It's A WONDERful 2015 - Feb Cruise, May WDW grand tour, and France/DLP! NEW 10/25 Nice & End!

[khertz]

Wow, you spent more time at the Bonnet Creek pools in one afternoon than we have ever in all of our trips combined!!! LOL I always say we are going to spend more time at the pool, but I should just face it, we are not "hang by the pool" type people. Although now Paxton is more excited about it so maybe that will have to change on future trips.

I love the units at Bonnet Creek! No matter what size we get, I never feel like we don't have enough space. The floor plans are really great for that.

Dinner looks like it went well!

 

[Imagineer5]

She looks so much bigger/grown up every time you post a new picture! Cute!


Love her Sofia dress!


Yay, glad Jake got her up there. Izzy had never been interested in the participation things before, but she went up and danced with Stitch at our Surf's Up breakfast at Disneyland. So fun to see them participating.


Nice. Izzy (despite her Doc birthday cake) has never been super into Doc McStuffins, but she randomly went on a Doc McStuffins watching spree this weekend. Now she seems to be a much bigger fan (she normally wants Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to the exclusion of all other Disney Junior shows).


Wow, she really does love him!


Sounds like it! Whenever we make it back to WDW, I think we will have to try that one.


(if this is what I think it is, YAY!)


Haha, glad Izzy's not the only one who insists that glasses be worn upsidedown.


Wish we'd gotten to this on our last trip. Glad you did!


Love her little pose!


What is wrong with people? (but talented, I guess, if they managed to do it!)


We love those too!


Wow, can't believe they'd charge you for them!


Looks nice with the lake views. And perfect when it's not fireworks time. Glad you had another good meal there!

On Lynda, yes it prob is, but superrrr early like hasn't even been to the doc yet early. So we'll see!

Glad to hear that Izzy also participated - sounds like a fun breakfast I can't wait to hear about it!!

Honestly the fact they charged for life jackets REALLY turned me off to the resort. That plus the towels as well. Really made me appreciate Disney, although of course the price was hugely different!

Wow, you spent more time at the Bonnet Creek pools in one afternoon than we have ever in all of our trips combined!!! LOL I always say we are going to spend more time at the pool, but I should just face it, we are not "hang by the pool" type people. Although now Paxton is more excited about it so maybe that will have to change on future trips.

I love the units at Bonnet Creek! No matter what size we get, I never feel like we don't have enough space. The floor plans are really great for that.

Dinner looks like it went well!

LOL really? I absolutely LOVE pools, so does Aria so I try to find time each day to swim on our trips (although I don't think we swam as much this trip). Maybe because coming from Mass. we don't do as much swimming here (I'd love a pool though, it's a requirement for the next house!).

I think a 1 bedroom would be perfect for us at Bonnet Creek, they are SO much bigger than DVC rooms! I just know what to expect now out of the pools and such so it will be less of a surprise if we stay there again.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

sounds like a really productive morning at DHS. I know FP+ has it's detractors but just being able to avoid the "running of the bulls" for Toy Story Midway Mania make it worth while to me!

Glad you enjoyed your breakfast. I just prefer the food at other locations (CP, Tusker House), but they did add in Sofia and Doc so we may check it out again at some point

I probably will wind up picking your brain a lot about Bonnet Creek since we are staying there in July. My big thing is which building to request, etc. and seems like perhaps we should do building 4 as I know the kids will like the lazy river. Glad to see there were low areas to the pool(s) too as Peter will appreciate that. Good to know about the life jackets (we are driving so room won't be an issue so we can bring the kids flotations).The room looks pretty nice as well!

Dinner looks great. We've always really enjoyed the sushi at Cali Grill - though, I am looking forward to trying it at Morimoto's next trip!

 

[Imagineer5]

sounds like a really productive morning at DHS. I know FP+ has it's detractors but just being able to avoid the "running of the bulls" for Toy Story Midway Mania make it worth while to me!

Glad you enjoyed your breakfast. I just prefer the food at other locations (CP, Tusker House), but they did add in Sofia and Doc so we may check it out again at some point

I probably will wind up picking your brain a lot about Bonnet Creek since we are staying there in July. My big thing is which building to request, etc. and seems like perhaps we should do building 4 as I know the kids will like the lazy river. Glad to see there were low areas to the pool(s) too as Peter will appreciate that. Good to know about the life jackets (we are driving so room won't be an issue so we can bring the kids flotations).The room looks pretty nice as well!

