Go with the Flow....A Summer Trip to Remember! July 2012~ **Completed**

[mommytothreeboys]

Hey Angie! I'm all caught up and LOVING your report!

I love that your family has Disney traditions that they don't like to stray from! We do too...like Root Beer Floats for breakfast at MK! It's funny the things the kids latch onto and insist we do on each trip.

I'm glad you got to do some wandering in the WS on your own. I know your boys aren't big fans, but there are some really cool things to see if you slow down a bit. Speaking of that...I need to get into that caramel shop in Germany....

YUCK...rain. That's all I have to say about that.

OOOHHHH...I can't tell you how excited I am that you visited AoA and posted some great pics! When (if ) we go next spring, I am seriously considering staying there. It looks amazing!

[DisMomAmy]

All caught up! I'm glad you adopted a go with the flow attitide... sounds like it worked out well for your arrival day. We have yet to try out WPE - but it's on my list.

Bummer about all the rain... I hope that was the end of it.

[Angies1274]

Originally Posted by ellajeansmom

Great updates

for visiting Canada (you know I'm a little biased). Wow that rain really came down at Epcot - the skies didn't even look that dark in your pictures right before.

Good for you to do a little exploring on your own, oh and my mouth is watering just thinking about that caramel popcorn!

The inside of T-Rex looks really cool, glad you enjoyed your meal.

AoA looks amazing Ella would love being in the LK section, well let's be honest so would I! Thanks for all the wonderful pics

Thanks Lara!

I had so much fun exploring Italy on my own. It was nice to see all those little details that we usually miss because the boys just aren't that interested.

Ooohhh....after seeing all the pictures of the Lion King section at AoA, that's where I would love to stay too! The suites look amazing! I just wish they would have put a pool in that section as they did with Cars and Nemo.

Originally Posted by justakrazymom

I'm in and loving this report!!!

Thanks!!! I'm so glad you joined in!!

Originally Posted by TinksThree

Hey! A little late for the party but I am all read up!! Your pictures of POP and AoA have me even more excited (if that's possible!) for October!!

I loved seeing the pictures in Vermont. That is one place I have always wanted to go as well as the Adirondack Mtns.

I know where we were on your rainy Epcot day and it was icky!! We went to T-Rex that night too!! But from the looks of your pictures we were waiting for a table while you were at AoA. However our paths could have passed since we were shopping for a while before and mostly in World of Disney! It was so crowded though that night!

oh, and back to the very beginning...I laughed because we sound so much alike! I am a super planner but this trip we slowed it down and I tried to not be so rigged. I think planning and "going with the flow" can both work!! But the tour groups really began to get to us! They were everywhere!!!!

Can't wait for more!!

Hi! I'm so happy you're here!! It will be fun to compare notes about our trips!

Since we have stayed at Pop so much, I didn't take too many pictures around the resort this trip but I'll post some more pics from my past reports later on. It really is such a fun resort!! I think you'll really like it!

So cool that we were at T-Rex the same night!! I remember World of Disney being so crowded that night! Which is probably why we only popped in really quick before we decided to head over to AoA.

Too funny about sounding alike! I thought the same thing when I started reading your report. I am such a super planner too!! I love planning every detail of our trip!! But, I have to admit it was so nice to slow down this trip and not stick to such a strict plan. Our days and plans changed so much this trip it made me wonder why I bothered planning at all. Ugh! We couldn't believe the amount of tour groups we saw!! They definitely got to us as well as the trip went on.

[Angies1274]

Originally Posted by mommytothreeboys

Hey Angie! I'm all caught up and LOVING your report!

I love that your family has Disney traditions that they don't like to stray from! We do too...like Root Beer Floats for breakfast at MK! It's funny the things the kids latch onto and insist we do on each trip.

I'm glad you got to do some wandering in the WS on your own. I know your boys aren't big fans, but there are some really cool things to see if you slow down a bit. Speaking of that...I need to get into that caramel shop in Germany....

YUCK...rain. That's all I have to say about that.

OOOHHHH...I can't tell you how excited I am that you visited AoA and posted some great pics! When (if ) we go next spring, I am seriously considering staying there. It looks amazing!

Hi Missy!!

I agree! It's so nice to have those traditions when we go to Disney! I love your Root Beer Floats for breakfast tradition!! How fun!

Aww...I love the WS and it was so nice to do a little exploring on my own. I was so glad when they added Kim Possible (now Agent P) to the World Showcase! It has really gotten the boys excited about exploring the different countries. We had so much fun with our mission in Germany this trip!

