Let's Watch the Hallucination Show on the Castle- A May '14 TR *12/3 PTR Link to Real Life News

[DisneyKid4Life]

I can usually resist a Journey into Imagination. Usually.

Ahhh, In my experience, Epcot is the place for meltdowns. Even more so than Magic Kingdom. I don't know why but this has always been where I see it the most to the point it actually became a running joke between me and a friend of mine.

Haha, clearly the only thing more interesting in Disney than Disney stuff is a cute kid running around. Those other kids look enthralled.

 

[afwdwfan]

Landon found the dancing lights on the floor and had a field day running from one to the other.

I've never seen a kid that could resist that!

We were one of those parents carrying a screaming baby down the sidewalks of Epcot, heading to the Baby Center to get him in a quiet place to calm down.

Yep. Been there, done that. Not fun.

The cool air and the food in his belly did wonders for his mood.

That's good news!

Did nothing for his nap, though.

The kid refused to fall asleep.

Again.

This, not so much.

If anyone were to ask me what are the downsides to taking a baby to Disney, the only one I’d say is that sleep is so hard to come by.

Good point. We've been lucky that our kids have tended to take stroller naps and crash at night for the most part. But on DS's first trip, there were a couple of nights that he just did not want to sleep and an afternoon or 2 that he refused to take naps.

Very fruity tasting.I was kind of happy that Alex didn’t like it, because it meant I didn’t have to share.

I'm glad you found a beer that you enjoyed.

Via Napoli.


Home to the greatest pizzas ever invented.

That I’ve tasted so far.


Can’t say it actually beats the pizza in Italy. But in my small frame of reference it’s the best pizza around.

I'm right there with you...

It was also about this time that it hit me this was our last night at Disney. In a blink of an eye, our trip was starting to wrap up. This was our last time in Epcot, our last table service meal, the last time we’d watch day turn into night within the parks.

How depressing.

That thought sure brought my mood down.

Well, if that isn't a buzz kill.

Alex and I always give each other one slice of each other’s pizza, and while his choice is really good, it doesn’t hold a candle to mine.
Seriously. Why do they even have other choices on the menu?

I typically go with the pepperoni. I like meat. Except when I'm stupid enough to let somebody bring me a vegetarian lasagna. But I digress. You and Alex got my 2 favorite pizzas that they serve. But everything I've tasted there has been good!

And because nothing tops off that dish better than the tiramisu they serve, I had to order a piece for myself.

I've never even had dessert there. I always just eat "another slice" instead.

Via Napoli was still my favorite.


Still is, in case you were wondering….

I'm glad to know it is still meeting your expectations!

Leaving Italy and walking back around the World Showcase after that thought crossed my mind made the last night Disney blues a little less brutal. We’d gotten our time at the parks, we were walking away feeling like a close knit family, we’d enjoyed all Disney had to offer for us.

I got goosebumps reading this part. You nailed it though. Sometimes it is hard to slow down and let the kids play on the steps or do whatever it is they want to do, but those are the nice magical moments that really make it all come together. I'm glad that despite the occasional meltdown, you were able to have some really positive and enjoyable family time.

 

[teekathepony]

Yikes, busy month. How's your doggie doing now? And belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANON!

So cute playing in Imagination! But poor little guy having a meltdown. I can just imagine how exhausted he really was. Glad you finally got him down.

Mmmmmmm omg Via Napoli. You're crushing my resolve to skip it this trip. I love it so much, and DH loves it even more!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

So Dad might’ve not gotten the drink he wanted…but Mom did.

Well at least one of you enjoyed something.

I’m such a kind wife…

Oh the sacrifices you're willing to make!

Via Napoli was still my favorite.

meh, Can't say that DH and I are fans. Crazy I know.

 

[amazingact21]

That's too bad about the meltdown after playing in Imagination, but with no sleep it is certainly to be expected.

Glad you finally got Landon to sleep and that you got to drink DH's beer.

We have yet to eat at Via Napoli. I want to, but I just can't seem to keep it on the list. Personally, I don't like Disney or Florida pizza in general, but red sauces and I don't see eye to eye very often so the main reason for my hesitancy. It isn't on the list for any of my three trips this year either.

Those are precious moments of just watching Landong walk all over, chat people up and climb. That is more important than a million rides or a beer.

