Take the 2 year old they said...It'll be fun they said...They were right!

[ashleymrush]

We finished breakfast at about 9:10 that morning. The park opened to the public at 9:00 that day. I already had my plan created for the morning. Our goal was to hit Frontierland and then head over to do a couple short line items in Fantasyland before heading back to the hotel for naps. All of our FPs were for the evening and we wanted to get as much done as we could before the lines became long.

DS5 is OBSESSED with trains, luckily there is no shortage of them at Disney. Truth be told I could tell him that any ride was a train and we were good to go! With that in mind, we headed off to BTMR first. DH and DS5 went to the ride and got right on with no wait! Unfortunately, my DH can be absentminded about taking photos and didn't take a single one. No biggie though. I took DS2 to the little play area under the train at Splash Mountain while they rode BTMR. Once their ride was over DS5 came running up to me and was so excited about the "fast train" as he refers to it! He LOVED it so much! This was one of those moments where I knew we were good to go on rides. I was so excited!

DS5 and I then decided to ride Splash Mountain before the line began to grow. We were going to Rider Swap at BTMR but he was too excited to ride on a log. So off we went and once again we just walked right on the ride! Gotta love early mornings in the park!


Eagerly looking at what is next to come!


Time for a selfie after a little splash!

After Splash, which DS5 loved also, we decided it was time to go on something that the little guy could do too. It was about 10:30 by the time we headed over to Fantasyland and we had about an hour before I wanted to go back to the hotel. We thought about doing Peter Pan but the line was already 30 minutes and I had a FP for it for later in the week. We opted to go right across the street to It's a Small World. My DH is not a big fan of this ride but he's a trooper and gladly went along. The boys loved the ride and spent the whole ride saying "Look!" "Look at that!" "Look over there!" It was so cute!


It's a Small World photo bomb!!!




Quiet and enthralled...one of the few times on the trip!

After It's a Small World it was time to do something that was a first for me - Prince Charming Regal Carrousel! I know it's crazy but I had never gone on it before. DS5 is a fan of carrousels but DS2 had never been on one before.


We picked out our horse and were ready to go!


DS2 was ready to go until he realized the horse moved up and down. At least we got a pic of him on it before he freaked out. He was fine with DH holding him on the ride.


This guy on the other hand was loving every minute of it!

With DS2's little freak out we decided it was time to go. We needed to get back to the front of the park and decided to take the train up to the front because we knew they would both love it so much! And we were so right!


That is one happy little boy!


By the way, if you haven't noticed, many pics of DS2 are with DH. He was going through a "I only want Daddy" phase for the first few days! I swear DH isn't on 2 year old duty all the time.


WDWRR selfie time! (Once again because DH never takes pictures! I have learned to do it myself. )


He did take this one though, which I love! This is me on !

UP NEXT: An evening at Hollywood Studios!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

gotta love the pre-park opening ADRs and the empty Main st.

... and you really gotta love the puffed french toast

glad the kids did well with the characters - always a worry and how it changes the course of the trip if they like/don't like meeting them

 

[KatMark]

I swear that every TR I have gotten caught up on today that I post a response to, 10 - 30 minutes later there is another update.

The beauty of a very early breakfast...no lines on the rides. This is why DH and I love those early breakfast and morning EMH's. I am so happy that older DS loved BTMR and SM! Smart call on not doing Peter Pan at 30 minutes which I have found usually means 40 minutes. I'm with your DH...NOT a fan of It's a Slow Boat to China, but this those two sweeties, even I would have gone on it to see the pure enjoyment in their faces.

Yes...that is a picture of you saying you were on Cloud 9 enjoying being with your family at the happiest place in the world.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

and yeah for trains! I was sad our last trip that the rail road was down - so that is definitely a priority for our next trip ... I can totally picture my 2yo with the same look on his face as yours

Glad your older son liked BTMRR and Splash - those are two great and classic Disney "thrill" rides

 

[themommy]

The carrousel is great. I can't believe you had never been on it. At least one of the boys enjoyed it. I am soooo stoked that we have a new "speed" rider among us.

 

[ashleymrush]

gotta love the pre-park opening ADRs and the empty Main st.

