Jingle Bell Jingle BAM: A Christmas 2019 Trip Report

[TheLittleKatie]

Your evening at Epcot looked really fun, I had one of those avocado margaritas a few years ago, you've inspired me to go back!! So tasty!

I'm glad you had a good experience at Tusker House. We had breakfast there once before and it as really bad... but I think it was probably because we were there late in the morning when they were starting to think about lunch, so nothing at the buffet was being replenished. Everyone always speaks so highly of it it gives me faith that our experience was just a one off!!

Also, this picture is so great, the kids are having fun, and so are the adults what a great morning

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We really like it too though we haven't done it in forever. We did Boma once but liked Tusker House better. It's about the only character meal we do. I can taste that bobtie now.

Intresting that you liked Tusker House better... BOMA all the way, but really when we go to Animal Kingdom it is a choice between BOMA, Tusker House and Sanaa. And at this point, Sanaa wins out most of the time.

And very Mexican

You know Gwen! The adventerous eater!

I'm not sure I've had matcha but that does not even remotely look appetizing

It was gross.

Also, this picture is so great, the kids are having fun, and so are the adults what a great morning

That was the theme of the trip! Fun for all ages! And what I love about Disney.

I'm glad you had a good experience at Tusker House. We had breakfast there once before and it as really bad... but I think it was probably because we were there late in the morning when they were starting to think about lunch, so nothing at the buffet was being replenished. Everyone always speaks so highly of it it gives me faith that our experience was just a one off!!

Bummer that you guys didn't have a good expierence. You know everywhere is going to have an off day at some point. This was our first breakfast there. I def perferred lunch over breakfast.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Happy Saturday Everyone!! It's been a very mentally draining week and I managed to sleep a solid 10 hours last night!!! I think my body needed it so badly!! But now I am ready to get this trip report really moving again! I hoping to get through this day, this weekend. Does anyone have that day of there trip that they aren't excited about writing about? I seem to always have that one day that was meh and lose motivation.... Anyway, I am ready to get to the next installment of this day!

Day Five: Touring Animal Kingdom

I left us off finishing up breakfast and we were headed out. Our first fast passes of the day were for Flight of Passage. I wanted to make sure the L's could ride. And we were excited to ride with someone for the first time.

We had to walk back around to the main entrance. They had the back walkway blocked off, as I think they were using it for the line this early in the morning.

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We wandered in and took in the sites. But basically headed straight to the line to get a rider swap.

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We waited to ask a CM for a rider swap. He said we could get fast passes for the person not riding and 2 others. Which was kind of an issue, as that would have been Big L and either Morgan or Gwen. So, I said the L’s should go together and Matais could hang out with us. Which didn’t sit well with Morgan and Gwen but I said that they have ridden a bunch of times. And the CM was not budding on how many rider swaps he was giving out. Which was a slight bummer. All we wanted was one more for the kids. I wasn't looking for one for me and Andy.

But once we got that squared away, Miss L and Little M went to ride Navi River Journey while the rest of us went to ride on Pandora.

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Everyone loved the ride, although Mr. L did get a little dizzy. So, when we met up with Miss L and Little M, Miss L decided not to ride it. She had already had a little veritgo the other day and didn't want to risk triggering it.

The big kids tried to convince us to let them go on the ride by themselves. But I didn't feel quiet comfortable letting them go all by themselves. They weren't happy.

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Miss L took some photos while they waited for us. As Navi River Journey was short.

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And they had done some shopping while they waited!

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He was trying to wear it on his shoulder but it just wasn't staying up with his jacket.

To appease the children who were mad that we didn't let them go fly on banshees by themselves,
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I tried to get only one, but of course the kids didn’t want to share.

IMG_1835 by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
And then Big L and Little M didn’t really like it and barely drank any of it.

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it was still fairly early and not very hot out. So I kind of got it. And probably still fairly full from breakfast. But whatever.

I did love the decorations here.
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Found a Mickey decoration in the window!

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And they had the robot thing dressed up as santa!

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Little M’s dragon kept falling off, so Miss Lina ended up having to take him back into the store to get it to stay.

Around 10:30 am we were able to head out the back entrance by now, and we made our way over to the Safari. Pandora was practically a bust! The L's didn't hate it but def were not impressed.

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I took in some more of the holiday decorations as we walked to the back of the park.

