Party of 13 in the Most Magical Place on Earth a March 2018 trip Update: 7/23/2018

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We stopped for some PP photos first thing. The front of the park was empty. Everyone was in Pandora.

I do like that Pandora pulls most people that way, makes the rest of the park really nice and enjoyable!

We then decided to head to Dinosaur. I'm not very familiar with AK, so we missed the turn. We ended up by Mickey and Minnie at the outpost. We decided to stop and do the meet and greet. We were the first family to meet them for the day. It was fun, and they spent quite a bit of time with us.

It's funny, I know where Dinosaur is but not wher Mickey & Minnie are...

So cute! She looks so happy!

Annabelle hated the ride. She said she would never ride it again.

My youngest hates it as well. And I honestly think most of it is because it is so rough.

The CM asked Brody for everyone's ages. He said, "I'm 10, he's 6, she's 4 and she's 36." The CM couldn't stop laughing that Brody told my age. Oh well!

Ha! My kids like to tell everyone my age as well. So, don't worry.

She wanted to get right back on. That wasn't happening as the wait time was around 100 minutes at 9:25 am!

Man, I really wonder when that is going to die down! That ride is a solid walk-on / maybe up to 30 minute wait ride. But THAT IS IT!!!

29511

Great Family Selfie!

IMG_6888 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr
This ostrich blocked our vehicle for awhile. Then, it took off running.

Ha, like it was dared to stand in the way of the truck or something.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

I love AK and fancy being the first at the meet with Mickey and Minnie

We go in December and i a man looking forward to seeing Pandora. Hopefully in the day and at night.

 

[amazingact21]

Good thing you got lost first thing in the morning, because you ended up with some really good pictures with Mickey and Minnie!

I'm with your DD, never again on Dinosaur.

Oh, kids. They don't hesitate to throw out fun little facts like their parent's age.
However, I think you won by having to ride Triceratops Spin. You need an iron stomach for Primeval Whirl!

Glad you were able to watch Festival of the Lion King then go on the safari with the whole group. You all were accomplishing a lot in Animal Kingdom.

 

[ariane37]

We have a busy last couple of weeks. The school year ended and now we are all home for summer.

My sister lives in Georgia and her boys have been out for 2 weeks now, while my boys don't get out until later in June. Well, Ricky's last full day is the 11th and then he has regents but Chris goes until the 20th. But you'll go back about a month before us!

Trent and Peter rode primeval whirl 2 times.

I was so glad when my boys decided they didn't like this anymore, it made me so nauseous! I know it's good for younger kids in a park that needs rides for them, but ugh, not good for me lol!

We also love Festival of the Lion King, it's definitely Steve's favorite show on property and he could watch it every trip. I think it's my favorite show also, and one the boys never ever complain about watching. I think all the performers are amazing.

 

[mommaof3boys]

It's funny, I know where Dinosaur is but not wher Mickey & Minnie are...

I don't know if I would be able to find them again

So cute! She looks so happy!

Thank you!

Ha! My kids like to tell everyone my age as well. So, don't worry.

Aren't kids just the best

Man, I really wonder when that is going to die down! That ride is a solid walk-on / maybe up to 30 minute wait ride. But THAT IS IT!!!

Maybe when Toy Story Land opens it will pull more people to HS away from AK

Great Family Selfie!

Thanks!

Ha, like it was dared to stand in the way of the truck or something.

The driver kept saying, "ostriches can run up to 45 mph. Well, I guess this one's not!"

We go in December and i a man looking forward to seeing Pandora. Hopefully in the day and at night.

We missed it at night, unfortunately

Good thing you got lost first thing in the morning, because you ended up with some really good pictures with Mickey and Minnie!

I'm with your DD, never again on Dinosaur.

Oh, kids. They don't hesitate to throw out fun little facts like their parent's age.
However, I think you won by having to ride Triceratops Spin. You need an iron stomach for Primeval Whirl!

