20th Anniversary Trips: "Saying Goodbye to Muppets" Disney World Edition (An April Trip Report)

[Elizabeth Smith]

I'll be following along now that I've gotten caught up! That secret message that you posted from the ToT queue was so cool! I've never seen that before! And your AK morning was epic! You managed to get so much done in a short amount of time!

 

[erinch]

Great report!

 

[vamassey1]

I'm finally getting caught up on this report and really enjoying it. I'm also jealous it was so uncrowded.

I'm having trouble with the pictures too.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Hi Everyone!!!

I have to admit, I kind of forgot that I didn't finish this trip report!?! Oops! And I wasn't sure I would finish it, as I was super annoyed with my flickr photos not showing up, but in the time I have been gone, it seems like the issue may be resolved?!? I am going to make an attempt to finish this up! Let's see if the photos can work!

Lots have been going on, we went on our San Diego / Disneyland trip, the girls survived band camp and the start of school. Morgan is working on her portfolio to apply to her schools. And we are currently in the thick of competition season for Marching Band. So, just a few items!

If the photos behave, my goal is to finish this trip report and get out San Diego / Disneyland trip started. Are folks intrested in the San Diego portion?


An Afternoon in Magic Kingdom
I left us off leaving Animal kingdom at 9:43, we headed to find the bus to Magic Kingdom. We had to wait till 10:00 for first bus to Magic Kingdom. But thankfully that wasn’t too long of a wait.

A bus showed up right at 10:00, we waited a little bit for more folks and then headed out!

We arrived at Magic Kingdom at 10:16 AM.
Arrived at Magic Kingdom

Thankfully there was no line at security and we got through with no issues.
Past Turnstyles

Lady and the Tramp Statue by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
We tested out another 50th statue with our magic bands.

As we walked down Main Street we discussed what we wanted to do.
Main Street

We decided we needed snacks first!

Andy waited for egg rolls while I headed to Sunshine Tree Terrace. This has been our go to snack plan these days.

Gwen requested the Egg Sandwich, And then Andy got an order of each egg roll type for Morgan, Andy and I to share, pepperoni egg rolls, cheeseburger egg rolls

Sunshine Tree Terrace Menu
I got Sunshine Tree Terrace stuff. Morgan requested the I lave you float and I wanted the orange float.

We all met up in our secret spot. Where I proceeded to spill some of the orange float on Gwen. not a ton but just enough to be annoying and make a sticky mess!

We wiped it all up and enjoyed our snacks. They were well needed. And I took terrible pictures of our food since I spilled.
The last of the Egg Rolls
What was left of the egg rolls once I realized we took no pictures. The Egg rolls were delish as always! They are pricey but so worth it.


Thankfully, Gwen is a slow eater... Ha. I had a bit of this, it was exactly what you would expect, Bagel, egg and sausage sandwich. nothing special but exactly what Gwen wanted.

After our snacks, we headed to use our first LL!
Our first LL was for Haunted Mansion
Haunted Mansion

It was busy today, so I was glad we had LL.
Haunted Mansion Tombstone

We got into the Stretching Room and it was FULL! We ended up in the middle of the room, which I hate. We usually try and grab the back wall where we know it opens. But any wall is preferred.
Stretching Room

Once let into the loading area, it was FULL of people. It was the worst I had seen it. Thankfully they stopped opening stretching rooms after our room. It took awhile to work it’s self out. Andy got separated from us, because a family cut him off. So we had to do an awkward wait for him.

But we finally got on the ride and of course had a good time.
Ghosts

Ghosts End by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Untitled by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Graves on the way out of HH
Haunted Mansion was great as always.

We had about 20 minutes before our next LL. So, we decided to go ride Small World.
It's a Small World

But once we got over there the posted wait was 20 minutes plus the ride is long, we decided to ride later.

Instead Morgan suggested we take the Rapunzel Pic. Which was actually a really good idea.
Annual Rapunzel Picture

Annual Rapunzel Picture

Untitled
If this is your first time reading one of my trip reports, this has become a tradition to get a photo of the girls in this spot. The left is the very first photo we snapped.

After we got the pictures, we just headed to Pirates, our next LL.
Heading into Pirates
We were a little early for our LL but the wait wasn't too long and the CM just let us go in anyway.

We were ready to ride in about 10 minutes.
Ready to Ride Pirates

Pirates by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Untitled by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
I think we tried to make dead faces.... We were def unsuccessful...

