Let's Do It Again! - First Family Trip, May 2024 (Updated 2/28 x2 - Epcot and Garden Grill)

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Super funny teacup picture

 

[piglet1979]

One tip I gathered from Pixie Dusted Mom was to put sunscreen on the kids as they were getting dressed. I know many people like to wait and put sunscreen on later in the morning, but I’m never doing it any other way. It was so easy and took just an extra minute to take care of sunscreen immediately. Plus, it kept us from getting sunscreen on their clothes (or forgetting to put it on later). Highly recommended!

I am just catching up. This is what we have always done. It is so much easier to get to the spots you normally miss like shoulder spots under shirts.

 

[ambula603]

Loving the report so far! I enjoy reading reports of families with littles because your experiences are so different than mine now. It's very sweet and brings back memories. Although...I don't miss a double stroller one bit! I am thankful the park has multiple types of attractions to visit. Hearing your rope drop choices at MK made me smile because those are all rides we now overlook for the big hitters. Sounds like you did it just right for your family!

We don't do character meals these days but when my girls were little, we loved to see the characters while enjoying a break from the heat and crowds. For years, my daughter talked about how good the mashed potatoes were at the buffets. So I was thankful to always have those as an option! On our first trip, I think we did about 10 character meals, too...so I am curious to see how your list stacks up!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I made a quick detour for coffee in my refillable mug (using the stroller to store the cup made this an easy decision)

Man I miss the days of strollers for the cup holders alone!

Drat! I’d missed the 7:00 Genie+ opening!

I immediately jumped on MDE and booked our first lightning lane for Jungle Cruise, but because I was two minutes late our return time was 1:40 in the afternoon. This was not ideal as I’d hoped to book an earlier return time and use a few additional lightning lanes that morning.

Ugh I feel like 7 is the worst time! You are in the throws of getting ready or are already in transit... Hated this.

Thankfully we never got bumped or shoved, but it is like salmon swimming upstream. People are even more aggressive at rope drop than I remembered!

Rope Drop is def not waht it used to be. The secret is out.

7DMT and weren’t too far back in the crowd), but M spotted Pooh and wanted to go there.

Sure, why not?!

We parked the stroller and walked right on.

It got you out of traffic quicker.

M loved the ride (it really is a great attraction for young kids), so I'm glad she had a chance to ride it.

It really is. I really hope they update it at some point. They just need to get some new cars and add some props to the track and brand new ride! This past trip the girls were not intrested in riding and i was sad.... Of course Morgan is about to learn how to drive a real car so I guess the magic of that is gone now...

L started out not too sure about the experience:

I love the faces! That will be a good one whe she is older.

It started off well and we walked right onto the carousel, too. Even G rode as he thought the carousel was large enough that the spinning forces wouldn’t bother him too much:

You guys got a lot done in an hour!!!

I was glad our girls were calm! I felt for that family because I hate to think how the rest of their day went once the heat and long lines kicked in.

I always thing the same thing. Glad it isn't me, cause really any kid can melt down like that.

While we waited for our next character, M made friends with the little girl at the table next to us:

So cute! Sorry Crystal Palace wasn't as good as you wanted it to be. I feel like character meals can be hit or miss. We have never gone there. My girls never got into Winnie the Pooh, so we never went.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Thanks to recommendations I found here (I believe @missjackiemcg was a fan?) I booked an SUV with Cast and Crew Transportation.

Why yes, that WAS me who loved and recommended Cast and Crew Transportation!! I'm so glad you loved them!! We've had THE BEST experiences with them.

Honestly, I was impressed! I’ve read so many mediocre reviews of Chef Mickey’s that I had pretty low expectations.

I always hear pretty meh reviews, as well, but our family has had some of the best interactions and experiences at Chef Mickey's!! Sometimes the wait is long or the meal takes us awhile, but we have always left satisfied.

We’d been there for almost 45 minutes before the first character came to our table.

