Escape From Craziness Part II to Fireworks, Food and A DVC Tour - A June 2018 Trip Report - Completed 3/30

[cstorm65]

Wow that was awesome! You could see all the way to Batuu!

I know. The boys and DW loved the view! Thus the trip report title. DS2 would stand at the window every night and yell, "Fireworks". Now, off course he was saying "Dar-works", but we knew what he meant!

He’s braver than me! I can’t handle RnRC!

He is definitely a thrill seeker!

I'm so glad that DS6 loved RNRC! You have a thrill rider on your hands!

I know! He did the Iron Rattler, a big coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, this past week and loved it too!

I've heard such good things about The Fountain - I'm glad you enjoyed it!

It was good. We ate there a couple of times and it was excellent as well. The stuff was a little over priced because this is really a convention hotel, but we were expecting that. The ice cream was great though! We ate some about every night!

Late-night Mickey ice cream sounds like the perfect way to end such a great day. I can't wait to hear about day two!

It is the best way to end a day at Disney World!

 

[cstorm65]

Day 3 - Part 1 - “Dumbo Is A Baby Ride”

After getting a good night's sleep we were back at it the next morning at about 7:00. DS2 was ready to go as he jumped in the stroller in his jammies!

He’s saying “Look at me guys...I’m ready to go”!

We got to the bus stop at 7:50 as we were heading to the Magic Kingdom for the first time on this trip. The boys were ready for their first castle sighting of the trip!

A bus came at 8:05 and we got over to the MK in about 20 minutes. Bag check was awful and DW took the bag through there while me and the boys went through the no bag line. We had a few minutes waiting on her so we got a couple of pictures in front of the train station while we waited! I say "pictures" loosely as DS6 wouldn't smile and DS2 wouldn't even look at the camera. But hey it's early, I'll take what I can get!

We got into the park at about 8:35 and had some time to kill so we went here:

I was on the lookout for a new holder for my TiW card and stuff on my lanyard and kind of liked this one. I wasn’t sure if I’d get it yet, but thought it was pretty cool looking.

After a little pre-rope drop shopping we came out onto Main Street for our first glimpse of this. DS2 of course screamed at the top of his lungs, “Mickey’s Castle!”

No matter how much we try to convince him he thinks Mickey lives in that castle. We’ve just started calling it “Mickey’s Castle” ourselves kind of like we call it the “Mono-Train” instead of the monorail. Anyway I give you Mickey’s Castle:

We got a spot over by the entrance into Tomorrowland for the opening show. The show finished right on time and we headed over for me and DS6 to take a ride on Space. Of course the ride got off to a slow start on the day and we didn’t even make it into the building until 9:09. We normally would have left, but DS6 really wanted to ride Space.

We got off the ride by 9:30. We headed back to meet up with DW and DS2 to ride Dumbo, but when we got there DS6 kept saying, “But Dad, Dumbo is a Baby Ride.” He was thinking he was a little older than he actually was. Needless to say we forced him and DS2 into the Dumbo sitting there for a couple of pictures.

But, we ended up not making him ride Dumbo. Instead, DW took him to do Barnstormer while DS2 and I got in line for Dumbo. They got on Barnstormer pretty quickly and I think they even did it twice before we got done with Dumbo once. Here they are:

Son, will you give us a smile please...

Thanks! Anyways, DS2 and I had a good 20 minute wait for Dumbo. Had we known it we may have reconsidered, but they only had one side running at this point. I hate it when they aren’t running rides at capacity early in the morning. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes it does and it really slows you down when you should be rewarded for getting there early.

Anyway, we finally made it on by 9:55 and had a great ride!

Tell me this smile wasn’t worth a little wait to get on the ride!

So, we had a great morning of touring started already. Where were we headed next?

Up Next: The Joys of Mobile Ordering​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

He loved it! Of course the ride photo never got to my account, but he really liked it. He came off saying he wanted to go again!

Woo Hoo!!! We didn't tell the girls it went upside down and when we got off, they weren't completely sure if they went upside down or not. They had to ask.

DS2 was ready to go as he jumped in the stroller in his jammies!

Too funny, although he looks a litle sleepy still.

DS2 of course screamed at the top of his lungs, “Mickey’s Castle!”

I mean, it kind of makes sense, a little.....
nyways, DS2 and I had a good 20 minute wait for Dumbo. Had we known it we may have reconsidered, but they only had one side running at this point. I hate it when they aren’t running rides at capacity early in the morning

Tell me this smile wasn’t worth a little wait to get on the ride!

 

[cstorm65]

Woo Hoo!!! We didn't tell the girls it went upside down and when we got off, they weren't completely sure if they went upside down or not. They had to ask.