Pirates Fire Scene by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Dog by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Finding "filler" things to do

After Pirates we had time till our last LL. Our Tiana’s was not till 2:00 and it was just before noon at this point! We really had done alot already!!! I believe I started to get LL for the evening at this point.

We decided to do a few “filler” items. First up was Tiki Room. We got there right as the waterfall / bird show, so we waited half of the show.
Tiki God by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

We all enjoy the Tiki Room, the show and the AC.
Tiki Room by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Next we “forced” the girls to ride the Ferry Boat. Andy and I wanted to do something that was closing. The girls weren’t that excited about it. We walked over and the boat was just pulling in. Perfect timing!
Gwen waiting for the Ferry

Andy and I went to the top of the boat. Morgan said no thanks to that and stayed at the bottom. Gwen once up top decided we were lame adults (or because there was no where to sit) and headed back down to find Morgan.

Tom Sawyer Island
View of Tom Sawyer Island before we left the dock.

Big Thunder Mountain from Ferry Boat
Riding the boat was nice to see Big Thunder Mountain all taken apart.

Ferry Boat "track" by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
In the very front you could see the track that the boat was on. The Diseny nerd in me found this exciting...

Indian tee pees
I think that was only the 2nd time we rode the boat.

Ferry Boat - Shack by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Haunted Mansion from Ferry Boat
I am glad we got to ride the boat one more time before it closed! It was a nice relaxing ride around. We were off the boat around 12:50 AM.

After our ride, the girls requested a ride with Ariel, so we walked over that way. It was so so hot at this point. So, I suggested we grab some drinks before heading in.

Grabbed waters and soda before heading in at Prince Eric’s Market.

It was about 1:00, when we headed into Little Mermaid Ride.
Untitled by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

It was pretty busy at this point, and the line was outside. But thankfully we didn’t have to wait to long in the sun. The line moved pretty constantly but we did wait awhile. Def the longest we waited in awhile for that ride.
Untitled by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Untitled by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
We were on the ride at 1:20 AM, so a 20 minute wait, so not that bad.

This ride has become a nostalgic ride, like Small World.
Untitled by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Untitled by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Untitled by Ariella Saucier,
I always say that this scene is where they decided to cut the budget...

After I suggested, we do Philharmagic next. Gwen had said earlier she wanted to do it, so I said this was a good time to do it.
by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Around 1:30 we headed into Philharmagic. We timed this pretty good as well. We didn’t have to wait too long. But there was a lot of people there to see the show! Again it seemed like more than normal.

by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Not sure why Morgan is pointing at Gwen but... This is great show but the show is starting to bother my eyes in my old age...

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Finally time for Tianna' Bayou Adventure!

After the show, it was time to finally ride Tiana’s! This was going to be our first time riding the new version. And we were excitied to go! We headed over that way and were walking into the que at 1:59, one minute before our LL time.

Tiana's by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

The wait was LONG!!! And that wait is terrible, in the direct sun. I was glad we had LL.
Heading into Tiana's by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Tiana's Mural by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

We tried to soak in the que items without holding people up too much.
Tiana's Office by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Ingredients by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Tiana Wins Competition by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Morgan snapped a photos of the Gumbo recipe. She wanted to try and make it at home.
Daddy's Gumbo Reciepe by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Tiana's Family Portait by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
The que is so centamental, I loved it.
Grand Opening by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

And then you get into the Mines Area...
Salt Mines Sign by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

It took about 8 minutes for us to be ready to ride. But again, we did try and soak in the que area as we walked.
Ready to Ride by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Heading up by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Tiana Animatronic by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Watermelons by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Armadillo by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
The outside area was super cute and the music sounded so much clearer.

The ride was fun. There were points where I didn’t remember where we were on the ride.
Louis by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Frog by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Tiana in Bayou by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

The ride does need more animals in the ride. And there are points in the ride that it feels like they dragged out the story because the track was so long.

Speaking of getting wet, Morgan and I ended up in the front and we got REALLY wet!
by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Lottie! by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

But it is nice. Do I like it more than Splash Mountain…. Meh. I know why it needed to change. But with the whole getting wet thing, I am going to be more ok skipping the ride sometimes.

We checked out the gift shop on our way our. We were hoping to get some of the spices they had when the ride first opened. But sadly they did not have any… Morgan and I were slightly bummed. (spoiler alert we found some in Disneyland in July!)

