A Tale of 3 Duffys - a March 2011 TR - update 8/11: Finished!

[ksl5f123]

Hello! Boy the things you miss after a 10 day vacation!!! I can't remember all I thought of as I read but the link!!!!

Welcome back! Due to the link, I am trying to finish this one up a little quicker.

I think I could travel well with your DDs!! Loving Carousel of Progress and Epcot!! And the pictures of Woody and Jessie were awesome (I love Woody!!) but the story of the little girl was very strange! Parents do the strangest things sometimes!

I think you would travel great with us! One of these days we will have to get our dates to line up.

Woody and Jessie were great! We had never met them before, but they were fun and DS2 loved Woody. I have no idea what that mom was thinking.

I really enjoyed the Memories show but I was like you and no real good pictures! All in all I think your MK day was great! You accomplished so much!!

Memories is beautiful and technically spectacular, but there is no way to get a good picture. It just moves too fast. The MK day was nearly perfect.

I really liked seeing the topiary pictures and the butterflies. I really like the Flower and Garden Festival. I need to plan another spring trip!

I didn't have very high expectations for the Flower and Garden Festival, but Epcot looked SO pretty! I would have liked about two more days just to wander around looking at everything.

 

[Becc1]

Just got all caught up on your report last night. We turned out to be Duffy fans as well but only came home with 2 of them. Can't wait to hear more and read the rest of your reports

 

[cadek]

I just read through it all! Sounds like you haven't been lucky with transportation so far. We are not fans of the buses either.

I enjoyed reading about the Rapuzel meet and greet. We plan on sacrificing DH to stand in that line first thing when we go. My boys love Carousel of Progess too! I was surprised, you'd expect them to be bored by it. We have the Four Parks CD and they love singing along to that song.

Epcot is a favorite of ours too. My boys love what they call "the Mexico boat ride" or "The Three Caballeros". My 4 year old would ride it again and again.

 

[ksl5f123]

Just got all caught up on your report last night. We turned out to be Duffy fans as well but only came home with 2 of them. Can't wait to hear more and read the rest of your reports

Thanks! Duffy just seemed to multiply in our family. Everyone needed one while we were there, but two of them now seem to live under a bed or in the bottom of a closet. The third one is still beloved.

 

[ksl5f123]

I just read through it all! Sounds like you haven't been lucky with transportation so far. We are not fans of the buses either.

Congrats to you for reading all the way!!! This was the end of our use of Disney transport for this trip. It just didn't work out for us at all.

I enjoyed reading about the Rapuzel meet and greet. We plan on sacrificing DH to stand in that line first thing when we go. My boys love Carousel of Progess too! I was surprised, you'd expect them to be bored by it. We have the Four Parks CD and they love singing along to that song.

DD5 loved the Rapunzel meet. The characters were excellent. I was surprised that CoP was such a big hit. I figured it was just another thing mom was dragging them into. I was really pleased and surprised when DD5 told me later it was her new favorite.

Epcot is a favorite of ours too. My boys love what they call "the Mexico boat ride" or "The Three Caballeros". My 4 year old would ride it again and again.

I totally disagree with the general perception that there is nothing for little ones at Epcot. My girls just love it!

 

[ksl5f123]

Our next goal was to see some of the shows in the America pavilion. We headed there because the Fife & Drum corp was scheduled to perform at 1 PM. Surprisingly, this was one of the things that the girl cubs really wanted to see. Here are some Flower & Garden pictures taken on the way there.

Here I am with my pal Mickey:

We got there a few minutes early so the princess cub continued to work on her Duffy. We also received a cute little passport entitled “Race around the world” and featuring the Cars. We were told that if we got all of the stickers (from America, Italy, Germany, and Japan) and brought it back to the World Showcase entrance we would get a prize.

At 1 PM, the Fife and Drum Corp started right on schedule and we all enjoyed their show.

Next we went into the pavilion and had a seat to hear the Voices of Liberty. We got to sit right at the front of the circle where the acoustics are awesome. They were outstanding!

