**COMPLETED 4/30**Life Is Way Too Short to Take It Slow - October 2013 TR

[mandycurious]

Princess Momma, thank you for such amazing pictures of the ToT. I always strain unsuccesfully to absorb as many details as I can from the lobby. Your lobby pics were awesome.

 

[princess_momma]

Princess Momma, thank you for such amazing pictures of the ToT. I always strain unsuccesfully to absorb as many details as I can from the lobby. Your lobby pics were awesome.

Thank you! I love just soaking it all in! I appreciate the beauty of all the details they put in there! Thank you Disney!

 

[princess_momma]

We moseyed on out of the MK and hopped on the monorail! We had an ADR over at the Polynesian...Ohanas!! Garret and I are both huge meat eaters, so I couldnt wait to take him here!

I checked us in and in no time at all, they were leading us to our table! The wait was probably a minute, if that.





We started off with that delicious bread! But who wants to fill up on that with all the delicious things ahead?



Ohana means family.





There was salad. I do not eat salad. Sauces came out. I dont even remember which one we preferred, but we did prefer the same one.





I didnt try the potstickers, but I had a wing or two. Delicious.



To go with my not eating salad, I also really dont eat any other veggies. BUT I was really, really feeling those noodles tonight. Like I could not get enough! They were just so exceedingly good to me. I had more of those than I did meat, which is really quite shocking.



Here is my beautiful Lapu Lapu. I literally cannot dine at Ohana without getting one. They are so delicious to me!



So good! You have to try one! Garret got my other favorite drink - the Backscratcher...but after tasting a Lapu Lapu, he got one of those next.

And now for the meat!!

Steak


Chicken


Shrimp


Pork


All very delicious! The pork was a tad dry, but I was full enough by then that it didnt matter! We all had such a good meal and were so full and satisfied! Landon didnt realize bread pudding was on the way, so he requested a cupcake and they gave him two! They also sang happy birthday to him and he was on cloud 9!



I knew that the bread pudding was not to be missed but Garret had no idea what he was in for! He didnt really want more than a bite, he was so full...but of course he couldnt resist once he tried it!



At some point during our meal, Wishes started. The music was piped in and we honestly wouldve had a PERFECT view but there was a tree smack dab right where we needed to look. Oh well.



We settled our bill using dining credits and were ready to get back to the Magic Kingdom!

***CONTINUED IN NEXT POST***

 

[princess_momma]

***CONTINUED FROM ABOVE POST***

The first thing we did when we got back was use our Splash fast passes! We got soaked this time...it was like taking a shower!



We hopped in Big Thunder Mountain Railroads 20 standby next! We got in at 10:30 and were on by 10:51. I was so happy! I couldnt believe I was finally in Disney riding these rides with Landon! It was so special to me taking him on all these rides for the first time!

After our wild ride, we took a bathroom break and stopped somewhere (Pecos Bills?) for a drink...it was hot that night!

We decided to ride Haunted Mansion next! There was a 15 minute standby, which is more than Ive ever waited for HM but so worth it! Luckily they have so many fun things to look at in the line!
(As we were getting ready to ride our doom buggy, Landon heard the guy giving his spooky warnings and he goes He said youll be haunted until you return! I dont want to be haunted! Silly boy. I really, really love this age where its all SO REAL. Magic.

We were running out of time but wanted to get on at least one more ride! We had to walk all the way across the park to get there!





We trucked it all the way to Tomorrowland...we had one more mountain to conquer!

The wait was posted at 30 minutes at 12:08 and we were on by 12:31. We had shaved a few minutes off when they pulled us early for needing a party of 3! Score! I will say I love Space for that reason...most of the rides are made for pairs, but Space Mountain is just perfect for our family of 3!



Landon loved it! He was freaking out with joy after his first ride! He had so much fun and was saying that it was his new favorite ride! I was so happy he loved Space so much! Yay!

After that, we headed out of the park and went to rest our little heads before another full day!

