Once, Twice, Three Times to Disney!?! - Updated (finally!) 7/22

[Gracefulskinny]

Yay I'm finally all caught up!

Congrats on your house and new Baby that's coming! Exciting stuff!

Bummer that you guys passed around stomach bugs, but I am glad that you guys seemed to be able to shake them off a bit.

 

[ariane37]

DH and I tried the Piggylicious cupcake last March, and I had such high hopes for it! Didn't live up to my expectations unfortunately. I like your description of your syrup accidentally getting on your bacon though, that's pretty much what I'd been hoping for!

 

[Dugette]

I love all the gorgeous flowers they plant for this festival. It makes an already pretty area even more beautiful! I kind of wish they had it decorated like this all time, but then I guess it wouldn't seem as special!

I agree - I wish it looked like that all the time.

Luke was not interested in the Outdoor Kitchens and promptly fell asleep.

Super cute! And also convenient while you are eating around the world.

So now on to the good - the hash. OMG! This was amazing. Such a great combination of flavors with the cheddar fondue and the jalapenos. This was probably my favorite thing at the festival. I am so glad they are bringing it back this year!

We really enjoyed this one too! I love that F&G is like another version of F&W for different travel dates.

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Your food choices look incredible!

Overall, we thought the festival was delicious!

Yay I'm finally all caught up!

Congrats on your house and new Baby that's coming! Exciting stuff!

Bummer that you guys passed around stomach bugs, but I am glad that you guys seemed to be able to shake them off a bit.

Thanks for the congrats! Foreshadowing...you haven't seen the last of the stomach bug.

DH and I tried the Piggylicious cupcake last March, and I had such high hopes for it! Didn't live up to my expectations unfortunately. I like your description of your syrup accidentally getting on your bacon though, that's pretty much what I'd been hoping for!

Yep. I had high hopes too. But it just didn't live up to my expectations.

I agree - I wish it looked like that all the time.

I agree - so beautiful!

Super cute! And also convenient while you are eating around the world.

The timing definitely worked out well!

We really enjoyed this one too! I love that F&G is like another version of F&W for different travel dates.

It isn't quite as good as my beloved F&W, but we still really enjoy it.

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Day 3 - Future World Fun and the Best Dinner Ever

So we had just finished a delicious tour of the Flower and Garden Outdoor Kitchens and hopped a boat back to Future World. We had conquered our hunger and were ready to conquer some rides! We had a fastpass for Test Track, so we headed that way. And of course, I stopped to take a beautiful scenery/monorail picture along the way...



DH and I went first while my parents took Luke over to Innoventions to entertain him. We designed this beauty...






...and it snagged us first place in our group! We found Luke and my parents in Innoventions and switched up so that they could go ride Test Track.






I'm actually pretty sure that last picture was taken while waiting for my parents to ride Soarin'. However, it was grouped with the pictures taken around this time for some reason? Either way, it is an indicator of the type of silliness we experienced from Luke in Innoventions, so it kind of fits in here!

After my parents got back, we had planned to ride Mission:Space with our final fastpass. But we were all still pretty full. Now getting off on a tangent - I have a pretty iron stomach. I am not bothered by crazy rides while full. But the rest of my travel party is not the same. And since Mission: Space is not a personal favorite of mine, it was unanimous to just skip it.

Instead we headed over to a tamer ride - Spaceship Earth! As I'm sure you know by now, this one IS a personal favorite.




We let Luke decide our future.




Here is the future he selected...






Looks like a pretty fun future (well, except for the misshapen heads!). After learning what the future has in store for us, we hopped in line for the Character Spot. The wait was pretty short and soon we were visiting some old friends.
















Luke loved the characters so much! (Although you can see Minnie didn't get the love Goofy or Mickey did! ) He couldn't resist running to them as soon as he saw them. We had to hold him back until it was his turn and then we set him free! This is one of the best parts of this age at Disney...just the sheer unbridled joy and excitement! I love this age so much that I think I will really miss it when he doesn't view the world with this amount of awe. When he no longer thinks Disney is magical or runs to characters with outstretched arms. Hopefully we are still a long time away from that!

