A tale as old as time TR (Pre Covid! Completed 5/7/21) - Started my 2019 solo TR! (Updated with F&W 7/10)

[WonderWoman28]

Day 3 - Its Magic Kingdom's Birthday??
Monday October 1st, 2018

We left off getting back to the resort around 9 after our yummy meal at Ohana. Everyone was showered and in bed pretty quickly and I was up at my usual 6 am to shower and get ready the next morning. When I left the room at 6:45 to get breakfast this was my view.



DH was just getting up himself, so I ventured off to a quiet food court. I took a slow stroll and got there right at 7. A bad habit I was falling into was also going to the gift shop in the morning. I swear I ended up with so much stuff I didn't need thanks to those quiet unrushed mornings on my own. I grabbed the same breakfast that I had the morning before, some milk and coffee and headed back. We were all dressed, ready, and at the bus stop by 8am where a Magic Kingdom bus was waiting and ready for us!

I tried not to plan too many early mornings, and if I did I tried to plan them after early nights. I was hoping our dinner at Ohana would be an early night, but apparently the 9 pm bedtime was going to be an issue. I was a little concerned when this was our view on the bus ride...







Also, notice that Pre COVID packed bus

We were through bag check pretty quickly and getting our first sight of the castle!






We marveled a little at the castle then decided to hit up a few shops on Main Street since the park opened at 9 and it was just before 8:30. I always say I'm going to stop at the shops when we leave for a rest in the afternoon, but every time we're leaving Main Street is ALWAYS packed! So I thought we'd do a quick walk through first. We were at the castle by 8:50 to watch the welcome show!

Our first stop once the park was open was a quick visit with Rapunzel and Tiana that DS wanted nothing to do with. We were in and out by 9:20.





Under the Sea and Ariel in her Grotto had a 5 and 10 minute standby, so we knocked those out before heading to Gaston's for a big cinnamon bun and more caffeine!






At 10:06 we were at PPF for our FP+. the standby line was already 60 minutes at this point. PPF is one of my most nostalgic rides at MK and it makes me so happy every time we ride it! The kids loved it and its so much fun to watch them enjoy it just as much as I do.

After PPF we headed over to IASW where there was a 15 minute standby.





At this point I was really noticing how crowded it was getting. Usually we're able to knock out a ton of rides before their standby lines get crazy but it kind of felt like we were moving at a snails pace (could have also been our big party, younger kids, and more frequent snack/potty breaks). While we waited for IASW I was checking out IG and noticed it was Magic Kingdom's birthday . I was so disappointed in myself. As a self proclaimed Disney nerd, who can give people all kinds of tips and trick for travel planning, had no idea it was MK's birthday. I felt mildly like a failure, I could have probably planned MK for any other day that week, but I chose its BIRTHDAY! Oh well, without PH we were stuck here for the day and we would just have to make the best of it!

I already ran out of picture space, so we'll continue next time with my other favorite MK ride and lunch at BOG.​

 

[WonderWoman28]

Day 3 Part 2 - I swear, they enjoyed the rides!
Monday October 1st, 2018

It's about 10:30 at this point and we've done the Princess meet, Under the Sea, visited with Ariel, snacked at Gaston's, rode PPF and IASW. So what did we do now? Grabbed another snack while we waited for our next FP+, duh. We originally were going to head to Pooh right now but the standby was already 60 minutes. We vegged out outside of Cosmic Rays and had some treats from Cheshire Café! We got a Cheshire cat tail and it was so good we went back for another! They were fresh and warm, and some people think they're simple but they were a great mid morning snack.



I was able to attend a work conference in Orlando in 2019 and visited WDW with some coworkers (the best trip I've ever been on, don't tell my DH). After we all got a treat from Cheshire Café we went to take a selfie with the sign in the background and we were photo bombed by Tiger! We screamed so loud I think we scared him, it was the best Pixie dust moment ever.



After our snack we headed over to Frontier Land for my favorite WDW ride (right up there with PPF), SPLASH MOUNTAIN! The smell, the music, the whole thing just makes me so happy. Thank goodness we had a FP since the standby line was 70 minutes . I was also a little nervous that YDD wouldn't be tall enough, this was our first big test and she just bumped her head on the bottom of the height guide, the CM didn't even check her twice just said she was good to go

The funny thing is, DS and YDD look terrified but they couldn't stop talking about it after we got off.



Ugh, love me some splash!

Next we had a lunch reservation at BOG. We had eaten dinner there in 2016 and didn't love it. I wanted my sister to be able to see inside since Belle is her favorite princess, so we thought we would try lunch. The recommendation was to order your food ahead of time, but I wasn't sure what I would want and neither did anyone else. So we opted to order once we got there, huge mistake. We waited outside for about 20 minutes, and then waited another 20 inside before we were able to order at 12:30. Again, we felt meh about it. It is definitely a meal you have to do at least once, just to see the inside, but I also feel the inside is almost the downfall as well. You're kind of crammed in like a mess hall and it has a weird echo and is really dark. This was one of 3 ADRs we had made, and I think we're good to skip this on the next trip. The food is fine, but nothing to write home about. Of course I didn't get any pictures, because its so dark I had a hard time.

Of course we had to get dessert so by the time we left at 1:20 we were stuffed! This is also why I don't love to do a ton of sit down restaurants at Disney, we spent about an hour and a half at BOG and wasted a ton of park time. Something to note for next time!

The teacups had a 15 minute standby so we decided to hop on before our last FP, probably not the best idea right after a big meal . DH and DS decided to sit this out, but the girls and I had fun. The line had gotten crazy long once we were towards the front so we were glad we got this out of the way. Once we got off DH and DS had gotten a cauldron popcorn bucket, because apparently all we do is eat at Disney




It was time for our FP+ at 7DMT and we were so excited, especially since we didn't have to rider swap because YDD was tall enough. We got to the FP line at 1:50. This ride is so fun, I know everyone hates that its so short, but the way the mine cart moves and the gems in the mine with the music - its such a blast! Again, contrary to the pictures the kids loved it.







