Lost wallets and broken bones. But at least we didn’t lose the dog this time!

[elizablake]

Really enjoying your trip report! It looks like you guys had a great time! I think we are going to head back to typhoon lagoon this year b/c we haven't been there in several years. Somehow even though we stay at Disney for a week, we never manage to squeeze in time to go there -your pics are making me excited to head back!
Also love your pics and video of the girls at dinner with the princesses. We only have boys, so we never get to do any of the "girly" things !

We have been trying to fit in the water parks since our first trip. It was worth it though. The water parks were our favorite this trip.

I truely feel your pain with the yellow flies. We went last June and I could not stay outside the camper. Like you I did not know they were biting me until the WELPS showed up! and they itched all week! Mine got so bad I actually went to the front desk and asked if they knew anything that would help the itch - cream just wasn't doing it! The CM googled it and came up with putting onion or lemons on the welps. We had onion and I actually tried it but I only ended up smelling like onions. Later that day we had lunch at Prime Time and I asked for lemon slices - and those worked!! I was very descreet rubbing lemons on my legs in the restaurant!

I am enjoying your trip report. Love the photos!
Ellen

I'm picturing you rubbing lemons on your legs at Prime Time. They didn't bother anyone else but they LOVED me. They didn't heal for a week after we got home.

 

[elizablake]

We tried to get to HS early so we wouldn’t be waiting in the sun. We got there at about 8:20 and only had about 10 people in front of us at our turnstile.

Once the gates opened we made our way towards the hat and we were very close to the rope and opening show. There was no guest in the opening show and it was boring as always.

Behind us! Hopefully we won't get trampled.

Once the park opened we walked quickly to Toy Story. We were really close to the CMs leading the pack. Everyone went straight to the FP line, it was a mad house.

We headed for the standby line instead and we were the 5th in line.

There was no wait of course. Everyone loved the ride. DH and I rode together and I beat him.

We finished TSM by 9:15 and the FP line was all the way back to the Little Mermaid.

DH went to get 4 RRC FP. The girls and I met Piglet.

We tried to meet Daisy her line was closed. DD got her face painted.

It was 9:30 and I couldn’t help but notice that the TSM FP line was gone and the return time was 1:30pm. The standby wait was 65 minutes.

This is our 4th trip to DW and we have been trying to figure out how to handle the TSM “mania”. I think I have a plan for our next trip. Ride RnRC and ToT at opening and then get FPs for TSM without waiting in a long line. Shush…don’t tell anyone my perfect plan.

 

[elizablake]

The girls suddenly desperately wanted to meet the Toy Story characters so we got in the LONG line. The posted wait time was 30 minutes. If I remember correctly DH left the line to go get more RnRC FPs at some point.

Peeking around the corner. I love some of DN's expressions.

Then we met Phineas and Ferb. We got in line at 10:00 and the meet and greet started at 10:30.

Cute!

We had a few minutes before lunch so the girls played and Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground while DH and I collapsed on a bench.

We had an 11:30 ADR at Sci-Fi. DD and DN got the front seat of the car and DH and I sat behind them. We were planning to make out the whole time but we had a hitchhiker behind us that was trying to eat.

The adults got burgers and the kids got mac and cheese and tomato soup. When the kids choose fruit over an ice cream sundae, I almost passed out. I guess even kids can get sick of junk food. I thought the food at Sci-fi was good and the atmosphere/entertainment was great! Plus it was cool, dark and relaxing so we left lunch refreshed.

After lunch it was time for RnRC but DD didn’t want to try it. We had 8 FPs total. DN and I went to ride it first. We flew through the FP line. We lucked out and the very first row!!! OMG, RnRC is the BEST ride in DW. DN and I had our hands up screaming the entire time.

We flew through the FP line again but this time we asked to ride in the back. We wanted to see if it felt any faster. The answer is no! The front was sooooo much better.

