It’s Disney, Four Hours of Sleep is Normal! Mother Daughter 2018 F&W TR! (Updated 9/22!)

[alrushton]

Ohhh, that sounds like a great trip you have planned! What is the Fantasmic VIP dessert experience? I haven't heard of that yet and am intrigued!

That's awesome you're going for her graduation, what fantastic memories! Hope you get to go to the trip in May!

You basically get a saved seat for Fantasmic and on the way in you pick up a box or bag of some desserts and snacks. Also, includes a light up cup with a choice of beverages. It's only $39 so cheaper than any of the dessert parties.

 

[missangelalexis]

The luncheon sounds amazing!

Oh no I'm sorry your mom wasn't feeling well Glad she was able to soldier on though!

 

[VAtink]

You basically get a saved seat for Fantasmic and on the way in you pick up a box or bag of some desserts and snacks. Also, includes a light up cup with a choice of beverages. It's only $39 so cheaper than any of the dessert parties.

Oh fun! I haven't seen Fantasmic in years, may want to consider doing this on our upcoming trip to check it out again! Thanks for the info!

 

[VAtink]

The luncheon sounds amazing!

It was so good! I would definitely recommend that one, absolutely amazing food and loved how the drinks were free flowing!

Oh no I'm sorry your mom wasn't feeling well Glad she was able to soldier on though!

Thanks! I'm so happy she was only feeling bad for a short time, still not something fun to deal with while on vacation! The worst part was, the one restaurant she picked was Enzo's, and that was the one she was too sick to eat at.

 

[VAtink]

Day 4, Part 4: What’s New in Downtown Disney?

After dinner, we made our way over to World of Disney! Back in the day it was by far my favorite store, we would stop there at the start of each trip to stock up on all the goodies for the year…we also used to get a 15% discount there, I can’t remember why though! Well, I had high expectations going in, but I feel like I’m joining the choir here in saying I am not impressed. The old store seemed to have SO much more merchandise to pick from. I know a small portion of the store was still being refurbished when we were there, but that really wouldn’t make a difference. The problem with the new “everything is wide open and airy” store, is there is no room to actually hold merchandise!

I loved the old store where each room sold a certain category of merchandise, like kitchenware, or bedding and bath, and they had such an amazing selection. Now Mouse Gear in Epcot by far has more selection than World of Disney which just seems wrong.

Anyways, we didn’t spend much time in World of Disney, and made our way out to see what else was new. We made our way over to Basin, which is one of my mom’s favorites. We picked up some soaps and lotions there.

Next we made our way over to the Co-op. It was cute, but so crowded it was hard to browse. I really wanted to love the dress shop, but it was so small and packed with people, so it was hard to really get a good look around. I feel like if I went there when there were fewer crowds I would have loved it, but it’s just too small and cramped to love when it’s packed with people!

We eventually made it over to the Christmas store, where I ended up buying an Oliver and Co. ornament! That was my favorite movie as a kid and the first Disney movie I really remember seeing. Plus I never see merchandise for it, so was thrilled to see an ornament with Dodger and Oliver!

By the time we finished up there we were exhausted, so made our way over to the bus stop which was, wow, so far away. Why do they not have resort buses at that end of the marketplace anymore?!?!

We walked back over to where the buses were, and found the bus to the YC and BC was one of the furthest out! Why oh why do they seem to put the deluxe bus stops the furthest out? Shouldn’t it be a perk of staying deluxe that your bus stop is one of the closest? (yeah yeah, I know, first world problems)

Not that it mattered much, we still had quite a bit of a wait for the bus, but we were exhausted and that extra walk just made us grumpy! Plus, my mom was starting to feel not great again, so we were just ready to be done for the day.

Finally, our bus arrived and we all piled on and made our way back to the resort.

Upon getting home, mom made some tea and I spent some time putting together trip notes, and soon we were out for the night!

Step Count for the Day: 20,881

Total Miles: 9.03 (we were slacking this day!)

Next Up: Animal Kingdom!

​

 

[Araminta18]

Oliver and company! I love that movie too You should post a pic of the ornament....

 

[VAtink]

Oliver and company! I love that movie too You should post a pic of the ornament....

Isn't it great? Also, fantastic idea, here is the picture of the new ornament!

 

[Araminta18]

So cute! I love it!

 

[VAtink]

Day 5, Part 1: Animal Kingdom!

We woke up around 6:30 this morning and I am happy to report my mom was feeling 100% better! Yay! Such a relief, especially since we had ADRs at one of our favorite restaurants for lunch!

We took our time getting ready, and eventually made our way down to the bus stop where we only had to wait 4 minutes for out bus to Animal Kingdom!

It was a quick drive over, and we arrived at AK around 8:20. We made our way through security and into the park. As it was still early, the PP photographers weren’t out yet, so we took our own pictures in front of ToL. We then made our way over to the pathway to Dinoland to wait for the park to open.





As we were walking over to wait, we noticed PP photographers coming out from backstage, so turned around and followed them over to get more pictures in front of ToL!







There was still about 30 minutes until the park opened, so we made our way back to the Dinoland path to wait in the shade. There was a small group of us waiting there, but not too bad. We love how everyone runs to Pandora at opening, it makes the rest of the park feel so empty when it first opens!

Eventually they pulled back the rope, and we made our way over to ride Dinosaur!



After Dinosaur we headed over to Asia to ride my favorite ride in the park, EE! It was still walk on at this point, and in no time we were on our train!