My tummy was a little sour at this point but we had already planed to leave after 7DMT. Our FPs were done, we were toasty, so it was time to head out. On the way through we stopped to watch from of the FoF parade. We're usually out of MK by the time the afternoon parades come through so we never see them. We had a spot sort of by Cosmic Ray's and we had a pretty decent view for showing up last minute. It was such a fun parade and we'd love to watch the whole thing sometime.




We got to the bus stop around 2:40 and had to wait 30 minutes for a bus, we didn't get back to pop until 3:30 and everyone was asleep by 4.

I should have just called it a day at this point, but since we don't usually do PHs we'll usually leave for an afternoon rest and come back in the evening. Most of the time we're back to the room well before 4, so it was starting to not seem worth it to even go back in the evening. I had written a post a few weeks ago asking how people utilize PH since we never thought it was worth it, looking back on this day I am definitely seeing how we would have benefitted from it. MK is way easier to navigate in the mornings, if we had PHs we would have hopped over to Epcot for a relaxing evening and maybe enjoyed some of their dining options. We ended up going back after our naps because we felt obligated to cram everything in since we didn't know how our MNSSHP was going to go. Also, when we were in Epcot a few days later we were trying to stuff so much F&W treats in because we only had one day there. Needless to say, PHs are something we're definitely thinking about for our next trip.

Anyway - we woke everyone up around 5:30 and they were not happy and we were exiting our bus at MK by 6:30. We veered left and headed right into Adventure Land. Aladdin was a 15 minute standby so we hopped on quick, then rode POC which was also 15 minutes. We ate a really late dinner for us at Pecos Bills at 7:30, but everyone was so tired and cranky I feel like the younger two didn't even really eat. I ate quick since YDD was restless, and wandered out to refill our popcorn while everyone finished eating. Once they were done I gave them directions to where I was (popcorn stand by country bears), but since I'm the only Disney nerd they had no idea what I was talking about. I had a mild meltdown that we wont discuss, and once YDD and DS had popcorn we all moved on and decided we would just enjoy the new firework show and head out.

At 8:10 we headed over to the hub and it was INSANE already. No wonder Aladdin and POC only had a 15 minute standby, it seems everyone had been picking out their spot already. We found a spot and crammed in to the right of the castle, we thought it was a decent spot until the CMs came in and shoved us closer to the other parties like a heard of cattle. It was still really hot and sticky even thought it was dark, and there was a lot of unintentional stroller bumping going on. While we waited DH grabbed some Mickey Bars and we had to take turns occupying/holding the kids so we didn't get to see much of the show.

Once it was over we all felt a second wind? Not sure what we were thinking but we quickly rode Buzz then headed out just before 10 to an outrageously crowded bus stop.

Obviously my picture taking really took a decline during the second half of the day, as did my mood. I usually go in with low expectations so that helps, because as many know - Disneying with small kids is hard y'all. But worth it, once we look at the pictures now the kids don't remember the stress and neither do I (unless apparently I'm writing about it ).






​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I'm Emily and I've been a Dis lurker since 2016.

Welcome!!! It is a little like pulling a band-aid off. I remeber the first time I posted a real comment. I was somehow nervous about it.

Like I said, I'm Emily, I'm a 32 year old mom of 3 who is also married to a Disney addict. I've been a NICU nurse for going on 9 years and I work nights, so you'll sometimes see me lurking around the boards at 3 am during a break from the babies

My mom worked in the NICU and worked mostly nights to take care of me and my 2 sisters during the day. I know how hard that can be!

I absolutely love Disney food, and I have a huge collection of Disney mugs.

Me Too!!! I seriously need another kitchen for my mugs!

His first and only family trip was when he was 16, and he realized he was obsessed after our first trip together in 2013.

My husband is the same. His family didn't really take real family vacations and he just fell in love with Disney after our first trip.

She's my girly girl, dress wearing, princess obsessed sassy pants.

The last kid is always the sassy one!

So if you're still here, wow thanks! I'm going to attempt to write somewhat of a trip report that's almost 2.5 years old, just because I really miss Disney and pre COVID reports, and I feel like we learned so much with our last trip that I wanted to share in hopes that some day WDW can go back to a somewhat normal state.

Can't wait to read all of them! I will catch up eventually!

 

[Steppesister]

Just popping in to say hello. If I don't get called out tomorrow I will spend some time catching up.

 

[buzzrelly]

Hello! Joining in…I love throwback TRs, back to the good old days with crazy crowds and you biggest worry being which FPs to book in advance.

I've been a NICU nurse for going on 9 years

I'm going on 19 years as a NICU nurse. I can't imagine doing anything else

He loves Star Wars, Marvel, The Nightmare Before Christmas, skips the thrill rides, and loves the food.

Sounds like my DH, aside from TNBC. My DH didn't start loving WDW until we started focussing more on food

I'm going to attempt to write somewhat of a trip report that's almost 2.5 years old, just because I really miss Disney and pre COVID reports

Same! And you're doing a great job! I always have intentions to take notes but stop after a day or two so that even when I'm writing my TR right after returning home, I forget details. Thank goodness I take so many pictures that mostly help to jog my memory.

We spent the next 6 months trying different treatments to prolong the inevitable, but she ultimately passed at the end of August at home.

She said "don't you dare cancel that trip, you kids need it". Since you did what my grandma told you to do, we kept the trip, and of course it ended up being exactly what we needed.

I'm so sorry about your Grandma. We lost my dear niece to complications from lupus a month before our trip in 2015 and ultimately decided to still go. It was a little bit of a nice mental break at that point because she had been sick for so long.

So after all that, where did we head after rope drop? Right to TOL for a family pic while everyone else ran to Pandora.

Beautiful. And why not? We usually run past it and then I'm forcing everyone to stop on the way out when they're all grumpy!

The picture below really just shows how HOT we were.

We're going 9/30-10/6 this year…I guess this is what we should expect

Now that that part was out of the way - the food was amazing! The drinks were amazing! The bread pudding was amazing! We had a view of MK and the castle was al lit up for MNSSHP. ODD participated in the coconut races, and overall we had a great time.

