Can We Take The Skyliner To The Boat? An Aug/Sep 2022 TR (Complete)

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

You really did get great value out of your party night. Sounds like you had some pretty amazing interactions with the characters ( Pooh and co aside). For some reason I can’t see your photos but I will try again later as they sound brilliant.
You girls are troopers managing such a late night though I’m laughing at how they made sure you knew they were tired in the bus ride home

Can you see them now? They are appearing for me again.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

Most but not all are back!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Can you see them now? They are appearing for me again.

YES! They are amazing! Love the outfits and those photos are simply priceless! You can see how much fun the girls were having from the size of their smiles! I’m so glad you got the problem sorted so I could see the photos- a picture really is worth a thousand words!

 

[Woth2982]

All the photos are back so now I can comment lol!

I love the photos of the girls with the Alice in Wonderland characters! How fun they each got a special moment with their character!

I also hope they keep Merida in the park. Maybe they will rotate her at Princess Fairytale hall, or move her to Epcot somewhere, maybe the UK. I imagine she is still fairly popular.

I would have been equally frustrated with the Winnie the Pooh meet and greet. I get WHY they put them there, but they need to figure out how to rotate them faster. Im glad my kids are still little and don't really know who they are.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Switching Gears

So, the break this time isn’t my fault! When my pictures started disappearing from threads, I decided I wasn’t going to fiddle with a TR where the photos were all messed up. I also had a lot going on at home and, while I love sharing our Disney time with you all, it’s a ton of work. In order to move forward, I went ahead and finished my 2022 vacation album and collage without sharing with Dis eek and thought I was going to let this be.

Except, I have this thing about finishing stuff. I will continue watching a TV show or reading a book long past when it’s enjoyable because I have don’t like leaving things incomplete. Letting them be is like ignoring an itch in my brain and this thread has been particularly itchy of late. I’m back to being able to see the pictures, so I decided I’m going to finish this out.

That said, I think we all know I can be a bit verbose with detail beyond what even the most engaged reader cares to see. In order to scratch my proverbial itch without committing hours of personal time, I’m officially switching over to limited description and lots of photos to finish this thing out. Let’s get this party started!

Day 7: Typhoon Lagoon and Magic Kingdom

We started the morning with a late breakfast at Toppolino’s Terrace, which helped us shake off the tiredness from our late night.

The food was delicious and we went when you could still order extra entrees to try everything. I’m glad we went when we did, because paying I’m not sure the value proposition is there if you’re paying for five Disney adults (the next time we’re in WDW, the kids will have hit double digits!!) and couldn’t get extras to try everything. True to form, upon taking the Skyliner back to Crescent Lake, the girls had us wait for a friendship boat instead of walking the five minutes back to the room.

I have no good photos from Typhoon Lagoon. We rode every slide, several twice, and hung until a thunderstorm came in about thirty minutes before scheduled closing time. We had a blast, but my goodness there are a lot of slides where everyone has to carry large tubes. I’m still not sure which is worse: walking behind eight year olds trying to carry tubes as large as they are or trying to carry two tubes at once through windy, sometimes narrow lines. If given the choice, I’d pick Blizzard Beach hands down with elementary age kids: Ski Patrol Training Camp is incredible and there’s nothing comparable at Typhoon Lagoon.

We got back to the room, showered, and headed into MK for our third and final late night, this time extended evening hours scheduled until 1am.

We rode Haunted Mansion and Pirates, at which point the sky opened up. We didn’t want to just hang in the Pirates dump shop indefinitely, so we donned ponchos and rushed over to the Tiki room. After that show, it was still pouring, so we did another short dash to Country Bears. The rain finally let up, allowing us to ride Barnstormer, Magic Carpets, and Jungle Cruise with a particularly delightful skipper before stopping for photos.

In Tomorrowland, we rode Buzz before boarding the PeopleMover. As the park closed and extended hours started, it was time for our very first family ride evacuation!

