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

[Angies1274]

Sounds like a great night at the MK for EMH! I don't think I've ever done evening EMH... It's sort of hard to do both morning and evening EMH and you know how much we love those early mornings!

How stupid of that teenager to splash water on his friends (and you).

And I totally agree, it is always the hardest for me to leave the MK too! I have gotten teary-eyed on a couple of occasions.

It was such a great night! I'm so happy we tried evening EMH! But, I agree it's definitely hard to do both and we love morning EMH as well.

I guess he was trying to be funny but unfortunately the water ended up splashing all over us instead of them. Oh well...at least it was a warm night.

I definitely get teary-eyed every time we leave MK. I didn't want to leave that night. It really was a perfect evening.

 

[Angies1274]

July 16, 2012
Epcot

"You'll be in my heart, From this day on, now and forever more....." Tarzan


I woke up on this morning with a feeling of dread as it was our last day at Disney. We would be leaving on the Un-Magical Depress Bus later that afternoon. The thought of getting up and packing our suitcases to leave left me sad but I knew I had to do it and unlike every other morning in Disney I didn't jump out of bed, excited to start the day. As I began to pack, DH and the boys slept peacefully, not wanting to wake them after our late night I quietly gathered our things and thought about what an amazing night we’d had in the Magic Kingdom.

Soon, everyone started to wake up and the television came on. We needed our last Stacey fix before checking out. We all finished getting ready and packed up our last bit of things and then it was time to head out—

We were all very sad to leave!

It was already so hot that morning as you can tell from the foggy pictures.
Since our plans completely changed around at the beginning of the trip, this had actually become a free day for us. After a vote, we decided that Epcot was where we wanted to spend our last morning in Disney. We dropped off our bags and made our way inside to have a late breakfast. I snapped a few more pictures of Pop…again trying to soak up as much Disney as I could.

It was finally time to head to the food court. Since it was later, I was really hoping that most people would be heading to the parks or in the parks already. Boy, were we in for a surprise! The place was packed!! People everywhere! It was literally chaos and looking around there were no seats anywhere. I mentioned to DH that we could wait until we got to Epcot but he was starving…and the boys were starving therefore I was outvoted. We got into a very long line and waited and waited until finally we made our way to the front. We placed our order, got our food, got into another line to pay to wait again, then the hunt was on. We decided to split up to search for a table. After a few minutes we met back up, realized there were no seats inside so we made our way outside. We noticed a CM clearing a table and ran up to it, thanked her and sat down. Did I mention how hot it was that morning? Ugh! I don’t about you but trying to eat your breakfast outside when it’s so hot definitely makes it less appealing. This was not how I wanted our last morning to start.
Needless to say, we finished as quickly as we could and made our way to the bus stop. Before long we arrived at Epcot and I decided to stop and get a quick photopass picture.

It was almost 10:30am at this point and we only had a few hours. I knew that it would be too late to attempt Soarin’ and we had pretty much visited everything in FW on our other Epcot day with the exception of two things…something new and a favorite. But, before that I had glanced down at the character schedule and realized that Chip and Dale would be coming out at 10:30am. What perfect timing! They were the characters that the boys had wanted to meet on every trip but we had always missed. We made our way over to the line which was actually only a few people in front of us. Soon we were up!

You can tell how hot it was that morning just by looking at Noah’s hair. Despite that, I am so glad we stopped to meet them. It was another great meet and greet!
After visiting Chip and Dale, we decided to head over to our next destination—

So, where were we heading?

Although, I knew it was attraction that seems to get overlooked because of its length. We decided to give it a try anyway. After all, this entire trip was about trying new things.
We waited outside for the next show to begin—

When we got inside the ride and sat down the one thing I noticed more than any other ride was the emphasis they made on there being no flash photography. It was repeated over and over. So, you would think people would get the point. Ummm….apparently not…because just as we were entering the Dinosaur area, we saw a flash and then another. One of the culprits happened to be the person sitting next to me. Uh oh. The guy in front of him spun around so fast and hollered “NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY!” The guy beside me put his camera down and a little ways further I saw him pick it up again. Oh no…. Yup, he took another picture…with flash. The same guy whipped around again and asked him what was wrong with him? That he was ruining the experience for everyone else. Luckily, the guy put his camera away the rest of the ride. Despite all that drama, we actually really enjoyed the ride and even though it's supposed to be so long,it didn’t feel that long to us. I’m glad we tried it. I’m not sure we would do it every trip but then again maybe…the boys seemed to really like it.