I'm not a huge fan of Ohana for but there's something special about sitting there looking at that castle.

I was able to attend a work conference in Orlando in 2019 and visited WDW with some coworkers (the best trip I've ever been on, don't tell my DH). After we all got a treat from Cheshire Café we went to take a selfie with the sign in the background and we were photo bombed by Tiger! We screamed so loud I think we scared him, it was the best Pixie dust moment ever.

So cute! Love girl trips!

BOG. We had eaten dinner there in 2016 and didn't love it. I wanted my sister to be able to see inside since Belle is her favorite princess, so we thought we would try lunch. The recommendation was to order your food ahead of time, but I wasn't sure what I would want and neither did anyone else. So we opted to order once we got there, huge mistake. We waited outside for about 20 minutes, and then waited another 20 inside before we were able to order at 12:30. Again, we felt meh about it. It is definitely a meal you have to do at least once, just to see the inside, but I also feel the inside is almost the downfall as well. You're kind of crammed in like a mess hall and it has a weird echo and is really dark. This was one of 3 ADRs we had made, and I think we're good to skip this on the next trip

Totally agree. Our go-tos in the MK are The Plaza and Tony's…I know people hate it, but we love a 2 pm reservation where we sit out on the porch and watch the FOF parade

I had written a post a few weeks ago asking how people utilize PH since we never thought it was worth it, looking back on this day I am definitely seeing how we would have benefitted from it. MK is way easier to navigate in the mornings, if we had PHs we would have hopped over to Epcot for a relaxing evening and maybe enjoyed some of their dining options. We ended up going back after our naps because we felt obligated to cram everything in since we didn't know how our MNSSHP was going to go. Also, when we were in Epcot a few days later we were trying to stuff so much F&W treats in because we only had one day there. Needless to say, PHs are something we're definitely thinking about for our next trip.

PHs just make things easy. If you can afford it, they definitely make planning a little less stressful and relaxed. We'll often change plans at the last minute and head somewhere else based on crowds. Also makes dining much easier since we have a few must-dos each trip but may not want to be in a specific park all day.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I caught up on your AK day!

DH to this day still calls that our "trial trip" or the "learning trip". We decided we did love flying, didn't necessarily love taking the bus, we were not fans of the dining plan, eating at too many sit down restaurants ate up a lot of park time, and overall maybe my grandparents had the right idea - kind of. While it was an exhausting trip as I look back on pictures it was a blast!

I feel like this happens to most people. You just need to figure out what works for your family.

Flying Southwest non stop with a midmorning flight down

We have stopped taking Southwest not that our girls are no longer kids, I can't handle the stress of grabbing seats together.

Once ODD and DS were home we had a fun pizza night with Disney movies and painted the girls nails. We had been on a Disney movie binge for months leading up to our trip in preparation, we had a panic thinking the youngest two hadn't seen all the movies they needed to before going

That sounds like a great way to get ready for the trip!

This was also the trip that I discovered packing cubes. Honestly - life saving. Made packing and unpacking so much easier!

YES!!! I love to pack the girls stuff into there own cubes. Then I can just throw the cube into a drawer at the hotel. Done!

I showered and DH was up shortly after I was. We got ready, packed up our last minute items and woke the kids up at 6:30. They're usually 7:30-8 am waker upers so DS's response to this earlier wake up was "mom, the suns off". I know buddy, I know. Soon enough we were packed up and ready to roll.

OMG, my girls are early risers! Still. I don't think they have ever slept that late! (except maybe the end of a disney trip... ha!

Don't worry, I think I pack that much as well, some how and we have one less kid!

She said "listen I'm a nervous flier, hot chocolate sounded like a good comfort food but I also needed some alcohol". The attendant laughed and gave her the margarita on the house Our first pixie dust of the trip!

Too funny!

According to my notes we were out in that Orlando humidity and on a Mears bus by 2:08 and were taking off by 2:14. While on the bus we received our "room ready" text at 2:37 and after a quick AoA drop off we saw this lovely sight by 2:50. It was a beautiful day in WDW.

Ahh. what I would give to be in the orlando humidity right now!

Apparently I took no pictures, I just remember being really hungry.

I feel like that is what happens to me. If I am really hungry I completly forget to take any pictures.

After the pictures we stopped at a WE station, ODD decided this was something she really wanted to do this trip.

This is a great thing to do in AK!

YUM!!! I miss the fact that they don't put the tzatiki sauce on them anymore.

At this point it was just after noon and it was HOT.

How does the morning go by so fast?

I know a lot of people are indifferent towards NRJ, because obviously FOP is the star of Pandora, but I loved it.

We have only done NRJ once, so I feel like I can't really say if we like it or not. It's just that the wait is too long for it. My youngest did say the other day that she wants to ride it again next time we go.

At 6:40 we went to check in. We were upstairs waiting in the lounge area when at 6:50 we hear a fire alarm. DH so astutely says "is that a freaking fire alarm?" Yes it freaking was. 5 minutes before our reservation. So outside everyone went, at least the weather was nice while everyone ra

At least you weren't eating already! What a nightmare! Everyones food probably got cold! Yikes. Sounds like you server was completely thrown off by it.

 

[WonderWoman28]

Welcome!!! It is a little like pulling a band-aid off. I remeber the first time I posted a real comment. I was somehow nervous about it.


My mom worked in the NICU and worked mostly nights to take care of me and my 2 sisters during the day. I know how hard that can be!


Me Too!!! I seriously need another kitchen for my mugs!


My husband is the same. His family didn't really take real family vacations and he just fell in love with Disney after our first trip.


The last kid is always the sassy one!


Can't wait to read all of them! I will catch up eventually!

Thanks for being here!!!

I love that your mom was NICU nurse, and that you know from your perspective how hard it was for her to work nights. Sometimes I worry that my kids are going to grow up thinking I'm crazy for working nights but eventually they'll realize how much more time I have with them (granted I'm a little sleepy half the time).

Just popping in to say hello. If I don't get called out tomorrow I will spend some time catching up.