I think it would be so much fun to stay at the AoA resort. The Lion King rooms look so amazing (actually Nemo and Cars do too!) and the Nemo pool looked like so much fun. I wish I would have been able to get a closer look. Fingers crossed for you that you get to go next year!!!

Originally Posted by DisMomAmy

All caught up! I'm glad you adopted a go with the flow attitide... sounds like it worked out well for your arrival day. We have yet to try out WPE - but it's on my list.

Bummer about all the rain... I hope that was the end of it.

Hi Amy!

We love WPE! You should definitely give it a try!

The rain did put a damper on our first day at Epcot and I was scared it was the beginning of how the week was going to be. Luckily, the rest of the week the weather was pretty good. (for the most part)

[Angies1274]

Hi!! I hope everyone had a great weekend! DH and I celebrated our 17th anniversary over the weekend. I can’t believe it’s been 17 years already! Anyway, you might think our plans for the weekend may have included a nice romantic dinner just for the two of us. Nope..not even close! We actually went camping instead and brought the boys along. It was a really fun weekend despite the fact it rained every day. I thought I would share a couple pictures of our adventure.


When we got home, we found this in the mailbox—

We’ve never received one before. I was so excited!! It said “From all your Disney pals, we hope you created magical memories during your visit to the Walt Disney World Resort in 2012.” It was signed by Minnie, Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, Donald and Tinkerbell. So cute!! Aww….I love Disney!


So, let’s get on with the report…shall we?


“Step inside our storybook, imagine what’s in store.” Magic Kingdom Welcome Show

July 12, 2012
Magic Kingdom


I always have a hard time sleeping when I know we are going to do an EMH park the next day. I don’t know why…maybe I’m afraid we won’t wake up in time or maybe it’s just excitement of being able to start the day so early. Have I mentioned how much I absolutely love EMH mornings? We have always been able to get so much done in that first hour. Anyway, as you can probably already tell I was up bright and early that morning and actually showered and dressed before the boys had even woken up. Needless to say they weren’t too thrilled when I woke them so early but once I reminded them that we were heading to our very favorite park, it didn’t take them long to get up and get ready to go.

It was about 6:30am or so when we made our way to the food court that morning. Of course, we had our pick of tables since the place was pretty much empty. We all split up to get our breakfast. DH and Nick decided on a warm cinnamon roll. Noah had a chocolate croissant and I had a chocolate muffin. We also grabbed a bowl of grapes to share. After breakfast, we decided to browse the gift shop for a while before we made our way to the bus stop.

A short bus ride later, we arrived at the Magic Kingdom and made our way over to the center in front of the train station so we could watch the opening show. We love this show! It’s a must-do for us on every trip.


I took a picture of the boys waiting.

Okay…let’s try that again.

Much better boys!!

The crowd started gathering…


It was about this time when a CM approached the boys with a handful of confetti and asked them if they would like to throw it in the air during the countdown to open the park. Of course, they happily agreed.

Soon, we were hearing…..

"Welcome, welcome, welcome,
Welcome, welcome, welcome,
A kingdom full of endless dreams for every girl and boy,
Wondrous lands of make-believe will fill your heart with joy,
A castle leads the entrance way to seven lands and more,
Step inside our storybook, imagine what's in store."



"Welcome to the place where dreams come true!"






Love this show!! I think it’s a perfect way to start a day at the Magic Kingdom. Apparently, I’m not the only one who felt this way as I watched the woman in front of me wipe her eyes and tell her husband that the show gets her every time! I couldn’t agree more!

We ventured over to the left and made our way inside. I made sure and grab a map so I could circle our must-do’s that morning and a time guide.




Aww….my very first glimpse of the castle.

Seriously, there is nothing like walking down Main Street for the first time during your trip. The smell of buttered popcorn and freshly baked cookies. The sound of the train pulling out of the station and the music playing all around. But, mostly seeing the anticipation and excitement on everyone faces and the CM’s happily waving with their cute Mickey hands. As crazy as it may sound to some, Main Street U.S.A. is probably my most favorite place in the Magic Kingdom and I always walk away wishing I had spent more time there.


We made our way closer and closer to the castle.

Beautiful!!!!

We had arrived! But, now that we were there, where would we go first?

Next up—Are you kidding me? Another change of plans.

[Mickey_Mom]

Happy Anniversary!! It's nice that you went camping for the occasion and had some family time.

I love that Mickey Mail!! I've never seen it before either but really hope we get one when we're back. Always fun to get Mickey Mail!

Originally Posted by Angies1274

This pic made me chuckle -- I always seem to catch characters when they're blinking. You caught three!

[wdwgirl03]

I totally agree-there is nothing like walking down Main Street for the first time on your trip. I think part of it too is knowing that you have the whole trip ahead of you. No better way to start it off than with the opening show and a visit to the MK!