After our journey back in time, we decided to head over to a favorite of ours. Another attraction that gets less than stellar reviews…Journey into Imagination with Figment. We think it’s a cute ride and actually a perfect attraction to get us out of the heat that morning.

At this point it was almost noon and we knew we didn’t have too much time left to spend in Epcot so we decided to split up. Nick wanted to go back to Japan and spend the rest of his souvenir money and Noah wanted to visit a few more Kidcot stations.
Here are some of the random pictures on our tour around the WS that morning/afternoon.

Continued on next post--

​

 

[Angies1274]

Continued from previous post

We continued to search for more Kidcot stations and I happily continued to snap pictures of the amazing scenery!

I need to find Noah’s Duffy bear but if I remember right, he did end up getting all of his stamps for each country. After completing our mission, we found DH and Nick and decided to take one of the boats back to Future World. All that walking and searching in the heat, tired us right out.
I snapped a few pictures while we waited for the boat to pick us up-

Finally, the boat pulled up and we made our way in, sat back and relaxed—

Once we made it back to Future World, there was one last thing that I wanted to do. Or actually Noah wanted to do. DH and Nick went ahead to do a little more souvenir shopping at Mouse Gear while Noah and I went on the lookout for a certain cuddly brown bear.
Well, we found him!

Noah was very happy!!

So much fun! I’m so glad Noah was still at the age this trip where he wanted to meet the characters.
We met up with DH and Nick-

Then made our way out for the day—

I was so sad to say goodbye to Epcot. But, I was happy that we were able to spend those last few hours soaking up as much of Disney as we could. We’d had a great time but knew it was time to head back.

When we got back to Pop, we decided to grab something to eat- It’s been so long that I can’t remember what everyone got but I do know we were satisfied and it held us over until later that evening. We gathered our bags and sadly went to wait for the bus back to the airport-

When it finally pulled up, we reluctantly stepped on and found a seat—

It was finally time to say goodbye…not just to the four parks but Disney. It was especially sad because we didn’t know when we would be back again.
We arrived at the airport, went through security and realized that DH had left his keys in the checked luggage. What? I’m not kidding. So, the whole time we were waiting for the plane, I was stressed and praying that our luggage wouldn’t get lost. It probably wouldn’t have been that big of a deal if we lived closer to the airport but it’s actually three hours from us. So, we hoped for the best, got on the plane and crossed our fingers that our luggage would come out of the carousel when we arrived. Honestly, I don’t think I have ever been so happy to see our red luggage before! With the crisis averted, it was time to head home.

So, despite a few ups and downs it really was a great trip. We experienced a lot of new things and some old favorites as well. I think the best part of the trip was that we didn’t stick to such a strict plan this time. It was nice to just “go with the flow” for once. It allowed us to have those moments or experiences that we may have completely missed otherwise.

Well….that’s it. Thank you all so much for reading along. I had so much fun reliving our trip. I will be back in few days with my final thoughts. Thanks again!

Next--Final thoughts
​

 

[mickeystoontown]

Excluding the morning food court chaos, it looks like the last few hours at Disney were well spent. What was up with the guy who kept taking flash pictures in the Universe of Energy? Even I...Mrs. I Love To Take Pictures know better.

 

[Angies1274]

Excluding the morning food court chaos, it looks like the last few hours at Disney were well spent. What was up with the guy who kept taking flash pictures in the Universe of Energy? Even I...Mrs. I Love To Take Pictures know better.

Despite all that, we really were able to accomplish everything we wanted to do that morning. All and all it was a great end to the trip.

I don't know why that guy kept taking flash pictures. He knew he wasn't supposed to. I guess he just didn't care.

 

[WishnDisney]

I have really enjoyed your TR. My boys are the same age as yours. My youngest looks a lot like yours too. Thanks for posting. Its given my some ideas for our first family trip in June. I'm sure I will be re-reading this again.

