Not A Creature Was Stirring, Except Mickey Mouse! Christmas 2016...**new updates 09/17/18 p.4**

[SimplyGoofy]

Because we were headed to (in my personal opinion) the HOTTEST of all Disney parks...Animal Kingdom! Like man, it always feels so much hotter than any other park!

I think it seems so hot because the park is HUGE and you have to walk out in the sun to get from one place to another. MK and HS are both much smaller so I don't notice it there, but I get similarly warm at Epcot (especially in the World Showcase if I don't duck into a store every once in a while!).

Jacob loved every ride we did EXCEPT EE.

That's too bad! Hopefully it grows on him in the years to come as it's SUCH a great ride!

We had AMAZING meet with them!

I love this meet and greet with Mickey and Minnie! I'm glad you had a great time with them (and I love their Christmas outfits!).

 

[dnllmz]

My son also hated EE because it went backwards. I was so bummed because it was my favorite ride of the trip. I'm trying to convince him to give it another try when we go back but he's not budging.

 

[vrajewski10513]

Are you sensing a theme here? I am definitely a "get a good nights sleep and then hit rope drop" kind of gal.

Definitely!! We like to get up early and make RD, take an afternoon break, then head back out around dinner time and close down the parks!

I was super happy when I stepped out onto our balcony this morning and it was nice and chilly!!! So far we had been having super HOT and humid weather...so the coolness was a welcome change! I think it was around 50 this morning and I was very pleased with that

I'm so going to end up over packing.. Its so hard to tell what to bring when the weather fluctuates so much this time of year!

Because we were headed to (in my personal opinion) the HOTTEST of all Disney parks...Animal Kingdom! Like man, it always feels so much hotter than any other park!

It most definitely is! So its nice you were hitting it up on a cool morning!

We hung around for a while and then at about 8:40 there was a little opening where a bunch of birds (parrots I think) flew around all at the same time. It doesn't sound too exciting but it was cooler looking than it sounds!!

Macaws! The first time this happened to me in the park it scared the ba-jeezus out of me!

We headed straight to Kilimanjaro Safari's after a couple of pictures. I have always found that the animals are more awake and active in the morning than later in the day so I wanted to get there first.

I agree, there's definitely more activity on the AM. Try to catch them on the verge of a storm too

This was the first and only fail of the trip - Jacob loved every ride we did EXCEPT EE. He did NOT like it. He was brave and tried it and didn't cry or anything but as soon as we got off he turned to me with wide eyes and said "mama I do NOT want to get on that again."
Me: "um...ok buddy, that's fine."

I was so bummed he didn't like it because I love EE! I was hoping to ride it several times but that was not meant to be! But I knew I'd be able to ride it again once John got here and I was proud of him for at least trying it! He said it was the backwards part he didn't like. I mean I get it. It is definitely intense!

Awe, bummer! At least he was brave enough to try!

We had decided to spend the afternoon at Hollywood Studios but I had another character meet I wanted to do before we left...
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Baloo & King Louie! They were so fun! And also super cute with their Christmas scarves

LOVE THEM!! Great picture

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Hello DIS friends!!!
Man, you know you've been slacking when you find your TR on the 5th page

Life has been hectic to say the least!
A few weeks ago my younger sister got married! It was a beautiful wedding and we had a great time!
wedding by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

And in the midst of that, my boyfriend got a new teaching job! We are very excited because he's been trying to transfer to another school for a while. The school he was at is...rough...to say the least. They do have some good kids but the administration is just terrible there. He's been there 6 years and really needed a change. He started applying for a bunch of different schools and the same weekend of my sister's wedding he found out he got a job at an AWESOME school in a different district. It actually worked out perfectly because the school is on the side of town where my parents and other family live & we have been wanting to move over there anyway (we live about 30 mins from them). So then we needed to find a new place to live!
And miraculously, a rental house just sort of fell into our laps - some good friends of ours (who actually live in the SAME neighborhood as my parents) told us about a rental house right next door to them that became available. And it just worked out perfectly and we got the house! So not only are we living next door to some good friends but we are in the same neighborhood as my parents - just about a mile away! I am really close to my family so I am very happy about this And Jacob is excited to be close to Nana & Papa! Plus there is an awesome elementary school IN the neighborhood (close enough to walk!) so Jacob will be at a great school.
It's a win win win all around

Sorry for the novel!!!

