Mollydolly334
Honorary Floridian
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2015
Mother-Daughter Trip of a Lifetime!! WDW August 29-Sept 3 2015- NEW Link to 9/16 PTR!
- Thread starter Mollydolly334
- Start date
Mollydolly334
Honorary Floridian
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2015
Day 3- Hollywood Studios: Part 3! 
After waiting in the long line for TSMM (it was right around 55 minutes), we finally got on the ride! I believe that we were in the Wheezy car! This ride is SUPER cool. I love the technology they used for the shooting and how they made it 3D. And guess what?? I WON!! Thats right, even though my mom beat me in Buzz Lightyear, I won at TSMM! This was a situation where my knowledge of technology helped me, because I never win at these types of rides and I am notoriously bad at video games. My mom is very competitive, so she got a little salty and said that next trip, we were having a rematch!
Once we exited the ride, we realized that it was raining outside... Boo
It was only about 2 minutes until our ADR, so we booked it through the rain, got lost a few times, but ended up at 50's Prime Time Cafe just in time. We took a seat in the Tune-In Lounge to dry off and watch some old TV.
(not my photo)
We ended up waiting about 35 minutes until they finally called our names, which was a little frustrating because we were cold, wet and hungry! My mom utilized this time to call my dad, while I called my boyfriend and chatted with him about our day. Then, we were called!
Our waiter here was very friendly. I remember that he was from either Peru or Chile. He was attentive and joked around with us, but did not tease us too much. He did poke at my mom's age a bit and called her grandma, which made me crack up! There was a large group of about 4 couples with their kids and they were being very loud and purposely trying to get yelled at (I think they had one too many cocktails
), so they were taking up the bulk of our waiters attention. But, my mom and I are not loud nor attention-seeking so we didn't really mind!
To drink, my mom decided to have the Magic Star Cocktail while I tried the PB and J milkshake! I am normally not a fan of peanut butter, but this shake hit the spot after a long day in the parks. I was very amused by mom's glow cube, and she let me keep it
It's actually still sitting in my purse to this day!
To eat, Mom ordered the chicken pot pie and I had the special of the day, which was a buffalo grilled shrimp skewer and mac and cheese with bread crumbs. This meal was so so good, I literally licked my plate clean. However, the service was a bit slow here, and we were bummed that we missed the frozen fireworks. For dessert, my mom ordered a chocolate malt into a to-go cup, while I simply got a bottle of coke since I had a shake with my meal. We wanted to enjoy our treats at our next destination: Fantasmic!!
We had not done Fantasmic since 2002, so we really didn't remember much. While waiting for it to start, they were playing Disney Mania songs! Any kid who grew up in the 2000's remember these CDS?? I had all of them and listened to them non-stop! After the brief jam session, the show started! We loved it. It was so powerful, and I definitely teared up at the end.
DHS had extra magic hours this night till 11 PM, so our park day wasn't done yet! After Fantasmic, my mom and I decided to split up to ride our favorites in the single rider line. I chose Rock n Roller Coaster, while she chose Tower of Terror. I walked right on it! I almost rode it twice in a row, but I was afraid that PB and J milkshake might come back up
. After meeting back up with my mom, she begged me to ride Tower of Terror with her again, because she got scared by herself on the last ride (sure Mom....sure). I was a little wary of riding it again because of my numb hands the last time, so I said, "If I pass out, you're reviving me!" But, of course, I didn't pass out and we had a blast 
Once the ride was done, we tinkered around in the gift shop and decided to purchase some glasses for my sister, her boyfriend, and my dad.
(not my photo)
Pretty cool, right? Then, we just decided to walk around the park until it closed. We wanted to do the Great Movie Ride again, but remembered that it had closed at 9 tonight. We were walking around Echo Lake when the park officially closed, but we decided to take our time because we wanted to beat the rush. My Mom said "I wonder if you can just sleep in the bushes overnight and nobody would find you?" If only! We walked slowly throughout the empty park, listening to "A Star is Born" and chatting about our day. Finally, we took the quick bus ride back to CBR and crashed at about 12:30 AM. Another fun-filled day was in store for us tomorrow!
Coming Soon- Day 4: Animal Kingdom!!
After waiting in the long line for TSMM (it was right around 55 minutes), we finally got on the ride! I believe that we were in the Wheezy car! This ride is SUPER cool. I love the technology they used for the shooting and how they made it 3D. And guess what?? I WON!! Thats right, even though my mom beat me in Buzz Lightyear, I won at TSMM! This was a situation where my knowledge of technology helped me, because I never win at these types of rides and I am notoriously bad at video games. My mom is very competitive, so she got a little salty and said that next trip, we were having a rematch!
Once we exited the ride, we realized that it was raining outside... Boo
It was only about 2 minutes until our ADR, so we booked it through the rain, got lost a few times, but ended up at 50's Prime Time Cafe just in time. We took a seat in the Tune-In Lounge to dry off and watch some old TV.
(not my photo)
We ended up waiting about 35 minutes until they finally called our names, which was a little frustrating because we were cold, wet and hungry! My mom utilized this time to call my dad, while I called my boyfriend and chatted with him about our day. Then, we were called!
Our waiter here was very friendly. I remember that he was from either Peru or Chile. He was attentive and joked around with us, but did not tease us too much. He did poke at my mom's age a bit and called her grandma, which made me crack up! There was a large group of about 4 couples with their kids and they were being very loud and purposely trying to get yelled at (I think they had one too many cocktails
), so they were taking up the bulk of our waiters attention. But, my mom and I are not loud nor attention-seeking so we didn't really mind!To drink, my mom decided to have the Magic Star Cocktail while I tried the PB and J milkshake! I am normally not a fan of peanut butter, but this shake hit the spot after a long day in the parks. I was very amused by mom's glow cube, and she let me keep it
It's actually still sitting in my purse to this day!To eat, Mom ordered the chicken pot pie and I had the special of the day, which was a buffalo grilled shrimp skewer and mac and cheese with bread crumbs. This meal was so so good, I literally licked my plate clean. However, the service was a bit slow here, and we were bummed that we missed the frozen fireworks. For dessert, my mom ordered a chocolate malt into a to-go cup, while I simply got a bottle of coke since I had a shake with my meal. We wanted to enjoy our treats at our next destination: Fantasmic!!