Mama bear here: I have to share a memory. I remember seeing the Voices of Liberty (or an act just like them) back in 1982 when we went to Epcot for the very first time. I was 8 years old at the time (oops, dating myself). I love the kind of music they sing and was singing along. One of the men from the group tried to get me to come up with them and I froze in fright. WAY too shy! Fast forward to this trip. The gentleman that sings “Oh! Susannah “came out and was singing to MIL. He took her hand to help her stand with him and she pulled it back leaving him reeling. Apparently, our family is attractive to this group, but they always strike out.

Finally, we went into the American Adventure show. The cubs couldn't quite figure this show out. Mama bear had told the youngest cub that it was “a robot show”. That didn't work out well because he expected more Wall-E type robots rather than animatronics. Oh well. The adults liked it. With about 5 minutes left in the show, the youngest cub needed his 3rd potty stop, so grandma bear took him out. As the lights came on, the lady in front of us was complaining that the statues along the sides didn't talk this time. Now, we haven't seen this show in a really long time, but I don't remember those statues ever talking. Did they?

After the show, grandma bear asked what was next. Mama bear said, “We are going to work our way back to Norway for our lunch ADR”. At that, grandma bear took the youngest cub in the stroller and power walked straight to Norway. The rest of us stopped in Italy and Germany for stamps in the cub's passports. We arrived at Akershus about 10 minutes before our ADR time and got in line. As is our experience every time we go there, they were running a little behind. Mama bear took this picture while we were waiting in line. They have always had the grass up there, but we thought the flowers in a Mickey shape were a nice touch!

When we did get called inside, we had our pictures made with Belle. In the past, when we had a group of 7 people, we received 2 photos and they would take 2 different photos (such as one of just the kids and one of the whole family). This time, they only took 1 photo and just gave us 2 copies. We don't know if that is the new policy or just a fluke that day, but we don't like the change.

We were then seated right in the first room to the right. It was fine, but we really like the big main dining room better. We ordered our drinks, made a quick trip to the cold buffet, and ordered our entrees. The oldest cub loves this place because it is one of the few places that has ravioli on the kids menu (Tutto Italia doesn't, Mama Melrose doesn't, Via Napoli doesn't, Il Mulino doesn't – I don't get it.) The princess cub also had the Mickey ravioli and the youngest cub had a hot dog (minus the bun). Does anybody's cub eat the bun? Why do they even bother?

Mama bear had the same salmon sandwich that she had last June – it wasn't as good. Maybe it was just because she didn't like the soup choices. Maybe the salmon was a little overcooked. I don't know, but it just wasn't something to be excited about. Papa bear once again enjoyed the mushroom stuffed pasta. The cubs pretty much demolished the dessert plate. Mama bear isn't even sure she got any.

Soon, the princesses arrived. First there was Aurora:

Getting autographs:

The oldest cub says, “Look, I have a pin of you!”

Aurora says, “Wow! I'm even on your hairbow!”

and then Cinderella:

Cinderella admires me:

The youngest cub gets a blown kiss from Cinderella:

next, Snow White:

and finally, Ariel:

The princess cub says, “I have a dress just like yours!”

The girls joined in the little princess parade and seemed to have fun with that.

 

[TinksThree]

I really enjoy the American Adventure, Voices of Liberty and Fifes and Drums!! I know some people tend to brush it off but I look forward to it on each trip!!

That was a funny memory! When we went the guy went to an Asian lady and she shied way back behind her husband. It was really cute!

That is disappointing about your meal. I always hate it when I enjoyed something and return only to find it not what I remembered!

 

[pinkxray]

I haven't seen the American Adventure in years. Can't say that we ever saw Fife and Drums??? I am guessing I never will unless I am by myself.

The kids look like they enjoyed Akershus. Love the picture with Aurora checking out the hairband. Very cute.

I would like to try Akershus for breakfast again. That will take a lot of convincing to get DH to come though.