I agree that most Disney pizzas are a letdown, but Via Napoli's are actually different. They use water from Venice because it's a different hardness level, and they import all their ingredients, so nothing is actually American. Plus, I get the white pizza, and I prefer it over the red sauce ones.


Not surprising, it's those little moments of Landon running around laughing that I miss the most. He's so grown up now that I wish I could go back to when he was toddling around the World Showcase.

Woo hoo via Napoli. We always get a pizza to share... But I want to try the one you get... Maybe next Wednesday when we are there

I highly recommend the Quattro Formaggi pizza! It is unbelievably good!

Haha, Izzy handled that Imagination play area much like Landon did, back on her first trip. Running with the big kids and not wanting to leave.

Glad you finally got Landon sleeping! So much work for one little nap.

Nice work on getting drinks you like that night. Did you get any of the chocolate martini? Looked good.

You definitely picked the best pizza. That one is amazing!!

Totally know what you mean about the joy a young toddler gets from the simple things like stairs, etc. One of my strongest memories of Izzy's first trip is how much she enjoyed running back and forth across the trolley tracks in the Hub. Castle, what castle? There's tracks here!

Landon and sleep are worst enemies, even to this day. Getting him to bed involves lots of tears, throwing oneself against the bedroom door, and holding long conversations with stuffed animals to procrastinate...


The chocolate martini was really tasty. Would definitely consider ordering it again down the road.


I think those memories are so precious to us because they are growing up so fast. To see them now, it's hard to think there was a time when they toddled around the parks.

 

[amazingact21]

I can usually resist a Journey into Imagination. Usually.

Ahhh, In my experience, Epcot is the place for meltdowns. Even more so than Magic Kingdom. I don't know why but this has always been where I see it the most to the point it actually became a running joke between me and a friend of mine.


Haha, clearly the only thing more interesting in Disney than Disney stuff is a cute kid running around. Those other kids look enthralled.

In my opinion, it's because Epcot is the least kid oriented, especially in World Showcase. You get a kid that's already tired and/or overstimulated and make them go around what looks like a bunch of building and they just have enough. I don't say that in a complaining way. I love the World Showcase for that very reason. But I just save visiting it now for restaurant eating and/or nap time strolling.

I've never seen a kid that could resist that!

Yep. Been there, done that. Not fun.

Good point. We've been lucky that our kids have tended to take stroller naps and crash at night for the most part. But on DS's first trip, there were a couple of nights that he just did not want to sleep and an afternoon or 2 that he refused to take naps.

Landon's just a bad sleeper. Disney was no exception. Back at home, around this partcular trip, he was still waking up 3-4 times a night. And even now at 2, he goes to sleep at 8, wakes up at 11, at 1, and then at 6:30. He just runs on some hidden energy cell that I was never equipped with.

I'm glad you found a beer that you enjoyed.


I'm right there with you...


Well, if that isn't a buzz kill.


I typically go with the pepperoni. I like meat. Except when I'm stupid enough to let somebody bring me a vegetarian lasagna. But I digress. You and Alex got my 2 favorite pizzas that they serve. But everything I've tasted there has been good!

I'm glad I found a beer, too. Unfortunately, they didn't bring it back for this year's Flower and Garden Festival, so the next time I'm there in the spring I'll have to try out some more and find a new favorite. A terrible job...



The pepporoni was good, but I tend to get that when I'm at home. It's nice to be able to order something different every once in awhile.

I've never even had dessert there. I always just eat "another slice" instead.


I'm glad to know it is still meeting your expectations!

It's horrible, but I just do both. I'm not going to let a slice of pizza go to waste. And I just pull out my dessert stomach for the tiramisu...

I got goosebumps reading this part. You nailed it though. Sometimes it is hard to slow down and let the kids play on the steps or do whatever it is they want to do, but those are the nice magical moments that really make it all come together. I'm glad that despite the occasional meltdown, you were able to have some really positive and enjoyable family time.

If given the option again, I don't think I'll ever take a 13 month old to Disney again; it was just too much work at that stage. They weren't babies anymore, but they still required more attention than a toddler. That being said, we don't regret going and Alex and I just appreciate the time we got together before he left.

Yikes, busy month. How's your doggie doing now? And belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANON!

So cute playing in Imagination! But poor little guy having a meltdown. I can just imagine how exhausted he really was. Glad you finally got him down.