We had not done Fantasmic since 2002, so we really didn't remember much. While waiting for it to start, they were playing Disney Mania songs! Any kid who grew up in the 2000's remember these CDS?? I had all of them and listened to them non-stop! After the brief jam session, the show started! We loved it. It was so powerful, and I definitely teared up at the end.
DHS had extra magic hours this night till 11 PM, so our park day wasn't done yet! After Fantasmic, my mom and I decided to split up to ride our favorites in the single rider line. I chose Rock n Roller Coaster, while she chose Tower of Terror. I walked right on it! I almost rode it twice in a row, but I was afraid that PB and J milkshake might come back up
. After meeting back up with my mom, she begged me to ride Tower of Terror with her again, because she got scared by herself on the last ride (sure Mom....sure). I was a little wary of riding it again because of my numb hands the last time, so I said, "If I pass out, you're reviving me!" But, of course, I didn't pass out and we had a blast Once the ride was done, we tinkered around in the gift shop and decided to purchase some glasses for my sister, her boyfriend, and my dad.
(not my photo)
Pretty cool, right? Then, we just decided to walk around the park until it closed. We wanted to do the Great Movie Ride again, but remembered that it had closed at 9 tonight. We were walking around Echo Lake when the park officially closed, but we decided to take our time because we wanted to beat the rush. My Mom said "I wonder if you can just sleep in the bushes overnight and nobody would find you?" If only! We walked slowly throughout the empty park, listening to "A Star is Born" and chatting about our day. Finally, we took the quick bus ride back to CBR and crashed at about 12:30 AM. Another fun-filled day was in store for us tomorrow!
Coming Soon- Day 4: Animal Kingdom!!
Last edited:
missangelalexis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2012
Sounds like such a great end to your HS day! Your meal sounded really yummy!
unwritten01
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2015
Thanks for the trip report - absolutely awesome! Can't wait to read more!
Mollydolly334
Honorary Floridian
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2015
Mollydolly334
Honorary Floridian
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2015
Day 4: Animal Kingdom
Once again, I totally apologize for slacking on my trip reporting! At the end of January, I got a new phone, which caused all of my trip notes to be deleted
Long story short: iCloud is confusing. So, for the remainder of this trip report, I will be relying solely on my memory. Now, I'd like to think that I have an above-average memory, so hopefully I do well! Since insomnia is kicking my butt right now, I thought that finishing this trip report up could be a productive way to pass my time (instead of studying for my test on Monday...)
After our eventful day at Hollywood Studios, my brain was on overdrive. This caused me not to sleep too well this night. I remember tossing and turning a lot and even waking up a few times in the middle of the night. The CBR pirate beds were soooo comfortable, but for some reason I just could not sleep! My mom woke up early to walk to Old Port Royale for some hot chocolate, then woke me up as she came back in. We were going to hit Animal Kingdom early today, since the park is only open until 5. Here was our game plan for the day:
FP +:
Dinosaur: 11-12 PM
Kilimanjaro Safaris: 12:20-1:20
Expedition Everest: 1:30-2:30
ADRS:
Sanaa- 5:50 PM
However, when my mom woke me up, I realized that I was exhausted. We were hitting the parks really hard, doing 14 hour days and touring in commando mode. So, today, we decided to take it a little easy. Instead of eating a quick service lunch in the park, we decided to use our quick service credit for breakfast this morning. We took our time waking up and moseyed over to Old Port Royale for a nice breakfast. It was a beautiful morning, and this allowed us to explore the resort a bit. For breakfast, my mom ordered a breakfast burrito and a smoothie, while I ordered this baby with some sausage:
I love me some Mickey waffles! We were having a nice time sitting, chatting and people watching. Then, after breakfast, we hopped the bus at Old Port Royale to Animal Kingdom! We stopped at Blizzard Beach first to let some people off. Note- I haven't been to Blizzard Beach since 2002!! Is it worth it? I love waterslides!
Soon enough, we were arriving at Disney's Animal Kingdom!
I always feel like this park is so underrated! Whenever I'm actually at Animal Kingdom, I always say, "I love this park!" But if I had to choose now, I'd probably say it's my least favorite. Typical Disney... where an amazing park can still be considered a "least favorite"
Since our FP for Dinosaur was about to close, we booked it over to Dinoland. This part of the park always seems so odd and out of place with the random games and cheesy roller coaster (I'm looking at you, Primeval Whirl!). My mom and I wanted to give that a spin today, but it was closed for refurbishment. So, off to Dinosaur we go!
Dinosaur is definitely in my top ten Disney rides. I love the intro with Clair Huxtable! My mom and I tried to make our most ugly and horrified expressions, but we must have done them too soon because they were hard to see in the ride photo. After Dinosaur, we reapplied sunscreen because it was a scorcher that day! Then, we did the Triceratops Spin (I actually think we did it twice in a row, because we're cool like that
).
After riding the Animal Kingdom Dumbo, we headed over to Asia. On our way, we hit up Kali River Rapids! We didn't get the wet seats, thank goodness! Then, we saw that Everest only had a 10 minute wait, so we rode that too! Fun fact: on our family trip in 2013, me and my older sister Haley took on Animal Kingdom alone. She had not been to Disney World since Everest had opened, so we just went on and I made sure not to tell her anything about it. She was so confused when we came to the missing track, and when we started going backwards, she yelled, "Is this supposed to happen?!?"
After Everest, we used our FPs for the Safari. It was a pretty good safari! The lions weren't awake, but we got a great view of the hippos! My mom and I both liked the fact that they took out the "Little Red" segment. Just a good, old-fashioned safari without a gimmick is the way to go!
After the Safari, we decided to go back to Dinoland and ride Dinosaur again! Once Dinosaur was finished, we took the train over to Rafiki's Planet Watch. This area is a hidden gem, in my opinion! I love petting zoos, and the lab area with all of the other animals is very interesting and informative! After hanging out there for awhile and petting some goats, we concluded that it was time for lunch.