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And stopped just briefly to listen to this man play.

It took us a full 20 minutes to get from Pandora to the Safari! I know we weren't rushing but that does seem like a long time. Maybe we listened to the guy playing for longer than I thought.

At any rate, we were able to get on a Safari ride right away, And on our way!
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As most of you know, all safari rides are good but sometimes you get REALLY good animal interactions. And this was a REALLY good time.

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The hippos were sun bathing since it was so cold out.

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The big kids, of course, wanted to sit together. And somehow Morgan got the primo end seat.

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And we were treated to the Giraffes walking up super close to the truck!

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One walked by on both sides of the truck, So Miss L and I both got great up close views of them!

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Here is this one coming up to say Hi!

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HI!!!! This was not zoomed in! This guy was right next to the truck!

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And we saw 2 baby giraffes. Which the driver said that the mamas were protecting the babies which is why they were so close.

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I think the truck had to stop since the giraffes were so close, so we got good photos of these guys as well.

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Morgan video tapped a portion of the ride. And I was SO NERVOUS she was going to drop it somewhere along the way! But she didn't.

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Even the Elephants were out. My two favorite animals!

We didn't get off the ride till 11:15! Having to stop for the Giraffes, must have extending the ride.

We grabbed a photo opt on the way out and saw the Gorillas as well.
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The photo would have been super cute but there was some super shadowy!

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It was already so late in the morning, and I knew we needed to head out soon but we had one more fast pass to use! We headed that way!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

As we headed over, we saw Kevin!
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We just said hi in passing.

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I found some more Christmas decorations.

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And we stopped for a photo op!

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I think we stopped to use the bathrooms along the way. And gave directions to Mr. L to head to Dinnasour with Little M as we were headed to Everst and he was too short.

The rest of us headed into line to ride Everest!
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Gwen gladly went with Andy on this. She always wants someone to tell here where the broken yeti is.

The kids loved the ride, of course!
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We stopped in the dump stop. Morgan wanted the male Yeti plush, after Gwen had gotten the girl version on our summer trip. And she found another head band. This one had an old timey map look to it. So we purchased both of those on our way out.
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You can see both in this picture. The headbands have become part of Morgan's "Style"

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I think the kids were slowly ranking which rollercoaster was the best as they rode all of them.

After our ride, we headed over to Dino land to meet up with Mr. L.

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We saw Santa Goofy and tried to find where he was meeting. But once we figured it out, there was a long line. Well, the line was probably there already. So we passed on that.

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We kind of milled around Dinoland trying to decide what to do. We said the that L’s could stay longer if they wanted but that we needed to go back and relax before the party tonight. The L’s ultimately decided to do the same.

We slowly made our way out of the park.
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Stopping for some snacks for the road.

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And some shopping.
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I know we grabbed something to eat as well. Probably another pretzel, maybe... And I think Morgan and I bought sequins sweatshirts, mine gray and hers teal.

But we headed out to head back to the resort to rest, as we have a big night ahead!

 

[LiveLifeLoud]

Sounds like a busy but great trip so far. I love Christmas at Disney. The closest we’ve come is jersey week which doesn’t have everything that early in November but December at Disney is on my bucket list.

I love the story tellers. Did you do a candlelight processional ?

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I love the story tellers. Did you do a candlelight processional ?

We did not. There just wasn't enough time for it. We saw someone waiting to get in at like 2:00 in the afternoon! I think Neil Patrick Harris was there that day. Which he would be amazing to see but made it just that much harder to even try and see.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day Four: Ohana means Family

One of the meals that I really wanted to do with the L's was Ohana! So, I was excited for dinner today.

I made us a 4:10 reservation, as we were going to be heading into Magic Kingdom for the Christmas party after.

We took separate ubers again over to the Poly. Our uber driver showed up first but the L’s had to wait a little bit for theres to show up.

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I had the girls layer up before we left! It was going to be cold tonight!

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Christmas Tree #??

We went inside and got some photo pass photos while we waited for the L's.
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The L's showed up shortly after us. We left them get a photo pass pic. And then we headed upstairs to check in.

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We checked in at 4:18 and were taken back almost immediately.

We were sat at a table by the windows but kind of in the back. It was fine location.

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The kids went with some fun non-alcoholic drinks.
Keiki Lemonade
Minute Maid® Premium Lemonade, Pineapple, Passion Fruit, and Citrus
For Morgan and Big L. And I think Gwen went with Lemonade of some sort.

