Back so soon? Trip report June 24-29

[undertheseas]

Cast:
DH---36, loves roller coasters, only at Disney to please me and the kids
DD---short 6 year old (44 in) who is not scared of any roller coasters
DS---3 year old, 42 inches and mad he can’t ride everything his sister can
Me---31 and a big chicken, hates roller coasters and gets very motion sick

June 23rd and 24 th----left central MO at 12:30 pm and drove almost straight thru the night for 19 hours to arrive at WDW around 8:30 am. Checked into All Star Movies at 9am and was told we could have a Toy Story room but it was not ready yet so we caught a bus to Animal Kingdom to activate my annual pass and pick up everyone’s passes. We then went to the transportation/ticket to ride the monorail around Epcot (the line was huge for MK’s monorail), we rode round trip and DH called ASM but our room still was not ready so we went back to ASM to eat lunch at the hotel. Afterwards we went to the pool for a while, the room still wasn’t ready so we ate some ice cream and watched cartoons. At 3:00 our room still was not ready (I know they are not guaranteed before 3pm but geez, we checked in 6 hours ago). DS had fallen asleep in a wet swimsuit, DH was really dragging after driving thru the night, and we were all crabby. Finally I went to the front desk to complain and even the cast member couldn’t believe we didn’t have a room as of 3:30. She called housekeeping and finally at 4:00 we got in. The room was not exactly what we expected. The light over the sink had 2 of 5 light bulbs out, the soap dispenser was empty, there was mildew in the shower, a full ashtray outside our door (a non-smoking room) but we were just happy to get a room. We headed off to Downtown Disney where we ate at the Rainforest Café and did some shopping. On the way back to the hotel there was a torrential downpour. So much for getting lots of rest, we didn’t get to bed until after 10:00.

Friday June 25th----non-EMH at Magic Kingdom. We left the hotel later than we had hoped, 8:15. It was already hot and muggy, too crowded to see Mickey very well as he opened the park. I was already grumpy that everyone took too long to get around, that it was so hot and crowded, definitely not the right Disney mood so I told myself that I would not run everyone ragged just to stick to schedule. We took our time going into the park, took some pics of the kids in front of the castle, etc. Then my commando alter ego kicked back in and we ran to see if we were too late to wake Tinkerbell. To our surprise we were first!!! The cast member said most kids are timid in trying to wake Tink but not my DD, she was loud and persistent. They were really great at the store; they had the certificate and stickers waiting. We saw 2 other families try to wake Tank, I felt bad for them but it was our only morning in MK so I was thrilled for us. My happy Disney mood restored, we were off to Dumbo. We waited 15 min to ride, did Pooh (10 min wait maybe, it was quick) then the tea cups (no wait). DD said she saw either Tweedledee or Tweedledumb pretend to pick his nose and wipe a booger on a kid’s autograph book, luckily this meant we didn’t have to wait to see them LOL. Buzz Lightyear already had a long wait so we grabbed a FP and the plan was for DH and DD to wait for Space Mtn. Well DH saw the AstroOrbiter and wanted to ride. Comando Mom was back, I argued that it was just like Dumbo but higher up, why waste time on it? But I caved. The 15 min posted wait time was way off, DH and the kids were gone for almost 35 min, throwing off my schedule but they liked it so I held my tongue. We rode Buzz (DD got 200 pts, DS I think may have had 100 pts and this was the ride he really wanted to do, DH 200,000+ and mine was a miserable 36,000). DH and DD wanted to do Space Mtn (30 min standby) but DS was too short so he and I decided to do Indy Speedway (15 min wait) DS cried that he couldn’t drive, the wait was more like 25 min (tip: take the line on the right, it’s much shorter). Met back up with DH and DD who loved Space Mtn, was not scared in the least even though she had to ride in the front. By now it’s almost 11:00 and I planned on getting most of Fantasyland done before our PS at 12:30. We went to Toontown where we skipped Barnstormer in the interest of time. We saw Cinderella and 2 of the mice, Minnie and Chip and Dale, then Mickey. Grabbed a FP for Philharmagic on the way to Liberty Tree Tavern. Did Philharmagic which was AWESOME, I loved it. Skipped Peter Pan which was a mistake as we’d never get back to do it. Got a FP to Splash Mtn which was another mistake, we had to wait 40 min for Big Thunder Mtn RR. This long wait was enough to kill me. I was so hot and tired and forgot the water spray mister thing in the stroller, I thought I would pass out in this line. After the ride we went to rest and watch the parade near the arcade which was a good shady spot. By now we are way off schedule and still waiting on our FP for Splash Mtn so we went to Tom Sawyer Island for ice cream at Aunt Polly’s but it melted before the kids could even eat it. Over to Goofy’s Country Dancing. DD loved it, DS fell asleep waiting on the dance floor and a cast member told me we’d have to move. DS finally woke up in time to get a couple of dances in. Finally it was time for Splash Mtn and boy did the kids love it! We thought about getting another FP but the return time was during Spectromagic so we didn’t. Headed over to Aladdin (short wait), Jungle Cruise (5 min wait), Buzz again (my score tripled but was still an embarrassing 98,000). By now the sky is very threatening and we tried a couple of indoor restaurants but there were long waits. We ate at the Plaza Pavilion which was overpriced and not very good. Around 7:30 we headed over to the circle in front of the castle to wait for Spectro but right before it was ready to start there was a lot of lightning and Spectro was cancelled. Here we made another mistake, we assumed this meant the fireworks and later Spectro would be cancelled but they were not, we left. Back to ASM where the full ashtray was still there, still missing light bulbs and soap, now we’re also missing washcloths. Mousekeeping didn’t leave any. I had some of those disposable makeup washcloths so the kids and I used those for showers but DH was mad, he had to call 3 times and wait almost 90 min before someone brought washcloths. Luckily this was our last night at ASM.