 

[klacey1]

I really wanted to love Ohana-- it seems like so many people do! I didn't have a lapu lapu though-- that looks amazinggg and may have changed my opinion!
You conquered the mountains in a night! Woo hoo! I love that Landon loved them all

 

[jenny105]

Ohana is our favorite place! Those wings...drool. And I love lapu lapus too!

So exciting that Landon is big enough to go on the mountains now!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Great update!!

Yes, the bread pudding at O'hana is one of my favorite desserts at Disney! We tried O'hana once a couple of years ago and had a good experience. Although all I remember now is the bread pudding.

 

[marDgreen88]

Yum yum yum, 'Ohana! So good. Their potstickers are just... MMMM. Hooray for a triple mountain whammy! Landon is so brave!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[princess_momma]

I really wanted to love Ohana-- it seems like so many people do! I didn't have a lapu lapu though-- that looks amazinggg and may have changed my opinion!
You conquered the mountains in a night! Woo hoo! I love that Landon loved them all

I have never had a bad time at Ohana! I do love it. But if you are reluctant to go there, you can get lapu lapus at Kona as well!

Yay for mountain conquering!!! I was SO HAPPY Landon loved them all! He still talks about them all the time…those 3 are the ones he lists without fail whenever anyone asks about his favorites!

Ohana is our favorite place! Those wings...drool. And I love lapu lapus too!

So exciting that Landon is big enough to go on the mountains now!

There is just so much to love at Ohana!

Crazy to think of how much Landon has grown! I'm so happy he can go on the mountains!

Great update!!

Yes, the bread pudding at O'hana is one of my favorite desserts at Disney! We tried O'hana once a couple of years ago and had a good experience. Although all I remember now is the bread pudding.

That bread pudding is quite memorable, so I don't blame! I love it!

Yum yum yum, 'Ohana! So good. Their potstickers are just... MMMM. Hooray for a triple mountain whammy! Landon is so brave!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Ohana was a definite win…just like the mountains! I was so proud of Landon for going on everything!


******

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you all had an enchanting holiday season!! We have been sick over in our household, but all seem to be on the road to recovery now! So I promise an update soon!

 

[princess_momma]

So, once upon a time, I traveled with early risers and we had tons of pre-park opening breakfasts and it was so magical beating the crowds and blah blah blah.

But then times changed. We became late risers. Not to mention, the time difference somehow started to matter. A 9 am park opening for all you East coasters equals a 7 am park opening for us. On vacation. With travel time and all that...I would have to wake up BEFORE what feels like 5 am to me. Im just not that disciplined. Maybe it could happen again in the future (hello, sunrise safari!) But all the other times? Just...no.

I dont know when we woke up, but we got to the park by 10:30. Our first stop was to pick up our PhotoPass+ card. I LOVE PhotoPass and think it is so worth it. I have not read up on the new Memory Maker stuff yet (still slowly easing out of my post-Disney depression bubble) but Ive always thought PhotoPass was worth it.

When Landon woke up, I inquired as to which ride had been his favorite so far...he said Space Mountain! So luckily, we had our first fp scheduled for Space Mountain! Dream Along with Mickey was going on. We didnt stop for it, but we did look for a few minutes!



While we were in line, we saw a Colts fan. Who just so happened to be playing the Broncos that very day. (Did you notice Landons Manning jersey in the previous picture?) So we cheer-battled. (Aka... I screamed Go Broncos and held up my son to display his jersey and they screamed back Go Colts! Good stuff.)

Somehow, despite how much Landon raved about Space Mountain the night before, he was pretty scared of the ride. I think maybe he psyched himself out or something? Either way, he still had fun.



I dont think we had any breakfast this day, so after just one ride we were already hungry. (After all we got accomplished in our half day the night before, I didnt feel too bad slacking this morning!)



Shockingly, the line for Be Our Guest was insane. So we would have to fill our tummies elsewhere.

