Go with the Flow....A Summer Trip to Remember! July 2012~ **Completed**

[wdwgirl03]

Woo hoo, you made it!! That's awesome you got a little preview of the Art of Animation resort on your ME bus. I am definitely planning on stopping over there on my next trip. It looks like such a fun resort.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Travel day is one of the most exciting days of the whole trip! All the anticipation finally ends and you are on the way! YAY!!

So sorry about the noisy neighbors. How annoying!

I so get that "can you believe we're finally here?" feeling! It's like you need to pinch yourself to be sure it's real! The joy on Noah's face says it all!

Looking forward to more!

 

[vassar36]

Beautiful pictures!!!! Great start...i can't wait to read more!!!!!!

 

[Angies1274]

Woo hoo, you made it!! That's awesome you got a little preview of the Art of Animation resort on your ME bus. I am definitely planning on stopping over there on my next trip. It looks like such a fun resort.

After our little preview, I was so excited that we made a point to go over the next night and explore the resort. I took a ton of pictures of both the Nemo and Cars section. I can't wait to share them!!

Travel day is one of the most exciting days of the whole trip! All the anticipation finally ends and you are on the way! YAY!!

So sorry about the noisy neighbors. How annoying!

I so get that "can you believe we're finally here?" feeling! It's like you need to pinch yourself to be sure it's real! The joy on Noah's face says it all!

Looking forward to more!

We were so happy to be there!! Noah couldn't stop smiling! It was so cute!!

Ugh! The noisy neighbors were definitely annoying! I'm glad things finally settled down so we were at least able to get some sleep that night.

Beautiful pictures!!!! Great start...i can't wait to read more!!!!!!

Glad you joined in!!

 

[Angies1274]

"When there's a smile in your heart, there's no better time to start...." Peter Pan


After enjoying Stacey and “Must Do Disney” on television for a few minutes, we decided it was time to go and grab something to eat for lunch. By this time, it was about 1:30 or so and we hadn’t eaten since six that morning. Needless to say, we were starving and because of this I didn’t take any pictures of our food.

I had the Meatball sub combo with salad as did DH. Nick had the Parmesan crusted chicken with salad and Noah had a kid’s pizza. I don’t know if it was because we were starved but it was good and filling. It definitely hit the spot!

Poor Nick, I think I took him off guard

Noah enjoying his meal

I did remember to pull out my camera before I devoured my dessert! YUM!

After lunch, the boys wanted to check out the gift shop. They had souvenir money that they couldn’t wait to spend—

Aww….

Decisions, Decisions….huh, Nick?

We decided to head back to the room and stopped to grab a few pictures of our view on the way.

Another one off to the left a little—

And to the right—

This was the pool we spent most of our afternoons in. It was much quieter than the Hippy Dippy Pool.

Hey Nick!

I realized when we walked to the end our hallway that I could almost see the Walt Disney World Arch from our room. I thought that was really cool. Hmm…I guess I did kind of see it this trip!! Here I thought I had missed it.

After a quick rest, we were ready to head out to Downtown Disney for the evening. In my last update I mentioned that this would be our first change of the trip. If you read my PTR, you may remember that we were supposed to go to Epcot on our first evening. But, after finding out that Epcot had evening EMH that night I began doubting whether it would be a good idea or not. I was sure that it was going to very busy. That combined with how hot it was and how tired we still were, we decided that having a more relaxing evening at Downtown Disney would be best. No plans, just walking around, people watching, shopping and enjoying being at Disney. It sounded perfect to me!!

We made our way down to the bus stop and I don’t remember waiting too long for a bus which if I remember right actually surprised us because it usually takes forever for Downtown Disney buses to show up. Anyway, before we knew it we had arrived!!

Our first stop was Once Upon a Toy. While DH and the boys headed in to do a little shopping, I lingered outside to snap a few pictures—

Noah decided to be silly and try on a few hats—

The boys stopped to get a picture with Buzz—

Continued on next post--​

 

[Angies1274]

Next, we decided to head to the Lego store! (Noah’s favorite)

I love all the new Disney creations outside—

A little closer….