THIS!! We have had the same issue each time we've eaten at Crystal Palace! We had been there almost two hours, patiently waiting to see all of the characters. We finally flagged down the character handler and told them we were just waiting for Piglet. She was a little cranky about it but did bring us over and pull Piglet to the side for a quick picture with Jimmy, so we could grab our picture and finally head out of our LONG breakfast!

Glad I finally found your TR!! Excited to hear more about your fabulous trip!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

LOL love that pic of your girls on the teacups and also the one of you on the carousel. We’re all just kids at heart!

Aww, thank you! I tried to catch their reactions to rides as well as pictures of the attraction itself. Some of the photos were pretty adorable or amusing!

And yes, I agree! I especially turn into a kid at Disney World.

Super funny teacup picture

It’s a hoot, isn’t it?! Thankfully L liked the ride much more as it went along. It was all new to her!

I am just catching up. This is what we have always done. It is so much easier to get to the spots you normally miss like shoulder spots under shirts.

Yes, I agree 100%. It only added a minute or two to the morning routine and was so much easier. Plus, I had access to a sink to easily wash my hands afterward!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Loving the report so far! I enjoy reading reports of families with littles because your experiences are so different than mine now. It's very sweet and brings back memories. Although...I don't miss a double stroller one bit! I am thankful the park has multiple types of attractions to visit. Hearing your rope drop choices at MK made me smile because those are all rides we now overlook for the big hitters. Sounds like you did it just right for your family!

Thank you!

It was a very different trip for me - I was used to traveling with my sister Anika (an older teen) or my mom (another adult). The double stroller was not my favorite part, but we couldn’t have done the parks without it.

Interestingly, the only attraction from that early hour list that I usually skip is the Tomorrowland Speedway. I love the thrill rides as much as anyone (my favorite ride is Tower of Terror!), but I would ride Dumbo, the teacups, and the carousel every trip. We were able to ride so many things the girls enjoyed and it worked really well for us!

We don't do character meals these days but when my girls were little, we loved to see the characters while enjoying a break from the heat and crowds. For years, my daughter talked about how good the mashed potatoes were at the buffets. So I was thankful to always have those as an option! On our first trip, I think we did about 10 character meals, too...so I am curious to see how your list stacks up!

Just like the usual kid attractions, I love and did several character meals on my adult trips! My sister is not a fan of the characters, so those character meals were for me. I was so excited to share them with my girls and try a few new ones, too!

You won’t have to wait long… we have another one for dinner on our Magic Kingdom day.

Man I miss the days of strollers for the cup holders alone!

That was a major perk of the stroller. It had it’s downsides, but as a “stuff holder” it was great!

Ugh I feel like 7 is the worst time! You are in the throws of getting ready or are already in transit... Hated this.

It definitely was. I got much better at it as the trip went along but that minute of the day was stressful. Sometimes I wish I knew less about Disney planning so I didn’t carry as much stress about it going well!

Rope Drop is def not waht it used to be. The secret is out.

No kidding! It makes me wish for the days when you couldn’t enter a park without an early ADR or booked experience. It was so quiet back then and you could beat the crowd to the attractions!

It really is. I really hope they update it at some point. They just need to get some new cars and add some props to the track and brand new ride! This past trip the girls were not intrested in riding and i was sad.... Of course Morgan is about to learn how to drive a real car so I guess the magic of that is gone now...

I feel like they could theme it in some way, but I think for the preschool crowd it’s a fun ride. I’m sure M will want to ride it again next time (and L will be tall enough to go, too!).

I love the faces! That will be a good one whe she is older.

Yes, it will!

You guys got a lot done in an hour!!!

We did! I’m actually astonished that we moved through five attractions in an hour. We only did four in the two hours after breakfast, so that early hour makes a big difference!

I always thing the same thing. Glad it isn't me, cause really any kid can melt down like that.

My girls had a few moments (well, M did) but I felt for that family. Honestly, I was a little annoyed only because I was anxious to make it to breakfast on time, but I was still empathetic.