Thank you for being here! I had a little hiatus due to my work schedule and need to hop over and catch up on your TR!

 

[WonderWoman28]

Hello! Joining in…I love throwback TRs, back to the good old days with crazy crowds and you biggest worry being which FPs to book in advance.



I'm going on 19 years as a NICU nurse. I can't imagine doing anything else




Sounds like my DH, aside from TNBC. My DH didn't start loving WDW until we started focussing more on food




Same! And you're doing a great job! I always have intentions to take notes but stop after a day or two so that even when I'm writing my TR right after returning home, I forget details. Thank goodness I take so many pictures that mostly help to jog my memory.







I'm so sorry about your Grandma. We lost my dear niece to complications from lupus a month before our trip in 2015 and ultimately decided to still go. It was a little bit of a nice mental break at that point because she had been sick for so long.




Beautiful. And why not? We usually run past it and then I'm forcing everyone to stop on the way out when they're all grumpy!




We're going 9/30-10/6 this year…I guess this is what we should expect




I'm not a huge fan of Ohana for but there's something special about sitting there looking at that castle.




So cute! Love girl trips!




Totally agree. Our go-tos in the MK are The Plaza and Tony's…I know people hate it, but we love a 2 pm reservation where we sit out on the porch and watch the FOF parade




PHs just make things easy. If you can afford it, they definitely make planning a little less stressful and relaxed. We'll often change plans at the last minute and head somewhere else based on crowds. Also makes dining much easier since we have a few must-dos each trip but may not want to be in a specific park all day.

Thanks for joining!!

and yay for NICU nurses! Always so amazing to watch your babies leave and then see them thriving years later!

Yes for pictures. Half of this TR has been jogged by my pictures with time stamps! As I'm writing this I realize how many more details I could have added, maybe next time!

That's horrible about your niece, I am so sorry. We saw my grandma giving us signs a lot in Disney, I believe she knew we needed the trip.

Yes - expect HOT for that time

The 2 pm reservation sounds like a great idea! We always want to watch the afternoon parade but its always so hot and we're ready for a break at that point. Maybe we'll have to give that a go next time!

 

[WonderWoman28]

I caught up on your AK day!


I feel like this happens to most people. You just need to figure out what works for your family.


We have stopped taking Southwest not that our girls are no longer kids, I can't handle the stress of grabbing seats together.


That sounds like a great way to get ready for the trip!


YES!!! I love to pack the girls stuff into there own cubes. Then I can just throw the cube into a drawer at the hotel. Done!


OMG, my girls are early risers! Still. I don't think they have ever slept that late! (except maybe the end of a disney trip... ha!


Don't worry, I think I pack that much as well, some how and we have one less kid!


Too funny!


Ahh. what I would give to be in the orlando humidity right now!


I feel like that is what happens to me. If I am really hungry I completly forget to take any pictures.


This is a great thing to do in AK!



YUM!!! I miss the fact that they don't put the tzatiki sauce on them anymore.


How does the morning go by so fast?


We have only done NRJ once, so I feel like I can't really say if we like it or not. It's just that the wait is too long for it. My youngest did say the other day that she wants to ride it again next time we go.


At least you weren't eating already! What a nightmare! Everyones food probably got cold! Yikes. Sounds like you server was completely thrown off by it.

I'm not sure I'll ever stop taking southwest, my family is allowed to have 10 free bags - helllooo souvenirs!!

None of my kids are early risers - I don't know if it has to do with the fact that I work nights. So on my nights off you better not be waking me up too early the next morning, I value the nights I get good sleep. DS is the "earliest" riser and usually is up sometime between 7:30-8

No more tzatziki? What a crime - those were so good!

And I get why people wont wait for NRJ, but it was so relaxing, and like I said I'm a sucker for a Disney boat ride

 

[WonderWoman28]

Day 4 - A not so lazy lazy day
Tuesday October 2nd, 2018

This day was our lazy/swim/resort wander/laundry/Disney Springs day so it'll probably be a short one part report. After a late (for us) night the night before, I think everyone was thankful to not have to set an alarm this morning. I have noted that we slept in until 8, and by 9 I had ran down to start some laundry. The laundry at POP was over by the computer pool in the 80's/90's area. The whole resort isn't that huge so it wasn't too hard to hike over there. Being that jerk I did leave my laundry but I did set an alarm to come back and check. I went back to the room to shower, and ran back to switch the laundry at 9:40. By 10 we headed over for breakfast, this was the first time the whole family grabbed breakfast together as we usually had it on the go. We got a few bounty platers to share then headed to pay down our room chargers and grab some buttons. ODD and DS had birthdays 2 weeks apart in August/September so they got birthday buttons, it was YDD's first visit, and DH and I got anniversary buttons even though our anniversary was in July . To be fair we didn't wear them, just kept them as keepsakes. Then we went resort exploring and grabbed our laundry around 10:45.








Pop really is a fun resort. It might not be as beautiful as the deluxe resorts but the kids always found something new every time we left the room and that was really fun!

We headed back to put some laundry away, clean up a little, and head to the POOL! The computer pool was pretty big and because it wasn't as "cool" as the hippy dippy pool, it was significantly less crowded so that's where we headed. We stayed until about 1:30 when a typical ominous dark afternoon Florida rain cloud rolled in so we headed back. The kids were drying off and warming up so my sister and I got to head to the gift shop just the two of us, so that was exciting! Even though staying on site meant frequent gift shop trips which meant I spent way too much on random stuff. We also grabbed some lunch and it was POURING out at this time. We headed back with some food and relaxed for a while hoping it would stop raining for our DS time we had planned that evening.

Thankfully when we got on a DS bus at 3:45, the rain had stopped. I hadn't been to DS since it was DTD in 2013 so I was REALLY exciting to check out all the changes that they made. My notes stop here, and I think because it had rained for a solid hour and a half earlier, people were just now going to DS. It was insanely hot and crowded. I felt horrible because we didn't really have a plan other than to explore and all YDD wanted to do was get up and run, and there were just people everywhere. DS isn't an ideal place to let your two year old run around and melt downs ensued. I know we tried to stop in all of the kid friendly stores so I'll post a few pictures from there.