Saturday June 26th---Goodbye to ASM! We drove over to MGM for EMH, again we arrived later than I wanted but I tried to tell myself the kids would never notice a difference. Straight to Tower of Terror (as did most of the crowd) and luckily the line went really fast, I don’t think we ever stood still so I didn’t have time to back out. DD can handle the scariest of roller coasters but any kind of scary movie and it’s nightmares for a week. The movie before the ride scared her and she spent most of the ride with her eyes closed and buried in my shoulder. I am always scared and had my eyes closed the whole time. But in all honesty, the ride really is not as bad as I imagined and everyone should do it at least once. Next we did Star Tours which DS loved but I was very motion sick after that one. Muppet 3D which was cute, I love the Swedish Chef and the old guys. We did all 3 of those during EMH so the commando in me was happy. Next we went to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. The standby time was 40 min so we decided to get a FP. The FP said the return time was 9:20 so we checked our watches, it was 9:20! So we got to go straight in. Weird. The show was good. Got a FP for Indy Jones (note we are running across the park several times already, poor planning and it wasn’t going to get any better). Went to the Backlot Tour and waited longer than the 10 min standby time posted. Now we noticed that our FP for Indy was at the same time as our PS at Primetime 50’s Café so we gave it away (not knowing that FP’s do not expire). Lydia at Primetime was great, so was the waitress next to us but I didn’t get her name. After eating we needed to go over to POFQ to check in so we were leaving the park and tried to catch Lilo and Stitch but they had already closed the line. The castmember said they would be back at 3:00 which meant no nap at the hotel room. We got lost trying to find the hotel but we arrived at 2:00. It was a dramatic improvement, our room was already done and very nice. But the bad news, my request for a room near transportation was not honored and we were in building 1 and the 3rd floor, the furthest from everything. The room though was spotless, seemed a lot roomier and even the parking lot view was nice as it was mostly trees. Back to MGM later than we wanted, DD and I sprinted to catch Lilo and Stitch but again we were 2 people too late. DS fell asleep in the stroller so DD and DH went to ride TOT and grab more FP’s for us all later. We missed Beauty and the Beast again. I realized we were almost at the end of the time for Al’s Toy Barn, how could I do so poor planning??? DS’s favorite hero is Buzz so we ran to find Al’s. I asked 3 cast members, each one told us somewhere different. We got there just before they stopped the line and got to meet Buzz, Woody, and Jesse. Then we saw Kermit and Miss Piggy, did Star Tours again for DS. Ran across the park to use the TOT FP. DD is not scared at all by the ride but won’t watch the show before it. We had to run to see the parade and I’m so glad we did. It was by far better than Share a dream in MK. Cruella DeVille came over to DD when she booed the villians. DD told her “don’t steal the puppies!” Cruella was awesome, in a terrible voice she said “you are this small compared to me and I can squash you like a bug!” DD figured out the more interactive she was the more attention she got so a lot of characters stopped in front of us. After the parade we FINALLY got to see Lilo and Stitch after 3 tries. Now the sky is threatening again. I was MAD. We only had 4 nights at DW and I planned to see each fireworks display and repeat our favorite. We had already missed one night, if we were going to see each display, tonight could not be cancelled. We ate at Pizza Planet (another dream of DS). At 7:30 we headed to Fantasmic just in time for the lightning and rain. We waited over an hour in the rain before they cancelled the early Fantasmic. We waited so long that finally they allowed the crowd to wait in the Beauty and the Beast theatre and let us in first for the late showing which was really great of them because I did not want to miss it. The show was awesome, I loved it, it was worth 3 hours of waiting.