After visiting some old friends, it was almost time for our dinner reservations, so we started heading back towards World Showcase. We took our time enjoying the beautiful flowers along the way. Yet another gorgeous Flower & Garden picture...




We were heading to our favorite restaurant in all of the "World". Those who have read my previous trip reports know we were headed to Le Cellier! We checked in a few minutes early and had a short wait to be seated. We grabbed a bench outside and soon we were being led to our table. We all knew what we wanted, so we placed our orders and then took a couple pictures while we waited.






I know people either love or hate the "cellar" look of this restaurant, but I really love it. It is beautiful inside and I love the cozy and romantic atmosphere! Luke was in a very silly mood while we waited.








For some reason, I don't have any photos of our food. But I know I had the "Le Cellier" Filet Mignon - AAA Canadian Beef Tenderloin, wild mushroom risotto, heirloom toy box tomatoes, truffle butter sauce. This was just utter perfection. This is so amazing! My notes simply state "OMG". What I wouldn't do to be eating this right now!! Since I forgot pictures, here is one of this dish when I had it on a previous trip.




I don't have any notes, but I would assume my mom ordered the same as me. My DH and my dad likely ordered the Angus New York Strip - garlic herb rosti, wilted kale, cabernet butter. I do know for sure that we all left stuffed and very happy! After dinner, we headed towards the exit and back to the resort to call it an early night.

Up next: Mother's Day in Disney!

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Day 4 - Mother's Day

Fair warning here...I had previously typed up this whole thing and despite it saying that I saved a draft, it is completely lost. I will try to re-type it again, but it is maddening, since I put an hour into it the first time!

So we were all up bright and early (as usual) on this day. But this day was special for me and and my mom because it was Mother's Day! We started by exchanging cards and then headed to the only logical place to go on Mother's Day at Disney - the Magic Kingdom!

Even though we had a vehicle, we have always found that the bus is the quickest way to Magic Kingdom. So we hopped in line and were on a bus in no time! Luke was VERY excited to ride the bus!












Needless to say, Luke kept us entertained throughout the ride and we were there in no time! I was very impressed to find that they had Castmembers handing out carnations to all the moms as we entered the parks. I thought this was very thoughtful - nice going Disney! So carnations in hand, we started towards our destination. But we always have a few minutes for pictures. Especially since we were all wearing our matching Mickey shirts!










After our photo shoot, we joined the rope drop crowds and headed towards Fantasyland.






Fortunately, everyone else seemed to be heading towards the Mine Train or the Frozen sisters, so we had the rest of Fantasyland basically to ourselves! Our first stop was one of Luke's favorites - it's a small world. I also like this ride. James? Not so much! Just a testament to the things a dad will do for his child!

Up next was Peter Pan's Flight! I usually fastpass this, but didn't this morning as I was excited to check out the new queue. I really enjoyed the interactive features, but the wait was still very short and that left no time to thoroughly appreciate it or take photos. Oh well, I guess we will have to go back!

Our next stop on the tour of Luke's favorites was the Pooh ride. Luke really loves this one. And since we were making great time, we had plenty of time to stop for one of Luke's favorite pastimes - searching for the mouse on the Mad Tea Party!








I may be biased, but that is one cute kid! And I also have one photo of a super cute hubby...




And the adorable grandparents...




I am one lucky girl! After our spin on the Tea Cups, we still had a little time before our lunch reservation, so we made our way towards Tomorrowland. Of course, this meant a stop at the Speedway. I feel the way about this ride as James does about it's a small world. Just do not like it. Hot, smelly, too much jostling. I would never ride this without Luke. But man, do I love that kid. So off we went!








After the Speedway, my dad, James, and I went on Space Mountain. My mom, still not 100%, decided to sit out with Luke. When we returned I found the cutest, sweetest grammy-grandson lovefest going on!












