Test Track, Big Thunder, and Everest, Oh My! A First Time Trip with Lots of Thrills!

[heaven2dc]

Love how your boys love to ride BTMRR! That ride always makes me giggle all the way through You really had a great day - everything seemed to go in your favor. It's always depressing when you get down to the last couple of days but planning for your next trip always makes up for it!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Love how your boys love to ride BTMRR! That ride always makes me giggle all the way through You really had a great day - everything seemed to go in your favor. It's always depressing when you get down to the last couple of days but planning for your next trip always makes up for it!

Yeah, it was about this time when I realized we only had a couple of days left and we'd be heading home soon!

We did have a great night at MK - I really enjoyed being out late, we had great weather and I was so happy it didn't rain either!

 

[Angies1274]

Another great update!!! I love Magic Kingdom at night! So cute that your boys wanted to ride BTMRR again and again! It really is such a fun ride!! I'm so glad you all enjoyed Tom Sawyer Island! We still haven't made it over there yet. I'm hoping that we get a chance next trip. You got some amazing pictures of the parade! I agree about Wishes! It really is so magical!

 

[karebear23]

Yeah for BTMRR! I love that ride.
My mom & I like the wrap at Cosmic Rays! Poor mater was too tired for the fireworks. Glad you got to see the parade!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Another great update!!! I love Magic Kingdom at night! So cute that your boys wanted to ride BTMRR again and again! It really is such a fun ride!! I'm so glad you all enjoyed Tom Sawyer Island! We still haven't made it over there yet. I'm hoping that we get a chance next trip. You got some amazing pictures of the parade! I agree about Wishes! It really is so magical!

Hi Angie! I loved MK at night too - I was SO glad we went, it was a great experience! TSI was really quite fun - the kids really enjoyed it and I like some of the attractions where they can just wander and play, they really hike and explore!

I've still been watching the video I took of Wishes that night!

Yeah for BTMRR! I love that ride.
My mom & I like the wrap at Cosmic Rays! Poor mater was too tired for the fireworks. Glad you got to see the parade!

Hi Karen! Cosmic Rays was really good, glad we went there and tried it, definitely go back again. I felt so bad for Mater, all night he was talking about seeing the fireworks then he fell alsleep! I woke him once during the show to see if he'd want to wake up adn watch, but he was just out! I guess we'll have to go back so he can see it next time!!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

I forgot to post this picture in my report for the MK night, when we got there we did a photopass right out in front, and it ended up being one of my favorite pictures:

Still working through my Epcot pix and I spent a couple days last week working on them - I can't wait to be done editing through pictures!! I really do love them all, but really - I'm ready for a break!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Day 8: Epcot Morning - Future World

Today was our first day going to Epcot and it was a fun, but very busy day with a lot of walking. We were up by about 7am this morning, even with the late night the night before the kids were still awake around their usual time. I was glad since we could head over fairly early, I didn’t expect to make RD today since we were out late last night, but was happy to get over there mid-morning. Dan ran down to the food court and grabbed a few muffins and some juice and coffee, and brought breakfast back to our room – it is just so much easier to do that and eat here some mornings. We all got ready and were ready to head out by about 8:30am, so we headed over to the bus stop. There was a fairly long line there this morning, and we got on the second bus that came by, it didn’t end up being a very long wait after all. The ride to Epcot was really quick, and we got through security and ticketing pretty quickly.

Once we were in were all excited to see “the big golf ball.” We did a few Photopass (of course) and then made our way in!

We got a map and it took me a few minutes to figure out where stuff was – and which direction to go! We first headed over to Test Track, and got Fastpasses to come back about an hour later. So we decided to head over to Spaceship Earth and ride that.

We were able to walk right on with no wait, and it was a pretty fun ride – I rode with McQueen and he liked the end where you create your own future and saw your pictures on the screen.