 

[ksl5f123]

I really enjoy the American Adventure, Voices of Liberty and Fifes and Drums!! I know some people tend to brush it off but I look forward to it on each trip!!

I hadn't seen the Voices of Liberty since that 1st Epcot trip almost 20 years ago. We saw the American Adventure on our trip in 2000, but we had never seen the Fife and Drum corp before! They were all great! OK, maybe AA could use a little upgrade, but the others were wonderful!

That is disappointing about your meal. I always hate it when I enjoyed something and return only to find it not what I remembered!

Yeah. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't great like it was last year. I think I am ready for a break from Akershus - or at least to only do breakfast next time.

 

[ksl5f123]

I haven't seen the American Adventure in years. Can't say that we ever saw Fife and Drums??? I am guessing I never will unless I am by myself.

I have to say this was one of my greatest surprises as far as what the kids really wanted to do. They were really excited about these shows. They really liked the two live shows, but AA went over the heads of DD5 and DS2. DD7 enjoyed it, but she has had some of the history in school.

The kids look like they enjoyed Akershus. Love the picture with Aurora checking out the hairband. Very cute.

They love it there! I used to like it a lot. It just seems like the food goes down in quality each time. I remember back when it was GREAT when it first became a princess meal and the food was still really Norwegian. It was fabulous!

I would like to try Akershus for breakfast again. That will take a lot of convincing to get DH to come though.

Girls trip!

 

[ksl5f123]

We were done with lunch by 3:35 PM and on our way to the China Pavilion. Mama bear thought she remembered the Kidcot stop being in the store in the back, so we went there first – it wasn't there. While there, grandma bear decided to buy an outfit for the princess cub. Unlike her siblings, the princess cub couldn't really find anything that she valued enough to want to give up having money. Grandma bear pushed her into this purchase a little bit. The princess cub is obsessed with China right now. It started with Ni Hao, Kai Lan (for those not familiar with the preschool set, it is a Nick Jr. show). It continued with Mulan. Panda bears living there helps too. Anyway, here she is wearing the outfit later that evening:

Note from mama bear: If you ever buy one of these, DO NOT EVER wash it with anything else!!!! It gives off a ridiculous amount of dye!

We continued trying to find the Kidcot stop based on the mark on the map which had us walking nearly back to Norway. Nope, still not there. Ugh! So, we trudged back to the store where grandma bear was finishing her purchase. Finally, we asked a CM in the store and the Kidcot is now inside the pavilion next to the statues of the soldiers. Stamps acquired, we decided to walk back around to the front of the World Showcase and start the other side from Canada. One more picture from the China Pavilion.

As we got back to the WS entrance, we noticed that my line was pretty short at 4:35 PM. We quickly got in line with about 3 families in front of us. It took about 10 minutes and then we got our chance.
Here I am greeting the cubs:

They have pictures of me on their autographs cards! The youngest cub says, “This is YOU!”

Here are some pictures from the Photopass photographer:

Signing autographs:

The princess cub looks happy!

The youngest cub likes me!

Our group picture!

The princess cub got teased a little by the CMs since I didn't have any clothes. Mama bear mentioned to one of the CMs that the princess cub also insists that I am a girl. To that, the CM responded, “Oh, then she would want to have Minnie's teddy bear, X”. Mama bear can't remember what she said the name of Minnie's bear was because she was too busy trying to cover the ears of all of the children. The last thing she wanted was to go home with another set of bears so they could have the girl one!

 

[Becc1]

Our next goal was to see some of the shows in the America pavilion. We headed there because the Fife & Drum corp was scheduled to perform at 1 PM. Surprisingly, this was one of the things that the girl cubs really wanted to see. Here are some Flower & Garden pictures taken on the way there.

Here I am with my pal Mickey:

We got there a few minutes early so the princess cub continued to work on her Duffy. We also received a cute little passport entitled “Race around the world” and featuring the Cars. We were told that if we got all of the stickers (from America, Italy, Germany, and Japan) and brought it back to the World Showcase entrance we would get a prize.

