But Where Are All The People??? -A September 2016 Trip Report - Update 4/4/17

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

Just found your report and got caught up.

Thanks for the Hard Rock Hotel and Universal info. We are thinking of taking our boys there soon (similar ages as your kiddos) and it is good to read a report with an idea of what the kids can and can't ride.

Looking forward to more Disney!

 

[caitlinnf]

Read all the way through your trip report tonight and really looking forward to more. You have a very cute family!

It was fun to see your son on ToT. My husband loves it has a tradition of introducing our kids and now grandkids to it as soon as they are tall enough. Sometimes they love it, sometimes it has to grow on them!

Thanks for sharing your trip.

Thank you! As much as I am not a fan of major thrill rides, huge, drops, etc...I don't want my kids to grow up being scared. So I try to encourage them. Of course that backfired on me now since I am the only member of my family who has yet to ride ToT!!

No judging here. A citrus swirl is awesome any time (I even prefer it over the infamous Dole Whip). Besides, it's orange juice, so how can that not be an acceptable breakfast food?

Haha...you totally get me. And I do love me a dole whip, but the frozen orange juice was just soooo refreshing during that hot hot September.

Really enjoying your report! Your kids are adorable.

Thank you so much! I think they are pretty cute too.

Just found your report and got caught up.

Thanks for the Hard Rock Hotel and Universal info. We are thinking of taking our boys there soon (similar ages as your kiddos) and it is good to read a report with an idea of what the kids can and can't ride.

Looking forward to more Disney!

Thanks for reading along! I was actually surprised how much the kids all enjoyed Universal, even my youngest. We will be taking an Orlando trip in June and gave the kids the choice between all Disney and a split trip, and it was unanimous that they want to do two days at Universal.

 

[caitlinnf]

Day 5: Chapter 2- Dining Like Royals


I think I have mentioned before that we were on the dining plan this trip, and used it to do some meals that we had otherwise not done. The girls had been asking about dining in the castle for awhile, so we figured this was a perfect opportunity to try it out!

We checked in and it didn’t take too long before we were in line to meet Cinderella.

The kiddos loved seeing the mice up on the wall, and Cinderella was very sweet.

When we were seated, the first thing I noticed was that the restaurant is SO much smaller than I imagined! Very pretty though.

We got our menus and ordered our three courses.

The kids immediately fell in love with the wands, swords, and wishing stars.

I enjoyed the tasting plate quite a bit, but we didn’t feel like it went a very long way for three adults.

I think the kids got grapes and cheese, which they of course loved.


I ordered the fish of the day, which was Salmon.

It was well cooked and tasty, if not highly seasoned. The vegetables and sauce underneath, however, was delicious! So when I mixed it all together, I was very happy with my lunch.


Ben got the beef tenderloin salad, which looked and sounded good, but ultimately left him underwhelmed. There just wasn’t a ton of flavor.

The kids had standard macaroni and I believe chicken meals.

Pretty soon after we started eating, the princesses appeared. They came in a pretty quick succession.

All of them were very nice, but Ariel and Jasmine were especially sweet and interactive.

Jasmine let Greg tell her a long story about his finger, and seemed genuinely interested in his story, which of course he loved.

Ariel is Bethany’s favorite princess, but we haven’t always had great interaction with her.

But this time she was bubbly, kind, and extra loving, and the kids just ate it up!

(I LOVE this picture!!!!!)


The only thing left to do was have dessert!

Ben chose the cheesecake. It was okay, very standard.

I love flourless chocolate cake, so I had The Clock Strikes Twelve. This was SO disappointing. Super dry and flavorless.

The kids' dessert was the real winner, as the smores brownie was very yummy. I think if we return I will ask if I can have that as my dessert instead!


We were pleased with our experience in the castle. The food was not exceptional, but we left with full tummies and feeling like it was overall a positive experience. We do not consider this a must-do for every trip, but it is definitely something that every Disney fan should experience at least once!