DH and DD had gone to see Indiana Jones and the show was not out so DN and I decided to ride RnRC one more time by using the single rider line. We walked right in, in fact I think we waited less time than when we used our FPs. DH and DD were out of Indiana Jones so we traded kids. DN and DD were off to use the other 4 RnRC FPs. DD and I got a popsicle and tried to find some shade. This is what DN looked like after riding RnRC 5 times:

 

[heidijanesmith]

The girls suddenly desperately wanted to meet the Toy Story characters so we got in the LONG line. The posted wait time was 30 minutes. If I remember correctly DH left the line to go get more RnRC FPs at some point.

Peeking around the corner. I love some of DN's expressions.

Then we met Phineas and Ferb. We got in line at 10:00 and the meet and greet started at 10:30.

Cute!

We had a few minutes before lunch so the girls played and Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground while DH and I collapsed on a bench.

We had an 11:30 ADR at Sci-Fi. DD and DN got the front seat of the car and DH and I sat behind them. We were planning to make out the whole time but we had a hitchhiker behind us that was trying to eat.

The adults got burgers and the kids got mac and cheese and tomato soup. When the kids choose fruit over an ice cream sundae, I almost passed out. I guess even kids can get sick of junk food. I thought the food at Sci-fi was good and the atmosphere/entertainment was great! Plus it was cool, dark and relaxing so we left lunch refreshed.

After lunch it was time for RnRC but DD didn’t want to try it. We had 8 FPs total. DN and I went to ride it first. We flew through the FP line. We lucked out and the very first row!!! OMG, RnRC is the BEST ride in DW. DN and I had our hands up screaming the entire time.

We flew through the FP line again but this time we asked to ride in the back. We wanted to see if it felt any faster. The answer is no! The front was sooooo much better.

DH and DD had gone to see Indiana Jones and the show was not out so DN and I decided to ride RnRC one more time by using the single rider line. We walked right in, in fact I think we waited less time than when we used our FPs. DH and DD were out of Indiana Jones so we traded kids. DN and DD were off to use the other 4 RnRC FPs. DD and I got a popsicle and tried to find some shade. This is what DN looked like after riding RnRC 5 times:

Love the last pic!

 

[elizablake]

We left HS about 1:45 ready to cool off at a water park. We decided to go to BB since getting to TL would be a total pain. TL is on the same bus route as DTD and no buses go from DTD to the 4 major theme parks. So we would have to take a bus/boat to a resort and then take the DTD bus from there.

Instead we hopped on the BB bus and we arrived a few minutes later.

At BB we changed clothes and rented a locker for our valuables. The changing room and showers were clean.

We headed straight for Ski Patrol Training Camp and got same chairs as Sunday. A lot of people seemed to be leaving but it was still crowded.

Nice area by the lazy river:

The girls played for a few minutes and then we took the lazy river to Runoff Rapids. There was a line for single tubes but not double. Once we got our tubes we made our way up the stairs. There was no wait for the double tube slides and a short wait for the enclosed slide in the middle (single tubes only).

After RR we walked to the purple slopes. DN and I waited 20 minutes for 5 seconds of fun on Downhill Double Dippers.

DD and DH rode mat slides three times while we waited. It was funny because we saw DH and DD zoom past us each time they climbed the stairs to the top. By the 3rd time DH was exhausted and moving pretty slow.

We made a quick stop at the wave pool. DH swam with the girls while I sat in this chair:

Then we walked to chairlift. The wait was 20 minutes but worth it since we were getting so tired. There is a single rider line that moves quickly but we preferred to ride together. We rode the family raft ride with no wait. We LOVED it just as much the 2nd time.

View from the top:

We were all pretty worn out and it was hot so the kids played at the Ski Patrol Training Camp. The park was emptying out pretty quickly.
DN had been trying to talk me into Slush Gusher since Sunday. I’m not a huge fan of heights or wedgies so I refused. But she finally talked me into it. We rode the chair lift to the top with only a 10 minute wait. Slush Gusher had a 20 minute wait but it went quickly. I’m glad I tried it but I won’t be rushing back. DH said he could hear me scream from his chair at the Ski Patrol Training Camp. DN loved it.