Dinner looks great. We've always really enjoyed the sushi at Cali Grill - though, I am looking forward to trying it at Morimoto's next trip!

Yeah, we definitely don't go to H&V for the food lol, there just isn't really anything special. But the characters are some of Aria's very favorite so it is worth it to me.

Feel free to ask any questions about Bonnet Creek! The space was amazing! Coming up I'll be mentioning the main issue which was parking, but all in all I would stay there again if I got a good deal.

I'll have to re-look at Morimoto's menu since it's on my not-yet-visited list. I don't remember seeing much, and now with my Soy allergy I think Asian food is pretty much out for me at the moment.

 

[Imagineer5]

I just got REALLY excited to relive my France trip, so I'm going to continue on with May. I haven't had a free moment to make a France photo album so maybe working on the TR will spur that on as well. Anyway, moving on! We had just had a wonderful Mother's Day at DHS and now this day we had 8AM breakfast reservations at the Crystal Palace with a day at MK. We were going to spend the whole day here with dinner at BoG.

Lynda & Aron had never been to the park before opening so that was new for them. They said many times over the trip how much fun they were having actually having stuff planned out, normally they don't do many TS and "wing" it but they did say multiple times they've never been able to do so much. That made me feel good! Esp after Andrew generally complains about all the planning I do.

We arrived bright and early, getting that coveted first row parking spot (worried about this premier parking business and that messing with my early parking spots at the MK!). Monorail wasn't running yet so we took the boat over-

Lynda & Aron - so nice it was so empty this early!

Aria ready!

Today before breakfast I had a MUST DO! Do you recognize these ears?

Since I was not yet 12 weeks along, I hadn't announced the pregnancy via Facebook. I had posted here and told some close friends/family but that was it. I started to think of ways to announce it and found the printable sign on Etsy, some mini-mouse ears (in green since we didn't know if baby was a boy or girl yet!) and Aria already had some ears from a previous trip! So this worked out well. Unfortunately the work walls were up near the castle - I was going to have Aria sit on the Walt & Mickey statue wall but this worked out just fine instead.

Then I had to get my walking to the castle pic (I think I have a better one, this is a little blurry)

And then we were able to head over to check in for breakfast.

We were called in and before being seated for a second Piglet came over!

And Eeyore too. This was going very well for making rope drop at 9! Aria is so sweet with Eeyore. She tells him that he shouldn't be sad because she will be his friend.

I think Lynda & Aron went up for some food, but Pooh was on his way over so we stayed put. Drinks (coffee!!) had arrived so I was satisfied with that for the time being. I did tell Lynda & Aron about the breakfast lasagna they had to get!

They were all very excited to see themselves on her dress.

And Aron got a quick pic with Pooh too

Up for some food, Aria picked out a puffed French toast, fruit, egg, bacon, eggs and fruit loops.

Laughing at my carb filled plate!

Soon Tigger came over to say hi.

Aria showed him where he was on her dress

And then we got a pic of the girls with Tigger!

Breakfast ended and naturally we had to go ride Pooh first!

We walked straight through the line, quickly playing as we went

Aria wanted to sit with Lynda so Aron & I sat in the back of the honey pot.

And then we headed off to Aria's then-favorite ride - Barnstormer. This trip she was 38" so she hadn't yet ridden Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Kali River Rapids (these both have a 38" height requirement). I had Lynda & Aron take her on the Barnstormer, I remembered it being a little bit bumpy and being pregnant I didn't want to risk it.

By the way, we had later fast passes for the day, so this morning we were winging it for what was open. I also had the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train card that she got on our previous trip when she was too short, so that served as a 4th FP in a sense.

Anyway, next we headed over to ride Ariel. Love Aria holding her dress like a princess.

We all enjoyed this and then headed over to do the Flying Carpets! (Plan was to get to pirates before it gets too busy)

A quick ride on Pirates and then we had an outfit change and headed back to Fantasyland....

 

[Imagineer5]

We were headed to do SEVEN DWARFS! But Aria saw It's a Small World and wanted to ride so we waited a couple minutes for that first.

And then...it was time!! Something I had fretted over for quite some time (since finding out I was pregnant). I REALLY wanted to ride this with Aria as it was something I just knew she would LOVE. Since I had ridden it before and knew how smooth it was, my only concern was making sure the lap bar wasn't too tight on me.