We went to Wolfgang Puck Express and grabbed a few things, to eat. This was when we hid in a corner to let YDD run around for a while and DH could tell by my face that I was having a hard time keeping it together. I knew it would be hard with a 2.5 year old but couldn't pass up the opportunity to have one of them be free. I feel like I'm making it seem like I'm a drama-llama who just has meltdowns all the time, but I swear it only happened a few times that I apparently had a "look" that my DH can interpret well. We kept wandering after we ate and while my sister was grabbing a cupcake from Sprinkles DH appeared with some sort of spiked iced tea, and that really perked a girl up. So much so that I accidentally drank it real fast and splurged on these bracelets from Alex and Ani (even though I literally never wear jewelry). Oh well lol



Per my pictures we were back at the bus stop by 7:30. While we were waiting DH said "next time we come its just going to be the two of us", I just laugh at him. DH and I were young when we had ODD and already had her when we got married. We never took a honeymoon and the only "trip" we ever took was to a weekend wedding about 8 hours away where he drove with the groomsmen 2 days before I drove down with "the girlfriends". So essentially we've never taken a trip just the two of us. We always recognize that having kids young means that's something you really can't afford but once they're older you'll still be in prime traveling age and more established financially. So we know our family trip time is limited, once they get to a certain age they won't want to travel with us anymore.

Anyway - a quick background. During this trip DH worked for a plumbing company that you would call when your basement was flooded. At this time he was doing half service work (the guy that comes and snakes your drain when your basement is full of poo) and half excavation sales (the guy that comes in when the guy can't get your drain open with the snake and tells you they have to dig your whole back yard). Service work is a set payment on your check, excavation sales is a commission based job. If you sell 1 million + in excavations they usually send you on a trip (with a conference involved) and last year it was Disney. There is only 1 guy in the branch that does sales full time and he usually sells 2 million + for the company. I'm telling you all of this because when I laughed at DH for saying we'd come back just the two of us, he said "I'm not kidding, I'm going back to work and asking to work full sales. I'm going to get in the million dollar club and win us a trip to Disney". I just laughed and told him that would be cool.

Well spoiler alert, he went back and told them why he thought he should be full sales and they agreed. January 1st 2019 he started and knowing he wouldn't reach 1 million that first year he got to $700,00 but in 2020 he reached $1.3 million. Because of COVID they weren't doing a trip but they were doing "prize packages", one was a yeti package with a cooler, a big grill and all sorts of other things but one was a $3,000 Disney voucher...



I thought for sure he was lying to me, but he wasn't. We already had a family trip planned for 2021, so it won't be the "honeymoon" he wanted, but this will pay for our tickets and let us splurge on a PH with money left over. So my DH setting that goal on our 2018 trip made our 2021 trip possible, and I could just smoosh him for it.

Anyway, that's all I've got. Just a lazy Disney day which is always much needed. We were in bed by 9 and ready to roll into Epcot tomorrow whenever we felt like it with no morning plans! ​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I do love all of the decor at all of the value resorts. And I think they are perfect for young kids for sure! And I love that Disney has cheaper options but they still made them cool. I mean they could have totally made them lame. But they didn't.

Congrats to DH! And a 2021 trip! May everyone on these board be able to take a 2021 trip!

Sounds like a nice rest day minus a busy DS.

 

[buzzrelly]

the whole family grabbed breakfast together as we usually had it on the go. We got a few bounty platers to share

Those bounty platters are the BEST! I'm drooling just thinking about those cheesy potatoes

Pop really is a fun resort. It might not be as beautiful as the deluxe resorts but the kids always found something new every time we left the room and that was really fun!

It's my favorite Value resort. We've stayed here a few times and that was before the skyliner. It's even better now with that, I'm sure.

I feel like I'm making it seem like I'm a drama-llama who just has meltdowns all the time, but I swear it only happened a few times

Eh, meltdowns are inevitable, especially with small kids. Heck, my teens were still having the occasional meltdown last time we went together. But with them, it's easy to just say, 'go do your own thing and we'll meet later." Something you can't really do with littles.

DH appeared with some sort of spiked iced tea, and that really perked a girl up. So much so that I accidentally drank it real fast and splurged on these bracelets from Alex and Ani (even though I literally never wear jewelry). Oh well lol

This literally made me laugh out loud! And I love those bracelets and have a few myself, even though I never wear jewelry either. I still feel it's a great trip keepsake and you'll always have it, unlike a t-shirt.

While we were waiting DH said "next time we come its just going to be the two of us",

I thought for sure he was lying to me, but he wasn't. We already had a family trip planned for 2021, so it won't be the "honeymoon" he wanted, but this will pay for our tickets and let us splurge on a PH with money left over. So my DH setting that goal on our 2018 trip made our 2021 trip possible, and I could just smoosh him for it.

That's awesome! Trips with just DH and I are so relaxing and completely different. I hope someday soo you d get to do it!

I see you're planning on a December 2021 trip. DH and I will be there 12/8-12/15 at BLT. Have you ever been at Christmas time? I hope the parties and fireworks are back by then!

 

[RollTideinMD]

We feel the same way about BOG - to a tee. It wasn't an enjoyable experience, but I am happy to have experienced it once because it's beautiful and I love BATB.

Pop is our 'home' resort - we love it so much! You resort pictures make me smile because I think we were in the same building on our 2019 trip that you're in and my pictures are identical to yours!

 

[WonderWoman28]

I do love all of the decor at all of the value resorts. And I think they are perfect for young kids for sure! And I love that Disney has cheaper options but they still made them cool. I mean they could have totally made them lame. But they didn't.

Congrats to DH! And a 2021 trip! May everyone on these board be able to take a 2021 trip!

Sounds like a nice rest day minus a busy DS.

I know value resorts have their downfalls with lack of sit down restaurants and transportation options, but you're right they could have made them really boring and standard hotel like!