Haha! That's classic!

Too funny, although he looks a litle sleepy still.

I know! He thought he was ready though!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

It's so irritating when the park isn't running well first thing in the morning and you feel like you don't accomplish as much as you should. Still, the smiles from your boys make the frustration worth it!

Hopefully things improve as the morning moves along!

 

[cstorm65]

It's so irritating when the park isn't running well first thing in the morning and you feel like you don't accomplish as much as you should. Still, the smiles from your boys make the frustration worth it!

Hopefully things improve as the morning moves along!

It's usually not that big of a deal to us since our trips are usually longer so moving quick is not the biggest priority. It would frustrate me if I was the family who that was my only day in the Magic Kingdom because that problem is so easily avoidable. With what they charge now for tickets/annual passes I think we deserve the park to be running at capacity throughout the day, especially in the crowded summer. Going to get off my rant here now! Thanks for reading along!

 

[cstorm65]

Day 3 - Part 2 - The Joys of Mobile Ordering

After finishing our ride on Dumbo we headed over to do a little more in Fantasyland. Next up was Underthe Sea with just a five minute wait. I also these two pictures of DS2 playing in the Pooh queue. I think DW and DS2 did this ride while we did Space, so I’m not sure why these pics are out of order. Sorry about that. Anyway, DS2 loves this line, especially beating on the drums! He’s our loud child! haha

We headed down into Fantasyland proper after our journey with Ariel and got our first glimpse of the Carousel. At least where we thought the carousel was.

I mean, it was amazing the carousel was still operational under that. I’ve seen a lot of construction at Disney World in our time, but to see the entire outside of something covered is pretty impressive, especially with it still running.

We headed over into the giant bottleneck between Peter Pan and it’s a small world.

We did Peter Pan in about 10 minutes and so I’m assuming we used a FP. I don’t have it in my notes, but I see no other way for that to have worked at 10:30. After this we were splitting up. DS6 and myself were going to use a Splash Mountain FP while DW and DS2 were going to use their FP on Pirates. Of course Tom Sawyer island picture on the way. I always love looking out across the water towards the island. Despite all of the craziness of the MK sometimes this place right here always seems calm and peaceful.

DS6 and I were ready to get on Splash at 10:50. He loves this ride!

DS6, smile please for the camera son!

There we go...you see now I have to take two pictures of everything to get DS6 smiling! Anyway, we were off on our voyage on Splash Mountain and a great one it was!

We were off at 11:15 and headed over to meet DW and DS2 at Columbia Harbor House for lunch! This is traditionally one of our favorite quick service meals at Magic Kingdom. It was only 11:25 and it was packed when we arrived, but we went on upstairs. I had done our mobile order on the walk over and had it ready to pick up. We got the boys at a table and despite the huge crowd downstairs there were plenty of tables upstairs. The boys were hungry and messed up in shenanigans while I went to pick up our mobile order!

The mobile order process is awesome! We love it and used it a bunch on this trip. I know it wasn’t working for dining plan yet, and it still may not be, but for us just paying cash it was great! After we found a table I went down, picked up our food in about 3-4 minutes and we were eating. I only got a picture of my fish and shrimp plate and sorry, I had already organized my food. Yes, I’m one of those people who like to organize my food to where nothing is touching.

I also never remembered getting two sides here, but that is nice. So I can get fries and broccoli and feel like I’m being somewhat healthy! Oh well, I’m not fooling anyone, but it’s a nice thought! DW likes the fish, but there isn’t just a fish plate without shrimp so she got fish and shrimp too and I ate her shrimp. DS6 ate some of my fish since I was getting that extra shrimp as he wanted to try it. Both boys got mac ‘n cheese as it is really good here and they always enjoy it.

So, a great lunch out of the way, let’s see how long we make it in the park on our first day. It was about 12:00 which is usually our time to head out for a break, but we had one more FP to use so we could book another one for this evening. What do you think it was?

Up Next: The First Gift of the Trip​

 

[SimplyGoofy]

It looks like DS2 had a great time in the Pooh queue and DS6 had a great time on Splash! A double win!

I ate at Columbia Harbor House most recently when I did the Keys to the Kingdom Tour - I see why so many people seem to like it! We got to eat upstairs that day as well and it was MUCH more quiet that the craziness downstairs!

I'm glad you got mobile order to work so well for you! Did you have as many connectivity issues as others I've read about? Perhaps you just got lucky and it always worked for you! (I do look forward to using this on our next trip - it would be great if you just had to wait a few minutes for your order!)

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Joining in! I've read through a couple of your TR's and I'm looking forward to this one as well...

