Resort Split Stay with MNSSHP (Aug 2025 AKL/SSR)

[Nicnicnic.nic]

After the potty break we made it to rainforest cafe. OMG the kids were blown away. I went to the one at downtown Disney when I was a kid and I remember I really liked it too so that's why I wanted to bring them here





The menu had multiple options they liked which was nice too. They are very picky eaters

And the waitress told us to go look around after she took our order so we did







It was pretty empty too which was nice. And I think every 20 minutes there was a storm and all the robot animals freaked out. Very cool



The ceiling would show the storm

And our food came and mine was massive and so yummy. I got spicy Korean stir fry. I was feeling a little run down and tired today and this really turned it out





The kids loved their food too. DD6 declared this to be her favorite restaurant ever and asked if we could come back the next day. I told her no, it wasn't in the budget and showed her the bill and she was like yeah that's a lot of money (she has started to learn how much things cost, I try to be open about it with her. Plus she has her own money for her shopping) but I promised wed go back on our next WDW trip which she was happy about

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

We went back to our room at SSR via the boats and DS3 and I had some quiet/nap time. I napped and DS3 drank milk and watched Mickey cartoons. DD6 was probably on her tablet.

And then we headed to the community hall. I probably filled up my mug on the way





The kids played and colored a magnet





And then the kids picked out something each to paint. Can you guess what DS3 picked? A brachiosaurus lol DD6 picked a magnet of the castle



Every extra paid activity we did at the community hall this vacation was super reasonably priced. I am pretty sure nothing was over $10. Her magnet for example was $6 and his dinosaur I think was $7. WDW is a very expensive vacation but I think we did a good job of having lots of fun with lower priced activities or included activities. We couldn't go to a paint shop at home and spend less than $50 for 2 kids. I'm glad these types of things are offered at low prices at the hotels.

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

The plan for the night had been to go swimming with DH once he was done with work around 515pm but the pool was closed due to thunder so I texted him to meet us in the community hall.

By 530pm I had not heard from DH and DS3 was breaking down because he wanted to eat. DD6 wanted to stay in the community hall with DH while I fed DS3 but I couldn't get a hold of DH even after calling several times so I just said we all had to go to the room so DS3 could eat and then we'd go back to the community hall later.

When we entered our room DH was eating snacks in the kitchen and I snapped at him to be like what happened why didn't you respond. I didn't realize he had called me back while we were walking back to our room in the rain. Then he snapped back saying basically to chill out work ran late. I apologized but he was still upset. I told him to take DD6 back to the community hall while I fed DS3. So that's what we did.



After DS3 ate some Mac n cheese and I guess played with shoes?

We met back up with them at the community hall. DH was still upset but I didn't know this at the time. We talked it out later after the kids went to bed.

DD6 and DH had made ears for each other while we were gone.



DD6 also colored a bunny stuffed animal.



Then we played some board games and foosball.





DH really liked this foosball table because the sticks didn't poke out on the opposite side ...which meant for us we didn't have to worry about DS3 getting hit in the head....which usually happens with other foosball tables.

DD6 and DH were on a team and beat me and DS3. DD6 was very happy about the win.

Then we realized the pool was open so we got changed and went to the pool. The air was kinda chilly post storm but the pool was heated to the perfect temperature. And the slide was very fun and went through a little cave at the end. I had a great time at the pool. The kids did too. DH was still upset but I didn't realize it at the time.

After a couple hours at the pool DH gave the kids a bath while I got them some chicken tenders from the quick service. After they ate the kids went to bed.

DH and I talked about earlier and got on good terms again

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Friday (MNSSHP!)

Luckily (mostly luck, I had been encouraging the kids to stay up late and sleep in all week) we all slept in

We started getting out of bed around 10am. This is pretty unheard of for my children



After breakfast in the room and getting dressed we had some arcade time (but first we stopped by the community hall to borrow a marker for her bunny so she could write her name on it and we found Maximus)











This was her first time playing pinball. I like how they have older type games too

Then I found a panda Express that was a little bit far away since they nap better in the car...and guess what? They napped in the car everything was going according to plan quite nice so far lol

And then we got back to the room and they are their panda. Panda Express is DD6's favorite food ever. DS3 likes it a lot too. I wanted them to have a good meal in them before the party so I got them food I knew they liked.

We were at the bus stop by 350pm. And it was hot.



