"Let's See What We Can See!"- Surviving WDW With Three Under 3! - And now... A CRUISE?! Updated 4/19!

[cindianne320]

Seriously? Who lets their kid SIT at another person's table?! Ugh!
The grounds of your hotel looked beautiful. Z and I stayed there once a few years ago, pre-tower. I'd love to go back!

 

[disneyAndi14]

The bad behavior and the parents just ignoring it, ugh
I couldn’t believe what you said! Yikes!
Your food looks delicious and Homecomin is a favorite of ours. I’m so glad Andi eats chicken again!

 

[hpygrll]

OMG. Kids at your table. I would DIE!

Also, my favorite Everglazed donuts are the boring sprinkles ones (I don’t think they’re boring, but my husband does!)

 

[Newsies]

Would I find another souvenir with this pattern later in the trip??

10/10 foreshadowing need to know what was purchased in the flower pattern

Inside the skillet was the butteriest, creamiest mashed sweet potatoes I have ever eaten, and on top was a bruleed mini marshmallow layer. Sweet potato casserole is my favorite at Thanksgiving, and this put me in food paradise. It was still on the menu, so I was excited to order this again.

Imagine my sadness when the waitress exclaimed, “Oh, we changed the menu a couple weeks ago and we don’t have that anymore!”

NOOOO Ugh, I feel so bad. Homecomin' has seen so many downgrades in the past few years --they stopped making their donuts in-house and outsourced to Everglazed and the menu has downsized pretty significantly twice now. It's so sad!

I was in shock. I work with neurodivergent children, so I definitely have a high level of patience/understanding when it comes to disruptive children. Obviously, when you vacation in WDW, you’re going to come across a lot of misbehaving kids! But, these were clear examples of just plain negligent parenting. It was wild- Jake and I were both dumbfounded!

Wow. Just... wow. I have no idea what I would even do if a child started climbing on top of the table I was eating at, especially after the people on the flight and the cheerleaders. I'm sure you handled this better than I would have!

Honestly, all of the food was delicious. We definitely had to pace ourselves because it’s so rich, plus we were eating kind of late and had a big park day tomorrow! The breading on the chicken was so crispy and both sauces paired so well with it. The BBQ pork continues to be a favorite of mine here, and the broccoli salad was a nice fresh option (even though the gobs of mayo kind of canceled out the health benefits .) The sweet potatoes were fine. Can you tell I’m still salty?

Everything looks/sounds so good!

So, we decided to take a stroll around CSR and “see what we could see.”

10/10 Virtual Tour of Grand Destino, thank you!!!

Right at midnight, I purchased Jake and I Genie + to have it all set for 7:00 AM the next day. Deliriously tired and happy to be at WDW, we watched some classic cartoons before falling asleep at 12:20 PM. We were pumped for our first park day tomorrow!

YAY YAY YAY!!! So excited to hear about your first day in the Parks!!!

 

[vamassey1]

Overall, it was a very enjoyable first meal in Disney at Homecomin’ (besides the bad parenting happening around us ). We were out of there at 10:20 PM and headed straight to the buses!

We've only eaten here once but I need to give it another shot. We didn't go hungry enough so we didn't maximize our meal.

We're going next month with our daughter and 3 very rambunctious grandsons. I'm really worried how our meal time will go and hope we don't disturb those around us too much.

So, we decided to take a stroll around CSR and “see what we could see.”

You got some beautiful photos.

Right at midnight, I purchased Jake and I Genie + to have it all set for 7:00 AM the next day. Deliriously tired and happy to be at WDW, we watched some classic cartoons before falling asleep at 12:20 PM. We were pumped for our first park day tomorrow!

What a great way to end your first night in Disney. Ready to go for tomorrow.

 

[Woth2982]

Coronado is so pretty at night. Actually all the resorts are. One of my favorite parts is just taking a Sunday stroll around Disney at night.

I was in shock. I work with neurodivergent children, so I definitely have a high level of patience/understanding when it comes to disruptive children.