L

 

[Angies1274]

I have really enjoyed your TR. My boys are the same age as yours. My youngest looks a lot like yours too. Thanks for posting. Its given my some ideas for our first family trip in June. I'm sure I will be re-reading this again.

L

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I had a lot of fun writing it.

How exciting to be taking your first family trip! I hope you have a wonderful time!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

So you still haven't been totally able to escape the "wet" Splash magnet curse... although quite clearly this time there were extenuating circumstances...

Love that you got to do an evening EMH... I really would love to ride Big Thunder at night...

Leaving the MK for the last time... very sad... but not as sad as checking out of your hotel...

Creepy camera guy in Dinosaur... but hurray for meeting Chip & Dale...

 

[mommytothreeboys]

So sad to leave....

Great report...can't wait to hear your final thoughts!

 

[ellajeansmom]

Goodness, I've done it again...I tend to read your updates at work and plan to post comments later but then I forget to post a comment

Anyways, seems like you had a wonderful last full day at MK So glad that you enjoyed the Dessert Party and love all the pics of the castle and the gardens!

You managed to cover a lot of ground on the last quick stop at Epcot

Yay for a smooth trip home and not losing the luggage with the keys in it

 

[Angies1274]

So you still haven't been totally able to escape the "wet" Splash magnet curse... although quite clearly this time there were extenuating circumstances...

Love that you got to do an evening EMH... I really would love to ride Big Thunder at night...

Leaving the MK for the last time... very sad... but not as sad as checking out of your hotel...

Creepy camera guy in Dinosaur... but hurray for meeting Chip & Dale...

I thought for sure that I had somehow escaped getting wet on Splash Mountain that night....apparently not!

I'm so glad that we finally got to experience evening EMH! We loved it!

Aww....leaving that day was so sad.

So sad to leave....

Great report...can't wait to hear your final thoughts!

Thanks Missy! Final thoughts coming up soon!

Goodness, I've done it again...I tend to read your updates at work and plan to post comments later but then I forget to post a comment

Anyways, seems like you had a wonderful last full day at MK So glad that you enjoyed the Dessert Party and love all the pics of the castle and the gardens!

You managed to cover a lot of ground on the last quick stop at Epcot

Yay for a smooth trip home and not losing the luggage with the keys in it

It was such a wonderful day! I'm so glad that we picked MK to be our last full day at Disney.

We did get quite a bit done that last morning! I know that Noah was very happy that he was able to visit all the Kidcot stops that day.

Whew! DH felt so bad that he left the keys in the luggage. But, we were rushing that morning and things happen. I'm just so glad it worked out!!

 

[Angies1274]

Happy 12/12/12!!! I thought this would be the perfect day to finish up this trip report! I've had so much fun writing it and I'm sad that it has come to an end...it kind of feels like we're leaving all over again.

Okay....where to begin? I can’t believe I’m writing my final thoughts about this trip. It seems like only yesterday, I was writing up the plans, making ADR’s, changing ADR’s, packing and finalizing everything. It’s sad to think that another trip is gone…even sadder when there isn’t any in the works right now. But, don’t worry the planner in me, is still making those plans and hoping we can find a way back in 2014 or at least that is the wish for right now.

Let's wrap this up...shall we?


Accommodations—(Pop Century) Well…they must have done something right since this was our 5th time staying there. Don’t get me wrong….I would have loved to stay at either a moderate or a deluxe. But, for our family we just don’t spend enough time in the room or at the resort to justify the extra cost. We have always used the money we save by staying in a value for extra souvenirs, special meals or experiences like the Dessert Party. The boys have always preferred that. However, as they are getting older (and bigger) we realized that it may be time for a change. As much as we love Pop, the beds are small and we saw this trip just how crazy the food court can be in the morning. However, it's still a really fun resort and it has always felt very Disney to us. So...never say never..right?

July

Crowds- Every other trip to Disney we have taken has always been in April with the exception of one short trip the end of August one year. So, we knew what to expect when it came to crowds or at least we thought we did. We’ve experienced Easter Crowds so how much worse could it actually be? Well.. we actually found the crowds worse this trip with longer wait times than any other trip we’ve ever taken. The combination of summer crowds plus tour groups made the wait times much longer than we are used to. And as much as we love morning EMH, we found them more crowded this trip as well.