Glad you were able to watch Festival of the Lion King then go on the safari with the whole group. You all were accomplishing a lot in Animal Kingdom.

Yes, the pictures with Mickey and Minnie were really good. I'm glad we ran into them.

I didn't mind her hate for dinosaur. Then, I didn't have to ride again.

Kids are so fun. When you have a bunch of them, one is always doing something to embarrass me. I guess maybe I should be glad I missed out on primeval whirl.

It seemed like our day was going just to plan.

My sister lives in Georgia and her boys have been out for 2 weeks now, while my boys don't get out until later in June. Well, Ricky's last full day is the 11th and then he has regents but Chris goes until the 20th. But you'll go back about a month before us!

We are in the full swing of summer activities. My oldest is at scout camp this week. We've had our first swim meet and ball game. We go back to school Aug. 15, so definitely earlier than most the country.

I was so glad when my boys decided they didn't like this anymore, it made me so nauseous! I know it's good for younger kids in a park that needs rides for them, but ugh, not good for me lol!

I guess I should be thankful I missed out. I probably would've been sick the rest of the day.

 

[mommaof3boys]

Animal Kingdom Cont.
3/23/2018
​

After our ride on the safari, Peter was ready for some coffee. Of course, we headed to Starbucks. Luckily, it wasn't very busy. After getting Peter's Starbucks, we got the kids some popcorn. We decided to get a second popcorn bucket. The kids have been using these at home, so they were worth it.

We headed to Finding Nemo the musical after our snack stop. Brett, Haley and family were also in the show. They sat closer to the front. We sat in the first row of the middle section. The show was really cute. Trent and Brody enjoyed seeing it again. Ronan and Annabelle didn't remember it from last time, so they really liked it. Peter and I did get whipped in the face with a tentacle from one of the puppets. Luckily I turned my head just in time, or it would've got me in the eye.

We then had to cash in on a promise we had been making all week. Mickey ice cream bars! We had been using them as leverage all week. The kids had been great, so it was time to cash in. We bought our ice cream, and headed to the river's of light seating area to eat them.

IMG_6902 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6898 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6895 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6894 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

The kids all enjoyed their mickey treats. We all enjoyed the little rest. Our next and last FP of the day was coming up...Dinosaur. Well, you all remember how Annabelle feels about this ride. She was not having it. Brett and Jackson also had a FP for Dinosaur. Haley and I decided to take the girls to the Dino play area while the boys rode the ride.

The boys even remembered to stop for PP pictures. We had trained them well!

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410312703874 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410312703878 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410312703880 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_8206261166 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr
My kids laugh every time they look at this picture. They can't believe a kid could sleep on Dinosaur

Meanwhile, the girls were having fun in the Dino play area.

IMG_6904 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6903 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6910 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

Then, the boys joined us for some more play time.

IMG_6908 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

29497961_10100924117503540_3369208316900040846_n by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

After our playtime, we decided to head to Pandora for snacks.

IMG_6911 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6914 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6915 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6916 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

The kids got 2 of the night blossom drinks. I know 2 of the kids really liked it and 2 of the kids did not. I can't remember who was who though. I got the same but the version with alcohol. It was called Rum Blossom. It was good but those darn boba were hard to suck up in a straw. The green straw is big enough for them to grow through, so I had to take a kid straw to use. Peter got the Hawkes Grog Ale. It was pretty much just an ale with green food coloring. We also got a colossal pretzel and pongu lumpia to share. The pretzel was delicious, so was the lumpia, but it was super sweet. I couldn't eat much of it.

After our snacks, we decided to look around Pandora a bit more.

IMG_6924 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6919 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

Then, we headed out of Pandora to see if we had missed anything else. On our journey, we bumped into Flik. He was out with no one in sight. We stopped to visit him. I had to remind my kids of his name on the way up to see him. He was a lot of fun. I think he was just happy someone stopped to see him!