It was 5:30 (30 minutes before close) and we wanted to do at least one more ride so we walked to purple slides. Everyone was shocked when DD said she wanted to try Downhill Double Dipper again! There was a 15 minute posted wait but wasn’t more than 10. DD loved it this time!



Since time was running out, we raced to the top of the mountain and rode the Storm Slides again.

We only had 5 minutes before the park closed but we were able to fit in one last ride on Downhill Double Dippers. Which we all decided was our favorite ride at BB.

View of Runoff Rapids:

We hobbled back to Ski Patrol to get our bags and left the park. Eventually a bus came and we were “home” by 7:30. The parking lot was almost empty:

The girls passed the time by arguing about the only thing they had left to argue about, Slush Puppies.

We had pork chops for dinner and all got to bed early. It was a heck of a day and we were all exhausted.

DN woke up about 2:30 and was nauseous. She almost made it to the bathroom. Oh well, that is what carpet cleaner is for. I was worried she had caught the flu but she went back to sleep and didn’t get sick again. I think it might have been the long day with all the heat and excitement. DH and I discussed sleeping in the next day since we had such an early morning planned.

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Just wanted to stop in and say I am enjoying your TR. I really like reading the details about the water parks as we have never been and are hoping to go to at least one on our trip to WDW next year.

 

[twinklebug]

I was getting a little scared there, the 'broken bones' part of your title has yet to come into being and I figured a water park would be the place it would most likely occur. Whew.

Love your report - you have me wanting to go back to BB now (I haven't been since 2004 as we love TL so much)

 

[elizablake]

Just wanted to stop in and say I am enjoying your TR. I really like reading the details about the water parks as we have never been and are hoping to go to at least one on our trip to WDW next year.

Thanks. I tried to note the wait times since there was not much info out there. Do you know which one? BB is has much better thrill rides.

I was getting a little scared there, the 'broken bones' part of your title has yet to come into being and I figured a water park would be the place it would most likely occur. Whew.

Love your report - you have me wanting to go back to BB now (I haven't been since 2004 as we love TL so much)

The water parks were dangerous though. I saw the lifeguards go in tons of times. I haven't even gotten to the most dangerous ride of all - the TL wave pool.

We loved both parks but TL was my favorite.

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

I am not sure yet. We would like to weigh the options. I would like to go for the one with less stairs if there is one. The kids did seem to really like BB and my kids are definately thrill ride seekers

 

[cruising spud]

Everytime I see your niece's face, I think, "How great that you took her along." And, this reminds me of one of our Disney trips. We were traveling down to Disney and our oldest daughter, who was eighteen at the time, didn't want to go. My husband and I talked and decided that she could stay home. We left and called every night. By the third night out, she was saying that she wished she had come with us. She hasn't missed a trip since (and she is now 36 years old). Hoping your other neice and nephew don't have too much remorse for deciding not to come.

 

[elizablake]

Sorry I've be neglecting my trip report. Sorry about that.

Today was MK AM EMH. We had never been to an AM EMH so we decided to try it. Also, the girls desperately wanted to meet Rapunzel and Flynn Rider and we thought an EMH day was our best bet. Based on info we got from trip reports and from friends who had recently been to Disney, we were worried about getting into the 9:15 meet and greet on a day when the park opened at 9:00. From what we had heard, guests with ADR before park opening are able to send one person to claim a spot in the line for the 9:15 show so by the time the park opens, we would most likely be in the 10:15 group. Even though we would have to wait the same amount of time, we would rather know we will make the 9:15 show on an EMH day so we could plan around it.
We made bagels to go and caught the 7:30 boat to the MK. We got as close to the entrance as possible on the right side. When the park opened, DH hurried and made it to the greet area at 8:01 but he was still the 4th in line! Normally we would consider it breaking the rules to leave one person to hold the spot for all of us in line .... but in the case of the Tangled Meet and Greet it is the norm and recommended by the CMs.
I took the girls to Fantasyland. There were more people at today’s rope drop than last Sat. Since there are less rides open, I was already thinking EMH may not be for us.