Both of their costumes that I got them are actually bathing suits because since it was August I knew it was going to be very hot and I thought there was a good chance of rain so I just wanted them comfy and something that would dry easily. So DD6 is Moana and DS3 is Maui

 

[cruisehopeful]

That's a great idea to use swimwear as costumes.

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

That's a great idea to use swimwear as costumes.

It ended up not raining but DD6 ended up getting soaked on Tianas and she definitely dried way faster than me...I ended up changing my shirt after a few hours of being wet

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

The bus took a little while because the first bus that arrived was already full. We were all happy to be on our way and in the AC once the bus arrived



DS3 might have been slightly nervous. He kept asking if we were going to magic Kingdom. Like he was afraid he misunderstood and we weren't going to get to see the castle or go on rides.

The line wasn't too bad to get in and it looked like it was about to storm so I quickly rented the kids a stroller and was planning on booking it to the dumbo playground (the first requested attraction by the kids)



The stroller picture has a 503pm time stamp.

I was so excited to be in the party! This was my first Disney party and I love spooky season.

Here are some pictures I took on the way to dumbo






So cute Mickey pumpkin!!!!


We got our candy bags in the secret party walk through.


It's hard to see in this picture but Mother Gothel was on a platform talking to guests as they walked in. She was very funny. There was guest dressed as Rapunzel so she was basically asking how her life is going and just being hilarious and condescending. And then she was talking to a mom about her son and she asked the mom if he listens and she was like yeah usually and mother Gothel was like just you wait.

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Oh forgot to mention the bags came with a full size mnm bag.

So anyway we made it over to dumbo and went into the playground and the kids got to playing

Its very cute in there





I think the AC break was probably good for all of us too. Part of the playground was closed off and it looked like they needed to fix it. DD6 got bored kinda quickly and asked to do rides so we went on dumbo first of course. I really like this ride. It's like soaking in vibes



I did not wear a costume but I was wearing my DCL HOTHS shirt

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Next up was little mermaid. Basically I was trying to not walk too far and go on rides with no wait



And then small world





And then DH had arrived! He said he got lost finding us. Usually I'm the one directing us.

He also did not get a treat bag at the front. I'm not sure why he didn't.... because they were handing them out to everyone when we arrived.

Anyway, we backtracked to barnstormer. This was the kids favorite ride last trip but I couldn't take them on it until DH arrived. I think the rule is one adult needs to sit next to each child under 7. I don't remember the rule exactly but I looked it up ahead of time to see if I could take them by myself.





The kids were super happy with their rollercoaster ride and then they said they wanted to trick or treat and there was a trail right next to us so we did that.

But first look at this cute dumbo pumpkin!!!!

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

The photos of us in the treat line are 7:02 pm





DH was able to get a treat bag when we got to the front of the line but it was like a disposable looking plastic one versus the nice thicker plastic ones we got so we all made fun of him. He also tried to get candy from both barrels and the CM very nicely and shyly told him he can't go to both barrels unless he gets back in line. She explained it was 2 so the line moves faster so we made fun of him for that too.

And then we went to the dumbo treat line. The time stamp for the dumbo treat line is 7:11pm so didn't wait long at all



It was funny while we were in line we saw a vlogger live streaming and complaining about the plastic treat bag he just got and then DH was like LOOK the vlogger didn't even know how to get the right bag.

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Then we headed towards pirates...but had some fun along the way. The kids love these statues (me not so much)





Maybe I'll like them more when I upgrade to the new magic band??? Mine is still the old one that needs no charging...I plan to upgrade once it breaks or I lose it

And then we got in the mister. DH was the most brave





There was a pirate band outside the pirate ride but we didn't stop to listen. We were able to walk right on



DH noticed the clouds for the first time and was impressed

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Then we went on the carpet ride. I really like this ride too! Again the vibes but then there's also the camel that spits water! I kept hoping I'd get wet. It was very hot.

And then when we got off and was deciding what to do I saw that Tianas had a posted 10 min wait! So DD6 and I ran over there.

It was not a 10min wait. It was a walk on! Everything so far had been a walk on!

And we got first row. Last trip was the first time we had been on this and I was kinda terrified of when the drop was coming but this time I knew when it was coming so I actually had a lot of fun. And we got really REALLY wet. I know I was just hoping for the camel spit but this was too wet. DD6 was very happy to be wearing a bathing suit



The parade had started while we were on Tianas so we couldn't get back to the boys. So DD6 took some pictures and we watched the parade. I'm not really sure how much of it we watched. I have no pictures of the parade because I was holding up DD6 so she could see. It was cool to see so many villains





Eventually the parade ended and we met up with the boys.

