Barefoot, Pregnant, and in Walt Disney World!

[apirateslife4us!]

Hi all! Our family is planning our second trip to WDW (crossing fingers!) this June. Revisiting the Dis Boards made me feel all nostalgic toward that first trip : This time we have a brand new two-year old coming along, with big brother (five) and big sis (eight) to show him the ropes!

Included in this TR:

Page One-
Day 1: Flight, Arrival, and Disney's Hollywood Studios!
Day 2: Magic Kingdom! (EMH morning!)
Day 3: Animal Kingdom!
Day 4: Typhoon Lagoon, A Magical Moment, and Epcot-World Showcase!

Page Two-
Day 5: Magic Kingdom, the Sequel!
Day 6: Epcot-Future World, Checkout and The Flight Home

I know this is a three-year-old trip, but this trip report is truly for the sake of my little family... because, reading through the Dining Report I did back then, I can't believe how quickly all those happy memories and details have already melted away! I want to preserve whatever I can still dig up

So here it is! My Better-Late-Than-Never, three years overdue trip report!!

AKA

Barefoot, Pregnant, and in Walt Disney World!

I'm sure NO ONE remembers me from way back when I obsessed over whether to bring a stroller or rent, and what park to visit on what day, and ESPECIALLY the time-old debate: are EMH awesome or evil?? I can't promise these questions will be answered DEFINITIVELY or anything, but you'll see my take on it

And since you all undoubtedly don't remember me at all, here is a Dining Report I did in case you'd like a little background... and nope, I never mentioned being pregnant in it. I think it had to do with getting flak from my family about being "crazy" to go to Disney World while so very pregnant, and being moody and hormonal and wanting a place where no one would ever know, heh heh!

Again, the dining report:

A Kid-Oriented Dining Plan!

So, THIS trip report will be from the point of view of the following cast of characters (it's like a time-capsule... we're all trapped in our ages from three years ago!):

Myself, aka Daisy!
...loves a good time and getting pampered... and six months pregnant! Gets quacked at a lot by Donald!

DH, aka Donald!
...lovable and funny; short-tempered but shhh, don't tell him that!

DD5, aka Tinker Bell!
...feisty and sweet; fun-loving but get her mad and watch out!

DS2, aka Peter Pan!
...fast and daring and very charming; nothing gets rid of his smile!

**We stayed for six days, five nights at the Pop Century on the dining plan

**The dates were Monday June 11th to Saturday June 16th, back in 2007.

**We took a red-eye flight from the west coast, with layovers!! We wanted to get to Disney World in the morning to make the most use of our first day

**We had no park hopper but we did the Water Parks and More option (and did NOT use that to its full advantage!)

So... what was it like being six months pregnant at Disney World in June? With a five year old and two year old along too? In a nutshell, HOT! But the dining plan fit my belly like glove, yummm!! It figures, being pregnant, the dining report is the only thing I focused on right after getting back!! Hopefully reading through my old pictures and Dining Report will bring back lots of memories and this Trip Report will be a nice recap.

If anyone with kids, or (dare I say) who is preggers has any questions... or anyone at all, ask away! And thanks for reading!

 

[dellasgirl]

Hi
Can't wait to read the report
We are going in June also and bringing my DD#1 who will be just a tad over 6 months pregnant.
She is dead bent on going with us and has promised to take it easy but i still worry--all part and parcel of being a mom.

 

[apirateslife4us!]

Oh wow Dellasgirl, she's about as pregnant as I was! My mom begged me not to go, but I'm really glad I did!! All I can say is make sure she plans for a good long nap every afternoon. That really recharged me and I was able to last a lot longer in the cooler evenings

Also, if you're flying in, my ob-gyn prescribed some thigh-high support hose to wear under my pants because of the varying pressure on the airplane. She might want to ask her doctor about it

 

[apirateslife4us!]

DAY 1: The Flight, Arrival, and Disney's Hollywood Studios!

Here it was at last! The evening of our first trip to Disney World! Tink (aged 5) and Peter (an older aged 2) both had NO IDEA what was going on or where they were going (tee hee hee!!!!). Our flight had a change-planes layover in Miami, and was a red-eye.