I didn’t take any pictures inside the store as it was so busy in there and I was trying to help Noah find what he was looking for. He ended up buying a Ninjago Sticker book and Lego set.

Then it was off to the World of Disney—
Now, I love this store but….it’s so huge that it makes it hard to actually shop for anything especially because it's always so busy.

I looked up and saw Peter Pan and Wendy. You know I had to get a picture—

If I remember right, we didn’t really buy too much. I got a bracelet and DH got a t-shirt. I don’t think Nick purchased anything that night. He was waiting to spend his money in Japan the next day.

As DH was paying, Noah and I made our way over to check out Basin. This was my very first time there and I was so excited to check it out. After smelling all the wonderful scents, I decided to purchase a Mickey head soap in a cotton candy scent. It smells very yummy and sweet. A perfect summer scent! While we were browsing, Nick found a bath bomb that smelled just like Soarin’. I didn’t buy it which of course now I’m kicking myself.

After Basin, it was around 7:00pm and we were starting to get hungry or at least the boys were. We unanimously agreed to eat at Wolfgang Puck Express. We love it there but since we had planned to eat at T-Rex the following evening, we didn’t think we would make it to WPE this trip. I was starting to like this “go with the flow” no plan kind of evening. It wasn’t too busy when we walked inside which was really nice except it meant that I had to decide what I wanted right away. Of course, as we got closer to the front of the line I kept changing my mind. First it was the spaghetti and meatballs and then it was the rotisserie chicken. Finally, at the last minute I decided on the Margarita Pizza and I’m so glad I did! This was so yummy!! Of course, I didn’t get any pictures but it was so good that I had to find a picture so I could share it with you.

DH got the bacon wrapped meatloaf with mashed potatoes. He loved it as well.

Nick got the cheese pizza and Noah got macaroni and cheese. They both really enjoyed their meal. It was definitely two thumbs up for all of us. I would highly recommend this restaurant!!

After we finished our yummy meal, we decided that it was probably time to head back to Pop Century. We made one final stop at Goofy’s Candy Company on the way out so we could grab some make your own pretzels to share. You are able to choose 3 toppings so the boys chose to dip them in milk chocolate, rolled in M&M’s and drizzled with white chocolate.
While we waited for our pretzels to be ready I took a picture of the boys being silly—

One of the sign made of jelly beans-

And the huge Mickey and Minnie rice crispy treats. Yum!

Once our pretzels were ready it was time to say goodbye to Downtown Disney for the night and head to the bus stop.

Back at the resort, we refilled our mugs and after a little television we were out for the night. It was a great first night at Disney and I’m so glad we made the decision to switch our days around. It was a much more relaxing way to start our trip!!

Next up— How much longer are we going to hang around Canada?

​

 

[mickeystoontown]

I think that you made a good decision when you decided to go to DTD instead of Epcot. I have been meaning to comment on how grown up the boys are looking. No more little boy faces. They are looking like young men.

You know that we are now Wolfgang Puck Express lovers so looking at your pictures brought back some good memories. I could go for something from there right now.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

First I have to agree with Lisa. The boys are looking very grown up...especially Nick. Believe me, I know from experience how quickly they change from little boys to young men!

DTD is a great choice on arrival day. That is usually our plan. We have never attempted a park on our travel day. I love the sights and smells of Disney at DTD...a perfect way to start the vacation!

Those new lego sculptures are fantastic! Yay...there's one of my favorites, Snow White!

Yummmm.....WPE! Another one of our favorites! Sounds like a perfect night to me!

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

I've been reading your trip report and I really don't get why people decide not to go to a park because it has EMH, is it really that much busier?

 

[ShortStuff]

You did some of my favorite things! I love the food at WGPE! Have you ever eaten breakfast there? When we stayed at SSR, we went there for breakfast. There is no kids menu at breakfast. You should have seen my grandsons face when they brought him out a HUGE waffle with whipped cream and fruit on top!

