The Dark Side, DVC Stay, Hoop Dee Doo & More-APRIL 2015 Trip Report***Completed 8/23***

[buzzrelly]

I haven't told my boys yet that Animation Academy is closing....since we still have over 4 months, I'm going to hope it reopens in some way!
My boys are actually very into the NBA as they both play in numerous leagues, BUT, I know similar places at Universal haven't done well. They did enjoy DQ the one time they went.......so many changes at once

My kids took the news better than I thought they would!

I guess we'll just have to wait and see…I am REALLY hoping the move the Animation Academy!

 

[buzzrelly]

Day 6-April 14, 2015
Part 5
Where did the hat go?!

We headed out of DHS around 6:30, feeling satisfied that we had done everything we wanted to do. Stopping only to take some more pictures on the way out...




LOVE these Palm Trees...



This view still makes me sad. I'm one of the few that was sad to see the hat go






We went and sat by the pool at BLT, but DD was the only one crazy enough to go in. It was a little chilly this evening…sorry for the blurry pic...



DS is a HUGE Monopoly fan and picked up this game in one of the gift shops. He was dying to try it out, so we brought it to the pool with us but it was getting pretty dark and it was hard to see so we didn't end up playing for long.



Aren't the little players so cute?!



By 9, or so, we headed up to bed to get ready for the next day at The Magic Kingdom! Yay
Finally! Our first FULL day at our Happy Place!

 

[buzzrelly]

Day 7-April 15th
Part 1
Second Star To The Right




We were up and ready to with our spiffy, matching 2015 shirts on. As a side note, I always admire those people who make their own, original matching shirts for their families, but I never seem to get my act together to make them or even order them from Etsy or wherever ahead of time, so we usually end up with these kinds of matching shirts. I don't sweat it anymore…these work for us . Gotta cut corners sometimes! Is DS even awake in this pic?!


We hadn't been on the Monorail since we arrived and the kids were dying to get on so instead of walking to the MK, we walked over to The CR. This is the view from the bridge…Pretty awesome!



Anyone else LOVE The Grand Concourse??



And of course, the famous 5-legged goat…nothing is perfect, after all! I love this and the message!





We got into the MK without incident, well…aside from DM's finger not scanning again…so naturally we went to the ride the appeals most to a tween and teen...


HaHa! Not really, but we did go here first because it's one of DM's favorite rides (and she doesn't have a lot of them!), and also because we we curious to see the new queue so we didn't get a FP+ for it. We weren't disappointed, it was really cute…(these are really terrible pics of the kids so just look at the background!)…








To Be Continued...

 

[buzzrelly]

Day 7-April 15th
Part 2
Gotta Keep on Movin' Along

After Peter Pan, we headed over to another teen/tween favorite...




before going over to our very favorite…(for real!)...





Anyone need some Critter Elixer?


It was still early and the park wasn't crowded yet, so we rode a couple of times…




HaHa! I think DM was trying to smile or something, but she kind of looks terrified!

After Splash, the kids and I went on Big Thunder. I don't remember what DM did with herself but she rode this one years ago and won't do it again.





To Be Continued...

 

[buzzrelly]

Before I continue, I want to tell you a funny story. Today I was in church and my friend walked by me and whispered in my ear, "I need to talk to you. We are going to Disney next Sunday." She kept walking and I didn't see her after Mass so I texted her when I got home. Here is our conversation verbatim:

Me: "I am both crazy excited, yet super horrified that you leave for Disney in one week! I hope you have some things planned, and at the very least, have made FastPass reservations?"

Friend: "Nope. Nothing. PLEASE HELP! We don't even have park passes. We're planning to buy them at a grocery store? My mom read you can do that? Are we idiots??? LMAO"

Me: "Gulp!! This is going to require a (VERY LONG!!) phone call!! Can I call you later?"

Friend: "Yes, please! LOL! We're headed to my parents' pool. I'll be there all day…call my cell "

Me: "Ok. As long as you tell me you've AT LEAST downloaded the My Disney Experience app…"

Friend "You're scaring me a little bit. Lmao"


HaHa! I don't even know what to tell her at this point! She's going in the middle of JULY with absolutely NO PLANS! I almost just want to call and say, "Good Luck!" Isn't that crazy?! I'm sitting here by the pool trying to work up the courage to call her

 

[mjmstd1]

Before I continue, I want to tell you a funny story. Today I was in church and my friend walked by me and whispered in my ear, "I need to talk to you. We are going to Disney next Sunday." She kept walking and I didn't see her after Mass so I texted her when I got home. Here is our conversation verbatim:

Me: "I am both crazy excited, yet super horrified that you leave for Disney in one week! I hope you have some things planned, and at the very least, have made FastPass reservations?"