Obviously, Tron is now open and this is less thrilling, but we got evaced backstage past the construction and Hubby was in his glory. It was honestly pretty cool to see it in process that close. By the time we were off, extended hours were well underway. We rode the Speedway and Astro Orbiter before heading up for another round on Seven Dwarfs.

It was 12:06am and the kids were dragging. Aurora in particular wasn’t sure if we really needed to stay for the full extended hours but we decided to power on because how many chances do you get to hang out in a nearly empty Fantasyland in the wee hours of the morning?

We had our pick of carousel horses, walked onto Peter Pan, and the kids played in the Pooh line for a while before actually hopping onto honey pots. Seven Dwarfs had gone down, so we gave up on making that our final ride of the night and went with a classic instead.

You guys, I almost fell asleep on Small World. I was fighting to keep my eyes open the whole ride. The clock struck 1:00 while we were in the white room, meaning we officially made it through all three late nights of our trip.

 

[erinch]

Thank you so much for coming back! We’ve not met. I am Erin and love your trip reports. It has been a year for me! I was diagnosed with an autoimmune blistering skin disease, my mom died, I had to assume financial power of attorney for my dad, and 2 weeks ago today my hubby fell and broke his hip and shoulder, cancelling our 3 week trip scheduled to start tomorrow to celebrate my 65th bday. I was thinking of you being so resilient with your challenges and wondering how things are going!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Thank you so much for coming back! We’ve not met. I am Erin and love your trip reports. It has been a year for me! I was diagnosed with an autoimmune blistering skin disease, my mom died, I had to assume financial power of attorney for my dad, and 2 weeks ago today my hubby fell and broke his hip and shoulder, cancelling our 3 week trip scheduled to start tomorrow to celebrate my 65th bday. I was thinking of you being so resilient with your challenges and wondering how things are going!

Oooof, that's a lot going on! I'm sorry to hear that 2023 has been piling on for you, too. It really feels like the universe is picking on you sometimes, huh?

I'm now wondering if I ever posted that I am officially in remission? No sign of cancer as of my end of treatment scans in July so I'm officially working on rebuilding my strength and regrowing my hair.

 

[Disney102015]

Looks so cool to have the park so empty at the end of the night!! And congrats on being in remission!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I know exactly what you mean about having to finish things or your brain gets that itch! I’m exactly the same
Great update. Your girls did amazing to make it to the end of the night. Love all the photos especially the one of them all holding hands with their dad. The sleepy photo at the very end made me laugh.
Great to hear you’re doing well and that the hair is regrowing. Mine seems to take ages at the start and was a bit whacky with some curly and some straight bits, some white/grey/speckled bits but before I knew it I was at the hairdressers having it styled into shape and coloured. Crossing my fingers it won’t be long before you have your lovely locks back too

 

[SimplyGoofy]

It’s so wonderful to see you back! I love your reports and am excited to hear about the rest of your trip.

First, hooray and congratulations on being in remission! That’s wonderful news!

As for your day, a mix of breakfast, a water park, and an evening at MK sounds great. I’m excited to try Topolino’s Terrace both for the food and the view. (And I’m okay with the single entree - I can never eat enough to justify more than one!)

EMH were always my FAVORITE time at MK. Back in 2013 my sister and I were there until almost 3:00 a.m. (!) and LOVED being in the nearly-empty park. It will be different than it used to be, but I’m hoping to get over there during the MK EMH for some solo time on our upcoming trip.

Finally, I have to thank you so much for your first trip report. I’m very familiar with Disney World (even though I haven’t been in years, I’ve stayed or gotten up to date) but I am NOT familiar to traveling there with young kids. We’re taking our five-year-old and then 20-month-old next May and I found your uber-detailed first trip report SO helpful. My daughter and your girls at that age seem VERY similar (excited for characters but nervous for certain rides) and it’s helped a ton with my initial planning. I love so much about your trip (the character meets, the meals, and their outfits - where did you find those casual “princess” dresses?) and hope to emulate several of your experiences.