So cute! Sorry Crystal Palace wasn't as good as you wanted it to be. I feel like character meals can be hit or miss. We have never gone there. My girls never got into Winnie the Pooh, so we never went.

I always had good luck with my early ADR - think an 8:05 when the first ADR was at 8:00. We still only saw three characters but they moved more quickly with fewer people in the restaurant. I also missed the favorite food items they took away. I’d return someday, but sadly I don’t think it’s an every trip ADR anymore.

Why yes, that WAS me who loved and recommended Cast and Crew Transportation!! I'm so glad you loved them!! We've had THE BEST experiences with them.

Welcome, Jackie! Thanks so much for joining in!

And YES, Cast and Crew was awesome! I booked them for our upcoming trip in March and they were equally fabulous at getting that set up. They cost a bit more than other options but it was so easy that it was worth every penny.

I appreciated your comment (on someone else’s report? The transportation board?) as I remembered you and trusted your endorsement. You were 100% right!

I always hear pretty meh reviews, as well, but our family has had some of the best interactions and experiences at Chef Mickey's!! Sometimes the wait is long or the meal takes us awhile, but we have always left satisfied.

We really had a nice meal! The food was tasty and M loved interacting with the characters. It was a perfect meal to kick off the trip!

THIS!! We have had the same issue each time we've eaten at Crystal Palace! We had been there almost two hours, patiently waiting to see all of the characters. We finally flagged down the character handler and told them we were just waiting for Piglet. She was a little cranky about it but did bring us over and pull Piglet to the side for a quick picture with Jimmy, so we could grab our picture and finally head out of our LONG breakfast!

TWO HOURS?! I would’ve lost my ever-loving mind.

I think I was spoiled during past meals when we’d get in and out with three characters in 30-40 minutes. I thought surely we’ll get through all four if we’re there for an hour… but, nope. I don’t know why this restaurant has so much trouble getting all the characters to each table as other restaurants don’t seem to have this problem. This combined with the changes to the buffet lineup will push it lower on the list for a while.

Glad I finally found your TR!! Excited to hear more about your fabulous trip!

I’m thrilled you’re here!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Yo Ho, Yo Ho
Day 2 – Part III

After our break filling up on breakfast and meeting a few (two! ) characters, we made our way into Adventureland.

We still had half an hour before our lightning lane for Jungle Cruise, so instead we walked onto another Disney classic:

It was time to swashbuckle around with some pirates!

One major advantage to Genie+ over the new Multi-Pass (and Fastpass+) is Pirates stayed pretty quiet through the first few hours after park opening. We were on the ride in less than ten minutes, most of which was walking through the long queue.

Our picture was pretty funny - M was covering her ears in case of loud noises and poor L HATED the drop and was crying and clutching onto Dad for dear life:

Oh, dear.

Thankfully, it got better after the drop and both girls seemed to enjoy the ride. The jail scene at the end is one of my favorite scenes:

Our ride on Pirates got a rousing, “let’s do it again!” from M. Given the short line and time we still needed to kill before Jungle Cruise… yes!

Again, it only took ten minutes between walking into the queue and being on our ride. It was great to be able to ride this Disney favorite twice with practically no wait!

It was finally time to hear a few funny skipper puns:

Boy, was I glad to jump past that 40 minute wait with our lightning lane!

L and G had fun while we waited:

M watched the oncoming boats while I booked our next lightning lane. I got an immediate return time for It’s a Small World. M was looking forward to that attraction and I figured L would enjoy it, too.

We waited in line for around ten minutes (sure beats 40!) before boarding our boat. L was interested in her surroundings:

While M enjoyed pointing out things to me:

We had a nice view of the backside of water:

One of my favorite sections of Jungle Cruise is the elephants:

Thankfully, they had their trunks on today.

