Daddy Daughter Disney Dash - January 2018 -- COMPLETED

@poooh literally said everything I was thinking about this TR. You're a good Daddy!

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Hey, I got way behind on many trip reports over the holidays, but finally got caught up on yours.
I really like the idea and challenge of doing 4 parks in 1 day. I don't know if I'll ever do it - or more likely if my family would ever agree to it. But to me it sounds like fun.
 
Hey, I got way behind on many trip reports over the holidays, but finally got caught up on yours.
I really like the idea and challenge of doing 4 parks in 1 day. I don't know if I'll ever do it - or more likely if my family would ever agree to it. But to me it sounds like fun.
I was thinking about this too...

With transportation taking so much time, I can't see how to do this without a rental car
 
Hey, I got way behind on many trip reports over the holidays, but finally got caught up on yours.
I really like the idea and challenge of doing 4 parks in 1 day. I don't know if I'll ever do it - or more likely if my family would ever agree to it. But to me it sounds like fun.
I was thinking about this too...

With transportation taking so much time, I can't see how to do this without a rental car

It's really not that hard to visit all 4 parks in one day. Riding all of the rides in one day is incredibly challenging, but merely getting a picture in front of the icon and maybe riding one or two rides is not.

In our case, we did a PPO breakfast at BOG and rode 7DMT and carousel right at opening (9 am). We then caught a bus to DAK (boarded 9:40) and were at Pandora right at 10:15. Caught the FOTLK show (11 am) and then made our way out of the park (11:50). We then bussed to DHS (arrived around 12:20) and took a picture and then walked to Epcot (took about 30 minutes). I was at France pavilion by about 1 pm. Made our way around the world showcase going counterclockwise and stopped just long enough to take photos and then buy plush doll at Norway.

Boarded monorail by 2:05 and back at PVB at 2:20.

Alot depends on the buses -- but it takes about 40 minutes by bus to go from MK to DAK (including avg wait time) and then 30-40 minutes to go from DAK to DHS. I always walk from DHS to Epcot as it is not a bad walk and is a little more than a mile I believe. Epcot to MK is about 20-30 minutes via monorail depending on how well the monorails are running.
 


Day 4 - Chapter 9


Ok – so where are we? Oh yeah – we just got some pixie dust with Tink and then we started heading down Main Street USA spreading our own form of Pixie Dust. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of time to spend “sashaying” down main street since we had a very important dinner date to make. Where is dinner you ask?


Well – if you were paying close attention – you’d notice that Kat is dressed quite differently now than she was earlier. We definitely have a case for “who wore it best?”

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As you should have guessed, we had dinner at CRT – and it was actually really good. I know people act like the food here isn’t that good – but for a character meal, I actually think the price is not all that bad. Is it worth two table credits on the dining plan? Not sure about that – but for a cash price – I would say it is worth it compared to 1900 or Akershus.

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As always, the princesses were great, and they all did a good job of interacting with Kat – even when she was more interested in coloring on her menu (if there is a sign your kid has met too many princesses – that would be a sign).

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Funny story about Snow White – my iPhone groups pictures together according to facial recognition – and apparently our Snow White on this trip is the same girl that was Mary Poppins on one of our previous trips. Hahahah


By the time we got done with dinner, the fireworks were about to start; however, our stroller had been moved. Luckily, I had put some sweet ground effects on that bad boy and had no problems finding it.

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Since it was far too late to try and see HEA from in front of the castle, we instead opted for a nice viewing on the backside. Honestly, hanging out close to 7DMT and BOG is a really good spot for enjoying the music and fireworks. Obviously, you won’t see the projections, but there was almost no one back here, which made it quite enjoyable.

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After the fireworks, we decided to call it a night. Kat had quite the day and was pretty worn out. I can’t blame her. We did a PPO breakfast at BOG, and then traversed all four parks, with a repeat at the Magic Kingdom. Even with an “early” exit, we didn’t get back to the room until well after 9:30 pm. Stay tuned – day 5 – which is check-out day!

Here's another picture from 7DMT earlier in the day that I forgot to post before.


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DAY 5 -- CHAPTER 10
(CHECK OUT DAY)
I don’t know about y’all (i.e., you all for you northerners) – but check out day for me is so bitter sweet. I always love coming home from vacation, but with Disney vacations (particularly this one with just us -- and being only four nights), it is always so hard to say goodbye.

I also always have a hard time trying to figure out what is the best use of time. Sometimes it can feel like complex math.

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Our flight wasn’t until 7:00 pm, so we had a relatively full day ahead of us, since we didn’t have to board DME until around 4 pm.

My original plan was to sleep in…pack up…and then head over to the Wildnerness area and do some of the pony rides and other fun things over there.