With the card, we were able to hop right in the FP line and soon we were on!

Fastpass pics:

And a video:



And the official photopass video



SHE LOVED IT! Of course! LOL! I was glad I rode it as I didn't feel like it was any worse than a car ride. Aria immediately wanted to ride again but we didn't have another FP for this day. So instead we went next to it to the tea cups! Funny enough I didn't feel comfortable riding those so Lynda and Aron took her on.

Then she convinced them to take her back on the Barnstormer so they went to ride that next!

It was lunchtime and we were all hungry so we visited Pinocchios. They have a really delicious Caprese flatbread that we got, plus a kids meal with a few different things Aria enjoyed. Speaking of Pinocchios, supposedly they have some dairy free flatbreads using Daiya dairy free cheese, so I am going to check that out for lunch on our next visit if hungry.

You can see the water bottles too - at this point we still hadn't made it to a store to buy water/milk/etc mainly because I hadn't had the time to do it. We also hadn't really needed it with the early breakfasts and meals planned, but water was a must so we really needed to get to a store!

Aria really enjoyed the slushie thing

And a cast member came by with a dancing Pinocchio puppet but Aria was being shy and didn't want to see it. I thought it was a cute touch.

Speaking of Pinocchio puppets - when we were in France I found an antique Pinocchio puppet in an antique shop. I bought it and gave it to Aria for Christmas (she was napping at the time). Well we hung him in her room and just a couple weeks ago at bedtime aria whispered to me asking me to take him out of her room! She said "Mommy, can you hang Pinocchio in Maya's room? He scares me" LOL, I felt bad she wanted him in Maya's room I think he is currently in our closet.

After lunch Aria took a nap in the stroller. Lynda & Aron went off to ride a couple things - I think BTMRR had a 20 minute wait and then they waited for Splash - so I found a comfy spot to rest. It was nice taking a little break!

Coming up - afternoon at MK and BoG!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'll have to re-look at Morimoto's menu since it's on my not-yet-visited list. I don't remember seeing much, and now with my Soy allergy I think Asian food is pretty much out for me at the moment.

Just wanted to mention to this comment is that my understanding is there are different menus for different areas of the restaurant ... so if you are specifically going for sushi there is the sushi bar where you get more options if you sit there vs in the main dining are (can still get some sushi there just not all of it). I've read a few reviews and it sounds really good - I know the pecking duck is supposed to be great!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

We arrived bright and early, getting that coveted first row parking spot (worried about this premier parking business and that messing with my early parking spots at the MK!).

Good point about the premium spots ... I wonder how it will work. I know they have had the VIP section (which you can get access to via AAA and I think other ways) but they don't really impact other spots too much, so hopefully this is similar to that in that if you get there first thing you can still get good spots and not that the entire first section is for premium spots and even if you are first you will have to take a tram from regular spots

Such a great picture and cute idea!

Aria is so sweet with Eeyore. She tells him that he shouldn't be sad because she will be his friend.

aw, that is cute ... very sweet!

Aria picked out a puffed French toast

... smart girl!

And then...it was time!! Something I had fretted over for quite some time (since finding out I was pregnant). I REALLY wanted to ride this with Aria as it was something I just knew she would LOVE. Since I had ridden it before and knew how smooth it was, my only concern was making sure the lap bar wasn't too tight on me.

I know some of those warnings are based on if something goes wrong. That is, if they have to stop the train for whatever reason that "stopping short" could be an issue. Almost all of Disney's rides are very safe if everything goes smoothly ... Glad it worked out well and definitely a great memory! Only one first time she rides that.

It was lunchtime and we were all hungry so we visited Pinocchios. They have a really delicious Caprese flatbread that we got

We had that last trip and were pleasantly surprised (was a challenge to navigate a stroller through the seating area but the food was quite good)

She said "Mommy, can you hang Pinocchio in Maya's room? He scares me" LOL, I felt bad she wanted him in Maya's room I think he is currently in our closet.

Nice of her to want to scare the baby instead

 

[schmass]

The Hollywood and Vine breakfast looks like a lot of fun for little ones! Aria looks like she really enjoyed her time with Sofia and Jake.

I agree with you 100% about the best part about FP+ being not having to take part in the Toy Story Stampede.