This drives me insane. Savannah is starting to be a pain in restaurants, we told her the last time we went if she didnt stay in her chair we were getting her a high chair and buckling her in. She got up, so we got the chair. She is on the spectrum, but high functioning enough to know when she is not listening. She is also only 3.5 so it can still be hard. I just hate when parents let kids do what they want. I don't blame the child ever, because even though an 8 year old should know better, the parents probably never taught him better.

my favorites were the Cookie and Cream

I am so mad I didn't get this one the last time I went. I will have to get it in August!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Love this trip report as always. I get excited when I see you're doing another one!
I laughed out loud about your eating frosting by the spoonful and immediately thought "possibly a little yucky".....then I remembered I've made a few mini meals out of homemade Tollhouse cookie dough. Don't care about the cookies...just want the dough. Last night I made yet another banana bread and just had a taste for the dough (added tons of walnuts). DH loves it baked, I love it unbaked. So I have NO reason whatsoever to judge your frosting. Yes, yes, I've heard about cookie dough and raw eggs for years and years. I'm really old, did 50 miles (7 days at Disney) and I'm not dead yet. Yes, it sounds reckless but I get a stomach ache from vegetables and never from dough.

Thank you so much for being a long-time reader!! I have so much fun writing my TRs and it makes me happy that people enjoy reading them

HAHA! Absolutely NO judgment when it comes to snacks on this TR I also am a sucker for raw dough- haven't gotten sick from it yet!!

I immediately copied it to quote that I couldn't wait to try this...so I went on the same downhill spiral when I read they don't have it any more!

I am a little embarrassed to say I HAVE cried at a table when they didn't have my food. Usually, it is because we are traveling and I am tired, but mostly it is just because I LOVE food and usually look at the menu before we go. The girls find it hilarious.


This made me so mad. As parents, there are times we can't control our littles...but these kids sounded plenty old enough and the parents just seemed checked out. Maybe they shouldn't have had such a late dinner!?


I'm still right there with ya!

Ok, I need more info about the Gran Destino Tower. Does it book separately? How do I find a calendar of events? We may stay there a night in October if I can find one. But I think I want the tower, not the older hotel.

HAHAH me and you are truly soul sisters!!! I haven't *ACTUALLY* cried but definitely felt like crying a few times My biggest pet peeve is being excited to go to a restaurant and then finding out it's closed. This has happened two times in the past few months; once with KFC and once with Jamba Juice and I was SO pissed lol. Like, update your online hours dangit!!!

So I think if you search 10times.com you should be able to search "Orlando" or "Lake Buena Vista" and see a list of conventions during a certain time period!! And yes- you do book GDT rooms separately! When you go to book, the room will specify "Tower" on it ("Tower Water View", "Tower King Bed", etc.)! It's super easy!! I would very much recommend staying here for a night if you can and checking out all of the awesome amenities!

Seriously? Who lets their kid SIT at another person's table?! Ugh!
The grounds of your hotel looked beautiful. Z and I stayed there once a few years ago, pre-tower. I'd love to go back!

It was CRAZY! Can't say I've ever seen that in a restaurant before

I feel like GDT has really changed the whole vibe of CSR and upgraded the fanciness level!!

The bad behavior and the parents just ignoring it, ugh
I couldn’t believe what you said! Yikes!
Your food looks delicious and Homecomin is a favorite of ours. I’m so glad Andi eats chicken again!

It was CRAZY this night!! Luckily, it was definitely the worst day in regards to other guest's behavior; so I'm glad we got it over with quickly!

Homecomin' was delicious!! Hahaha you guys can now eat chicken and drink alcohol together- perfect for mother-daughter trips!

OMG. Kids at your table. I would DIE!

Also, my favorite Everglazed donuts are the boring sprinkles ones (I don’t think they’re boring, but my husband does!)

It was CRAZY. I was baffled... he scampered away before I could even say anything because I think my face said it all, LOL!

10/10 foreshadowing need to know what was purchased in the flower pattern



NOOOO Ugh, I feel so bad. Homecomin' has seen so many downgrades in the past few years --they stopped making their donuts in-house and outsourced to Everglazed and the menu has downsized pretty significantly twice now. It's so sad!



Wow. Just... wow. I have no idea what I would even do if a child started climbing on top of the table I was eating at, especially after the people on the flight and the cheerleaders. I'm sure you handled this better than I would have!



Everything looks/sounds so good!



10/10 Virtual Tour of Grand Destino, thank you!!!



YAY YAY YAY!!! So excited to hear about your first day in the Parks!!!

