Cass, Rob & Kira - Disney & Universal August 2018 - The heat index is what???

[Timon]

August 19th, 2018 - Part 1

I always get up first and sneak in the shower while Rob and Kira rest. That heavy-ish door that separates the bathroom and the rest of the room is very handy in this situation.

While they got ready, I made them breakfast, a fruit salad for Rob and cereal for Kira.

I also got our backpack ready with water and snacks, sunscreen, etc. I brought a small insulated lunch bag so every morning I would put three waters in there with a double-bagged ziploc full of ice to keep it cold. This worked like a charm and we had cold water for half the day. When we were out of water, we would keep the last bottle and refill it at counter service places.

This was one of the many ways I was able to survive Orlando in August!

Thanks to my amazing hubby who carried that backpack around all day, everyday without ever once complaining about it.

Ready for our first full day!

And off we went to Magic Kingdom!

I love how they FINALLY built an overpass for those who are going to the MK hotels, it makes it so much easier for both MK resort guests and those just heading to MK parking lot!

We had parked so close, we just walked to the TTC.

A new experience for us was going through security at the TTC, which I personally like much better than doing it right before the park entrance.

The thing about security here which may not be clear to everyone...not everyone has to go through the metal detectors. They will tell you if you need to go through, otherwise, just walk past! I didn't realize until the third day that Rob was just automatically going there. He's just so used to getting that secondary screening that he didn't even question it.

The monorail was having some issues that morning and wasn't running at that time so we headed for the Ferry.

Rob and Kira wearing their customized Magic Bands they bought the night before at D-Tech.

Speaking of that, I totally forgot to tell you about my stop at Guest Services at Disney Springs! I had to prioritize my tickets and I didn't want to wait to do it at the parks the next morning so I made sure to stop by that first night. This was my first experience with the new Guest Services and I wasn't sure if I liked it or hated it.

You enter the building from one particular side, you tell the CM what your issue is and then they ask for your name (and scan your band, I think?). Then you wait around until someone calls your name. It seemed quite crowded so I told Rob and Kira to just go check out the stores without me (hence the new MB's! )

This ended up being a 45-minute wait for me, which felt like forever. I didn't know how far down in the queue I was, were there 5 people in front of me or 35? She told me it would be about a 20-minute wait so after 30 mins of standing there (they had chairs but they were all taken) I was getting a little anxious...did they skip me? Did they call my name and I didn't hear them? (Some of them were not loud at all!) Should I go check with that first CM I spoke to? I don't know

Eventually they did call my name and I got my tickets sorted but I don't know that I loved this new set up. If the wait was 10 minutes, it would be great because then I could grab a chair and sit instead of standing in an actual line but because there were so many people in there, constantly coming and going, it wasn't a great experience.

Okay, so back to MK!

We got there before rope drop and watched the show for a few minutes before heading over to the bridge to the Tea Cups so we could get herded into Tomorrowland then Fantasyland with the rest of the people heading to 7 Dwarfs Mine Train.

You know how much I love to be herded

Just as we were about to get into the actual line just outside the ride, Kira told me she wasn't feeling good and that she needed a bathroom now. Thankfully I am queen of the bathrooms and I know where they all are!

Our poor pumpkin! I think her nerves just got to her and she got a little overwhelmed. This was going to be the first time she was trying the big rides. She is not a ride girl. She gets super nervous on the stuff she does try even though she ends up liking it, she goes through the whole nervous/anxiety/worried bit each and every time.

And that is exactly why we waited so long between trips! The last trip to WDW, all we did was meet the characters and rode only the baby rides. She did ride Haunted Mansion but the first time she backed out and was so nervous the second time!

Before we left, we watched all of the POV videos from all of the rides so she knew exactly what to expect. She's like me, she doesn't like surprises (anymore) and wants to know everything. She SAID she was going to try every ride but I told her there was no pressure to ride them if she changed her mind because I don't want to scar the kid! I only want her to have happy memories of Disney World so I was okay with whatever she chose.

The thing is though, I know my kid and I knew that if she could just get over her initial anxiety, she would love these rides! And she's also at that age where she feels like she SHOULD be riding them, you know?


So, to help her out a little, I spoke to her aunt & uncle and they decided to offer her an incentive to ride the big ones. They gave me $100 USD for her and for each of the "big" rides she tried, she would get $20 each. So $20 each for Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Rock 'N Roller, Tower of Terror & Expedition Everest. She had finally tried Big Thunder in Disneyland a few years ago and loved it and I told her 7DMT was a smoother Big Thunder, so she was okay with riding it.

She did say that she was going to try them all despite the money but I think the money actually helped

However, saying you're going to do something is much easier than actually doing it so I think at the very moment it all became real to her, she got nervous. She felt bad because we missed the ride (it was now and 80-minute wait) but I told her it wasn't a big deal and that we had Fast Passes for it later.