Mmmmmmm omg Via Napoli. You're crushing my resolve to skip it this trip. I love it so much, and DH loves it even more!

Buster's doing much better! He had to get an IV of fluids and electorlytes, and then he was on a couple different medications for a week. But now that he's on a pescription diet, he's back to his old self. We were really glad we were able to find out what was wrong and it was a relatively easy fix.


If I remember correctly, Johnny loved the pizza at Via Napoli, didn't he? It's a delicious restaurant...But, on the other hand, you are trying a bunch of other restaurants, and I can understand you wanting to try new places. You can't ever find a new favorite restaurant if you don't branch out occassionally.

Well at least one of you enjoyed something.

Oh the sacrifices you're willing to make!

meh, Can't say that DH and I are fans. Crazy I know.

It was hard, but someone had to take that bullet. We couldn't let a good beer go to waste, after all.


That's the great thing about Disney, there's such a huge variety of restaurants that everyone can afford to like different places. There's something for everyone in the world!

 

[Marsheliz]

OMG- That pizza is doing nothing for my 28 week cravings... I SOOOO want to try Via Napoli on our next trip.. You asked when baby's first trip would be.. Probably have to skip 2016 ( sadface) and wait until 2017... Maybe either June or October... Just depending on what discounts.

 

[amazingact21]

OMG- That pizza is doing nothing for my 28 week cravings... I SOOOO want to try Via Napoli on our next trip.. You asked when baby's first trip would be.. Probably have to skip 2016 ( sadface) and wait until 2017... Maybe either June or October... Just depending on what discounts.

I want to finish up my reports as quickly as possible, because I don't think it'll do me any good to see photos of Disney food once I get farther along. The cravings...they're real.



That's okay that you have to skip 2016. Just think about how nice it'll be when you do get to return. All your boys will be so happy. And baby would be a little older so they'd be able to take more in.

 

[amazingact21]

Friday, May 16th, 2014:


My family had left Epcot and gotten back to our room at AKL around 7pm the night before. Alex and I had put Landon to bed and spent most the evening packing and organizing our belongings. Somewhere between gathering toys from under the bed and un-crumpling pin receipts, Alex called the front desk and asked if we could get a late checkout. We’d decided we wanted to take our time loading the car, maybe sleeping in later than we could with a typical check out time.
Unfortunately, there was a huge influx of people checking in on the 16th and our request was denied.


So, the three of us got up at our original time and got everything back in our nifty rental car. It was an unusual morning in that the weather was absolutely beautiful. Almost zero humidity and in the shade it was even a bit chilly.


The kind of weather you can only dream about in May.

On the day we had to leave…

Of course.

What a tease, Disney…




While Alex made the three of four trips back and forth to the car, I took Landon to the gift shop and bought something to commemorate our first stay at a deluxe:




It was hard to believe our time at Animal Kingdom Lodge was already up. It felt like we’d just checked in and saw our surprise safari view.
Departing from a Disney trip is always hard, but it felt like it was even more difficult having to say goodbye to a dream resort. You picture yourself staying there for so long and then, in a blink of an eye, you’re turning it over for another lucky family newly arrived.



Once we were completely out of our room, Alex and I had agreed to spend a little time in one of the parks before we needed to headed home.

It’s about a 6 hour drive from Disney to our house, but Alex had the following day off work, so we didn’t see the need to rush back.




In fact, the longer we stood around in AKL’s lobby, the more we thought it was silly to leave in the first place. I did a quick calculation of our spendings for the vacation and realized we had more than enough to cover a value or a moderate room for one night.


So why not?


I had to make a quick call to my dog sitter, AKA, my mother and ask if it was all right if we picked up Buster a day late. She had no issue with it, so I signaled to Alex to pick up his phone and call Disney reservations.

This was awesome!

We were getting one more Disney night!!!



One more day, isn’t that every Disney fan’s dream?

Only…

We forgot one teensy, tiny detail.

Star Wars Weekend began that day.


I overheard Alex on the phone:

“So, nothing at any values. Not even at rack rate price?”

“What about a moderate?”

“A deluxe?”

“Anything other than a grand villa?”

“Nothing? Really? That’s hard to believe.”



Alex hung up the phone completely discouraged. Apparently, every single room on Disney property was booked. There was zero availability.