Anyway - we are now trying to start packing, etc because we are leaving July 1 for a vacation for 2 weeks. We are taking a road trip to visit John's family in St. Louis, Milwaukee, & Peoria with a couple of other various pit stops - including a day trip to Chicago!
But our new lease starts July 22nd so as soon as we get back it'll pretty much be time to move So yeah, the packing has started now.

I will try to get an update or two up before I leave - I definitely want to finish this TR! It's fun reliving our WDW memories because it was such a fun trip and I don't know yet when we will be back Plus I am only on day 3 so I can't just quit! Lots of fun stuff to come!

​

Fun fact...when I worked at the Disney Store, I had a co-worker who used to work at Hoop! She was in her 50s when we worked together, but when she had graduated high school, she decided she wanted to work at Disney World. Her brother lived/worked in the area, and she showed up on his doorstep one day, and went down to their hiring center EVERY DAY until she was hired as a server at Hoop de Doo! She worked her way up into the accounting department. She works for a theme park in my home state now (still accounting/insurance), but keeps working at the Disney Store to stay with the magic! I think she's almost to 40 years of service now

That is so dang awesome! I would love to work at HDDR or anywhere at WL/Ft. Wilderness - I just love that whole area
40 years is so amazing! Good for her!!

Me too! I miss it so much after the last two trips. The ferries from Boardwalk weren't quite the same!

It's definitely not the same. I love the friendship boats but there's just something so special about the ferry that goes from WL to MK

Aw, he's having so much fun!! This is cute!

I was afraid he wouldn't be into it but he loved it!

I really liked their holiday decorations!

Me too, they fit so perfectly with the theming of the resort. WDW just does it right!

the Dis needs praise hands emojis, because YES.

Oh, bless his heart!! At least he tried it and was a good sport!

I was proud of him for trying! But to this day he says "I did NOT like that ride"

Ugh, a 40 minute wait in that building doesn't sound fun. But the pictures turned out great!

Yes, it definitely ended up being worth the wait!

I think it seems so hot because the park is HUGE and you have to walk out in the sun to get from one place to another. MK and HS are both much smaller so I don't notice it there, but I get similarly warm at Epcot (especially in the World Showcase if I don't duck into a store every once in a while!).

That is true! Epcot & AK are definitely the most spread out...WS even more so! When it's hot, it's HOT.

That's too bad! Hopefully it grows on him in the years to come as it's SUCH a great ride!

I hope so too! Maybe when he's a little older he will try again

I love this meet and greet with Mickey and Minnie! I'm glad you had a great time with them (and I love their Christmas outfits!).

They were Christmas perfection! I never get tired of looking at the pics from that meet and greet

My son also hated EE because it went backwards. I was so bummed because it was my favorite ride of the trip. I'm trying to convince him to give it another try when we go back but he's not budging.

Sounds like Jacob! I tried to convince him to try it 1 more time during that trip (once John got there) and he was like NO WAY JOSE

Definitely!! We like to get up early and make RD, take an afternoon break, then head back out around dinner time and close down the parks!

That is the way to go!!

I'm so going to end up over packing.. Its so hard to tell what to bring when the weather fluctuates so much this time of year!

Girl, seriously. There were a few days it was hot and humid as all get out! And then a couple days it was nice and chilly and perfect during the day. We even got one day of TORRENTIAL rain! You just never know with that crazy Florida weather and you just have to be prepared for all possible weather scenarios

Macaws! The first time this happened to me in the park it scared the ba-jeezus out of me!

I was not expecting it for sure - this was me:

Awe, bummer! At least he was brave enough to try!

Yes, I was definitely proud of him for trying! I am hoping once he gets older he will give it another shot

Ok, I am off to catch up on some of ya'll TR's and PTR's!
And I will try to get another update up by this weekend!
​

 

[MeghanEmily]

Wow, all kinds of news!! Glad to hear the wedding was so nice, and a big congrats to you and your BF on all the exciting new changes! Can't wait to read more updates whenever you get the chance, and hope you have a wonderful trip coming up soon!