After a brief break, she decided she was okay and she wanted to try Space Mountain.



I can't tell you how happy this made me! I thought she was done for! I thought she was going to ask to do Dumbo or something

I asked her three times if she was sure and she said yes, so off we went!

And guess what??

Not only did she do it, she LOVED it!!!

And yeah, I was too cheap to get Photopass so I just took photos/screenshots

And here she is, getting her first $20!

So, now she's got a little adrenaline going as well as some pride and some confidence so she suggested we go try Splash Mountain!

But first, she wanted to check out the drop...

She was like...totally!

She LOVED it!!!!

And then she got her first pressed pennies of the trip! As a little gift to her during our breakfast at The Kitchen, I had given her a little purse filled with shiny pennies, quarters and some extra money for her penny pressing adventures.

And then her reward...

We went on to do Big Thunder...where I think we spotted some Canadian loonies...

Kira was so confused as to why people would throw good money all over here.

And then we also did Pirates...

To be continued...

 

[CJK]

Kira has an amazing aunt & uncle - in addition to her parents!! What an amazing incentive to do thrill rides, and just look at how quickly she got brave!!!! It actually brought tears to my eyes.
And just like that.......your family trips have become much different!!

Great water bottle tip, and yay for hubby for not complaining about that backpack!!

Just a quick tip......we've found that the Disney Springs parking garages aren't usually totally full (unless it's a holiday or maybe a Saturday night). We've always been able to find a spot, even with the full sign out front. The electronic signs inside the garage still show a few empty spots since people are constantly leaving. Just something to consider on your next trip! Shh, don't tell anyone!

Can't wait for more!!!!!

 

[Timon]

August 19th, 2018 - Part 2

Next up for us was Haunted Mansion, my favourite classic ride of all time.

Oh look, Kira's eyes are closed in this one, she must get it from Rob

So, here's another way I got through the heat..

A good friend and co-worker gave this to me last summer when we cruised together and I made sure to pack it for this trip. It's made of a nice sturdy plastic and folds down nice and it worked wonders!!

I used this a LOT! I honestly don't think I could have done so well without this fan! The second I started to feel too hot, I whipped this baby out and fanned myself. I even fanned Kira and she loved it too! It worked outside and it worked even better in the A/C.

I had so many people ask me where I got it. I felt slightly bad when I told them a friend of mine bought it for me...in Tokyo.

I should also mention another reason I was able to get through the day...after my shower, with my hair still wet, I put my hat on. Then, every time we stopped at a bathroom, I would re-wet my hair again. This also made a huge difference for me. So I may look like a dork at all times but at least I'm a cool dork

After HM, it was time for my breakfast/Rob & Kira's lunch.

On our last trip, we splurged and ate at buffets, character meals and spent a ton of money. This trip would be slightly more budget friendly so I really stuck to cheaper places, either our faves or places we haven't been to before. I made sure though that, wherever we ate, it had air conditioning. I knew that we would need that break, not only for sitting and resting but mostly for the A/C.

So, our first park meal was at...

I also knew I wanted to try mobile ordering as much as possible. We loved this option and used it every single time! There were huge lines for food and little to no people at the mobile order counter. I don't know if it hasn't caught on yet or people don't know about it or are afraid of using it???

All the better for us, no lines! Had our order in minutes after we ordered it in the app. We also ate on the second level, which is way less busy than the main level.

We always got ice water too! Whatever we didn't drink would go into one of our Dasani water bottles and into our still-cold lunch cooler in our back pack to last us for the rest of the day.

Rob got the Trio basket (shrimp, fish & nuggets), Kira got the regular chicken nuggets and I got the kids nuggets. I tried talking Kira into the kids size but she insisted on the regular size even though she didn't finish it all.

You will note in this trip, or at least for the Disney parks part of the trip, that we ate way less than usual. When you are smoking hot and theme parking all day, you just don't want to eat that much. There were a few times that Rob or Kira ate normally (like they do at home) and totally regretted it.

I was smart and ate very little. I often split things with one of them or I got a kids meal. I think it was easier for me because I eat little at home anyway and go for very long periods between meals, whereas Rob and Kira snack all day long and enjoy bigger meals.

So, my kids meal was perfect for me! Kira ate all of her fries (that kid's gonna turn into a french fry!) and left 3 nuggets and Rob didn't even eat half of his meal.

After a nice recharge, it was now time for our Fast Passes, Big Thunder and Splash Mountain!

Kira loves them both, a lot, so it was a lot of fun.

Rob hamming it up

Then we caught part of the Festival of Fantasy Parade...