It was just too much! I'm getting a little teary-eyed now over the pictures. Such a sweet moment between my mom (who is my best friend in the world) and my little boy. So perfect, especially on Mother's Day!



Up next: a lunch reservation and a spur of the moment change of plans!

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Day 4 - The spur of the moment plan change

Alright dear readers, because I love you and because my computer is not acting foolish right this second, I've decided to post the rest of day 4. I know, you are shocked by the back-to-back updates. But I had originally intended to be done with this first trip in the trip report by our next Disney trip. But since we leave Friday, the odds aren't good. We have had some unexpected house issues/repairs which have been a significant drain of time and money and put me behind in my reporting. But as a consolation prize, you get back-to-back updates.

When we left off, we were about to head to lunch. We were going to our favorite lunch spot in all of Magic Kingdom - Be Our Guest! (I am sad that we have been unable to get a lunch reservation there for our trip next week.) I took no pictures of our meals, but I will try to find some from past trip reports to add. I had the Croque Monsieur - Grilled sandwich of carved ham, Gruyere cheese, and bechamel with Pommes Frites and shared with Luke. This never disappoints!


(photos from Fall 2014 trip)

I would also bet that DH had the Carved Prime Chuck Roast Beef Sandwich - served warm on a baguette with horseradish sour cream and Pomme Frite and that my mom had the Braised Pork - slow-cooked pork with vegetables and bacon served with mashed potatoes and green beans jardiniere.



My dad is the wild card here. He had tried a couple different things here, and I don't remember what he ate on this trip. (I promise to keep better notes.) I do know that we all enjoyed our food!

However, my mom was still feeling kind of yucky. Our afternoon plans had us hitting Hollywood Studios. My mom knew she wouldn't be up for Rock N Roller Coaster and it is here favorite ride. So we decided to save DHS for the next day in hopes that she would feel up to it. By pure luck, I was able to get all our fastpasses moved to the next day and that allowed me to make some for Magic Kingdom that afternoon.

We lingered a little bit at lunch, enjoying the rest and A/C (and Luke snoozed a little). Then we headed out for our newly secured fastpasses. But first, I had to grab a Lefou's Brew!




This was very refreshing and a perfect "dessert" after lunch. Our first ride after lunch was back at Pooh!






Since we are in the regular line, this must not have been one of our fastpasses. But I don't think it had a long wait. Next up was Dumbo. Luke really enjoys bouncing the Dumbo up and down with the lever! After Dumbo, Luke had seen the splash area, so there was no stopping him! He had a blast and we let him run until he had thoroughly worn himself out!


















We changed him into dry clothes and then went over to ride Buzz and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. The TTA was wonderfully peaceful (as always). And I am proud to say that Luke successfully managed to score his first points on Buzz!


(Luke's points he earned all by himself!)


(My points)


After that accomplishment, we were ready for a snack. I had really been wanting to try the specialty waffles from Sleepy Hollow, so that's where we went!

DH and I got the Nutella waffle with fruit to share with Luke and my parents got the spicy chicken waffle. These were both really tasty!






I would happily get either of these again! From here, we were hot and ready to leave the park. But first a couple castle pictures!





It was still early, so we decided to check out a resort we had been wanting to see rather than go back to the room. We jumped on a boat and shortly found ourselves at Wilderness Lodge!






I loved seeing the geyser erupting on our way in! We took our time just taking in the resort and resting in the rocking chairs by the fireplace. I really love the theming of this resort and even though it is not on the monorail, I could definitely see myself choosing it over the monorail resorts!










I had heard that the lounge offered some of the Artist Point items, including the famous cobbler! So we wandered over as soon as it opened. I was disappointed to find that they wouldn't be serving the cobbler until about 5:45 (I think this was at 4), due to when the restaurant opened. I was bummed, but we decided to stay and enjoy some fondue with fruit and bread accompaniments. This was delicious!

After the snack, Luke was restless, so we took a boat back to Magic Kingdom and then jumped on the bus back to the resort. Luke again enjoyed his bus ride!