Coming up next- Day 4: Part 2- Animal Kingdom!!
Once again, I totally apologize for slacking on my trip reporting! At the end of January, I got a new phone, which caused all of my trip notes to be deleted
Long story short: iCloud is confusing. So, for the remainder of this trip report, I will be relying solely on my memory. Now, I'd like to think that I have an above-average memory, so hopefully I do well! Since insomnia is kicking my butt right now, I thought that finishing this trip report up could be a productive way to pass my time (instead of studying for my test on Monday...) After our eventful day at Hollywood Studios, my brain was on overdrive. This caused me not to sleep too well this night. I remember tossing and turning a lot and even waking up a few times in the middle of the night. The CBR pirate beds were soooo comfortable, but for some reason I just could not sleep! My mom woke up early to walk to Old Port Royale for some hot chocolate, then woke me up as she came back in. We were going to hit Animal Kingdom early today, since the park is only open until 5. Here was our game plan for the day:
FP +:
Dinosaur: 11-12 PM
Kilimanjaro Safaris: 12:20-1:20
Expedition Everest: 1:30-2:30
ADRS:
Sanaa- 5:50 PM
However, when my mom woke me up, I realized that I was exhausted. We were hitting the parks really hard, doing 14 hour days and touring in commando mode. So, today, we decided to take it a little easy. Instead of eating a quick service lunch in the park, we decided to use our quick service credit for breakfast this morning. We took our time waking up and moseyed over to Old Port Royale for a nice breakfast. It was a beautiful morning, and this allowed us to explore the resort a bit. For breakfast, my mom ordered a breakfast burrito and a smoothie, while I ordered this baby with some sausage:
I love me some Mickey waffles! We were having a nice time sitting, chatting and people watching. Then, after breakfast, we hopped the bus at Old Port Royale to Animal Kingdom! We stopped at Blizzard Beach first to let some people off. Note- I haven't been to Blizzard Beach since 2002!! Is it worth it? I love waterslides!
Soon enough, we were arriving at Disney's Animal Kingdom!
I always feel like this park is so underrated! Whenever I'm actually at Animal Kingdom, I always say, "I love this park!" But if I had to choose now, I'd probably say it's my least favorite. Typical Disney... where an amazing park can still be considered a "least favorite"
Since our FP for Dinosaur was about to close, we booked it over to Dinoland. This part of the park always seems so odd and out of place with the random games and cheesy roller coaster (I'm looking at you, Primeval Whirl!). My mom and I wanted to give that a spin today, but it was closed for refurbishment. So, off to Dinosaur we go!
Dinosaur is definitely in my top ten Disney rides. I love the intro with Clair Huxtable! My mom and I tried to make our most ugly and horrified expressions, but we must have done them too soon because they were hard to see in the ride photo. After Dinosaur, we reapplied sunscreen because it was a scorcher that day! Then, we did the Triceratops Spin (I actually think we did it twice in a row, because we're cool like that
).After riding the Animal Kingdom Dumbo, we headed over to Asia. On our way, we hit up Kali River Rapids! We didn't get the wet seats, thank goodness! Then, we saw that Everest only had a 10 minute wait, so we rode that too! Fun fact: on our family trip in 2013, me and my older sister Haley took on Animal Kingdom alone. She had not been to Disney World since Everest had opened, so we just went on and I made sure not to tell her anything about it. She was so confused when we came to the missing track, and when we started going backwards, she yelled, "Is this supposed to happen?!?"
After Everest, we used our FPs for the Safari. It was a pretty good safari! The lions weren't awake, but we got a great view of the hippos! My mom and I both liked the fact that they took out the "Little Red" segment. Just a good, old-fashioned safari without a gimmick is the way to go!
After the Safari, we decided to go back to Dinoland and ride Dinosaur again! Once Dinosaur was finished, we took the train over to Rafiki's Planet Watch. This area is a hidden gem, in my opinion! I love petting zoos, and the lab area with all of the other animals is very interesting and informative! After hanging out there for awhile and petting some goats, we concluded that it was time for lunch.
Coming up next- Day 4: Part 2- Animal Kingdom!!
missangelalexis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2012
Good call taking it easy that morning! Sounds like you were having a great time at AK thus far! It really is such a great park!
Mollydolly334
Honorary Floridian
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2015
Day 4: Part 2: Animal Kingdom and Other Adventures!
Where I last left off, we were starving for some lunch! Although it was about 3:30 PM and our ADR was for 5:50, I was absolutely famished since I hadn't eaten since about 10 AM. We set off for somewhere to eat, by way of Dinoland. We stopped for a photo op of course!
Finally, we found a stand called Trilo-Bites. I ordered a buffalo chicken waffle sandwich. YOU GUYS. This was one of the greatest snacks I've ever had at WDW. I love anything spicy and buffalo-flavored, and combine it with ranch and spinach on a waffle and I'm in heaven! I gobbled it up in about 0.3 seconds, so I didn't have a chance to snap a picture. But if you find yourself hungry in Dinoland, order this and you will not be disappointed.
Since my mom doesn't like spicy food, she ordered a Mickey Pretzel with cheese to hold her over. After we finished lunch, we decided to do one more attraction before we had to leave the park. This is where my mom said possibly the funniest line out of the whole trip. She said, "I know what I want to do! I want to see the Tarzan roller skating show!" I looked at her for about a solid minute and said, "Mom, thats been gone for almost 10 years."
Since we unfortunately couldn't see the Tarzan show, we headed over to It's Tough to be a Bug. Eek, I've never liked this film very much. My mom forced me on it because she knows it freaks me out
. There are many things I'd rather watch than spiders dropping from the ceiling!
Since we had a little more time than we thought, we decided to also look through the Pagani Exploration Trail to end our day. We got to see a hippo swimming underwater, and the baby gorilla was the absolute cutest thing! We got to see something incredibly funny and special with the baby gorilla and his mom. There was a bumblebee that was flying around, and the baby gorilla caught it on his little hand. Well, the bee must have either stung him or scared him, because the baby shook the bee off and ran to his mom for a hug. Then, when the bee settled on the ground, the mom pounded it with her fist and killed him. All of us were laughing so hard!! It is crazy how human-like these magnificent creatures are.