Hot! Hot! Hot!—There’s not really too much I can say about the heat since we knew what we were getting ourselves into when we decided to go in July. But, it did make us much more tired trying to get through the day than previous trips. However, on the bright side it allowed us to plan in more pool time which we all really enjoyed!

Tour Groups—So, before the trip I did a ton of research and when I got to the part about tour groups I would just skim over some of the information. July was really the only time we could go and I didn’t want to be stressing out before the trip. I guess I should have prepared more. I don’t think I realized how many tour groups there would be and that they would literally be everywhere. Now, for the most part they didn’t really impact our trip too much with the exception of our Animal Kingdom day. We didn’t find them to be rude but it always felt we had to be two steps ahead. We couldn’t just leisurely make our way to a ride if they were in the area otherwise we would have been waiting in a very long line.

Overall, if July was the only time that we could take a trip again, then I probably wouldn’t hesitate to book. I mean it’s Disney after all. But, ideally we’ll probably go back to going during the boys spring break or holiday break. I doubt we’ll make another trip during the summer. Don’t get me wrong it was a wonderful trip and the heat and even the rain pushed us to explore different parts of the park that we’ve never experienced before. It just took a little more planning. I learned to relax and realize if we didn’t get everything done due to the rain or crowds, it wasn’t the end of the world. We just had to make the best of things. We rolled with it and ended up having an amazing time.

Quick Service Dining Plan—When planning our trip, we decided to just pay out of pocket for everything and how I wish we would have stuck with the original plan. It’s just that the dining plan has always been so convenient for us. But, since they took away the extra snacks the plan just didn’t work for our family this trip. We paid OOP for a lot of our meals/snacks anyway. It just wasn’t the value that it used to be for us.​

So, with that I’m going to finish with our top 10 favorite moments from the trip in no particular order
1. Spending an evening exploring the new Art of Animation Resort. The details were amazing! We loved seeing the new resort and I’m so glad we took the time to go over one evening.

2. Watching the boys throw confetti in the air during the Opening Show at the Magic Kingdom! It was a great way to start our Magic Kingdom day!

3. Riding Dumbo and seeing Storybook Circus for the first time! I was so happy that the boys decided to ride Dumbo! I don’t know how many more times I can convince them to do that as they’re getting older. It was definitely a bittersweet moment.

4. Being able to spend more time on Main Street. I finally found the statues around the hub that I have missed every trip. It really is the little things….

5. Riding the Peoplemover for the first time. I’m officially hooked especially after our late night ride and hearing and seeing the Magic Memories and You show.

6. Seeing Noah’s expression during Finding Nemo the Musical as Bruce and Marlin leaned toward him. Such a fun moment!

7. Watching Wishes from the Dessert Party…..Amazing!

8. Riding Splash Mountain at midnight!

9. Discovering the tranquility of Tom Sawyer Island! After dodging one tour group after another that morning it was just the retreat we needed from the busy park!

10. Lastly, taking the time to slow down every now and then and really look around at all the magical things that Disney does...those things that keep us coming back for more.
​

So that's it! Thank you so much for reading! I had a lot fun writing and even though I ‘m sad that it’s over I know that it probably won’t be our last trip and hopefully, there will be many more TR’s to write.

Oh...since I started each update with a Disney song quote, I thought I would finish the TR with the song that started the PTR for this trip.....

"Do you remember your imagination?
That Neverland was a destination
Your magical adventure isn't over yet
Just hold on tight and don't forget

Every wish, every dream you ever had
Just close your eyes
And it will all come rushing back
Fly away
All you need is to believe and remember when.."

Happy Holidays! Thanks for reading!!


​

 

[mickeystoontown]

Fantastic wrap-up to your trip report! Even though July isn't the best time of the year to visit Walt Disney World, you guys made the best of the situation and still had a great time. When do school end in your part of the country? Our kids usually get out towards the end of May and we head straight to Disney. It seems like we beat the Summer crowds that way.

 

[eandesmom]

Great recap Angie!

It is hard as the kids age to realize you might have to start to mix things up, the small beds are what has kept us out of values, makes me wish we'd started going there when the boys were much younger so we really could have experienced them.

Summer is rough but yes, compared to no Disney, I'll take it too!

