"Stop squeezing Mickey's nose!" - An October 2014 TR *COMPLETED!*

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[RunnerMommyof4]

Oh my goodness all caught up I really slacked this summer Your last day I'm so sad for you but glad to see your already going back soon! I love the looks of the PFT waffles at Crystal Palace, can't wait to get to try them in like umm 300 days. But it'll be worth it right? Hope your last day turned out magical!

 

[missangelalexis]

Love the picture with the green army man! I can see how you would think he was just a statue!

Can't wait to hear how you finish your day!

 

[MissMaryQC]

The end of vacation is always either flooded with the most pictures of the entire trip, or completely void of any photography at all.

Heehee, love the pics of Nate showing off his space goggles.

Two shows? What could they be?!

 

[hokieinpa]

Love the green army men - I tried to talk one into being my daughter's boyfriend. I think he nodded yes, but alas, duty called and he had to stay!

They GAM are lots of fun! They are one of my favorite parts of Toy Story so I was glad we got to see them. That sounds like a really cute story!

Oh my goodness all caught up I really slacked this summer Your last day I'm so sad for you but glad to see your already going back soon! I love the looks of the PFT waffles at Crystal Palace, can't wait to get to try them in like umm 300 days. But it'll be worth it right? Hope your last day turned out magical!

Isn't it crazy how busy summer can be? I know it's supposed to be more relaxing with no school but I feel like I'm more busy with so many trips and activities.

We had a great last few days! And yes the Puffed French Toast was soooo good! My mouth is watering right now thinking about it.

Love the picture with the green army man! I can see how you would think he was just a statue!

Can't wait to hear how you finish your day!

I was totally oblivious to the green army man for so long! That must be such a fun job, just being a statue until someone notices you. And he was right against a wall so unless you were looking and knew they did pop up meets, you might miss them.

The end of vacation is always either flooded with the most pictures of the entire trip, or completely void of any photography at all.

Heehee, love the pics of Nate showing off his space goggles.

Two shows? What could they be?!

I'm vowing to be a better picture taker next trip. I'm photographing EVERYTHING!

Nate loved Star Tours. Favorite ride, hands down!

 

[hokieinpa]

Two Shows for the Road

This update will be short and bittersweet! I have very few pictures from our last hours at Hollywood Studios so I'll be as brief as possible with the text.

After our last ride on TSMM and a surprise visit with a Green Army Man, we were in desperate need of some lunch. We also had two shows be wanted to be sure to catch before the end of our trip.

The first show on the agenda was Lights, Motors, Action. I knew the closest QS was going to be Studio Catering. This was not something on my radar but it was convenient and the boys were hungry, so it was perfect at the moment! We only had about 45 minutes until the show started so we grabbed nuggets and fries to share all around. After eating quickly, we made our way over to the show.

No pictures as evidence, but Nate and Colin enjoyed the show, especially when Lightning McQueen made an entrance!

We had one more show to see before heading back to AOA - Disney Junior Live! I knew that this was one that might fill up quickly so I took Jake and scooted out during the big finale of Lights, Motors, Action. We beat the rush of people flooding out and finding strollers.

Jake and I staked out a nice wide spot for everyone and they met us there.

I think Colin really enjoyed the show, but this picture just perfectly sums up how we all felt at this point.



Happy and having fun, but exhausted!

All 3 boys love Disney Junior, so the show was a big hit. They especially liked the effects - bubbles and gold raining down from the sky!



The show was pretty crowded, with kids squeezing into any open spots and parents standing in the back.

After the show we headed back to catch the bus to AOA. Our ME pick up time was 4:25 and it was about 3:00 at this point.

When we got back to AOA, we got all of the carry ons and car seats from bell services. There is a nice little area with couches and a TV showing cartoons so we camped out there until the ME arrived. I think I walked Jake around in the stroller out near Hourglass Lake at some point to get him to sleep.