We stopped briefly at the Tangled restrooms (can you believe it was our first bathroom break of the day? ) and M loved noticing all the details:

We parked the stroller in the Tangled restroom stroller parking area and made our way over to It’s a Small World.

As expected, the girls loved the ride:

I also got a chance to spot my favorite drunken hippo:

I love that guy.

I missed many of the other attraction details because I was trying to place a mobile order for our lunch while we rode. I realize we’d just eaten two hours before, but we don’t tend to fill multiple plates at buffets and therefore continue to eat meals on time. Not only did we look forward to some extra time out of the heat, everyone (especially me!) gets grumpy without regular food.

Once I placed our order, I was happy to catch another picture of L enjoying the attraction:

And look, they even said goodbye to me as we left!

I guess than $35 investment in a Magic Band+ was worth it!

Now looking back, we accomplished one more attraction in our first hour (5) than we did in our next two hours (4). It shows how much that early hour matters!

We made our way to our lunch spot, Columbia Harbor House.

Mobile order pickup was a breeze – I clicked “I’m here” on the walk over and only had to wait a minute or two for our tray. We made our way to the secret spot upstairs to find a table.

Well, I guess the secret is out, because it was BUSY in there. I understand we were there during prime lunch time, but holy cow it was nuts! Thankfully, a family that was wrapping up spotted us and offered us their table. I think they took pity on us thanks to our toddler. I wiped off the table with a few Purrell wipes and tracked down a highchair for L.

Our table was huge for four people, but at least we had one!

I was excited to try the lobster roll:

G wanted the shrimp skewer platter with rice and green beans:

I ordered the grilled salmon kid’s meal for the girls, which also included rice and green beans. Fish is a reliable protein for both girls, so I picked it over the other fried options. I split their single meal into two servings as I was sure it would be enough food:

Overall, our food was good! G and the girls really enjoyed their food:

I would’ve enjoyed my lobster roll a lot more if I felt cooler. I was SO hot from the morning activity and the restaurant was severely lacking A/C. I noticed this in several attractions as well – It’s a Small World was more like a tropical cruise than a welcome blast in the cold air.

With full bellies but without a break in the air conditioning, it was time to keep moving.

I originally booked the Haunted Mansion after we checked in for It’s a Small World, but I changed that experience given M’s outfit that day. We needed to meet Rapunzel when she was in her Rapunzel dress, so a Tiana and Rapunzel meet and greet it was!

Up Next: Meeting Rapunzel + More MK

 

[Pollies]

I miss my family trips! For your travel planning, if you need assistance, I’d recommend checking out best priceline phone number through their site. I’ve found it helpful for resolving questions and booking issues. Safe travels, and enjoy your trip!

 

[missjackiemcg]

The ride pic from Pirates is always one of my favs. There's just SO much going on with all the people in the boat. I love checking everybody out, LOL.

Agreed!!! I always have to take a pic and send it to my friend, Ariana. She used to be super active on the boards as @Pluto0809 . I like to try to get a picture when both eyes are open for that split second, too!

I guess than $35 investment in a Magic Band+ was worth it!

So crazy, right!? But I now own THREE of them because of course I needed a special one for my last cruise, right? Those few moments where my band lit up during the fireworks made me feel very special. LOL!

 

[tara595]

Loving your trip report - can't wait for the update! I'm planning on staying at the Poly for the first time this summer so I love all the pics and details about the resort and pool. Keep the coming!

 

[ambula603]

I love that your girls eat salmon! Mine love it, too. Sadly, I do not, ha! I really want to like seafood, especially if it is healthy. No such luck.

We LOVED the Poly in October and had a room just like yours. Those two bathrooms were life-changing for our teen daughters! We definitely got spoiled while we were there. I hadn't seen any room pics or videos with that type of room so I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

The ride pic from Pirates is always one of my favs. There's just SO much going on with all the people in the boat. I love checking everybody out, LOL.

Both of our pictures were fun to see - our second picture is more boring as we knew what to expect that time. But yes, checking on everyone’s reactions is fun!