And then got a treat to share, our favourite of course

A dole whip is always refreshing but boy, did it ever go down nicely in that heat.

I have no idea what my husband is doing here but it makes me laugh every time I look at this pic!

We checked out some of the stores and eventually made it over to Memento Mori, my fave! I found a shirt that I love but they didn't have my size

Canadians don't get the Shop Disney Parks app so I ended up texting my friend Nancy to check to see if this shirt was available in my size somewhere. According to the app, it was supposed to be in stock at Memento Mori but, alas, it was not there.

Oh well, we carried on to Small World...

My fave room...

And then they said good-bye to Rob and I. We joked that Kira was chopped liver

It was now time for our 7DMC FP's! Sorry, too lazy to type that all out

This was their first time riding this ride and only my second (or third?) time.

El Cheapo pic..

I was having issues all day long with the app and the wi-fi. Man, it was super frustrating since everything is done with the app now.

And with zero clouds in the sky...

It was time for a break!

Says it feels like 39º (102F) but it was more like 45 or 60

I was doing well...better than I thought I would but man, between about 2 and 4pm, it was HOT!.

Kira was also asking for a break and just time to chill.

We're in Fantasyland, in need of shade, A/C, somewhere to sit and hopefully semi-quiet...where should we go???

 

[cntkg1]

Who are you calling “old”? Or maybe its the “lady” part that seems confusing to me. LOL!!!

 

[cntkg1]

Sorry my lookup for your shirt didn’t pan out. I have to wonder if they just update each night rather than sporadically during the day as items are sold. ???

Good idea with wetting down your hair to keep cool. I’d need a full cold shower for that!

 

[Timon]

August 19th, 2018 - Part 3

Seeking a good rest spot, we headed into Pinocchio's. We grabbed some ice waters and Rob also grabbed a coffee.



Yup, you read that right!

He.

Got.

A.

Coffee.



Apparently, it wasn't warm enough out for him.

Actually, he was going through caffeine withdrawals and was getting a headache. Normally he has a coffee first thing in the morning and he hadn't gotten his morning coffee yet.

We headed up to the second floor, sat down for over an hour I think, cooling down, charging our phones, catching up on emails. Kira read her Harry Potter fan fiction on her phone, which is something she does all the time. If you see her on her phone in pics during this trip, she is reading her HP stories. As a mom, I am totally okay with that

I think at this point we headed into the stores on Main Street USA and looked around until it was time for dinner.

I made an early reservation for The Plaza Inn. It's been awhile since we had been but we like it there, it's relatively cheap for a sit-down in the MK and it has A/C

Again, we weren't super hungry and knew we wanted to eat light so Rob and I split the club and Kira got the kids PB & J with white bread.

The service here was fantastic! Leah was our server and she is just everything a Disney CM should be.

The food was amazing! We ate every single morsel!

We needed to head out to make it for our Buzz FP but Kira hadn't eaten her dessert so Leah threw her cookies in a to-go container (and added a couple!) and gave Rob a cup of coffee to go! Wow, talk about going the extra mile. She got a very nice tip!

Kira shared a cookie with me and it was so delicious! I don't have a sweet tooth but I do love me some chocolate chip cookies

Rob's such a coffee addict that he actually brought one of his Tim Horton's sleeves! I was laughing/snorting 30 seconds before I took this pic, who brings a coffee sleeve with them to the theme parks in the summer??? BAHAHAH

On our way to Buzz, we noticed a lovely storm brewing!

We are storm lovers! I am at my happiest when it's raining so this made us all very happy! And the best thing about Florida storms is that the winds pick up and it cools down before the storm hits and then doesn't warm up again until after it's completely gone! We prayed for storms every day, some days we totally lucked out and those are some of my favourite and best memories of the trip!

I know...I'm weird.

We spotted Stitch on the way and although I said ZERO CHARACTERS this trip, I didn't mind because, well...it's Stitch and we all love him!

If you want to know why I said zero characters, please read my 2013 WDW Trip Report

I thought the timing was ironic as Rob was holding his coffee just before he passed it to me for the photos and he's wearing a Stitch shirt that says "No more coffee for you!"

Into Buzz we go!

El cheapo...

I must have hit something good because my score was over 300K, the best I have ever done!

Just as I took this photo above, Kira had realized that she didn't have her purse (with her phone!) on her! We ran back to the ride and told them. They asked what colour the purse was and after we answered they magically opened up a drawer and handed us Kira's purse!

Whew!

That was a close call...and it was only the first of the trip.

As we tried to exit, we noticed people were blocking the doors and then we discovered that the storm had begun!!!

We donned our ponchos/jackets and headed out into the rain...the beautiful, glorious rain!

