SWW, BCR & Technically, we were literally on Mars! New - 8/31 - Final Update

[natebenma]

Awesome I will be following along. Much to my dismay I think we may end up at Universal for parts of our trips as Gabriel gets older. This is exactly what happened with my DS25 & DD21. Once DS turned 12 he prefered Universal and IoA over Disney. We did not completely switch back until Gabriel was 1.

I remember sitting on a plane to Orlando either our 2008 or 2009 trip- we were next to a family with teenagers and when I asked them if they were going to Disney and they said, "No, we go to Universal now"

I shook my head (on the inside) and thought "What a misguided group"

But I get it now.

My teen prefers the thrills at Universal/IoA. We are all blown away by the magic of Harry Potter. And the on-site perks rock.

I don't think it will replace our love for Disney, but there is a place for both in our lives.

Ben still won't try all of the thrill experiences, though, even at age 12.

 

[natebenma]

GREAT afternoon at HS with all of the characters. You got some really great interactions. I believe I read in a trip report that the characters really do not have organized lines and no Photopass photographers.

Did that end up working out ok? Well, obviously, given the number of characters Gabriel met.

The Green Army Men remain my favorite.

I paid my first visits to the Solarium during this trip.

Once was during an early morning, like 5 am, and the television was BLARING! I could hear it from the hallways. I didn't see a remote and didn't know how to change the volume and there was nobody around to turn it down. I snapped a few pictures and moved on.

The other time, I suggested my family wait there for the Magical Depress while I went for a last swim in SAB. We walked through and people were sleeping in the chairs and couches. They asked me "Why would we wait in a room where everyone is passed out like drunks?"

 

[natebenma]

That is a really amazing story about your mom and your warts.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Great picture with Indiana Jones! I had read that on Kennythepirate's site but I think you're the first one I know that's taken advantage of it.

WOW! You hit the jackpot at Characterpalooza! That's so awesome. That really does sound like a record. I'm so excited to experience it myself!

Ugh that movie situation does not sound fun. I would've been frustrated too.

I love your stories about your mom. That one just goes to show that not everything has a scientific backing to it.

 

[lsenquiz]

Wow, 13 characters in 15 minutes! That's got to be some kind of record!

I'm loving your mom stories! I felt your pain on the warts issue. I had one (but a HUGE one) on my wrist in seventh grade. Could not get rid of it no matter what we tried. And we tried for months and months, probably close to a year. I finally gave up and just covered it with a band aid daily. Then, suddenly, literally like overnight, it was just gone. Poof!

Can't wait to read more!!!

Characterpalooza was the biggest highlight of our trip for me. I hope it goes as well on our next trip.

I am a big believer of mind over matter. You hid the wart and it went away. My mom was the one person on earth that could control my mind (I am very strong willed ). That is why she was always the person I wanted by my side in a crisis. She could just look at me and say a few words and make any situation better for me.

 

[lsenquiz]

I remember sitting on a plane to Orlando either our 2008 or 2009 trip- we were next to a family with teenagers and when I asked them if they were going to Disney and they said, "No, we go to Universal now"

I shook my head (on the inside) and thought "What a misguided group"

But I get it now.

My teen prefers the thrills at Universal/IoA. We are all blown away by the magic of Harry Potter. And the on-site perks rock.

I don't think it will replace our love for Disney, but there is a place for both in our lives.

Ben still won't try all of the thrill experiences, though, even at age 12.

It is tough on us Disney lovers when we have to switch over. My DD21 never really bonded with Universal because she never completely warmed up to the thrill rides. So even though she was 12 when Gabriel was born she was happy to see use switch back to Disney when he turned one.(our last trip to Universal/IoA was when I was pregnant with Gabriel)

By that time my DS25 knew that it was Gabriel's turn. He even agreed to celebrate his 21st birthday at Disney because it overlapped with Gabriel's 5th birthday.

 

[lsenquiz]

GREAT afternoon at HS with all of the characters. You got some really great interactions. I believe I read in a trip report that the characters really do not have organized lines and no Photopass photographers.

Did that end up working out ok? Well, obviously, given the number of characters Gabriel met.

They do not have organized lines and if you try to be the polite person we were all raised to be you will not see anyone. Lucky for us we had learned the routine by spending time with the roaming SWW characters so we had developed a balance between not agressively cutting in front of someone but also not standing back until we were 100% sure it was our turn.

The Green Army Men remain my favorite.

My favorite is always Captain Hook and Mr Smee.

I paid my first visits to the Solarium during this trip.

Once was during an early morning, like 5 am, and the television was BLARING! I could hear it from the hallways. I didn't see a remote and didn't know how to change the volume and there was nobody around to turn it down. I snapped a few pictures and moved on.