I’m sad that Rory never had a chance to play at that play area. Looks like Aria had fun! Although is there a rumor of another play area coming there?

Bonnet Creek looks great – I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.

Looks like you had a nice meal at California Grill!

Such a cute pregnancy announcement!

I love the pictures you got of the 7DMT and I’m glad you were fine riding it. I can’t wait until Rory is tall enough to ride it, but at the rate he’s growing it’s going to be awhile!

 

[mousehappync]

Oh, you are making me so hungry! I LOVE CP breakfasts! It makes my teeth hurt it's so sweet, but that breakfast lasagne is SOOOOOOO good. We are doing a flying trip through Disney in a couple of weeks on our way home from the Keys, with one MK day. I very reluctantly left this reservation off because the park has 8am EMH and I have our day planned to the minute to try and fit as much in as possible on a 9/10 day. I will live vicariously through you!

The photos of Aria are so, so, cute-- her face in the 7DMT pics is amazing. And it makes my heart happy that she comforted Eeyore!

Can you tell me about the MK parking situation? We almost always take a bus to MK because it seems quicker (we are usually at BC and their bus service is amazing.) we plan to leave CBR around 6:45 for an 8am opening and drive to MK, both because I'm concerned about multiple internal CBR stops holding us back, and because I'm nervous about buses being packed/slow when we return after Wishes. What's the best way to get a good spot at the TTC? We are AAA members.

 

[Dugette]

I just got REALLY excited to relive my France trip

I am really excited for you to do that too!

They said many times over the trip how much fun they were having actually having stuff planned out, normally they don't do many TS and "wing" it but they did say multiple times they've never been able to do so much. That made me feel good! Esp after Andrew generally complains about all the planning I do.

Glad they appreciated your efforts! Sorry you have to deal with Andrew complaining about it.

So cute! And those tiny ears are so sweet - have you ever put them on Maya?

So cute! Love her Pooh dress too.

Aria is so sweet with Eeyore. She tells him that he shouldn't be sad because she will be his friend.

Aw, how sweet!

Yum! Looks so good...

Kali River Rapids (these both have a 38" height requirement)

Oh, I didn't realize Kali is 38" too (haven't been on it in years). Izzy would make that now (I only knew about Mine Train) - it so makes me want to take a trip so she can do new things, but nothing planned. Aaaaahhhh.... (of course, waiting until she grows 2 more inches would probably be more sensible)

Wow, even a Mine Train dress, impressive!

I REALLY wanted to ride this with Aria as it was something I just knew she would LOVE.

I know the feeling. I'm sure Izzy would love this too and I can't wait to go with her. Maybe someday they'll get to ride together.

Did you ask for first row or was that just coincidence? Probably a better view for her.

And a video:

Love it! I will have to show Izzy, she'll get a kick out of it.

I was glad I rode it as I didn't feel like it was any worse than a car ride.

Glad it went well. Maybe I've had bad luck, but I think every time I've ridden I've had at least one very sudden stop (usually at the end, but sometimes before) - that's what would make me nervous. Otherwise, it's very smooth, as you said.

They have a really delicious Caprese flatbread

That does look really, really good (and cheesy!)

Speaking of Pinocchio puppets - when we were in France I found an antique Pinocchio puppet in an antique shop. I bought it and gave it to Aria for Christmas (she was napping at the time). Well we hung him in her room and just a couple weeks ago at bedtime aria whispered to me asking me to take him out of her room! She said "Mommy, can you hang Pinocchio in Maya's room? He scares me" LOL, I felt bad she wanted him in Maya's room I think he is currently in our closet.

I can't blame her - I can see how it would be creepy to see a little boy staring at you while you're trying to sleep.

 

[knewton64]

Your France pics are givng me some fantabolous ideas!
(I just booked a DLP adventure for Aug '17)


Luv yer TR -





T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

 

[Imagineer5]

Just wanted to mention to this comment is that my understanding is there are different menus for different areas of the restaurant ... so if you are specifically going for sushi there is the sushi bar where you get more options if you sit there vs in the main dining are (can still get some sushi there just not all of it). I've read a few reviews and it sounds really good - I know the pecking duck is supposed to be great!

While I don't do sushi, Andrew would love it so I'll have to plan to visit once I can eat anything again. I looked at the menu and believe the soy allergy would definitely be an issue here.