Being a six month pregnant lady, my ob-gyn prescribed these support hose thigh-high things to wear under my pants. Boy were those things tight!! She also told me to walk up and down the aisles twice an hour to help with circulation... yeah right! I mean, I tried! But I was tired!! It was a red-eye! Plus, waddling up and down the aisle was not fun. I'm not a "petite" pregnant-type. I get huge!

So ANYWAY, back to the story...

We debated about whether to put the kids to bed and wake them when it was time to leave or just keep them up. In the end we put them to bed early and used those precious two hours to wrap up lots of last minute packing!

Packed for the kids, thanks in HUGE part to many many Dis Board members:

For the plane:

A backpack for each, with new dollar tree toys to keep them entertained.

Snacks, books, pillow, blanket, one favorite snuggy toy from home.

For Disney World:

Dollar Tree glow sticks and glow necklaces.

Autograph books and pens.

Other things that came in handy, and I'll edit this if my memory comes through

Okay, back to the story...

The kids were surprisingly alert when we tried to sneak them into their carseats without waking them. The husband was determined to keep our destination a secret, so we just told them we were going to the airport on a trip! Tink's eyes were enormous. I can't imagine what she must have been thinking... one minute she was asleep in her bed, the next she's being shuttled in the dead of night and told she was about to fly in an airplane!

The Ultimate Stroller

I remember the agony of deciding which stroller to bring. Or whether to rent one there. I didn't want Tink to have aching feet as her biggest Disney memory, so I decided that we'd bring a double stroller. But I wanted something light and easy. I found a Costco brand double umbrella stroller that folds up to almost the same size as a single umbrella stroller! LOVE that, still have it for this trip, woot woot!!

What does that have to do with the airport? It was great! Tink was big enough to walk around an airport, and we used her seat as a luggage carrier. We even used the sun shades to hold their blankets and pillows! Best. Stroller. Ever.

Back to the story...

The lines at airport security were not great, but we made it through and got to our flight with time to get settled.

Controversy Alert!!

Our pediatrician recommended, for the change in sinus pressure that would happen in flight, that we give each kid a dose of Benadryl about fifteen minutes before take-off. It would alleviate-- apparently-- excess fluid from building up, or something. All I know is, Benadryl just so happens to cause drowsiness. Did this work in our favor? You bet! It knocked little Peter out for a while and caused a relaxed Tink to drop off for some in-flight sleep too. Our neighboring passengers and even the flight attendants commented several times on our how "good" our kids were on a five hour flight!! I'm not in mind to start any debates, just wanted to share what worked for us

Back to the story again....

The layover in Miami was a HUGE hassle!! Oh my goodness, we are so grateful to have found cheap nonstop flights for our upcoming June trip!! By the time we got off, the Benadryl had worn off and the kids didn't want to sit still! They had all this bottled up energy and an airport isn't the safest or most convenient place to have two kids run around like nut cases. My legs felt so swollen, even with the pregnant-lady support hose under my pants. I just wanted to be at Disney World already, whine whine whine!

My husband bought breakfast for his cranky pregnant wife and two wild children, which helped a lot. Boy were those kids bright-eyed and bushy tailed. By the time we boarded our connecting flight Tink and Peter were jumping up and down about the plane's wheels, wings, everything. We figured it was only a short flight to Orlando so we skipped the Benadryl and let them play with the new toys in their backpacks.

Arrival!

I kept wondering, "When are the kids, especially Tink, going to figure out where we're going?" The airport itself in Orlando didn't have TOO much to give anything away to a COMPLETELY unsuspecting five year old. Then we got to the area with Mickey hands pointing the way to Disney's Magical Express. Tink noticed, but didn't make any connection to Mickey's hands and our vacation. We boarded the bus with Mickey on the side, and she asked us, "What kind of a bus IS this?" And we told her, "A magic one." She asked, "Where does it go?" The husband just kept saying, "You'll see!" When the movie about the Disney World Resorts started playing on and Tink asked in a super-excited voice, "Is this a Disneyland bus?" Several passengers chuckled and we have it on video, soooo cute.

We got to Pop Century around eleven in the morning and changed clothes in the bathroom by the arcade. Although check-in was not until 3pm, we registered with the resort and they gave us our room keys all loaded with our Dining Plan Credits and park tickets. They even held all our carry on luggage for us and said they would have everything put in our room once it was ready. Yay Disney!