I think the MK has a lot of great options, although Pinnochios was one I had never given much thought. However, it was there and we were hungry so in we went!

Garret and I each got a meatball sub with fries and a chocolate cake. To drink, I got an iced coffee, while Garret got a Coke. Landon got pepperoni pizza, grapes, yogurt and a drink of some sort! Haha.







It was all SOOOO delicious! We all loved it and gave it rave reviews! I was so glad we finally had some good CS after the atrocity at DHS the day before. And also, we saw another Broncos fan inside! GO BRONCOS!!

Now I have in my notes that we went on Space Mountain again. So Im assuming we grabbed fps before our fp+ ressie. (And here I thought I took good trip notes! LOL) This time, the scanner didnt work the 2nd scan. But they were still in the testing phase so whatev?



Notice the contrast in emotions between Garret and I and then Landon. I promise he liked it and still talks about it to this day!

After our 2nd blast through Space, we grabbed Buzz fps and then headed over to Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor! I LOVE MONSTERS INC SO MUCH. When I worked at the Disney Store and we got to pick our favorite characters for our name tags, I picked Sulley! I just love those guys and I love the laugh floor so much. I took a lot of pictures of the queue, but my flash didnt work so they were awful and I wont subject you to them. The good news is we saw another Broncos fan! (I took notes of all the Broncos and Colts fans, so I might as well tell you, right? Vital info, I know.)



FINALLY it was time for our Splash fp. Splash is my 2nd favorite. Like how can you not have a good time on Splash? I love the story, the fake drops, the real drop, the songs, EVERYTHING. Its perfect.

We crossed over via hub and took pictures of course.

Landon was the newest fan of Brer Rabbit!



He saw Dumbo and Pluto and needed pictures with them too, of course.





I had to grab some PhotoPass pics as well...I just adore the ones with the Partners statue and castle!



(I took way more PhotoPass pics than this but none of them turned out because it was SO BRIGHT that day. So all of our eyes are closed. Luckily, Garret had his sunglasses all trip. I spent the entire trip believing I had left mine at Opas, only to find them in my purse when we got home. Naturally.)

We stopped at Sleepy Hallow for some ice water. And pictures, obviously.



I had suffered through like 3 rounds of selfies that either cut one of us or the castle out before a kind CM offered to take this picture.

Eventually, we did make it to the Briar Patch. And it was magical! (Although, it has been noted that the FP+ scanners did not work here either.)







I just had to take the laundry picture. For whatever reason, Landon found this hilarious so it became kind of a family joke. THE LAUNDRY!



I call this ^ one Squished and Blinded. But still...it was somehow heaven. I wish we were exactly there right now.



Luckily, our FP+ reservations between Splash and Big Thunder coincided rather beautifully so we hopped on that next. Yay for the MK Mountains!

After that, we literally had to RUN to make our Buzz fps. BUT WE WERE SUCCESSFUL, dont you even worry!








Super serious.



We were then headed out of the park&but not before PhotoPass pics!!





We did grab some drinks from Casey's before we left. Any guesses on where we were going?!

 

[princess_momma]

If you guessed we would be going to Hollywood Studios, you would be right. We just love that park!

We took a boat over to the TTC...there was another Broncos fan onboard. Represent. Of course on the bus though, we sat next to a family of Colts fans. They were nice though and we had some good conversations. (Despite our rivalry for the day, we will always have Peyton Manning in common with Indianapolis.)

It was 3:50 when we arrived at DHS. In my mind, Starring Rolls closed at 4pm so I started FREAKING OUT because I thought it would be the perfect time to get a Butterfinger cupcake from my favorite cupcake place in the world. I was skip-sprinting (skprinting?) there because I love Butterfinger cupcakes and I was going to make it in the nick of time.

But no, of course, they closed at 3pm so instead of 10 minutes to spare, I was actually 50 minutes late. Can we all just cry now?