Sunday June 27th---Ooops! I planned today to be our day at Epcot and somehow I got it into my head that it was an EMH day. So we arrived about 90 minutes before the park opened. DUH! I felt awful, we could have slept another hour and after a late night we needed it. As soon as we were allowed into the park we hot footed it to Mission Space and Test Track but alas the holiday double decker bus arrived at the same time. Commando Mom sent DH to get FP’s while the kids met Captain Hook/Smee, Jiminy Cricket, Brother Bear, etc. There was only a short wait for M:S so DH and DD did that while DS and I shopped in Mousegears. We did TT which we all liked but it’s short. Then we did Ice Station Cool (I tried to get a pic of DH drinking Beverly but he was emotionless, jerk LOL) The Living Seas was next, met Nemo and Dory but the rest of it was kind of a bust, the dolphins wouldn’t come into the tank. We bought a passport and started our World Tour of Kidcot. I really recommend Kidcot, my kids loved it and it was neat talking to all the different people. In France DH spotted a penny making machine and that was his thing the rest of our vacation, we have a bunch of money in pennies. We got to Morraco just in time for our PS at Restaurant Marrekesh but we saw a sign that Aladdin was also due at the same time. We spotted Aladdin and Jasmine in the shops across the street. As we approached them no one else was in line but they started to walk off and I got upset. I shouldn’t have worried. Aladdin grabbed DS’s hand and said “let’s go greet my friends” and they waved to the passing characters on the double decker bus. I got some great pics of Aladdin picking up DS and Jasmine holding DD’s hand. Then we ate lunch which was great. Hardly anyone else was in the restaurant which was a shame, the food was great and so was the service. For once I timed it just right and as we were eating the belly dancer came out. She invited DD to come out and dance, it was soooooo cool! DS had fallen asleep eating, I’ve never seen anyone reach for and eat a fry while sleeping, we had to watch him to be sure he didn’t choke. Onto the other countries, in some we knew how to say hi in their native language but in others we had to ask. When we got to Norway I asked how to say Hi and she said “we just say hi”. LOL We rode Malestrom which was tame compared to other rides but we liked it. We were all hot and tired so we left to go back to the resort (did I mention how far away building 1 level 3 of POFQ is from the bus stop??) and then came back. Test Track was out of FP’s so DD and Dh rode M:S again. By now it’s 7:00 and sure enough, here come the rain clouds again. The last time DH and I were here you had to get good seats for Illuminations because of the lasers so this time we wanted to get there early. We ate fish and chips at Yorkshire and DH scored some great seats on a bench right on the lagoon behind Rose and Crown, just in time for the rain to start. He ran to Japan to get DD’s pearl we had set into a necklace and then to the World Showcase to get a penny. Illuminations was good but not in the same league as Fantasmic and I didn’t see why the view wouldn’t be just as good from the World Showcase. When we left the bus stop was packed, each aisle for PO was full and the line went past the next stop too.

Monday June 28th---EMH at Animal Kingdom (it really was EMH this time). I wore water sandals for Kali, big mistake (I really seem to be making a lot of mistakes). We ran and got one of the early safaris without much of a wait. It was great! We saw rhinos, vultures, it was stopped for several minutes for a greater kudu in the road, tigers, cheetas, giraffes, a bunny rabbit---after I told DD we wouldn’t see one, it was for exotic animals only---and elephants. Then we did the walking tour which was neat but after a few days of running and blisters we were all pooped out. Next was the Festival of the Lion King. Do not miss this show!!!! It was one of our favorites. Then It’s Tough to be a Bug which was good too. Kali River Rapids was only thing we wanted to see before a nap at the hotel. The standby time was 20 min and the FP return time was a couple of hours away so we stood in line but it was 35 min not 20. Neat ride but too short, DD and I were soaked to the bone. Back to the room to nap and then we headed to the MK. It was our last day at the parks and we wanted to get more rides in. We thought we could maybe do Splash Mtn during the parade but by the time we got there the parade started and we couldn’t cross the street. After the parade the return time was 9:00. We took the kids to get haircuts and pixie dust. It was great!!! $14 each, well worth it. Got a FP for Space Mtn but the return time was 8:30. We ate at Plaza Restaurant, very over-rated. DH and DS wanted to wait for Buzz, DD and I wanted to do Cinderella’s Surprise. And just to be consistant, the rain started but this time the lightning was severe and the wind was awful. DD and I ran to Buzz where we had to wait for about 30 min just for the rain to die down a little. We tried to get a FP for Philharmagic but we could only get 2 because of the Space Mtn FP. All the indoor rides had waits of 70 min or more, the outdoor rides were closed due to rain and lightning. So much for getting our favorite rides in again. Headed to Ariel’s Grotto but she wouldn’t come out until they started Dumbo again so we waited over 30 min. and finally got to meet Ariel, she was great. By now it was time to get seats for Spectro and we weren’t leaving until we saw it and Wishes, rain or no rain! We got the corner spot right on Main St in front of the circle. It’s a great spot for kids and because our kids were bright green and red heads, a couple of cast members came over to talk to us. They invited our kids to do the hokey pokey and other dances while we waited. Finally we got to see Spectro and Wishes, it was only marred by having some jerk walk right in front of us during the finale but it was wonderful. A great way to end our stay at the parks.