Our plan for day one was Disney's Hollywood Studio and by the time we got there we were ready to eat! We had lunch at Pizza Port (and learned the hard way that everyone is right, the portions are big! The kids could have shared a meal easily). After that, we hoped to go on a few rides or watch some shows, and that's when we got the call that our room was ready (early! It was only around 1pm, yay Disney!!) We wanted to tough it out and keep going at the park-- the husband seemed capable of hanging in there-- but his pregnant wife was thoroughly exhausted!!! I tried! I really wanted the kids to see the stunt show and the car show, but halfway through the Beauty and the Beast I realized the error of trying to get through the park in any real way, and we called it quits.

The room, so clean, so quiet and dark. I don't think I've ever fallen asleep so fast! I honestly don't remember if he took the kids to the pool or if they hung out watching TV, all I know is, I slept!

Up next... part two of Disney's Hollywood Studio!

 

[dellasgirl]

thank you for the reassurance--we are driving--DH DOES NOT FLY-
but i have the locations of all rest areas and alternate stops already listed.
The benadryl controversy is a hot topic--you gotta do what you think is right and if it helps--which for you it did--GREAT
SS about your legs
That is so precious when your DD caught on to where you were going

 

[apirateslife4us!]

Hi Dellasgirl! Aw, poor DH! Flying isn't for everyone

Benadryl... I KNOW I certainly hide behind the sinus pressure take on it. I'm glad the idea came from my pediatrician!!

There's a "7 months pregnant" thread floating around, I think a lot of moms have done it. Lots of water and taking it easy seem to be the consensus... it worked for me

 

[apirateslife4us!]

Day 2: Magic Kingdom!


I've always been an early-bird-- plus, I was at Disney World!!-- so I wasn't surprised to be the first one awake at like... six in the morning It took me no time to get ready, and I knew the kids wouldn't sleep for much longer so despite our 10am ressie at Crystal Palace I zipped off to the Pop Century food court for something to tide us over. I used a snack credit for a big box of donuts (that was a happy surprise) and another for big thing of milk.

Back at the room I let the kids wake up "naturally" by making plenty of noise as I got their things ready OH I just remembered a trick about quick mornings!

One Possible Trick For Quick Mornings:

Have the kids' outfits already pre-separated into gallon-size ziploc bags. That was an AWESOME idea someone here on Dis shared! Every outfit was pre-packaged in its own baggie: shirt, shorts, and undies. All I had to do was grab a baggie and hand it to my DH and he knew what to do... no matching clothes, or inability to find a shirt or whatever. It was also great for the parks! We kept one baggie for each kid in our backpack, and if they got soaked on a ride or anything the change of clothes was all set, AND I had a convenient bag for their wet things.

Okay, back to the story...

This was an EMH morning for Magic Kingdom, and we got there around 8:30am. It was hard not to rush right to rides, but I wanted some pictures before the crowds got too bad. We didn't make it to Fantasyland until 9am and it was HOT! Our first ride was Dumbo and even under those white shade things I was pouring sweat. Fantasyland was incredibly crowded and I wonder now if EMH was a bad idea! We did make it through Peter Pan and Small World, and then it was time for Crystal Palace. Oh, but we stopped at Tea Cups, making the judgment call to go on one more ride at the risk of our Crystal Palace ressie! We made it a tiny bit late and were seated anyway, and had a wonderful time (check out the Dining Report in my siggy if you want to know about it).

By the time we left Crystal Palace the heat was getting intense. The kids played at the tiki splash pad but it was so hot I didn't bother changing their clothes. We did the jungle cruise and some others before my whining kicked in. I pitched DH the idea of a split-shift Disney day.

The Split-Shift Disney Day

An idea that worked well for my hot, pregnant self and my two little ones. We hit the park early, left around twelve-1pm, and chilled by the pool, or napped. Around 6pm or so we returned to finish the park.

DH liked the split-shift idea, and we got back to the resort for some R&R. I can't remember now if I went to the pool or not, but I definitely had a nap! I forced a nap on the kids because I wanted them happy for a late evening. This was easier than I thought! They resisted at first, but I told them to lie down and when they woke up it would be time for Magic Kingdom again. Five minutes of whining later, and surprisingly they were both asleep.