Friend: "Nope. Nothing. PLEASE HELP! We don't even have park passes. We're planning to buy them at a grocery store? My mom read you can do that? Are we idiots??? LMAO"

Me: "Gulp!! This is going to require a (VERY LONG!!) phone call!! Can I call you later?"

Friend: "Yes, please! LOL! We're headed to my parents' pool. I'll be there all day…call my cell "

Me: "Ok. As long as you tell me you've AT LEAST downloaded the My Disney Experience app…"

Friend "You're scaring me a little bit. Lmao"


HaHa! I don't even know what to tell her at this point! She's going in the middle of JULY with absolutely NO PLANS! I almost just want to call and say, "Good Luck!" Isn't that crazy?! I'm sitting here by the pool trying to work up the courage to call her

Oh my gosh!!! You have your work cut out for sure. I can't even imagine going to Disney without having plans of some sort. I hope that they are still able to have a great experience and hopefully snag some FP etc...that is if they quickly get tickets!

 

[LanaBear-ox]

I can't wait to hear about the phone call!

 

[ariane37]

OK first, I love DS's monopoly game! My boys have an older Disney monopoly game, not bought in WDW. It's cute, and it does have characters for playing pieces, but it does NOT have the pop-up castle in the middle!!! May have to pick that up on our next trip........

Second, I too cannot wait to hear about your phone call with your friend lol. I had a similar experience last summer. It wasn't a good friend, it was a dad who is very active in our PTA. He and his family were going for 5 days in July, only doing MK and AK, and had been told they could see "fireworks from all the parks from our resort, All Star Sports". LOL he had no idea about FP's or ADR's but wanted to eat in the castle, and was telling me this on the last day of school which was like June 23rd. I didn't know where to start!

 

[Tiana4]

Thoroughly enjoying your trip report! We were there around the same time as you, 4/14 - 4/21 and also did IOA/US then a day in MK and HS. Maybe we crossed paths We love HS as well, esp Animation Academy. We are also from CT

 

[buzzrelly]

OK first, I love DS's monopoly game! My boys have an older Disney monopoly game, not bought in WDW. It's cute, and it does have characters for playing pieces, but it does NOT have the pop-up castle in the middle!!! May have to pick that up on our next trip........

That's probably one of the best souvenirs we've ever gotten. We have played many times and it brings me right back to my Happy Place!

Thoroughly enjoying your trip report! We were there around the same time as you, 4/14 - 4/21 and also did IOA/US then a day in MK and HS. Maybe we crossed paths We love HS as well, esp Animation Academy. We are also from CT

and

How funny! I'm sure we must've crossed paths! What did you think of UO/IOA? Are you planning on going again next April?

 

[buzzrelly]

So I called my friend and it's as bad as we thought, but of course, I won't tell her that! They are staying outside WDW in a condo and she is bringing her 18 year old nephew who has never been. Plus, it's her and her DH and 2 DS. She told me that her plan was to let them sleep in in the morning, hang out, have some breakfast and swim, etc, and then head to the parks around 2 or so. So I told her that is the exact OPPOSITE of what I would recommend! I tried explaining rope drop, lower crowds, heat of the afternoon, but I think it may be falling on deaf ears. I told her to go ahead and purchase her tickets on the WDW website now and at least TRY to get some FP reservations, and to go look at easywdw's crowd calendar and try to pick which park on which day. I also asked her what she is going to do for dining and she wasn't to just go back to eat in the condo…but wait??? You're getting to the park at 2, what time would you leave to go eat? I tried telling her (in the nicest possible way) that that was another reason her sleeping in/hanging out plan wouldn't work well. I tried recommending that they get up EARLY, do rope drop and stay in park until 1-2 then go rest, relax, swim, eat, etc and THEN head back to the parks later.