Tuesday June 29th----our only morning to buy breakfast, I wanted beignets from the Floatworks. Good but it’s not Café du Monde. Then the kids and DH went swimming while I did laundry. Our room could not be any further from the laundry and carrying a full basket of dirty clothes. I did 3 loads in the washer ($2 each) and then started drying. We had hoped to finish early, check out and go on a boat ride but the stupid dryers wouldn’t cooperate. I was doing my 4th time on the dryers ($2 each time) when I complained to the man also waiting. He said the dryer vent must be clogged and to open any dryer doors not being used. I did it, but it made the room sooooo hot. God bless that man, finally my clothes were dry even though I was soggy with sweat. 2 hours of drying clothes and I didn’t feel like a boat ride so we left Disney, headed for Cocoa Beach.

So here’s my final thoughts:

Thumbs up for: Philharmagic, EMH, non-Disney character ponchos (we felt like celebrities in our Veggie Tale ponchos from Branson, everyone was yelling “Hey Bob and Larry!” and it was easy to spot , FP, Fantasmic, Festival of the Lion King, POFQ, Wishes, Waking Tinkerbell, belly dancing, Kidcot, haircuts with pixie dust.

Thumbs down for: the hot and humid weather, the nightly rain (I expected afternoon rain when we could nap but it happened in the evenings), Kali River Rapids, the laundry at the resorts, Sword in the Stone closed for the 3rd week in a row, All Star Movies mousekeeping, blisters.

Tips: Allow more money for bottled water. We took water every morning but it was gone by lunch and it got too hot too fast when refilling from water foundations. Take a stroller!!! Take your own breakfast food, it’s cheaper and faster. Take rain ponchos. Plan your rides ahead of time, even if you don’t follow it strictly it will help you tremendously. Buy a water mister fan at home, they are $17 at the parks.

Even though we missed a lot of things we really wanted to see, we loved it all and I want to try to talk DH into going back before my annual pass expires! I will post a dining report separately. If you have any questions on my trip to DW, our stay at Cocoa Beach or the trip from MO please let me know!

 

[disneyisfun]

Great trip report..thanks!! I have never heard of waking up Tink...how do you go about doing that?

 

[tinawv]

I enjoyed reading your trip report. Sounds like you managed to have a good time in spite of the hot weather. Hope you had a great time at Cocoa Beach also.

 

[jennymouse]

Great reporting! We went the second week of June and had lots of rain as well. We missed Fantasmic, but did get to see Illuminations and Wishes. It was so hot the kids just wanted to swim, so we did more of that this trip then we ever have before. I'm going to try and skip Summers in WDW from now on! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Minniespal]

Great report ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[mickeymom629]

We are planning a trip for the same time next year and I'm thinking of getting an AP for myself. Were you able to get reservations at the resorts at a discount using your AP? I've never had one. We will probably try for Pop Century and we need two adjoining rooms.

Great report! Glad you had a good time.

 

[undertheseas]

disneyisfun, Waking Tinkerbell is really neat! The first child to go into the store "Tinkerbelle's Treasures" and ask to wake up Tinkerbell gets to yell "wake up" and use a magic wand. Once she's awake, she "flies" around the room and you hear twinkling around the store. You can then also see her fly into a dresser. (OK really it's just a light but it's still cool) The lucky child gets a certificate and Tink stickers.

jennymouse, I agree, no more summers for us. It was just too hot and rainy.

mickeymom629, yes we were able to use the AP discount. That was the only way DH would agree to stay on-site. I'd call early though and if you don't get the resort you want, keep trying. We were at AS Music but got into AS Movies and POFQ later on.