We returned to the park later on and I felt SOOO revived! We went back to Adventureland area to finish up, including a stop for some Dole whips, yummmm, and Tink's very first ride on Pirate's of the Caribbean! Crowds seemed much better, and we did a lot on that side of the park. After dinner at Columbia House we watched Spectromagic and finished all the rides we were interested in, but saving Tomorrowland and Toontown for another day.

Lessons learned:

**Fantasyland was insane at park opening! I don't know if it ever gets better, and am afraid for our upcoming trip

**Evenings in the park are awesome. Much cooler, and without as much heat the crowds feel more bearable. Plus, it wasn't an EMH evening so maybe it wasn't as crowded for that reason too.

 

[dellasgirl]

In the summer months i think it is essential to do a split day at the parks.
glad the kids took a nap and you too!!
the evening portion of your day sounds so much happier

 

[apirateslife4us!]

Awww Dellasgirl, you're so loyal to keep up with my trip report

YES, you're so right about breaking up the day during summer! It won't even be a question this time around And you're right, the evening portion of the day was a lot better!!

I'm really glad I'm doing this right before my next trip... it's reminding me of a lot of tips and tricks I'd forgotten!

 

[apirateslife4us!]

Day 3: Animal Kingdom!

Today was one of those last-minute-addition days. Originally, we were going to skip Animal Kingdom and go to Typhoon Lagoon. After reading about the safari on Dis, and knowing Tink's LOVE of animals, we decided to include Animal Kingdom after all and squeeze Typhoon Lagoon in another day.

I'd heard that the best way to see lots of animals on the safari was to go as early as possible, so I woke up really early and hurried to the Pop food court, this time picking up two counter service breakfasts to share. Even hurrying, we were all sluggish from our late night at Magic Kingdom and we didn't make it to Animal Kingdom until an hour past park opening (I want to say it was an EMH and we made it around 9am). I was so hyperfocused on getting to the safari that I didn't take in the awesomeness of AK... I don't even remember what the entrance looks like!

The line at the safari was enormous, but the fast pass return was 11:30am. Oh no!! I had envisioned getting to the park at opening and being one of the first in line! The animals would be hot and hiding by 11:30am, but the line looked so long... I did a mental tug-of-war and decided that the line had to be shorter than two and a half hours. We did not fast pass.

Big mistake. It was hot. The kids were miserable in that never-ending line. And by the time we made it to the other side it was 11:15am Gee, we saved a whole fifteen minutes standing in the line of my children's nightmares. But yay!! We were finally on the safari!

The safari is AMAZING!!! Even hours after park opening we saw every animal there could have been to see, even a gorgeous lion! An ostrich crossed in front of our jeep, Tink was extremely impressed! It felt like we were really in Africa... incredible. This is more than a ride, it's truly an experience and I'm really glad we didn't skip this.

After the safari we were starved, and we headed to the Flame Tree BBQ for a less than awesome lunch (the dining report has the details). After that we went to the Lion King show, but Peter fell asleep in his stroller before we went in. I stayed out with him while DH and Tink saw the show, in the hopes of preserving his nap and his mood He was still asleep when DH and Tink returned, and by then I was feeling the heat. This was the HOTTEST day of our trip, easily. I was feeling overheated and in need of a nap. Our early dinner ressies at Ohana also factored into our decision to leave, so we didn't see very much of this park but we have lots to look forward to for next time

Refreshed from a shower and a nap, we headed to the Polynesian. Ohana was fantastic (again, the review is in my dining report) and after dinner we spent an hour or two on the beach, just letting the kids be silly on the sand. After cleaning up we took the monorail to the MK stop so we could catch the shuttle back to our resort. I was feeling rested and awake, and took the kids swimming in the Pop Century pool. A night swim was so fun, and nothing I would do back home. Plus it felt like heaven to be weightless, especially my sore feet!

Lessons learned:

** If the line is insane at the safari, use the fast pass!

** Plan for sand play at the Polynesian!

** It's a good idea to have an evening to relax and be "on vacation!"

 

[michellem1118]

If you want to avoid the crowds, be at park opening at a non-EMH park, especially for your MK day. If you're at MK for rope drop & head straight to Fantasyland, you should be able to get all of the rides there done in about an hour... but on an EMH morning.... well, you saw that last time.