With all that coffee in him now, Rob needed to make a pit stop

We headed for what is THE best ride to do in a storm...if you're us, that is

I love riding Peoplemover anytime but this is definitely my favourite time to be on the ride! Great ride, fantastic view

We then headed over to Tea Cups where I watched my family spin away. Spinny rides is something Lupus has sadly taken away from me.

Kira loves this ride though so I don't mind sitting one out.

We then went to see Mickey's Philharmagic before heading through the Castle on our way to find a spot for Happily Ever After, right next to a few others

We found a great spot and sat and waited. Just before it was to begin, they announced that it would be delayed. At this point it was still raining but just barely. We waited and waited and waited. It was delayed a good 45 mins to an hour I think but eventually it began and I am so glad we waited.

What an amazing show!!!

No picture can capture the magic of this show but here's a few just to give you a tiny little taste of what we had the pleasure of seeing.

We also stuck around for the Kiss Goodnight

We then hit up the shops! Kira had some money and it was burning a hole in her purse

She had spotted a stuffy (ugh!) that she wanted earlier and I told her to think about it all day to make sure she really really wanted it and that if, by the end of the night she decided yes, then we would stop and she could buy it. I was just hoping she would see something else to spend her money on

If you haven't read my previous reports, let me just say I am sooooo done with stuffies!!

She has so many, we've even donated an entire garbage bag full to a local Firehall (they use them to comfort kids who are in accidents) and she still has tons!

It's...her thing, I guess!

We did tell her she could only buy a MAX of TWO stuffies this entire trip (we have to limit her due to luggage space!) and we knew she had already picked out a stuffy online that she wants to get at Universal.

She thought about it alllll day and...

He's one of those stuffies that has a super long tail, so Todd is bigger than he looks

Kira really wanted to take the monorail back to the TTC so we herded with everyone else up the ramp. And waited and waited and waited.

Oh my dog!

This was taking fur-ever!

See what I did there?

They announced that they were performing some "standard maintenance checks" and all three thousand of us groaned in unison and wondered (some out loud) why the heck they would choose park close to perform these tests.

I want to say we waited about 20-30 minutes for a monorail, thankfully we were pretty close to the front and we managed to get on that one!

The cheering was hilarious! And sad.

By the time we made it to the TTC, then to the tram, then our car and drove home to Pop Century, we were bagged!!

We had been up since 7am and it was now after midnight!

Quick showers and then this...

Up next... ̶M̶G̶M̶ Hollywood Studios!

 

[tammy]

Yay Kira!! My niece conquered her fears this past summer. She got on all the big rides except Rock n Rollercoaster. We were so proud of her. Oh, she's 11.

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Following along! I always love reading your TR's!

 

[Timon]

August 20th, 2018 - Part 1

I tried to make Rob some coffee this morning so that he could get his caffeine fix right away but the coffee machine in our room sucked! The right side wouldn't even work and this is what he ended up with using the left side...

His face says it all

The above photo is what awaited me every morning. Rob (and often Kira, too)
would head out to the car while I stayed in the lovely A/C and he would get the A/C going in the car for me and swing by as close as he could get and pick me up.

I married well


Today was our MGM day!!

And yes, I will always call it MGM

We drove the back way and got to see some Galaxy's Edge construction

Hopped on a tram...

Joined the masses...

Got our bags checked...

A quick photo op...

And then we were off!

Originally, I had wanted to be there for Rope drop, which was 9am when I first made these plans but with Toy Story Land opening, Disney changed the opening time to 8am and then they also decided to offer Extra Magic Hours that day so to be first one on Slinky Dog Dash, which was the plan, we would have had to be at the parking lot by 6:30am for 7am rope drop.


Yeah, that wasn't going to work for us. We got there at about 9am, just ahead of our Tower of Terror FP time.

Off to TOT!

This was the ride that Kira was most scared to try. She does NOT like butterflies in her tummy, which is exactly the reason I LOVE this ride.

Tower of Terror is my favourite non-classic Disney ride. I could ride this baby 100 times in a row and still want more! The only thing that I don't like is going through the whole pre-show over and over again, I wish they had a single rider option where you could go straight to the ride portion. Then I could probably do it 100 times in a row

Side note, Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout in Disneyland is my favourite ride in both of those parks!! They've basically taken my favourite ride and then re themed it to one of my favourite movies.

So, here we were...finally standing in front of the ride....was she ready??

You could tell she was nervous and I totally thought that she would back out but once again, my amazing kid surprised me and actually rode it!!!




She CLUNG to me the entire time but she did it!!

She was so proud of herself!!!

And I was so happy for her and so proud that she was brave enough to try it, I ended up bawling like a baby.


This was me giving her her twenty bucks...blubbering all over the place.

She conquered her biggest fear! So stinkin' proud of this kid!!