Good point about the premium spots ... I wonder how it will work. I know they have had the VIP section (which you can get access to via AAA and I think other ways) but they don't really impact other spots too much, so hopefully this is similar to that in that if you get there first thing you can still get good spots and not that the entire first section is for premium spots and even if you are first you will have to take a tram from regular spots



Such a great picture and cute idea!



aw, that is cute ... very sweet!

... smart girl!



I know some of those warnings are based on if something goes wrong. That is, if they have to stop the train for whatever reason that "stopping short" could be an issue. Almost all of Disney's rides are very safe if everything goes smoothly ... Glad it worked out well and definitely a great memory! Only one first time she rides that.



We had that last trip and were pleasantly surprised (was a challenge to navigate a stroller through the seating area but the food was quite good)



Nice of her to want to scare the baby instead

I hope it doesn't affect the parking, we shall see. I'll report back after our next trip in a few weeks!

yes that is true about stopping short - I did forget to mention I sort of braced myself with my arm during the ride as well just in case, especially at the end when I knew there was a stop. Thankfully nothing happened although I suppose something could have. Baby maya was so tiny in there at that point I wasn't too worried.

You're right, navigating the stroller was not fun. Esp since we got separated somehow and I had to carry my tray full of food plus navigate the stroller!

The Hollywood and Vine breakfast looks like a lot of fun for little ones! Aria looks like she really enjoyed her time with Sofia and Jake.

I agree with you 100% about the best part about FP+ being not having to take part in the Toy Story Stampede.

I’m sad that Rory never had a chance to play at that play area. Looks like Aria had fun! Although is there a rumor of another play area coming there?

Bonnet Creek looks great – I’ve heard nothing but good things about it.

Looks like you had a nice meal at California Grill!

Such a cute pregnancy announcement!

I love the pictures you got of the 7DMT and I’m glad you were fine riding it. I can’t wait until Rory is tall enough to ride it, but at the rate he’s growing it’s going to be awhile!

Yes the new areas should be totally worth it - I can't wait for the new toy story area! I'm sure the star wars area will be great too but still not totally "into" Star wars lol.

Oh, you are making me so hungry! I LOVE CP breakfasts! It makes my teeth hurt it's so sweet, but that breakfast lasagne is SOOOOOOO good. We are doing a flying trip through Disney in a couple of weeks on our way home from the Keys, with one MK day. I very reluctantly left this reservation off because the park has 8am EMH and I have our day planned to the minute to try and fit as much in as possible on a 9/10 day. I will live vicariously through you!

The photos of Aria are so, so, cute-- her face in the 7DMT pics is amazing. And it makes my heart happy that she comforted Eeyore!

Can you tell me about the MK parking situation? We almost always take a bus to MK because it seems quicker (we are usually at BC and their bus service is amazing.) we plan to leave CBR around 6:45 for an 8am opening and drive to MK, both because I'm concerned about multiple internal CBR stops holding us back, and because I'm nervous about buses being packed/slow when we return after Wishes. What's the best way to get a good spot at the TTC? We are AAA members.

We had a day on our Feb trip that they changed the park hours to opening at 8am when we had a CP bf planned! I was annoyed but we still had a nice time. I can understand if you only have 1 day though and it's supposed to be THAT busy! oh my!!

I almost always drive to the MK just so I don't have to deal with buses (only time I don't is when staying on the monorail or at BLT of course). If you get there that early, you get the first row parking which is just a short walk away from the TTC where you will take the monorail or ferry to the MK entrance. It usually takes about 20 minutes from parking the car to bag check.

However just recently (like a week ago) they started testing this "premium" parking option where you pay more to park closer? They are doing this at EPCOT and the MK. I have no idea how this affects where we will park (I won't be paying more, considering it's free as resort guests and also for AP holders!), but I'm hoping that it doesn't change that early morning arrival. I never use the trams for parking because of the stroller.

I am really excited for you to do that too!


Glad they appreciated your efforts! Sorry you have to deal with Andrew complaining about it.


So cute! And those tiny ears are so sweet - have you ever put them on Maya?


So cute! Love her Pooh dress too.


Aw, how sweet!


Yum! Looks so good...