Little M couldn't decide what to get. So, he went with water for awhile and then finally picked something out later. Possibly just sprite. He has a thing for Sprite.

I of course, ordered my Lapu Lapu!
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Lapu Lapu
Plantation Original Dark Rum and Tropical Fruit Juices served in a fresh Pineapple topped with Gosling's 151 Rum
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Miss L ordered a
Hawaiian Mule
Pau Maui Handmade Vodka, Lychee-Citrus Reduction, and Fever-Tree Ginger Beer
No photo, but it did come in a copper cup which is always a plus in my book. She said it was too sweet for her, but I think it would have been perfect for me. She isn't big on sweets.

Mr. L ordered:
Puka Punch
The Real McCoy 5 yr Rum, Bacardí Superior Rum, John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum, Tropical Juices, Passion Fruit, and Angostura Bitters
He said it was good.

Andy ordered the back scratcher, I think but I have no photographic evedience.
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Oh wait! here is Little M with the backscratcher!

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Shortly the platters started to come out. Because there was so many of us, they brought out basically 2 of everything.

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Sooooo good!!! I really come for just this! The meats came out after that. And we ate a TON!!!!

I think Gwen asked for the Chicken Nuggets and ketchup. Which our waitress was more than willing to get for her. I think her and Little M shared.

This was a sign of how the night was going to go.
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The kids were all a bit punchy at this point.

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I think these were the warm towels they bring out to wipe your hands after the main meal.

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Dessert came out shortly after that. I don't think we felt rushed but we were also looking forward to heading to the party, so the pace of the meal didn't bother us.

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We got 2 of each, the bread pudding and the ice cream and the rice krises!

By dessert I was stuffed and could barely eat any of it!
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I was also over heating a little as I had double layered myself since it was going to COLD for the party. And by the end of the meal, I needed to get out into the cool air!

We paid and hit the bathrooms before leaving. And headed to the monorail!

Up next Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day Four: Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

well, I am going to say that this will probably be a fairly short post. The party ended up being a big bust for us! The kids were exhausted! And it was freezing and I apparently was so salty about the night that I wrote down no notes! This... this is all I typed for the night!


6:00 PM: Arrived at Magic Kingdom

So, I had high expectations for the party. And well, that didn’t pan out. I think we were all fairly tired and it was super busy. More than I would have liked.

YIKES!!!

I know we headed into Magic Kingdom around 6:00.
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We were all excited to be there. We got directed down the side path for parties.
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As we walked in, they were doing one of the castle lighting shows. So, we stood at the side and watched from afar.
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And as usual the kids wanted to ride Space Mountain first. And again, I didn't want to do that first. The wait was still long but I got over ruled again.
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Space Mountain was fun, of course. But I have us at the front of the line at 6:45. So, it wasn't too bad, I guess but we could have used the time better.

Andy and Mr. L went and rode Speedway while we did that. And I was kind of jealous. I wanted to see the decorations all light up.

They also grabbed some cookies while they waited for us.

After that, we headed to the tea cups.
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Andy and I didn't really want to go on. So we let the big kids all ride together. Which they of course LOVED!

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Miss L braved a tea cup with Little M.
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We then headed to barnstormer. I think the kids had requested it for some reason?!?
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Miss L rode with them the first time. And then we let the big kids ride by themselves. This was probably a highlight for them. They rode I think 2 times this way.

Poor little M wanted nothing to do with the rollercoaster. So, Mr. L took him to find more free snacks.

We eventually had to pull the kids away from just riding barnstormer all night! Miss L wanted to wait to meet Santa Goofy as he was in the area. So, we left the L's there and we headed to find a spot for the parade.

And this is where things started to go down hill. We got to the hub and it was PACKED with people! I felt defeated! It was super early to get a spot but we were also not last minute!

We ended up heading towards Frontierland. Thinking we could find a spot there and then sneak over to Big ThunderMountain right after. Similar to what we did at the Halloween Party.

We were able to find a place. And sat down. Eventually the L's found us. Mr. L went to find some more snacks. And before long the parade started. And as soon as the parade started Gwen decided she needed to go to the bathroom. But where we were sitting, there was no bathroom close, as we were on the side of the river.