It was definitely a day of crazy people... luckily, today was by far the worst we saw in regards to other guest's behavior, so I'm glad we got it over with quickly!! But by the end of the day we were like "what is in the water?"

We still had a great dinner at Homecomin'!! I know they rotate their menu and I'm really hoping that people complain so that they bring back that sweet potato mash skillet!!! It was delicious and I'm still sad I didn't get to eat it

We've only eaten here once but I need to give it another shot. We didn't go hungry enough so we didn't maximize our meal.

We're going next month with our daughter and 3 very rambunctious grandsons. I'm really worried how our meal time will go and hope we don't disturb those around us too much.




You got some beautiful photos.




What a great way to end your first night in Disney. Ready to go for tomorrow.

You definitely need to come hungry to Homecomin'- the portions they give you are absolutely insane and it's all very rich, decadent Southern food. That's why we saved up our appetites all day long (and we still didn't even come close to finishing our food)!

OH don't worry at all- I'm sure the grandkids will be totally fine. Like I said- hyper kids is a COMPLETELY different story than just negligence/rude behavior. And luckily, you're in Disney, so there will probably be 10 other kids right next to you being rambunctious along with them

Coronado is so pretty at night. Actually all the resorts are. One of my favorite parts is just taking a Sunday stroll around Disney at night.

This drives me insane. Savannah is starting to be a pain in restaurants, we told her the last time we went if she didnt stay in her chair we were getting her a high chair and buckling her in. She got up, so we got the chair. She is on the spectrum, but high functioning enough to know when she is not listening. She is also only 3.5 so it can still be hard. I just hate when parents let kids do what they want. I don't blame the child ever, because even though an 8 year old should know better, the parents probably never taught him better.

I am so mad I didn't get this one the last time I went. I will have to get it in August!

Seriously, I think Disney purposely designs their resorts to be absolutely gorgeous at nighttime. I haven't met an un-photogenic one yet!

PREACH sister. I NEVER blame the child; where do you think they learned their behavior?? And if a parent is actively involved and engaged in changing their behavior- I would never ever judge. I still don't judge! There is just a very clear difference between a kid being a kid vs. a kid doing something unnecessary and negligent- and not being corrected!! If the parents would have at least apologized/attempted to re-gain control, I probably would have forgotten about it 10 seconds later

 

[Mollydolly334]

Day 2 (The One Where Molly Faces Her Fears, And the Poison Control Center is Called!) - Part 1


I had my alarm set for 6:20 AM today, but I ended up waking up naturally at 6:05 AM (5:05 AM back home )! My sleep schedule was still all out of whack! But, WHO CARES, we’re going to DHS and Epcot today!!!



I played on my phone and let the 6:20 AM alarm wake up Jake, who bounded right out of bed as well! We were READY.

We got ready pretty quickly, and in a futile attempt to look nice, I straightened my hair. Just a side note that this will be the LAST time on this trip that I even attempted to heat-style my hair. The Florida humidity was not my friend!



Mirror selfie!

Right at 7:00 AM, I made a Genie + reservation for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway for 9:30- 10:30 AM! We were going to be spending the morning at DHS and were unsure about what time we would head to Epcot, so we decided to wait to try the virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind at 1:00 PM.



We were out of the room by 7:10 AM. We had just missed a Hollywood Studios bus, but another one came at 7:19! We had the bus to ourselves, which was a welcome change after last night.



Unlike the night before, the bus left directly from the Gran Destino Tower station and was off to the parks! We were pleasantly surprised, as we had been allotting extra time this morning for the 3 additional bus stops around CSR. We asked the bus driver, and he explained that before 10:00 AM, GDT had their own dedicated bus to get them to/from the parks efficiently. I really like this. I mean, after all, you’re paying more money to stay in the Tower, so there should be some perks associated with that!

Because we had allotted all of that extra time, we made it to DHS super early- at 7:30 AM!





We were let through bag security right away. I always get selected for extra security when I’m doing the parks with Jake since he needs his glasses/glasses case. Resort guests were then led to a separate line of tapstiles. We were able to enter the park at about 7:55!





Jake and I were really debating on even going to this park during Jake’s 4 days here, especially with Rock n Roller Coaster still being closed. This trip really solidified our opinions of DHS being our least favorite park; it just doesn’t hold crowds well with too many big-ticket rides, and neither of us are huge Star Wars people. But, we wanted to do a quick visit this morning to ride some of our favorites while the crowds were still lower!