... and you really gotta love the puffed french toast

glad the kids did well with the characters - always a worry and how it changes the course of the trip if they like/don't like meeting them

I was really glad too. I'm not huge on characters (in fact I avoided them for a long time because they freaked me out a little) but it would have devastated me if the boys didn't at least want to meet Mickey. Luckily we get to meet him not once, but twice on the trip! It really could have put a kink in our plans if they were really resistant though.

I swear that every TR I have gotten caught up on today that I post a response to, 10 - 30 minutes later there is another update.

The beauty of a very early breakfast...no lines on the rides. This is why DH and I love those early breakfast and morning EMH's. I am so happy that older DS loved BTMR and SM! Smart call on not doing Peter Pan at 30 minutes which I have found usually means 40 minutes. I'm with your DH...NOT a fan of It's a Slow Boat to China, but this those two sweeties, even I would have gone on it to see the pure enjoyment in their faces.

Yes...that is a picture of you saying you were on Cloud 9 enjoying being with your family at the happiest place in the world.

I'm thrilled that he loved them too! I've never understood the wait for Peter Pan. It always seems way too long for the kind of ride it is. 30 minutes is my cut off for the ride.

I think the boys would have stayed on Small World all day long if we let them. Twice in one trip is plenty though.

I wish I could go back and have the cloud 9 feeling again today! I did get a thank you picture of Mickey in the mail from Disney World today which totally made my day though! It's the small things like that that make it so special.

and yeah for trains! I was sad our last trip that the rail road was down - so that is definitely a priority for our next trip ... I can totally picture my 2yo with the same look on his face as yours

Glad your older son liked BTMRR and Splash - those are two great and classic Disney "thrill" rides

Bummer about the train being down on your last trip. I would have been so sad since the boys love them so much. If DS5 had his way he would of had a Thomas the Tank Engine magic band but since it wasn't a Disney character I convinced him otherwise.

I hope you have better luck with the train on your next trip.

The carrousel is great. I can't believe you had never been on it. At least one of the boys enjoyed it. I am soooo stoked that we have a new "speed" rider among us.

I'm excited too! As long as he sees the ride he seems to be good with going on it. It's the unknown that still worries him.

 

[ashleymrush]

Before I get too deep into this post, let me apologize for a lack of photos from this evening. As the title gives a hint to, we had a very wet evening which really took away our ability to take a lot of photos.

When we left of we had just finished riding the RR back to the front of the MK. We caught a bus back to AS Sports for lunch and a nap. We ate a yummy lunch at the food court. I must say I was really surprised with the quality and variety of food at the food court. It was SO good! This day called for nachos which were HUGE! I wish I had a photo but I swear they could have fed three people. DH got a turkey sandwich that was "so-so" in his opinion. DS5 got, you guessed it, PB&J! DS2 (who actually turns 2 today!! ) still wasn't wanting to eat and was quite fussy. He ate a few goldfish but that was it. We figured that he was just tired. We headed back to the room and put the boys down. DS2 was out quickly. I decided to leave and stroll around the gift shop a bit. It was my first full day in WDW, sleeping was the last thing on my mind!

When I came back about 45 minutes later, DH was snoring on one bed, DS2 was totally passed out on the other, and DS5 was just laying there looking miserably bored. My boys are excellent nappers (usually 2-3 hours) but DS5 was just too excited to sleep. We had let him skip his nap a couple times before we left so I decided we'd do the same today. I nudged DH to let him know I was taking DS5 down to the pool. We quietly escaped the room after getting ready and headed out to swim. At this point there was no rain, not a cloud in the sky and we dove right in. Unfortunately, because it was just the two of us at the pool and he's not a great swimmer, I didn't get any photos . We had a blast though. After swimming for about 45 minutes we went back to the room. We woke up the sleeping boys and got ready to go to Hollywood Studios for the last day of Star Wars Weekend.

This was the first time we decided to drive to the park. BEST DECISION EVER! I honestly don't know if I'll ever use the buses as my main mode of transportation again. This was so much easier for us. We could leave the stroller in the trunk in the evening (which saved a lot of space in the room) and we never had to wait for a bus at the end of the night. With a 5 year old and 2 year old that could be quite difficult.

