Party of 13 in the Most Magical Place on Earth a March 2018 trip Update: 7/23/2018

[ariane37]

We made it to China for a snack. Spring rolls from the flower and garden kiosk

Mmm, we missed these on both our trips during F&G this year but always enjoyed them in the past. I love the sauce that's served with them.

I had never experienced Illuminations. It was not my favorite night time show at Disney. I'm glad we did not try to keep the kids out late to watch. I really don't think they would have enjoyed it. It was really underwhelming.

Aw well, at least now you know, and I like to experience everything in Disney myself just to form my own opinions anyway. It's not my favorite nighttime show either and unlike when they replaced Wishes, I won't be all that sad if they end up replacing Illuminations like the rumors say.

You know, every once in awhile I used to hear of a child actually pulling the sword out of the stone, but I haven't in a long time. Wonder if they still ever do that?

 

[mommaof3boys]

Hooray for an adults only evening in Epcot! Sounds like it was a lot of fun; you guys seemed to have made the most of it. The Pineapple with rum dole whip is one of my favorite adult treats at Disney!
That beer topper that turns bottles into steins....I've never seen that before but it's genius!

It was a very fun night! The stein toppers are fun and way cheaper than buying a stein.

This is what I love about the new fast pass system.

I love being able to edit fp on the go, so nice!

Great photo!

Thank you!

Glad you were able to swap your Splash FPs for Pirates after everyone said they wanted to ride again.

Collecting all the different types of Disney stickers is a fun little activity for the kids. My children have stumbled upon a couple really cute ones over the years.

French fries and cupcakes...I'm sure your kids loved that lunch! Disney is great for those kind of sweet indulgences.

That's great that the CMs let your DD get photos in the portrait area. You ended up with some wonderful pictures.

Now, I have to actually ride Splash Mountain sometime. I finally had my family convinced to ride, and then it was freezing. I guess it's a reason for another trip

I love all of the stickers too.

My kids know cupcakes and French fries would never fly for a meal at home, but it was a perfect treat in Disney.

Thank you, I really like the pictures from portrait area.

Mmm, we missed these on both our trips during F&G this year but always enjoyed them in the past. I love the sauce that's served with them.

It is delicious!

Aw well, at least now you know, and I like to experience everything in Disney myself just to form my own opinions anyway. It's not my favorite nighttime show either and unlike when they replaced Wishes, I won't be all that sad if they end up replacing Illuminations like the rumors say.

You know, every once in awhile I used to hear of a child actually pulling the sword out of the stone, but I haven't in a long time. Wonder if they still ever do that?

I'm glad I experienced Illuminations. I would watch again, but I won't force my family to stay to see it. It will be interesting to see if it is replaced.

My kids sure gave a valiant effort trying to remove the sword. I was afraid they might strain something

 

[kswildcatsX5]

They do still have the show where a child is picked from the audience and they actually are able to pull the sword from the stone we watched it a couple of times. I kept hoping my kids would get picked!

 

[kswildcatsX5]

I seriously didn't know you haven't ridden splash mtn! Jack and I rode it that morning and we were chilly but it was still soooo fun I love splash! Next time you're riding it

 

[mommaof3boys]

I seriously didn't know you haven't ridden splash mtn! Jack and I rode it that morning and we were chilly but it was still soooo fun I love splash! Next time you're riding it

I finally had everyone convinced, then the cold changed their minds. Definitely riding next time

 

[mommaof3boys]

Magic Kingdom Day 2 3/22/18
Best Night Ever
​

After our much needed rest at the condo, we headed back to Magic Kingdom. The park was open until 11 on this night. We parked and took the monorail to the front gates.

IMG_6790 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6792 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

My parents and Brett and Haley and family had been spending the day together at Magic Kingdom. They didn't leave the park and were still there.

Earlier in the afternoon, I had made a fp for the Tomorrowland speedway. That would be our first stop. Trent drove his own car. Brody drove his own car. Annabelle and I rode together and Peter and Ronan rode together.

IMG_6797 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

Those cars are not easy to drive! After our spin around the track, the kids made some driver's licenses.

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_8205965963 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_8205964289 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_8205964151 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

I just realized Brody's didn't show up on our MM.

After our Photo Booth fun, Annabelle was begging to ride the Peoplemover again. I was texting with Haley at this point planning to meet for castle pics.

IMG_6798 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6807 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We made our way to meet the rest of the family in front of the castle for pictures. We stopped for some family photos first.

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_410299113603 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_410299857412 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_410299857427 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

The rest of the family showed up and we got our pictures taken.

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_410299617731 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

Jackson and I were both wearing our Stitch sweatshirts, so we got pictures together

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_410299617862 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

My dad wasn't feeling well, so he and my mom headed back to the condo. Brett and Haley were going to get a spot for HEA. We headed to CHH for dinner. It was around 7:30 at this point.