Our first stop and rope-drop choice was Tower of Terror!







It was great to see Sunset Boulevard so empty! This was a very chill rope-drop option, it was super quiet and relaxed while waiting in line and it never got too crowded!





Had to get a picture while my hair was still cooperating! Right at 8:30 AM, we were let onto the ride, and we were off by 8:50 AM!!



Jake really wanted to ride this ride to compare it to Mission:Breakout over at DCA. Jake loves drop rides like this; the more stomach-drop feeling, the better! However, this ride on ToT really solidified our preference to Mission:Breakout! That’s quite the statement, because neither of us really like the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and we are huge fans of The Twilight Zone. But, the drop sequence seems more intense at DCA, and we love jamming out and trying to guess the songs on Mission: Breakout!

After disembarking, we noticed that the line for Rise of the Resistance was only 30 minutes. GO GO GO!



Although the both of us aren’t huge Star Wars people (the movies bore me to tears, and Jake only likes the pre-Disney movies), Rise of the Resistance is definitely a fun and immersive ride, so we were pumped to be able to do this! We speed-walked over to Batuu. The walk felt great, it was still pretty cloudy and we had a nice breeze from walking.

However, as soon as we got into the queue, the air DISAPPEARED. I literally felt like I was suffocating after all of the walking caught up to me. Bad decision! I was sweating up a storm and had to put my hair into a claw clip (so much for straightening my hair this morning)! Luckily, the fans in the line cooled me down soon enough. We were in the interrogation room by 9:15 AM!



This room always takes my breath away. It’s so immersive! We had a great ride on Rise!

After the ride, we got some water and wandered about Galaxy’s Edge for a bit.





Even if you're not a Star Wars fan, it's still really fun to walk around Batuu. You literally feel like you're on a different planet!

Then, it was time to redeem our Genie + for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway! Jake especially loves this ride. I still miss The Great Movie Ride sometimes, but I think that this is a great replacement



I remember reading about this sign in @StarWarsMomofGirls! TR, and made sure to catch it on the way out!

It was about 10:00 AM at this point, and we decided that we were fulfilled with our Hollywood Studios trip! So, we headed down Hollywood Boulevard and out of the park.





Had to stop for some PhotoPass pictures first! The CM asked, “Are you boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife?” We answered “husband and wife,” and we commented that it still felt weird to say that, since we have only been married for about 8 months



Haha, I think this picture is cute, but it looks like Jake is rejecting my kiss!



That’s better

We quickly stopped in a couple shops at the park exit, then, at 10:15 AM, we boarded the Skyliner for Epcot. Quick visit, but we were very satisfied with our time at DHS and ready to move on!



​

 

[kclark9830]

Day 2 (The One Where Molly Faces Her Fears, And the Poison Control Center is Called!) - Part 1


I had my alarm set for 6:20 AM today, but I ended up waking up naturally at 6:05 AM (5:05 AM back home )! My sleep schedule was still all out of whack! But, WHO CARES, we’re going to DHS and Epcot today!!!

View attachment 867580

I played on my phone and let the 6:20 AM alarm wake up Jake, who bounded right out of bed as well! We were READY.

We got ready pretty quickly, and in a futile attempt to look nice, I straightened my hair. Just a side note that this will be the LAST time on this trip that I even attempted to heat-style my hair. The Florida humidity was not my friend!



Mirror selfie!

Right at 7:00 AM, I made a Genie + reservation for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway for 9:30- 10:30 AM! We were going to be spending the morning at DHS and were unsure about what time we would head to Epcot, so we decided to wait to try the virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind at 1:00 PM.



We were out of the room by 7:10 AM. We had just missed a Hollywood Studios bus, but another one came at 7:19! We had the bus to ourselves, which was a welcome change after last night.



Unlike the night before, the bus left directly from the Gran Destino Tower station and was off to the parks! We were pleasantly surprised, as we had been allotting extra time this morning for the 3 additional bus stops around CSR. We asked the bus driver, and he explained that before 10:00 AM, GDT had their own dedicated bus to get them to/from the parks efficiently. I really like this. I mean, after all, you’re paying more money to stay in the Tower, so there should be some perks associated with that!