 

[xlsm]

We are taking a road trip to visit John's family in St. Louis, Milwaukee, & Peoria with a couple of other various pit stops - including a day trip to Chicago!

Fun!! I LOOOOOVE St. Louis, it's one of my favorite places. DH has a ton of family there. I hope you're making a visit to the zoo, it's one of the best in the US, and...I'm not sure if they still do, but at one time they had dole whip over near the otters. Just FYI Gotta keep a little Disney in every trip, right??

 

[iheartbelle87]

And in the midst of that, my boyfriend got a new teaching job!

Congrats, that's awesome!

And miraculously, a rental house just sort of fell into our laps - some good friends of ours (who actually live in the SAME neighborhood as my parents) told us about a rental house right next door to them that became available. And it just worked out perfectly and we got the house!

Isn't it so nice when things just fall into place?!

 

[rdkeim]

Enjoying your TR! Your son is adorable and he seems to be a great vacation buddy. My DH and I will be there early Dec. so it's fun to read about how your trip went.

 

[mamamelody2]

What a fun TR! Looks like you and your son had a great time!

 

[jediprincess23]

I just started reading your TR- I'm loving it! First of all, I want to say it gives me life that Jacob's first Disney ride that he wants to do is Living with the Land! I feel like that ride is so under appreciated! Also, where did you get your nail stickers? Are they Jamberry? I love them- I booked a trip in mid-November and am already collecting ideas!

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Wow, all kinds of news!! Glad to hear the wedding was so nice, and a big congrats to you and your BF on all the exciting new changes! Can't wait to read more updates whenever you get the chance, and hope you have a wonderful trip coming up soon!

Thank you so much! We are pretty excited! I am working on an update right now, should be up in the next hour or so

Fun!! I LOOOOOVE St. Louis, it's one of my favorite places. DH has a ton of family there. I hope you're making a visit to the zoo, it's one of the best in the US, and...I'm not sure if they still do, but at one time they had dole whip over near the otters. Just FYI Gotta keep a little Disney in every trip, right??

I wish we could make it to the zoo, but we only have 1 day planned there (John's brother lives there too) and it doesn't look like we will have time!
I am especially bummed now because dang it, I would have loved to get a Dole Whip!
Right now the plan is to go to the Arch, the Cardinals all star museum, the Busch brewery tour, late lunch/early dinner, and then the Cardinals game. John is a die hard Cardinals fan so that was the biggest reason for our stop there...his brother just happened to move there a few months ago so seeing him is just an added perk

Congrats, that's awesome!

Thank you!

Isn't it so nice when things just fall into place?!

It really is! Thanks for joining in!

Enjoying your TR! Your son is adorable and he seems to be a great vacation buddy. My DH and I will be there early Dec. so it's fun to read about how your trip went.

Thank you so much! He is definitely a great vacation buddy
Early Dec was a great time...the crowds weren't too bad at all! Plus all the decorations are beautiful...you'll love it!

What a fun TR! Looks like you and your son had a great time!

Thanks for joining in! We definitely did!

I just started reading your TR- I'm loving it! First of all, I want to say it gives me life that Jacob's first Disney ride that he wants to do is Living with the Land! I feel like that ride is so under appreciated!

Why thank you!! And yes, he and I both really love Living with the Land! I have never understood why that ride doesn't get more love, I think it's pretty dang awesome

Also, where did you get your nail stickers? Are they Jamberry? I love them- I booked a trip in mid-November and am already collecting ideas!

They are Jamberry! I got lots of compliments on them the entire trip

Thanks for reading along!

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Chapter 3
Part 2
The rebellion or the dark side?

So when I last left off, Jacob and I had decided to grab a bus over to Hollywood Studios. Animal Kingdom had gotten a little busier in the afternoon and we had done everything we wanted to do for now. Plus I knew we'd be back a few days later with John!
We got to HS (in my head I still call it MGM!) and I got a picture of Jakey in front of their tree:
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Tried to anyway...the tree is huge and the sun was bright!