At 1 PM, the Fife and Drum Corp started right on schedule and we all enjoyed their show.

Next we went into the pavilion and had a seat to hear the Voices of Liberty. We got to sit right at the front of the circle where the acoustics are awesome. They were outstanding!

Mama bear here: I have to share a memory. I remember seeing the Voices of Liberty (or an act just like them) back in 1982 when we went to Epcot for the very first time. I was 8 years old at the time (oops, dating myself). I love the kind of music they sing and was singing along. One of the men from the group tried to get me to come up with them and I froze in fright. WAY too shy! Fast forward to this trip. The gentleman that sings “Oh! Susannah “came out and was singing to MIL. He took her hand to help her stand with him and she pulled it back leaving him reeling. Apparently, our family is attractive to this group, but they always strike out.

Finally, we went into the American Adventure show. The cubs couldn't quite figure this show out. Mama bear had told the youngest cub that it was “a robot show”. That didn't work out well because he expected more Wall-E type robots rather than animatronics. Oh well. The adults liked it. With about 5 minutes left in the show, the youngest cub needed his 3rd potty stop, so grandma bear took him out. As the lights came on, the lady in front of us was complaining that the statues along the sides didn't talk this time. Now, we haven't seen this show in a really long time, but I don't remember those statues ever talking. Did they?

After the show, grandma bear asked what was next. Mama bear said, “We are going to work our way back to Norway for our lunch ADR”. At that, grandma bear took the youngest cub in the stroller and power walked straight to Norway. The rest of us stopped in Italy and Germany for stamps in the cub's passports. We arrived at Akershus about 10 minutes before our ADR time and got in line. As is our experience every time we go there, they were running a little behind. Mama bear took this picture while we were waiting in line. They have always had the grass up there, but we thought the flowers in a Mickey shape were a nice touch!

When we did get called inside, we had our pictures made with Belle. In the past, when we had a group of 7 people, we received 2 photos and they would take 2 different photos (such as one of just the kids and one of the whole family). This time, they only took 1 photo and just gave us 2 copies. We don't know if that is the new policy or just a fluke that day, but we don't like the change.

We were then seated right in the first room to the right. It was fine, but we really like the big main dining room better. We ordered our drinks, made a quick trip to the cold buffet, and ordered our entrees. The oldest cub loves this place because it is one of the few places that has ravioli on the kids menu (Tutto Italia doesn't, Mama Melrose doesn't, Via Napoli doesn't, Il Mulino doesn't – I don't get it.) The princess cub also had the Mickey ravioli and the youngest cub had a hot dog (minus the bun). Does anybody's cub eat the bun? Why do they even bother?

Mama bear had the same salmon sandwich that she had last June – it wasn't as good. Maybe it was just because she didn't like the soup choices. Maybe the salmon was a little overcooked. I don't know, but it just wasn't something to be excited about. Papa bear once again enjoyed the mushroom stuffed pasta. The cubs pretty much demolished the dessert plate. Mama bear isn't even sure she got any.

Soon, the princesses arrived. First there was Aurora:

Getting autographs:

The oldest cub says, “Look, I have a pin of you!”

Aurora says, “Wow! I'm even on your hairbow!”

and then Cinderella:

Cinderella admires me:

The youngest cub gets a blown kiss from Cinderella:

next, Snow White:

and finally, Ariel:

The princess cub says, “I have a dress just like yours!”

The girls joined in the little princess parade and seemed to have fun with that.

Your picture of the F&G show are making me want to take our next trip a littlr ealier next time, I love all of the characters!

That's a bummer about Akershus and the pictures, we've always gotten 2 poses as well. We always do one with all of the kids and one with just my DD which I hang in her room. I got outvoted for Akershus this year but I love that place!