We waited at the Fantasyland rope drop. You could tell all the commando/super planners were there. I noticed more dragging of kids by the hand – similar to us the day before at TSM and more parents yelling “hurry, get out of the stroller”. 90% went straight for Dumbo. We were on the 2nd ride. DN had her own Dumbo.

Fantasyland construction:

Then we met Pinocchio

Then FPs for Peter Pan with a 9:45 return time.

Then Snow White’s Scary Adventure with a 5 minute wait. Probably for the last time ever.

Then Winnie the Pooh. We liked the new interactive area.

DD playing in the honey.

We joined DH in line about 8:40 so he could take a break. The line was back to smoking area by castle past Cinderella’s fountain. I heard the CM say that the 12:15 show was already full.

Quick rant: Considering the popularity of Tangled, I don’t see why Disney didn’t anticipate the popularity of the meet and greet. I cannot understand why they designed the “play and greet” like they did. For those who are not lucky enough to be warned before arriving at the MK, meeting Rupunzel could require a 6 hour wait which is ridiculous. Not to mention the single parents and grandparents who don’t have the luxury of having an extra adult to hold their spot in line.

At 9:00 a CM walked the line asking how many in each group. She was using a counter. I don’t know exactly how many kids were in each group but I would estimate 25.

 

[elizablake]

Took some photos while we waited:

At 9:05 a CM let first group in which was less than ¼ of the total line. The kids gathered at the table and had about 5 mins to color while the parents lined up for meet.

Then they did a little dance.

Rapunzel and Flynn came out and all the kids cheered. They spent about 3-5 minutes with each kid. DD asked what was in Flynn's satchel and he showed the girls but told them to keep it secret:

DN asked if his smolder was still broken. He said no, showed the girls and asked if it was “frying pan worthy”.

We were done by 9:30. We considered riding Haunted Mansion but decided to meet Ariel in Adventureland instead. We were the 2nd in line and Ariel wouldn’t be there until 10:00. The girls passed the time by lying on the nasty ground.

 

[elizablake]

At 9:45 I got a set of FPs for Splash Mountain. We met Ariel and Prince Eric at 10:00 and left the park about 10:15.

Ouch! I'm thinking of making a scrapbook of all the bad shoe choices I've seen at DW:

Crowds as we were leaving the park about 10:15:

We took the monorail to the Polynesian- my favorite resort- to eat a late breakfast at Ohanas. As usual Ohana was running 20 minutes late. I took some photos of the resort while we waited and the kids got some pressed pennies.

We were seated about 11:00. Our server was super busy but finally brought our food and drinks. We had coffee, fruit juice, chocolate milk, cinnamon rolls, pineapple bread, fruit, biscuits, bacon, sausage, potatoes, scrambled eggs and Mickey waffles. We thought the food was good and the kids actually ate. Stitch came to our table first. He was so cute.

Stitch threw the pen and split some coffee. Then tried to blame it on DN. The girls were laughing so hard.

Then Mickey visited the table.

Mickey led a parade around the dining room.

Lilo stopped by. She was so sweet!

 

[elizablake]

And finally Pluto. He was in a bit of a rush but the girls were getting tired by then anyway.

Overall, we loved the breakfast. The character interaction was great and the food was better than we expected…I admit we have low expectations wehn it comes to character meal food.

We were stuffed and tired and the kids were grumpy. So we decided to take the monorail to the MK and the boat to FW to get a nap. Hold on Mickey!