Continued in the next post...

 

[mommaof3boys]

Magic Kingdom Day 2
Best Night Ever
​

We made it to CHH. We ordered the lobster roll and 2 trio meals to share. We sat upstairs. It was nice and quiet up there. We were able to recharge and get ready for a full night ahead. My mom bought the kids glow accessories prior to the trip. I put them together while we ate.

IMG_6810 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6812 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6813 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

29511181_10104803230828881_6062565605047506320_n by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

After dinner, we headed to IASW to use our FP I had made earlier. Ronan had learned the words by this ride, so he sang along the entire ride. He decided to tell his teacher when she asked, "What did you do for Spring Break?" He was just going to bust into song. He is so much personality in one little guy!

After we tapped our bands at IASW, I got on the app and got us a FP for Barnstormer. We headed in that direction. This was our first time riding this ride. Everyone was in agreement that it was fun but very short.

I made a fp for Pirates, while we waited for Barnstormer. After Barnstormer, we decided to finally buy a popcorn bucket. We had been in Disney all week and were just now getting our bucket. We decided on the Mickey head bucket. It's so cute, and the kids love using it now that we are home.

We started walking toward Pirates. HEA was going on, so we walked and watched the fireworks on the backside of the castle and as we went through frontier land. We went on Pirates using our FP. Our family of 6 was in a boat to ourselves. Sadly, our ride photo did not show up.

After Pirates, I saw that Jungle Cruise had a 5 minute wait. We hadn't been on yet this trip, so we rushed over there. I had never ridden JC in the dark. It was a lot of fun.

IMG_6815 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We were having a great night. The crowds weren't bad, and we were able to get FP for rides we wanted to ride. We were just really enjoying our time as a family. Walking through magic kingdom in the dark felt so magical. The kids were all getting along and being great sports. They were all able to pick rides they wanted to do. They all decided they wanted to head to Enchanted Tales with Belle. We stopped for a popcorn refill on the way. They were closing out their cart, so the CM just gave me the popcorn for free.

The boys had high hopes of being selected as Beast. On our trip 3 years ago, Trent was picked as Beast. Brody and Ronan wanted their turn. We had to wait a few minutes before entering the room where they select the characters.

IMG_6817 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr
Popcorn for the win while we wait!

To the boys surprise, Annabelle was selected as Beast. Brody was picked as Mrs. Potts and Ronan as Chip. Trent really wanted a part. He kept raising his hand. At one point the CM said let all of the kids get a part first, then you can have something if it's left. Trent is a big 11 year old. He and Brody are only 19 months apart, but Trent looks much older. I think the CM thought Trent was a teenager just goofing off wanting to be in the show. He did get to be a picture frame and seemed fine with that. The best was when Peter was selected as the knight. Peter is very low key and not one to volunteer to perform. My whole family was in the show, so I found a good seat to watch and film the fun!

Annabelle was the most precious Beast. When she was supposed to ROAR and scare Belle, she just gave out this little giggle roar. It was too cute and funny. Brody and Ronan were adorable as Mrs. Potts and Chip. Ronan hopped the whole time. Trent was a very nice picture frame. Peter even got into character and did a very nice knight's march. This was a highlight for me. It was something all of the kids and my husband were able to do together. I got to sit back and take in the Disney magic. Belle is my favorite princess and part of the reason our one and only girl is Annabelle. Our own little Belle.

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_410329787041 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_410329790008 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_410329787033 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_410329790033 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_410329787047 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_410329787031 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

Best night ever continued in next post...

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

That's brilliant having the whole family in the cast. I bet it was a fun show to watch.

 

[amazingact21]

How wonderful to have your whole family get to participate in the show! Oh, I can just imagine how special that moment was for you.

You all got a lot of rides accomplished that night. And I agree, Barnstormer is a very short ride!

 

[mommaof3boys]

Magic Kingdom Day 2
Best Night Ever continued
​

After our visit to Beast's library, we headed to our Haunted Mansion FP.

IMG_6823 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

This was the last fp we were able to get for the night. There is something different about riding this ride at night. It just seemed spookier, and I noticed more details on this ride. Peter felt the same way lol. I guess we were really swept away with the theming.

IMG_6824 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

After Haunted Mansion, we headed to Dumbo. I just love the way Dumbo looks at night. This was our first time riding after dark. Peter actually rode with us this time.

IMG_6826 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

From Dumbo, we headed for another ride on Barnstormer.

IMG_6828 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

No one is in line waiting, so the CM said we could just stay on for another ride. The boys decided to ride again. Annabelle really wanted to ride the horses, so we headed to the Carousel for the last ride of the night. We had to walk quickly to make it in time. Annabelle was so happy to finally take a spin on the horses. I loved her excitement and it was fun to finish out the night riding the carousel.