The Pirates pictures were the only ones that didn’t automatically appear in MDE - I though I’d have to request them, but they were hiding elsewhere and I had to pick which of the boat pictures were ours. I’m glad I got them!

Agreed!!! I always have to take a pic and send it to my friend, Ariana. She used to be super active on the boards as @Pluto0809 . I like to try to get a picture when both eyes are open for that split second, too!

I absolutely remember Ariana - I loved her trip reports! Hopefully she’s still enjoying trips with plenty of Pluto sightings.

I was quite active on the boards from 2011-2013 and 2015-2016, but fell off completely around 2017 as I got married and had M (and had no trips in the works). I jumped back on when all of you were in the late stages of planning your Epic trip. I loved reading all the trip reports for that trip (it was Epic!) and was sorry I wasn’t around when the trip was in its early planning stages. Perhaps I would’ve joined the special FB group as I’m FB friends with a few DIS folks, including Su-Lynn. I would’ve loved to have met everyone!

So crazy, right!? But I now own THREE of them because of course I needed a special one for my last cruise, right? Those few moments where my band lit up during the fireworks made me feel very special. LOL!

Well, of COURSE you needed another one! I’m glad it paid off for the fireworks!

Even though I have a MB+ that works (it’s less than a year old!) I absolutely ordered another one for my upcoming trip. The design was so cute that I just had to have it!

Loving your trip report - can't wait for the update! I'm planning on staying at the Poly for the first time this summer so I love all the pics and details about the resort and pool. Keep the coming!

Thank you and welcome! We LOVED the Poly and I’m sure you’ll love it, too. The convenience for both MK (the resort monorail) and Epcot (walking to the TTC for the Epcot monorail) was awesome and the resort was great.

Are you staying on the resort side or the DVC side? The room arrangement and design is a little different, but I’d be happy to stay on either side.

I love that your girls eat salmon! Mine love it, too. Sadly, I do not, ha! I really want to like seafood, especially if it is healthy. No such luck.

My whole family loves fish - we eat fish at least once a week (and salmon is a frequent choice). We eat a lot of shrimp as well. Seafood quality makes a big difference in how good it is (as is how it’s cooked - overcooked fish and seafood is the worst!).

Who knows?! There are so many seafood options perhaps you’ll eventually find one you love!

We LOVED the Poly in October and had a room just like yours. Those two bathrooms were life-changing for our teen daughters! We definitely got spoiled while we were there. I hadn't seen any room pics or videos with that type of room so I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived!

That room was AMAZING and I loved it. I’m sure the two bathrooms were great with your two girls! I realize many (all?) Disney resort bathrooms have a sink separate from the tub/shower portion, but the two separate bathrooms were a step above.

I’m surprised you had such restraint to not look for photos or videos beforehand! I have no such restraint.

 

[missjackiemcg]

I was quite active on the boards from 2011-2013 and 2015-2016, but fell off completely around 2017 as I got married and had M (and had no trips in the works). I jumped back on when all of you were in the late stages of planning your Epic trip. I loved reading all the trip reports for that trip (it was Epic!) and was sorry I wasn’t around when the trip was in its early planning stages. Perhaps I would’ve joined the special FB group as I’m FB friends with a few DIS folks, including Su-Lynn. I would’ve loved to have met everyone!

I totally get that! I go in spurts with being on the boards, too! I don't know if I ever even finished the TR that says "current" in my signature, LOL! But I no longer work two jobs, so I'm finding myself with a little more time to read and catch up these days, so I'm so glad I spotted your comments on @Mollydolly334 's TR and made my way over here. So nice to reconnect!!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I totally get that! I go in spurts with being on the boards, too! I don't know if I ever even finished the TR that says "current" in my signature, LOL! But I no longer work two jobs, so I'm finding myself with a little more time to read and catch up these days, so I'm so glad I spotted your comments on @Mollydolly334 's TR and made my way over here. So nice to reconnect!!