While we were gone they had done a treat trail and went on the carpet ride A LOT of times. DS3 apparently kept saying "again" DH said that for a little while there was basically no one so they got to just stay on instead of having to wait in line again.

Next up jungle cruise. Again a walk on





The captain had designated DS3 as the real captain and kept making jokes about him the whole ride. DS3 ate it up and played along. Very fun.

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Then we headed back to fantasyland and hopped into the Winnie the Pooh line.

The Pooh picture time stamp is 918pm



Next to us the whole hundred acre gang were meeting in super cute Halloween costumes



This was the first ride we actually waited for but it was only like 10-15min. And the kids like playing with the stuff so no issue. I also gave them their glow sticks while in line

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

After Pooh I checked the app and saw mine train only had a 20min wait. We've never been on this ride and I really wanted to try it. We walked over and asked if DS3 was tall enough. The CM said yes but barely and warned us that he may get checked again and we might get told no.

So fingers crossed we got in line. The fireworks started to go off while we were in line



We waited maybe 10min, maybe less. And DS3 was not re checked for his height so we all got to ride.

And we all LOVED it. We all agreed that this is the favorite now. It was fun and adrenaline but not scary or nauseating. And the fireworks were still going while we were riding so that was very special... especially since it was a first ride for all 4 of us.

Then we went to the fairy tale hall treat trail.

And we were surprised by the evil queen and magnificent! This was a very cool surprise. I had no idea this was a thing. But they werent interacting at all the way mother gothel was, they just stood there









DH said they probably just stand there so the line keeps moving

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Then we went to the philharmagic treat trail and guess who made an appearance???!!!!

Donald duck!



People went crazy lol. It was definitely a good vibe

After we got our candy we stopped in the theater and watched some cartoons and ate some candy





DS3 wanted to keep watching but the rest of us wanted more rides. We headed to Peter pan next. I didn't even check the time since everything had been a walk on or a short wait so far.

And this was also a short wait. Maybe 10-15 min

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

BTW I forgot to mention before but it never rained even though it looked like it was going to. Such good luck.

Also I had packed some sandwiches for myself and snacks for the kids and lots of extra waters in our lunch pack with an ice pack so we had been snacking and drinking water between stuff. Usually when we were moving from one place to another. We don't really like the food in MK too much and I was afraid the food lines would be really long since it was the first party night....like maybe all the vloggers would be in food lines? Plus it just helped us save money

Also at some point after Tianas I changed my shirt. (I packed an extra just in case cuz rain)

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Then we headed to autotopia. This is when the kids started to act tired. They went from not tired at all to VERY TIRED.

It was 11:12pm at this point



I rode with DS3 and he drove ....so it was a very jerky ride lol



Apparently DH drove DD6 because she wanted to be driven

We decided to do one last thing since the kids were suddenly tired (and the party was almost over) so I requested monsters inc treat trail. I think the monsters inc show is so funny





It was basically the same thing as normal where they were heckling and interviewing the audience which again I think is always great

DD6 was even interviewed because she looked so miserable





But then she perked up because she was excited to be on the TV and cutely answered all their questions

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

We headed to main St









The time stamp of the castle picture is exactly midnight. I was very happy the kids made it to the end.

DH parked somewhere with the children while I shopped



Shopping was a mad house





I wanted everything but I bought one shirt for myself

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Some ambience pictures





I really like the pumpkin Mickey's







Then I found DH and the children. DS3 had to potty so I stayed with DD6. She was out



Unfortunately we then had to return the stroller. DD6 was a trooper and walked to the bus stop. DS3 was still awake and was also able to walk.

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Here was our stroller set up btw



I had bought hooks ahead of time to use on the rental stroller and they worked out well

The kids fell asleep again waiting for the bus







It was a little bit of a wait but the bus we would get on finally came at 1am and we got the last 2 seats on the bus. We each put a kid on our lap and they fell asleep. I was in a happy daze. I had such a a good time



Also earlier DD6 really wanted to get "one of the cool Disney buses" but we got a boring plain one so she was happily but very tiredly excited that we got a minnie mouse bus

Once we were back at SSR we realized they weren't announcing which stops were which and we didn't know when to get off but luckily the man sitting next to me helped me figure it out

When we got back to the room the kids and DH went right to bed but I had some energy left in me (I drank a monster at 11pm and I had just attended my first Disney party) so I did a load of laundry and showered and packed a little and watched some ancient aliens spin off before I fell asleep