But no. We don’t have to cry. Why do we not have to cry? Because of Robby. Sweet, sweet Robby. He took pity on my tear-soaked face (kidding) and...HE WENT IN THE BACK AND GOT ME MY CUPCAKE FOR FREE!!!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!

Is there anything better than being in your favorite place in the world and getting your favorite cupcake in the world for free? I think not. (Although, being squished and blinded on Splash Mountain comes pretty close.)





Thanks for making my day, Robby!









There were 3 Broncos fans on Sunset Blvd so hooray! I was on a mission to get my pictures from the previous day from Landon’s first rides on ToT!

With that mission accomplished, we wandered around DHS for a bit. Aladdin, Genie and Hook were meeting in the streets of America. I don’t think that sight could’ve been anymore random.

When we ran into Lightning and Mater, we stopped for some of my favorite pictures of Landon OF ALL TIME. I just think they are SO GOOD. (Mother’s bias? Idk. But he just looks so big and he has a real smile and is actually looking at the camera and I love them.)







Eventually, we made our way over to the Backlot Tour - a first for us us.





We weren’t planning on staying at DHS for long, so we were out of there by 5:50 and headed back to Pop.

There were more Broncos fans we saw from the bus. Clearly, we were winning on jersey representation in the park that day. If only that mattered in the end.

When we were climbing up the stairs to our room though, we ran into some Colts fans. They saw Landon’s jersey and said, “Come back to Indiana, Peyton!”. To which I replied that he was ours now and I would not give him back. LOL.

Our stop in the room was a quick one because we had to go watch the game! Luckily, our game was the Sunday night one so it was the only game showing at ESPN Club at the time. I had hoped that would mean less crowds!

We didn’t want to take a bus to a park and then to the Boardwalk, so we just took a cab. The trip felt very quick, and it ended up costing $10.40 including tip. I would think it was worth it because time is money, or so they say.

Honestly, the line wasn’t too bad for ESPN Club! We met up with our friend, Brandon and his dad for the game. They were already in line and while the grown boys waited, I sat at an outside table while Landon ran some of his energy off.

We were seated with plenty of time before the game! (However, it appeared we were the only Broncos fans there. All the other ones must’ve still been in the parks.) There were TVs everywhere, including our table!





I really love sports bars and ESPN Club is like the ultimate sports bars. I just love the memorabilia everywhere! Like this picture of the 1990 Superbowl champs! (1990 was my birth year!)



Here is a fun fact: every time the Giants win the Superbowl, a baby in my family is born. Started with my brother and then me, and eventually continued with Landon and then my nephew. (However, with my brother and I, it was our actual birth years. With our own children, it was the season year.)



Look closely at the previous picture. They had Superbowl champs in chronological order and went from ’92 to ’93 to ’84! And continued back to ’95 and ’96! You can fool my keen eye, ESPN!

Landon got his meal before everyone and had a cheeseburger. The only food I didn’t take pics of this meal!

The grown men split some pitchers of beer and I was getting delicious Captain’s Mai Tai’s! We also decided to just share a bunch of apps.

Brandon and I shared the 2nd hottest wings, while Garret and his dad got the most hottest. These were the best wings any of us had EVER. No joke. If you are going to order wings somewhere, GO HERE. They are so meaty and THEY ARE THE WHOLE WING. Look at these beauties.


(We got more than 2, that’s just when I remembered to take the picture!)

After we were all polished off those AMAZING wings, we debated whether to just order more or get some variety. We opted for variety, but it was a very hard decision. However, I was thrilled because we got the nachos and they were the best ones ever as well!


(Again, partially eaten. Sorry.)

They were the Hog Wild nachos with a description of “Crispy Corn Tortilla Chips with pulled pork, chili, cheddar cheese sauce, jalapeño, pico de gallo, avocado, shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar and al fresco cheese finished with a drizzle of barbecue sauce”. OMG. THEY WERE SO GOOD. It was really hard to stop eating.

Landon fell asleep by the end of the meal. It was just too much fun, I suppose.