Because we had allotted all of that extra time, we made it to DHS super early- at 7:30 AM!





We were let through bag security right away. I always get selected for extra security when I’m doing the parks with Jake since he needs his glasses/glasses case. Resort guests were then led to a separate line of tapstiles. We were able to enter the park at about 7:55!





Jake and I were really debating on even going to this park during Jake’s 4 days here, especially with Rock n Roller Coaster still being closed. This trip really solidified our opinions of DHS being our least favorite park; it just doesn’t hold crowds well with too many big-ticket rides, and neither of us are huge Star Wars people. But, we wanted to do a quick visit this morning to ride some of our favorites while the crowds were still lower!

Our first stop and rope-drop choice was Tower of Terror!







It was great to see Sunset Boulevard so empty! This was a very chill rope-drop option, it was super quiet and relaxed while waiting in line and it never got too crowded!





Had to get a picture while my hair was still cooperating! Right at 8:30 AM, we were let onto the ride, and we were off by 8:50 AM!!



Jake really wanted to ride this ride to compare it to Mission:Breakout over at DCA. Jake loves drop rides like this; the more stomach-drop feeling, the better! However, this ride on ToT really solidified our preference to Mission:Breakout! That’s quite the statement, because neither of us really like the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and we are huge fans of The Twilight Zone. But, the drop sequence seems more intense at DCA, and we love jamming out and trying to guess the songs on Mission: Breakout!

After disembarking, we noticed that the line for Rise of the Resistance was only 30 minutes. GO GO GO!

View attachment 867581

Although the both of us aren’t huge Star Wars people (the movies bore me to tears, and Jake only likes the pre-Disney movies), Rise of the Resistance is definitely a fun and immersive ride, so we were pumped to be able to do this! We speed-walked over to Batuu. The walk felt great, it was still pretty cloudy and we had a nice breeze from walking.

However, as soon as we got into the queue, the air DISAPPEARED. I literally felt like I was suffocating after all of the walking caught up to me. Bad decision! I was sweating up a storm and had to put my hair into a claw clip (so much for straightening my hair this morning)! Luckily, the fans in the line cooled me down soon enough. We were in the interrogation room by 9:15 AM!



This room always takes my breath away. It’s so immersive! We had a great ride on Rise!

After the ride, we got some water and wandered about Galaxy’s Edge for a bit.





Even if you're not a Star Wars fan, it's still really fun to walk around Batuu. You literally feel like you're on a different planet!

Then, it was time to redeem our Genie + for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway! Jake especially loves this ride. I still miss The Great Movie Ride sometimes, but I think that this is a great replacement



I remember reading about this sign in @StarWarsMomofGirls! TR, and made sure to catch it on the way out!

It was about 10:00 AM at this point, and we decided that we were fulfilled with our Hollywood Studios trip! So, we headed down Hollywood Boulevard and out of the park.





Had to stop for some PhotoPass pictures first! The CM asked, “Are you boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife?” We answered “husband and wife,” and we commented that it still felt weird to say that, since we have only been married for about 8 months



Haha, I think this picture is cute, but it looks like Jake is rejecting my kiss!



That’s better

We quickly stopped in a couple shops at the park exit, then, at 10:15 AM, we boarded the Skyliner for Epcot. Quick visit, but we were very satisfied with our time at DHS and ready to move on!



​

It sounds like a successful morning! DhS is my least favorite park, but it is my hubby's favorite!

 

[ambula603]

I love ToT but also have to agree that the Guardian's drop sequence is more fun. Both are fantastic, though! I also agree that HS is hard with crowds and heat. Especially Toy Story Land. Its almost madness! I do love it, though.

I laughed at the hair straightening. I always feel happier/more like me when I keep my hair down and semi-fixed for my park photos, but there is a point where I cannot handle it. Yours still looks cute up! I just chopped mine off to be about your length, by the way! You inspired me!

 

[vamassey1]

You did really well getting 3 big rides in Studios before 10. I'm amazed at how uncrowded the park looks.

Tower is my favorite thrill ride. I love to lose my tummy too.

Cute outfits for your first park day.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Really enjoying your Trip Report!