The other time, I suggested my family wait there for the Magical Depress while I went for a last swim in SAB. We walked through and people were sleeping in the chairs and couches. They asked me "Why would we wait in a room where everyone is passed out like drunks?"

Yuck about the passed out drunks. Seriously they could not make their way to their own room? Gross! The Solarium is not for us either.

 

[lsenquiz]

That is a really amazing story about your mom and your warts.

She was magic

 

[lsenquiz]

Great picture with Indiana Jones! I had read that on Kennythepirate's site but I think you're the first one I know that's taken advantage of it.

I read it on Kenny the Pirate also and then when I did not see anyone going down there I almost didn't do it(we were at the very very top of the stadium). However he was was very happy to take the picture

WOW! You hit the jackpot at Characterpalooza! That's so awesome. That really does sound like a record. I'm so excited to experience it myself!

The only thing I will say is you just can not be overly polite when you are trying to get pictures with the characters. I don't recomment shoving you way in front of anyone but you do need to step right up if there is no one beside the character.

Ugh that movie situation does not sound fun. I would've been frustrated too.

Definitely not a good alternative option

I love your stories about your mom. That one just goes to show that not everything has a scientific backing to it.

Yep. My mom was the one person who could control this strong willed mind of mine

 

[lsenquiz]

Today = Wednesday June 5th

Day 13– MK​

I was very glad we did not have any early morning plans and were able to sleep in after the long night Gabriel had the night before. We slept until 10am and were finally fed, dressed and ready to walk out the door at noon. We headed over to MK as Gabriel had really gotten into the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game and he wanted to get a new set of cards. You can only get one set per day per ticket. This time we decided to get our cards at the Firehouse as soon as we got through the gate. The line was a little longer there so I recommend getting them in Liberty Square. While I waited I did notice the family in front of me was wearing Magic Bands so I took the opportunity to grill them on how they were liking them. They said so far they loved them. However, when they got to the front the Magic Bands did not seem to be working to get card packs for the Sorcerer game. In fact the employees in the Firehouse seem dumbfounded on what the bands even were So they had to step out of line and wait for a manager.

After that we headed over to Adventureland. The Move it Shake it parade came by while we were on our way. We had been missing it all week because of the rain so we stopped to watch. They did not do the part where they stop and dance because it was starting to rain again. I also did not get any pictures because I did not want to get my camera wet.

It was raining pretty hard by the time we got to Adventureland but we got in line and rode this anyway:


DSC04283 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

It actually stopped right before we got on which thrilled Gabriel and he was not looking forward to riding in the rain. Next we took a ride on the Liberty Square River boat (another first for us).


DSC04284 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr


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I struck up a conversation with another family while we were on the boat, It was their first trip and as soon as the mother realized I had been multiple times she asked me for advice on what they should do if they wanted to see everything in Magic Kingdom in one day. I told her IMO that was simply not possible. Her husband gave me a relieved look and said see I told you so. I gave her all the advice about knowing what you’re must dos are, rope drop and using FPs to your advantage and then told her to use the DIS to plan her next trip as she was carrying one of those Disney trip planning books around with her. The boat ride was fun but did not get added to our must do list.

Next up was another first for us:


DSC04297 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr


DSC04292 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

I engaged the CM in a conversation on the boat ride over about the paint brushes. She said they had to stop hiding them because guests were putting their lives in danger trying to find them. They were climbing up on buildings thinking that some might be hidden there. She did not seem overly impressed with the intelligence of those guests . She did say they were trying to implement a scavenger hunt on the island but it had not gotten all the necessary approvals yet. Gabriel loved this place and though I feel no need to go back I guess it will be a must do for us.


DSC04296 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr


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After that we headed over to the Jungle Cruise. I had picked up FPs for this before riding the Carpets. The guide was one of the best we have ever had. She was actually funny.


DSC04325 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr


DSC04319 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

Continued in next post:

 

[lsenquiz]

After we finished up with Jungle Cruise we watched the Dream come True parade from Frontierland. We walked up about 5 minutes before the parade was supposed to start and got front row seats. I was really bonding with this parade watching location.


DSC04327 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr


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DSC04342 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

After that we took a little break and had a drink over by the Sunshine Tree Terrace (mostly because I wanted to get Gabriel an Orange Bird). While we were sitting there Kenny asked me what the Tiki room was. I told him I was not sure but had read a lot of bad reviews so we would not be doing it.

Next another first for us:


DSC04345 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr


. by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

Yep that’s right we have never in all our trips seen the Country Bear Jamboree. Well, let me just say that one will not be going on the must do list. In fact, it is crossed off the list for life. Half way through the show, Gabriel looked over at me and said “this is torture”. At the end of the show Kenny said “If we can sit through that I think we can sit through the Tiki room”. So Tiki room got added to our list for September.