Love the top 10 things, some very nice zen moments in the midst of all the craziness. I have faith another trip will happen, it's not an "if", it's a "when". The waiting until you know when that "when" will be is always the hardest part for me!

Thanks for a great TR.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hey Angie!!! Just went through and read the entire report start to finish (thank goodness for post links!!!). What a wonderful trip you had and your report was awesome! I've got to get on the ball and put my links in my report and continue writing my report for that matter!!! I hope you will get to plan another trip soon as you love Disney so much!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Great wrap-up! Pop Century does seem like a neat resort and that's cool you guys like it so much.

Love that you ended with a top ten list of favorite memories. I like the one about Dumbo-though hopefully the boys will still be willing to ride it...after all I'm 27 and still go on it...LOL!

That is such a great song.

 

[Angies1274]

Fantastic wrap-up to your trip report! Even though July isn't the best time of the year to visit Walt Disney World, you guys made the best of the situation and still had a great time. When do school end in your part of the country? Our kids usually get out towards the end of May and we head straight to Disney. It seems like we beat the Summer crowds that way.

Thanks Lisa! You're right...July wasn't ideal but we made the best of it and still had a wonderful time.

Unfortunately, the boys summer vacation doesn't start until the end of June. If we ever go back in summer, we would probably try August again.

Great recap Angie!

It is hard as the kids age to realize you might have to start to mix things up, the small beds are what has kept us out of values, makes me wish we'd started going there when the boys were much younger so we really could have experienced them.

Summer is rough but yes, compared to no Disney, I'll take it too!

Love the top 10 things, some very nice zen moments in the midst of all the craziness. I have faith another trip will happen, it's not an "if", it's a "when". The waiting until you know when that "when" will be is always the hardest part for me!

Thanks for a great TR.

Thanks Cynthia!

When the boys were really small, Pop was ideal. It's a fun resort and great for kids! This trip, it was still fun but the boys complained a lot about how small the beds were. I think we are all ready for a change....something a little more relaxing next time would be nice.

There was so many great moments from the trip! It was hard to pick out just 10 things!

It's very hard not knowing when we will be going back.

 

[Angies1274]

Hey Angie!!! Just went through and read the entire report start to finish (thank goodness for post links!!!). What a wonderful trip you had and your report was awesome! I've got to get on the ball and put my links in my report and continue writing my report for that matter!!! I hope you will get to plan another trip soon as you love Disney so much!

Hi Ann!! Thanks for reading!! We really did have such a wonderful trip! Lots of great memories!! I hope we can get back really soon. 2014 is the plan right now but it seems so far away.

I'm sad that the TR is over but on the bright side now I can finally have time to catch up on the TR's and PTR's I follow. I'm hoping to make it back over to your PTR soon...I can't wait to read about your trip to NYC!

Great wrap-up! Pop Century does seem like a neat resort and that's cool you guys like it so much.

Love that you ended with a top ten list of favorite memories. I like the one about Dumbo-though hopefully the boys will still be willing to ride it...after all I'm 27 and still go on it...LOL!

That is such a great song.

Thanks Sarah!

Pop Century is such a fun resort! I'm glad that the boys kept requesting we stay there....we have lots of great memories!

Aww....I love Dumbo! Hopefully, the boys will decide to ride with me next time we go back!!

Love that song!! I could listen to it over and over!!

 

[TinksThree]

Great finish!! I always like to take those final moments to soak in every detail before departing. But the final Epcot post made me homesick...I just love that park! Loved your final thoughts too! I love having that final wrap-up that brings it all together. Wasn't going with the flow grand!? Well our trip were at the same time and you are done...I need to get a move on! I am almost done if I can just find the time to actually post!! I really enjoyed reading along! Great TR!!!!

 

[Angies1274]

Great finish!! I always like to take those final moments to soak in every detail before departing. But the final Epcot post made me homesick...I just love that park! Loved your final thoughts too! I love having that final wrap-up that brings it all together. Wasn't going with the flow grand!? Well our trip were at the same time and you are done...I need to get a move on! I am almost done if I can just find the time to actually post!! I really enjoyed reading along! Great TR!!!!

Thanks! I'm so glad that we decided to go with the flow this trip. Our plans changed a lot....but in the end I think it made it a much more enjoyable trip! Thanks for reading! I had so much fun writing it!!!