 

[Becc1]

We were done with lunch by 3:35 PM and on our way to the China Pavilion. Mama bear thought she remembered the Kidcot stop being in the store in the back, so we went there first – it wasn't there. While there, grandma bear decided to buy an outfit for the princess cub. Unlike her siblings, the princess cub couldn't really find anything that she valued enough to want to give up having money. Grandma bear pushed her into this purchase a little bit. The princess cub is obsessed with China right now. It started with Ni Hao, Kai Lan (for those not familiar with the preschool set, it is a Nick Jr. show). It continued with Mulan. Panda bears living there helps too. Anyway, here she is wearing the outfit later that evening:

Note from mama bear: If you ever buy one of these, DO NOT EVER wash it with anything else!!!! It gives off a ridiculous amount of dye!

We continued trying to find the Kidcot stop based on the mark on the map which had us walking nearly back to Norway. Nope, still not there. Ugh! So, we trudged back to the store where grandma bear was finishing her purchase. Finally, we asked a CM in the store and the Kidcot is now inside the pavilion next to the statues of the soldiers. Stamps acquired, we decided to walk back around to the front of the World Showcase and start the other side from Canada. One more picture from the China Pavilion.

As we got back to the WS entrance, we noticed that my line was pretty short at 4:35 PM. We quickly got in line with about 3 families in front of us. It took about 10 minutes and then we got our chance.
Here I am greeting the cubs:

They have pictures of me on their autographs cards! The youngest cub says, “This is YOU!”

Here are some pictures from the Photopass photographer:

Signing autographs:

The princess cub looks happy!

The youngest cub likes me!

Our group picture!

The princess cub got teased a little by the CMs since I didn't have any clothes. Mama bear mentioned to one of the CMs that the princess cub also insists that I am a girl. To that, the CM responded, “Oh, then she would want to have Minnie's teddy bear, X”. Mama bear can't remember what she said the name of Minnie's bear was because she was too busy trying to cover the ears of all of the children. The last thing she wanted was to go home with another set of bears so they could have the girl one!

That's funny, they must have confused alot of people about moving the Kidcot station in China because they moved it back, lol. It was beside the cash register in the shop when we went.

Love the Duffy pictures! We saw him but weren't able to stop And the next day when we were in Epcot I didn't see him out at all

 

[pinkxray]

I know a lot of people don't like Duffy, but I think he is adorable. I don't think I would have made him the character that has all the outfits available and made him the kid stop sign, but I do like him doing a meet and greet and seeing the stuffed bear everywhere.

I wasn't aware that Minnie even had her own teddy bear.

 

[ksl5f123]

Your picture of the F&G show are making me want to take our next trip a littlr ealier next time, I love all of the characters!

That's a bummer about Akershus and the pictures, we've always gotten 2 poses as well. We always do one with all of the kids and one with just my DD which I hang in her room. I got outvoted for Akershus this year but I love that place!

I have always loved Disney's topiaries. Their gardeners are just so talented. So, I knew I would enjoy that part of F&G. But, I didn't realize how much the entire park is just covered in flowers! It is really beautiful and I would love to go back.

I really hope it was just an inexperienced photopass photographer. I much prefer 2 poses to 2 prints.

 

[ksl5f123]

That's funny, they must have confused alot of people about moving the Kidcot station in China because they moved it back, lol. It was beside the cash register in the shop when we went.

Love the Duffy pictures! We saw him but weren't able to stop And the next day when we were in Epcot I didn't see him out at all

You're kidding - I can't believe they moved the Kidcot back. I guess I will just have to ask the first CM I see in China next time rather than going looking for it. Apparently, it moves around a lot.

Thanks! The kids loved Duffy. I am sorry that you missed him. He is really cute.

 

[ksl5f123]

I know a lot of people don't like Duffy, but I think he is adorable. I don't think I would have made him the character that has all the outfits available and made him the kid stop sign, but I do like him doing a meet and greet and seeing the stuffed bear everywhere.

I wasn't aware that Minnie even had her own teddy bear.