Once back at the resort, we rested for a little while and then left Disney property to go get some meds, Gatorade, etc. for my mom. On the way back to the resort, I asked to stop for dinner. I ate some Taco Bell, but no one else in my family wanted dinner. I knew then that that was a bad sign as it had been about 7 or 8 hours since lunch and we are all normally good eaters. We had had a couple snacks, but even that had been about 3 or 4 hours before.

After this, I was not surprised when I found out that my dad had succumbed to the stomach virus that night!


Next up: our last day and 4/5 of us have been taken down by the stomach virus.

 

[MickeyReeds]

Oh no!!! I'm so sorry to hear about everyone getting sick! That is terrible!

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Oh no!!! I'm so sorry to hear about everyone getting sick! That is terrible!

Yep! This stomach virus just picked us off one by one, claiming a new victim every couple days.

 

[ariane37]

Ugh I probably mentioned earlier in your TR that I got the stupid stomach bug on our trip last Nov., but at least it was just me. It would've been so much worse if it traveled through my family I hope to hear it didn't last very long for your dad and I really hope it didn't hit poor Luke! And fingers crossed for a bug-free trip this time around

I love the look/feel of WL. We've never stayed there but have visited a couple times. Each time we rent points for trips I try to get DH on board with trying it out, but for whatever reason he's just not interested in staying there. Oh, well. One day I may have to take a solo trip and try it out myself!

I've had supposedly saved updates disappear.......so aggravating

 

[khertz]

You F&G pics are getting me SO excited about our upcoming trip for a long weekend to see it for the first time!!

Oh yuck, stomach bugs are no fun ever, but especially not in Disney!!

 

[toomuchtv]

I love the pictures of your mom & Luke when you got off of Space Mountain! I'm very close to my mom as well (though I would count my husband as my best friend).

I'm loving your reports, because my son is currently almost 8 months (on Tuesday!), and we are looking at going next May, when he will be 20 months old. I hope he has as good of a time as Luke seems to have!!!

 

[Dugette]

nd of course, I stopped to take a beautiful scenery/monorail picture along the way...

Beautiful!

We let Luke decide our future.

Always fun to do! Glad it was a good one.

Although you can see Minnie didn't get the love Goofy or Mickey did!

Don't worry, I know a little girl with the opposite problem, so it all evens out.

We had to hold him back until it was his turn and then we set him free! This is one of the best parts of this age at Disney...just the sheer unbridled joy and excitement! I love this age so much that I think I will really miss it when he doesn't view the world with this amount of awe. When he no longer thinks Disney is magical and runs to characters with outstretched arms. Hopefully we are still a long time away from that!

I agree - I love how exciting the character meets are when they are little!

It was just too much! I'm getting a little teary-eyed now over the pictures. Such a sweet moment between my mom (who is my best friend in the world) and my little boy. So perfect, especially on Mother's Day!

Very sweet, especially on Mother's Day.

After this, I was not surprised when I found out that my dad had succumbed to the stomach virus that night!

Sorry! I hate that dreaded Disney stomach bug!

 

[Deirdres]

Thanks for sharing, Luke is adorable, and congratulations for the baby announcement.

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Just wanted to post to let everyone know we are back! We had a fabulous trip - I may even go out on a limb and say it was my favorite trip yet! It was just an awesome age for Luke. He was so happy and loved every part so much. It is a little hard to go back to regular life!

I was worried that the trip would be really hard being pregnant, but it really wasn't. There were only two rides that Luke could ride that I couldn't, so if it was a bigger ride he and I just sat out together. I drank a ton of water. I packed bottled water each day for the park and refilled frequently with tap water in the park. It was hot, and we did a lot of walking, but nothing felt overwhelming. We just planned midday breaks and rested when needed.

I will get back to the trip report soon, but just wanted to fill everyone in on our most recent adventure!

 

[Dugette]

So glad to hear that you had a great trip! Look forward to hearing all about it. This is a great age!