I love the Lego store and the sculptures out front! Even though it's not the most dramatic, I love the kids and dogs. Truly amaziing!

Lovin' your 'go with the flow' adventure so far! Looking forward to more!

 

[Angies1274]

I think that you made a good decision when you decided to go to DTD instead of Epcot. I have been meaning to comment on how grown up the boys are looking. No more little boy faces. They are looking like young men.

You know that we are now Wolfgang Puck Express lovers so looking at your pictures brought back some good memories. I could go for something from there right now.

Thanks! I think we made a good decision too!! Oohh...we just love Wolfgang Puck Express. It's definitely one of our favorite counter service restaurants at Disney!!

First I have to agree with Lisa. The boys are looking very grown up...especially Nick. Believe me, I know from experience how quickly they change from little boys to young men!

DTD is a great choice on arrival day. That is usually our plan. We have never attempted a park on our travel day. I love the sights and smells of Disney at DTD...a perfect way to start the vacation!

Those new lego sculptures are fantastic! Yay...there's one of my favorites, Snow White!

Yummmm.....WPE! Another one of our favorites! Sounds like a perfect night to me!

This was actually the first time we visited Downtown Disney on our arrival day but I think it's going to become a tradition from now on. We really had such a great night!

The Lego sculptures are so amazing!! The boys were very impressed!!

 

[Angies1274]

I've been reading your trip report and I really don't get why people decide not to go to a park because it has EMH, is it really that much busier?

They seem to be. At least during the afternoon and early evening which is why most planning sites advise against EMH because they usually bring more people to the parks. Since we weren't going to actually be there to take advantage of the evening EMH anyway it didn't make sense for us to go that day. Honestly, we love EMH's especially in the morning. We can get so much done in that first hour before the park officially opens. We took advantage of them many times during the trip.

You did some of my favorite things! I love the food at WGPE! Have you ever eaten breakfast there? When we stayed at SSR, we went there for breakfast. There is no kids menu at breakfast. You should have seen my grandsons face when they brought him out a HUGE waffle with whipped cream and fruit on top!

I love the Lego store and the sculptures out front! Even though it's not the most dramatic, I love the kids and dogs. Truly amaziing!

Lovin' your 'go with the flow' adventure so far! Looking forward to more!

We've never tried breakfast there before but I've heard such great things!!! We will definitely need to try it next trip. So cute about your grandson! I'm sure my son would have been thrilled as well!

I'm hoping to get another update posted very soon.

 

[ellajeansmom]

Wow Angie, you're already through arrival day...great start

Everyone sure does look happy to be back at Pop! Sounds like it worked out well to go to DTD instead of Epcot, especially when you didn't get a good sleep the night before...the urge to dive in to all the attractions can be a recipe for disaster when everyone is tired.

Looking forward to more

 

[Angies1274]

Wow Angie, you're already through arrival day...great start

Everyone sure does look happy to be back at Pop! Sounds like it worked out well to go to DTD instead of Epcot, especially when you didn't get a good sleep the night before...the urge to dive in to all the attractions can be a recipe for disaster when everyone is tired.

Looking forward to more

Thanks!! I'm happy with our decision to go to DTD instead. We had a great night.

Update coming up next!

 

[Angies1274]

“ The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down….” Winnie the Pooh

July 11, 2012


Yay! It was our first official park day!! We had a great time the night before at Downtown Disney but we were ready to get out and explore the parks. Due to our change of plans the night before, it meant that I would have to do a little rearranging with the rest of our plans for the week. It was supposed to be our Animal Kingdom day. However, it’s become a tradition for Epcot to be the first park we visit at Disney. I’m not sure how it happened but that’s the way it has been on every trip so far. Since we didn’t make it to Epcot the evening before we decided to switch things around again and visit Epcot on this morning.