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410316392260 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410316392264 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410316392282 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410316392290 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410316392299 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

As we walked away, Flik started playing hide and seek with the kids. They really got a kick out of it. I wish I caught it on camera, but I had already put the GoPro away at that point. I caught this one picture of Flik running back to his meet and greet.

IMG_6917 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We moved on to explore some more, but we decided we were hot. This is where we turned into the crazy parents on vacation that give into their kids wants. They had seen the Banshees in Pandora. We had set a strict souvenir budget. Meaning they pretty much each got one thing from us, and they bought everything else with their money. I guess it was the leaving Disney blues that made us do it, but we went back to Pandora to buy one Banshee. One Banshee turned into 2 and 2 turned into 4. I don't know what happened. It's like those darn things were magically multiplying. They are fun, but not something I would buy had we not been in Disney World. They do play with them. Ronan even used his in the talent show. Video posted above if you want to watch. The tricky part was getting them out of the park. The stroller was no longer used for kids. It was now a Banshee holder. After our big purchase, we headed out of the park and back to the condo to pack up.

It had gone from freezing cold to feeling like we were walking on the sun. I was convinced we were going to go back to the condo and swim. Once we were out of Animal Kingdom, it was really not that warm, so no swimming LOL.

Up Next...dinner at Bonnet Creek and Disney Springs

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Love all your pictures. It seems like it was a fun meet with Flik

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Disney will do that to you. Saying yes is so much easier in Disney than at home. I had told my girls under no circumstances were they able to buy a banshee. And i must have said it enough or with enough sternest that they didn't even ask! But that is totally something that my girls would NEVER touch once at home. It happens to the best of of us for sure!

What kind of pretzel was it in Pandora? I didn't realize they had pretzels. I thought it was just the lumpia.

 

[amazingact21]

I think all parents can feel your pain and suddenly buying way more than you anticipated at Disney World. Kids have a way of knowing when their parents are at their weakest and wear us down.


Fun pictures with Flik!

 

[mommaof3boys]

Life has been crazy busy. Summer has proven to be even busier than the school year. Trent and Brody are both swimming on the competitive swim team. Ronan is playing T-ball, and Annabelle is doing gymnastics. All 3 boys are doing a summer academy 4 days a week for half days for the month of June. Trent went to camp the first week of June. All 4 start tennis in July. I'm hoping to get this report finished up soon.

Love all your pictures. It seems like it was a fun meet with Flik

Thank you! He was a lot of fun. After we got home, I read that he was no longer going to be meeting. I was glad we stumbled upon him.

What kind of pretzel was it in Pandora? I didn't realize they had pretzels. I thought it was just the lumpia.

It was a Colossal pretzel with cheese sauce. It was very good.

I think all parents can feel your pain and suddenly buying way more than you anticipated at Disney World. Kids have a way of knowing when their parents are at their weakest and wear us down.


Fun pictures with Flik!

Yes kids do catch on to that. It was the end of our trip, and I think Peter and I were both a little sad about leaving. So why not bring home a bunch of Banshees to bring some of the magic home with us

Flik was a lot of fun! An unexpected little surprise.

 

[mommaof3boys]

Last night in Florida
​

I'm going to apologize as I have no pictures for this update I don't know how I went an entire evening without taking a single photo.

We went back to the condo and started packing up to go home. We spent a few hours doing this, and then we decided we were all hungry. My parents had been given a gift card to use at one of the restaurants on site at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. I looked up all of the available restaurants and their menus. The only one that had any kid food, was way more expensive than I was willing to pay for a hot dog. My parents decided they would keep the kids in the room and order pizza from la Cocina pizzeria on site. Brett, Haley, Peter and I all went and ate at Back Bay Bar and Grille. Back Bay is located behind building 6 next to the pirate pool. It overlooks the water. The location is very pretty. It was pretty pricey, and I would not have eaten here if we did not have the $75 gift card that had to be used. Peter and Haley got shrimp tacos, Brett got fish and chips, and I got a salad. I just looked at Back Bay's menu online and the salad I ordered and the shrimp tacos are not on the menu any more. Our total bill was around $90. In all, the food was good. Our waitress was awful.