Oh, I didn't realize Kali is 38" too (haven't been on it in years). Izzy would make that now (I only knew about Mine Train) - it so makes me want to take a trip so she can do new things, but nothing planned. Aaaaahhhh.... (of course, waiting until she grows 2 more inches would probably be more sensible)


Wow, even a Mine Train dress, impressive!


I know the feeling. I'm sure Izzy would love this too and I can't wait to go with her. Maybe someday they'll get to ride together.


Did you ask for first row or was that just coincidence? Probably a better view for her.


Love it! I will have to show Izzy, she'll get a kick out of it.


Glad it went well. Maybe I've had bad luck, but I think every time I've ridden I've had at least one very sudden stop (usually at the end, but sometimes before) - that's what would make me nervous. Otherwise, it's very smooth, as you said.


That does look really, really good (and cheesy!)


I can't blame her - I can see how it would be creepy to see a little boy staring at you while you're trying to sleep.

LOL I haven't put the ears on Maya, I'm not even sure where they are (I think maybe in Aria's doll stuff though). They are really small, but that'd be cute to put on! I'll have to look for them.

Yes, Aria loved Kali too (that's coming up!). It was closed our last trip but I'm excited to ride again in a few weeks with her. I love going at all these different stages where she is tall enough for something new each time! (I think the next height we are waiting on is 44" though and she is now 41" so still a ways to go).

We got the first row on 7dmt a number of times, just a coincidence but it was perfect! Especially for Aria's first ride!

Your France pics are givng me some fantabolous ideas!
(I just booked a DLP adventure for Aug '17)


Luv yer TR -





T.T.F.N.
&
CHEERS Y'ALL

OOooh I'd love to hear about your plans!! Thank you for reading, I'll get to france as soon as I'm done with may lol!

 

[cindianne320]

I can't wait to hear about your France trip!

Your CP breakfast looked like fun! We had planned an 8 am breakfast there, but then they changed the park opening to 8 am, so I cancelled and we are doing lunch instead. Bummed that we won't get an empty main street.

Pinocchio's also looked yummy- I haven't eaten there in years!

I hope my DS likes the "big" rides this time around. DD is just 38", so I don't think she'll ride much!

 

[Imagineer5]

I can't wait to hear about your France trip!

Your CP breakfast looked like fun! We had planned an 8 am breakfast there, but then they changed the park opening to 8 am, so I cancelled and we are doing lunch instead. Bummed that we won't get an empty main street.

Pinocchio's also looked yummy- I haven't eaten there in years!

I hope my DS likes the "big" rides this time around. DD is just 38", so I don't think she'll ride much!

Oh boo that is too bad! That happened to us a few times on our last trip but we just kept the breakfasts (mainly bc I didn't know about the hours change until that morning lol!!)

38" was still a fun trip - Kali River Rapids and Mine train are great!!

 

[Imagineer5]

Less than 4 weeks until my super secret weekend at WDW with Aria!! She still has no idea. I am so excited to wake her up at 3AM with the purple magic band and tell her we get to fly to Disney world today!!

Back to the task at hand. So I left off during nap time at the MK! Once Lynda & Aron were done riding, we decided to head up to the front of the park and get some seats in the FP+ parade spot (I had booked these FP). It was HOT, while waiting Lynda went to find some refreshments and I had a frozen lemonade. A few minutes before the parade started I woke up Aria and she was excited to see what was coming.

But first I had to share a pic from L&A's ride on Splash!! Lynda is hilarious

And soon it started

We had a good view of Anna & Elsa. There have been times we've hardly gotten to see them (since their float turns) but thankfully they waved our way this time.

After the parade we had some time before our next fastpass (Peter Pan) opened up so we decided to head to Tom Sawyer Island. It's the perfect mid-afternoon thing to do when lines are generally very long on every ride in the park!!

Plus there's a ton of shade so very nice when it is hot out

L&A had never been, and they really loved it over there

I was wearing down a bit so sat down while they played with Aria

After our visit (the caves are a favorite here!) we noticed there wasn't too long of a wait for the Jungle Cruise so headed that way. We waited maybe 15 minutes and were on our boat!

Afterwards we had FP's to use at Peter Pan so went there - this is one of Aria's all time favorites despite loving the fast rides too. That makes me happy!