After our afternoon entertainment, we hopped a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our dinner reservation at Sanaa. This was our first time visiting this resort! We still had some time before our ADR, so we looked around Kidani Village and its savannah. The lobby is absolutely beautiful. I love the cozy feel and light fixtures. However, if we were to stay here some day, Mom and I both agreed that we'd prefer to be in Jambo House because of the bigger lobby and more central location.
Soon, we checked in at Sanaa. Our waitress was an amazingly sweet woman. To drink, mom and I ordered a Mojito and a Blackberry Ginger Mojito, respectively. They were so refreshing after our hot day at Animal Kingdom.
We had heard wonderful things about the Indian bread service, so we decided to add that to our meal. It did not disappoint! No shame, my mom and I finished the whole thing! The warm naan paired perfectly with the flavorful dips. To eat, I ordered the Tandoori chicken and my mom ordered the Butter chicken. Starting off, I was a bit worried because I can be a picky eater and I had never eaten Indian cuisine before. But, we both loved this meal!
For dessert, we shared banana pistachio cheesecake. It looked just as good as it tasted!
Coming up next- Day 4: Part 3: Caribbean Beach Resort!!
Where I last left off, we were starving for some lunch! Although it was about 3:30 PM and our ADR was for 5:50, I was absolutely famished since I hadn't eaten since about 10 AM. We set off for somewhere to eat, by way of Dinoland. We stopped for a photo op of course!
Finally, we found a stand called Trilo-Bites. I ordered a buffalo chicken waffle sandwich. YOU GUYS. This was one of the greatest snacks I've ever had at WDW. I love anything spicy and buffalo-flavored, and combine it with ranch and spinach on a waffle and I'm in heaven! I gobbled it up in about 0.3 seconds, so I didn't have a chance to snap a picture. But if you find yourself hungry in Dinoland, order this and you will not be disappointed.
Since my mom doesn't like spicy food, she ordered a Mickey Pretzel with cheese to hold her over. After we finished lunch, we decided to do one more attraction before we had to leave the park. This is where my mom said possibly the funniest line out of the whole trip. She said, "I know what I want to do! I want to see the Tarzan roller skating show!" I looked at her for about a solid minute and said, "Mom, thats been gone for almost 10 years."
Since we unfortunately couldn't see the Tarzan show, we headed over to It's Tough to be a Bug. Eek, I've never liked this film very much. My mom forced me on it because she knows it freaks me out
. There are many things I'd rather watch than spiders dropping from the ceiling!Since we had a little more time than we thought, we decided to also look through the Pagani Exploration Trail to end our day. We got to see a hippo swimming underwater, and the baby gorilla was the absolute cutest thing! We got to see something incredibly funny and special with the baby gorilla and his mom. There was a bumblebee that was flying around, and the baby gorilla caught it on his little hand. Well, the bee must have either stung him or scared him, because the baby shook the bee off and ran to his mom for a hug. Then, when the bee settled on the ground, the mom pounded it with her fist and killed him
. All of us were laughing so hard!! It is crazy how human-like these magnificent creatures are.After our afternoon entertainment, we hopped a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our dinner reservation at Sanaa. This was our first time visiting this resort! We still had some time before our ADR, so we looked around Kidani Village and its savannah. The lobby is absolutely beautiful. I love the cozy feel and light fixtures. However, if we were to stay here some day, Mom and I both agreed that we'd prefer to be in Jambo House because of the bigger lobby and more central location.
Soon, we checked in at Sanaa. Our waitress was an amazingly sweet woman. To drink, mom and I ordered a Mojito and a Blackberry Ginger Mojito, respectively. They were so refreshing after our hot day at Animal Kingdom.
We had heard wonderful things about the Indian bread service, so we decided to add that to our meal. It did not disappoint! No shame, my mom and I finished the whole thing! The warm naan paired perfectly with the flavorful dips. To eat, I ordered the Tandoori chicken and my mom ordered the Butter chicken. Starting off, I was a bit worried because I can be a picky eater and I had never eaten Indian cuisine before. But, we both loved this meal!
For dessert, we shared banana pistachio cheesecake. It looked just as good as it tasted!
Coming up next- Day 4: Part 3: Caribbean Beach Resort!!
missangelalexis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2012
Cute pic of you and your mom with your drinks! Sounds like a great dinner!
Mollydolly334
Honorary Floridian
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2015
Cute pic of you and your mom with your drinks! Sounds like a great dinner!
I was so tired! But Animal Kingdom really is a fun park with great theming
And thank you! Sanaa completely exceeded our expectations!!
Mollydolly334
Honorary Floridian
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2015
Day 4- Part 3: Caribbean Beach Resort!! 
After a delicious dinner at Sanaa, my mom and I switched around our plans for the rest of the trip. Tomorrow was our last full day. We were originally going to spend the afternoon at Disney Springs and had a 12:00 ADR for Planet Hollywood, and then we would do Magic Kingdom again at night. Then, before we would board DME the next day, we would walk around the Boardwalk and have an 11:00 lunch at Beaches and Cream. But, we both realized that we really wanted to go back to Epcot as well! So, we cancelled our ADRs ($20 down, dang it!), and decided to spend the rest of the night swimming at CBR.
We took the walking path from Kidani Village to Jambo House to check out the theming. We had never seen this resort before tonight, and we were flabbergasted by the ginormous lobby.
We were surprised by how posh the lobby was. We walked around downstairs and the bar area was very sophisticated and adult! My mom was definitely sold on AKL and still talks about staying there to this day. We did a little shopping in the gift shop and my mom almost bought a small potted plant for her office. Had we known about Zebra Domes then, we would have definitely bought a pack!!
After we explored AKL for a bit, we took a bus to Hollywood Studios, then transferred there on a bus to CBR. The proximity of CBR to DHS is fabulous, the bus ride is less than 5 minutes! We got off at the Trinidad South bus stop and jumped into our swimsuits.