 

[dellasgirl]

Glad you rode the safari but the heat must have horrible
Glad you were able to have a great time at the pool
keep it comming

 

[apirateslife4us!]

Hi Michelle! Thanks for reading through my thread Yes, I learned my lesson about EMH mornings at Fantasyland This time we have to go back to MK on an EMH morning because it was the only day we could book Crystal Palace (that's another one I'm semi-trying to switch, but at least I got it). Our plan is to skip Fantasyland altogether that day, and when we go back to MK three days later it'll be a non-EMH morning. We'll try to take your advice and be there at rope-drop for a Fantasyland morning!!

Dellas!! Yay you're sticking with me That night at the pool and all of our visit to the Poly was one of my favorite memories from that trip

 

[apirateslife4us!]

Day 4: Typhoon Lagoon and Epcot!

Sooo, this was supposed to be our day at Epcot! But since the day before we skipped Typhoon Lagoon to visit Animal Kingdom, we decided to split our Epcot day up so we could still squeeze in the water park. For this day, we would only go to the "countries" side of Epcot (World Showcase), and visit Epcot again on our checkout day for the "sciencey" side (Future World).

Because of our Epcot plan, we wanted to get to Typhoon Lagoon as early as we could. Typhoon was the only park that we actually made it to park opening for! We LOVED this park. The whole tropical theme made me feel relaxed and the place had shade everywhere. As we walked in I knew I was going to have fun and I wasn't disappointed, especially when something magical happened...

Our Magical Moment...

As we walked up the path toward the main area of the park, we stopped and asked a CM where the lockers and towel rentals were. She was a sweet woman who I wished I remembered her name. I'll never forget her face though! She smiled at us and asked, "Have you ever had a magical moment in Disney World?" My DH and I didn't really know how to answer. We smiled back and let her know that there were too many to count! She then gave us a locker key and said that this was the year of a million dreams, and she was giving us a special magical moment. She told us to take that key to a specific locker. There we would find a little something that would make our day a Disney day. It was all so exciting, so special, even just getting the key from her. She looked really happy giving it to us too!

A free locker rental awaited us, and inside was a "Magical Moment" certificate, four towels, a little waterproof box that hung on a string around your neck (for keys, money, etc-- I still use it whenever I go to the beach!), and two souvenir refillable water park mugs! We still have and use our mugs, and I just found out that if we take them back on our upcoming trip, we can buy a $5 sticker to have unlimited refills on our Typhoon Lagoon day I'll never forget our magical moment We'd never had anything like that happen to us EVER! The entire park seemed covered in pixie dust after that, and our hearts belonged to Disney!

Back to the story...
We headed for the little kid area, and the kids went on the little inner tube water slide so many times I lost count somewhere after twenty! The lazy river was my favorite, but while Peter and I drifted along, DH and Tink made it into race and we lost them, which was fine because DH wanted to take Tink to the wave pool and some of the bigger water slides, while Peter wanted to go back to the kid area.

I stayed with Peter for around two hours in the kid area! I don't think he ever wanted to leave It was a lot more crowded by that time and he didn't understand why he had to wait his turn on the water slide that previously had belonged almost exclusively to himself and his sister. Eventually I dragged him away and found DH and Tink at the wave pool. Peter and Tink played in the sand while DH used some snack credits to tide us over. After our snack (and all the fountain drinks we cared to have!) we took one last trip on the lazy river and left Typhoon Lagoon.

The thing I loved best about Typhoon Lagoon was the relaxing atmosphere, and the fact that I didn't feel hot. I would just splash myself and get in the shade and I felt fresh and comfortable. The kids didn't whine-- that I can recall-- and I think it was because there was so much to do that didn't require standing in a line for. This was my favorite park!