[NHKristy76]

The only I can think of while looking at these pictures is HOLY CROWDS!

We typically go in the slow season so your EMH pictures look like a busy afternoon on Main Street!

[solana131]

Hi there I'm a little late to the party, but it is a fantastic TR so far! A few notes I wrote down while I got all caught up:

Loved your pictures of Burlington. I went to college there and I miss it alot! How is that airport?? I never even considered going up there, but Boston is a 3 hr drive for us, and Burlington is only a little further.....hmmm, might have to look into that.

I am the same way about Stacey. My trip doesn't officially start until I can unpack while watching Stacey She just gets me so excited to be there!

Good choice to go to DTD the first night. Looks like a great relaxing time. We tried to do DTD a couple of times, but it was just too hot to walk around the shops (we were there right after you from July 18-23rd)

I laughed at your rainy time at Epcot, not because I am mean, but because our only rainy time the whole week was our first night at Epcot too. It was horrible. When you are doing your planning, you always think "its okay if it rains, we will just throw our ponchos on and go with it", but its another story when you are there and it is a torrential downpour!

Glad you got to check out AoA! We had planned on going over there to eat one day, but just never got around to it. I know the suites look amazing, but Little Mermaid is my alltime favorite movie, so if I stayed there, I would have to stay in that section.....plus, it's much much cheaper

MK opening show: I get teary-eyed every time too. I don't know what it is about that darn show I had been told they didn't do it during EMHs and I was very excited to see that was wrong!

And finally....yes, I agree with you about the feeling walking down Main Street. I usually walk away thinking I should've spent more time there too. This time I made sure I spent lots of time just soaking up the atmosphere there. Such a great place

[DisneyDoc5]

Wonderful updates! I tear up every time on Main Street - many of us do! Happy Anniversary! We are close in years, 16 years for us - can't think a better thing to do then celebrate with the kids!

We are staying at AoA in October for 1 night before our Fantasy Cruise, I picked the Lion King area (Nemo was booked and even though we love the Cars movies, the rooms are a little not my taste). We can't wait to explore this resort! I am torn about just enjoying the resort and food court (we will get there about 5 pm) or taking the bus to the MK entrance and monorail to the Poly for dinner at Captain Jacks and watching Wishes on the beach???? (we just did this in March during our short water park stay at POR before going to a beach condo for the week) My mom will be with us and she hasn't seen Wishes. I guess it will depend on how we feel and the weather.

I over planned the last trip we took, so I have to take a more relaxed approach next time. Erin

[mickeystoontown]

You are such a lucky woman to have kiddos and a hubby that will get up early enough to see the opening ceremonies at Magic Kingdom! It's been years since we've seen the show but I do remember that I teared up the last time I saw it.

[Angies1274]

Originally Posted by Mickey_Mom

Happy Anniversary!! It's nice that you went camping for the occasion and had some family time.

I love that Mickey Mail!! I've never seen it before either but really hope we get one when we're back. Always fun to get Mickey Mail!



This pic made me chuckle -- I always seem to catch characters when they're blinking. You caught three!

Thanks Tracy! It was nice to get in a little family time before the boys go back to school!!

I had read about getting a thank you card from Disney but we've never received one before. I was so happy when I opened the mailbox!! Love getting Mickey Mail!

Too funny about the pic. I didn't even realize until you pointed it out!!

Originally Posted by wdwgirl03

I totally agree-there is nothing like walking down Main Street for the first time on your trip. I think part of it too is knowing that you have the whole trip ahead of you. No better way to start it off than with the opening show and a visit to the MK!

You're so right!! It feels like the trip has finally begun when you are walking down Main Street. Such a great feeling!!!

Originally Posted by NHKristy76

The only I can think of while looking at these pictures is HOLY CROWDS!

We typically go in the slow season so your EMH pictures look like a busy afternoon on Main Street!

Too funny that you mentioned this because when we arrived my main focus was the show and then of course seeing the castle. But, once I finally looked around, I realized that for EMH the morning was much busier than we are used to!!

[Angies1274]

Originally Posted by solana131

Hi there I'm a little late to the party, but it is a fantastic TR so far! A few notes I wrote down while I got all caught up:

Loved your pictures of Burlington. I went to college there and I miss it alot! How is that airport?? I never even considered going up there, but Boston is a 3 hr drive for us, and Burlington is only a little further.....hmmm, might have to look into that.

I am the same way about Stacey. My trip doesn't officially start until I can unpack while watching Stacey She just gets me so excited to be there!