Here's a better one of the tree:
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

Now my memory is a bit fuzzy on the details at this point but I believe we grabbed a snack. We'd had lunch at DAK at Flame Tree BBQ but we shared a meal and Jacob was already feeling peckish. So we grabbed a Mickey pretzel and a drink and sat and people watched for a bit.
We walked by Olaf's meet and greet and the posted wait time was only 10 mins so we hopped in line. He's so cute!! We really enjoyed meeting him...we discussed our summer plans which included our snow butts in the sand probably getting gorgeously tanned
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

Star Tours was next on the agenda...the posted wait was 45 mins but we only waited 20!
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
We came off Star Tours and made our way to the Launch Bay...along the way we spotted these fellas out and about:
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

We are huge Star Wars fans so we are LOVING all the Star Wars stuff in the parks. So cool to see Stormtroopers just randomly "patrolling" the area in HS!
We got to Launch Bay with the intention of meeting Chewbacca and Kylo Ren. Luckily there was only a 15 min wait posted for each one.
Pretty soon we were meeting Chewy! It was an AWESOME meet! He gave us both huge wookie hugs and high fives. Chewie gives the best hugs in case you were wondering!
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

Kylo Ren was next...or should I say Matt?

​

Anyway...not gonna lie. He was PRETTY dang intimidating. Like...seriously. I was a little nervous meeting him!! He's so tall and the all black ensemble and the mask...yikes! I was surprised at how nervous I was
Jacob on the other hand...no fear. Here's how their conversation went:
Kylo: "I can sense that you are very powerful. Join the dark side and I can help you harness that power."
Jacob: "....do I get to build droids? If I get to build droids I'll join the dark side with you."



Apparently it doesn't take much for my kid to join the dark side! Guess I better sleep with one eye open
Here's our photo with the daddy killer...and that's my nervous smile in case you were wondering:
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr​

And here it is again...while Jacob looks perfectly happy talking to him!
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

After our close call with Kylo, we met up with some jawas! They are so cute and fun...I loved them!
We didn't trade anything...yet. We'd be back the next day ready to trade and again a few days later with John!
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

After we finished up at Launch Bay, we headed over to One Man's Dream.
A. I love this exhibit and I hope they NEVER get rid of it. If they do...

​

Just saying!

B. There was a Moana meet and greet that I wanted to go to!

At this point we hadn't seen Moana yet but I knew we would be seeing it soon (spoiler alert - we loved it!) and I wanted to meet her!

She was soooooo cute and fun! She was great with Jacob...she asked him how he had gotten here. He told her that he flew here and she said "I knew it! I could tell you were a shapeshifter!"
We didn't "get" the joke at the time but it was still funny - then after we saw the movie it was even funnier!
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr​

Jacob really enjoyed her hugs if you can't tell

I believe after we met Moana, we grabbed some dinner at Rosie's All American - just burgers and fries for both of us. Then we hopped on the Great Movie Ride...we both like this one!
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

One we finished on GMR it was getting close to the showing of Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! I hadn't planned on us seeing it tonight but we were there so might as well.
One of the things I loved most about HS was how Christmas-y it felt! I love Hollywood Studios and have never considered it a half day park. I could seriously spend hours just soaking in the atmosphere. I love that "old Hollywood" feel of the park. And at Christmas time it was just pure magic. The decorations at HS were beautiful!
At the end of JBJB! there was snowfall...or "snope" as @xlsm refers to it
It made for a beautiful sight!
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
("Take a look in the 5&10, it's glistening once again, with candy canes and silver lanes aglow )

My crappy i-phone pictures don't really do it justice...it was beautiful, especially at night!

After JBJB was over, we headed out of the park. Where we proceeded to wait in the longest line EVER for a ferry back to Beach Club. In hindsight we should have just walked...we would have gotten there faster! We ended up waiting almost an hour for a spot on the ferry...crazy! Never again. The next time we were at HS at night we ended up just walking back to Beach Club. Took us about 15 mins...way quicker than waiting for the darn ferry at closing time!
We finally made it back to Beach Club and called it a night:
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

Tomorrow we'd be back at Hollywood Studios!



​

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Chapter 4
Part 1
Hooray for Hollywood!