So, I told her to wait till after. And then a character came over and scared the crap out of Gwen. I am not sure exactly what happened. But she started crying. And I seriously didn't know what to do. In hindsight, I should have just taken her to the bathroom. The parade ended up being REALLY long! And Gwen was a hot hot mess by the time the parade was over.

I was sooo looking forward to the parade and I was distracted almost the whole time. And Gwen was not enjoying it.

As soon as the parade was over, I told Andy for them to just go on Big Thunder Mountain, and I was going to run with Gwen to the bathroom at Splash. Well, they ended up waiting for us, and the line was all backed up by the time we ran to the bathroom and came out. So, I said we should try for the ride later, which made the big kids mad. And Morgan started crying.... Sigh. At that point, I didn't know what to do.

Andy offered to go find a spot for the fireworks while we went on something. It was just so crowded.... We ended up going to Jungle Cruise. Which took forever also. And we probably should have just gotten in line for BTM.

Andy ended up scoring a spot in the dessert party areas and we met up with him after the ride. It was actually pretty nice spot! But we were all spent by now. While we waited for the fireworks to start we talked about leaving after them. Which made me really sad. The night had not gone the way I had wanted it to go. And I felt like a few small tweaks could have changed the whole night. And I felt so guilty about it.

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This was part of why we decided to leave after fireworks... Little M slept through the fireworks.

After the fireworks we headed out. We did enjoy some snope on the way out.
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In hindsight, we should have gone with my original plan, of spending the day at the resort and rested. We would have been more energetic for the party. But that isn't what happened. Oh well.

Sorry for the lack of photos, as things went bad by photos went down. I did take parade photos but I just can't look at them. I am seriously tramatized by the whole thing. Sigh!

Up Next Hollywood Studios! And possibly the best day for all of us!

 

[Steppesister]

But once we got that squared away, Miss L and Little M went to ride Navi River Journey while the rest of us went to ride on Pandora.

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Uh, I miss that room and, uh, hope it comes back soon.

I've ever seen this but kinda am super adoring the nutcrackers and Menorah on top for the Holidays!

Pandora was practically a bust! The L's didn't hate it but def were not impressed.

Just.. how... ???

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And stopped just briefly to listen to this man play.

I could listen to him all day long and more. I think I miss the entertainment more than anything else.

I am seriously in love with the Poly swag over the door!
and the plumeria in the trees was fantastic!!

The wait was still long but I got over ruled again.

Uh oh.

So, I said we should try for the ride later, which made the big kids mad. And Morgan started crying.... Sigh.

Well, shoot, it does show that no matter how hard we try, we just can't please everyone.

 

[missjackiemcg]

YUMMMM, I could go for a Lapu Lapu right now....

I'm so sad your MVMCP didn't go the way you planned. I'm such a planner, too, that I take it so bad when things don't work out and really beat myself up! It sounds like there were at least some highlights to the evening. So sad it couldn't have ended on a higher note!

 

[Tracy161]

Your meal at Ohana sounded lovely! And thank goodness for that since the rest of the night went downhill. It's so tough when we want everything to go so smoothly, and I know how important it was to you to show the Ls a good time. I took my boyfriend to Disney for his first time in January 2020 and it was SO busy and I was so sad because I wanted everything to be perfect for him (and also for him to want to go back HAHA!) I'm so happy to hear your next day went so well! Looking forward to reading about that

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Since I hate leaving the last thing I talked about being a negative note. I wanted to get up the start of our next day! I do like to keep my trip report real. I think it does help to hear that other people do have days / times that were perfect. Cause it happens to all of us! But I also, come here to ready FUN things, not downers. So, on with the show!

Day Five: The Beginning of a Great Day!

When we said good night the night before, we said that we would play it by ear for what time we wanted to head to the parks. Our room woke up about 8:30. Which is SUPER late for the girls. I seriously think they only sleep in in Disney ironically. Our first fastpasses weren't until 10:30, which I am pretty sure I did on purpose knowing we would be out late the night before.

We were all very slow to get moving this morning. And the girls didn't want to go to the park at first! But I pointed out to them that this was the last day to spend with the L's. We were flying home tomorrow and the L's were heading to Universal tomorrow. With that information, the girls ralley'd and got ready to go!

I have no photos of Tinkerbell's gifts today. I believe I left out Star Wars Christmas Themed Shirts for everyone. But I think they were all short sleeves, so I am not sure if anyone even wore them. It was chilly but thankfully not freezing.