Much to my surprise, EVEN AFTER Kat saw some of the commercials for that – she specifically said she wasn’t interested. I even asked her four more times over the course of the trip...and she still said no.

What kid doesn’t want to ride a pony???

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Ok. No problem. I can pivot.

Option #2 was pool day – but it was rather chilly this morning , so that was out.

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Option #3? Magic Kingdom!

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Luckily I booked a few fastpasses as a back up option at the MK just in case the other two options fell apart.

Did I mention that I handle logistics? DW wouldn't have been able to handle this crisis. Finally, my talent saved the day!

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Our morning consisted of some nice headliners. We had FPs for BTMRR, HM and 7DMT. Care to guess what we ended up riding???

STAY TUNED

 
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we started heading down Main Street USA spreading our own form of Pixie Dust.

That's called "farting" up here.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of time to spend “sashaying” down main street since we had a very important dinner date to make.

;) :thumbsup2

Where is dinner you ask?

Where is dinner?

We definitely have a case for “who wore it best?”

Well, duh. Kat, obviously. :sad2:

we had dinner at CRT – and it was actually really good.

Oh really! Good to hear.

Is it worth two table credits on the dining plan? Not sure about that – but for a cash price – I would say it is worth it compared to 1900 or Akershus.

Huh. Okay.
Yes, I've only heard fair to poor reviews of CRT dinner. I've never been. I've done breakfast, so I've been there, but not for dinner.


:lmao:

As always, the princesses were great, and they all did a good job of interacting with Kat – even when she was more interested in coloring on her menu (if there is a sign your kid has met too many princesses – that would be a sign).

:laughing:
"Too many princesses... they all blend together, dad."


awww...


:laughing:
She's a stinker!

Funny story about Snow White – my iPhone groups pictures together according to facial recognition – and apparently our Snow White on this trip is the same girl that was Mary Poppins on one of our previous trips. Hahahah

No. Not possible. These are two different people. Perhaps your phone is broken.

:rolleyes1

our stroller had been moved. Luckily, I had put some sweet ground effects on that bad boy and had no problems finding it.

Sweet ride.
(and smart)

Obviously, you won’t see the projections

I'm okay with that. I find they detract from the show. I want to see fireworks. But with the projections, I'm constantly trying to figure out where to look.


:laughing: Love the contrast between you two. Both in demeanour and in wear.

I don’t know about y’all (i.e., you all for you northerners)

Ohhhhhhhhhh… So that's what that means.

but check out day for me is so bitter sweet. I always love coming home from vacation, but with Disney vacations (particularly this one with just us -- and being only four nights), it is always so hard to say goodbye.

yes

My original plan was to sleep in…pack up…and then head over to the Wildnerness area and do some of the pony rides and other fun things over there.

Much to my surprise, EVEN AFTER Kat saw some of the commercials for that – she specifically said she wasn’t interested.

What? Is she an alien?

What kid doesn’t want to ride a pony???

Right!?!?!?!?!?

Option #3? Magic Kingdom!

Always a good option. ::yes::

Luckily I booked a few fastpasses as a back up option at the MK just in case the other two options fell apart.

Good planning! I'm impressed.

Did I mention that I handle logistics? DW wouldn't have been able to handle this crisis. Finally, my talent saved the day!



Our morning consisted of some nice headliners. We had FPs for BTMRR, HM and 7DMT. Care to guess what we ended up riding???

Carousel. Wedway.
 


Jumping in to follow along late, but I'm all caught up. Daddy/daughter trips hold a special place in my heart because that's
what most of mine have been. I only wish I had thought about "napping around the world" pictures years ago. Those are priceless! The memories from this trip that Kat knows belong to ONLY her and her Dad will be extra special to her
as she grows up and looks back.

I don’t know about y’all (i.e., you all for you northerners) – but check out day for me is so bitter sweet. I always love coming home from vacation, but with Disney vacations (particularly this one with just us -- and being only four nights), it is always so hard to say goodbye.

I also always have a hard time trying to figure out what is the best use of time. Sometimes it can feel like complex math.

Yup, I'm exactly the same way,and even after I do come up with a "last day" plan, I am constantly trying not to think about the time growing shorter and shorter until our
executione... oops... magical express bus comes to take us away.
 
That's called "farting" up here.

That's "spraying" pixie dust...not spreading.

Where is dinner?

I see what you did there.

Well, duh. Kat, obviously. :sad2:

good answer. It's like you've lived with only women for a while.

Huh. Okay.
Yes, I've only heard fair to poor reviews of CRT dinner. I've never been. I've done breakfast, so I've been there, but not for dinner.

I'm guessing the poor reviews are based on perceived value -- but I've had nothing but good experiences. You gotta figure you're paying $40 just for the interaction and location.

"Too many princesses... they all blend together, dad."