After that we headed over to The Seas with Nemo, and along this walk is where Mater started to melt down and complain about walking. I knew he was tired from being up late (and it was only like 10am at this point) and he just started throwing his fit about not being able to walk, needing someone to carry him, and how (as he always say's) "WALKINGS TOUGH!!!" Ugh, I knew it was going to be a long day with him walking. He was just a bear and nothing we said or did could stop him from complaing. I did not, however, give in and carry him. I think since I carried him the night before at Wishes he was expecting to be carried the whole way!

So we finally made it to Nemo and there was no line so we just walked right in! Magically, once we were inside and in the nice cool air conditioning, walking was apparently not so tough anymore and Mater walked perfectly and didn't complain once. This would be a pattern we would see repeated throughout the day.

It was a really cute ride and we all really liked it, and we spent some time walking through the aquarium after the ride, we still had some time before our FP’s and we were really enjoying watching the fish and aminals.

After that was our FP time for TT, so we walked back to TT and rode that for the first time! (The walk back was not so bad since Mater was excited to ride TT and knew that was where we were heading.) The boys were so excited for this ride and they absolutely loved it! It was fun!

We immediately got more fastpasses to come back and ride it again – we had about an hour and a half wait. It was about 11am and we decided it would be a good time to go for lunch, so we headed over the The Land and went to lunch at Sunshine Seasons. It was really good – Dan got the ½ chicken, I got a turkey sandwich, and the kids got pizza paninis. It was nice to sit for a bit, it was really hot and humid out today. I was hoping a nice break for lunch would help Mater perk up a bit and rejuvinate his energy.

It was around this time that we decided to save Soarin’ for the next day, that would be our first ride to hit tomorrow morning. I couldn't get FPs right then since I had them for TT, so we decided to wait until the next day, it worked out fine. During lunch we saw the sign for Living with the Land and decided to go ride that right away since there was no wait, we walked right on and did that ride, it was pretty decent.

After lunch we went over to the Character Spot, but the lines were horribly long, so we went into Club Cool instead and hung out in there for a while tasting the different sodas. This was a big deal for the kids since they very rarely get any kind of soda. It was fun and some of the sodas we pretty good – others not so much. The boys didn’t like many of them, I liked a couple. No one liked Beverly!

Love McQueens face on this pic - and it wasn't even Beverly!

Me Trying Beverly - again McQueen's face is funny:

By now it was about time to go back to Test Track, so we made our way over and jumped in the Fastpass line and went right in. It was another great ride and the boys wanted to of course ride it again, but 2 times was enough (for today).

From here we decided to make our way into the World Showcase. Up first - Mexico!

Up Next: World Showcase: Walking Continues to be Tough and Relaxation: Germany Style!

 

[martinolichfamily]

Sounds like a great day to start at Epcot! We TT! That's great that the boys loved it too!

Great shirts!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

Sounds like a great day to start at Epcot! We TT! That's great that the boys loved it too!

Great shirts!

Hi Heather!

It was a great start - we all really ended up loving Epcot!

Thanks for the compliments on the shirts! We actually got quite a few compliments and comments with these shirts that day. One lady was so funny, we were sitting on a bench eating ice cream later in the day and she saw us and came over to look at our shirts, so we showed her. She asked where I got them and I told her I made them, and put in a big plug for the DIS and the DISigners on here. Then she wanted to take our picture so she could show her friends the shirts! So we posed for a quick picture, it was so funny. I'm glad someone else liked them as much as we did!

Karen

 

[LisaKeys]

I loved all the pictures on this latest post. I'm glad Riding Nemo helped change "walking" around. It's obvious the day was fun for all - even with Beverly.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Sounds like a great day at Epcot! That picture of McQueen dumping out the soda is pretty funny.

 

[karebear23]

Looks like a fun time at EPCOT. I think it's our favorite park.
Love the TT picture .
Funny how the walking got easier inside Nemo. The queue for that ride is a long one.
Glad you all tried the beverly .

 

[natebenma]

Sounds like a great day at Epcot! That picture of McQueen dumping out the soda is pretty funny.

I second that! I smiled when I saw that photo!