I have that we made it to the Skyliner a little about 9:30. So, not bad.
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They were ready to go but still dragging a little bit.

As a side note, Morgan looks so old to me in this picture. And kind of reminds me of what I looked like as a teenager! Also, how about the creepy reflection in that same pic!

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We were inside the park around 9:45.

We talked about what to do first. The Gwen & Lucase wanted to do Tower of Terror first but I thought we should wait till later. I really hated starting with something that we had to split up for. But I caved since it was later already.

Big L took Morgan and Little M to Toy Story land to ride Toy Story Mania. As the wait was listed about the same as Tower of Terror

Andy, myself and Miss L headed to Tower of Terror with Gwen and Lucas, They were excitied!
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We got in line just before 10 and the line was not moving. And then they started announcing that one elevator was down. We held out for a bit, but finally had to bail. The Fast Pass line was getting longer and longer and we weren’t moving at all. Promised Gwen and Lucas that I would try and get us fast pass for later. Lucas and Gwen will def bummed, but I explained that all of those fast pass people were going to get to go first. And we were fairly far back in the line. So, they finally agreed and we hopped out of line.

While we were waiting in line… Big L had them “skip” over to the fast pass line for Toy Story Mania,. I guess the gate was left open, and he took the opportunity to hop over. I am sure Morgan was internally freaking out. She is a rule follower. He said that they person at the front only slightly questioned them, so they successfully got on the ride fast. (Disclaimer: I did not recommend this!)

Since they got on the ride so fast, they went over to ride Alien Swirling Saucers.

This was actually the first time for us in the park in the daylight, basically.
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So, I snapped Christmas decor photos as we walked over to Toy Story Land.

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I just love the retro theme here.

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We made it into Toy Story Land around 10:30 and headed to Aliens to meet up with the rest of the gang.

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I LOVE THIS ONE!!! What kid hasn't made macaroni art!

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A close second favorite!

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I had Gwen and Little L pretend to eat the cookie. Which I quickly added but don't actually put your mouth on it!

We were able to get over to Aliens in time to see Morgan and gang tacking a spin.
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Two rides for them, zero for us... ;(

But that was ok, because we were ready to use our first fast pass of the day! Slinky Dog! I believe Big L stayed with Little M as he isn't a big rollercoaster person.
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I believe the comprimise for this ride, was Morgan would ride with Andy IF she could get the back row.

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Ready Set GO!!

Everyone liked the ride as usual. And the kids were glad that we didn't miss the fast pass.

After the ride, we needed a snack! The L's waited in line to meet Buzz, while we went in pursuit of a snack! Morgan wanted to try a special soft pretzel.

So, we went the short walk to the Market Kiosk Stand. They didn't have it listed on the menu but I asked anyway and they did!
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French Toast Soft Pretzel
It had a apple pie like filling inside and came with a maple syrup packet that was warm.

Morgan loved it! And now says it's one of her favorite snacks. They don't have it all the time. I think it's one of those things that you have to get early in the day before they run out.

And then walked just a little farth to Neighborhood Bakery and got Gwen her snack.
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She wanted the Num Num Cookie.

While we were ordering Frozone was wandering around. And Gwen got a photo with him!
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And there was no one in the area, so he circled back around while we were eating our snacks.
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I don't remember what the interaction was, but I do remember Gwen got a kick out of it.

The L's made there way over to us after finishing up meeting Buzz. Little L needed to stop in the bathroom on the way. And while he was in the bathroom, Miss L spotted Frozone and got all excited and ran over with Little M to meet him. Totally leaving Little L in the bathroom!

Of course, 2 seconds later she realized what she did and went back and collected him. But it was pretty hilarious.

The L's grabbed a drink from the Neighborhood Bakery as well. And well, let's say that Little M LOVED IT!
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There was seriously no one around in the area, so Frozone had circled back to us again! And Little M was too busy drinking his new bevage to stop and say hello.

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Frozone made a big stink about it. It was hilarious as he just kept drinking and drinking. And Frozone just kept tapping his foot waiting.

Finally, he stopped and got another photo with Frozone. We all relaxed a bit and finished up our treats in the area. It was nice to be in an area that wasn't crowded. And to take a breather.

Up next more fun in Pixar Place!