She didn't want to do it again but hey, I will take the one ride with her

We decided to head on over and check out Toy Story Land...

And look what we spotted...Galaxy's Edge!!

We had FP for Slinky Dog Dash later in the day but since you can only choose one ride in TSL for your FP's, we didn't have any other FP's for the rides here. We were really hoping to try Alien Swirling Saucers but the line was kind of long and it was already ridiculously hot out.

As much as I LOVED TSL, I really don't get what the imagineers were thinking when they designed it. Don't get me wrong, they did an amazing job, so much detail and so well-themed but there's almost no shade.

I get the fact that this is supposed to be Andy's backyard and they like to keep the theme intact but I think Disney lost that battle when they built Rapunzel's Tower over at MK, which can be seen from Liberty Square and Frontierland

The only real shade here can be found inside the Toy Story Mania Ride. There are no stores I could duck into (they only have little kiosks) and the one place to get food and drinks is all outdoor seating with a small walk-up window.

The queues to the two newer rides have some shade but not nearly enough. And I was not the only who felt that way, you could hear the people talk about it, see them melting, it wasn't fun!

We got in line anyway thinking this may be our only chance to ride it that day and I did the best I could.

Hidden Mickey!

The first part of that queue is the worst! They have people snaking around the front in direct sunshine. By the time we hit the shaded part, I was already overheating.

Rob and Kira rode together and I rode on my own just because I was so hot, I didn't need another hot body slamming into me.

The ride was fun! Definitely aimed at the younger set and oddly not nearly as fun as Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, in my opinion.

I somehow managed to walk over to Rock 'N Roller Coaster in time for our FP's, probably due to the incentive of some much needed air conditioning!

I knew Kira would love this ride if she would just try it and she definitely enjoyed it way more than TOT!


She was a little nervous as we ended up in the front row but she rocked it and had fun!

We were all in desperate need of some rest and A/C now. The plan was for lunch was...

A good choice for us because we could sit down in the A/C and it has a refillable drink station

She read her HP stories while Rob and I enjoyed each other's company

Next up was Star Tours!

 

[dnllmz]

I should also mention another reason I was able to get through the day...after my shower, with my hair still wet, I put my hat on. Then, every time we stopped at a bathroom, I would re-wet my hair again. This also made a huge difference for me. So I may look like a dork at all times but at least I'm a cool dork

We haven't done an August trip yet (2019 here we come) but we've done multiple July trips. You do what you gotta do to stay cool. My husband wears the cooling towels around his head like Rambo. And yes I'm still married to him.

Actually, he was going through caffeine withdrawals and was getting a headache. Normally he has a coffee first thing in the morning and he hadn't gotten his morning coffee yet.

I feel for Rob. I'm the same way if I don't get my early morning caffeine. I normally drink iced coffee during the summer in Disney but inside I do order hot coffee.

Kira read her Harry Potter fan fiction on her phone, which is something she does all the time. If you see her on her phone in pics during this trip, she is reading her HP stories. As a mom, I am totally okay with that

Very cool. I love that Kira uses her down time for reading and even better it's HP related. My 8yo son just started getting into the HP movies and I couldn't be happier about it. He's not a big reader, well he kind of hates reading but I'd love to start reading the books with him. My 6yo dd is still a little younger. She gets scared during the movies but likes them to a certain degree.

We spotted Stitch on the way and although I said ZERO CHARACTERS this trip, I didn't mind because, well...it's Stitch and we all love him!

We really liked that Stitch meet and greet there. Our Stitch was awesome with the kids. He taught them to surf. Definitely worth stopping for. Now i might have to check out your 2013 TR to see what the deal is with the character meets.

Rob (and often Kira, too)
would head out to the car while I stayed in the lovely A/C and he would get the A/C going in the car for me and swing by as close as he could get and pick me up.

I married well

That's a good man!

She CLUNG to me the entire time but she did it!!

She was so proud of herself!!!

Way to go Kira. She's doing great with all the rides. I still haven't ridden TOT. My son hates it but has gone on it about 2 times with my husband while I did something else with my daughter. This year she went on with my husband and I rode RNR with my son. I thought it was great even though my ride photo says otherwise.

 

[BLAZEY]

Hi! I just caught up on this report and have to say i thoroughly enjoyed your writing style! I may have to go and read your previous trip reports. Our families have some similarities! We are also a Canadian family of 3 from Victoria, our Rachel just a couple of years younger than your Kira. I also have some medical issues and don't deal with the heat well. We tend to travel in the late fall or early spring when the weather in more suited to my comfort. This will probably change when Rachel gets to secondary school. I love all your pictures and a glimpse of the new TSL. Too bad on the lack of shade and AC. Rachel also need some "encouragement" to go on the big rides, however she LOVES Test Track.