The next morning, we were up bright and early again...you know, the usual!
We grabbed a croissant and a chocolate chip muffin from the Beach Club Marketplace and headed straight to the dock to wait for the ferry. We wanted to be at HS before it opened because today was the day Jacob was going to sign up for Jedi Training Academy! He'd been looking forward to this and today was the day I'd planned for us to sign him up.
I absolutely love the BC/YC/Boardwalk area in the morning. It's so photogenic and pretty!
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

Ok, enough with the photo spam...I just can't get enough of the Epcot area resorts

We arrived at HS and made it about 15 mins prior to park opening. But right when we got there, they started letting people in. Score! We headed straight for JTA sign up's...and into the longest line ever. It. Was. So. Long.
Oh well, this was why we got here as early as we did. I just hoped he would make the cut off! Of course, there were a bunch of people "saving spots." Grrr...one of my pet peeves. I don't mind saving seats/tables but it annoys me when one person is waiting in line and then they have their 21851891 million family members come join them!

Luckily the line moved pretty quickly and before we knew it, Jacob was all signed up for JTA! I signed him up for the 1:00 show...which meant we had to report by 12:00. We had a Sci-Fi ADR for 11:30. Would we make it in time??? Guess you'll just have to see!
Oh, they also gave us 4 anytime FP's (and each FP gets up to 5 guests in at a time) to use for being patient and waiting in that long line. Which I thought was really cool b/c we weren't expecting anything!
They came in handy a few days later when John was there with us

Once we finished getting Jacob signed up for JTA, I decided I needed some Starbucks. And I got this "artistic" photo:
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

Right as I was drinking my Starbucks, the first "March of the First Order" of the day started. We loved this and never got tired of seeing it and hearing the music piped in at the park!
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

Our first FP of the day was at Toy Story Mania - so much fun! I love this ride!
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

I beat Jacob because I am not one of those moms that lets their kids win!
#sorrynotsorry


We got this fun photo outside of TSMM:
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Love those guys!

After TSMM we just walked around a bit, wandering in and out of stores, etc.
As I said before, I LOVE the atmosphere at HS and enjoy just walking around here.
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

Then we came across THIS fabulous group of guys and gals...
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
The Streetmosphere Performers!!
Seriously, if you've never stopped to watch them, DO IT. They are hilarious!!
And one of my Disney dreams came true...I got picked to be a park of their skit!! They usually pick people from the audience to participate and I've always wanted to get picked but I never have. And I got picked!! I am SO sad I didn't think to give Jacob my phone to take some pictures so unfortunately I don't have any photographic memories of my fabulous WDW performance debut. But just take my word for it, it was fabulous!
I had so much fun with those guys, they are so funny!

After it was over, I checked the time and it was nearing 11. Our ADR for Sci-Fi wasn't until 11:30 but I figured we would walk over and see if we could get seated early...since we were supposed to report for JTA at 12.
Would we get in early? Stay tuned to find out!

​

 

[MeghanEmily]

We walked by Olaf's meet and greet and the posted wait time was only 10 mins so we hopped in line. He's so cute!! We really enjoyed meeting him...we discussed our summer plans which included our snow butts in the sand probably getting gorgeously tanned

I keep missing Olaf since he got to DHS, so maybe this summer! He looks so cute! What a fun meet

Kylo: "I can sense that you are very powerful. Join the dark side and I can help you harness that power."
Jacob: "....do I get to build droids? If I get to build droids I'll join the dark side with you."

Wow! You'll need to keep an eye on that one! That's hilarious.

B. There was a Moana meet and greet that I wanted to go to!

At this point we hadn't seen Moana yet but I knew we would be seeing it soon (spoiler alert - we loved it!) and I wanted to meet her!

Moana! Love! I wish I'd gotten to see her while she was there.

Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Jacob really enjoyed her hugs if you can't tell ​

This is adorable. How cute are they?

I beat Jacob because I am not one of those moms that lets their kids win!
#sorrynotsorry

Oh my gosh, this will absolutely be me if I have kids. No mercy.

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Chapter 4
Part 2
A far out lunch & battling the dark side!