No pics though lol - but our 3rd booked FP for the day was up next - Anna & Elsa! it was so cute seeing Aria so excited to meet them and Lynda and Aron shared in the excitement. The FP is great here and really soon we were meeting the sisters!

afterwards we headed to dinner! We had reservations at Be Our Guest! This is one that Lynda & Aron had never been able to grab a ADR for so they were excited! After a quick wait we were seated in the middle of the ballroom

Instead of savoring a glass of wine in the MK I ordered a lemonade with some type of berry foam. It was good. Not as good as wine.

We saw the beast walk by and Aria loudly exclaimed she did not want to meet him.

My favorite dish here is the salmon (which is apparently not on the menu anymore!!). It is fantastic and served with some delicious potatoes.

Aria had the mac & Cheese with broccoli.

And we of course had to have dessert!! Cupcakes all around. My favorite is the strawberry. I have a thing for food/drink carts coming to the table lol.

Aria just wanted to eat the strawberry, chocolate piece and the red balls off the top lol

And with that we called it a night from the parks actually . It was about 7PM and we wanted a little time at the pool! So instead of the one nearest us we headed straight for the lazy river at the next building over. One thing to note about Bonnet Creek is we had issues parking every single day. We always had to circle forever to find a spot. There were times we had to park illegally next to grass, not in a parking spot but not blocking anyone either and many other cars were parking like that too.

Anyway we brought the noodle down since at the time Aria wasn't swimming without a noodle or life jacket and well, I wasn't going to buy a $30 inflatable life jacket.

Then we called it a night with some quick showers.

Just like in the Disney DVC rooms, the laundry in our room was next to a bedroom (in this case, ours) and also likewise, they use the cheap SUPER loud washers and dryers, so we had to plan out laundry so it would run when we weren't there. So I think we planned out a load for the next morning.

Up next - Tusker House, AK, Sanaa, EPCOT and Garden Grill! Phew!!

 

[Imagineer5]

Moving right along to the next day while I'm at it! Not sure how Lynda & Aron allowed me to do this but I had a super full day booked with Tusker house, AK, Sanaa, EPCOT and Garden Grill lol. Making the most of every single day, that's for sure!!

So Tusker House was up first with an early morning at the AK. We were one of the first to park at the AK (btw, we used my rental car the whole time, but they did use theirs a couple times when they went off on their own or had to run to the store for something).

We checked in and immediately got our Photopass pic done (they've since stopped photopass here altogether)

Buffet area at Tusker

I like getting the first reservation of the day, because the characters usually start coming out around 8:15-8:20 so it gives you a little time to get situated and get food. Aria's plate:

My plate 1:

Have no fear, my 2nd plate held my tater tots:

And soon Donald was at our table!

Then Mickey

And the best for last - Daisy!

Breakfast was great - I love starting a day at AK here! And then we headed out to the park. We had no FP's booked for the AK, instead saving them for EPCOT later on, so we first went to the safari which was a walk on. Despite the pregnancy warnings I wasn't concerned about riding (just planned to not sit in the back).

Aria check out the list of animals

On the safari, a quick 4sie

I think this safari was one where the giraffes were being let out a little late, so they weren't on the savannah when we drove by - which was a little disappointing! After the safari we decided to do the Pangani forest trek

Then we headed to Asia.

I had a must-do for the day - Kali River Rapids! It's the other 38" height requirement ride so I wanted Aria to ride. I had really bad memories of waiting in line over an hour and riding the way-too-short ride with Andrew way back in like 2004 and hadn't been on this in a very long time. I must say, zero wait makes any ride SO much better.

I did need to take some photos though of our walk through the empty line

Aria was very nervous about riding due to the splash. She hates getting water on her head (despite being totally in love with swimming, she still has an issue with this!) and kept saying she would ride it once and wouldn't like it. We have a rule where she needs to try things one time (whether it's food, or rides or whatever) and then can decide from there. So she agreed.

The first big splash came and Aria was cracking up (especially when she got to watch me or Lynda get drenched).

It was a total success - she had a blast. We got off the ride and Aria said "I didn't think I would like it but I LOVED it, you were right mommy!!" That works for me!!

After that, Lynda & Aron ran ahead to go ride Expedition Everest. I was definitely sitting that one out being pregnant, so instead we leisurely walked towards Dinoland. We stopped for some photopass pics

Meanwhile -

We finally made it to Dinoland but Triceratop spin was closed, so we went to the play area.

While we were there, Lynda & Aron were riding Dinosaur

(I also sat that one out, knowing it can be very jerky).