Thankfully the plan was to head out of the park after riding Tiana’s so it didn’t matter that we were wet. We slowly made our way out of the park.

As we were headed to the buses, a guy asked where we were headed and I thought he was going to just help us find the right gate. But instead he offered us a ride to our room!

Cinderellas Van

Turns out he was a DVC driver and he said he was almost done with this shift. I was afraid he was going to upsell us but he didn’t. We just talked the whole way. He was very nice and it was SUPER nice to have a private ride back to our room!

We were back in our room around 3:00 PM! We had, had a full day already!! But we had plans to rest and head back into the park for some evening fun!

Up next and evening of FUN!

 

[hardcorestitch]

Glad you enjoyed yourself at Magic Kingdom! Haunted Mansion is the awesomest attraction!

 

[buzzrelly]

Looks like a super fun day! I love the photo you recreate every year, such a cute shot!

I think Tiana's is cute but no where near as good as Splash. We always bring ponchos to wear on that ride though because I hate walking around wet!

How nice the driver offered to drive you all back to the resort! Now that is some Pixie Dust!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Glad you enjoyed yourself at Magic Kingdom!

It was a good day so far, for sure!

How nice the driver offered to drive you all back to the resort! Now that is some Pixie Dust!

It really was. He was def the type of guy who enjoyed talking just about anyone. You could tell he just enjoyed being a CM.

I think Tiana's is cute but no where near as good as Splash. We always bring ponchos to wear on that ride though because I hate walking around wet!

Yeah. I wouldn't say I hate the new version but I def like the it nearly as much.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I'm glad you came back to finish! And I've got my fingers crossed for Morgan on her applications. I'm not in her particular field, but I teach portfolios in one of my classes. Happy to look at Morgan's if she wants an outside set of eyes (who, again, doesn't work in her field.)

Great day at MK. I still haven't done Tiana's. I think it's weird the ride has been open as long as it has and I haven't tried it once. Maybe Thanksgiving???

 

[missjackiemcg]

Are folks intrested in the San Diego portion?

Definitely interested!

Sounds like a hot, but fun morning at MK! I agree with everything you mentioned about Tiana's. My Mom and I finally rode for the first time in May, and Princess and the Frog is her fave. Even she felt it was kind of meh...like only halfway done. Maybe they will add some more over time...we can hope!

How awesome to have a private ride back to your room!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

'm glad you came back to finish! And I've got my fingers crossed for Morgan on her applications. I'm not in her particular field, but I teach portfolios in one of my classes. Happy to look at Morgan's if she wants an outside set of eyes (who, again, doesn't work in her field.)

I will DM you! I may take you up on that! She is working on some new pieces in the next month to be current.

Great day at MK. I still haven't done Tiana's. I think it's weird the ride has been open as long as it has and I haven't tried it once. Maybe Thanksgiving???

I mean, I don't blame you, especially since it was a "Fancy ride" at first.

My Mom and I finally rode for the first time in May, and Princess and the Frog is her fave. Even she felt it was kind of meh...like only halfway done.

IT almost gets boring at one point! Doesn't it!! I mean whatever, we will ride it again, it just isn't as shiny as it used to be for us.

 

[Stasieki]

We need all the trip reports so please include San Diego too - LOL. Looks like a fun day so far. Did Morgan ever attempt Daddy's Gumbo recipe?

 

[disneyAndi14]

Wow Gwen is really tall now! I love the famous picture you do each year with the girls!
I love the cheeseburger spring rolls!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We need all the trip reports so please include San Diego too - LOL. Looks like a fun day so far. Did Morgan ever attempt Daddy's Gumbo recipe?

OK! I will include San Diego!

Morgan and I did made Gumbo! We kind of used 2 reciepes since Daddy's just had "secret" spices. She liked it!

Wow Gwen is really tall now! I love the famous picture you do each year with the girls!

Yeah, Gwen is now the second tallest person in the family!

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

I haven't been to the parks since Tiana's opened. She's one of my favorite princesses. The queue looks really cute, but it's disappointing to hear that the ride is sort of ho-hum. Splash was my favorite attraction before the retheme.

A private ride? That's amazing! What pixie dust!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

haven't been to the parks since Tiana's opened. She's one of my favorite princesses. The queue looks really cute, but it's disappointing to hear that the ride is sort of ho-hum. Splash was my favorite attraction before the retheme.