We originally wanted to swim at the main pool, but the pool itself was quite crowded, so we decided just to read magazines and people watch. They had a game of karaoke going on by Old Port Royale and they were also setting up for a movie. We stayed by the pool for about an hour. It was so nice to relax after being so busy the past few days! At about 10:30, we filled our mugs with orange soda and walked back to Trinidad South to swim in the quiet pool. It was just us and one other family, so it was much more relaxing and quiet than the main pool. Then, after we swam for about an hour, we retired to our room to rest up for our last full Disney day!!
Coming soon: Day 5- Epcot, Resort Hopping, and Magic Kingdom!!
After a delicious dinner at Sanaa, my mom and I switched around our plans for the rest of the trip. Tomorrow was our last full day. We were originally going to spend the afternoon at Disney Springs and had a 12:00 ADR for Planet Hollywood, and then we would do Magic Kingdom again at night. Then, before we would board DME the next day, we would walk around the Boardwalk and have an 11:00 lunch at Beaches and Cream. But, we both realized that we really wanted to go back to Epcot as well! So, we cancelled our ADRs ($20 down, dang it!), and decided to spend the rest of the night swimming at CBR.
We took the walking path from Kidani Village to Jambo House to check out the theming. We had never seen this resort before tonight, and we were flabbergasted by the ginormous lobby.
We were surprised by how posh the lobby was. We walked around downstairs and the bar area was very sophisticated and adult! My mom was definitely sold on AKL and still talks about staying there to this day. We did a little shopping in the gift shop and my mom almost bought a small potted plant for her office. Had we known about Zebra Domes then, we would have definitely bought a pack!!
After we explored AKL for a bit, we took a bus to Hollywood Studios, then transferred there on a bus to CBR. The proximity of CBR to DHS is fabulous, the bus ride is less than 5 minutes! We got off at the Trinidad South bus stop and jumped into our swimsuits.
We originally wanted to swim at the main pool, but the pool itself was quite crowded, so we decided just to read magazines and people watch. They had a game of karaoke going on by Old Port Royale and they were also setting up for a movie. We stayed by the pool for about an hour. It was so nice to relax after being so busy the past few days! At about 10:30, we filled our mugs with orange soda and walked back to Trinidad South to swim in the quiet pool. It was just us and one other family, so it was much more relaxing and quiet than the main pool. Then, after we swam for about an hour, we retired to our room to rest up for our last full Disney day!!
Coming soon: Day 5- Epcot, Resort Hopping, and Magic Kingdom!!
Last edited:
missangelalexis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2012
Sounds like a great end to the day!!
Grumpy's Wife
Dollar Tree gal here
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2005
At least I found your trip report before the last day. I think it's wonderful that you and your mom are able to take a girl's trip together. You are making such wonderful memories that will last a life time. My middle daughter is 20 and she asked me to take her to Disney for the big "21". I hope we'll be able to do that. I absolutely love the shirt you bought to start out your trip. Adorable! It looks like you did get some rain but not the wash out I was fearing when you posted the tropical storm heading to Disney. I'm looking forward to reading your last two days.
Mollydolly334
Honorary Floridian
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2015
Sounds like a great end to the day!!
It was! I have a slight obsession with Disney resorts, so it's always great getting to explore new ones
Thanks for reading! No worries, a PTR is coming up once I'm finished with this one! Mother daughter trips are the best (so fun, that we actually decided to do a second annual trip this September
) I hope that you and your daughter will be able to experience it! As for weather, it was very do-able In fact, it was rainier in May 2013 than it was that August! The great thing about the tropical storm warning was that it completely scared away all of the crowds. And thank you, its from Walmart! 
Mollydolly334
Honorary Floridian
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2015
Day 5: Part 1!!
We woke up a bit sad this morning. Our last full day in Disney But, we sprang out out bed as fast as we could to make the most of it. Like I stated in previous post, we tweaked our plans a bit for the rest of the trip. On this day, we were originally going to do Disney Springs in the morning, have lunch at Planet Hollywood, then spend the rest of the night at MK. Then, before we caught the Magical Express the next day, we would have an early lunch at Beaches and Cream and explore the Boardwalk. However, my mom and I decided that we really wanted to explore Epcot some more, and that a half day was DEFINITELY not enough (noted- we are doing a full day on our next trip ). So, we cancelled our ADRs for Planet Hollywood and Beaches and Cream and decided to do a morning at Epcot, then evening at MK. Our new plans for the day!!
ADRs
None, but we were going to try to do a walk-up for Beaches and Cream
FP+
5:45-6:45 PM- Splash Mountain
7:00-8:00 PM- Peter Pan's Flight
8:30-9:30 PM- Seven Dwarves Mine Train
After eating a quick breakfast of pop-tarts in the room, we set off for Epcot! We got there around 10 AM. We were originally going to book it for Test Track, but were tempted by the lovely Spaceship Earth. Once again, this ride is one of my all-time favorites. It never gets old
Once we were done, we walked over to Test Track, but the wait was 40 minutes. Boo! So, we headed over to Soarin', where the wait time was only 15 minutes! I loooove September crowds!!
After hang gliding over California, we did another round of Mission Space (green team). At this point, we started to realize how blazing hot the weather was. Us Wisconsinites were boiling! So, to take a break from the heat, we decided to do Ellen's Energy Adventure. Now, I love Ellen, but this ride is kind of a snooze. But, it did the job and allowed us to sit in the shade and air-conditioning for a while.
At this point, our tummies started rumbling, so we decided to head on over to Beaches and Cream to put our names down. OMG....that walk through World Showcase felt like the longest walk of my life. I checked the weather app on my phone, and it was 96 degrees with 100% humidity. And not a cloud in the sky! Lucky us. My mom was genuinely worried about me since usually I am a trooper, but I was stopping to go into buildings about every minute just to feel the air conditioning. So, we caved and bought one of these babies...