With all this talk about Legos souveniers I thought I would share this tip that I just put into my TR:

I bring along extra Ziplock bags. When the boxes arrive in our room, we open them up and place the Lego pieces and instruction manuals from each set into its own bag. The boys like to keep the cardboard box top of the sets, so we fold down the boxes and put them on the bottom of a suitcase. Legos are light, so they don’t add much weight to our suitcases, and once you take them out of their original box, they are pretty compact, too.

 

[MommyMcQueen]

I loved all the pictures on this latest post. I'm glad Riding Nemo helped change "walking" around. It's obvious the day was fun for all - even with Beverly.

Hi Lisa!

Maters deal with walking was that as soon as we were inside a nice, air conditioned building, he didn't complain at all! I don't know if he was just excited to be going on a ride, or distracted by the surroundings, but literally as soon as we would step 1 foot back outside, the whining and complaining started right back up. He did this in every building we went into. Maybe it was the heat & being tired, but he just didn't want to walk outside AT ALL. Inside walking was okay. Made for a long afternoon in WS!!! More to come on that!

Sounds like a great day at Epcot! That picture of McQueen dumping out the soda is pretty funny.

Yeah and that wasn't even Beverly! I think it was the watermelon flavored one, which I thought was pretty good!

Looks like a fun time at EPCOT. I think it's our favorite park.
Love the TT picture .
Funny how the walking got easier inside Nemo. The queue for that ride is a long one.
Glad you all tried the beverly .

EPCOT was great, I thought we'd like it but I liked it even more that what I was expecting.
Yes, Mater and his walking issues got to be an issue throughout the day. I'll keep my complaining about it to a minimum but he was a little monster that day - just a crabbly little bugger. Until we were at a ride, then he was great!

I second that! I smiled when I saw that photo!

With all this talk about Legos souveniers I thought I would share this tip that I just put into my TR:

I bring along extra Ziplock bags. When the boxes arrive in our room, we open them up and place the Lego pieces and instruction manuals from each set into its own bag. The boys like to keep the cardboard box top of the sets, so we fold down the boxes and put them on the bottom of a suitcase. Legos are light, so they don’t add much weight to our suitcases, and once you take them out of their original box, they are pretty compact, too.

Hi Dee!

that is a great idea! The kids built their legos and we did stick the extra parts in an extra ziplock we had. We left the boxes there - way too big to pack and I didn't think to collapse them.

Karen

 

[natebenma]

I was behind a couple of updates but I'm all caught up now!

What a great night at MK- so many magical moments! I'm embarrassed to say that we have never taken the boys to MK at night. We are always too exhausted at the end of the day!

What a great photopass picture in front of the train station! I can see why it is one of your favorites! Where are all the people?

AMAZING photos of the Electrical Light Parade!

Tom Sawyer Island is perfect for your boys! They don't have to wait in line, they can run around at their own paces and do what they want to do. My boys like to shoot the guns at Big Thunder Mountain and the Liberty Belle.

on the double rides on Big Thunder. This is such a fun ride! It's great that your family loves it!

Sounds like you had a relatively painless return to your resort after the fireworks. I'm glad to hear that since I have read so many horror stories.

 

[natebenma]

Fabulous Photopass pictures at EPCOT, too! The shirts look fantastic! I love the shot with Stitch. The five of you all wearing your sunglasses.

Enjoying EPCOT does involve a lot of walking, I can see how it would make for a tough morning for all of you!

Sounds like you had a fantastic time on Test Track, Space Ship Earth, Nemo and Living with the Land. Not bad at all after such a late night before!!!

on lunch at Sunshine Seasons. What an awesome counter service restaurant.

 

[mreid1974]

Only have been able to read the first 4 pages.. But loving the report very much.. love reading peoples first visit trip reports.. Cant wait to read more!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Sounds like your Epcot day is off to a great start. Well....except for the walking is tough remarks.

 

[Cory's Gal]

Great updates Karen! Mater falling asleep sitting is just too precious! GREAT pictures from the MSEP! It's so fun doing the nighttime entertainment! Glad you got another ice cream cookie sandwich too!!!!