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Ugh I probably mentioned earlier in your TR that I got the stupid stomach bug on our trip last Nov., but at least it was just me. It would've been so much worse if it traveled through my family I hope to hear it didn't last very long for your dad and I really hope it didn't hit poor Luke! And fingers crossed for a bug-free trip this time around

I love the look/feel of WL. We've never stayed there but have visited a couple times. Each time we rent points for trips I try to get DH on board with trying it out, but for whatever reason he's just not interested in staying there. Oh, well. One day I may have to take a solo trip and try it out myself!

I've had supposedly saved updates disappear.......so aggravating

Luke had the stomach virus first, so he did have it. But I was glad it didn't make its way back around to him a second time!

I just love Wilderness Lodge. It would be nice to stay on the monorail, though. So many tough choices!

You F&G pics are getting me SO excited about our upcoming trip for a long weekend to see it for the first time!!

Oh yuck, stomach bugs are no fun ever, but especially not in Disney!!

Hope you had fun at F&G! We always enjoy it even if we love F&W more!

I love the pictures of your mom & Luke when you got off of Space Mountain! I'm very close to my mom as well (though I would count my husband as my best friend).

I'm loving your reports, because my son is currently almost 8 months (on Tuesday!), and we are looking at going next May, when he will be 20 months old. I hope he has as good of a time as Luke seems to have!!!

Don't get me wrong, my husband is super awesome and I don't know what I'd do without him. But my mom has been there for me nonstop for 33 years, so she has a leg up.

You will love going with a 20 month old. It is really such a magical age and (at least in our experience) it is before they are old enough to be afraid.

Beautiful!

Agreed! Epcot during F&G is so beautiful!

Don't worry, I know a little girl with the opposite problem, so it all evens out.

Glad all the character love evens out!!

I agree - I love how exciting the character meets are when they are little!

It is so sweet when they just love the characters so much! Luke gets so excited he almost shakes in anticipation!

Very sweet, especially on Mother's Day.

Sorry! I hate that dreaded Disney stomach bug!

It's the worst! And I hate it in toddlers because they can't really understand. Luke will just cry and look to me to stop it and I hate that I can't!

Thanks for sharing, Luke is adorable, and congratulations for the baby announcement.

Thank you!

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Departure Day - The Saddest Day at the Happiest Place is Still Pretty Darn Happy!

So we had arrived at our last day. And if you have been keeping track - now Luke, me, my mom, and my dad have all gotten the stomach virus. Luke and I are feeling mostly better, my mom is still feeling pretty rough, and my dad is still in the worst of it. We got up early to pack up and then headed to our character breakfast at 'Ohana. We took a couple pictures while waiting...










This was our first time trying this restaurant for breakfast and we were pleased to have a much shorter wait than at dinner.
My dad was still feeling lousy and food did not sound appealing. He really didn't want to pay $30 and not eat, but also didn't really want to sit alone in the lobby for over an hour. So he asked if he could just sit. I fully expected the request to be denied, but he got a little pixie dust and they said it was okay for him to sit with us without eating.

The rest of us started digging in to the food before the characters came around.




First up was Lilo. Luke has never seen the movie and while he loves all fur characters, he was not that enthused about Lilo, but he did humor her with a high five.



Here is one where he looks like he is excited about Lilo, but in actuality he has spotted one of the other characters in the restaurant.




And who did he spot? Why the big cheese himself!








Next up was our alien host himself! Even though Luke doesn't know Stitch any better than Lilo, his being a fur character with some resemblance to a dog endeared him to Luke.








After our turn with Stitch, it was time for the parade. Luke was happy to grab a maraca and join in the fun!





(But what kid doesn't love noisy instruments? )

Not long after the parade our final character made his way around - ! I couldn't believe it, but Pluto was the clear favorite of the day. He got even more love than Mickey. Don't believe me? See for yourself...














After Pluto, we paid and headed out. Overall, I wasn't that impressed with 'Ohana for breakfast. The food was all fine, but nothing really stood out. Because it is family style the choices are very limited and they brought very small refills. I think I have been spoiled by Crystal Palace and the amazing selection and quality of breakfast food there.