Keep an open mind! We didn't hate it... As a lovers of Tiana you may love it more than us!

 

[amazingact21]

I'm glad you came back to finish the report! I think these are such great time capsules for past trips, and I'm sure eventually you'll enjoy going back and reading about these busy vacation days!

Plus, I appreciate seeing the traditional Rapunzel shot. It's wild to see how much kids change over the years.
They sell spices in the Tiana's gift shop? I didn't know this. And now I'm definitely going to be on the lookout during our DL trip.

I'd be interested in hearing about San Diego!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

An Evening in Magic Kingdom

I left us off getting back to the room around 3:00 We had a FULL morning and were ready for some time off of our feet!

We all just chilled. Some of us took naps, some just watched YouTube. You guess who did what. Morgan, Gwen and I all took showers at some point.

Eventually we needed to decide on something to do for dinner. We were very indecisive on where to go. I wanted to go to Wallilu Bar at the new Poly Tower but Andy was worried we would have to wait long. We talked about going to Disney Spring but eveyone felt like that was going to be alot of walking. So I finally made the executive decision to just go to the pool bar for dinner.

We finally headed to dinner around 5:30. We walked down and was able to grab a table fairly easily. It took awhile for a server to come over. We ordered some drinks and waited. And waited and waited…

It took way too long to get our drinks. We were all hungry and thirsty and waiting did not help our mood. At one point Andy said I was Hangry. And I just said yes I am!

Andy ordered a Gin and Tonic,
Untitled by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

I ordered a Diet Coke, I was feeling over heated and just not up for a drink. Morgan got a lemonade and Gwen went with good old water.
by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

5:52 PM: Waiting for food at bar
Finally we got our food and it was just ok. It was pretty disappointing.

Gwen was also being very hangry and said she just wanted french fries, so she ordered just plain fries. (Her bowl is the upper left hand side)
Morgan's Cuban Sandwich and Gwen' s Fries by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Morgan went with the Cuban Sandwich (you can see above)
Slow-roasted Pork, Ham, Swiss Cheese, Pickles, and Mustard served with French Fries
She said it was good. And I ate it some of it the next day and it was pretty good. She probably had the best items of the 4 of us.

I ordered the Jerk Chicken Sandwich
Toasted Ciabatta, Grilled Pineapple, and Roasted Chili-Mayonnaise served with French Fries
And it was not spicy at all. Which was disappointing. The chicken was moist at least.
Chicken Sandwich by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Andy went with the Banana Cabana Burger*
Tomatillo -Jalapeño Cream Cheese, and Pineapple Salsa with Plantain Crunch served with French Fries
He said it was fine, just not anything special. He said it didn’t have enough of the stuff to make it Caribean.
Burger by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

The food was disappointing but it fueled us for the evening. It took so long to eat that we basically went back to our room to grab our stuff and head to Magic Kingdom.

We managed to get on a bus back to Magic Kingdom around 7:20.
Back to Magic Kingdom by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

We used the app this trip for times for the buses and it worked perfectly this trip. We never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus. We were also SUPER close to the bus stop. So, even though we were far from the main area, we were close to the bus stop and really that is what mattered.

Twenty minutes later we were at Magic Kingdom!
Back at Sunset by Ariella Saucier,

I had grabbed some LL earlier, so we headed in with a 3 LL for the night!
Buzz Lightyear
Space Mountain
Peter Pan

We headed to Tomorrowland first to use our Buzz LL.
Headed to Tomorrowland by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

There was a little boy trying to pet this duck as we walked by.
Disney Duck by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
We got to Buzz and it was all back up. We had to wait to scan our LLs to get into line. It wasn’t too long of a wait though.

And once we were in the line, we saw that they had blocked off most of inside line to start working on stuff. Or at least I assume that is what they are doing to up the ride. So, it just LOOKED busier than it was. Which I believe it's closed now

Robot by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Buzz Lightyear by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Ready to ride right around 8:00

Gwen wanted to get Galactic Hero but her gun “wasn’t working”
Scores by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

I am glad they are updating this, I have no idea what I am doing most of the time.

After we headed to Space Mountain next. Andy skipped this, he has been skipping Space for awhile now.
Space Mountain by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Andy went and rode Carousel of Progress. I was kind of jealous of Andy, if I am being honest.