This ended up being a very rough ride, like it actually felt like the wheel of our car was going to fall off, the entire time the car was shaking and it was actually really scary!



When we got off there was still no wait, so we decided to ride once again. This time it was a nice smooth ride!



After our second ride, my mom needed a break, so we wandered around Asia taking pictures.





Around 10:00 my mom was ready for more rides, so we made our way back to EE to use our first FP+ of the day.



My mom was solidly done with EE after that third ride, plus it was almost time for our next FP+, so we made our way out of Asia and over to Africa.

Next up: Animals everywhere!

​

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a great morning! 3 rides on EE within the first hour is pretty great!

 

[Cloe Colton]

I give your Mom a lot of credit! My Mom can only do it once haha so shes a trooper!

 

[VAtink]

Sounds like a great morning! 3 rides on EE within the first hour is pretty great!

It was such a great morning! We love AK since we find we can usually hit at least 4 rides, if not more, in the first hour. Obviously none of those rides are in Pandora...

 

[VAtink]

I give your Mom a lot of credit! My Mom can only do it once haha so shes a trooper!

Haha, yeah, she really is a trooper! After the first ride I can tell she could easily be done, but glad she sticks with it for another ride or two since it's my favorite at AK!

 

[annie170]

I'll be in WDW in three days and the first day I'll be solo in Disney Springs. I'm a little concerned about the crowds there, especially it being Christmastime. I figure I'll enjoy the Christmas Tree Trail, have a nice meal, and get whatever shopping done that I can.

I'm going to have to look for that Oliver and Company ornament. That was my oldest daughter's favorite movie. She used to walk around the house singing, "Why should I worry" all the time!

Multiple rides on EE!? Heaven!

 

[VAtink]

I'll be in WDW in three days and the first day I'll be solo in Disney Springs. I'm a little concerned about the crowds there, especially it being Christmastime. I figure I'll enjoy the Christmas Tree Trail, have a nice meal, and get whatever shopping done that I can.

So exciting!!! Have a great trip! Hopefully the crowds aren't too horrible. I'm so jealous, I would love to spend this time of year down in Disney!

I'm going to have to look for that Oliver and Company ornament. That was my oldest daughter's favorite movie. She used to walk around the house singing, "Why should I worry" all the time!

Isn't it awesome? I love it! When I got home from our trip I was hit with nostalgia and decided to buy Oliver and Co. to watch it again. So good, but really amazing how animation has changed since then!

Multiple rides on EE!? Heaven!

Haha, you and me both. My mom, not so much. Thankfully she will ride a few times before calling it quits!

 

[VAtink]

Day 5, Part 2: Animals everywhere!

On the way to Africa we stopped at a PP photographer!





She was fantastic and took some really cool shots. It was a bit of a wait for her because she spent a lot of time with each group, but we loved the pictures she ended up getting of us so was worth the wait!

We finally made our way over to Africa and hopped in the FP+ line for the Safari! Per usual, the line was pretty long even with the FP+, about 20 minutes.

This time we were put in the first row, which we’ve never gotten before. It was actually really cool as we were able to chat with the CM driver throughout the ride!

We saw tons of animals, and even the baby giraffe!











It was such a great ride, love seeing all the animals!

After our safari, we still had some time before our lunch ADR, and the park was filling up fast and we didn’t want to wait in line anymore, so we headed over to Dawa bar for a refreshment! I ended up getting the jungle juice, and it was delicious!





We hung out at the bar for a while people watching and enjoying the entertainment out front. It was a nice relaxing way to pass time.

Eventually it was time to head out to our lunch ADR at Tiffins!



Next up: Lunch at Tiffins!​

 

[VAtink]

Day 5, Part 3: Lunch at Tiffins!

We arrived at Tiffins just as they were opening up. We went inside to check in and I requested a table in the main room. They were happy to oblige, and lead us to a booth in our favorite room! There was a surprise set up on the table for us already, a postcard with our names on it welcoming us back! Such a nice touch! Tiffins is the only restaurant we’ve been consistently welcomed back to, we love it!





Our waitress came over soon after we were seated and we ordered drinks. My mom got the hightower rocks and I got the African wine flight.




I definitely recommend this wine flight, it was really good and had a perfect variety of wine!

We also put in an order for our favorite appetizer, the octopus! Soon that came out along with the bread.





So, with the new menu comes a new version of the octopus! It no longer was the smokey deliciousness. Now it’s more spicy and not really smokey at all. We still loved it though!

After perusing the new menu we finally picked out what we wanted, my mom ended up ordering the halibut and I ordered the steak.





The halibut was fantastic, however the steak was good but nothing special. The previous menu had a much better steak, this one was good, but was missing the amazing flavors of the previous version. Hopefully they change the menu again before we head back next year!

It was still a good lunch, and at the end of the meal our waitress brought over a bag of chocolate with caramel to thank us for being return customers!

We really love Tiffins, every year we talk about trying some place new, but we always end up sneaking in an ADR at Tiffins at some point during the trip!

After our very filling lunch, we made our way out of the restaurant and over to Pandora for our next FP+ of the day!

Next up: Pandora!

​

 

[Araminta18]

Yum! Never been to Tiffin's, but what a nice touch with the postcard and welcoming you back. May have to make an ADR....

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a nice lunch! It's sweet that they welcomed you back and even gave you a parting gift!

 

[VAtink]

Yum! Never been to Tiffin's, but what a nice touch with the postcard and welcoming you back. May have to make an ADR....

Oh I totally recommend Tiffins! It is so good, they have some really cool menu items, and fun drinks!