 

[Lesley Wake]

No matter how much we try to convince him he thinks Mickey lives in that castle. We’ve just started calling it “Mickey’s Castle” ourselves kind of like we call it the “Mono-Train” instead of the monorail. Anyway I give you Mickey’s Castle:

That's so cute! I hope he isn't too traumatized once he realizes Mickey doesn't live there! Gotta bring him to Disneyland and toontown!

Tell me this smile wasn’t worth a little wait to get on the ride!

Adorbs!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

How tall is DS2? How long before he can ride some of these height restricted rides? It is going to be a whole new park for you guys when you don't have to split up so much.

 

[cstorm65]

It looks like DS2 had a great time in the Pooh queue and DS6 had a great time on Splash! A double win!

They both loved them! DS2 especially loves Pooh. The bouncing with Tigger room is his favorite of course!

I ate at Columbia Harbor House most recently when I did the Keys to the Kingdom Tour - I see why so many people seem to like it! We got to eat upstairs that day as well and it was MUCH more quiet that the craziness downstairs!

I know! There are a few times we've been in there and they have the entire

I'm glad you got mobile order to work so well for you! Did you have as many connectivity issues as others I've read about? Perhaps you just got lucky and it always worked for you! (I do look forward to using this on our next trip - it would be great if you just had to wait a few minutes for your order!)

We didn't have any major issues, which looking back I'm really shocked with. I mean there were a few times I might have had to reload the app or something, but after doing that it would always work for me. We loved mobile order overall!

Joining in! I've read through a couple of your TR's and I'm looking forward to this one as well...

Thanks for reading along!!

That's so cute! I hope he isn't too traumatized once he realizes Mickey doesn't live there! Gotta bring him to Disneyland and toontown!

I know! DW and I were talking not long ago about how much he would love toon town. We have plans to come out that way in the next couple of years!

Adorbs!

That pic is one of my favorites of the trip because of the look on his face.

How tall is DS2? How long before he can ride some of these height restricted rides? It is going to be a whole new park for you guys when you don't have to split up so much.

I know! We are looking forward to it. He is a little short right now, but he's just short for his age. He has grown some since our last trip though and before we come back down next summer I'm thinking he will at least be able to do Seven Dwarves and Big Thunder. We did the log ride with a pretty good drop here at our theme park the other day and he loved it!

 

[cstorm65]

Day 3 - Part 3 - The First Gift of the Trip

After we finished up lunch we had one more FP for this morning. We were using all three of our FP’s in the morning so we could try and get a fourth one for this evening on something good! Our final FP this morning was for DW and DS6 over at Big Thunder! They had a great time and we even found a photopass photographer at the exit.

I was able to then snag us a 4th FP for everyone that evening at Haunted Mansion. Our friends were meeting us at the park tonight and we were going to do that one with them. It was 12:30 though and time for us to make our way out for a break as we were going to have a late night tonight. First, a short photopass line at the castle so of course we had to stop!

After that we headed into the Emporium as DS6 had earned enough “points” to buy him his first souvenir. He had found a set of cars from the movie Cars that he wanted so we got those real quick. As we were checking out and we heard the music start so out onto the sidewalk we went to let the boy watch the parade go by.

After the parade went by it was about 12:55 so we headed towards the bus stop. DS2 decided he would play with the stroller fan a bit while waiting on the bus.

The bus came within about five minutes. We got a picture of DW and the boys on the bus, but DS2 obviously wanted to sit somewhere else and he didn’t want to oblige his parents with a picture. DS6 on the other hand was happy as can be with his new toy.

Here’s what DS2 wanted to do. Look out the window! He loves doing this on what he calls the “Disney School Busses”.

We were on our way to the Dolphin. What would we do next? That should be pretty easy to guess!

Up Next: “Dad, How Did That Card Do That?”​

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Great pictures in front of the castle!

It looks like DS2 LOVED the parade! He's pointing at everything!

 

[cstorm65]

Great pictures in front of the castle!

It looks like DS2 LOVED the parade! He's pointing at everything!

He loved the parade! He enjoyed Mickey, of course, but he really enjoyed seeing Mr. Incredible. The kids at daycare love the Incredibles and DS2 is no exception!

 

[cstorm65]

Day 3 - Part 4 - “Dad, How Did That Card Do That?”

We were heading back to the resort for a break and it was probably pretty easy to guess what was going to happen next! Of course DS2 fell asleep and I mean was dead to the world for a few hours. We got back in the room at 1:25 and I think he was asleep by 1:27. I also think DS6 had his swim suit on in that same two minute time span as I had told him we could swim for 45 minutes if he agreed to take a nap after. Yes I bribed him, yes it worked, yes everyone was happier since we all got a nap! Needless to say, he loves to swim!