This meal we had decided to pay for OOP except for Landon’s. So Landon should have gotten a dessert since he was on the dining plan, but they never asked or offered. I know he was asleep, but still. We would’ve appreciated it and they still put it on the receipt. If it’s included and has to be on the receipt, then at least offer to bring it to us! That was the only displeasing thing about the whole meal, otherwise the whole dining experience was a complete win!

The Broncos on the other hand experienced their first loss of the season. I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT! (lol...oh football!)

Here’s the bill in case you are curious.



We took a cab back and I remember it being cheaper than it was on the way there, but I was too sleepy/depressed to make note of it.

Stay tuned! The next day is our anniversary!

 

[khaleesi]

I randomly picked your TR to read because I liked the title and I'm so glad I did. I'm also a huge Game of Thrones fan (clearly... LOL). I'm from Buffalo, so I'm a huge Bills fan (which means I was less than thrilled with that Giants Super Bowl XXV photo. Ha.) I'm a huge sports fan in general, and of all the players who have ever played any sport but never on one of my teams, Peyton Manning is BY FAR my favorite. I am confident that my Bills will beat the stupid Pats today, not that I expect the Broncos will really need our help

I love everything about Florida, EXCEPT the heat. I have snow in my blood Hopefully the Florida weather will be very mild at the end of February!

Landon is adorable, and I love the photo progression!

Can't wait to read more!!

Once we had enough pictures, we finally went to dinner. We went to this lovely little sports bar called Bru’s. Named after Bob Brudzinski, the former Ohio State University college star who went on to play for the Rams and Dolphins in the NFL. He apparently became business partners with the guy who supposedly brought Buffalo Wings to Florida, when he moved from Buffalo, NY to Florida.

Color me intrigued. Strangely, I don't like Buffalo wings. But I love the boneless variety.

 

[klacey1]

Awesome update!! Poor Landon looks just terrified on Space! He looks much happier/more excited on Splash, though!
What a magic moment with your cupcake. That was so awesome that Robby got one for you for free!
Speaking of magic, I love that magic shot with Chip! I've never seen that one before!!
Ahh, I love sports bars/pub grub! I can't believe how much meat is on those wings! And those nachos-- OMGGGG! If I ever go to WDW during hockey season, I'll have to convince Zach that a trip to ESPN Club is in order!

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Kimmy! I had a lot of catching up to do but I'm glad I did since you have some great updates.

I love how you described the Star Tours scenes - in an unschooled Star Wars manner nonetheless... that was hilarious! I have no clue either so it made sense to me.

Your first Disney day sounds perfect! DHS, MK with a couple trips on Space Mtn and 'Ohana for dinner! Glad that Landon liked SM.

You truly experienced ToT love with the back to back ride (errr fall!) Definitely my favorite ride as well! All the details are mesmerizing and I love the back story. We have the DVD of the movie with Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst.

That was awesome that the CM gave you your beloved cupcake even though they were closed. Score!

Those nachos at ESPN Zone do look like the fit the category of best ever! Yum.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Wow, that was a packed day even with the later start in the morning. Love all of your photopass magic shots!!

We love the Laugh Floor although I did skip it during my solo trip. We'll definitely head back in January. I would love to picked as "That Guy".

 

[jenny105]

You should be proud of me because I watched the Colts/Broncos game on our cruise! They showed it on the big screen in the atrium. Sorry about the outcome. :\

I don't do park openings. In all the times I've been to MK I've never seen the opening show. It's my vacation. I want to sleep. I am 100% ok with getting to a park after 10 am. It is not the end of the world people! /end rant

Loving all your pictures! You look fantastic for a day in the park. I usually look like a bum lol.

 

[marDgreen88]

Such good pictures in this update! Y'all are a photogenic bunch.

FREE cupcake? How? Amazing. Butterfinger is the one I want to try in May!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Loved the updates Kimmy! I also love eating apps at ESPN. Glad you were able to get seats. I know that can be tough some times when football games are on.