A tips for your future trips:

Guardians the the Galaxy VQs never expire! Once your BG has been called you can ride anytime from then until park close so in the future, feel free to grab one at 7AM if you wish! (This is not the case for Tron where guests do need to return within their window.)

Re: Tower of Terror and Mission Breakout - I 100% agree!! Really like ToT but Mission Breakout is AMAZING!!!

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

 

[peterpan.neverland]

I definitely agree about Hollywood Studios! If you’re not a Star Wars fan it’s just not really worth it. It was sooo much better in the early 2000s! You can’t beat getting that many big rides done before 10 am, though.

I’m going down for a short trip next weekend but couldn’t justify using a park day on HS, especially with no RNR!

 

[scrappinginontario]

I definitely agree about Hollywood Studios! If you’re not a Star Wars fan it’s just not really worth it. It was sooo much better in the early 2000s! You can’t beat getting that many big rides done before 10 am, though.

I’m going down for a short trip next weekend but couldn’t justify using a park day on HS, especially with no RNR!

I'm not a SW fan but love DHS! If I have a limited trip I can skip DHS but if I have the time I really enjoy going there.

 

[Mollydolly334]

It sounds like a successful morning! DhS is my least favorite park, but it is my hubby's favorite!

We got a lot done!! It used to be my mom's favorite park too!! It just is WAY too crowded nowadays

I love ToT but also have to agree that the Guardian's drop sequence is more fun. Both are fantastic, though! I also agree that HS is hard with crowds and heat. Especially Toy Story Land. Its almost madness! I do love it, though.

I laughed at the hair straightening. I always feel happier/more like me when I keep my hair down and semi-fixed for my park photos, but there is a point where I cannot handle it. Yours still looks cute up! I just chopped mine off to be about your length, by the way! You inspired me!

It's funny, A LOT of the rides that are at both coasts are actually better at DLR The only superior ride at WDW was Splash Mountain- DLR's didn't even COMPARE to the WDW version!!

AHHHHHH I need to see a pic of your hair- I bet it looks adorable!! I've tried a lot of hair lengths/styles (I was growing mine out for the wedding), but I always feel the most like "myself" with the shoulder length hair

You did really well getting 3 big rides in Studios before 10. I'm amazed at how uncrowded the park looks.

Tower is my favorite thrill ride. I love to lose my tummy too.

Cute outfits for your first park day.

It was definitely a chill morning- rope drop is the way to do DHS for sure!!!

Thank you!! It was funny- Jake got just as into the outfit planning for this trip as I did

Really enjoying your Trip Report!

A tips for your future trips:

Guardians the the Galaxy VQs never expire! Once your BG has been called you can ride anytime from then until park close so in the future, feel free to grab one at 7AM if you wish! (This is not the case for Tron where guests do need to return within their window.)

Re: Tower of Terror and Mission Breakout - I 100% agree!! Really like ToT but Mission Breakout is AMAZING!!!

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

Thank you so much for reading along!!!

AH! Such a good tip about Cosmic Rewind!! Thank you! We will have to use it next time we ride for sure... it makes sense that Tron doesn't follow that schedule. I heard that so many people want to get a late BG so they can ride it at night!!

I definitely agree about Hollywood Studios! If you’re not a Star Wars fan it’s just not really worth it. It was sooo much better in the early 2000s! You can’t beat getting that many big rides done before 10 am, though.

I’m going down for a short trip next weekend but couldn’t justify using a park day on HS, especially with no RNR!

Our quick couple-hour trip to DHS was PERFECT for us- we felt satisfied and accomplished and didn't have to deal with the crazy crowds since it was so early!!

I think it was smart to nix DHS for your short trip. I did a shorter trip last July, and found myself wishing I had just done Epcot again instead of DHS because of the crowds and heat!! Hopping over to your PTR now

 

[Mollydolly334]

Real-Life Update: Wait, You’re Going to Disney World AGAIN?!


Hi everyone! Thought I’d do a real-life update with some exciting news

Well, the title pretty much explains it all! That’s right, DISfriends! WE’RE GOING BACK TO DISNEY WORLD! IN SEPTEMBER 2024!!!!



And, I swear, I had NOTHING to do with it this time. This was ALLLL Haley’s decision!

