A Toddler and Tiaras: An August TR! Updated 2/2 EPCOT!

[misscmac]

Day 2, Part 4

Our last FP+ for the evening was for one of my favorites; Toy Story Midway Mania! I love the queue for this ride:




Addie's not quite old enough to sit alone yet, so she sat with Justin, which probably helped my score...and look, I won!



We were all pretty hungry at this point, so in keeping with the Toy Story theme we headed to Pizza Planet...slim pickings at Hollywood Studios in the evening, especially in the back of the park.





I had secretly been holding out for a Butterfinger Cupcake, so I skipped on the pizza. I should've done better research, however because when we walked to Starring Rolls after dinner it was closed (and probably had been for quite some time!). We decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel...

 

[misscmac]

Day 2, Part 5

And of course on the way back to the hotel we had an idea. Traveling with a baby/toddler, we tend to have earlier evenings. This is fine, but were both hoping to see some fireworks at some point on the trip. We decided to go to the room, give Addie a bath, put her in her PJs, and walk over to EPCOT to try to catch Illuminations. We hustled and were walking through the International Gateway at about 8:30 PM. We parked the stroller right on the bridge that connects the UK and France, and took turns traveling around the "world" for some beverages




By the time we had our drinks, we only had to wait a few more minutes



Illuminations started, and it seemed like Addie was LOVING it





and then the flames burst out of the globe and I looked over to find this:





She didn't cry, but couldn't quite seem to decide whether or not she liked it!





The best part? 10 minutes after the fireworks ended, we were already back in our room!

And that's a wrap for our first full day!

 

[misscmac]

Enjoying your report. Addie is adorable.

Thanks for reading!

Tagging along for the ride! I love the picture of Addie coming into AK; she looks so determined!

Thanks for joining! She was probably determined to try and wiggle out of the stroller

 

[AllyinWonderland]

I am loving your report so far! I also have a daughter who is 2 going on 20, we will be doing her last free trip 2 months from now. We are staying at BWI for most of our trip and I am looking forward to watching Illuminations and then walking right back to the room; totally beats waiting for a bus.

I love your DIY projects. I always consider trying Disney crafts but I am not crafty at all.

 

[Bubbenstein]

What a perk of staying at an Epcot resort!! We're staying at Beach Club next year and I'm super excited to be able to walk back from Illuminations!

I consider it still a win if our two year old doesn't actually "cry" during the fireworks, haha.

Did Addie like Toy Story Mania? We'll be taking our toddler on it for the first time next month and I'm a little worried about her keeping the glasses on!

 

[AllysonL]

Did Addie like Toy Story Mania? We'll be taking our toddler on it for the first time next month and I'm a little worried about her keeping the glasses on!

We took our DD when she was 15 months, and she kept them on for the most part. That rides spins you around so fast, they kept bumping off her face though.

 

[misscmac]

I am loving your report so far! I also have a daughter who is 2 going on 20, we will be doing her last free trip 2 months from now. We are staying at BWI for most of our trip and I am looking forward to watching Illuminations and then walking right back to the room; totally beats waiting for a bus.

I love your DIY projects. I always consider trying Disney crafts but I am not crafty at all.

Thank you! Some things turn out well and others go right into the trash, but its fun trying!

What a perk of staying at an Epcot resort!! We're staying at Beach Club next year and I'm super excited to be able to walk back from Illuminations!

I consider it still a win if our two year old doesn't actually "cry" during the fireworks, haha.

Did Addie like Toy Story Mania? We'll be taking our toddler on it for the first time next month and I'm a little worried about her keeping the glasses on!

She did! She has gotten better with the glasses as she's gotten older. She still needs to sit on one of our laps so she doesn't really get to play ( thanks to her overly competitive parents ) but she loved the queue area and the ride!

We took our DD when she was 15 months, and she kept them on for the most part. That rides spins you around so fast, they kept bumping off her face though.

It does whip you pretty fast; I always forget about that the first time and end up grabbing the side!

 

[misscmac]

I've neglected yet another trip report, but am determined to finish this one! I'm having a tough time with the pictures and a computer that refuses to work properly, so that slowed me down but I'm not going to let it stop me ...again




Thursday, August 13, 2015

Day 3, Part 1


Today we "slept in" ...as much as you can sleep in with a toddler! Grammy was flying in a little later this morning so we planned to spend some time enjoying the pool.





We walked down and realized we were a bit too early (Stormalong Bay opens at 9:00 AM). Fortunately, that gave us just enough time to take a stroll over to the Boardwalk Bakery and indulge in this beauty:





This was a sticky bun and I'm pretty sure it could qualify as a breakfast or a dessert! This was delish, and would be a great item to share as it is huge.


By the time we walked back over, the pool was open. Unfortunately, no pictures but we explored most of it. Justin and I each took a turn on the big slide - I thought this was a great resort slide! Addie got to try the kiddie slide, which she wasn't a fan of. The slide itself is not big by any means but for some reason the water at the bottom really draws you in, so when she first went down her face got pretty wet even though we caught her at the bottom.