I think he is cute - just expensive. I also would not have changed the Kidcot masks out for him.

Apparently Minnie's bear is popular in Japan (where the Duffy craze started), but isn't really out yet in the US. Just wait....

 

[ksl5f123]

After meeting me, the plan from had been to finish World Showcase including using the Kim Possible fastpass mama bear had gotten in the morning (our assigned country was France, I think? ). At this point, papa bear said, “I thought we were going to meet the fairies and they will be done for the day in 30 minutes.” Oh no. We completely forgot!

We rushed over to the Pixie Hollow garden and saw that Tinkerbell and Terrence were meeting and it was their last set of the day. They closed the line one family in front of us and then opened the line for Rosetta and Vidia. Now, this may be heresy to some, but the girl cubs could care less about meeting Tinkerbell who we have met before, they wanted Rosetta and Vidia who we have not met before. So, we were the 2nd family in line for their last set of the day. Here we are waiting in line:

Because we got there just as their line was opening, we had to wait about 20 minutes for Tinkerbell and Terrence to finish and then for Rosetta and Vidia to come out. They were outstanding!! It was like watching a comedy team. It was very windy this day and Rosetta was giving Vidia a hard time about it. This is one of the longest lines we had on our whole trip and it was totally worth it!

“Look, they have pictures of us!” I can't believe how many characters said that this time. It seemed to be a running theme.

Vidia said, “They even got my wings right. Mine are more pointed so I can go faster. Nobody ever draws my wings correctly.”

The fairies get the coolest Photopass borders!

It was now 5:30 PM and everyone was starting to drag a little. We decided to forgo anymore touring of the World Showcase and just head back to the Land pavilion to use our Soarin' fastpasses. Grandma and grandpa bear decided they weren't in the mood to ride Soarin' so they volunteered to take the youngest cub on Living with the Land while papa bear, mama bear, and the girl cubs did Soarin'. Mama bear timed it and from entering the queue to walking out took exactly 20 minutes. Not bad. As we entered the ride, the princess cub buckled me into the seatbelt with her. Unfortunately, at CM saw this and said that I had to ride in the cargo compartment under the seat. This made the princess cub very sad, but she complied.

After we rode, we still had grandma and grandpa bear's fastpasses to use. Mama bear thought she would take the princess cub on another ride (since this is one of her favorites). We hung back while papa bear and the oldest cub headed for the Land. Mama bear then made the extra ride offer to the princess cub, but she was very upset that I couldn't ride in her lap and so she didn't want to go on again. Mama bear quickly took off across the Land pavilion yelling papa bear's name. He finally stopped and we traded cubs. Mama bear took the oldest cub instead while papa bear took the princess cub on the Land. While we were waiting in line, the oldest cub made friends with a little girl in front of us in line. They chatted and traded pins and generally had fun waiting. Again, from entering the fastpass line to exiting the attraction was 20 minutes.

Our final ride of the day was Spaceship Earth at 6:30 PM. It was a complete walk-on. Mama bear rode with the youngest cub who REALLY enjoyed the touch screen. On this particular occasion we were apparently German speakers from somewhere in the ocean near Puerto Rico. Mama bear was just relieved that he pushed the button one more time because we were almost Japanese speakers.

It was now 7 PM and we were done for the day. We headed back to Wilderness Lodge. Mama and papa bear took the cubs to Roaring Forks for some supper. After staying at POR last summer, we have to say that the selection here was really disappointing. Mama bear ended up with a side salad and a Mickey bar because nothing else looked appetizing. Even with that, our bill was still $39! Oh, what we wouldn't have given for the salad and pasta stations in Riverside Mill at that moment.

Mama bear here: I am going to take this opportunity to give my overall impressions of Wilderness Lodge. Despite being the same size as Animal Kingdom Lodge, the lobby doesn't have the same “grand” feeling to me. The AKL lobby almost takes your breath away with the size and intricacy of the design. Maybe it is because WL is so dark, but I didn't get that same sensation. You can tell that I was unimpressed by the fact that I never even bothered to take one picture of the lodge. That said, the little bridge over the creek inside is fun to walk on, the store was nice, the CMs were all very nice, and the kids programs were fun.

