Dreams will come true! Hearts will soar! May 2016 TR *NEW 7/6 x2!*

[Dugette]

What a fun splash pad! Glad you all got that time to just enjoy the Wilderness Lodge...such a well-themed resort!

And the boys got playground time too - great day! Glad you had a good meal at Trail's End. We went once, several years ago, and enjoyed it.

Great Wishes view from your room!

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[missangelalexis]

I'm sure it was tough not using the comp tickets but completely understand why you didn't!

Your pictures from the boat are so pretty!

Dinner at Trail's End sounds so yummy! Never a restaurant I've considered but you're making me re-think that! All the desserts look so good.

Wow how great that you got to see the fireworks from your room! Great way to end the night!

 

[Elevationist]

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Trail's End! That one's been on my radar for a while, but I always end up dropping it for something else. I think if I were staying at WL I would be more likely to do it, since it's got that great convenient boat ride!

Jim went for another helping of brisket and ribs.

Jim does dessert like I do.

Our not so great daytime view turned into a really nice view of Wishes!

Awww, YAY!!! That's just awesome!

 

[katt789]

I’m back!!! I have the HARDEST time following along with TR’s on the new way the Dis is done!!


Bummer about the view, but glad it was only for 1 night, and that you got free pins too! That’s awesome!! LOVE all the pictures, really give the feel of the resort! I really love it, it’s such a nice lobby to just relax and hang out in!


The splash pad looks awesome!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE FORT WILDERNESS!!! Seriously..it’s a little slice of home in the middle of Fl, and it doesn’t feel like Fl or Disney much, and it just makes me SO happy. I LOVE the vibe there, and love that it’s so different from any other resort! We’ve done a couple of super quick staycations in the cabins, but we want to do one where we actually spend the entire weekend at the resort and do everything it has to offer! Also LOVE trails end!!


How wonderful that you ended up having a fireworks view!! That’s a great way to end a first day!!

 

[hokieinpa]

Sounds like an awesome evening - sometimes all it takes is a boat ride for it to be special!

The boys are really into any form of Disney transportation so it's always a treat! And the boat ride was quite relaxing - much less hectic than a bus!

The idea of lying in the top bunk and seeing fireworks sounds like ever kid's dream!

It was pretty amazing! I wish we could fit into one of the bunk bed rooms again. Like you know, having a family of 5 limits our room options! So I was glad we got the chance to stay in a bunk bed room before Jake turned 3.

What a fun splash pad! Glad you all got that time to just enjoy the Wilderness Lodge...such a well-themed resort!

It was the perfect place for all of them to play - plenty to do to keep them busy but no real "danger" areas where we had to follow them into the water. And I loved WL. It was a great place to spend the afternoon and we could have taken even more time to explore!

And the boys got playground time too - great day! Glad you had a good meal at Trail's End. We went once, several years ago, and enjoyed it.

Playgrounds are always a hit so I was happy to see that one as soon as we got off the boat at Fort Wilderness. And Trail's End was really good - I realized once we got there that the boys had never had fried chicken before so that was a fun first for them!

Great Wishes view from your room!

It helped make up for the construction view during the day!

And that's why you're such a good mom!

Thank you. Sleep is key for happy days around here!

Never too early to learn to be a planner

I agree! I think they will take after me with planning, which is just fine by me!

Super bonus that you were also able to see the fireworks from your room as well - can't go wrong with that!

Such a fun surprise and it helped make up for the giant mud puddle that we could see during the day.

I'm sure it was tough not using the comp tickets but completely understand why you didn't!

It was so hard! I was tempted to try the fireworks but I think we would have been too tired the next day.

Your pictures from the boat are so pretty!

Thank you! The views were beautiful and it was so peaceful out on the water.

Dinner at Trail's End sounds so yummy! Never a restaurant I've considered but you're making me re-think that! All the desserts look so good.

I kept reading about it in my planning groups and it is a relatively inexpensive buffet. We really liked it!

Wow how great that you got to see the fireworks from your room! Great way to end the night!

It was such a nice surprise!

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Trail's End! That one's been on my radar for a while, but I always end up dropping it for something else. I think if I were staying at WL I would be more likely to do it, since it's got that great convenient boat ride!

The boat ride was so easy and it made it really convenient to get back to the resort after, but it's more of a pain staying most other places. The food was so good! Definitely one of the most underrated restaurants at Disney.

Jim does dessert like I do.

Meat, meat, and more meat. He was in heaven.

Awww, YAY!!! That's just awesome!

It was such a nice surprise especially after the mud puddle/construction view we had during the day.

I’m back!!! I have the HARDEST time following along with TR’s on the new way the Dis is done!!

ME TOO! I was actually doing pretty well until this trip and now I'm miserably behind.

Bummer about the view, but glad it was only for 1 night, and that you got free pins too! That’s awesome!! LOVE all the pictures, really give the feel of the resort! I really love it, it’s such a nice lobby to just relax and hang out in!

I was prepared for the view somewhat but it was still a little sad to see all that mud outside. And I loved WL - the whole vibe of the resort was peaceful and serene!