ME ride and the whole airport experience went smoothly. Our flight was at 7:45, normal bedtime at home. The boys were very calm. Colin and Jake slept for a little more than half the flight. We landed in Virginia at 9:30 and after baggage claim and getting the cars, we ended up at my parents house at 10:30.

We woke up the next day and life returned to normal with a drive back to Pennsylvania. Our first family trip to Disney was complete and the countdown to our next trip had started!

Thanks for following along during this trip report! I think I'll do a wrap up post and then call this trip report officially complete!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

pretty good how you fit in everything you wanted at the end and got to both shows. Definitely understand that point when you don't want to leave or anything but "Disney" is catching up with you

Glad to hear the flight home went smoothly and all together you had a great first trip!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a great way to end the trip! I'm sure you all were exhausted! I'm glad getting home went smoothly too. Sad to see this TR come to an end but look forward to the wrap up post!

 

[Dugette]

Glad you got to meet a Green Army Man!

I've never seen the Lightning McQueen version of LMA - that would be cool!

Disney Junior Live is a fun one - even if you were all wiped out.

Looking forward to your wrap-up.

 

[hokieinpa]

pretty good how you fit in everything you wanted at the end and got to both shows. Definitely understand that point when you don't want to leave or anything but "Disney" is catching up with you

Glad to hear the flight home went smoothly and all together you had a great first trip!

It was a nice, relaxing way to end our trip! We were all ready for a little break and return to normalcy...but I was ready for our next trip a few days later, of course!

Sounds like a great way to end the trip! I'm sure you all were exhausted! I'm glad getting home went smoothly too. Sad to see this TR come to an end but look forward to the wrap up post!

It's been so nice to relive this trip with the TR! We had a great last few hours at Disney but I was definitely ready to get home and rest up!

Glad you got to meet a Green Army Man!

I've never seen the Lightning McQueen version of LMA - that would be cool!

Disney Junior Live is a fun one - even if you were all wiped out.

Looking forward to your wrap-up.

Meet the Green Army Man was a highlight of Colin's trip!

The boys loved LMA, but the Lightning McQueen appearances lasts less than 5 minutes. A very cool moment for the kids but I wish it was longer!

We really enjoyed the Disney Junior show - it's so fun and I really respect that girl for getting up there in front of everyone with just puppets! Tough job!

 

[hokieinpa]

Trip Wrap Up - Reviews and Favorites - Part 1

The end of this TR is so bittersweet! I really enjoyed reliving all of the special memories from our first trip. But now it means I can fully focus on our next trip - now less than 3 months away!

I thought it would be fun to do a favorites list and wrap up of our trip, so here it goes!

The Resort

Without anything to compare it to, we really loved our stay at Art of Animation! But I'll be interested to see how it compares to our upcoming stays at Pop Century and Animal Kingdom Lodge.

The price point for the family suites is quite high and after calculating, we can rent DVC points at places like Animal Kingdom Lodge for much less with more amenities.

But there is no denying that is a really fun resort for families! We loved the theme and the Big Blue Pool was a blast!









Would we stay here again? Possibly, if it was just our family of 5 and we were taking a fairly short trip. The two bathrooms and separate sleeping area are a big plus for us! But that tune may change after we have our first deluxe stay at AKL in May!


MNSSHP

I knew from the second I booked that I wanted to go to MNSSHP. And the experience did not disappoint! We loved the special events - parade, fireworks, dance parties! And the short lines were so nice!



















Would we do it again? 100% yes! We loved the experience and the fun atmosphere of the party. That combined with the special parade and fireworks and low wait times made the whole party really special.


Characterpalooza

Our one visit to "Characterpalooza" was a really fun experience! We got to meet some fun characters, even if none of them were rare.

We met:

Minnie
Donald
Stitch
Tiana
Snow White
Mulan
Aladdin
Chip & Dale

I really liked that the character interaction felt more relaxed during Characterpalooza!









And without a doubt, my favorite sequence of events during Characterpalooza - Jake + Donald + Minnie + Stitch!








Continued in next post!