Back at the resort we changed and took a breather. We had ADRs for Akershus Princess dinner in Epcot (Norway) and we had a wonderful meal (see my dining report for details). We relaxed at Akershus, enjoying our princess meal for at least an hour and a half, which was great because I felt recharged afterward! Then we visited all the country pavilions but we didn't bother with any of the rides, since we'd gotten to Epcot so late. The kids didn't know that Epcot had rides and were enjoying themselves seeing all the countries, and so did we! I do think we rushed the pavilions because it was getting late and we didn't want to miss any of the countries. We left just before Illuminations started, because by then our Typhoon Lagoon day was catching up with us and even DH was joining the whine festival. Leaving before Illuminations might have worked in our favor because the bus line was practically empty and we got on the first bus back

This was a fun day! I'd love to go back to World Showcase with more time and really enjoy each of the countries' unique experiences. Hopefully it'll work out that way for our upcoming trip!

Lessons Learned:

** Getting to Typhoon Lagoon early works out great! The kids' area is practically empty!

** Typhoon Lagoon is so worth it!

** An evening at World Showcase is okay for a walkthrough, but not to really see everything. It's a good thing we're going back!

 

[dellasgirl]

Congrates on your 'magical moment'
Just read your dining reviews and they are very good--loved all the details you put in
Typhoon Lagoon sounds like fun--we have never done a water park--probably never will but i love reading about it.

 

[apirateslife4us!]

Hi Dellas! I saw your comment on my Dining Report Thank you! I had a lot of fun writing that up, and my DH and I still love reading through them!

 

[apirateslife4us!]

Day 5: Magic Kingdom, the Sequel!
For our last full day at WDW, we decided to go back to Magic Kingdom and visit Tomorrowland, along with any other kid favorites. This was not an EMH morning, and as usual the day started with me sneaking off to the Pop food court while the kids and DH slept.

We were pros at getting up and out the door quickly by this point, and we made it to MK almost at park opening. We got to Tomorrowland and found the place practically empty! No exaggeration, we walked on Buzz Lightyear three times with zero wait. This was Peter's absolute favorite ride We could have done it another ten times and I doubt he'd have gotten bored!

Next we rode the transit authority thing, then DH and the kids rode the Speedway (pregnant women shouldn't ride this, so I tried to take pictures, failing because I couldn't find them until they sped off). It was getting hot, and we had an eleven am ADR at Chef Mickey's. BUT, the lines were still low and Tink REALLY wanted to ride the rockets, so we went ahead and risked it.

We got off the rockets at 10:45am! And we had to make it out of the park, wait for the monorail and check in-- SUPPOSEDLY-- a few minutes prior to our 11am reservation

The Mad Rush to the Monorail! Not Advisable!!

The mad rush to the monorail followed the super-fun rocket ride. Charging through the park trying to make it out to be at the Contemporary resort felt like its own rocket ride!! We must have looked like a family of insane people... a man racing at full speed pushing a double stroller while a giant pregnant lady ran after him screaming "Hurry!! Go faster! Leave me if you have to!! I'll catch up!!!" My mom had begged me to take it easy, and she would have DIED seeing me ram through the incoming crowd, one hand on my belly and the other waving around in a panic! I did say excuse me!! All I knew was, we could not miss Chef Mickey's!!! We had yet to see Mickey Mouse and Peter had his heart set on it! Plus, Tink got to see her princesses at Akershus so it would be unfair if Peter didn't get his restaurant pick!! Git! Mush! Yah... yah... run husband, RUN!!!

DH made it to the monorail! I would have been perfectly fine with him jumping on the monorail that was waiting there. He could have walked right on it, gotten to Chef Mickey's and I'd have been right behind him! But I didn't have breath left to yell, "Go on without me!!" Poor guy, he stood there like the dude in a war movie deciding between saving his buddy and saving himself. In the end, he came back for me and let the monorail go. Such a sweetheart But if we had missed our ADR he would never have heard the end of it!

So another monorail arrived about five minutes later and we crossed our fingers and enjoyed the ride. In the end we were at least fifteen minutes late to Chef Mickey's but they took us without even asking about our ADR!! It wasn't completely empty, but not as crowded as other restaurants and honestly I didn't care, we were at Chef Mickey's!!! Details in the dining report in my siggy if you're curious.

We spent a looooong time at the restaurant, it was so fun and everything we hoped for and more. After our meal we remembered our experience at MK after Crystal Palace and decided it was probably the hottest, most crowded time of day. We headed back to the resort to wait out the heat by the pool instead of trying to squeeze in any more park time.