After getting ready for the day, we wandered down to the food court to grab some breakfast. We definitely weren’t prepared for what we saw. People were everywhere! It was busier than we had ever seen it before. I know it can get very busy in the morning but I guess we have been lucky enough on past trips to avoid all the chaos. We also got our first encounter with one of the tour groups that we had heard so much about before the trip. Luckily, that morning we had all decided to get the breakfast platter and surprisingly despite all the crowds got our breakfast fairly quickly and found a seat over near the quieter section of the food court (near the dessert counter.) I thought breakfast was good. DH was disappointed because his eggs weren’t cooked well but all and all it filled us up and we were finally ready to start our day.

We hopped on the bus to Epcot (again, I don’t remember there being too much of a wait that morning) and before we knew it we were seeing these lovely sights.

DH had volunteered to run and get fastpasses for Soarin’ while I took the boys to the Sum of All Thrills. I’m not sure why but for some reason I must have looked at the map wrong and we went to Innoventions West instead of East. As we walked around Innovention West we quickly realized our mistake since we were the only ones in there. It felt very strange to see it so empty. Once we made the loop around, we headed back outside in the heat. Yes, it was already very hot that morning but so cool in the building. I almost tried to talk the boys into turning around and going back in. But, we were on mission! I had read that Sum of All Thrills can get very busy especially without fastpasses available (which we saw firsthand later in the week.)

Finally, we had arrived at our destination!!

The boys loved it! They had so much fun! I took a video of them because I thought they would get a kick out of watching themselves ride.

DH got a little lost himself trying to find Sum of All Thrills so we had to wait around a bit so he could catch up with us and then we made our way back over to Spaceship Earth since Test Track was closed. The line was really long but it moved pretty quickly-

Then of course we got a glimpse of our future. Nick was wearing a hat and wasn’t too thrilled when he realized part of his head was cut off.

After an enjoyable ride on Spaceship Earth, we decided to head over to Nemo –

I don’t know why but for some reason I got very little pictures in here. After our ride through the “Big, Blue World”, we decided to explore a little of the aquariums. We enjoyed looking at the dolphins for a bit.

Then it was off to The Land to ride Soarin’. I was so excited! This is my absolute favorite ride in Epcot!! We didn’t have to wait too long before we were boarding and Soarin’ over California smelling the oranges, lifting our feet to avoid the trees, ducking to avoid the golf ball and just plain enjoying the ride.
After Soarin’ we figured since we were there that we might as well grab some lunch from Sunshine Seasons.

DH and I both had the spicy cashew chicken and although good it was HOT!

I enjoyed it but would have preferred the Sweet and Sour chicken combo that I had last trip. Noah had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I believe Nick did have the sweet and sour chicken. Noah helped me polish off my chocolate mousse cake. Oh so good!! Yum!

After lunch, we happily made our way over to the World Showcase. Noah saw his favorites and wanted to stop for a picture.

We noticed the Agent P kiosk on our way over and decided to grab a fastpass not realizing that they didn’t do that anymore. Once they explain what you need to do, you receive your F.O.N.E (Field Operator Notification Equipment )and have 30 minutes to begin your mission. Of course, they ask you where you are heading so they can start you on a mission nearby. Since, we were heading to Canada our mission was in the United Kingdom. Soon we were on our way-

Since we were walking right by I wanted to at least stop in Canada to explore a bit. Believe it or not, it was our first time visiting after 4 trips. We always seem to tour clockwise in the WS…….

Just as we were looking at this lovely waterfall, it began to rain.
We ran to seek cover under an awning hoping it would let up soon.
What else was there to do while we were waiting but to take pictures….