IMG_6829 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6830 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

After our ride was over, it was after 11. We headed toward the entrance. We stopped for a PP picture along the way. Everyone was still smiling!

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_410303898994 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We stopped to let Trent and Brody do a Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom portal. We didn't do this enough on this trip. Trent was pretty bummed we didn't play more.

29542532_10104803231362811_912269516037048805_n by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We left the Magic Kingdom on a Disney high, but the end of the trip was looming and as we walked toward the ferry the kids were saying they weren't ready to leave Disney. We had one Disney day left, and we were going to make the best of it! We stopped for a bathroom break before heading to the parking lot. I checked the K-State score. They were beating Kentucky. If they won, they would head to the Elite 8. This was big for our K-State loving family. We drove to the condo and walked in the door just as K-State won the game! My dad and brother were up watching the game. They were both so excited! Unfortunately, the Elite 8 game did not go well, but fun that we made it that far.

IMG_6834 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr
Steps for the Day

Up Next Animal Kingdom...

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

What a great day for you all

 

[KingdomBound]

Everything Disney dreams are made of!!!

 

[ariane37]

We sat upstairs. It was nice and quiet up there

CCH is our favorite QS and we always sit upstairs. As you said it's quiet, and we enjoy looking out the windows

I had never ridden JC in the dark. It was a lot of fun.

Love Jungle Cruise at night! And Dumbo. And BTMRR, 7DMT.....so many of the rides have such a different feel after dark!

 

[mcjaco]

Did anyone else giggle when they saw the facial expression of the lady on the left of this photo???

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We were having a great night. The crowds weren't bad, and we were able to get FP for rides we wanted to ride. We were just really enjoying our time as a family. Walking through magic kingdom in the dark felt so magical.

Those are the best nights! There is something special about the parks at night.

To the boys surprise, Annabelle was selected as Beast.

I think they like to pick cute little girls to be the beast.

Trent is a big 11 year old. He and Brody are only 19 months apart, but Trent looks much older. I think the CM thought Trent was a teenager just goofing off wanting to be in the show. He did get to be a picture frame and seemed fine with that.

Poor Guy. 11 is hard, you start to get older but aren't ready to not be a kid. Glad he made the best of it as a picture frame.

My whole family was in the show, so I found a good seat to watch and film the fun!

That is really pretty awesome. Andy never gets picked but I think that is because he always has a big DSLR camera in his hands.

I got to sit back and take in the Disney magic. Belle is my favorite princess and part of the reason our one and only girl is Annabelle. Our own little Belle.

I love it!

I love that the cast member is laughing as well! She makes a great beast!

Annabelle was so happy to finally take a spin on the horses. I loved her excitement and it was fun to finish out the night riding the carousel.

Great way to end the evening!

We stopped to let Trent and Brody do a Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom portal. We didn't do this enough on this trip. Trent was pretty bummed we didn't play more.

It is so hard to carve out time to do this. Morgan really likes doing it, but we always get all swept up in getting on rides and stuff, it is hard to stop and do this. We did one time, plan a morning to JUST go over and do SMK before heading over to EPCOT for the rest of the day and it actually worked out really well.

 

[mommaof3boys]

That's brilliant having the whole family in the cast. I bet it was a fun show to watch.

It was truly a great moment!

How wonderful to have your whole family get to participate in the show! Oh, I can just imagine how special that moment was for you.

You all got a lot of rides accomplished that night. And I agree, Barnstormer is a very short ride!

Yes, so much fun to watch them all. Barnstormer being so short just means less time for Annabelle to scream.

What a great day for you all

It really was the best

Everything Disney dreams are made of!!!

I really felt the Disney vibes were in our favor

Love Jungle Cruise at night! And Dumbo. And BTMRR, 7DMT.....so many of the rides have such a different feel after dark!

We skipped many of the coasters because Annabelle was not a fan. I will see if I can figure out how to post the GoPro video from 7 dmt. I wanted to ro ride BTMRR and 7 dmt.

Did anyone else giggle when they saw the facial expression of the lady on the left of this photo???

I was really hoping her selfie turned out. The guy in the shades to the right ended up being in a lot of our family photos. He looked like he was one f us

PhotoPass_Visiting_MK_410299617734 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

Poor Guy. 11 is hard, you start to get older but aren't ready to not be a kid. Glad he made the best of it as a picture frame.

It is a hard age. He got teary eyed leaving MK that night saying he wouldn't even be a kid next time we come to Disney. I told him I'm 36 and still a kid at Disney!