The kids enjoyed their pizza and garlic knots. I had read some pretty bad reviews about the pizzeria before our trip. We've gotten pizza from there on two different trips and never had a bad experience. It's pretty standard take out pizza. The kids all liked it. My parents had gone to a wine tasting place in Winter Park, FL on this day. They ate either at the wine place or a restaurant close by. The wine tasting sounded like a really neat experience.

While at dinner, we decided that we all wanted to head to Disney Springs one more time. We went back to the condo and got the keys to my dad's car. Our cars were all packed with our belongings to go home. We left the kids with my parents and headed to Disney Springs.

I had one mission on this night... to get a Disney Dooney! Peter was looking for a t-shirt. He hadn't found one yet for his souvenir. I can't really remember the order of stores we went in. I know that Haley and I went in the Coop Marketplace to pick out my Dooney. The boys went to get a beer. Going into the trip, I had thought I wanted the "I am Ears" bag. I had been looking at them throughout the week. Peter kept telling me that if we were going to pay that much for a bag, I needed to find one more sophisticated. Not sure why I needed a sophisticated bag, I teach preschool .So I started looking at the black leather sketch bags. I knew that the tote was going to be too big and heavy for me. The satchel seemed like the perfect size. My next mission was to find the perfect placement. I found one that I fell in love with. It has a castle, Tink, Mickey and Minnie, Mickey balloons all on the front and has good character placement on all sides. Now that we are home, I guess Peter was right about the purse. I love that it goes with everything. It's the perfect size for me too. Haley was able to use her AP holder discount, which was really nice. Haley bought herself a sketch wallet, I believe.

IMG_6933 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr
My purse!

We also went into World of Disney. Haley bought her kids some bubble wands for their Easter baskets, and I think a few souvenirs for people back home. We tried to buy sushi at Morimoto. The part where you can just walk up, but they were all out of sushi. We then went into the Coca Cola store to look around. We left and got back to the condo at 10:30. Our vacation was officially over. We had to start the long voyage home in the morning.

I will do a small update of our travels home.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Love the bag , it’s nice to treat yourself

 

[dianachaney77]

Great report! Thanks for sharing!

Love the D&B Purse!!!

 

[Lesley Wake]

I had one mission on this night... to get a Disney Dooney! Peter was looking for a t-shirt. He hadn't found one yet for his souvenir. I can't really remember the order of stores we went in. I know that Haley and I went in the Coop Marketplace to pick out my Dooney. The boys went to get a beer. Going into the trip, I had thought I wanted the "I am Ears" bag. I had been looking at them throughout the week. Peter kept telling me that if we were going to pay that much for a bag, I needed to find one more sophisticated. Not sure why I needed a sophisticated bag, I teach preschool .So I started looking at the black leather sketch bags. I knew that the tote was going to be too big and heavy for me. The satchel seemed like the perfect size. My next mission was to find the perfect placement. I found one that I fell in love with. It has a castle, Tink, Mickey and Minnie, Mickey balloons all on the front and has good character placement on all sides. Now that we are home, I guess Peter was right about the purse. I love that it goes with everything. It's the perfect size for me too. Haley was able to use her AP holder discount, which was really nice. Haley bought herself a sketch wallet, I believe.

IMG_6933 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

That is pretty cute! Has that Disney flair without being too obvious!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I love that the only picture you have from the night is of your purse! Priorities!

 

[amazingact21]

I love your purse choice! It's gorgeous.
And I can see where Peter was coming from. I love my Disney Dooneys but I have said multiple times that I need one that I can use in a professional setting. I think I might have to keep an eye out for the one you picked!

 

[Clarigirl10]

Did anyone else giggle when they saw the facial expression of the lady on the left of this photo???

YES!