In my PTR, I’ve talked about how much the twins love everything Halloween. It’s one of their very favorite things! They are obsessed with skeletons, witches, bats, pumpkins, monsters… they adore any spooky book, song, or show they can get their hands on! Spoiler alert- they both LOVED Haunted Mansion!



Well, after seeing how much the kids loved the characters and parades at WDW (and after seeing that commando park-touring is clearly in their blood), the wheels started turning for Haley. Towards the end of our May trip, she started planting the seed for a return trip this year for MNSSHP. We would laugh, and she would say, “You think I’m joking, but I’m not.”

Literally THE DAY AFTER we got home, Haley sent us this text:



Guess she wasn’t joking! And who am I to turn down a trip to Disney World?? So, I got to work looking at the bounceback deal. Luckily, it barely took any convincing. We are the definition of a Disney family! After much debate, we decided on September 25th- 29th at…



Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge- Jambo House (two resort-view rooms)!



We are sooo excited to stay here again; it’s been a while since we’ve stayed at this resort and we thought it would be perfect for this trip! It will be Ryan, Haley, and the 3 kids in one room, then Nana, Jake, and I in the other room. Cici and Chief politely opted out for this adventure- I think they’re still recovering from our last trip!

Overall, we really have ZERO plans so far. We vowed that this trip would have a much more relaxed pace and we would do a lot more resort/pool time. The twins are going to LOVE the splash pad/kid’s area over at Kidani Village!



Evie in particular was also a HUGE fan of Kilimanjaro Safaris, so we’re excited to see their reaction to the animals as well! We’ll probably end up booking 3-day park hoppers and do minimal ADRs. We haven’t even looked at flights yet!

Ok, we did actually book one thing. We bought tickets to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party for the night of September 27th!



This is a first for all of us; I’ve done MVMCP and Disney After Hours but never MNSSHP. The rest of the crowd has never done ANY special ticketed events!! I’m SO excited to cross this off my list, see the parades/shows, and go trick-or-treating in Magic Kingdom!!



PLUS! Jake and I also confirmed that in October 2024, we will be officially going back to Disneyland!!!! We were debating on vacation locations for quite some time, but after much research, we are even more confident that this is going to be our best option!!

We are spending the first 2 nights of our trip in Catalina Island at Hotel Atwater…



Then, the next night in the West Hollywood area at the Beverly Montrose…



Then, from October 29- November 3rd (5 nights), we will be at the Grand Californian!!




We haven’t bought our tickets yet, but we are planning on 4-day park hoppers with one true resort day to enjoy the Grand Californian. I am sooooo excited to stay here again; we stayed here on our first DLR trip back in April 2023, and it had us completely spoiled rotten. To date, the GCH is one of our favorite resorts we’ve ever stayed at!

We are also going to try our luck at Oogie Boogie Bash tickets for the night of October 29th!



That’s right- we are (hopefully, fingers crossed) going to experience the Halloween festivities on BOTH COASTS in 2024!!! Seriously, how lucky are we?? I definitely do not take all of our traveling for granted; Jake and I know that we have it good and are so grateful that we are able to travel so often.

Remember how I said on my PTR, “I’m not going to buy an annual pass, because this will be my last visit to WDW for at least this year….”



I knew that as soon as I said that, I would have another WDW trip on the books, and be kicking myself for not buying an annual pass. Looks like 2024 will be the year of Disney!!

​

 

[disneyAndi14]

I can’t believe you haven’t been to a MNSSHP! You will love it
My all time favorite special ticketed event EVER!!
The parade is awesome and trick or treating at MK is really spectacular!
I’m so excited for you with your trips this fall! Exciting times!!

 

[VAtink]

Oh yay! Love September trips, and MNSSHP is so much fun! Our trips overlap a few days, maybe we'll run into each other!

And I hear you about not buying APs, this past year I had three Disney trips and APs would have saved so much money. Oh well, at least we learned our lesson and have APs now.

 

[missjackiemcg]

I was so far behind, but all caught up now!!! Love the start of your trip with just you and Jake And SO excited (and a tiny bit jealous) about your fall plans to celebrate Halloween on both coasts!! How incredible!!! You're going to have the most amazing 2024, aren't you!?

 

[vamassey1]

Wow you have some very exciting plans to look forward to this fall.

We went to our first MNSSHP this past year and loved it!

Even better that you get to party in Disneyland too!