The other problem was that we had just met a lot of the same princesses back in December of the previous year (2 months prior)...so the newness has definitely worn off. The timing for this trip wasn't ideal -- but I had to get it in before her AP expired.

Sweet ride.
(and smart)

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I'm okay with that. I find they detract from the show. I want to see fireworks. But with the projections, I'm constantly trying to figure out where to look.

If that's the case, then you'll love this spot. Usually low crowds and you can sometimes get surrounded by fireworks going off. Pretty cool effect.

:laughing: Love the contrast between you two. Both in demeanour and in wear.

Not in size?

What? Is she an alien?

Right!?!?!?!?!?

Yeah -- that really threw me for a loop. I was absolutely shocked she had no interest in riding a pony.



that's hilarious.

Carousel. Wedway.

Is that Prince Charming's Carousel or Walt's Carousel of Progress?
 
Jumping in to follow along late, but I'm all caught up. Daddy/daughter trips hold a special place in my heart because that's
what most of mine have been. I only wish I had thought about "napping around the world" pictures years ago. Those are priceless! The memories from this trip that Kat knows belong to ONLY her and her Dad will be extra special to her
as she grows up and looks back.

Yup, I'm exactly the same way,and even after I do come up with a "last day" plan, I am constantly trying not to think about the time growing shorter and shorter until our
executione... oops... magical express bus comes to take us away.

:welcome:

And :thanks: for the kind words. Still happy to report that almost a year later, she still remembers much of the trip. :love:
 
That's "spraying" pixie dust...not spreading.

Whoops!

good answer. It's like you've lived with only women for a while.

:rolleyes1

I'm guessing the poor reviews are based on perceived value -- but I've had nothing but good experiences. You gotta figure you're paying $40 just for the interaction and location.

Quite possibly. Our breakfast, while not amazing, was fine. We booked for the location and the princesses. So worth it.


:laughing:

If that's the case, then you'll love this spot. Usually low crowds and you can sometimes get surrounded by fireworks going off. Pretty cool effect.

Will keep that in mind. :)

Not in size?

You want me to list all the differences????

Is that Prince Charming's Carousel or Walt's Carousel of Progress?

I meant the merry-go-round... but... Yes.
 
As you should have guessed, we had dinner at CRT – and it was actually really good. I know people act like the food here isn’t that good – but for a character meal, I actually think the price is not all that bad.
I've eaten there once for breakfast and thought it was a great experience and value (and it was just two adults, no kids!). Though, we were on the DDP and opted to pay cash. Sometimes I think I must be crazy because a lot of restaurants that people don't like, I find to be very enjoyable. Oh well.

Funny story about Snow White – my iPhone groups pictures together according to facial recognition – and apparently our Snow White on this trip is the same girl that was Mary Poppins on one of our previous trips. Hahahah
Okay so I had a similar experience at CRT too! We were at epcot the day before and met Aurora. There was no line and the park was dead so she spent a lot of time talking with us and telling us jokes related to napping/sleeping. She was hilarious. The next day was our CRT meal and while we were meeting Cinderella, I thought she looked too familiar. When we walked up she said, "Nice to see you ladies again. I have some more jokes, if you'd like to hear" and we all laughed. I was surprised that she broke character a little bit. And also surprised they had moved her from one park to another! (Is that normal? Idk)

I LOVE seeing strollers decked out in lights!! So cute.

I don’t know about y’all (i.e., you all for you northerners) – but check out day for me is so bitter sweet. I always love coming home from vacation, but with Disney vacations (particularly this one with just us -- and being only four nights), it is always so hard to say goodbye.

But you'll be back! And we'll be awaiting a new trip report. :goodvibes
 
Since it was far too late to try and see HEA from in front of the castle, we instead opted for a nice viewing on the backside. Honestly, hanging out close to 7DMT and BOG is a really good spot for enjoying the music and fireworks. Obviously, you won’t see the projections, but there was almost no one back here, which made it quite enjoyable.
It's not bad at all. I watched from behind the castle on my last trip and it was a lot more relaxing being able to sit down and not jockey for elbow room out front.
 
Okay so I had a similar experience at CRT too! We were at epcot the day before and met Aurora. There was no line and the park was dead so she spent a lot of time talking with us and telling us jokes related to napping/sleeping. She was hilarious. The next day was our CRT meal and while we were meeting Cinderella, I thought she looked too familiar. When we walked up she said, "Nice to see you ladies again. I have some more jokes, if you'd like to hear" and we all laughed. I was surprised that she broke character a little bit. And also surprised they had moved her from one park to another! (Is that normal? Idk)

They definitely move them around. I've seen the same Aurora at the main street parade, CRT, and Akershus. Not necessarily on the same trip, but within the same year.

But you'll be back! And we'll be awaiting a new trip report.