 

[mommaof3boys]

Love the bag , it’s nice to treat yourself

Thank you! Yes, it doesn't happen often, so I go big when I do

Great report! Thanks for sharing!

Love the D&B Purse!!!

Thank you!

That is pretty cute! Has that Disney flair without being too obvious!

Yes, occasionally people will all the sudden say oh wow Mickey is on there. I really do love it.

I love that the only picture you have from the night is of your purse! Priorities!

I know, right.

I love your purse choice! It's gorgeous.
And I can see where Peter was coming from. I love my Disney Dooneys but I have said multiple times that I need one that I can use in a professional setting. I think I might have to keep an eye out for the one you picked!

I love it. Now that I am home and using it, I'm glad it's versatile for all events.

 

[mommaof3boys]

Departure Day
​

We woke up and finished packing the car. On the drive down, Brett and Haley did not take the same route as us. They decided they wanted to take our route back home, so we caravanned. They were packed and ready before us. I'm sure they were annoyed waiting for us to get on the road. We were on the road at 9:20.

IMG_6936 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr
On the road, finally!

The drive was pretty boring, and we didn't really stop until lunch. We wanted to stop and eat a Bojangles for lunch, but the one that was on our google map wasn't really there. We ended up eating at a Whataburger in Tallahassee. Another family favorite that we don't have in Kansas. All of the kids were excited to get out of the car and to see each other again. It had been so long.

IMG_6942 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6944 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

After lunch, we got back on the road. Our dinner stop for the evening was at Bojangles outside of Birmingham, AL. We finally found one. Brett, Haley, and family had never eaten here. I'm not sure why our family likes it so much. I guess because we don't have one at home.

IMG_6950 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6951 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6952 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

After dinner, we drove some more. We ended up stopping at 10:30 pm in New Albany, MS.

Drive day 2
​

We got up and ate breakfast at the hotel. We were on the road at 7:45. We had a 9.5 hour drive ahead of us. We planned to get home as fast as we could. As we were driving and getting closer to lunch, we all decided we wanted to wait and eat lunch at Lambert's in Springfield, MO. This is one of our favorite places to stop and eat. Again, it would be a new restaurant for Brett, Haley and the kids. We got to Lambert's around 2. We knew it would be a pretty long wait, but we all agreed to wait. At first, the kids had fun hanging out with each other. As the wait when on, they got a little antsy.

29497886_10100925627213070_7591529491707625950_n by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6957 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6958 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6964 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6966 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We were finally sat a little after 3. It was time for some "throwed rolls!" The wait staff comes around throws rolls at you. The kids loved catching the rolls. They also bring around the pass arounds: fried okra, macaroni and tomatoes, black eye peas, and fried potatoes. These are unlimited, and I think the best part of the meal.

IMG_6968 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6969 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We all ordered our food. I got the pulled pork sandwich and cucumbers and onions as my side. Peter got the chicken fried steak. The kids got the chicken fingers and hamburgers with French fries. We all enjoyed our meal. It was worth not getting home as early. It let us extend vacation mode a little bit longer. The cousins all loved getting to hang out some more and catch some rolls. If you are ever in the Springfield/Ozark, MO area, stop in and try Lamberts. It doesn't disappoint.

We were about 3.5 hours from home still. We got back on the road to finish the drive.

IMG_6975 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6976 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

I passed the time by playing with our new friend, Banshee. The ride home was pretty uneventful. We got home around 8:30.

The trip was amazing. I love that we get to travel with my parents and my brother's family. The kids all had a great time together in the parks and at the condo. We made many great memories on this trip. It may be a few years before we make it back to Disney. I'm glad we had this time to slow down and spend time as a family. A trip to Disney never disappoints!

 

[Lesley Wake]

I'm glad it was a relatively uneventful drive home!

Yes, occasionally people will all the sudden say oh wow Mickey is on there. I really do love it.

So, I was at Disneyland on Saturday and saw that purse. I KNEW I had seen and commented on it somewhere on the Dis, but didn't remember where until I saw your response!