We ready to Ride around 8:30
Ready to Ride by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
There was a family in front of us, and there was a lot of confusion on who needed to sit where. I guess the youngest kid needed a parent on either side of him. But that meant the older kids was in a different rocket. Which I think felt weird to the parents. But they figured it out.

Space was fun as always. We texted Andy once we made the long trek out of the ride and found him in front of the people mover.

We all hoped on the people mover. Another ride that I am glad we all enjoy.
People Mover by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

People Mover by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Not sure why Gwen and I are making these faces...

Tron by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

After our ride on the people mover we started to make our way towards Peter Pan.

Gwen by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
For some reason Gwen really wanted to push the ball..

As we passed the Speedway, there was no line at Speedway, so I suggested hoping in line.
Tomorrowland Speedway by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

And as we got in line, they stopped one of the 3 rows and a line almost immediately piled up. And it felt like an eternity to get on a car!
Ready to Drive by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Off to the Races by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

The fireworks started while we were in line. And having the fireworks going off during did make it more fun.
Gwen and Andy by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Andy wasn’t going to ride, he didn’t want to get hit by someone from behind. So, Gwen and Andy went first and Morgan and I went behind and Morgan pinky promised to not hit him.

Fireworkds by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Andy Selfie by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Fireworks on Speedway by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Morgan has driven a little bit in a real car and now said “those cars are terrible!” She also thinks she was worse at driving them now that she had driven a real car.
Speedway Selfie by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

She successfully didn’t hit them. Riding any ride while the fireworks are going off just makes it more fun.

We hustled to our Peter Pan LL.
Fireworks on our way to Peter Pan by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

We wanted to get in the que before the fireworks were over and a flood of people comein.
Fireworks at Peter Pan by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Success!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I love Peter Pan! And I think I am the only one who loves it. But thankfully my family will ride for me, as long as we have LL
Pirates by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Peter and Hook by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Wendy by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

We walked across the way after to finally ride small world.
It%27s']https://flic.kr/p/2r2F7L5]It's a Small World[/url] by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
It was about 9:30 as we headed in.

It%27s']https://flic.kr/p/2r2F75A]It's a Small World[/url] by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
We “lied’ to the CM that we were parties of 2 to get 2 rows. Which wasn’t a big deal as it wasn’t busy. We almost got a boat to ourselves!
It%27s']https://flic.kr/p/2r2DQ1b]It's a Small World Ready to Ride[/url] by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

It%27s']https://flic.kr/p/2r2DLir]It's a Small World[/url] by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

It%27s']https://flic.kr/p/2r2Fxjq]It's a Small World[/url] by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

It%27s']https://flic.kr/p/2r2znVj]It's a Small World[/url] by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

It%27s']https://flic.kr/p/2r2zmrC]It's a Small World[/url] by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
9:45 PM: Off ride, How about that for a time stamp!!

After Small World, we decided on one last ride, Jungle Cruise.

Jungle Cruise by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Jungle Cruise - Family Selfie by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
There was only a short wait. We really didn’t wait too long, maybe 10 minutes.

Jungle Cruise CM were extra sassy this night. Our Skipper was great, had lot of energy. We really enjoyed our cruise!
Jungle Cruise by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Jungle Cruise - The back side of water by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
The Backside of Water!!!!

Jungle Cruise - Back Side of Water by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

After our cruise we talked about what else we wanted to do. And we decided that we were done for the night. If we did anything else, we would be doing it just to say we stayed till park close and we had done ALOT this day!

It was 10:20 when we made it to the hub area. e
Castle by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

We stopped into the confectionary for some treats. Morgan wanted the popcorn mix but there was a line and morgan was not willing to wait. So, we grabbed some pre-packed stuff and headed out.

Headed to bus and were on one in no time. (maybe 10 minute wait)
Bus back to Hotel by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

On the bus a little girl and her family sat next to Gwen and I. The little girl turned to Gwen and asked if she could tell her a joke. Gwen said yes. And she proceeded to tell about 20 jokes. Eventually the mom told the girl to stop, that the mom had to listen to all her jokes but strangers didn’t. It was very cute. And then after 5 minutes the little girl was out cold. She was probably telling jokes to stay awake.

We were back at the hotel a little after 11:00, and Morgan promptly took her shoes off to walk back to the room.
Shoes off Back at the hotel by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

It was a great day. Dinner was a bummer but everything else was great. We really maximized the day!

Up next our last full day, can we keep up the pace?