The rooms: I wouldn't call the rooms at WL better or worse than the rooms we have had at any other resort. They are bigger than the rooms at POR which is nice, but the layout doesn't allow you to separate a pack & play the way the POR rooms do. DS2 could see everything going on in the room which made getting him to sleep challenging.

Mousekeeping: Was fine. We had a towel Mickey when we arrived, but since we didn't get service our first day, there was only one other day they made up our room. They didn't arrange the toys or do anything cute or interesting. I was a little annoyed that they seemed “put out” about having to bring us towels and empty our trashcans on our MK day.

Transportation: Well, obviously, we had a rotten bus experience the one time we tried to use it. We loved the boat which was our primary reason for staying here.

Overall impression: This had sort of been a dream resort for me, a place I really wanted to stay. While it was nice, it no longer holds that luster for me. It may be because I had built it up too much in my mind. By our 2nd day DD5 was asking if we could move to POR. She didn't like WL at all. Again, I think that was because it is so dark with all of the wood. She loved the white buildings (we stayed in the mansions both times we have been at POR) and all of the beautiful flowers and fountains of POR. Will we return to WL? At this point, I would say probably not. There are too many other resorts we want to try and it wasn't worth the extra cost over POR for us.

After supper, we packed up the room for our early morning departure the next day. Grandma and Grandpa bear volunteered to put the cubs to bed while mama and papa bear went to the beach for the Electrical Water Pageant. On the way to the beach, they walked by the geyser. This had been one thing that mama bear really wanted to see. Unfortunately, on this day, it was broken.

After arriving at the beach which was pretty empty, mama and papa bear found some lounge chairs and enjoyed the show.

Papa bear had seen this back in the '80s when he was a kid and they would stay at the Poly, but mama bear had never seen it before. The show was very cute, although dated. Mama and papa bear enjoyed this quiet time and stayed on the beach for a while even after the show ended. By the time we got back to the room, the girl cubs were asleep, but the youngest cub was bed hopping. We finally got him to settle down at about 11 PM – after being awake since 8 AM with no nap!

In the end, we did pretty well at Epcot including 7 rides, 2 meet & greets, 3 shows, and a TS meal. Unlike all of the other parks where we usually felt either on time or ahead of the plan, we always felt behind at Epcot. We also missed several things that we were planning to do such as see Miyuki and do a Kim Possible mission (both of which we also missed on our last trip). Because of the size of the World Showcase, it is too easy for us to overestimate what we can accomplish there. We just never seem to have enough time in Epcot.

Up next, DHS!

 

[pinkxray]

I am glad I am not the only one not that impressed by WL. I would pick POR over WL if those were my only choices. Everytime we went to RF, I missed the food court at POR.

I wasn't overwhelmed by the lobby either. I thought it was nice, but nothing special. At least you can save some money by staying at POR next time. I can't wait to see what the rooms are going to look like. It is going to be tough not going back, but there are still so many other resorts to try.

I have to say sometimes I forget that Duffy is narrating and not Mama bear. When the CM said to put you in the storage compartment I thought he said Mama bear had to go under the seat. That would have been interesting.

Good Job Papa bear for remembering that the fairies were ending soon. I can't believe someone's DH actually listens to things their wives say in Disney.

The fairy meets look fun. Vidia seems like she would be a great fairy to meet.

I love the Fairy borders on PP too. So cute.

I totally forgot to watch the EWP while at WL. Oh well. We say it last year when we were on the Pirates and Pals cruise, but I really wanted to be able to sit on the beach and see it.

 

[Becc1]

Love the pictures with the faries, yet more characters we had to pass up! I'll get into that more on my TR though.

Glad you and DH got some alone time, we've wanted to see the water parade for the past couple of trips but never make it in time.