After that we went to Casey’s for some lunch. We snagged a table outside right by the fence. It was nice until the family next to us started feeding the ducks and the ducks went crazy. Another huge pet peeve of mine, if the sign says do not feed the ducks then don’t feed the darn ducks!!. I finally told them to stop (in a not very nice voice) as the ducks were ready to attack. They seemed offended and my let’s not make waves husband said maybe they did not see the sign. My response was give me a break the signs are everywhere. (I know not very nice).

We headed back to the room after that because it had started to pour and when I say pour I mean monsoon type rain and we had done everything we wanted to anyways. Below is a video of Gabriel’s attitude toward the rain.

Zippidy Doo Da Video

I was shocked at the number of people on the bus with us that did not have ponchos or any rain gear at all. I cannot image coming to Disney without a poncho . Let me tell you those people were wet. I mean jumped in a lake then got on the bus wet. There was one child on the bus that was probably 2 that was soaked from head to toe and he was shaking so bad from being cold from the bus air conditioning that I started to get worried. If I had had one single extra piece of dry clothing I would have given to him for sure.

It was still pouring when we got back to the resort so we just headed to the room. Gabriel stopped for a quick picture along the way.


DSC04352 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

It continued to pour for the rest of the day so I was glad that our dinner reservations were in our actual resort. We were eating at Cape May. Kenny and I had eaten here once before and were on the fence about whether it was worth the price so we wanted to give it one more shot. Dinner was nice but the bottom line is we simply do not eat enough to make a buffet worth our money. I did enjoy the crab legs but was the only one as no one else in my family likes seafood. Without the characters there was really no way for me to justify it.

After that we headed to the room for an early night.

Up next, A tropical storm and more

 

[indimom]

Wow, another great update and character photos!
Have you ever done a count to see how many you've got (and how many you have to go to "get them all"?) That would be something else!
I just had to tell you: Emily saw Gabriel's backpack on our trip, and fell in love. I think if she had been just a couple years younger, she'd have gone for it. Ewoks are so cute. But, those teen years have hit hard, so she would only admire it in the store, then move on.

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

How did you guys enjoy the SotMK? I can't decide if it's something we'll enjoy.

Glad it stopped raining before Gabriel rode! It's always so rewarding when you can share some of your knowledge with other families. I'm always glad when people ask a question because there were so many times when I saw people struggling to figure things out and I so badly wanted to go over and guide them but I didn't want to be rude.

Liberty Square Riverboat looks relaxing. I don't think it'll be a must-do for us either but I'm excited to experience it.

Wow people are insane. I feel like a few extremes like that always ruin things for everyone. I thought Tom Sawyer island was cute but I could totally see how younger boys would love it. The whole time all I could think about is how much my little brother would enjoy it!

I'm so sad that Jungle Cruise is going to be closed in September!

Love the Celebrate a Dream pictures!

Oh no! After that review, I'm intrigued to see how we feel about the Country Bear Jamboree.

I would've responded the same way with the people feeding the ducks.

Aw what an adorable video of Gabriel!

Uh-oh a tropical storm doesn't sound good.

 

[lsenquiz]

Wow, another great update and character photos!
Have you ever done a count to see how many you've got (and how many you have to go to "get them all"?) That would be something else!

Funny you should ask. I did one for this trip. I plan to post it at the end of this trip report.

I just had to tell you: Emily saw Gabriel's backpack on our trip, and fell in love. I think if she had been just a couple years younger, she'd have gone for it. Ewoks are so cute. But, those teen years have hit hard, so she would only admire it in the store, then move on.

I know what you mean. Gabriel was even a little harder to buy for at the start of this school year(he started back to school on Monday) because he kept insisting that he did not want anything that made him look like a little kid. I tried to explain to him that he is a little kid but he was having none of that .

 

[lsenquiz]

Great pics!

 

[lsenquiz]

How did you guys enjoy the SotMK? I can't decide if it's something we'll enjoy.

Honestly I am still not sure I know what I am doing. You watch a video then you hold up one of your cards and it will play another video specific to your card then send you to another station. I do not think there is any strategy at level 1 where we were at but have heard that it gets harder if you level up. It takes about 4-6 hours to defeat all 8 villians which is why we could not do it in one trip.

Glad it stopped raining before Gabriel rode! It's always so rewarding when you can share some of your knowledge with other families. I'm always glad when people ask a question because there were so many times when I saw people struggling to figure things out and I so badly wanted to go over and guide them but I didn't want to be rude.

I agree! People are usually very appreciative of getting advice especially when they are not sure what to do next.

Liberty Square Riverboat looks relaxing. I don't think it'll be a must-do for us either but I'm excited to experience it.

I agree. We will probably do it every few years.

Wow people are insane. I feel like a few extremes like that always ruin things for everyone. I thought Tom Sawyer island was cute but I could totally see how younger boys would love it. The whole time all I could think about is how much my little brother would enjoy it!