And thanks! I hope everyone can make a 2021 trip too, don't we all need it at this point ​

Those bounty platters are the BEST! I'm drooling just thinking about those cheesy potatoes




It's my favorite Value resort. We've stayed here a few times and that was before the skyliner. It's even better now with that, I'm sure.




Eh, meltdowns are inevitable, especially with small kids. Heck, my teens were still having the occasional meltdown last time we went together. But with them, it's easy to just say, 'go do your own thing and we'll meet later." Something you can't really do with littles.




This literally made me laugh out loud! And I love those bracelets and have a few myself, even though I never wear jewelry either. I still feel it's a great trip keepsake and you'll always have it, unlike a t-shirt.





That's awesome! Trips with just DH and I are so relaxing and completely different. I hope someday soo you d get to do it!

I see you're planning on a December 2021 trip. DH and I will be there 12/8-12/15 at BLT. Have you ever been at Christmas time? I hope the parties and fireworks are back by then!

The gals at Alex and Ani were loving showing me things as I was sucking down my beverage like a toddler with her first slurpee. They were like "buy more things!"




Hoping some day DH and I will go! This next trip YDD will be 5 and DS will have just turned 7 - that's just such a magical age still and they'll be able to remember everything, so I don't want to miss that opportunity. We don't have our date down yet, I'm waiting for the vacation time to be approved at work, but we're thinking that first week after thanksgiving. Our 2013 trip we had originally wanted to go Halloween week, but I didn't get that week off at work. We ended up arriving 11/2 and hit the parks just as their Christmas decorations were going up, which was totally unexpected and unplanned. We even accidentally stumbled upon The Osborn Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights which was such a magical surprise and I am so thankful we had that opportunity to see them. So to say "yes, we've seen Disney at Christmas" is a bit of a lie, as I don't think we really experienced it in its entirety. This next time we're tossing around the idea of MVMCP (eeh it's on the lower end of possibilities) and we also have some trips to the Deluxe resorts in mind to see their decorations, specifically the ginger bread houses at GF!

​

We feel the same way about BOG - to a tee. It wasn't an enjoyable experience, but I am happy to have experienced it once because it's beautiful and I love BATB.

Pop is our 'home' resort - we love it so much! You resort pictures make me smile because I think we were in the same building on our 2019 trip that you're in and my pictures are identical to yours!

I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way about BOG. Its is beautiful but so chaotic, the vibe is definitely not relaxing!

Pop is so fun! We stay at AoA in 2016 and often took a POP bus and walked over, we loved how they celebrated the decades but in such a fun way. and we were in the 70's building, but I can't imagine any building is a bad one to be in!​

 

[Steppesister]

I adore those lazy days tucked in between busy park days! And DTD (I refuse to change it, LOL!) is my go-to place as well. LOVE the vibe there! I have to laugh at your tipsy purchase! I have a special talent for buying over-priced Disney stuff after drinks as well so had to giggle.

That's fantastic your hubby set out with a goal and got 'er done, even though it's not completely what you had in mind. Can't kick a gifthorse in the mouth as they say. $3,000 will sure go a long way! Congrats on a job well done!

 

[WonderWoman28]

Day 5 - Soar around the world!
Wednesday October 3rd, 2018

When we left off we had a bit of a hectic night in DS, but we were in bed by 9 for a big Epcot day.

I was up today at my usual 6:30 time to head for a quiet breakfast before waking the whole crew up. We were on our Epcot bus by 8:35 and through security by 9 am.



I know I already said this in one of my earlier posts, but I LOVE EPCOT!

AK wasn't there for my first two trips as a child, and HS isn't like the MGM I knew growing up. Growing up I remember Gertie and Indiana Jones at MGM which are obviously still there, then Honey I Shrunk the Kids, TGMR, Studio Backlot Tour, streets of America, and the Earful Tower. I remember being terrified to ride ToT which was there for my second trip. My third trip as a child we opted to visit AK and I believe we skipped MGM.



The moral of the story is - we visited MK and Epcot all 3 times we went in the 90's as I was growing up. While there were some changes here and there, the feel of Epcot and MK have basically remained the same, where almost all of the attractions from the MGM of my youth are now gone. So as much as MK is so nostalgic for me, Epcot also is and holds so many fond Disney memories. Even today if I had to chose a part to skip, I still think it would be HS - I don't think I could ever skip Epcot and I've grown to really love AK.

Ok, moving right along

The plan for today was to head to FEA for our FP+ which was for just before the WS opened, but first DH and DS really wanted to ride TT and can you believe we've never ridden Soarin?! So the plan was for those two to head to TT at rope drop and the girls and I were heading to ride Soarin' for the first time!

We were at the Land pavilion by 9:15 and cruising through Soarin's 10 minute standby shortly after.



Ok, I am so disappointed in myself for waiting this long to ride Soarin'. I don't know why it hadn't been on my radar, in 2013 we just totally skipped it and in 2016 only had a half day at Epcot so it was low man on the list. It is such an amazing ride, even YDD who wasn't quite 3 loved it. You can't walk off that ride not smiling! We may even ride it again later in the day

Next LWTL had a 5 minute wait so we hopped on at 9:45, another nostalgic ride of mine that I wont ever skip!

Next we met up with the boys who had a blast on TT, and we headed over to Norway to ride FEA for the first time. Our FP+ must have been for 10:30, I have noted that we were in line by 10:22 but there was only a 10 minute standby. The ride was cute, I always loves Maelstrom but FEA was cute enough.

After we headed over to Kringla to try some school bread. It is always on my list every visit, but we're usually always so stuffed that we never get a chance to try it.



We for some reason ordered a school bread, a lefse, and a 4 pack of mini frozen cupcakes

The kids ate the cupcakes, DH and I had the lefse and split the school bread with everyone. Honestly, school bread was sort of unmemorable to me. I don't think it was bad, but it didn't knock my socks off. I know the lefse is some sort of potato type flatbread, I also hardly remember it

Here are the kids with their cupcakes and their shirts I had gotten off Etsy. ODD's says "I'm her Elsa" YDD's says "I'm her Anna" and DS's says "I'm their Olaf"



After our snack we hit up the kidcot station in Norway, this was something we really took advantage of this trip to keep ODD engaged. Between this and the F&WF Remy challenge, she had a blast. The other two not so much while we were in the WS, but that's ok.