Yes, absolutely! It's more quiet around here than it used to be, but it's great to catch up with familiar folks.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Hello, Princess!
Day 2 – Part IV

We walked right into Princess Fairytale Hall and only waited a few minutes thanks to Genie+.

First up was Tiana:

As usual, L was very happy to stay in our arms rather than greet the character herself.

M enjoyed a picture with Tiana by herself:

And then we joined in for a group photo:

Next up was the main attraction for M – Rapunzel!

M was SO excited to meet Rapunzel. Rapunzel was a joy, as usual, and complimented M on her dress and ears. M and Rapunzel even shared a conversation and although not captured well in the automatic pictures) a dance:

Followed by a picture:

Yet again, we also did a family picture:

This entire experience from entering the line to exiting the building took ten minutes. I’m very grateful character experiences were a bookable lightning lane – we couldn’t have met nearly as many characters without them. We’ll have to be much more strategic about character meet and greets on future trips!

The only downside to the experience was the photo boxes rather than a live Photopass photographer. I have some fantastic photos from past character meets that were only captured because of live photography. It’s a shame they took away the photographers – we got some nice pictures but the experience is not the same.

I’m glad we booked the Rapunzel meet as it gave our bellies a chance to digest before our next attraction. It was time for M to put on her brave face and conquer her first roller coaster of the trip!

M’s prior experience with roller coasters was… rough. We have a tame family roller coaster at our local amusement park and tried it for the first time the previous summer. Despite being excited while waiting in line, M HATED the ride. She kept saying, “why did you make me ride that?!”

Nonetheless, I thought she’d love the theming of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (plus, she was a year older) so I encouraged her to give it a try. I also thought it was a good “test” coaster for other rides (such as Slinky Dog or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad). She was smiley on the way in:

Thanks to our lightning lane purchase that morning we walked right onto the ride. I don’t remember the wait time in the regular line, but it wasn’t short! I’m pretty sure it was over an hour.

M became nervous as the ride started:

She did love the journey through the mine, though, as I thought she would:

I love it, too!

Her ride picture is a keeper. She’s still holding on for dear life!

My mid-ride photo showed a little wonderment with the nervousness:

And the conclusion?

Despite the photographic evidence…

“Let’s do it again!”

We took a picture to commemorate her first roller coaster success:

She thanked me for helping her get through her first time on the ride.

M was excited to find her dad and tell him about the ride. Thanks to the rider swap we grabbed before our ride, M did have a chance to ride it again with G. Thanks, L, for being too short!

While M and G rode Mine Train, L and I wandered back and forth on the walkway between 7DMT and Gaston’s Tavern. Many people walking past us smiled or waved at L.

Despite her enthusiasm to ride again, M still looked pretty nervous on her ride with G. She's still holding onto a support arm:

But she did it! Two roller coaster rides down! Go, M!

M and L were fading (and frankly, so were the adults in the heat), so G stepped in as the voice of reason and recommended we return to the Poly for a break. We headed out of Magic Kingdom after almost six hours in the park:

Overall, our first morning was great! We’d met four characters, experienced nine attractions (including two rides on Pirates for all of us and two rides on Mine Train for M), and eaten at two restaurants with solid food. We were off to a good start!

Up Next: Afternoon break + More MK

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I miss my family trips! But wish you safe travels, and enjoy your trip!

Thank you so much for joining in! We had a wonderful first family trip and look forward to more!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Sleep? Who needs sleep?!
Day 2 – Part V

We took the monorail back to the Poly and L and M both settled down for naps. Both girls were out in no time.

I laid down as well – I was super tired after my night of three hours of sleep. Despite how sleepy I felt, I was unable to fall asleep. While tossing and turning, I booked our next lightning lane for Haunted Mansion. I also kept pushing our Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh lightning lane forward (I’d booked that after visiting the princesses).

After a while, I gave up on sleep and offered to get snacks from the Great Ceremonial House instead.