The one time we are trying to throw money into Disney’s pockets, they turned us down!




We even called Shades of Green to see if they had room, but alas, they were all booked up.


Walt Disney World was literally kicking us out.


It was disheartening, but what could we do?


Alex and I talked about it and decided if we couldn’t stay another night, we’d do the next best thing and stay one more full day. We saw no reason to not stay until dinnertime and then leave shortly before Landon’s bedtime. That would put us driving until about 1 a.m., but with two of us we could easily manage that.

Hah!

We found a way.



Because we wanted to hop from park to park, we decided to leave our car in the AKL lot and take the bus. Alex had to run back and get the stroller, because originally we’d left it when we thought we’d only be in the parks for an hour or two.


It was a good thing we did, though, because Alex ran into another DISdad in the parking lot and had an impromptu meet. I had stayed behind at the bus stop, so I can’t say what the DISer’s name was or if they even took a picture together, but I know it happened!

A third DISmeet on that trip, certainly the most people we’d ever run into before.

Pretty sweet.




With a plan FINALLY nailed down and in place, Alex and I took Landon back to…




Epcot.



So much for that long goodbye I gave the park not 12 hours prior.
You just never know where your plans’ll lead you when in Disney World.



There really wasn’t much we had to do that morning, and Landon fell asleep in his stroller shortly after we walked into Future World. I was in the mood to explore, so I told Alex to go ride single rider for Test Track while I went and perused the festival center for the Flower and Garden Festival.




It was the last weekend for the event, so most everything was shut down and/or on its way there, but I still really enjoyed walking around the center.

There were spots for educational videos and sections set aside for lectures. In between those areas there were booths set up displaying different plants, gardening methods, or other conservation techniques. It was kind of fascinating reading some of the educational placards, and the whole thing reminded me of my father.

He’s a huge gardener. To the point where he makes enough food for us to can and/or blanch and store for a whole winter. He’s happiest when he’s growing something or going to a nursery and discussing a new breed of fruit.

So that whole festival made me wish I could get my dad to Disney. He’d have a blast talking to fellow green thumbs and shopping for new seeds. I thought he’d like it so much that I bet if he ever experienced the festival, he’d want to go back every few years.


But we all know how difficult getting a non-Disney fan to Disney is…


The advantage to the festival coming to a close was that all the merchandise for sale was heavily discounted. I got my dad a shirt for less than fifteen dollars, which is a steal in Disney prices.


Alex texted me while I was buying the gift and asked if he could ride one more time. Since Landon was asleep and I was quite content where I was I told him to go ahead.

I simply found this bench:



Sat down, and watched the world pass by for about fifteen minutes.

It was a very peaceful time. There was barely anybody in the building with me; it was a great place to feel relaxed in the park. I almost didn’t want to get up and leave.



But Alex was finishing up with his second turn, and so I told him to meet me at Mission: Space.

Neither of us ride the attraction, but I do find the entrance area to be really cool.



Whoever designed it did a really good job.



When Alex and I rejoined each other, we talked over what we wanted to do, and amusingly enough, we were both good with leaving Epcot.

We were ready to move on to bigger and better things…




Landon got one more ride on his favorite Disney attraction:



The monorail.



He absolutely loved to stand and hold onto one of the metal bars while the vehicle was in motion. He recognized that when the voice came over the speaker, the ride was about to begin, and he became so excited.

(Funny story: the other day I was listening to Disney music, and the monorail spewl came on my phone, and Landon looked around, very confused. You could tell he recognized the monologue, but he had no idea why it was playing when we weren’t on the monorail. For a split second I thought he was going to grab onto something in case the floor began moving. As a Disney fan, it made me proud.)



Naturally, the next park we had in mind for our family was:



We had to take Landon to the castle one final time.





Up Next…I Didn’t Know a 13 month old Could Embarrass Me

 

[KatMark]

Awwww....sorry you couldn't get a room for the night, but glad that you decided to spend an entire day at Disney. And what a great start...Epcot. How nice that you let DH go do single rider line (twice) for Test Track while you walked over to the Festival Center. I've walked through there but never stopped for any of the seminars, etc. I hope to spend a bit of time in there next week if we can find the time.

And a last ride on the monorail. You can't beat that.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Nothing worse than having what is possibly the best trip weather on departure day. Of all the days you actually want it to rain. Clearly, you had a solution.