Shortly after my mom arrived. We returned to the room to drop off her bags and change, and headed right out to the bus stop:





It wasn't long before we were back at Animal Kingdom!




First order of business was lunch. It was only about 11:00/11:30 AM and the lines at Flame Tree BBQ were nonexistent. Our view during lunch gives just a glimpse of the amount of construction going on in this park:





We finished up lunch with just enough time to walk over to Harambe to see the Festival of the Lion King, where this guy made sure we were paying attention!




Next we took a stroll through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail which, except for the area with the baby gorillas, felt almost deserted:

 

[misscmac]

Thursday August 13, 2015

Day 3, Part 2


After ohhhhing and ahhhhing over the baby gorillas, we did something I haven't done since at least 2004 - we took the Wildlife Express Train over to Rafiki's Planet Watch. It was a short 5-10 minute train ride and along the way you get to see the areas where many the animals are housed.




When you depart the train there is a short walk to the attractions. We spent a short period of time in the Conservation Station building. There are some interesting exhibits...





but nothing that can really hold the attention of an almost-3-year-old for very long!


Next we headed out to the highlight og this area for us - the Affection Section. Our local zoo has an area that is very similar to this that Addie LOVES. She walked right in and started making new friends.




We took the train ride back and got right in line for Kilomanjaro Safaris. In the past I have taken 527991 photos of this ride, but this is the first time I've ridden without taking a single picture! It was a super bumpy ride (seemingly bumpier than usual for some reason) so it was probably for the best!


The skies were looking ominous at this point, so we headed over to Kali River Rapids in hopes of being able to ride before a storm possibly rolled in.





My mom sat this one out with Addie, and they watched us from the bridge as we came back soaked!


Right after we got off this ride, the downpour started. We tried to wait it out a few minutes, and then just decided to make a run for Its Tough To Be A Bug.





Addie said she liked this one, but she got a little spooked during the show, telling me "I want to go home!"

We stopped in Starbucks for some drinks (it was actually cool enough for a hot coffee!)
and then Justin and I took the opportunity to ride Dinosaur together (thanks Mom!). Afterwards we all headed over to watch the last Nemo show of the day. We left AK not long before they were scheduled to close and by the time we returned to the hotel the rain had passed. We got dinner at Hurricane Hanna's and ate by the pool and returned to the room for an early night in.


Overall, while the weather wasn't nice and sunny today, it was really one of the most comfortable days temperature-wise that we had all trip! The overcast skies and impending storms definitely made touring this park much more bearable in August!

 

[BellaSoleil]

Love you trip report! You have a beautiful family! I'm following along!

 

[nimbuscat]

Following along! I'm taking my 20-month-old to Disney for the first time in August. I'm glad to hear you guys haven't melted from the heat yet!

 

[misscmac]

Love you trip report! You have a beautiful family! I'm following along!

Thank you for reading, and for the kind words!

Following along! I'm taking my 20-month-old to Disney for the first time in August. I'm glad to hear you guys haven't melted from the heat yet!

Thanks for following! This was our third time traveling in August and even with the heat I wouldn't hesitate to do it again in the future. It is without a doubt hot, but as long as you stay hydrated and take lots of breaks it definitely manageable! We certainly welcomed some of the rain showers though

 

[JulieODC]

Great updates!! AK is one of our favorites And, so nice to have another adult along, so you and Justin could ride a few things together!

 

[misscmac]

Great updates!! AK is one of our favorites And, so nice to have another adult along, so you and Justin could ride a few things together!

Thank you! I have a newly discovered appreciation for AK. I used to consider this a half day park but won't any longer. Addison enjoyed this park SO much this trip and, though I'm not an Avatar fan, I know the park will only get better over the next several years. And we have been absolutely spoiled with having grandparents join us over the years. We love having them along and it is nice to be able to sneak away for a ride or two!

 

[misscmac]

Friday, August 14, 2015
Day 4, Part 1


We woke up early enough to have a quick breakfast in the room and walk over to EPCOT by 8:30 AM (have I mentioned how much I love the location of this hotel?!).


The park was scheduled to open at 9 but they allowed us in to certain areas early, stopping the crowd as you go closer to Test Track



Once the park was officially opened we took turns riding Test Track.



On the way to the other side of the park we stopped to watch the JAMMitors for a few minutes - they were great!



Next up was the Seas with Nemo and Friends!





After the ride we spent quite a bit of time exploring this building and the aquariums; we've never hung out here a lot, and there is plenty to see!



We also saw Turtle Talk with Crush; I had forgotten how cute this show is!


We made our way over to the Land , where Justin and I rode Soarin' and my mom and Addie rode Living with the Land - she was really starting to love all of the boat rides in Disney! I do't recall exactly what time we mad it over here, but as you can see there was already a hefty standby wait time!




Next we took a spin on Spaceship Earth; it broke down for a bit so by the time we finished this ride we were ready for a quick lunch at the Electric Umbrella!