Your Epcot morning looked like so much fun! Glad the boys LOVED Test Track and that they got to ride it two times. Spaceship Earth is neat too, I forgot to hold Gabe up a bit in his seat so he didn't really have a "future"...whoops! It's nice at Epcot though to be able to cool off for the attractions! We like eating lunch at Sunshine Seasons too! There are so many yummy things to choose from! I LOVE the Photopass pic with Stitch added!! Cute!!

 

[MommyMcQueen]

I was behind a couple of updates but I'm all caught up now!

What a great night at MK- so many magical moments! I'm embarrassed to say that we have never taken the boys to MK at night. We are always too exhausted at the end of the day!

What a great photopass picture in front of the train station! I can see why it is one of your favorites! Where are all the people?

AMAZING photos of the Electrical Light Parade!

Tom Sawyer Island is perfect for your boys! They don't have to wait in line, they can run around at their own paces and do what they want to do. My boys like to shoot the guns at Big Thunder Mountain and the Liberty Belle.

on the double rides on Big Thunder. This is such a fun ride! It's great that your family loves it!

Sounds like you had a relatively painless return to your resort after the fireworks. I'm glad to hear that since I have read so many horror stories.

HI Dee!
This was our one and only late night - we too were just too exhausted at the end of the day and usually had plans for early mornings, so nights out didn't are tough. I wish we could have done more, but glad we got at least one in!

The train station pic I was amazed at too - no pother people in there! It was almost 5pm when we got there, and I don't recall there being many other people around at the entrance - we got lucky with a nice pic with no strangers in it!

The bus ride back was SO easy, we were so impressed. Yes there were long lines at the bus stop, but we maybe waited 10-15 minutes and we were on a bus, that had a lot there coming and going. I was glad it was so easy - made for a nice night.

Fabulous Photopass pictures at EPCOT, too! The shirts look fantastic! I love the shot with Stitch. The five of you all wearing your sunglasses.

Enjoying EPCOT does involve a lot of walking, I can see how it would make for a tough morning for all of you!

Sounds like you had a fantastic time on Test Track, Space Ship Earth, Nemo and Living with the Land. Not bad at all after such a late night before!!!

on lunch at Sunshine Seasons. What an awesome counter service restaurant.

Thanks - I love that pic too - I didn't really realize that we all had sunglasses on until I got the pix back - cute though.

Seasons was so yummy - we are there again the next day!

Only have been able to read the first 4 pages.. But loving the report very much.. love reading peoples first visit trip reports.. Cant wait to read more!!

Welcome! Thanks for joining in! We had an awesome time for our first trip and really truely loved it! The DIS and planning helps so much - we saw saw adn did almost everything we wanted to!

Sounds like your Epcot day is off to a great start. Well....except for the walking is tough remarks.

You have no idea how many times we hear that phrase "walkings tough". It has become a family joke now since it gets said so frequently. At least we were able to go into several indoor/air conditioned places where he didn't complain about it!

Great updates Karen! Mater falling asleep sitting is just too precious! GREAT pictures from the MSEP! It's so fun doing the nighttime entertainment! Glad you got another ice cream cookie sandwich too!!!!

Your Epcot morning looked like so much fun! Glad the boys LOVED Test Track and that they got to ride it two times. Spaceship Earth is neat too, I forgot to hold Gabe up a bit in his seat so he didn't really have a "future"...whoops! It's nice at Epcot though to be able to cool off for the attractions! We like eating lunch at Sunshine Seasons too! There are so many yummy things to choose from! I LOVE the Photopass pic with Stitch added!! Cute!!

Hi Beth! I know, I love that picture of him sleeping! I felt like such a bad mom though - he fell asleep, I was originally sitting next to him, but when I stood up he kind of kept slumping over, so after I took the picture I had to pick him up. People were looking at us and were probably thinking what a horrible mom I was for letting my kid fall asleep in the concrete! I didn't want him to fall over and bump his head, so I did pick him up...he only slept on the concrete for a few minutes!

Yes, more ice cream cookie sandwiches!! Yum! They were so good...I actually miss them.

Poor Gabe - didn't have a future!! They got McQueens picture on there so he must have been tall enough.

The Stitch picture was our only one with a character added, so I was glad it turned out pretty cute!