You picture yourself staying there for so long and then, in a blink of an eye, you’re turning it over for another lucky family newly arrived.

How right that is. I don't want anybody else staying in "My Room."

I did a quick calculation of our spendings for the vacation and realized we had more than enough to cover a value or a moderate room for one night.

Ahhhhh... Disney Math.


But WOW, for reals????? No vacancy????? Does that really happen????? I did chuckle at "Not even at rack rate price?" Like seriously, gouge me!! I accept that willingly. I'LL PAY DOUBLE!!!!!

BUT yay for last minute decision to stay for the day anyway!!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

In fact, the longer we stood around in AKL’s lobby, the more we thought it was silly to leave in the first place. I did a quick calculation of our spendings for the vacation and realized we had more than enough to cover a value or a moderate room for one night.
How awesome!

So why not?

My kind of thinking!

The one time we are trying to throw money into Disney’s pockets, they turned us down!

Walt Disney World was literally kicking us out.

Landon got one more ride on his favorite Disney attraction:

I have a small feeling that the monorail might end up as one of Little Miss's favorites as well.

(Funny story: the other day I was listening to Disney music, and the monorail spewl came on my phone, and Landon looked around, very confused. You could tell he recognized the monologue, but he had no idea why it was playing when we weren’t on the monorail. For a split second I thought he was going to grab onto something in case the floor began moving. As a Disney fan, it made me proud.)

That's a parenting done right kind of moment there!

 

[MEK]

I remember how beautiful the weather was that day and on Saturday. Just gorgeous.

That is such a bummer that everything was booked up. You know what I would have done - gone off site somewhere. Although I find the myriad of off site properties somewhat over whelming so I try to stick to the Marriotts where I have rewards.

How nice to have some extra time in Epcot just taking it all in. And one more visit to the castle is never a bad thing.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

In someways that play area after the ride is better than Journey into Imagination itself ... sorry Landon got upset and had a meltdown though. Even for a lot of good sleepers I think kids being out of routine can mess with them

(Treat Yo'Self!)

We were constantly reminded on this trip that no matter what rides we booked Fastpasses for, what ADRs we managed to reserve, what resort we stayed at, the things that made the trip special for Landon were the things all around him

Definitely something I still find looking back on our trips is that a lot of the memories have nothing to do with rides, etc. but just enjoying the little things and spending time together

Glad you enjoyed Via Napoli again .... definitely one we have to try at some point (we tend to avoid Italian food on vacation as there is so much good Italian where we live, but I think we will have to make an exception for Via Napoli)

That moment it hits you that your trip is coming to an end is always sad - though, knowing you will be back at some point helps a bit. Must be really tough for those that have a "once in a lifetime trip"

eparting from a Disney trip is always hard, but it felt like it was even more difficult having to say goodbye to a dream resort. You picture yourself staying there for so long and then, in a blink of an eye, you’re turning it over for another lucky family newly arrived.

Totally get that and exactly how we felt our last trip leaving the Contemporary, somewhere we never thought we would ever stay - felt like we just checked in and got the view of MK and were already leaving.

Wow, that's amazing that there was nothing available, but yeah, SWW. Though, getting to just stay for a full day rather than heading back early is a pretty good compromise - and saves money in the long run so not a bad back up.

I love when Disney plans change - well, at least when they change with a positive spin ... and you feel like it is a "bonus" and no pressure to get specific things done, etc.

Maybe you could just tell your dad you are taking him to a flower and gardening festival and not mention the little detail that it is at Disney World

(Funny story: the other day I was listening to Disney music, and the monorail spewl came on my phone, and Landon looked around, very confused. You could tell he recognized the monologue, but he had no idea why it was playing when we weren’t on the monorail. For a split second I thought he was going to grab onto something in case the floor began moving. As a Disney fan, it made me proud.)

That's a cute story. We all cane become like Disney Pavlov Dogs with some things .... Disney Dog? Guess that makes us all a little Goofy

 

[amazingact21]

Awwww....sorry you couldn't get a room for the night, but glad that you decided to spend an entire day at Disney. And what a great start...Epcot. How nice that you let DH go do single rider line (twice) for Test Track while you walked over to the Festival Center. I've walked through there but never stopped for any of the seminars, etc. I hope to spend a bit of time in there next week if we can find the time.

And a last ride on the monorail. You can't beat that.