We headed back to the resort for a nap. Next up: things take a very wet turn!​

 

[amy1115]

Found your TR today, and all caught up now! I am loving it. I also have a Becca, and it is really crazy how much alike our Beccas sound! We were also those parents that made her ride certain things, because generally her hesitance was more for drama than anything else, lol. She was 6 on our first trip and is now 11. Time goes by so fast! Can't wait to read more.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We decided to continue our leisurely walk around Adventureland, and after about five steps ended up at Sunshine Tree Terrace, where I decided to have a citrus swirl for breakfast. Don’t judge me.

That seriously makes the Best Disney Vacations! I mean when else do you let your kids (and yourself) have ice cream for breakfast! I am hoping to get the Donut sundae from The Plaza on our next trip!

Some other CMs came over to join the fun, another one whose name was Beth. I got this picture which is one of my absolute favorite Disney vacation pictures to date!

It's always the moments like this that are the best ones. And really the ones you can't plan for but make the trip! Can't wait to hear why we need to remember this, hopefully for an even better memory!

 

[caitlinnf]

Day 5: Chapter 3- The Floodgates Open


I think we took a nap for a couple of hours this afternoon, because it is the middle of a long trip, and we start to get tired at this point! The evening plan was to head to Animal Kingdom for the first time this trip. Bethany and I were excited because we both LOVE Expedition Everest, and had plans to ride it together tonight. I believe we had fastpasses for this park tonight.

First up, we headed to Everest to measure Becca.

She realized on the way over that since she wasn’t tall enough for Space Mountain, the same was true for Everest. But she didn’t want to take no for an answer, so we had to physically measure her with the actual Everest measuring stick before she would accept it. The poor girl was so sad. (Here’s to hoping she is tall enough in June. Especially since the height requirement for Space Mountain in Disneyland is 40” so she got to ride that in January. She won’t be happy if she gets bumped back down again!)


We didn’t actually ride Everest at this time. I believe we had a fastpass scheduled for later, and the one that was up now was Kali River Rapids. I don’t normally take pictures on this ride because there is so much water, but I had to sneak this shot because look at the clouds!

*ominous music* As short and anticlimactic as it is, this is still a family pleaser. We like to guess who will have to go down the hill backwards, and it always causes lots of giggles.


Next up we decided to grab some dinner at Flame Tree Barbecue.

I feel like there are several good options here. The kids all split the turkey sandwich (which I love), and Ben and I shared this salad and subbed the dessert for a side of delicious onion rings.

While we were eating, the sky got darker, and darker, and then it opened up. These pictures don’t accurately show just how dark it got, and how hard the rain was falling.

We knew going to Disney in September, we were potentially going to get rained on every day. This didn’t happen at all, but I think Florida just saved up all of its daily rain for this one night. It was SO much. So we stayed under the eating area by the water for a long time, watching the ducks play in the rain, and trying to decide what to do next.

Eventually, we had to move on, and decided to make a run for Safari. We figured the animals might be out playing in the rain. First we had to stop and get our traditional Animal Kingdom snack: Candy Rocks! Does anyone know what I am talking about? They are just the packaged giant jelly beans with Rafiki on the packaging. I don’t know why, but we love to buy a bag at the sweet shop in Africa and share them while in line for the Safari. Disney traditions: sometimes you don’t even know how they happen.


Anyway, we snacked on our treat and then took our safari. It was pretty good in the rain, and we saw TWO lions, so that was awesome.

(giraffes taking shelter under the trees)

After we returned, it started raining even harder. We looked at the radar and there was no way that it was going to stop any time in the next several hours. This meant that there was no chance of riding Everest. We are all about putting on the ponchos and sticking through the rain, but at this point we could barely even see where we were walking, and the puddles on the ground were so big that our shoes were completely covered. We made our way out of the park, and when we got into the car, it looked like we had all jumped into a swimming pool. The raincoats and ponchos didn’t even help.