 

[vamassey1]

Great morning in AK. Early dinner at Ohana's sounded great too. I really miss it and hope it's back soon. Sorry the party didn't go as well. It's always hard to please so many people and it did sound like everyone was really tired. I think you need a do over. I know I do since ours was rained out.

Happy to see the next day was really good.

 

[vamassey1]

I have that we made it to the Skyliner a little about 9:30. So, not bad.

There is NO WAY we could be ready in such a short amount of time.

We got in line just before 10 and the line was not moving. And then they started announcing that one elevator was down. We held out for a bit, but finally had to bail. The Fast Pass line was getting longer and longer and we weren’t moving at all. Promised Gwen and Lucas that I would try and get us fast pass for later. Lucas and Gwen will def bummed, but I explained that all of those fast pass people were going to get to go first. And we were fairly far back in the line. So, they finally agreed and we hopped out of line.

OH nooooo! TOT is my favorite ride. I hope you made it back there later.

While we were waiting in line… Big L had them “skip” over to the fast pass line for Toy Story Mania,. I guess the gate was left open, and he took the opportunity to hop over. I am sure Morgan was internally freaking out. She is a rule follower. He said that they person at the front only slightly questioned them, so they successfully got on the ride fast. (Disclaimer: I did not recommend this!)

OMG! I would have had trouble with breaking the rules too.

I just love the retro theme here.

Me tooo!

I had Gwen and Little L pretend to eat the cookie. Which I quickly added but don't actually put your mouth on it!

Good call Mom!

French Toast Soft Pretzel
It had a apple pie like filling inside and came with a maple syrup packet that was warm.

Morgan loved it! And now says it's one of her favorite snacks. They don't have it all the time. I think it's one of those things that you have to get early in the day before they run out.

This sounds soooo goood!

We all relaxed a bit and finished up our treats in the area. It was nice to be in an area that wasn't crowded. And to take a breather.

Perfect break!

Beautiful Day!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I think you need a do over. I know I do since ours was rained out.

I probably will want to do a "do-over" at some point. But I do think we will be taking a break from parties for awhile. (Assuming they come back at some point) The bottom line is that they just got way to busy! They would need to go back down in the number of guests for us to consder going again.

Early dinner at Ohana's sounded great too. I really miss it and hope it's back soon.

I wonder when some. of these places will open back up. I guess once they can up the # of folks in the parks, themselves.

There is NO WAY we could be ready in such a short amount of time.

We have become shower at night folks. And the girls don't shower every day... especially since the weather was so cool. In the summer trip, that was a different story!

This sounds soooo goood!

Morgan said it was!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I've ever seen this but kinda am super adoring the nutcrackers and Menorah on top for the Holidays!

That little area was a treasure trove of fun decorations!

Well, shoot, it does show that no matter how hard we try, we just can't please everyone.

So true. I should have stuck to the original plan of relaxing at the resort. But what can you do.

UMMMM, I could go for a Lapu Lapu right now....

Me TOO!!!!

So sad it couldn't have ended on a higher note!

I was tempted to get us on one more ride to just leave on a high note but I knew we were all just done.

It's so tough when we want everything to go so smoothly, and I know how important it was to you to show the Ls a good time. I took my boyfriend to Disney for his first time in January 2020 and it was SO busy and I was so sad because I wanted everything to be perfect for him (and also for him to want to go back HAHA!) I'

That is how I feel about trying to get my sister to come with us at some point. I don't want to have them come at a super busy time. they will hate it.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Love Morgan's sweatshirt! I know you mentioned buying them, but I didn't remember seeing it--so cute!!

Pixar Place is one of our favorite little corners to stop and have a snack, too--it always seems to be so empty. How awesome that you had such fun with Frozone! Off to an awesome last day together!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Thank you for sharing this trip report, it is a lot of fun to read about your adventures and your food pictures make me hungry every time!

What a great interaction with Frozone! I love it when characters get to have spontaneous interactions instead of formal meet and greets!

Thank you also for being honest about the days where everything isn’t « magical ». It’s the unfortunate truth, crowds and fatigue and weather issues and ride breakdowns happen, and admitting it certainly doesn’t mean you didn’t enjoy your vacation! It’s nice to read the honest truth!