I would have liked to have seen the festival when it was going full speed. Being there at the end only really gave me a chance to see what they had been doing, not necessarily what was left. Either way, I had an enjoyable time, and I never complain about getting the chance to see and do something new in Disney.

Nothing worse than having what is possibly the best trip weather on departure day. Of all the days you actually want it to rain. Clearly, you had a solution.


How right that is. I don't want anybody else staying in "My Room."

Ahhhhh... Disney Math.


But WOW, for reals????? No vacancy????? Does that really happen????? I did chuckle at "Not even at rack rate price?" Like seriously, gouge me!! I accept that willingly. I'LL PAY DOUBLE!!!!!

BUT yay for last minute decision to stay for the day anyway!!

On this last trip, Landon had left a toy in our room, and when Alex called to see if housekeeping could retrieve it for us, there was already a family in the room! At, like, 12:30. It really bummed us out to think that, just like that, a new group was experiencing our amazing room.


Disney math is hilarious. Alex and I have, no joke,had a conversation along the lines of, "If we eat PB & Js for two weeks we could totally pay for the gas down to Disney for a weekend."
It's hard only being 6 hours away. You start bartering with your checkbook on days off work.

 

[afwdwfan]

The kind of weather you can only dream about in May.

On the day we had to leave…

Of course.

What a tease, Disney…

Naturally. So cruel of Mother Nature to be like that.

You picture yourself staying there for so long and then, in a blink of an eye, you’re turning it over for another lucky family newly arrived.

Every Disney trip ever...

One more day, isn’t that every Disney fan’s dream?

We forgot one teensy, tiny detail.


Star Wars Weekend began that day.


I overheard Alex on the phone:


“So, nothing at any values. Not even at rack rate price?”


“What about a moderate?”


“A deluxe?”


“Anything other than a grand villa?”


“Nothing? Really? That’s hard to believe.”

Wow. Yeah, that is really hard to believe. Star Wars weekend or not, I wouldn't believe it would be completely booked, not one room anywhere that time of year. So disappointing.

Walt Disney World was literally kicking us out.


It was disheartening, but what could we do?

Chain yourself to the nearest unmovable object and tell them to make you leave?

Epcot.




So much for that long goodbye I gave the park not 12 hours prior.

Which only makes it so much sweeter.

He’s a huge gardener. To the point where he makes enough food for us to can and/or blanch and store for a whole winter. He’s happiest when he’s growing something or going to a nursery and discussing a new breed of fruit.

So that whole festival made me wish I could get my dad to Disney. He’d have a blast talking to fellow green thumbs and shopping for new seeds. I thought he’d like it so much that I bet if he ever experienced the festival, he’d want to go back every few years.


But we all know how difficult getting a non-Disney fan to Disney is…

It is hard to get them there. But always worth the payoff. I think you're right. If you could get him to go for F&G, and maybe arrange for a Behind the Seeds tour, I think you might even get him to go back for F&G every year.

He absolutely loved to stand and hold onto one of the metal bars while the vehicle was in motion. He recognized that when the voice came over the speaker, the ride was about to begin, and he became so excited.

I'm the same way.

(Funny story: the other day I was listening to Disney music, and the monorail spewl came on my phone, and Landon looked around, very confused. You could tell he recognized the monologue, but he had no idea why it was playing when we weren’t on the monorail. For a split second I thought he was going to grab onto something in case the floor began moving. As a Disney fan, it made me proud.)

That is awesome!

 

[amazingact21]

My kind of thinking!

I have a small feeling that the monorail might end up as one of Little Miss's favorites as well.

That's a parenting done right kind of moment there!

Kids love the monorail. I'm not sure why, exactly, but there's something about it that really entertains them. The plus side to that is it's air conditioned and has seating, so any time Landon wants to do it, I'm all for it.

I remember how beautiful the weather was that day and on Saturday. Just gorgeous.

That is such a bummer that everything was booked up. You know what I would have done - gone off site somewhere. Although I find the myriad of off site properties somewhat over whelming so I try to stick to the Marriotts where I have rewards.

How nice to have some extra time in Epcot just taking it all in. And one more visit to the castle is never a bad thing.

We tossed around the idea of staying offsite, but in the end we just decided to go ahead and drive home. We drove at night a lot when Landon was an infant, and we were masters in surviving sleep deprivation, so we just decided to save the 100 bucks or so and skip it.