We walked over to Sci-Fi Dine in and I wanted to see if we could possibly get seated early for our 11:30 ADR since we had to report for JTA at 12.
It was only 11 at the moment.
I talked to the nice lady at the podium and explained and she said it wouldn't be a problem for us to get seated early. Hooray! For Hollywood! And Sci-Fi!
True to her word, we got seated almost immediately after checking in.
We were in the last row of a green car...which Jacob loved b/c green is his favorite color. Or blue. Or red. Depending which day you ask him
We had a super sweet waitress - she was attentive without being overbearing which is just how I like it!
I ordered a Michelob Ultra & a water and Jacob had a lemonade.
No appetizers...for our meals I had the smoked turkey sandwich w/sweet potato fries & Jacob had the kids popcorn chicken w/ fries.
We really enjoyed our meal here! It's not the greatest food of all time but I've never had a bad meal at Sci-Fi and we love the atmosphere here
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

I settled our check and it was around 11:45 - perfect timing! We headed out and over to the check in area for JTA.
It was pretty warm and the kids wear these Jedi robes...I was glad we weren't there in summer because he would have been even hotter!
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

I love that they assign a PP photographer to each group of kids, the PP pictures came out way better than mine! Here are a few:
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

Jedi Training Academy was awesome...Jacob really loved it! That was one of his favorite parts of our trip! And I think it's awesome that you don't have to pay extra for them to participate in this. WDW is so expensive so "free" is always a good thing! If your kid is at all interested in Star Wars, I highly recommend signing them up for JTA! Just make sure you get there before park opening because those slots fill up fast!

Coming up next...some more HS fun and an evening at Disney Springs!​

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Chapter 4
Part 3
Finishing our day at HS & an evening at Disney Springs

After Jacob finished up battling Darth Vader and using the force against Kylo Ren (or maybe he was faking it since Kylo might be his boss someday ) we (actually I) decided we would see the Frozen Sing Along show.
Jacob wasn't SUPER into this idea...but once the show started he loved it! The "historians" who narrate the show were so funny and had us both laughing the whole time!
Frozen wasn't a huge deal in our house for obvious reasons but we both enjoyed this show a lot. Definitely would see it again!
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

Plus, it "snowed" in the theater at the end and Jacob loved that

So here's where things got a little ridiculous.
After the Frozen show, I decided we'd grab a bus over to Epcot. But once we got there, Jacob begged to go to the Lego store at Disney Springs. There were a couple other stores I wanted to see there so I figured...why not?
Except there's no bus to DS from any parks before 4 pm. And it was only 3.
Ok, no problem...we'd just walk to Beach Club via the IG at World Showcase and catch a DS bus from the resort.
You got all that? We took a bus to Epcot from HS and then trekked through Future World, to World Showcase, to the International Gateway to Beach Club to catch another bus to Disney Springs. Like I said...ridiculous
We probably could have just waited till 4 for the bus from Epcot TBH. But lesson learned! Plus I got some nice pics from around and of Spaceship Earth so no one's complaining right?
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

We finally made it to the bus stop at Beach Club and luckily the bus gods took mercy on us and a bus pulled up right as we got there
Pretty soon we arrived at DS!
Now...I had not been here since they completely re-did this area. It was still Downtown Disney last time I was here.
It is completely huge and confusing now! I had so many issues navigating my way around DS, even with a map! Now I am directionally challenged even on a good day so the new Disney Springs REALLY threw me for a loop
I kept trying to find a certain place on the map and then we'd walk in what I thought was the correct direction but...nope!

I will say, I thought Disney Springs looked beautiful! As confusing as it was for me, I still enjoyed it a lot. I know some people feel like it's just a glorified outdoor mall, but I really liked it
However, we were there on a Saturday night. What was I thinking?!
It was packed! I am talking wall to wall packed. It was insane how many people were there.
Here are a couple pics I snagged:
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

Originally I had an ADR for Raglan Road but I cancelled it. Then I thought about Morimoto Asia, Homecoming, Frontera Cocina...ultimately I decided on...nothing. I was so indecisive and ended up forgoing an ADR altogether. I figured we would either eat counter service at Epcot or grab something quick service at DS.
Once we were there I decided I really wanted to have dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express...eventually about 75 years later I got my bearings and found it
I had the oven roasted salmon with cauliflower puree & broccolini. Jacob had the kids macaroni and cheese. No pictures but both were delicious!