 

[hokieinpa]

Trip Wrap Up - Reviews and Favorites - Part 2


Favorite Meal

Hands down, Crystal Palace! Cute characters, fun interactions, and of course...puffed French Toast!








Favorite Character Meet

This was a tough one...but the prize goes to Merida! She spent so much time talking to the boys and they were just awestruck! And she was so funny!








Honorable Mentions...since I can't just choose one!

Town Square Mickey



Princess Anna





And after looking back through my pictures, I think I have one more wrap up post to work on - a collection of all the nose squeezes during the trip! Coming soon!

 

[missangelalexis]

Loved your recap! So many fun memories to look back on

 

[roller99]

I have really enjoyed your trip report! It has helped me so much planning for our first trip this October. Can't wait to see the final compilation of nose squeezes!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

great recap and good thoughts.

We loved exploring AoA though might be a tough one for us to stay at as we would be tight in a regular room but, as you say, the suites are expensive.

Glad you enjoyed the Halloween part so much - definitely on my bucket list for at some point, probably when the kids are older.

And so glad you enjoyed your meet with Merida. Not sure your expectations going into that one but I have found every trip there is one meet that I wasn't expecting too much out of that turns out to be one of the best of the trip

 

[hokieinpa]

Loved your recap! So many fun memories to look back on

Thanks! I think I'm a little addicted to writing TRs now...no better way to relive your trip!

I have really enjoyed your trip report! It has helped me so much planning for our first trip this October. Can't wait to see the final compilation of nose squeezes!

Thank you! I'm glad my TR helped you. We loved our October trip so much - it's such a great time of year to visit. Excited to hear about your trip when you get back!

great recap and good thoughts.

We loved exploring AoA though might be a tough one for us to stay at as we would be tight in a regular room but, as you say, the suites are expensive.

Glad you enjoyed the Halloween part so much - definitely on my bucket list for at some point, probably when the kids are older.

And so glad you enjoyed your meet with Merida. Not sure your expectations going into that one but I have found every trip there is one meet that I wasn't expecting too much out of that turns out to be one of the best of the trip

AOA certainly is a fun resort. But being a family of 5 makes things more difficult since everything is designed for a family of 4. For us, it seems like renting DVC points or even a room discount on a moderate or deluxe room that fits 5 is a better deal than an AOA suite.

I would love to go back to the Halloween party when the kids are older as well! I'm interested to see how our it compares to our experience at MVMCP this year.

As you said, I didn't have any idea that our meet with Merida would end up being one of our favorites of the entire trip. I think it really just depends on so many factors - time of day, the mood of the kids, and which "friend" is out that day...it just all came together well for us that night!

 

[jkramer]

So....I JUST found this trip report yesterday! I was looking for an October trip with a MNSSHP and toddlers. This could not have been more perfect! We have the exact same family but with girls!

When we go in October it will be my 4 (almost 5) year old, my 2 (almost 3) year old, and my 22 month old! Plus all the grandparents. You gave me hope that we could have fun!

 

[khertz]

Really enjoyed this TR and the wrap up!! I am looking forward to reading about your family's upcoming Disney adventures!!

 

[hokieinpa]

So....I JUST found this trip report yesterday! I was looking for an October trip with a MNSSHP and toddlers. This could not have been more perfect! We have the exact same family but with girls!

When we go in October it will be my 4 (almost 5) year old, my 2 (almost 3) year old, and my 22 month old! Plus all the grandparents. You gave me hope that we could have fun!

Yay, so excited for you! And how funny that our groups are the exact same ages...except with girls! I'm glad my TR is helping your plan. We love, love, loved our October trip! Perfect weather, low crowds, fun Halloween atmosphere! Excited to hear about your trip!

Really enjoyed this TR and the wrap up!! I am looking forward to reading about your family's upcoming Disney adventures!!

Thanks for following along! This is the year of Disney for us/me apparently with 2 family trips and a solo trip planned so I'll have plenty to write about!

 

[Dugette]

Great wrap-up and looking forward to the nose-squeezes!