Despite the heat, I enjoyed my walk to the main building. The Polynesian is such a beautiful and peaceful resort:

The main building was pretty quiet this afternoon:

I headed over to Capt. Cook’s after lingering in the lovely lobby for a few minutes:

I picked up apple slices and pineapple (a must, I think, when you’re staying at the Poly!) and filled my refillable mug with iced tea. I love that unsweetened iced tea is an option for refills! It tasted so good in the hot weather.

I also grabbed a picture of our patio on the way back into Tokelau:

G and I chilled (literally – thanks air conditioning!) in the room while the girls napped. M is far beyond naps (she stopped when she was two), but two early mornings and the hot, humid weather did her in. M woke on her own and we pulled L out of bed around 4:30 in the afternoon.

We had several options to get back to the Magic Kingdom. Our first option was walking back to the Great Ceremonial House and taking the resort monorail. Our other option was walking to TTC and taking either the express monorail or the ferry to Magic Kingdom.

G and I decided the express monorail was likely faster. We enjoyed the short walk to the TTC (there’s a path through the Polynesian resort and then across a walkway to reach the TTC security station).

I took the girls and the stroller this time while G took the bags.

I'm sure you can guess what happened.

Of course, our bags were flagged AGAIN and G got in a very long bag line.

It took about 15 minutes for G to work his way through the bag line. It would’ve taken a minute (or maybe no time at all!) at the Polynesian security stop – so much for saving time!

While waiting for G I booked another lightning lane, this time for Journey of the Little Mermaid.

The bad news is that we wasted almost 20 minutes at the TTC, but the good news is we finally figured out what was setting off the sensors!

One of my best time fillers for the kids at restaurants is a “monster factory” game where you can mix and match pieces to make multiple monsters.

The activity’s full title is the “Magnetic Monster Factory.”

If ever there was a forehead-smacking moment, this was it.

Why it never crossed my mind to leave that out of the bag is beyond me. We removed it that night and never had a further issue with security.

Lesson learned – leave your magnetic activities at home, folks!

We walked to the platform for the Magic Kingdom express monorail and didn’t wait long for a train:

There was a teenage girl with her dad across from us that must’ve had some intellectual disabilities. Poor girl must’ve been roasting in her outfit (she was wearing pants!) but was perhaps one of the most joyful people I came across on our trip. As we rounded the corner from the Contemporary to the Magical Kingdom she got very excited and said…

“Dad! Dad! Look, Dad! It’s the Magical Kingdom!”

It was so sweet. And she was right! It is a magical kingdom!

We finally arrived at the Magic(al) Kingdom about 35 minutes after we left our room. Considering we got there in 15 minutes that morning we did NOT choose the most timely route (darn monster game!), but we still had time for one attraction before dinner.

We had our pick of rides since our Winnie the Pooh lightning lane had turned into a multiple-experience pass. Still, given its proximity to our dinner spot, we hightailed it way back into Fantasyland to ride Journey of the Little Mermaid:

We walked right on with our lightning lane. G rode with M while I took L in the clamshell:

Both girls loved the Little Mermaid attraction - and honestly, who wouldn’t?

Between the visuals and the fun songs, it’s a nice ride:

Thanks to our speed in the lightning lane, we were only a few minutes late checking in for our dinner ADR:

It was time to dine in Beast’s castle!

Up Next: Dinner at Be Our Guest

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Yay for facing roller coaster fears! It took me until I was 20 and my boyfriend and I went to Magic Mountain in Southern California. I am not kidding when I tell you I was on the verge of tears getting on the ride. I LOVED it. By the end of the day I was riding all the super crazy coasters with loops and corkscrews and huge drops…you name it. You may have a little daredevil on your hands!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I love all your pictures! Despite the dreaded photo boxes the pictures came out nice! I was bummed to see this at almost all the meet and greets now!
I am glad you figured out the security problem in your bag!
M looks like me on most rollercoasters