When we got back to the resort, I stopped at the food court and got the kids some chocolate dipped krispie treats for dessert. Everyone showered and the kiddos spent the rest of the evening watching Disney Channel. This was the day that I was most thankful for our suite, because they got to hang out in the living area, and we could watch something else in our bedroom. Ben and our friend considered going to Disney Springs together that night to see a movie, but there wasn’t anything interesting showing, and the forecast looked like it was going to just continuously pour. So we hung out in the room, made some calls to get quotes for the free dining bounce back offer, and went to sleep early. It wasn’t how we planned to spend the evening, but it turned out just fine.


Day 5 step count: 18,935​

 

[caitlinnf]

Found your TR today, and all caught up now! I am loving it. I also have a Becca, and it is really crazy how much alike our Beccas sound! We were also those parents that made her ride certain things, because generally her hesitance was more for drama than anything else, lol. She was 6 on our first trip and is now 11. Time goes by so fast! Can't wait to read more.

Maybe it's a Becca thing I wouldn't trade her for the world, but she certainly makes our lives interesting!

That seriously makes the Best Disney Vacations! I mean when else do you let your kids (and yourself) have ice cream for breakfast! I am hoping to get the Donut sundae from The Plaza on our next trip!


It's always the moments like this that are the best ones. And really the ones you can't plan for but make the trip! Can't wait to hear why we need to remember this, hopefully for an even better memory!

Exactly. We are pretty careful about limiting treats, keeping a good bed time, etc. at home. But at Disney? Yeah, our kids know that all goes out the window!

Chatting with the Pirate ladies was super fun. But yes, it leads to something even better!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Candy Rocks! Does anyone know what I am talking about? They are just the packaged giant jelly beans with Rafiki on the packaging. I don’t know why, but we love to buy a bag at the sweet shop in Africa and share them while in line for the Safari. Disney traditions: sometimes you don’t even know how they happen.

love the tradition!

Sorry your day got rained out. But sounds like you made the best of it.

 

[LibrarianDisneyFan]

Hello! I've enjoyed reading your trip report. I think we have a lot in common. Haunted Mansion is my favorite! Anyway, quick question here. We've never done extra magic hours at MK. If I understood correctly, you mentioned that morning magic hours usually only include Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. This is disappointing and will change my itinerary. Is there a way to find out for sure what sections of the park will be open during extra magic hours?

 

[2Gma]

Joining in way late to the game but I'm trying to re-live our September 2016 trip through yours, I need my Disney fix!!! We were there Sept 26-Oct 4th, it was also Hot, Humid and rainy. This was our 3rd Sept trip so we knew what we were in for. We too did a split visit Disney/Universal. Buying park tickets for both Dis/Uni is a pocketbook breaker but its hard not to go to Orlando and enjoy the best of both worlds! Just curious, do you think there is anything comparable at Disney right now on the same level of the Harry Potter areas? The level of detail is amazing and I don't consider myself a fan but enjoy the movies!

Your kids are so cute! Loving the themed family shirts. I totally get what you mean about an early flight to catch, I can barely sleep the night before because I am so excited. Cool review of the "Chocolate Factory", I saw that place and thought it'd be fun to try but we didn't really plan that into the schedule! Next time though!

How cool your kids tried all the Butterbeers!

 

[AllEar2017]

Your title grabbed my attention because we are going this Sept and of course hoping for low crowds! And now I can't wait until my kids are older because Universal sounds awesome too!

A little more scared of the heat and humidity though....

 

[caitlinnf]

love the tradition!

Sorry your day got rained out. But sounds like you made the best of it.

Yeah, it sounds like kind of a bummer, but other than not getting to ride Everest, we weren't upset. It was a good memory in the making.