Sounds like the trip is still going well. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[princess_momma]

I randomly picked your TR to read because I liked the title and I'm so glad I did. I'm also a huge Game of Thrones fan (clearly... LOL). I'm from Buffalo, so I'm a huge Bills fan (which means I was less than thrilled with that Giants Super Bowl XXV photo. Ha.) I'm a huge sports fan in general, and of all the players who have ever played any sport but never on one of my teams, Peyton Manning is BY FAR my favorite. I am confident that my Bills will beat the stupid Pats today, not that I expect the Broncos will really need our help

I love everything about Florida, EXCEPT the heat. I have snow in my blood Hopefully the Florida weather will be very mild at the end of February!

Landon is adorable, and I love the photo progression!

Can't wait to read more!!

Color me intrigued. Strangely, I don't like Buffalo wings. But I love the boneless variety.

Glad you are here to join! I love your user name…I have a shirt that says "Khaleesi" (and also "mother of dragons" and "valor morgholis" )
I'm glad you like Peyton! He is so great!

Man…I definitely don't have cold in my blood! I'm no Elsa for sure! And I'm a native of CO!

Awesome update!! Poor Landon looks just terrified on Space! He looks much happier/more excited on Splash, though!
What a magic moment with your cupcake. That was so awesome that Robby got one for you for free!
Speaking of magic, I love that magic shot with Chip! I've never seen that one before!!
Ahh, I love sports bars/pub grub! I can't believe how much meat is on those wings! And those nachos-- OMGGGG! If I ever go to WDW during hockey season, I'll have to convince Zach that a trip to ESPN Club is in order!

I was surprised he looked so scared of Space because he always said he loved it!

Maybe Chip was the magic shot I got since I got jipped on the Mike Wazowski one!

You definitely need to make a trip over to ESPN Club! You guys will love it!

Hi Kimmy! I had a lot of catching up to do but I'm glad I did since you have some great updates.

I love how you described the Star Tours scenes - in an unschooled Star Wars manner nonetheless... that was hilarious! I have no clue either so it made sense to me.

Your first Disney day sounds perfect! DHS, MK with a couple trips on Space Mtn and 'Ohana for dinner! Glad that Landon liked SM.

You truly experienced ToT love with the back to back ride (errr fall!) Definitely my favorite ride as well! All the details are mesmerizing and I love the back story. We have the DVD of the movie with Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst.

That was awesome that the CM gave you your beloved cupcake even though they were closed. Score!

Those nachos at ESPN Zone do look like the fit the category of best ever! Yum.

I'm glad we have the same understanding of Star Tours. That is probably about how my description is going to be every time! The whole first day WAS perfect…basically any day where I get to ride ToT is perfect. I've actually never see the movie…any good?

Wow, that was a packed day even with the later start in the morning. Love all of your photopass magic shots!!

We love the Laugh Floor although I did skip it during my solo trip. We'll definitely head back in January. I would love to picked as "That Guy".

It's funny because it always feels like we didn't get a lot done, but then when you look back, it's kind of impressive! Wait until you see what we accomplish the next day!

I would love to be "That Guy" too…but I doubt they would choose a girl ever. So I'm hopeful that one day they'll choose Garret.

You should be proud of me because I watched the Colts/Broncos game on our cruise! They showed it on the big screen in the atrium. Sorry about the outcome. :\

I don't do park openings. In all the times I've been to MK I've never seen the opening show. It's my vacation. I want to sleep. I am 100% ok with getting to a park after 10 am. It is not the end of the world people! /end rant

Loving all your pictures! You look fantastic for a day in the park. I usually look like a bum lol.

Aw, I am proud of you! It was such a sad day when they lost.

I'm glad you can relate to our not doing park openings! We always have so much in common! We need to go to Disney together.

HA and you are ridiculous! I have never seen you look like a bum in any of your trip pictures!