Around 11 am we were already heading into China! We really just wandered the shops, which was a first for us, and hit up the kitcot.

Here's DH being a real Disney Dad MVP. Leading up to the trip he wanted to get a fanny pack, I made fun of him saying there was no way he would wear it because I honestly thought he was joking (which he might have been at first). Wouldn't you know just to spite me he put that thing on in the airport and I swear didn't take it off the entire trip. He even got himself an Oogie Boogie light up keychain to attach to it! It actually came in handy and he say's he'll never do Disney without it. He even rocked our Alice in Wonderland backpack most of the time as well



We also had a quick visit with Mulan that DS politely declined, as he did with most character meets.



Next up we were scooting on over into Germany by 11:30. Here's a picture of the F&WF Remy challenge. He was hidden through the pavilions and you had a little map where you had to put the sticker of what he was spotted with in each country. So here he was spotted in the flowerbox over the window in Germany with a frying pan, in other countries he had an eggplant or garlic. We actually all had fun participating in this one!



We stopped into Karamell Kuche, but thanks to all the sweets in Norway I didn't get anything! Why on earth I didn't grab something for later is beyond me, I remember going in and taking pictures but nothing jumped out at me. Hello caramel popcorn

Of course we had to stop and check out the train!



At this point everyone was behaving really well, and I was so thankful. We were trying our best to keep them occupied and entertained in each store and each pavilion. It was hitting that noon heat in Epcot with no shade, and we were about to start tackling form F&W items! We'll have to see how the rest of the day goes!
​

 

[Steppesister]

I was up today at my usual 6:30 time to head for a quiet breakfast before waking the whole crew up.

I adore waking up early at Disney and enjoying a cuppa in the quiet, esp by the pool if it's warm.

Next LWTL had a 5 minute wait so we hopped on at 9:45, another nostalgic ride of mine that I wont ever skip!

Nope! Cannot be missed. In fact, I just wrote about Steppe's Exploration of "The Land". LOL!!

The ride was cute, I always loves Maelstrom but FEA was cute enough.

I may never forgive Disney for messing with Maelstrom.

Soooo miss the Ambassador CMs!

We actually all had fun participating in this one!

The Remy Hunt is so fun!! Getting excited for the Bee Hunt at F&G next month too!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

The plan for today was to head to FEA for our FP+ which was for just before the WS opened, but first DH and DS really wanted to ride TT and can you believe we've never ridden Soarin?! S

We didn't ride Soarin for the longest time. The girls were too short and we just skipped rides where we couldn't all ride. And I kick myself that I didn't see the original version.

We also had a quick visit with Mulan that DS politely declined, as he did with most character meets.

Cute Photo! Mulan is a good one to grab a photo of.

 

[WonderWoman28]

Day 5 Part 2 - Some food and some wine!
Wednesday October 3rd, 2018

Life! It's been almost a month since I've updated! I think that's why I was always so hesitant to post a TR, I was nervous I'd never finish. But seeing it sometimes takes people months to complete theirs helps lessen the pressure and know I can always come back and finish up whenever!

When we left off we were in Germany working our way around the world (had started in Mexico), it was about noon and I hadn't hit up any F&WF booths yet!

As we ventured out of Germany and into Italy my sister had her eye on the Spain pavilion. Side note: I'm working on exploring the world pavilions more and more. Let's be honest, it can take dozens of visits to really get an appreciation for each country (especially with kids). As I'm writing this I'm realizing the Italy pavilion is one I have yet to truly explore. We really only stopped for ODD's kitcot and some quick F&W and then we moved on. I've never stopped in a store, never eaten there, or used a restroom! It's definitely now on my bucket list for next trip!

As I said, my sister had her eye on Spain. She had gotten the wine flight and Seafood Salad (Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Mussels, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, White Balsamic Vinegar and Smoked Paprika). I didn't try any of this but it looked yummy! I grabbed a Peach Moscato in Italy that was also real good, those $9+ drinks sure go down fast though




Next we stopped in the American Pavilion to grab lunch for the kids, knowing full well they are not adventurous eaters so we had to grab chicken nuggets while we could. We also did the kidcot stop for ODD and let everyone wander around and talk to birds for a while . The birds were really out in full force for the lunch crowd. I feel like DH grabbed something to eat/drink here but I have no photo evidence, because apparently I only take pictures of mine or my sister's food. Probably because DH is a boring eater, he probably got a lobster roll or something.

Next was Japan! This is definitely a pavilion I have wandered through the most. It's so large and open and Mitsukoshi is so much fun. On our last trip one of our bucket list items was to do pick a pearl, so ODD and I had done that and both had necklaces made. This time my sister wanted to give it a try, so her and ODD did it together.



Wouldn't you know, my sister got twin pearls! She kept saying that she hoped she would get two, and sure enough she did! This was something special that I hoped to do with YDD in a few years, it's such a unique experience. Devastatingly enough, the summer after this trip ODD was in a summer recreation program and without my knowledge took her pearls with her one day - and lost them! She gets in the car at pick up and burst into tears saying she took them and thinks she accidentally threw them out. She brought them in a mint tin as a "treasure" for a game they had been playing all week, left them out and thinks they were thrown away. We went back to check but everything had already been cleaned up. I didn't even know what to say, she was still so young but I was truly upset as it was something special we had done twice now. I couldn't be too mad at her as I could tell she as extremely upset with herself. We had a long talk and to this day (3 years later) she's still upset about it.



Anyway, at this point it was getting hot and walking through the WS during the hottest point of the day is . While we were here I stopped at the Japan kiosk for a snack! I got the Spicy Roll (Tuna and Salmon topped with Volcano Sauce) and a Fuji Apple Cocktail (Sake, Peach Schnapps and Green Apple Syrup). Considering it was quite hot, this probably wasn't the best combo. Separately they were great, but together it was a bit much. I'd love to do F&W on a cooler day (or evening), maybe early November, I feel like I'd be able to indulge more if it wasn't so freaking hot.