I've definitely been back since this trip. I did an impromptu Solo adventure in April when my wife was in Orlando for a conference (might as well go since I had the AP and free hotel), a trip with my dad in October, and then a trip with DW and DDs in December, along with a day trip to Disneyland Paris (got sent to paris for a week so added a couple days to visit Versailles and DLP) and 3 days at Disneyland in California.


And 2018 was supposed to be the year we took off.

Oops!

Probably won't do another trip report until my next daddy/daughter trip with the youngest when she turns 5...which will be sometime next year!

The trip is sometime next year...I do know when she's turning five.
 
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It's not bad at all. I watched from behind the castle on my last trip and it was a lot more relaxing being able to sit down and not jockey for elbow room out front.

It was a pleasant surprise for me. I do love the projections though...but being able to relax and just enjoy the music and fireworks is so nice.

Plus I've watched HEA on Youtube probably 50 times, I pretty much know what's going on anyways. :)
 
DAY 5 -- CHAPTER 10

alright then -- as you may recall -- we last left off with an unlikely decision to head to the Magic Kingdom. Since I am an excellent logistical planner, this was no problem and I was able to get us rolling without too many issues.

While taking the express monorail from the TTC likely would have been quicker for this trip, I made the executive decision to take the resort monorail in order to capture this gem:

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Perhaps she knew how much fun we were about to have???

Actually -- I'm not sure why we took the resort monorail instead of the express monorail. Perhaps I completely forgot? We certainly didn't get breakfast at Captain Cook's, so your guess is as good as mine.

(*ETA -- we went to the lobby b/c we had to drop our bags off with the airline peeps prior to noon)

With that said, we got into MK pretty easily and immediately made our way over to the WILDEST WILD IN THE WILDERNESS. And yes – BACK ROW!!! i'm no novice!!!

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Can you tell someone is excited???


After finishing the ride, Kat wanted to ride it immediately again. While I may be a logistical mastermind, I cannot create FPs out of thin air. She was not happy.

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When we exited, I turned my head and looked at the Mountain and couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. The sky was an amazing shade of blue. Check this out!

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Seriously -- it was picture perfect and the weather was absolutely magnificent. Upper 50s with no wind. I may be a southern guy, but it was sooooooooooo nice.

We then made our way to our second fastpass over at the Haunted Mansion! Here’s Kathryn’s spooky face.

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Here's another spooky face she made on an earlier trip --

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I'm pretty sure I like her first attempt...but they are both priceless to me. Which do you prefer???


Since it was about noon at this point, we had roughly 3.5 hours of Disney time left. HM was fun as always. Following HM, we ventured to IASW and somehow the wait was minimal. Funny thing about this ride is that Kat is now more mesmerized by the little “water tornadoes” on the side of the boats moreso than the actual animatronics.


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The FP for 7DMT wasn’t until 2:45 pm, so we still had some time to burn. Given we had a few hours, I figured it was a good time to hit up Tiana and Rapunzel,


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as well as a trip Under the Sea,


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Sorry @pkondz -- no pics of Ariel in her swimwear on this trip. I'll give you some good pics on the tail end of the trip. That line was a little more than I could stomach. Pun intended.

Before heading out of fantasyland -- I did snag one more pic...

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We did have about 30 more minutes to kill so I figured we'd take a ride on the Railroad around the park.

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About 3:10 pm we got on the Peoplemover for one last jaunt around Tomorrowland.

(@pkondz -- so far you have one correct!)

HAVE I MENTIONED BEFORE....THAT...

I. LOVE. THIS. RIDE.

I gotta be honest, I spent a good chunk of this ride holding back the happy tears.

Sitting there, snuggled up next to my girl and reflecting about all of the fun we had during this trip.


It was almost too much.

I was so happy with how the trip had turned out – and I just didn’t want to have to call it a day.

I'm really not joking. I was so close to losing it.

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I mean -- seriously, does it get any better????

I recorded a few videos in an attempt to capture the moment, but I more or less started to tear up every time. I am definitely a sucker when it comes to Disney sentimentality.

Ok -- let's get this thing back on the tracks. We can't have everyone dehydrating here at the end.

Is it too late to get sponsored by Kleenex?




Where were we?

Oh yeah -- PEOPLEWATCHING while on the peoplemover!

Definitely not crying.

:rolleyes1

At this point, it was about 3:25 pm (don't forget we need to be at PVB at 3:55 pm for the 4 pm magical express) and I asked Kathryn if she wanted to hit up 7DMT as the last ride. She completely surprised me though when she declined and said she wanted to go on...


ONE MORE INSTALLMENT TO FIND OUT WHAT OUR LAST RIDE WAS!!!

AND DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR AN UBER TO GET TO THE AIRPORT???

 
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