When we realized it wasn’t going to be a quick shower. DH suggested we check out the gift shop. So, we decided to make a run for it. It seemed many others had the same idea. We enjoyed looking at all the new Duffy merchandise. But, the boys especially liked the different types of soaps they sold such as beaver butt soap and moose spit soap. Every now and then I would glance outside and it actually seemed to be raining harder if that was even possible. DH wanted to leave; he was tired of waiting around. He suggested we put on our ponchos and make the best of it. We had so much we wanted to do and as much as we were enjoying Canada. We also didn’t want to spend our whole day in a crowded gift shop. It was also during this time that Noah had noticed that his 30 minute cut off had went by because his Agent P phone was no longer turning on. He was so disappointed. I took one more look at the doorway hoping that by some miracle the rain had slowed down. But, no luck it was still pouring. I grabbed my poncho and began putting it on and helped Noah do the same. DH and Nick had already stepped out and were waiting for us. I grabbed Noah’s hand and off we went…..

Continued on next post

​

 

[Angies1274]

So, it was at this point I was realizing what a completely crazy idea it was to make our way out into the pouring rain. I don't mind a little rain but we could barely see anything in front of us it was raining so hard. DH looked back at me and I pointed to a nearby bathroom mostly for refuge but also to try and dry off. He agreed to my relief and we quickly joined more people trying to wait out the rain. I went in, dried off and felt 100 percent better well maybe 75 percent better since my sneakers were wet. I prayed that I wouldn't get a blister. That was the last thing I wanted especially since it was only our first day.

Thankfully, when I went out to meet up with DH and the boys the rain had started to let up. It was still raining but at least it wasn't pouring so our first order of business was to get Noah started on a new mission. Since we hadn't made it too far yet. DH and Noah went back to the kiosk to get him signed back up again. Nick and I found a bench and sat down to wait for them.

When they came back they told us that it was covered because of the rain and a CM told them we would have to go to Norway to get a new mission. Well...there went our plans again.

We decided since we were going by that we would stop for a bit in Mexico--I took a short video while we visited the Three Caballeros.


Once we made our way over to Norway, a nice CM set Noah back up with a new mission but this time in Germany!

I don't want to spoil anything but I will say that the boys really enjoyed their mission and were glad they got to try it.

Of course, we couldn't leave Germany without visiting Karamell-Küche. There were so many yummy snacks that we wanted to try and it was so hard to make a decision. Finally, after going back and forth we chose the caramel popcorn.

It was so good!!

Next up---More World Showcase and Wow! Those skies are getting very dark..again!​

 

[OThopeful35]

Great report!! I agree sometimes you have to go with the flow especially with the heat Love the pics of Epcot

 

[Angies1274]

Great report!! I agree sometimes you have to go with the flow especially with the heat Love the pics of Epcot

Thanks for reading!!

 

[Mickey_Mom]

Hi Angie! I have been a very bad DISer lately and have rarely hopped on but I wanted to say hello and follow along when I can.

I cannot believe your boys! They've grown so much! I LOVE your DH's Grumpy shirt, "I may not always be right but I'm never wrong!" ... that is sooooo my DH too!

I've always been a fan of the 'go with the flow' type plan and we're lucky Ariana lets us get away with it.

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Angies1274]

Hi Angie! I have been a very bad DISer lately and have rarely hopped on but I wanted to say hello and follow along when I can.

I cannot believe your boys! They've grown so much! I LOVE your DH's Grumpy shirt, "I may not always be right but I'm never wrong!" ... that is sooooo my DH too!

I've always been a fan of the 'go with the flow' type plan and we're lucky Ariana lets us get away with it.

Can't wait to hear more!

Hi Tracy!

Glad to have you along!!

Oh...I know. I can't believe how much the boys have grown. Nick is so much taller than me now. It feels very weird to be looking up at him. Time goes too fast!

As you know I'm such a planner! But, I loved our "go with the flow" trip. We realized very quickly that between the heat, crowds and occasional rain, it definitely became the way to go to keep our sanity.

It looks like your trip is coming up really soon. You must be getting so excited. We're hoping to go in either the fall or winter on our next trip in 2014. Which is a good thing because I can't decide whether I want to be there for MNSSHP or MVMCP. Good thing I have 2 years to think about it!