Our original plan was to take the monorail over to Magic Kingdom, but since we had skipped Hollywood Studios the day before, we were headed there instead.

Last day wrap up next!

 

[DisneyParkLover]

The Finale

So when we left off we were headed to Hollywood Studios. We had pushed this to the last day so my mom wouldn't have to ride thrill rides at the peak of illness. Of course, we didn't know my dad would now be at the peak of illness. He was being tough, though, so we pressed on. We had to stop for photos with the theater in the background!






After some photos, we headed for our first fastpass of the day - Star Tours. My parents rode first and then we switched out. We got a great sequence, but that meant a little motion sickness for me! This is the only ride that bothers me, but it is worth it!



After Star Tours, we made our way to our second fastpass, stopping for a couple more pictures along the way. I'm glad I took these when I did since this area will soon be gone.





Our next fastpass was for a family favorite - Toy Story Midway Mania!








We had a great ride as always, and Luke was actually able to "play" for the first time. He did such a good job pulling the little string himself!

After Toy Story, we hit up Rock N Roller Coaster (taking turns of course). My dad did okay with the ride, so next we headed over to his favorite - Tower of Terror. My mom hates this ride, so she stayed out with a sleeping Luke while the rest of us rode this twice. While we were waiting, a gentleman in front of us reached into his bookbag for a a snack. Imagine our surprise when he pulled out a bag with about 2 dozen hard boiled eggs! I know you can bring in your own food, but that was a surprise!

Some Tower of Terror pictures...







After our second ride, we headed out of the park. But we weren't done with Disney yet! In the interest of packing in as much fun as possible, I had booked Biergarten for lunch! We stopped on the way out of Hollywood Studios for a few souvenirs. I picked up some Disney Junior figures for Luke and a discount backpack for spending over a certain amount. My mom picked up some charms and something else I don't remember.

When we were done shopping, we looked at the clock and realized we had cut it kind of close. We didn't have to wait long for a boat to Epcot, but (as usual) the boat was quite slow. We got to Beach and Yacht Club and realized we weren't going to make it. So DH, Luke, and I got off the boat and ran the rest of the way. We arrived very out of breath but only 3 minutes past our reservation time! My parents arrived about 10 minutes after we did and just in time for the buzzer to go off!

We had an excellent meal here. This meal has never failed to seal itself as a must-do. Food is always excellent and we enjoy the show!



Luke loved dancing to the band , but soon our late lunch was over and it was time to head to the airport. We had to make one last stop at Karamell Kuche to get snacks for the flight. We snagged a caramel bar and a large caramel popcorn and Luke got pixie dusted with a free chocolate caramel marshmallow from a castmember who thought he was super cute!







I think he enjoyed it!

After that, my parents took us to the airport. A pic on the boat back to the car...



And a couple in the car on the way to the airport...





And with that, our trip was officially over. The first flight was uneventful. Luke just played the whole flight. The second flight was VERY delayed coming in, and then it took FOREVER for them to clean it. I know they have to clean it, but it was at least an hour between when they got everyone off and when they let us board. So needless to say, Luke had gotten very restless and was having quite a meltdown when we boarded. I saw lots of dirty looks from other passengers and was really fearing for the worst. So I was very thankful when he fell asleep about 5 minutes after boarding and slept the whole flight. After the second flight, we still had a couple hours drive. We were all exhausted when we got home and we fell right into bed.

Next up I will write a quick trip summary and start the next trip of our three trip trip report!

 

[ariane37]

First I have to say that your dad is a trooper! If he felt anything like I did when I had the stomach but down there in November, it was killing him doing all that on your last day. I'm sure he didn't want to miss out on that day but boy, I couldn't even roll over in bed without wanting to heave up my insides Yeah, wasn't so funny then!
I'm with you on 'Ohana breakfast. We did it a few years ago as younger DS loves Stitch. Character interaction was very good but the food was nothing special and nothing we've ever wanted to go back for.
Hoping there was no sickness on trip #2!