Such good pictures in this update! Y'all are a photogenic bunch.

FREE cupcake? How? Amazing. Butterfinger is the one I want to try in May!

Well, thank you! :good vibes

I hope you like the Butterfinger one! I finally have tried them all and it's still my favorite!

Loved the updates Kimmy! I also love eating apps at ESPN. Glad you were able to get seats. I know that can be tough some times when football games are on.

Sounds like the trip is still going well. Looking forward to reading more.

I was so grateful we got seats! I'm convinced it was because there was only one game on!

 

[princess_momma]

First off…HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I hope you all had fun, safe celebrations! I hope that your 2013 was incredible but that your 2014 will be even better! Thanks for reading!

*********

Our 2nd full day was also the day of mine and Garret’s 2nd anniversary! I was so excited about the things we had planned for this day...which was basically a relaxing day at the Food & Wine Festival followed by a romantic dinner at Artist Point. Naturally, it turned out nothing like we had planned. Let me explain the whole story...

We woke a little earlier than the previous day. Our first stop was at the Everything Pop food court for some breakfast. We shared the bounty platter. Garret deemed the potato casserole the best non dessert he had so far. Everything else was good, but unremarkable.



We then hopped on a bus to Epcot and arrived at 10 am. And it was insane. An hour past park opening and we had to wait in a long line to get in! There were no fast passes for Test Track or Soarin’ until 8pm, both had waits of around 80 min.



We had a 10:20 FP+ reservation for Mission: Space so we headed straight there!



Notice how there is no one in the background for his picture. They were all waiting to be in mine, lol.



We walked right on and didn’t need to use our FP’s. I believe the wait was posted at 10 minutes, but it was less than that.

I was worried about how Landon would react to this. It’s not really a feeling you can explain, let alone to a 5 year old and I was just hoping it wouldn’t be too overwhelming that it would freak him out.

My worries were for nothing, he loved it! However, Garret and I were feeling the effects long after we got off. I just felt off balance after, so weird how it does that! It sucks, because we love it so much!

However...the crowds were just crazy. The wait for Spaceship Earth was like 25 minutes. All of the wait times were pretty crazy honestly! (We checked on my phone!) Our next FP+ was well over an hour away, the lines were way too long to standby in and we just didn’t want to deal. We knew we would be back later in the week, so we decided to duck out and head over to AK!!

As we were leaving, the lines were still long to get in! I’m sure that whole day was just awful crowd-wise there.

Our bus ride was nice and relaxing. I was even able to change our FP+ reservations to AK rides! Score! I was really excited about that. There is something fun knowing that you are going to a park and know you won’t have to wait in line! (Although...I really wish it could be both FP+ and Legacy!)

Here are the times of the new FP+ reservations!

We arrived and already the crowds were significantly less! We stopped for a few PhotoPass pics!







Look at how Landon is so unfazed by Stitch popping through the ground. It’s no big deal!

Our first stop was for frozen lemonade! I can’t go to AK without getting one! They are so refreshing!



We enjoyed it while we hiked to Asia to grab some Expedition Everest fp’s! Gotta ride that bad boy as much as possible! You could really tell the difference in crowds here. Some of the pathways were completely empty! It was so dead, it was perfect!

This was especially wonderful for 2 reasons: 1. On my last trip, AK had been SO BUSY that I had left. Meaning that it had been 3+ years since riding EE and doing basically everything there! I had never managed to make it back that trip either! And 2. This was Garret’s first time EVER in AK. On his last trip to the world, it hadn’t been open yet. So he was actually able to enjoy all the details and beauty of the park.

Once we had our EE fp’s in hand, we turned right back around and went to Dinosaur! Landon was SO excited! He loves dinosaurs so much!





The wait was only 10 minutes, so we just about walked right on!

Landon was a little nervous and wanted me to hold his leg the whole time, but he enjoyed it. I believe his exact words was “that was AWESOME!”





***CONTINUED IN NEXT POST***