That being said, I understand that you want to get through this trip report (I have the same thought about my yet-unfinished 2015 and 2016 reports - maybe?!), but I LOVE all your detail and commentary. So happy to see you here and that you’re doing well.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Looks so cool to have the park so empty at the end of the night!! And congrats on being in remission!

It's really pretty, if you can manage to enjoy it without just being exhausted, lol. And, thanks!!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

The sleepy photo at the very end made me laugh.

Thanks! We have pictures from the end of MNSSHP in 2019 where they actually did all crash in the stroller on the way out, so it felt like a fun one to recreate.

Mine seems to take ages at the start and was a bit whacky with some curly and some straight bits, some white/grey/speckled bits but before I knew it I was at the hairdressers having it styled into shape and coloured.

I've always had thin, straight hair so I was really curious to see if I'd have chemo curls. Or turns out not even chemo is enough to curl these locks! It is funny, though, I really looked like my Dad when I was bald. Now, the 2"-ish do is totally my grandmother!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

First, hooray and congratulations on being in remission! That’s wonderful news

Thanks! It's quite a relief to be past that.

EMH were always my FAVORITE time at MK. Back in 2013 my sister and I were there until almost 3:00 a.m.

That sounds amazing!!! I don't know if I could hack 3am myself these days

We’re taking our five-year-old and then 20-month-old next May and I found your uber-detailed first trip report SO helpful.

That's so great. I learned a ton for that trip on the boards so I'm happy to be able to help others too

where did you find those casual “princess

AliExpress. There are a ton of sellers with varying quality, so it can be overwhelming. This is the store I ordered from most recently, which means they had the best combination of price and variety in 2022. (You'll see the same dresses listed by tons of sellers but it can be hard to narrow down which is actually cheaper because they set their own shipping.)

https://m.aliexpress.com/store/1100....order_list.order_list_main.22.21ef1802G8PUjd

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I've always had thin, straight hair so I was really curious to see if I'd have chemo curls. Or turns out not even chemo is enough to curl these locks! It is funny, though, I really looked like my Dad when I was bald. Now, the 2"-ish do is totally my grandmother!

I was just so relieved it grew back at all .
Initially I thought I wouldn't bother getting it coloured and just stay my natural colour whatever that turned out to be-then I saw my natural colour
I started off all lovely and silvery but then there were some dark grey bits and some brown bits, some curly bits and some straight and I thought to pot with this and as soon as I had enough hair I booked an appointment for a colour . It was about 6/7 months after treatment finished. So funny to see you recognize that you looked like your Dad and Grandmother

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I'm so glad you came back to finish this. What a delightful evening in MK. And congrats on remission!!! I bet that feels so good.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Great to see you back and wonderful news about being in remission! That looked like a super fun day. Love the pic of everyone holding hands

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I'm so glad you came back to finish this. What a delightful evening in MK. And congrats on remission!!! I bet that feels so good.

Thanks! I am really glad to be past the chemo and on with my life.

Great to see you back and wonderful news about being in remission! That looked like a super fun day. Love the pic of everyone holding hands

Thanks! I like to have photographic evidence that the girls still like their parents and each other because I know the teen years are fast approaching.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Day 8: Animal Kingdom and EPCOT

After the late night, everyone was wiped. I even managed to sleep until 7:15am, making this the first day I wasn’t waiting at the Bellevue Lounge right at 7:00am for my coffee. I brought my laptop down to the lounge and got an entire load of laundry through washing and drying without any word from the rest of the family. Meanwhile, I was getting twitchy about missing out on prime park time.

Seriously, look at those wait times a full hour into regular park hours! Late August / Early September is obviously surface of the sun hot, but the crowds really let up, too. If you’re in a Mid-Atlantic district where school starts after Labor Day, definitely consider booking your trip that week. At 9:30, I headed up to the room to deal with the clean laundry. Everyone was moving at a snail’s pace, so it took us two hours to get showered, dressed, and out of the room.