In someways that play area after the ride is better than Journey into Imagination itself ... sorry Landon got upset and had a meltdown though. Even for a lot of good sleepers I think kids being out of routine can mess with them

Routines are so important with kiddos. I feel like it's the one thing I try to follow when we travel, because if the kid is miserable...we're ALL miserable.

Yes! I love when people catch my Parks and Rec references!

Definitely something I still find looking back on our trips is that a lot of the memories have nothing to do with rides, etc. but just enjoying the little things and spending time together

Glad you enjoyed Via Napoli again .... definitely one we have to try at some point (we tend to avoid Italian food on vacation as there is so much good Italian where we live, but I think we will have to make an exception for Via Napoli)

That moment it hits you that your trip is coming to an end is always sad - though, knowing you will be back at some point helps a bit. Must be really tough for those that have a "once in a lifetime trip"

I can understand why you skip Via Napoli. Living in North FL, we have seafood restaurants on every corner, so we tend to skip places like the Cape May dinner buffet. No point in going somewhere inside WDW when we can get the same (and fresher) local food at home.

Totally get that and exactly how we felt our last trip leaving the Contemporary, somewhere we never thought we would ever stay - felt like we just checked in and got the view of MK and were already leaving.

Our February trip this year was really special, and it made leaving AKL look like a walk in the park.

Maybe you could just tell your dad you are taking him to a flower and gardening festival and not mention the little detail that it is at Disney World

That's a cute story. We all cane become like Disney Pavlov Dogs with some things .... Disney Dog? Guess that makes us all a little Goofy

It's only going to take 3, potentially 4, grandkids, a Flower and Garden Festival, family flying in from Germany, and a set of kids getting ready to go overseas, but we've finally almost convinced my father to go back to Disney next spring.
Whatever works, I guess...

 

[amazingact21]

Every Disney trip ever...

That is true. We try and stay somewhere new every vacation, and each time we check in, we can't help but go, "This is the best place ever!" And then in turn feel devastated to have to leave.

Wow. Yeah, that is really hard to believe. Star Wars weekend or not, I wouldn't believe it would be completely booked, not one room anywhere that time of year. So disappointing.

I don't know, the later we stayed in the parks, the easier it was to believe. The parks became REALLY crowded by 11/12 o'clock.

It is hard to get them there. But always worth the payoff. I think you're right. If you could get him to go for F&G, and maybe arrange for a Behind the Seeds tour, I think you might even get him to go back for F&G every year.

My father can be stubborn, but we've finally almost got him convinced to go next spring. It only took 3 grandkids, a son coming over from Germany, another set of kids potentially moving overseas, all kids finally reaching drinking age, and the F &G Festival to do it. But, hey, whatever works.

 

[Dugette]

Departing from a Disney trip is always hard, but it felt like it was even more difficult having to say goodbye to a dream resort. You picture yourself staying there for so long and then, in a blink of an eye, you’re turning it over for another lucky family newly arrived.

Very, very true. Getting off a cruise ship is like that too. As much as I'm looking forward to the trip, I don't like to think about those parts.

We were getting one more Disney night!!!

I love the spontaneous decisions!

The one time we are trying to throw money into Disney’s pockets, they turned us down!

Mean old Disney!

Glad you ended up sticking around for another day!

(Funny story: the other day I was listening to Disney music, and the monorail spewl came on my phone, and Landon looked around, very confused. You could tell he recognized the monologue, but he had no idea why it was playing when we weren’t on the monorail. For a split second I thought he was going to grab onto something in case the floor began moving. As a Disney fan, it made me proud.)

That's awesome!

 

[marDgreen88]

Hahaha aww, thanks for being excited for me! I've wanted to go to Disneyland for so long that it doesn't even feel real yet!

Ohhhhhh Via Napoli... I haven't been there since 2010 and that is CLEARLY a mistake.

Isn't that just the way it goes?! The one time you actually COULD stay longer, you CAN'T. Sigh. Work with us, Disney!!!

I agree about the festival center. It's awesome! While I didn't make it over there during Flower and Garden last year, I did get to see the Food and Wine version, which was also really interesting. Though it happened to be the first day of the festival so, not quite relaxing. Hopefully someday you can convince your dad to make it to Epcot for Flower and Garden!