I am very interested to hear how you managed to travel with another family who doesn’t have the same experience with Disney as your own family. We are currently planning a trip for next March, and my sister’s family will be joining us. They have never been to Disney and usually do not have the same travel style as we do...
If you feel comfortable sharing, do you have any tips on how you managed this? Did you talk about it before to set expectations? Did you agree to spend some time apart beforehand or did you just naturally split up when you were looking to do something different? Did you do most of the planning and the other family followed along, or did they have specific goals for their family?
I know every group must have different ways of doing things, but I’d be interested to hear your thoughts since you seemed to manage it pretty well!

 

[Tracy161]

How nice to be able to head right out onto the Skyliner! I def want to stay at a skyliner resort someday soon Sounds like a great start to the day minus ToT being a bust. Excited to hear more about your day, but not ready for your TR to end! I can't wait until we can all get back to the parks and have regular TRs to read and write again! Thank goodness for getting to read other's TRs in the meantime! I need my Disney fix!!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Love Morgan's sweatshirt! I know you mentioned buying them, but I didn't remember seeing it--so cute!!

I am wearing my gray version today! I had to stop myself from buying the coral version as well. And of course, now wish I had it.

What a great interaction with Frozone! I love it when characters get to have spontaneous interactions instead of formal meet and greets!

The spontaneous ones are def the best ones! Or the off the cuff comments sometimes create the best moments.

I am very interested to hear how you managed to travel with another family who doesn’t have the same experience with Disney as your own family. We are currently planning a trip for next March, and my sister’s family will be joining us. They have never been to Disney and usually do not have the same travel style as we do...
If you feel comfortable sharing, do you have any tips on how you managed this? Did you talk about it before to set expectations? Did you agree to spend some time apart beforehand or did you just naturally split up when you were looking to do something different? Did you do most of the planning and the other family followed along, or did they have specific goals for their family?
I know every group must have different ways of doing things, but I’d be interested to hear your thoughts since you seemed to manage it pretty well!

I would love to share some of how we planned the trip!

Before we even decided to go at the same time, we talked a lot about that we didn't need to stay together the whole time. Which I personally think is key in going with a large group. Knowing ahead of time that splitting up isn't bad. That it doesn't mean you are mad at someone or anything like that. That's it's just good to have some time to do what everyone wants to do and that sometimes it's ok to want to do different things. We didn't have set times to split up, but we knew that if needed we could split up, if that makes sense.

Miss L and I did have a call one Saturday morning, and talked through some of the planning. I had most of it already laid out and mostly ran the ideas by her to see what she thought. But we also bought party tickets at the same time and the dessert party tickets as well. We talked about what fast passes made the most sense and all of the dinning reservations.

One, strategy I would suggest, which came more from when we were in Disney in August and my husband's sister and family were there at the same time. Is to use a sit down meal as a good way to connect everyone back up. Like if half of you want to go ride some thrill rides and the other half want to find a shady place to sit. Meeting back up for your dinner reservation works out well. Andy's sister and family never showed up to the parks till 11:00 and we are up and out people. So, a few times we just met up with them for lunch.

Also, you don't have to do EVERY meal together.

I was lucky, in the sense that the L's really let me plan pretty much everything. They had only been one time before and they are NOT planners in general. So, they were more than willing to let me do the majority of the planning. But with that said, I did try to make sure I got there feedback and thoughts as much as I could. Which was hard, because they really didn't want to think about it too much in the beginnging.

I would def recommend talking with your sister about how much together and apart time they want. And what the big priorities are for them. It helps to set like 1 or 2 goals a day. Do those first and then everything else is golden, you know? And maybe sometimes, in order to achieve those 1 or 2 goals, it means splittling apart or meeting up after lunch.

I will say also, we have gone on beach vacations with the L's 2 other times, so we already knew a little of how they travel. But this was def a different can of worms!

What would you say is there travel style verses yours?

How nice to be able to head right out onto the Skyliner! I def want to stay at a skyliner resort someday soon

The Skyliner was soooo nice! It was a life saver for us the day after this. It was really so quick and we had no issues with it. And really an amazing feature for the 2 values that are attached to it.

Excited to hear more about your day, but not ready for your TR to end! I can't wait until we can all get back to the parks and have regular TRs to read and write again! Thank goodness for getting to read other's TRs in the meantime!

I do have 1 more trip that I can write about. Our February 2020 trip happened 3 weeks before the world ended. But I didn't write out any notes, so it will have to be high level!