(not my photo)
It ended up being so worth it! We sprayed ourselves down as we trudged through World Showcase and down the Boardwalk. When we reached Beaches and Cream, the wait time was surprisingly only 30 minutes! So to pass the time, we explored the Beach/Yacht Club resorts and played in the arcade. It was nice to see our former resort homes Although the Poly takes the cake as my favorite resort, the Beach/Yacht Club has a very familiar feel for us and holds a lot of family memories We snapped a pic of the magnificent Stormalong Bay (I spend hours here as a kid)
Soon enough, our buzzer for Beaches and Cream went off! We were absolutely starving! We got seated at the counter, and ordered our food. My mom ordered a burger, and I ordered the turkey sandwich with cheese and cranberry sauce. I'm not sure if it was a special, because I can't remember seeing it on the menu again. Anyway, our sandwiches were delicious, but this is what we were truly waiting for...
The Milky Way Sundae..... it was heavenly. We are huge chocolate-lovers, and we actually made a pretty good dent in it! We couldn't believe that this huge sundae counted as ONE DESSERT on the dining plan.... us two couldn't even finish it!!
Coming up Next, Day 5: Part 2!!
We woke up a bit sad this morning. Our last full day in Disney
But, we sprang out out bed as fast as we could to make the most of it. Like I stated in previous post, we tweaked our plans a bit for the rest of the trip. On this day, we were originally going to do Disney Springs in the morning, have lunch at Planet Hollywood, then spend the rest of the night at MK. Then, before we caught the Magical Express the next day, we would have an early lunch at Beaches and Cream and explore the Boardwalk. However, my mom and I decided that we really wanted to explore Epcot some more, and that a half day was DEFINITELY not enough (noted- we are doing a full day on our next trip ). So, we cancelled our ADRs for Planet Hollywood and Beaches and Cream and decided to do a morning at Epcot, then evening at MK. Our new plans for the day!!ADRs
None, but we were going to try to do a walk-up for Beaches and Cream
FP+
5:45-6:45 PM- Splash Mountain
7:00-8:00 PM- Peter Pan's Flight
8:30-9:30 PM- Seven Dwarves Mine Train
After eating a quick breakfast of pop-tarts in the room, we set off for Epcot! We got there around 10 AM. We were originally going to book it for Test Track, but were tempted by the lovely Spaceship Earth. Once again, this ride is one of my all-time favorites. It never gets old
Once we were done, we walked over to Test Track, but the wait was 40 minutes. Boo! So, we headed over to Soarin', where the wait time was only 15 minutes! I loooove September crowds!!After hang gliding over California, we did another round of Mission Space (green team). At this point, we started to realize how blazing hot the weather was. Us Wisconsinites were boiling! So, to take a break from the heat, we decided to do Ellen's Energy Adventure. Now, I love Ellen, but this ride is kind of a snooze. But, it did the job and allowed us to sit in the shade and air-conditioning for a while.
At this point, our tummies started rumbling, so we decided to head on over to Beaches and Cream to put our names down. OMG....that walk through World Showcase felt like the longest walk of my life. I checked the weather app on my phone, and it was 96 degrees with 100% humidity. And not a cloud in the sky! Lucky us
. My mom was genuinely worried about me since usually I am a trooper, but I was stopping to go into buildings about every minute just to feel the air conditioning. So, we caved and bought one of these babies...
(not my photo)
It ended up being so worth it! We sprayed ourselves down as we trudged through World Showcase and down the Boardwalk. When we reached Beaches and Cream, the wait time was surprisingly only 30 minutes! So to pass the time, we explored the Beach/Yacht Club resorts and played in the arcade. It was nice to see our former resort homes
Although the Poly takes the cake as my favorite resort, the Beach/Yacht Club has a very familiar feel for us and holds a lot of family memories We snapped a pic of the magnificent Stormalong Bay (I spend hours here as a kid)
Soon enough, our buzzer for Beaches and Cream went off! We were absolutely starving! We got seated at the counter, and ordered our food. My mom ordered a burger, and I ordered the turkey sandwich with cheese and cranberry sauce. I'm not sure if it was a special, because I can't remember seeing it on the menu again. Anyway, our sandwiches were delicious, but this is what we were truly waiting for...
The Milky Way Sundae..... it was heavenly. We are huge chocolate-lovers, and we actually made a pretty good dent in it! We couldn't believe that this huge sundae counted as ONE DESSERT on the dining plan.... us two couldn't even finish it!!
Coming up Next, Day 5: Part 2!!
Last edited:
missangelalexis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2012
Sounds like a good change of plans! I'm glad you got some more Epcot time in and your lunch at B&C sounds great! That ice cream looks really yummy.
Mollydolly334
Honorary Floridian
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2015
Mollydolly334
Honorary Floridian
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2015
Day 5: Part 2!!
After our delicious lunch at Beaches and Cream, my mom and I plotted what to do next. At this point, it was only about 2:30 PM, and our first fastpass didn't start until 6! Since it was still scorching hot outside, we thought that we'd take a spin on the Epcot monorail! So, we walked on back through World Showcase to the monorail station. Then, while on the monorail, we decided to take it a step further and do a monorail tour! This proved to be the absolute perfect way to spend time before our MK evening.
Soon, we were off to the Poly, our first stop! I've raved about the Poly enough, so I'll let this picture speak for itself.
Not the best picture, but still shows the beauty of this resort. I am in the minority and LOVE the new lobby. I think that it opens up the area a lot more instead of the gigantic fountain. Not that the fountain wasn't gorgeous, but I think that it made the lobby look a tad too busy. After walking around the lobby, mom and I headed out by the pool and sat down. We would have ordered a dole whip, but our stomachs were still stuffed from Beaches and Cream. I snapped this picture and sent it to my sister, Haley:
When we stayed here in 2002, we spent the very first day by the pool and ate at Captain Cooks for lunch. Apparently Haley and I loved it so much that whenever my parents asked us where we wanted to eat for the rest of the trip, we'd say "Captain Cooks!" I mean, it's a great quick service option... but... The only other time we got to eat there was at 4:00 AM before our flight back to Milwaukee.
Mom and I walked around the Poly a bit more, over by the Samoa, Niue, and Rarotonga longhouses. Then, we went upstairs and hopped back on the monorail. Next stop, the GF! We weren't sure what to expect, since we had never been to the GF before. My mom has always said that the GF was "too stuffy" for her. Well, we step off the monorail into this.....