I don't know. I find it hard to give her advice because that's so NOT how I plan trips. I'm a super planner (as most of us here are). And I want her to have a great time but i'm afraid they'll hate it because of the way they're doing it.

On a positive note, she downloaded the MDE app and will hopefully purchase her tickets today so she can make some FP reservations.

Back to your regularly scheduled Trip Report (HaHa!)...

 

[buzzrelly]

Day 7-April 15th
Part 3
The Magic Spells of Merlin


We walked around for a bit and went by Gaston's Tavern…I have always wanted to meet him, but he wasn't around and I never did actually get to meet him. Oh well, there's always next trip.


I asked DS if he wanted to try LeFou's Brew but he didn't. I've heard it's a lot like Butter Beer, but maybe he had had his fill of fake, sugary beer for one trip.

We were getting hungry though and wanted a snack, so we headed to Adventureland


for what else??


a Dole Whip! Those things really hit the spot on a hot day! And I really like the new place they moved to. There are so many more windows and more shade, and THE BEST PART…you don't have to sit and enjoy your Dole Whip right next to the smoking area! Yay! Though, I think that's gone anyway, but there are little tables in the shade to relax and enjoy this yummy treat now.

Of course, not everyone loves Dole Whips as much as me and DM…

Yup…DS held out for a Churro…his favorite WDW snack. I don't have a pic of DD so I don't remember what she had. If I had to guess, she probably had a Mickey Ice Cream Bar, her fav!

After everyone was snacked-up and recharged, we walked over to find out more about this…


I had read about it here on these boards, but we have never played or participated in it. We walked over to the nearest station in Liberty Square in back of The Christmas Shoppe, and asked the girl how to play. Reading about it, it had sounded like something DS would be interested in, and boy, was I right! If you've never seen it, it's kind of like a video game, i.e.. heaven to my teenage boy!

DD was interested in playing too, so they got their cards from the lady (the next day, the kids learned that DM and I should also sign up for the game so they can get our cards too, even though we weren't really playing), got some instructions and off we went! After a couple of portals, however, I started getting the idea that as much fun as this was for the kids, it's not an awful lot of fun for me and DM to follow them around from portal to portal.


So we gave them a cell phone and told them to stay together and we went off. We were encouraged by our success with this in DtD and my kids are very comfortable with getting around the MK, in fact, DS often will tell me which way to go or finds short cuts that I wouldn't know about. Plus, they had their Magic Bands should they need to stop for a snack (again!), and DD keeps a little bottle of that Kool-Aid squirty stuff in her bag and knows how to go ask for cups of water so they wouldn't get dehydrated. Because of all these things, I felt very comfortable giving them some freedom here.

DM and I walked over past the castle

It's so weird to have a pic of just the two of us. I think this is another first! Then walked to NFL and went on The Little Mermaid ride which had about a 20 minute wait. I like that queue though as most of it is inside and shaded which we needed.


It was hot and my phone needed charging so we went and sat in my favorite area of NFL


We sat here for a while until the kids called. It was getting to be around 2 and we had a lunch ADR at Tony's for 2:30 so we told them to meet us there…

To be continued...

 

[belle79]

Oh I just am loving your trip report!!! I am going to Disneyworld in Sept and go to the Dark side for one day without the kids. I just love seeing all the pictures and ride details!

 

[Tiana4]

How funny! I'm sure we must've crossed paths! What did you think of UO/IOA? Are you planning on going again next April?

Not sure if I attached your comment correctly, hope so! We loved WWOHP, will definitely go back. I'll probably wait a few years though, that way my youngest (DD4) can ride more rides. My DS7 loved it!

Yes, tentatively planning a return visit in April. I miss it already!

 

[buzzrelly]

Oh I just am loving your trip report!!! I am going to Disneyworld in Sept and go to the Dark side for one day without the kids. I just love seeing all the pictures and ride details!

Thank you!

It's crazy how much more you can see when you aren't traveling in a larger group. It almost makes things easier because you don't have 4 people weighing in on where to go, etc! September is on my bucket list to go, but probably won't for a long time with the kids' school schedules!

Not sure if I attached your comment correctly, hope so! We loved WWOHP, will definitely go back. I'll probably wait a few years though, that way my youngest (DD4) can ride more rides. My DS7 loved it!

Yes, tentatively planning a return visit in April. I miss it already!

