were finished with ride, just in time for show.

Afterwards we went to Jedi training and just watched the show. Ours were not involved but it was fun to watch. Close by was Olaf meet and greet so we stood in line for maybe 15 minutes to see Olaf. Then since my son is a big Star Wars fan we went to Star Wars launch bay. My daughter and I walked around with him for a while and took Picts but then we decided to go elsewhere while he and his family enjoyed all that the Launch Bay had to offer.

We ended up watching Disney Jr show again and the Little Mermaid show. We were hungry so we stopped in abc commissary and grabbed some chicken fingers and then met back up with my son and his family in time to watch fantasmic for the first time. We still had rider swap passes for ToT but none of us wanted to ride again so I walked over to entrance and gave passes to 3 college age students that were fixing to stand in line.

At fantasmic we got front row seats and really loved the show. We got a little mist blown our way but it was very light and didn’t seem to bother the girls. DD said it was her favorite night time show. After the show we headed to the car and was back at hotel before 9. Time to pack up our things and get ready for our final day at Disney :confused:

Final day —Saturday- back to Epcot

We packed car and headed out to Epcot. All week the 6 of us had ridden together with my son navigating. Since the car was now packed we had to ride separate and my son and family got out early and went on to Epcot. We all planned to meet about 9:45. We hopped in our car and entered address into car gps and it took us to I-4. So we turned around and daughter entered into her phone. We ended up at cast member parking lot and a restricted area. So we turned around again and of course by this time we are late meeting my son. But they found things to do while they were waiting and thank goodness we didn’t miss our fp window which was at soaring. So we finally made it to Epcot and met up with them in front of soaring and one last time we used rider swap. DD and DS went first while I took girls to Nemo and friends under the sea and the aquarium. Then my son swapped places with me and watched the girls while I rode soaring for the first time with my daughter. Loved it !

We called as soon as we were off the ride and they met us at Living with the Land and we used fp for all to ride. This was an interesting ride as our family farms so we really enjoyed the experience. After the ride we had ADR at Garden Grill. We loved the food and the family style restaurant. We met Chip, Dale, Farmer Mickey , and Pluto. They gave us paper Fps for turtle talk with crush which we used right after our meal.

This was the last thing on our schedule. It was time to head home. We left Epcot about 2 so it would be 7 or 8 by time we reached home. So sad to see the end of our trip! But we are AP holders now so I know we will be coming back soon!!

10 Things I learned from this trip

1- you can do too many character meals- my kids said I over did it this time
2- It takes a long time to get from one place to another at Disney. Allow time
3- I was pleased with room at Pop. Would stay there again
4- Give young ones time to run and play each day to avoid meltdowns
5- we liked driving since we have small kids and 2 strollers. Would definitely do that again. May feel differently when no longer have strollers.
6- It can get cold in Florida. Come prepared.
7- follow the signs at Disney not the gps
8- take time to watch the shows and entertainment
9- Do not make late reservations for character meals- the characters are done for day
10. Place battery operated lights on your stroller. This helps so much at night.

Our favorite places we ate and character experiences
1900 Park fare breakfast
Ohana breakfast
Garden grill
CRT
Boma
Akershus

Least favorite
BOG
Crystal palace
Food court at pop
Tusker House. Food was ok just very unorganized day we were there.

My girls favorite rides ( they are 4)
Dumbo
Tea cups
Mickey philharmagic
Nemo and friends under the sea
Disney jr show
Safari
Toy story
Small world.

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Nice report, lovely photos!

But may I ask… is that a dog being held in some of the photos? I can’t tell if it’s a stuffed animal, live dog or none of the above.

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It is a small dog. Service dog in training that belongs to my daughter in law. I was not sure about her bringing her but she contacted Disney and got approval. She really did well all week. I was worried because she is still “in training” but she was fine

Lovely trip report! Thanks for sharing! :smiley:

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Thank you so much for your reporting; it’s a great way to live vicariously before our next trip to WDW. Looks like you guys made some great memories!

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Dawn - I enjoyed reading your trip report and seeing your pictures. Thank you for sharing. I did have a question on one of you 10 things you learned. Late reservations for character meals - how late are you talking? I haven’t experienced this, but I would like to make sure that doesn’t happen to us.

Thanks!

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We had a 7:50 reservation for crystal palace on night that park closed at 8:00. They did take us early maybe 7:40. But the 3 of the 4 characters literally came by and patted girls on head waved then moved on. No time for pictures or to sign book. We did many character meals so it wasn’t a huge deal this time because they had seen Pooh and tigger at another time but those characters did not know that. I just felt very rushed and felt the characters took no time with us. If this had been our only character experience I would have been really upset I am sure they were ready to get off work but we had spent a lot of money for the characters and really felt cheated.

Thanks for the updating. You had no problems using FP/Rider Swap at FoP? I have read mixed reviews, but I have 2 (for my husband and dad) and was hoping that I can use rider swap for myself. Was it an issue at all?

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No. We walked right up wth girls and they handed the lanyard to my daughter. No questions asked

That’s unfortunate, sorry to hear. Crystal palace is a place we haven’t had the best character experiences at. Generally they’ve taken the longest to get through the dining room. We’ve always caught it right after they have visited the area we are seated. But that’s ok, they eventually get there.

When you get the rider swap, what did the passes say? When we were there in August, it said the swap individual plus 3. I heard they have limited it to two people now. Any truth to that?

They were the same little passes as all other rides that do rider swap. They all say good for up to 3 riders I believe and didn’t expire til the end of the month. So you can use at any time. We only ever had 2 riders so if they are limiting you we would not have known. But almost positive they all had good for up to 3 actually printed on pass