Good choice to go to DTD the first night. Looks like a great relaxing time. We tried to do DTD a couple of times, but it was just too hot to walk around the shops (we were there right after you from July 18-23rd)

I laughed at your rainy time at Epcot, not because I am mean, but because our only rainy time the whole week was our first night at Epcot too. It was horrible. When you are doing your planning, you always think "its okay if it rains, we will just throw our ponchos on and go with it", but its another story when you are there and it is a torrential downpour!

Glad you got to check out AoA! We had planned on going over there to eat one day, but just never got around to it. I know the suites look amazing, but Little Mermaid is my alltime favorite movie, so if I stayed there, I would have to stay in that section.....plus, it's much much cheaper

MK opening show: I get teary-eyed every time too. I don't know what it is about that darn show I had been told they didn't do it during EMHs and I was very excited to see that was wrong!

And finally....yes, I agree with you about the feeling walking down Main Street. I usually walk away thinking I should've spent more time there too. This time I made sure I spent lots of time just soaking up the atmosphere there. Such a great place

Hi!! I'm so happy you joined in!

We really like flying out of Burlington. The airport is small but still nice. We usually fly JetBlue and they have a direct flight to Orlando which works out great for us!

I'm happy with our choice to visit DTD the first night. It was nice to just take it slow, do a little shopping and have a great dinner. We actually didn't find it too busy that night and since it had rained that afternoon it had cooled down a little.

I don't know what it is about Epcot. The last time we went during the summer (late August), we only had one day in Epcot and it poured the whole evening. This trip, besides Epcot and one other evening it didn't rain as much as we thought it would which is good thing except it made the days so HOT!

I didn't think they did the opening show at MK on EMH mornings either. I know they didn't on our last trip. It was a shortened version. I was thrilled when it was the full version!! Aww...I love that show!

Originally Posted by DisneyDoc5

Wonderful updates! I tear up every time on Main Street - many of us do! Happy Anniversary! We are close in years, 16 years for us - can't think a better thing to do then celebrate with the kids!

We are staying at AoA in October for 1 night before our Fantasy Cruise, I picked the Lion King area (Nemo was booked and even though we love the Cars movies, the rooms are a little not my taste). We can't wait to explore this resort! I am torn about just enjoying the resort and food court (we will get there about 5 pm) or taking the bus to the MK entrance and monorail to the Poly for dinner at Captain Jacks and watching Wishes on the beach???? (we just did this in March during our short water park stay at POR before going to a beach condo for the week) My mom will be with us and she hasn't seen Wishes. I guess it will depend on how we feel and the weather.

I over planned the last trip we took, so I have to take a more relaxed approach next time. Erin

Welcome! I'm so glad you joined in!

Thanks for the anniversary wishes!

How exciting to be going on cruise! We've often thought of going on one ourselves. They look like so much fun and so relaxing!

The AoA resort was a lot of fun to explore! After seeing the pictures of the Lion King section that would be where I would like to stay as well. The rooms look amazing. Wow...that is a hard choice. Both options sound great. Good idea to wait and see how you feel.

Originally Posted by mickeystoontown

You are such a lucky woman to have kiddos and a hubby that will get up early enough to see the opening ceremonies at Magic Kingdom! It's been years since we've seen the show but I do remember that I teared up the last time I saw it.

I know! Although, I don't know how much longer I can talk the boys into getting up that early.

[ellajeansmom]

Wow you really were up early! I made it in time for the opening MK show on our last trip (loved it of course) but just in time and that was a nonEMH day!

I'm hoping that by the time our next trip rolls around we'll be at the point where the girls will be able to manage getting up for amEMH...we'll be past Jean's need for 11 hours of sleep a night and Ella will not be quite at the teenaged sleep till noon stage. It may be a small window of opportunity

Can't wait to see where your changing plans take you next!

[Angies1274]

Originally Posted by ellajeansmom

Wow you really were up early! I made it in time for the opening MK show on our last trip (loved it of course) but just in time and that was a nonEMH day!

I'm hoping that by the time our next trip rolls around we'll be at the point where the girls will be able to manage getting up for amEMH...we'll be past Jean's need for 11 hours of sleep a night and Ella will not be quite at the teenaged sleep till noon stage. It may be a small window of opportunity

Can't wait to see where your changing plans take you next!

We were up very early that morning. But, it was worth it. I love the opening show at MK. However, I'm not sure how much longer I can manage to get the boys to go to AM-EMH. It was a struggle on this trip and next time we go Nick will be a teenager and Noah a pre-teen. I guess it was fun while it lasted.

Glad you may have a small window of opportunity. If you can get up in time, morning EMH can definitely pay off.