We swam for about 45 minutes and about the time we were planning on getting out we heard some thunder anyway and they started clearing the pool. I did get a few pictures of the pool area and looking across the lake at the Swan hotel at some point while we were out there.

Here is one end of the main pool. It was a little quieter section. If you go under the bridge on the right you get to the big main pool area. We like this area because it wasn't quite as busy and hectic.

This pool I'll call the "shallow pool". It wasn't for kids specifically or anything, but it was probably only like two to three feet deep throughout. It is right next to the main pool.

This was a long pool that was closer to the Dolphin in the pool complex. It was always much quieter here than the normal pool so we started calling it the "quiet pool". We never went here because DS2 is the absolute loudest human being on the face of the planet so him and "quiet pool" don't really go together!

We got back into the room by about 2:30 after getting a drink and DS6 promptly fell asleep himself. I dozed off for a bit too before getting up at about 3:45 and going down to fill up my mug and in the process stuck my head in the Disney gift shop at the Dolphin. Since this isn’t technically a Disney resort this is about the only Disney operated thing at the Dolphin.

I went back and people were starting to come back around out of their slumber so we got ready...slowly...to head back to the park. We were headed to the bus stop by 5:40 .

We got to the bus stop at 5:45 and the TV said it would arrive at 5:54. Which left of nine minutes to listen to DS2 scream, “It’s a School Bus!!!” at the top of his lungs every time a bus came into view.

Finally he was right and it was actually our bus. What do you know? It showed up right at 5:54, that may be the first time one of those TV’s has ever worked down to the minute. Anyways, it was an Avengers bus! DS6 was excited about that!

We got to the Magic Kingdom and were inside by 6:15. We were meeting our friends at 6:45 back in Fantasyland for a snack and then to do our group FP. But we had 30 minutes to kill and I wanted to see if DS6 got into Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom at all We got some cards and found the “portal” (Is that what it’s called???) under the train station and tried to figure things out. Of course that first meant stand nearby until someone else does something so that we can watch and then replicate.

Luckily, someone played quickly and we watched. While they were playing DS6 said, “Dad, how did that card do that?” To which I replied like any Disney loving father, “Disney Magic Son!”

We played a game, DS6 was somewhat interested, but was ready to meet his friends back in Fantasyland. So we headed this way for the second time today!

Up Next: Thank Goodness for Bubble Machines​

 

[SimplyGoofy]

The pools at the Swan look really nice! It's awesome when resorts have multiple pools and you can pick your favorite. I think a brief swim before the downtime was a great idea!

DS2 must've lost his mind with all the rides on the "school buses" that week! I swear, all young kids love anything bigger than a car that moves.

I've never done Sorcerer's of the MK, but it certainly seems popular. I'm glad you were able to give it a try!

 

[cstorm65]

The pools at the Swan look really nice! It's awesome when resorts have multiple pools and you can pick your favorite. I think a brief swim before the downtime was a great idea!

It was a great pool complex. Of course it's shared between the Swan and Dolphin, but it never seemed any more crowded than other resort pools. Probably due to the fact that a lot of the people staying at these two places are here for conventions and not necessarily to spend time at the pool. It was a little weird that all three of the pools I showed are probably with 150 feet of each other, just each offer different experiences. So that was nice, but different.

DS2 must've lost his mind with all the rides on the "school buses" that week! I swear, all young kids love anything bigger than a car that moves.

I know! So true for DS2!!

I've never done Sorcerer's of the MK, but it certainly seems popular. I'm glad you were able to give it a try!

We don't do it a whole lot, but we wanted to see if DS6 would get into it. I don't think he was quite old enough to really get into it, but I can see him really getting into it here the next time we go as he's gotten a little older.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We swam for about 45 minutes and about the time we were planning on getting out we heard some thunder anyway and they started clearing the pool. I did get a few pictures of the pool area and looking across the lake at the Swan hotel at some point while we were out there.

Good timing!

Finally he was right and it was actually our bus. What do you know? It showed up right at 5:54, that may be the first time one of those TV’s has ever worked down to the minute. Anyways, it was an Avengers bus! DS6 was excited about that!

I don't think I have ever had that happen!

 

[cstorm65]

We are back from our cruise!! We had a great 10 days vacation which included a 7 day Royal Caribbean Cruise. I think I'm going to document some of that here on a trip report of some sort, but I'm going to finish this one up first. Anyways, going to try and get an update out today so I can get back on track. Then I have to make time to catch up on everyone else's reports.