After the pool, DH got the kids dressed while I spent some time doing the sad job of packing away most of our things. The kids panicked at the sight of me packing! I told them that weren't leaving until the next day but I wanted to make the most of our time. Not to worry, we were returning to Magic Kingdom that night, and the kids both said, "Yay!!" in unison. Super cuteness

We got to Magic Kingdom and after a relaxed bite at Casey's Hot Dog place on Main Street, we asked the kids what they wanted to do. Tink wanted Pirates of the Caribbean, and Peter wanted another ride on the speedway. We told them that we would start with Tink's choice and finish with Peter's choice. So DH took her to Pirates while Peter attempted the Swiss Family treehouse. We met up for another ride on the flying carpets. We then wanted to ride the river boat and took a WRONG TURN around the lake into that area where Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain meet... it was a mob of people, and not stroller friendly at all! There was nothing over there for the kids and it doesn't loop around... it's a dead end! We spent a lot of time trying to backtrack up that hill, where two really long lines had converged. We made it to Frontierland somehow but the riverboat idea didn't work out (I don't know if they stopped the riverboat or what, but it wasn't going anymore). So we let the kids play at the shooting range for a bit, then decided it was time for a snack.

At Sleepy Hollow we used snack credits for two funnel cakes and sat in a perfect spot right below the castle. It was sunset, I remember because Tink mentioned how the sky was all pink and purple, and how Cinderella might be looking out her window at the pretty sky. I told her that maybe she was looking at her, and Tink stared at that castle so hard and long... I really wished I had gotten an ADR to CRT somehow! Sleepy Hollow was another one of those beautiful, happy moments, when the kids were sweet and cheerful, the air was getting cooler, the view of the castle was stunning, and we were all enjoying each other and happy to be together. Disney World such a wonderful place. At some point DH started a powdered sugar-blowing game with his funnel cake, which became an all-out war, and the kids squealed and giggled and were covered in powdered sugar before we finished. Very, very, good times.

From Sleepy Hollow we decided to take a peek at Fantasyland. It was crowded and we decided not to ride anything, but we did do the 3D Philharmagic show, and that was FANTASTIC!! We stopped by toontown, but I can't honestly remember anything there! Or what we even did, if anything!

After that we went down to Tomorrowland and went into the Monster's Inc Laugh place. It was very funny! They point out people in the audience and everything! In the waiting area there is a screen that asks guests to send a joke via text message and they might use it in the show. I asked Tink, "What's your favorite joke?" She said, "The Pink Panther one." She used to LOVE that joke. I had her tell it to me:

"What does the Pink Panther say when he steps on an ant?"

-I don't know, what does he say?

"Dead-ant... dead-ant... dead-ant-dead-ant-dead-ant-dead-ant-dead-aaaaant!"

So I text-messaged it and one of the monsters used it in the show! They even called out her name!! Tink was so surprised!

By then we were ready to call it a night. We went to the Speedway, which thrilled Peter all over again. We left before the fireworks, I think it was just before they were going to start but we'd seen it on our first MK day so we decided to beat the crowds and head out.

Lessons Learned:

** Be early to ADRs, otherwise risk looking like a maniac and causing yourself lots of unnecessary stress!

** Unless Splash Mountain or Thunder Mountain are a part of your plan, do not enter that area at all! There is nothing to see, and it's a vortex of people trying to ride two very popular rides!!

** Sleepy Hollow funnel cake is perfection, yummmm. And the seating is a brilliant spot for a beautiful view of the castle!

 

[dellasgirl]

Oh my gosh--i can just see you running 'upstream' to get to the monorail
but i am glad you made it to your ADR's
packing is a great thing when you are getting ready to go but a VERY sad chore when you have to leave
It sounds like you had a wonderful last night at MK

 

[apirateslife4us!]

Hi Dellas, yes that running "upstream" incident was extremely insane! I'll never forget that, and I don't think my description really captured the true craziness of it all!! At least your daughter will have her mom there making sure she doesn't do anything THAT ridiculous

And thanks for following my trip report We did have a wonderful last night at MK. Writing about it makes me even more excited about our upcoming trip

 

[dellasgirl]

your very welcome
by the way i see that you have 42 days and i have 47--it looks as if we may overlap our trips what are your dates--ours are june 21-27