Honestly I was not too fond of the Island. It was hot and when we were walking out I found a bug in my shirt . However, you are correct it is a boys paradise.

I'm so sad that Jungle Cruise is going to be closed in September!

I just realized this the other day. I had it in our plans to do in September since it is one of our favorites. I was bummed also.

Love the Celebrate a Dream pictures!

Oh no! After that review, I'm intrigued to see how we feel about the Country Bear Jamboree.

I know lots of people that love this (my Aunt and Uncle that will be with us in Spetember included ) so will be interested to hear your review.

I would've responded the same way with the people feeding the ducks.

I think people just don't realize how crazy those birds get when you start feeding them.

Aw what an adorable video of Gabriel!

I just love that he is not embarrased to break out in song anywhere

Uh-oh a tropical storm doesn't sound good.

Yep. We definitely got our share of rain this trip.

 

[lsenquiz]

Today = Thursday June 6th

Day 14 Epcot​

My original plan for this day was to make rope drop for Magic Kingdom. Gabriel wanted to finish the Sorcerers game. However, I had stupidly listened to the weather the night before and convinced myself that going out would be a hazard to our health since they were predicting tornados from TS Andrea. So we laid around the room until about 1pm and I finally realized that we were not going to get weather anything like they had predicted. In fact, IMO it rained less this day than the day before. So we headed over to EPCOT. There were still some things on our must do list that had not been done!

First up was The American Adventure. Another first for us.


DSC04361 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr


DSC04362 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr


DSC04366 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

We enjoyed the show but did not find it as inspirational as the Hall of Presidents. We decided to get a little snack after that. We had eaten a very late breakfast so were not hungry at lunch time. We also had dinner reservations in just a few hours so did not want to fill up. So we stopped at Liberty Inn for a little something. Kenny and I were going to share an order of fries and Gabriel was going to have a hamburger and fries for himself. Kenny went up to order and I ran to the rest room. When I came back I found Kenny and Gabriel sitting here:

I immediately asked what they were doing at a reserved table? I mean there were tons of empty tables in the restaurant. Kenny said we had been chose to be the American family of the day (I am not sure I got that exactly right but it was something like that).


DSC04374 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr


DSC04376 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

I asked where our food was and he said they were bringing it out. Our food came out within minutes carried by three servers on real plates. I started to feel bad that we had just gotten a burger and 2 orders of fries. The servers then stood by the table while we ate to make sure we had everything we needed. We were certainly treated like royalty and were even given a complementary dessert.


DSC04377 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

Normally we are a family that does not do dessert. Seriously we had been here 14 days and had not had one single dessert. We simply do not care for it. However, I made Kenny eat some because I felt bad. He had a couple bites of the cake and then we took the Mickey rice crispy treat to give to my Dad when we stopped to see him on the way home.

I am not sure exactly what we did after that and do not have any notes. Eventually we made our way to the Garden Grill where we were having dinner. Again, another first for us. We checked in and were seated quickly. We saw Dale first:



DSC04378 by Disneyalwaysn4ever, on Flickr

Then Gabriels favorite Pluto


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Then Farmer Mickey.


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And finally Chip


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The food was good. I especially enjoyed the salad. We asked them not to bring out the dessert since we would not eat it so I cannot comment on that.

We headed back to the room after that because Gabriel wanted to watch the movie again since it was going to be Wreck-It Ralph. The movie ended up being in the solarium again. Kenny and Gabriel went down to watch it and I stayed up in the room.

Up next, final day and our final dose of .

 

[lvcourtneyy]

I thought our weather was crazy until I started learning about Florida weather!

Exploring the WS pavilions more is something I want to try to do in September!

Wow how cool and fancy! The free dessert was a nice touch even if you didn't necessarily want to eat it!

Glad you guys enjoyed Garden Grill and the character pictures are adorable!

Sounds like a great relaxing day. Can't believe your trip is almost over already!

 

[lsenquiz]

I thought our weather was crazy until I started learning about Florida weather! !

It can be tricky to figure out but this year especially seems weird.

Exploring the WS pavilions more is something I want to try to do in September! !

We actually spend alot of time in WS due to our resorts close proximity to Epcot but I bet we have not explored even 25% of the World Showcase.

Wow how cool and fancy! The free dessert was a nice touch even if you didn't necessarily want to eat it! !

It was very sweet but actually a little awkward. Having three people watch you eat is not easy

Glad you guys enjoyed Garden Grill and the character pictures are adorable! !

The food was very good and we always love the character interactions.

Sounds like a great relaxing day. Can't believe your trip is almost over already!

I know. I really need to finish this TR up though before it is time to start the next one. I just do not have the time to devote to the DIS during the school months.