You did it! Don't you just love when technology cooperates with you?!

DD is already dying to go back but I think it'll be a couple years for us too. We are doing the cruise next April sandwiched between WDW days…that's enough!

 

[buzzrelly]

Day 7-April 15th
Part 4
Bella Notte

One of our newer traditions is having a late lunch at Tony's and watching the parade from the porch. We discovered this quite by accident in 2014, when we were asked if we wanted a seat on the porch to watch the parade at 3. Until then I had never thought to do this. It worked out so well that this year I booked Tony's at 2:30 with this in mind. However, this day was so hot that we asked to be seated inside we got the best table right next to the windows. We got the best of both worlds, lovely air conditioning AND a prime spot to watch the parade. I'm afraid I don't have pictures of the food, but we all really liked our meals. We all got the flatbread pizzas and mom and I split a salad. Both were delicious, and our waiter was really fantastic. I know Tony's doesn't get any love around here, but this is our 4th time here (2 dinners and 2 lunches), and we haven't gotten a bad meal yet.




And how great is it that you can sit and watch the parade go by?! We were done eating about half-way through the parade so we stepped out on the porch to watch the rest…



Does anyone else find it strangely coincidental that both WDW and Universal have fire breathing dragons?











We definitely LOVE Tony's and would HIGHLY recommend it for a late lunch!


To be continued...

 

[buzzrelly]

Day 7-April 15th
Part 4
Walkin' Right Down the Middle of Main Street, USA


I believe I mentioned this earlier, but we did not use the dining plan for this trip. Instead, I had purchased the Tables in Wonderland card in June 2014 for $100 and it was good until July 2015, so we used it for this trip. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about NOT having the dining plan on this trip because this was our first "real" trip without it. Last year we went with a group of dancers from my daughter's dance school and in our package there were these meal vouchers that we used. And we didn't have as many ADRs on that trip because a lot of our time was taken up by dancing events. So like I said, this was the first "real" trip for us without the dining plan, and it was awesome. Not only did we save a ton of money by getting 20% off table service meals (don't underestimate this fact…our meal at Mama Melrose cost LESS than our Pizza Planet lunch!!), we were able to eat what we wanted, when we wanted.

After lunch at Tony's, we decided to skip dessert and hold out for this…








Ice Cream at The Plaza! So yummy!

The kids went back to do some more spells and DM and I poked around in The Emporium. We left around 7 so we could go back to BLT and have a swim. It's so nice having such a long trip because we never felt like we had to go, go, go. We had plenty of relaxing time too.

We took some pics on the way out…










DD is holding the binder we picked up at The Emporium that holds all of their Sorcerer's cards.

Another GREAT day at The Magic Kingdom has come to an end.

Tomorrow it's on to EPCOT!

 

[Fastpassminus]

FUN day at MK. Lots of yummy treats, awesome seats for the parade & SOMTK. YAY!

Your friend's plan ( OR LACK THEREOF) Might work at Ak IF she books some FP plus. I really love Josh's AK 1/2 day late arrival plan.

However if they try to do that every day they will be SOL.

Hate when folks ask for Disney advice and then DON'T LISTEN.

 

[buzzrelly]

FUN day at MK. Lots of yummy treats, awesome seats for the parade & SOMTK. YAY!

Your friend's plan ( OR LACK THEREOF) Might work at Ak IF she books some FP plus. I really love Josh's AK 1/2 day late arrival plan.

However if they try to do that every day they will be SOL.

Hate when folks ask for Disney advice and then DON'T LISTEN.

Wouldn't you think we'd be sick of ice cream?!!

My friend actually has some FP+ reservations made…I'm shocked! AND, get this, she bought ponchos! She had asked me what happens to the FP reservations if they change their minds and don't go to the park because of rain or something. I said, "first off, you will lose those reservations. And second…it is GOING to rain EVERY DAY…get come ponchos and keep going!" LOL! I think they are planning on skipping AK…I know, I know…
I can only do so much!

How would I find Josh's late day arrival plan for AK in case she decides to go there?

 

[Fastpassminus]

@buzzrelly glad she is making some plans. Look on easywdw.com & search Animal Kingdom late arrival.

It's so stressful for uber planners like us when people are just like " Oh well we will wing it." Ahhhhh does.not.compute.