Can't wait for the next installment!

 

[Lesley Wake]

I'm so proud of Kira! Definitely will help her love Disney even more in the years to come! And make it easier for you to plan!

I totally agree about Mission Breakout - one of my favorites!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Hello from the East Coast! I just found your TR and it looks like we had our trips at the time. I'm interested to hear how yours went!
I think yours are the first pictures I've seen of the new POP rooms. I haven't stayed there before (I was at All-Star Music) but they certainly tried to make the rooms more functional. I kind of think there's too much white now though.

That's great your daughter braved her roller coaster fears. My youngest is not a thrill ride fan, but she's building herself up. She wouldn't do the ones in the dark like Space or RnRC, but she did BTMRR for the first time, so I was happy about that.

If you know me from my previous reports, then you will probably be a little shocked at the fact that we decided to take a two-week vacation to Orlando at a time when the temperatures rival that of the surface of the sun. Well, because Kira is now in Junior High, she just can't miss more than a day or two of school or she will fall behind, it was either go to Disney in the summer or not go at all.

I am in the same boat. My oldest is now in university so definitely can't miss time and my youngest is in grade 6 and I think would struggle missing more than a couple days. The August heat was rough. So I'm actually not sure what time of year I would do another trip.

As we tried to exit, we noticed people were blocking the doors and then we discovered that the storm had begun!!!

We donned our ponchos/jackets and headed out into the rain...the beautiful, glorious rain!

OMG!! When you were at the exit, I was at the entrance to Buzz! We had just put on our ponchos and run in from the storm! That's very cool

It was delayed a good 45 mins to an hour I think but eventually it began and I am so glad we waited.

We weren't sure what to do that night, we waited for a while and then decided to slowly make our way out by shopping through the Emporium. We were inside when we heard the music start, so we ran out onto Main Street and actually had a pretty good view since the crowd had thinned a lot.

If you haven't read my previous reports, let me just say I am sooooo done with stuffies!!

Yep. I might have to go back and read your last report! On our last trip in 2014 we came back with 6 stuffies. I have bins full in my house. Being 11, my youngest is getting out of them, but still likes them. She was warned she could only pick one. And it was the long tail Marie, the same style as the Todd you bought

Originally, I had wanted to be there for Rope drop, which was 9am when I first made these plans but with Toy Story Land opening, Disney changed the opening time to 8am and then they also decided to offer Extra Magic Hours that day so to be first one on Slinky Dog Dash, which was the plan, we would have had to be at the parking lot by 6:30am for 7am rope drop.

Did we plan the same trip?? I was there that morning too. I've beenlooking for myself in your pictures I had wanted to get there for EMH, but it was just too early. We did manage to get there at 8:03 am, so kind of rope drop I guess, but Toy Story was still packed by then.

 

[Timon]

August 20th, 2018 Part 2

Star Tours time!

Just as we got in line, it began to rain...well, mist, really. It was so pretty! We ended up behind a little girl (maybe 8?) and her dad. We chatted with them until we got on the ride. The girl was soooo cute! She was a BIG Star Wars fan and well, her and Rob got along VERY well.

After a fun spin on ST, we watched something we haven't watched in years...Indiana Jones!

We knew that Kira would love it and wouldn't remember it from the previous trip.

The director looked familiar to me but I couldn't place him. He said that he's been there since the start of the show in 1989 and that he used to play Indiana Jones! AHA! I bet that's where I recognize him from. It's weird but I never forget a face!

Next up was Muppets, which is always a fun time!

Rob was still daydreaming about Galaxy's Edge

Then it was time to head over to Launch Bay...

We spent a good chunk of time here because it was quiet and air conditioned

Time now for an early dinner!

I didn't even know they had cars that sat 4!

It's been quite awhile since we've eaten here. We have some really great memories of Kira here in 2009, this experience being slightly different though

She was a little too happy to be sitting on her own in the back. And she didn't take pics of her food so not many pics to share.

Rob's coconut pineapple milkshake..

And we split the burger...

Side note about splitting meals. They used to split your meal in the kitchen and usually they would give you extra fries, like a normal helping on each side. They don't do that anymore, they bring the regular meal out to your table and give you an extra empty plate.

Oh well, we were full anyway!

Kira got the beef skewer and enjoyed it. She then got the kids Sundae and polished that off!

I think we looked at some stores for a bit until Beauty & The Beast show started.

As the show began, I started to feel ill. I was hot to begin with but sitting there watching the show, I started to overheat, quickly! We were in the shade but it was/felt ridiculously hot that day.

Rob looked over at me and could tell that I was feeling off. He mouthed to me "Are you okay?" and I just shook my head, no.