 

[2goofycampers]

glad you're back. More great pics and report.

 

[cantwaittoseemickey]

Love your pics. Glad you had a nice breakfast. Pretty hair peace for a pretty girl! I have been watching for updates this weekend. Glad you are back. (We took a trip to Myrtle Beach last week and it just wasn't Disney!)

 

[elizablake]

glad you're back. More great pics and report.

Thanks!

Love your pics. Glad you had a nice breakfast. Pretty hair peace for a pretty girl! I have been watching for updates this weekend. Glad you are back. (We took a trip to Myrtle Beach last week and it just wasn't Disney!)

Unfortunately nothing is a good Disney substitute.

 

[elizablake]

The kids were asleep by 1:15 and slept until 4:30! Wow they were tired. Everyone woke up happy and ready to head back to the MK.

We made microwave single pizzas for a quick dinner and the girls rode bikes for a bit. I sat outside covered in bug spray with a can of raid just daring the flies to come near me.

We were ready to leave and DH and DD were already in the golf cart. DN was in the RV, probably primping and texting. I had our backpack and was putting on the seat in the back of the golf cart. Like always, I attached one of the straps to the golf cart so it wouldn’t fall out. I guess I was doing it quietly because neither DH or DD realized I was behind them. DH decided to take a spin around the loop and hit the gas. Some how my pinky finger was wrapped around the strap of the backpack so when the golf cart moved my finger went with it. I didn’t hear a crack or anything but it did hurt and swelled up. When I was a kid and fell off my bike my Mom would ask if I could “move it”. My finger passed the “move it” test so I assumed it wasn’t broken. I put some ice on it and we left for the MK.

I learned later that the "move it test" is total BS!!!

MK was crowded but we had FPs for Peter Pan and Splash Mountain from that morning.

The characters had a long wait compared to the 10 minute wait on Sat:

DD finally got a balloon. She had her own money and had been asking for a balloon for days. She asked the first time at HS on Sunday but I thought we were going to Fantamic and could not bring it in. Then Monday we went back to HS but we were going straight to BB afterwards so I said no. Monday morning she asked again but I didn’t want the hassle of bringing the balloon to breakfast so I told her I would get her one when we got back to the MK after Ohana. We went straight back to the RV so no balloon. So getting a balloon was on the top of DD’s list for the evening.

We checked the wait for Tiana while DH got BTMR FPs, but it was too long-about 45 minutes. So we headed to Peter Pan to use our FPs.

Both the girls love Peter Pan. Next was Mickey’s Philharmagic. Why is there never a wait for this show? It’s one of my favorites!

Are my sweet babies throwing up gang signs?!

 

[elizablake]

Next was BTMR and more FPs for later:

Then Splash! We got stuck right before the big drop. Good thing we are not the type of people to freak out. Oh wait…I am prone to freak outs! DH told me calm down, I was scaring the children.

Here is where we got stuck:



Finally we were moving:



My finger was hurting so I went to snag a good spot for the MSEP while DH and the girls rode BTMR again. Here is our parade spot:

MSEP:

I think I took so many photos because I was bored. I wasn’t that interested in Spectro either. Guess it’s just not my thing.

 

[elizablake]

After MSEP we made our way toward the castle for Wishes.

We stopped in front of Crystal Palace because there was plenty of room. This was our view:

Don’t watch Wishes from here!!! It is MUCH better from the hub or from the bridge to Tomorrowland. Here are some of the places we have seen Wishes in order from best to worse:

#1 Path from Hub to Tomorrowland bridge
#2 Hub
#3 In front of Plaza Ice Cream
#4 In Fantasyland riding Dumbo- a unique experience
#5 Flag Pole by train station
#6 Beach at FW
#7 in front of Crystal Palace aka crappy spot we picked this trip

The girls were not tired and wanted to ride BTMR one more time in the dark so we went back to Frontierland.

We were back at the RV about 11:30.