We were floored. This resort is gorgeous! To make things even better, the band was playing when we walked in. My mom instantly ate her words. (Note- we ended up loving this resort so much, that we are booked for 6 nights here in September!). We shopped around at Basin, M. Mouse Mercantile and the boutique downstairs. I believe that we got a couple soaps from Basin. Also, just for fun, we took the elevators up and down 
After picking our jaws up off the ground, we rode over to the Contemporary. Unlike the GF, we had visited the Contemporary multiple times and have eaten at Chef Mickey's and Concourse Steakhouse (which is now obsolete). Honestly, we have never been that impressed with it. I don't think I will ever stay here unless I have a theme-park view tower room (and with that price, I might as well just stay at the Poly!). We just simply don't care for the theming. I would rather stay at a value like Pop than the Contemporary, simply because you feel more immersed in Disney. While the monorail is awesome, the Contemporary feels like the hotels we stay at for my mom's work conventions.
Since it was nearing 4:00, we decided to walk on over the Magic Kingdom. This walk is super convenient! This is where my trip notes get fuzzy, so please bear with me! I will try to remember as best as I can
Coming Soon- Day 5: Part 3!!!!
After our delicious lunch at Beaches and Cream, my mom and I plotted what to do next. At this point, it was only about 2:30 PM, and our first fastpass didn't start until 6! Since it was still scorching hot outside, we thought that we'd take a spin on the Epcot monorail! So, we walked on back through World Showcase to the monorail station. Then, while on the monorail, we decided to take it a step further and do a monorail tour! This proved to be the absolute perfect way to spend time before our MK evening.
Soon, we were off to the Poly, our first stop! I've raved about the Poly enough, so I'll let this picture speak for itself.
Not the best picture, but still shows the beauty of this resort. I am in the minority and LOVE the new lobby. I think that it opens up the area a lot more instead of the gigantic fountain. Not that the fountain wasn't gorgeous, but I think that it made the lobby look a tad too busy. After walking around the lobby, mom and I headed out by the pool and sat down. We would have ordered a dole whip, but our stomachs were still stuffed from Beaches and Cream. I snapped this picture and sent it to my sister, Haley:
When we stayed here in 2002, we spent the very first day by the pool and ate at Captain Cooks for lunch. Apparently Haley and I loved it so much that whenever my parents asked us where we wanted to eat for the rest of the trip, we'd say "Captain Cooks!" I mean, it's a great quick service option... but...
The only other time we got to eat there was at 4:00 AM before our flight back to Milwaukee.Mom and I walked around the Poly a bit more, over by the Samoa, Niue, and Rarotonga longhouses. Then, we went upstairs and hopped back on the monorail. Next stop, the GF! We weren't sure what to expect, since we had never been to the GF before. My mom has always said that the GF was "too stuffy" for her. Well, we step off the monorail into this.....
We were floored. This resort is gorgeous! To make things even better, the band was playing when we walked in. My mom instantly ate her words. (Note- we ended up loving this resort so much, that we are booked for 6 nights here in September!). We shopped around at Basin, M. Mouse Mercantile and the boutique downstairs. I believe that we got a couple soaps from Basin. Also, just for fun, we took the elevators up and down After picking our jaws up off the ground, we rode over to the Contemporary. Unlike the GF, we had visited the Contemporary multiple times and have eaten at Chef Mickey's and Concourse Steakhouse (which is now obsolete). Honestly, we have never been that impressed with it. I don't think I will ever stay here unless I have a theme-park view tower room (and with that price, I might as well just stay at the Poly!). We just simply don't care for the theming. I would rather stay at a value like Pop than the Contemporary, simply because you feel more immersed in Disney. While the monorail is awesome, the Contemporary feels like the hotels we stay at for my mom's work conventions.
Since it was nearing 4:00, we decided to walk on over the Magic Kingdom. This walk is super convenient! This is where my trip notes get fuzzy, so please bear with me! I will try to remember as best as I can
Coming Soon- Day 5: Part 3!!!!
Mollydolly334
Honorary Floridian
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2015
Day 5: Part 3!! 
Where we last left off, my mom and I were walking over to MK from the Contemporary Resort. As soon as we arrived, we took notice of the new Halloween decorations that were up! They must have just put them up September 1st!
Then, we decided to take the train over to Frontierland! Once we arrived in Frontierland, we rode BTMRR. Then we walked over to ride Haunted Mansion, It's A Small World, and Philharmagic. Pretty soon, it was time to use our Splash Mountain Fastpasses! A great ride, as always!
Once Splash was done, we rode the Little Mermaid ride and used our fast passes for Peter Pan's Flight. Once we were finished with Peter Pan, we headed on over to Tomorrowland. We were going to make sure to do the Carousel of Progress after our fiasco the first night!!
But first, Space Mountain has a 10 minute wait???? We actually did it twice in a row! Crowds were low all week, but they seemed especially low tonight. We then took a spin on Buzz and headed on over to the Carousel of Progress! And what was the verdict?...
I loved it! It felt very nostalgic and "classic Disney" to me. It was a perfect break from the heat we had been experiencing all week and the song is so dang catchy. As we were coming out, we caught the Incredibles dance party and jammed for a bit!! But not for long, because we had Seven Dwarves Mine Train fast passes!
We loved this one too. The coaster is so smooth and the technology with the dwarves is amazing. That being said, the standby was 70 minutes, and if I would have waited that long, I would have been disappointed. Once we were done with the ride, it was about 9:30. We had decided that this would be our last ride of the trip, but then saw a 5 minute wait posted for Splash Mountain. Since this never happens, we decided to go on. After all, we had seen the MSEP twice our first night and Splash is our all-time favorite.
It was a great last ride! For the picture, Mom and I put our arms up and held hands <3 Then, as we were exiting the final scene, my mom turned to me and said, "Well, last ride of the trip, Molly!" All of the tears I had been suppressing the whole night finally burst out. Yes, that's right, I started hysterically crying on Splash Mountain
Of course, my mom felt absolutely terrible and tried to calm me down. The ride operator saw my tears and asked if we wanted to ride again without getting off, but we knew that we wanted to catch Wishes and politely declined. I was still crying when we entered the gift shop, so my mom decided to buy me the ride photo. At least we were the only people in there
I could tell that the gift shop workers were confused as to why I was so upset, haha. In a way, my mom was totally flattered because it just meant that I didn't want our amazing vacation to end!