Then it was time to head out of the park. This is a very typical AK day for us, so I'm interested to see how things change with the evening activities. Currently my next trip I have the evening blocked out for AK and the morning free LOL so we'll see how that goes.

We had lunch at Sanaa coming up! This was new to Lynda & Aron and it is a favorite of mine of course.

We had some good luck as there was a window table available, and of course we started out with the Naan bread service

I ordered Aria macaroni and fruit, and asked for it to come out asap, but she also enjoyed some naan bread as well.

Since doing the 9-sauces and naan service, I have taken to just ordering the potato and pea samosas as my "main" dish and it's plenty (especially after a big breakfast!!)

Lynda & Aron however had some other things to try out (I don't remember what) but we basically rolled out of there - everything was delicious as always.

I did miss the wine flight though haha.

Our view:

Now it was way beyond nap time for Aria so as soon as we loaded into the car she fell asleep and we drove over to EPCOT!

 

[Imagineer5]

Off to EPCOT! About 15 minutes later we found an okay parking spot at EPCOT. I got the stroller all ready and was able to transfer aria to it while she continued sleeping. Soon we were through the gates (thank goodness FP isn't tied to if you enter the park as I didn't scan Aria's magic band since she was sleeping!). Flower and garden festival was going on so the park looked beautiful

We got inside and I immediately came down with a hugeee headache/migraine. Our first fastpasses weren't until 3 or so, so I found a bench inside Innoventions to sit while Aria napped and Lynda & Aron went off to ride Mission Space. A full hour and a half went by and they had ridden that and checked out some shops, checked in with me but with Aria still asleep and my headache not going anywhere, I didn't feel like doing anything. Eventually I decided I needed to find some Tylenol as I'd forgotten to pack some in my backpack so I went in search of that. I gave Lynda my magic band and Aria's, as they had 2 fastpasses for Test Track scheduled, so they rode that and we met up outside The Land pavilion once I was semi medicated (as much as Tylenol can really do) and they had ridden TT. We had planned to switch off riding Soarin' (2 fastpasses were booked) and Living With the Land, but with my head I just decided to ride LwtL and skip Soarin for now (but we did grab a rider switch!). Aria also had woken up by this point, and we made a quick bathroom stop for an outfit change (a must due to the heat!)

I just love LwtL! It's a favorite. I love how it's always different too somehow.

Hidden mickey!

I forgot to mention - Lynda had a hidden mickey book, so whenever we were killing time or waiting in line she would pull that out. Aria loved doing that with her.

Can you guess where we headed next?! Nemo of course!

After quickly checking out the tanks, we decided to head to the butterfly garden before our next FP.

I love this F&G offering.

Then we had FP's to use!

Getting to dance with Minnie!

Next up - even MORE characters, and MORE food, as we are heading to dinner!

 

[Imagineer5]

We headed back into the Land for dinner at Garden Grill. We didn't wait long to be seated and had a great booth table to watch as we slowly spun around.

We all stuck with the included sodas this meal, and soon our food was out. I had asked for the vegetarian option which was a stuffed pepper, and it was okay but could have used more flavor. I did end up with a ton of their delicious mashed potatoes though of course (and we asked for seconds). Aria's meal was huge as well.

And soon Farmer Mickey came by

And Dale

These chipmunks are always a favorite. They are hilarious and sweet at the same time.

Pluto wanted a puppy kiss

Then Chip came over

He spent a ton of time with Aria, pointing out plants to her as we moved.

Somewhere in all of this we filled up once again (I don't think aria ate much though) and mickey came by again too

In addition to the cobbler, they brought out a cake for Lynda's birthday

And (no pic) but for kids they bring out a really cute ice cream cone dessert which she enjoyed.

After dinner we had one more stop before we called it a night. We actually had a FP for this - lol

Today had been a fun but exhausting day, we didn't have any energy left for the pool. But on our way back to the resort, we decided to veer off course and head to the store for a few essentials like water, milk and some snacks as we didn't have any breakfasts planned for a couple days, and then we all passed out.

Coming up (another day) - Universal studios with lunch at Mythos and dinner at 1900 Park Fare.

 

[mousehappync]

What, fun, BUSY days! I'm really amazed you had the stamina in your first trimester! I love how excited and happy Aria looks in all the pictures. And you are making me hungry for Sanna!