We bumped into a few friends on the way to Animal Kingdom, which was cool. When we arrived, we grabbed lunch at Satu’li before grabbing the train to Conservation Station.

We tested our hand at drawing Bambi and the girls had a blast petting four legged friends. Everyone was feeling the heat and the late night, so we took the train back to Africa to find something to pep ourselves up.

Dole Whip was the sugary, cold treat we needed. Then, we had a blast at Feathered Friends in Flight and C got picked to participate in the show. Cool, seated activities seemed like a good call, so It’s Tough To Be a Bug was next on the agenda.

On the way to Discover Island, we ran into Kevin who stopped walking to squawk and bob at the girls. Her friend reminded me that she, too, is a mom of triplets and loves running into them in the park. It was a super fun interaction, especially because I know Kevin often only stops for a beat or two before she moves on, but we had a solid little visit with her. We also stopped briefly for the hottest dance party of all time. I’ll give it to the performers; they weren’t letting the heat slow them down. But, between the low crowds and the direct sunlight, we were the only family actually stopping to dance for a bit. Despite the exhaustion, the girls were well prepared for Tough to Be a Bug and didn’t overreact to the more surprising parts. It also helps that I squeal at every silly 3D gag and they love laughing at me.

We had promised the girls some Boneyard time and they were cashing in despite the unbearable temps. While they played, I grabbed them a specialty milkshake, which was promptly devoured. I was angling for a ride on FoP given the low wait, but the girls wanted to play more, so Hubby stayed in the area and I bopped over to Everest for a quick ride. It was about this time that the sky was threatening rain and I realized that the Guardians virtual queue was still open despite the late hour. We decided to have one more ride in Animal Kingdom before hopping to EPCOT for dinner and, hopefully, another ride on Guardians.

The girls were thrilled to be able to ride alone this trip and Hubby and I were more than happy to skip out on this particular spinner. We saw a photopass photographer with no line on the way out, so we grabbed a few quick, sweaty pictures before catching the bus to Beach Club because we wanted to go in the back of Epcot. At 6:29pm we were able to snag a VQ for Guardians and a 7:00pm dinner reservation at La Creperie: gotta love those low crowds! We walked straight back to the restaurant, and they were able to seat us early, which was perfect because we were starved and the evening’s thunderstorm was starting. We shared one adult crepe and two kids meals between us and it was plenty of food. I wouldn’t go out of my way to add this restaurant to my list, but it definitely makes our list of reasonably priced, easy to share table service options. Even with tip, our total was only $10 more than Satu’li lunch and we got to share two yummy dessert crepes because of the kids meals.

Our VQ was called while we ate, so we stopped for another round of photos and then made our way towards the front of the park.

After our ride, we wanted to see Beacons of Light, so we walked the long way around to Soarin’. We had bad timing on requesting B1 and ended up waiting a whole ride cycle, but at least our Eiffel Tower was straight. Aurora was done, so she and I took the boat back to Boardwalk while Hubby and the other two watched Harmonious again. Even with staying for the late show, we were all showered and in bed by 10pm.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Great photos. Love at the “magic” shots.
Those low crowds definitely make for some fun-filled days. We ate at the Creperie on our last visit and enjoyed it. Decent prices and the crepes were lovely and light but still filling. Unfortunately we are all adults as those kids meals are really great value and you get to taste sweet and savoury.
Isn’t it amazing when you can just stroll back to your hotel from Epcot. Absolutely the best bit about staying in that area

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Great photos. Love at the “magic” shots.
Those low crowds definitely make for some fun-filled days. We ate at the Creperie on our last visit and enjoyed it. Decent prices and the crepes were lovely and light but still filling. Unfortunately we are all adults as those kids meals are really great value and you get to taste sweet and savoury.
Isn’t it amazing when you can just stroll back to your hotel from Epcot. Absolutely the best bit about staying in that area

Thanks!!

Yes, staying on Crescent Lake really is magical. I love walking right out of Epcot.