After dinner we went to a few stores, including the Lego store where we spent about an hour. We have a Lego store in San Antonio too but this kid can always spend a lifetime there!
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr
Untitled by Veronica Villarreal, on Flickr

I ended up buying a few things at the World Of Disney store. A key chain, a lanyard for work, and a Donald Duck ornament for John. A tradition we started was to buy each other a Christmas ornament every year so this was his b/c Donald Duck is his fave

It was about 8:30 at this point and Disney Springs was showing no signs of letting up on the crowds any time soon. I decided we'd head back to Beach Club, shower, relax, and call it a night. John's flight arrived at about 9:30 and he arrived to Beach Club at 10:30-ish.
Jacob was already asleep but I waited up for him. Once he arrived, he got settled in and we went to sleep because tomorrow was an Epcot day and we'd be giving John his first real taste of WDW!!


This is the last update for a few weeks, possibly longer. We leave Saturday for a 2 week vacation and then once we get back we have to stark packing and get ready to move into our new house. Hopefully by late July I'll be able to get another update up!
Thanks again to everyone who's reading along!

​

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

I keep missing Olaf since he got to DHS, so maybe this summer! He looks so cute! What a fun meet

He was SUPER cute. And I noticed he never had a very long wait so you should definitely go next time you're there!

Wow! You'll need to keep an eye on that one! That's hilarious.

Seriously, I was a bit concerned

Moana! Love! I wish I'd gotten to see her while she was there.

She was the best! I just read she got replaced with Star Lord & baby Groot...I love me some baby Groot but I definitely hope they bring back Moana at some point

This is adorable. How cute are they?

She was great with him

Oh my gosh, this will absolutely be me if I have kids. No mercy.

hahaha seriously! I don't believe in letting him win just because he's a kid, he's gotta beat me fair and square

 

[MeghanEmily]

You're going to town with the updates today! I have to work harder to keep up! Should have saved my commenting till this update, but that's ok.

Jacob wasn't SUPER into this idea...but once the show started he loved it! The "historians" who narrate the show were so funny and had us both laughing the whole time!

Even Nathan liked the Frozen show, but only because of the hilarious historians! I like that they've made it a funny/fun experience and keep it pretty gender-neutral. We would totally go see it again.

I had so many issues navigating my way around DS, even with a map! Now I am directionally challenged even on a good day so the new Disney Springs REALLY threw me for a loop

I also have a terrible sense of direction! When we went there the first time it was by cab, so it looked mostly the same to me, but when we went to find the bus stop and had to go through the whole new section I was totally lost!

A tradition we started was to buy each other a Christmas ornament every year so this was his b/c Donald Duck is his fave

This is sweet! We've started trying to buy a Disney ornament for our tree whenever we go to WDW.

We leave Saturday for a 2 week vacation and then once we get back we have to stark packing and get ready to move into our new house. Hopefully by late July I'll be able to get another update up!

Have an awesome trip, and good luck with your move! We'll be here when you get back.

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

You're going to town with the updates today! I have to work harder to keep up! Should have saved my commenting till this update, but that's ok.

I figured I may as well get as many updates up as I could since it'll be a while before I can post again!

Even Nathan liked the Frozen show, but only because of the hilarious historians! I like that they've made it a funny/fun experience and keep it pretty gender-neutral. We would totally go see it again.

Yes, we would too! It was so funny! I really enjoyed it and so did Jacob!

I also have a terrible sense of direction! When we went there the first time it was by cab, so it looked mostly the same to me, but when we went to find the bus stop and had to go through the whole new section I was totally lost!

I'm so glad it's not just me... I was honestly so lost wandering around DS

This is sweet! We've started trying to buy a Disney ornament for our tree whenever we go to WDW.

My family always did that too! I started that as well...we picked out a family ornament too & had it personalized

Have an awesome trip, and good luck with your move! We'll be here when you get back.

Thank you so much!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

looks like you guys had a lot of fun. I am planning Uber gift cards for the rides to hotels and rides to Disney Springs. I hate that they don't have bus to Disney Springs except after 4.