Told him that I had to leave and that I was going to seek some A/C and try to cool off and then meet them after the show.

I ducked out and headed into the stores. I think because the stores are much smaller here, I could barely feel the A/C.

By the time I met up with them after their show, I was feeling better but not great.

Our Fast Passes for Slinky were coming up and I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. I knew that there was ZERO A/C over in TSL and the second I started getting hot again, I felt super ill. It was like my body couldn't cool down enough.

We walked towards TSL and sought shelter in One Man's Dream, which was the closest non-ride A/C you can find to TSL. There were tons of people in there, just hanging out, on the floor or just standing. I wasn't the only one in the for the A/C.

I cooled down as much as I could and then we headed towards SDD .

Happy to be finally trying Slinky Dog Dash!

I think it helped that it was cooler on the actual ride because it was breezy. I am glad I made it because this was a FANTASTIC coaster!!! It's not a thrill coaster but it's not a baby coaster either, it's somewhere right in the middle and we all loved it!!

As soon as we got off the ride, Kira made another purchase....

I had to wait a few minutes to time this pic and my silly hubby took a photo of me trying to time it.

 

[Timon]

Just finding your report and subbing in! Our trip started on the same day so I know what kinda heat you are in for.

Your Pop room looks awesome. I haven't seen much of the reformed rooms and they did an awesome job. Perfect location too.

Same day? Wow! It was pretty brutal, huh?

This was our first time staying at Pop but just from pictures, I thought this was a fabulous upgrade, especially to a queen bed!

Hello, I saw your pictures on Facebook. We just missed you. We left early on August 18, we stayed at Pop too. I love Disney Springs...I could and have spent all day there. I haven't tried D-Luxe yet...maybe next trip. There's always a next trip! Looking forward to more.

Hahah, wow, you too?! Neat

Definitely give D-Luxe a try and make sure you try the sauces! They are now on the counter, no need to ask for them anymore

Kira has an amazing aunt & uncle - in addition to her parents!! What an amazing incentive to do thrill rides, and just look at how quickly she got brave!!!! It actually brought tears to my eyes.
And just like that.......your family trips have become much different!!

Great water bottle tip, and yay for hubby for not complaining about that backpack!!

Just a quick tip......we've found that the Disney Springs parking garages aren't usually totally full (unless it's a holiday or maybe a Saturday night). We've always been able to find a spot, even with the full sign out front. The electronic signs inside the garage still show a few empty spots since people are constantly leaving. Just something to consider on your next trip! Shh, don't tell anyone!

Can't wait for more!!!!!

Yes, she does!

And yup, you are sooo right! Just like that, our trips have changed! I was so stinking proud of her.

Ahhhh,thanks! Good tip for next time! I won't listen to that sign anymore.

Your secret is safe with me

Who are you calling “old”? Or maybe its the “lady” part that seems confusing to me. LOL!!!

I never called you old, you called yourself old

Hahaha, we ain't no ladies

Sorry my lookup for your shirt didn’t pan out. I have to wonder if they just update each night rather than sporadically during the day as items are sold. ???

Good idea with wetting down your hair to keep cool. I’d need a full cold shower for that!

I don't know but the app was lying to you that day

Yes, a cold shower was desperately needed on many days

Yay Kira!! My niece conquered her fears this past summer. She got on all the big rides except Rock n Rollercoaster. We were so proud of her. Oh, she's 11.

Oh wow! Well that's pretty good! All but one is fantastic actually

Following along! I always love reading your TR's!

Awww, shucks Thanks for posting Sara

We haven't done an August trip yet (2019 here we come) but we've done multiple July trips. You do what you gotta do to stay cool. My husband wears the cooling towels around his head like Rambo. And yes I'm still married to him.

LOL! Hey that's a good idea for next time, Kira will be TOTALLY embarrassed!!

I feel for Rob. I'm the same way if I don't get my early morning caffeine. I normally drink iced coffee during the summer in Disney but inside I do order hot coffee.


You people are cray cray


Very cool. I love that Kira uses her down time for reading and even better it's HP related. My 8yo son just started getting into the HP movies and I couldn't be happier about it. He's not a big reader, well he kind of hates reading but I'd love to start reading the books with him. My 6yo dd is still a little younger. She gets scared during the movies but likes them to a certain degree.


She's been into the movies for a couple of years now and just started reading the books a few months ago. It's a slow go because she hates reading too but she LOVES the HP fan fiction, probably mostly because they are shorter and not so overwhelming as a huge book.


We really liked that Stitch meet and greet there. Our Stitch was awesome with the kids. He taught them to surf. Definitely worth stopping for. Now i might have to check out your 2013 TR to see what the deal is with the character meets.