The splash pad looks awesome!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE FORT WILDERNESS!!! Seriously..it’s a little slice of home in the middle of Fl, and it doesn’t feel like Fl or Disney much, and it just makes me SO happy. I LOVE the vibe there, and love that it’s so different from any other resort! We’ve done a couple of super quick staycations in the cabins, but we want to do one where we actually spend the entire weekend at the resort and do everything it has to offer! Also LOVE trails end!!

Fort Wilderness was just so different! I agree - it doesn't feel like Florida or Disney at all. Jim is all in for a trip if we stay at Fort Wilderness and I've heard lots of the cabins are getting refurbs now! So I think a stay there will be coming up soon!

How wonderful that you ended up having a fireworks view!! That’s a great way to end a first day!!

It was the perfect way to wrap up our first day. Now I get the appeal of those theme park view rooms but I'm not sure I can stomach the price!

 

[DisneyJo]

Sounds like you had a fabulous day and what a lovely view to end with

 

[hokieinpa]

Sounds like you had a fabulous day and what a lovely view to end with

Our day at Wilderness Lodge was equal parts fun and relaxing, which is a great way to spend your first day! And the view was a nice surprise, especially given our not so stellar view earlier!

 

[BlvInMagic]

Joining in! The Wilderness Lodge is so beautiful! We've never stayed there before, but's it's on our wish list. (in fact, all the deluxe resorts are on our wish list )

You captured the landscape perfectly in your pictures. The boys look like they are having the BEST time

 

[missjackiemcg]

Do you think your boat captain was Stephen, as in Mousejunkie Judy's husband?? I think he drives the boats right? I am really looking forward to our boat ride to Fort Wilderness for Hoop De Doo Revue in December JUST SO I CAN SEE Discovery Island and River Country. Check out pics of urban explorer trips to both places! Incredible!!

How AWESOME to see Wishes!! #DeluxePerks

 

[bjscheel]

Nice! Glad I found this- we will be at WL starting Saturday. Looking for ways to pass the time till then...and was happy to find a very recent report. I want the flatbread pizza!

 

[ariane37]

I LOVE being able to see fireworks from our room laying in bed and being able to see them is absolute perfection!

I'm not sure whose TR or dining report I recently wrote this on, but there is no doubt in my mind that we have to do Trail's End dinner in November now. It's been on my radar for awhile and it's booked as a possibility for Thanksgiving but I don't think they have their regular buffet food. Anyway, your review is literally the 6th awesome dinner review I've read in the last 3-4 weeks so it's just sign after sign we NEED to go there!

 

[hokieinpa]

Joining in! The Wilderness Lodge is so beautiful! We've never stayed there before, but's it's on our wish list. (in fact, all the deluxe resorts are on our wish list )

Thanks for following along!

We loved the Wilderness Lodge - our first Deluxe stay! The only problem I've found with Deluxe resorts is that it makes you want to stay at them every trip!

You captured the landscape perfectly in your pictures. The boys look like they are having the BEST time

It's a beautiful resort - great landscaping and beautiful lobby. And the boys were having a blast that night!

Do you think your boat captain was Stephen, as in Mousejunkie Judy's husband?? I think he drives the boats right?

I'm 100% sure it was him! I recognized him from pictures posted on the Mousejunkie group. I just didn't want to seem like a total stalker. But now I wish I would have said hi. He was so nice!!

I am really looking forward to our boat ride to Fort Wilderness for Hoop De Doo Revue in December JUST SO I CAN SEE Discovery Island and River Country. Check out pics of urban explorer trips to both places! Incredible!!

The scenery is beautiful and it's so peaceful on the water. Maybe you'll get Stephen as a captain! And I'll have to check that out - love Disney history.

How AWESOME to see Wishes!! #DeluxePerks

Exactly. Such a nice surprise after our view that day!

Nice! Glad I found this- we will be at WL starting Saturday. Looking for ways to pass the time till then...and was happy to find a very recent report. I want the flatbread pizza!

Yay! Have a great trip! We loved our quick stay at WL and I can't wait to go back. Great pool, beautiful landscape, loved the boat transportation. And that flatbread was so good!

I LOVE being able to see fireworks from our room laying in bed and being able to see them is absolute perfection!

That was such a magical little moment. Total darkness and silence except for the fireworks going off outside our room. One of my favorite memories from the trip!

I'm not sure whose TR or dining report I recently wrote this on, but there is no doubt in my mind that we have to do Trail's End dinner in November now. It's been on my radar for awhile and it's booked as a possibility for Thanksgiving but I don't think they have their regular buffet food. Anyway, your review is literally the 6th awesome dinner review I've read in the last 3-4 weeks so it's just sign after sign we NEED to go there!

Yes, you must! Such a hidden little gem. It would be a great Thanksgiving meal since the food goes toward more "traditional". And the food was so good. The fried chicken and cornbread were amazing!

 

[Carathryn]

Joining in!
It sounds like everyone in your family had a great first day! All of your pictures of Wilderness Lodge are gorgeous. It definitely seems like a good place to relax and eat a Mickey ice cream bar.
I bet it was sad to see those comp tickets go to waste but it looks like you made the right decision. Your boys planning their desserts before anything else shows that they have their priorities straight

 

[hokieinpa]

Joining in!