It was nearing 1 and this was when YDD and DS usually settled for a nap at home, or on park days we'd head back for a rest. Considering we were already in the middle of the WS, and there wasn't much left to do, we decided it wouldn't make sense to leave and come back. The plan was to power through as best we could, and head back for the night once we were done. We don't usually let them play on our phones, I'm always afraid they're going to call someone or buy $5,000 worth of stuff on amazon, but considering there wasn't much else to keep them entertained at this point we bit the bullet and let them play away. Best decision all trip . During what would normally be their rest time they chilled in the stroller and really had some quiet time while we finished up in the WS.

(YDD must have had a potty break for this picture)

​

Next we were cruising through Morocco and hitting up the kidcot station. This is another pavilion I need to explore more of, I'd love to eat here but it might be difficult with the lack of adventurous eaters in my family.

We grabbed some treats in France next! My sister and I split the Croissant aux Escargots (Escargot Croissant with Garlic and Parsley), my first time trying escargots and it wasn't bad! We also both got Crème Brûlée à la Confiture de Framboises (Crème Brûlée with House-made Raspberry Jam) and La Passion Martini Slush (Vodka, Grey Goose Le Citron, Cranberry and Passion Fruit Juice). I think this was the last of the alcohol for me, 3 drinks and I was good to go .



We scooted over into the UK where I spotted 2 of my favorite characters! Alice and Mary Poppins! Both of their lines were closed and I was a little disappointed, but I admired them from afar!

With YDD and DS entertained I actually got to explore the UK store for the first time and how beautiful! I made some purchases that I may not have normally made but considering my lightweight self was 3 beverages in, I shopped away.

Once in Canada we really only did the kidcot stop and moved on to some more F&W booths!

We hit up Flavors from Fire (YUM!) where DH really wanted to be adventurous and try the Swine Brine featuring Jim Beam Bourbon - which actually had a piggy wing in it . He thought it was great and I chose to pass on a sample. We also split the Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes, Pickled Onions and Blonde Ale Beer Fondue featuring BelGioioso® Romano and American Grana Cheeses and a Charred Chimichurri Skirt Steak on a Smoked Corn Cake with Pickled Vegetable Slaw and Cilantro Aïoli. Both were so so delicious!! On my solo trip in 2019 I definitely made it a point to stop here again. Why I didn't grab any pictures is beyond me, I apparently was worn outa and or slightly buzzed.

At this point DH and I had a moment where we looked at each other and burst out laughing, we agreed that we may have over indulged on some beverages - which is unlike us, and maybe we needed to be done for the day. Like I said, light weights. I must have had a few more beverages that I hadn't documented.

We grabbed dessert from the chocolate studio - Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey-Caramel which was of course really good (I'm easy to please) and then we headed over to the land pavilion to see if we could hit up Soarin, again! With only a 15 minute wait we rode Soarin around 2:45 then headed over to Nemo!




We took a trip back in time on Spaceship Earth at 3:45, where poor YDD and DS's heads didn't fit into the screen for the movie. Then wandered through Mouse Gears and hit up Starbucks for some caffeine while my sister and ODD headed on the Ferry to Japan to grab their pearls. This is ODD waiting for the Ferry with her cup she was able to chose for completing Remy's challenge. As much as Epcot doesn't necessarily have a ton of rides throughout the WS, they definitely had enough activities to keep the kids entertained. DD had such a great time and still talks about her adventures to this day.



Here are all of her kidcot stops! We accidentally missed Mexico in the morning when we were rushing over to FEA, but I think she still did an excellent job!




Side note, I can spend some money in Mouse Gears. I remember that store from when I was a kid and walking in always makes me so happy. I had eyed up some Sally ears from The Nightmare Before Christmas, I had actually purchased custom ears for our Halloween party tomorrow but ended up going back for the Sally ears after I already checked out. I have no regrets as I've warn them every Halloween since!

We grabbed some sweet treats to entertain the littles while we waited for our gals to get back and admired the Fountain of Nations, little did we know it would be our last time seeing them !



We were at the bus stop around 5:40 and back to the resort before 6. We ate back at POP but I can't remember much other than we just relaxed and had an early night.

This was a pretty successful day for us. Considering our DS debacle the day before I was happy with what we had accomplished. I'm sure I left out some F&W stops, apparently once I start drinking the pictures and notes take a dive. Also, who else starts F&W with such an ambitious list, then once they're going over their notes realize you hardly ate a thing This visit I was able to really visit the China and UK stores which wasn't something I had done before. For my solo trip in 2019 I actually went into the Mexico pavilion for the first time, how had I been to Epcot so many times but had never been inside of Mexico is beyond me! Our next trip I'm hoping to explore some more, possibly Italy and France or Morocco. I'm really hoping the international CMs are back by the time we travel in December too, but I'm not counting on it. ​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Life! It's been almost a month since I've updated! I think that's why I was always so hesitant to post a TR, I was nervous I'd never finish. But seeing it sometimes takes people months to complete theirs helps lessen the pressure and know I can always come back and finish up whenever!

We all do it at some point. I feel like I end up posting in bunches with long periods of time with nothing.

Side note: I'm working on exploring the world pavilions more and more. Let's be honest, it can take dozens of visits to really get an appreciation for each country (especially with kids).

SO true! It is hard to really soak in each country! Our first trip we didn't even realize you could go into the different countries!

My sister and I split the Croissant aux Escargots (Escargot Croissant with Garlic and Parsley), my first time trying escargots and it wasn't bad!

I mean it is surrounded by bread and butter! How bad could it be?

I'm sure I left out some F&W stops, apparently once I start drinking the pictures and notes take a dive. Also, who else starts F&W with such an ambitious list, then once they're going over their notes realize you hardly ate a thing

I do this every trip! With ALL food! There is just not enough stomach space for all the food I want while we are there!