Yup, check my 2013 report out and you will know why I said no characters this trip.

That's a good man!

The best


Way to go Kira. She's doing great with all the rides. I still haven't ridden TOT. My son hates it but has gone on it about 2 times with my husband while I did something else with my daughter. This year she went on with my husband and I rode RNR with my son. I thought it was great even though my ride photo says otherwise.

HAHAAH I would love to see that ride photo now

Replies up above

Hi! I just caught up on this report and have to say i thoroughly enjoyed your writing style! I may have to go and read your previous trip reports. Our families have some similarities! We are also a Canadian family of 3 from Victoria, our Rachel just a couple of years younger than your Kira. I also have some medical issues and don't deal with the heat well. We tend to travel in the late fall or early spring when the weather in more suited to my comfort. This will probably change when Rachel gets to secondary school. I love all your pictures and a glimpse of the new TSL. Too bad on the lack of shade and AC. Rachel also need some "encouragement" to go on the big rides, however she LOVES Test Track.

Can't wait for the next installment!

Awww thanks so much!!!

That's odd, right? Many similarities! And you live in my favourite city!!! I have wanted to move to Victoria since my first visit at 16.

Hopefully Rachel does all the big rides easily next time

I'm so proud of Kira! Definitely will help her love Disney even more in the years to come! And make it easier for you to plan!

I totally agree about Mission Breakout - one of my favorites!

Yes, so much easier to plan and tour as a family now

Isn't MB the best!!???

Hello from the East Coast! I just found your TR and it looks like we had our trips at the time. I'm interested to hear how yours went!
I think yours are the first pictures I've seen of the new POP rooms. I haven't stayed there before (I was at All-Star Music) but they certainly tried to make the rooms more functional. I kind of think there's too much white now though.

That's great your daughter braved her roller coaster fears. My youngest is not a thrill ride fan, but she's building herself up. She wouldn't do the ones in the dark like Space or RnRC, but she did BTMRR for the first time, so I was happy about that.


I am in the same boat. My oldest is now in university so definitely can't miss time and my youngest is in grade 6 and I think would struggle missing more than a couple days. The August heat was rough. So I'm actually not sure what time of year I would do another trip.


OMG!! When you were at the exit, I was at the entrance to Buzz! We had just put on our ponchos and run in from the storm! That's very cool


We weren't sure what to do that night, we waited for a while and then decided to slowly make our way out by shopping through the Emporium. We were inside when we heard the music start, so we ran out onto Main Street and actually had a pretty good view since the crowd had thinned a lot.


Yep. I might have to go back and read your last report! On our last trip in 2014 we came back with 6 stuffies. I have bins full in my house. Being 11, my youngest is getting out of them, but still likes them. She was warned she could only pick one. And it was the long tail Marie, the same style as the Todd you bought


Did we plan the same trip?? I was there that morning too. I've beenlooking for myself in your pictures I had wanted to get there for EMH, but it was just too early. We did manage to get there at 8:03 am, so kind of rope drop I guess, but Toy Story was still packed by then.

Hey TNG!

Wow, another Canadian that was there at the same time, woooop !!!

I think it was basically just Canadians and English folk there the entire two weeks.

Yes, loved the new Pop rooms and I agree, very white but still very awesome!

BTMRR is a good starting point! Kira did that in Disneyland for the first time in 2015, which was nice!

The heat was rough but I would do it again in a heartbeat! I would tour the parks differently but we are already thinking of a do-over next summer

HAHA! You were entering Buzz as we were leaving, too funny! I have tons of photos that I don't post, I bet you are in there somewhere I also took video and after the report is done, I will be working on our vacation video, maybe you will be in there somewhere

Glad you stuck around for HEA! I kind of figured it would go eventually since the storms had passed so we just plopped down, had some snacks and waited.

Awww, so you know our stuffy plight Kira almost got Marie but she is a dog/fox lover so it was over as soon as she spotted Todd

Wow, that is really funny! Same park TWICE! Glad we didn't go early then, we would have been dead tired

 

[KsGiGi]

Enjoying your report. Awesome pictures!

 

[dnllmz]

For your viewing pleasure

 

[cntkg1]

Maintenance Check at park closing? UGH!!

Sweet that you donate those stuffies, Kira. I know that’s hard to do, kiddo.

 

[cntkg1]

August 20th, 2018 - Part 1

I tried to make Rob some coffee this morning so that he could get his caffeine fix right away but the coffee machine in our room sucked! The right side wouldn't even work and this is what he ended up with using the left side...

His face says it all

Whahahahahaha!!! BEST picture so far, Cass!

 

[cntkg1]

BTW, I'm already seeing the "Cass Pic Stance" in the pictures you posted. Even Kira is doing it now! Who's next, Rob?