Thanks for following along!

It sounds like everyone in your family had a great first day! All of your pictures of Wilderness Lodge are gorgeous. It definitely seems like a good place to relax and eat a Mickey ice cream bar.

We had such a perfect day. The weather and resort were gorgeous and the boys had a great time swimming. And WL gets my vote for most peaceful resort!

I bet it was sad to see those comp tickets go to waste but it looks like you made the right decision. Your boys planning their desserts before anything else shows that they have their priorities straight

It was really hard to not visit a park that night but I think it made for a better overall trip. And I think I've taught them well - always leave room for dessert!

 

[hokieinpa]

Fist Bump!

Our first park day!

We were up bright and early since we not only had to make it to Epcot for Rope Drop, we also had to get all of our bags together to be transferred over to Animal Kingdom Lodge. I got up at 6 and got ready and then woke everyone else up at 6:30.

We had everything packed up and called down to Bell Services at 7. I assumed it would take them a bit to get up to our room but someone was knocking on our door 5 minutes later! It was a super easy process. He wrote out tags for all of our bags (3 suitcases, 4 carry on bags, 1 stroller) and then carted it all away. Very painless and all my worries about a split stay were pretty much gone!

The boys ate some granola bars and applesauce pouches I had packed for breakfast and watched Disney Junior while I got our park bag together. Then it was time to say goodbye to Wilderness Lodge! But I promised we would make a return visit!

I stopped at Bell Services to pick up our rental stroller for the week and we were off to the bus stop! Now Deluxe bus stops were something quite different for us too. Instead of "lines" like at Pop or AOA, there are just benches and everyone just crowds around. This morning, we were the only ones waiting for a bus (it was 7:35 am) but we got to chat with a very nice College Program CM named Kristopher.

Our bus to Epcot arrived about 15 minutes later and we were off - on our own bus!

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Making silly faces to pass the time!

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When we got to Epcot, the bag check lines were nonexistent so we breezed through and managed to be the 3rd family in line at our Mickey turn/tap-stile.

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The CMs let us in at 8:40 and we got to see this beauty.

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Sigh. It was such a picture perfect day!

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We turned right and headed over and were the 2nd family in line at the new Character Spot.

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The CMs let us in at 8:55 and we were the first family in line to meet Baymax!

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Baymax was not quite ready to get off the charger yet, according to the CMs, so we waited just a few minutes and then...

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Baymax!

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The PhotoPass photographer must have missed Colin's fist bump. And this is the best family picture we got. Jake wasn't looking at the camera for any of them...this has been a recurring theme for us if you've read other TRs. We just have to take what we can get with family pictures!

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We said goodbye to Baymax and headed out to visit some friends from the sea!


Next up

Hi Nemo![/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url][/url]

 

[hokieinpa]

Hi Nemo!


After our Baymax meet, we headed right over to ride Nemo.

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And surprise...no wait! Just a long walk through the queue. The boys love this and point out how we're going under the water and turning into fish!

I rode with Jake and he was quite excited to try and find Nemo in each little scene. He kept shouting "Hi Nemo!" each time which was pretty adorable.

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After the ride, we went straight for the "shark playground" as the boys call it. They had a great time running around, playing the games, and of course...posing for pictures in Bruce's mouth.

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We explored a room with smaller tanks next. Nate loves ocean animals so he spent quite a bit of time "teaching" me about the inhabitants of each tank. What a lucky mom I am, to have such a smart kid to teach me things.

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Wild creatures of all kind could be found here!

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Next up, we finally got to see the manatees! Somehow we missed them on our past visits. But they were out today. And eating lettuce. And SO CUTE!

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From the next pictures, I'm guessing we made our way upstairs next and saw a few exhibits and the boys played some computer games.

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A little more exploring, with turtles, clown fish, and a feeding session wrapped up our time at the aquariums.

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It was time for our Turtle Talk FP+ at this time. I'm just going to use this time to say just how useless I find FP+ on most shows. We were let into the same large open area as the regular standby guests so it always seems completely pointless to me. The boys looked around the queue area until the theater door/curtain opened.

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But we got great seats near the front. Nate and Colin sat on the floor and Jake sat on the bench with me and Jim. The show was cute and full of laughs as always!

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I was kind of hoping to see some of the new Finding Dory characters but we missed them by about a week.

After Turtle Talk, we headed outside to get our traditional shot of the boys in front of the fish statues!

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We took a little break next and the boys ate some fruit snacks that I had packed. I'm guessing we watched some Disney ducks as well, because that seems to be a popular past time for us!

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It was only 10:30 at this point so I was pretty happy with our day so far. But where to next?



Next up

Is that a Peanut Butter Sandwich Tree?

 

[Calee]

Following! I have three boys too and we are taking our first trip in September!

 

[hokieinpa]

Following! I have three boys too and we are taking our first trip in September!

Hi! Thanks for joining in! It's always nice to meet another member of the "3 boy" mom club. And how exciting! Hope you have a great trip!!

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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