Hello! I've enjoyed reading your trip report. I think we have a lot in common. Haunted Mansion is my favorite! Anyway, quick question here. We've never done extra magic hours at MK. If I understood correctly, you mentioned that morning magic hours usually only include Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. This is disappointing and will change my itinerary. Is there a way to find out for sure what sections of the park will be open during extra magic hours?

Yes, it was just Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. I believe the "info" section of this site has a list of what is open at each park for EMH.

Joining in way late to the game but I'm trying to re-live our September 2016 trip through yours, I need my Disney fix!!! We were there Sept 26-Oct 4th, it was also Hot, Humid and rainy. This was our 3rd Sept trip so we knew what we were in for. We too did a split visit Disney/Universal. Buying park tickets for both Dis/Uni is a pocketbook breaker but its hard not to go to Orlando and enjoy the best of both worlds! Just curious, do you think there is anything comparable at Disney right now on the same level of the Harry Potter areas? The level of detail is amazing and I don't consider myself a fan but enjoy the movies!

Your kids are so cute! Loving the themed family shirts. I totally get what you mean about an early flight to catch, I can barely sleep the night before because I am so excited. Cool review of the "Chocolate Factory", I saw that place and thought it'd be fun to try but we didn't really plan that into the schedule! Next time though!

How cool your kids tried all the Butterbeers!

Oh my goodness, buying tickets for both parks is terrible. But worth it! We are HUGE Harry Potter fans, so no, I don't think anything at Disney quite compares in terms of immersion. I'm curious to see what happens with Pandora and Star Wars though.

Your title grabbed my attention because we are going this Sept and of course hoping for low crowds! And now I can't wait until my kids are older because Universal sounds awesome too!

A little more scared of the heat and humidity though....

The heat and humidity was pretty insane, not going to lie. We just had to get used to the constant feeling of being sticky and sweaty. But having a daily sit-down meal and taking some afternoon breaks helped. And it definitely didn't make it impossible to have fun!

 

[caitlinnf]

Day 6: Chapter 1- Elsa Doesn’t Like to Ski

Despite all of the rain from the night before, we woke up to another hot and sunny morning. We headed to Epcot with plans to hit up the Food and Wine festival! But first…a ride on Test Track. I am really so, so happy that we don’t have to Rider Swap this one anymore!!

We got through quickly, so ran over to The Land and rode Soarin’ without a very long wait, and then did Living with the Land. Apparently I didn’t take any pictures of this though. So sorry, no test tube or lettuce Hidden Mickeys!

The kids were asking to ride Figment, so we took the short walk up to the Imagination pavilion, and as always, I held my breath through the stinky skunk room.


Feeling like we had accomplished everything we needed to do in Future World, we walked towards Norway, because it was time to meet Anna and Elsa in their new spot!
The line was 30 minutes, which wasn’t too bad, but about 15 of those were outside in the hot hot sun. So we were happy to get inside. I was very impressed with the theming inside.

We eventually made it into the actual meet and greet room, and met Elsa first.
I was happily surprised with how friendly she was. In past meets, she has been a little cold (pun intended). But this time she was sweet and friendly, and told the kids all about the ice palace.

Next up was Anna, who was VERY chatty and full of stories.

My favorite was when she told the kids about how she and Elsa went skiing for the first time…and then impersonated the face that Elsa made going down the hill…

Priceless.

A few more hugs and we were done. This was a great meet and greet experience. I think the new location has helped a lot with the ladies feeling less rushed and being able to really spend some time with each group. It was a lot of fun, but we were getting hungry. It was time to start eating around the world!

​

 

[cinderaimee]

Just got all caught up with your recent updates! Your kids really look like they had a great time! 'Ohana looked great and the Ana and Elsa meet looks like so much fun. I can't wait to go back when mine are a bit older, it was hard to do anything with a 2 year old that doesn't want to wait in any line.

 

[FunTimeMom]

Sounds like a fun trip! I am really enjoying reading along.

 

[WDW Fan]

Looks like you're having a great time together!