After buying our ride photo, we walked out during the middle of the parade! Since we were starving, we bought some popcorn from a vender and tried to make our way towards Main Street. However, the hub was super crowded, so we ended up sitting on a bench outside of Crystal Palace for Celebrate the Magic and Wishes. The view wasn't as great as our first day's view, but we were happy to be sitting down. We ended up sitting next to another family who were on their first day! Oh, the envy
Celebrate the Magic and Wishes were spectacular as always. As I felt my eyes well up with tears at the Wishes finale, I turned to notice my mom was crying too! We hugged for a long time, and she whispered in my ear, "Don't worry Molls, we'll come back next year." After we gained our composure, we decided to separate for a bit. My stomach was basically eating itself, so I decided to wait in the long line at Casey's Corner for some food. My mom had her heart set on a giant, Mickey-shaped chocolate chip cookie from the Confectionary, so that's where she headed.
The wait was about 35 minutes for Casey's, but it was a madhouse in there so I understood. I ordered corn dog nuggets, fries, and cotton candy, which hit the spot. I needed some salt to replace all of what I sweated/cried that day! As I was sitting, I took in the scene and enjoyed just watching the quiet, empty park.
I can honestly say that I don't think I had ever felt that kind of tranquility in my life. There is something so peaceful about looking at Cinderella's Castle on a quiet, warm night. I was pretty much the only person around Casey's, but the park music was still playing and a few people would shuffle by every now and then. I even got to see the Kiss Goodnight!
Pretty soon, my mom came back with her cookie and we decided to walk back to the buses, saying one final goodbye to MK. We made the long journey back to CBR, took hot showers, and crashed into bed for our last sleep at Disney.
Coming Soon: Day 6: Downtown Disney and Disney's Tragical Express
Where we last left off, my mom and I were walking over to MK from the Contemporary Resort. As soon as we arrived, we took notice of the new Halloween decorations that were up! They must have just put them up September 1st!
Then, we decided to take the train over to Frontierland! Once we arrived in Frontierland, we rode BTMRR. Then we walked over to ride Haunted Mansion, It's A Small World, and Philharmagic. Pretty soon, it was time to use our Splash Mountain Fastpasses! A great ride, as always!Once Splash was done, we rode the Little Mermaid ride and used our fast passes for Peter Pan's Flight. Once we were finished with Peter Pan, we headed on over to Tomorrowland. We were going to make sure to do the Carousel of Progress after our fiasco the first night!!
But first, Space Mountain has a 10 minute wait???? We actually did it twice in a row! Crowds were low all week, but they seemed especially low tonight. We then took a spin on Buzz and headed on over to the Carousel of Progress! And what was the verdict?...
I loved it! It felt very nostalgic and "classic Disney" to me. It was a perfect break from the heat we had been experiencing all week and the song is so dang catchy. As we were coming out, we caught the Incredibles dance party and jammed for a bit!! But not for long, because we had Seven Dwarves Mine Train fast passes!
We loved this one too. The coaster is so smooth and the technology with the dwarves is amazing. That being said, the standby was 70 minutes, and if I would have waited that long, I would have been disappointed. Once we were done with the ride, it was about 9:30. We had decided that this would be our last ride of the trip, but then saw a 5 minute wait posted for Splash Mountain. Since this never happens, we decided to go on. After all, we had seen the MSEP twice our first night and Splash is our all-time favorite.
It was a great last ride! For the picture, Mom and I put our arms up and held hands <3 Then, as we were exiting the final scene, my mom turned to me and said, "Well, last ride of the trip, Molly!" All of the tears I had been suppressing the whole night finally burst out. Yes, that's right, I started hysterically crying on Splash Mountain
Of course, my mom felt absolutely terrible and tried to calm me down. The ride operator saw my tears and asked if we wanted to ride again without getting off, but we knew that we wanted to catch Wishes and politely declined. I was still crying when we entered the gift shop, so my mom decided to buy me the ride photo. At least we were the only people in there
I could tell that the gift shop workers were confused as to why I was so upset, haha. In a way, my mom was totally flattered because it just meant that I didn't want our amazing vacation to end! After buying our ride photo, we walked out during the middle of the parade! Since we were starving, we bought some popcorn from a vender and tried to make our way towards Main Street. However, the hub was super crowded, so we ended up sitting on a bench outside of Crystal Palace for Celebrate the Magic and Wishes. The view wasn't as great as our first day's view, but we were happy to be sitting down. We ended up sitting next to another family who were on their first day! Oh, the envy
Celebrate the Magic and Wishes were spectacular as always. As I felt my eyes well up with tears at the Wishes finale, I turned to notice my mom was crying too! We hugged for a long time, and she whispered in my ear, "Don't worry Molls, we'll come back next year." After we gained our composure, we decided to separate for a bit. My stomach was basically eating itself, so I decided to wait in the long line at Casey's Corner for some food. My mom had her heart set on a giant, Mickey-shaped chocolate chip cookie from the Confectionary, so that's where she headed.
The wait was about 35 minutes for Casey's, but it was a madhouse in there so I understood. I ordered corn dog nuggets, fries, and cotton candy, which hit the spot. I needed some salt to replace all of what I sweated/cried that day! As I was sitting, I took in the scene and enjoyed just watching the quiet, empty park.
I can honestly say that I don't think I had ever felt that kind of tranquility in my life. There is something so peaceful about looking at Cinderella's Castle on a quiet, warm night. I was pretty much the only person around Casey's, but the park music was still playing and a few people would shuffle by every now and then. I even got to see the Kiss Goodnight!
Pretty soon, my mom came back with her cookie and we decided to walk back to the buses, saying one final goodbye to MK. We made the long journey back to CBR, took hot showers, and crashed into bed for our last sleep at Disney.
Coming Soon: Day 6: Downtown Disney and Disney's Tragical Express
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