 

[mommaof3boys]

We have a busy last couple of weeks. The school year ended and now we are all home for summer. Ronan participated in his school wide talent show last week. He was a banshee trainer. I thought he was adorable and all of the kids thought his banshee was pretty cool. I'm hoping to finish up this trip report soon. Now that I'm off for summer, maybe I will have more time.

Ronan the banshee trainer!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Fellow person from Kansas joining in!

Joining in really late, but I really enjoyed reading your report so far!

I have driven to WDW from Kansas before. I traveled through Missouri, Tennessee, a little bit of Kentucky, Georgia, and finally Florida. It is a long trip!

I'm impressed how close you would get for rope drop at some of the parks. I usually arrive before rope drop, but I'm always further behind in the crowd of people. It's awesome that your family had unique experiences with Donald and Daisy!

Looking forward to the rest of your TR!

 

[mommaof3boys]

Fellow person from Kansas joining in!

Joining in really late, but I really enjoyed reading your report so far!

I have driven to WDW from Kansas before. I traveled through Missouri, Tennessee, a little bit of Kentucky, Georgia, and finally Florida. It is a long trip!

I'm impressed how close you would get for rope drop at some of the parks. I usually arrive before rope drop, but I'm always further behind in the crowd of people. It's awesome that your family had unique experiences with Donald and Daisy!

Looking forward to the rest of your TR!

thanks for reading along! It is a long trip. The Donald and Daisy experiences were a lot of fun. Definitely helped the antsy kids while we waited in line.

 

[mommaof3boys]

Animal Kingdom Day
3/23/2018
​

Today we were heading to Animal Kingdom. Brett's family would also be going to AK. My parents were heading to a wine tasting place in Winter Park, FL.

We got to the park right at the 8:00 opening. We stopped for some PP photos first thing. The front of the park was empty. Everyone was in Pandora.

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410305183226 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410305183229 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We then decided to head to Dinosaur. I'm not very familiar with AK, so we missed the turn. We ended up by Mickey and Minnie at the outpost. We decided to stop and do the meet and greet. We were the first family to meet them for the day. It was fun, and they spent quite a bit of time with us.

IMG_6836 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410305265244 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410305265247 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410305267302 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr
Minnie liked my ears!

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410305267306 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

After our meet and greet, we headed to Dinosaur. We went the right way this time. This was my first ride on Dinosaur. On our last trip, Peter, Ronan, and Trent rode. This was the first time for Brody, Annabelle and me. I thought the ride was pretty jerky. Ronan and Brody really liked it. Annabelle hated the ride. She said she would never ride it again.

IMG_6840 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410421056419 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We headed to triceratops spin and primeval whirl. Trent and Peter rode primeval whirl 2 times. Brody, Ronan, Annabelle and I rode Triceratops spin 3 times. On the first ride, Annabelle and I rode in the back of the triceratops and Brody and Ronan in front. On the 2nd ride we tried to switch seats. The CM asked Brody for everyone's ages. He said, "I'm 10, he's 6, she's 4 and she's 36." The CM couldn't stop laughing that Brody told my age. Oh well! We had to switch back since Ronan wasn't 7, even though we were all in the same dinosaur Ronan had to be in front of me. I wish Peter and I would've switched places for one ride. I've never ridden Primeval Whirl.

IMG_6844 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6842 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We then headed to our first FP of the day, Navi River. We took some time to walk around Pandora. We then went on the ride. Annabelle loved it. She wanted to get right back on. That wasn't happening as the wait time was around 100 minutes at 9:25 am!

IMG_6847 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6852 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We looked around Pandora some more.

IMG_6854 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6856 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We got some PP pics in Pandora. You would never know we were in Pandora though. I wish more of the background was showing.

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_410306357849 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

PhotoPass_Visiting_AK_411328521645 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

Haley and Brett text that they were in the park. They were waiting for us to ride the Safari. We were walking past the Lion King show and the 10:00 show was getting close to starting. I text Haley to meet us there. They made it in time and we went into watch the show. I love this show. It is so good. Brett and Haley had never seen it. They all really enjoyed the show.

After the show, we all walked to the safari.

IMG_6857 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6858 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We had a FP for it. We had a really good ride with a lot of animal sightings.

29511726_10100923932733820_7698393423977395550_n by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

29570924_10100924115282990_3253167343593484535_n by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

It's been awhile since our trip, so I will add a few of the pictures I took and try to remember the animals.

IMG_6863 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6871 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6879 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr
These giraffes were play fighting. It was funny to watch. I think they are siblings.

IMG_6885 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6891 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6888 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr
This ostrich blocked our vehicle for awhile. Then, it took off running.

IMG_6892 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

IMG_6893 by Katie Remsberg, on Flickr

We saw quite a few animals. I didn't include all of the pictures I took. I was sitting with Abby and Annabelle and just keeping them in their seats was work. I didn't get very good pictures.

Up next the rest of AK...