We arrived at DHS around 3:45. We had a (useless) FP for Lights, Motors, Action and headed back for the show. I was so excited about the boys watching this show because I knew they would LOVE it. However it was HOT HOT HOT outside and even in the shade at the stadium it was almost unbearable. Snacks kept the boys at bay for a little bit but DS2 was starting to get fidgety. (He doesn't like to sit in one place without moving for long.)

Once the show started the boys were captivated, for a few minutes anyway.



DS2 started to get a little fussy again so I did what all moms with kids do, distracted him with a new "toy." I handed him the spray fan (which is the best invention ever). He then proceeded to drench himself but he was happy and cool so we were equally happy.



Then came the highlight of the show that I knew DS5 would just love! The introduction of Lightning McQueen. I couldn't be happier with this addition to the show. He's so much more current for kids than Herbie was.



Unfortunately, once Lightning was gone they had to set up for the next scene and during the lull both boys got bored and were ready to go. So for the second time, we left a show early. Our next FP was for Toy Story Midway Mania at 5:00. I had received an e-mail that the ride was down and our FP was cancelled. I didn't want to give up that it would be up and running again though so we decided to kill some time. We took a walk over to McQueen and Mater for some photos. DS2 was NOT interested in photo time (I blame the heat and lack off food, not a good combo) so DS5 took some pics by himself. He loved it so much!


This is one of my favorite pictures from the whole trip!


As you can see, the sun was out in FULL FORCE!

We decided to trek over to Muppets 3D and walked in just in time for people to be seated. Once again though, DS2 was not having it. I left DH and DS5 behind to watch the show because I've seen it more times than I can count. DS2 and I took the time to chill in the shade and have a juice. (At this point I was needing a lot more than a juice though )

By the time the boys came out of the show I had great news - TSMM had opened back up! DH wanted to go to Darth Mall for some souvenir shopping (he LOVES Star Wars) but we didn't want to chance missing out on TSMM. As we arrived to TSMM it looked like an ominous cloud was coming our way. We decided to chance it and left the stroller uncovered as we went in. We did have a FP after all. Big mistake! Because the ride had been down, the FP line was still about 20 minutes long. By the time we got out it was raining and the stroller was wet. It wasn't too bad so we threw the boys in it and headed for the little Toy Story souvenir shop across from the ride to wait out the storm. We waited and waited and waited. Finally the downpour turned into a light rain and we decided to take a chance and walk over to our next FP at Star Tours.

DH had ridden Star Tours before the update and was VERY disappointed. I convinced him that the new updates were worth giving it another shot. He took DS5 on the ride (I had no interest, it's just an "eh" ride for me) and I stayed with DS2 again! This time though it was time for some pics while we waited!





And then, out of nowhere...the RAIN CAME AGAIN! DS2 and I ran for cover at Backlot Express where we waited and waited for the boys to get off the ride. Finally they came out with bags of souvenirs! While we were waiting in the rain they were shopping for like 20 minutes! Ugh! But at least they found some cool stuff and we didn't have to go to Darth Mall. They both loved the ride. I was so happy that DH enjoyed the new enhancements.

With the rain coming and going we decided to skip Pizza Planet for dinner as planned go ahead and head back to the hotel. As we left the park a tram was pulling away and we decided to just walk back to the call. Once again...BIG MISTAKE! During our walk the downpour began again! At this point it was almost comical. We walked in the rain, drenched as could be and finally made it to the car.

We got back to the hotel and headed to the food court which was freezing since we were still drenched. I'm sure we looked really cute with our wet hair in the food court. Who am I kidding...my DH is bald! He looked great...I looked like a wet dog! Not like I was trying to impress anyone though.

Because DS5 had no nap and DS2 was as cranky as ever we ate our pizza (and PB&J) very quickly and headed to bed, hoping that tomorrow would be less wet and even more fun!

UP NEXT: AM EMH at AK

 

[KatMark]

First, to the little guy!

I remember the one thing I liked about our stay at All Star Sports was the food court.

How nice that you and oldest DS got away for a swim!

So glad that DH and oldest DS LOVED Star Tours. I can't do it...upsets my tummy. I love that they came out with souvenirs.

Too bad about all that rain. I hate when it rains like that at Disney. I don't mind the 20 minute shower, but that on and off again stuff drives me nuts.

I'm hoping with a good night's rest that the little guy is better on your next day with eating.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Happy Birthday to your son!

Ugh, crazy hot heat and then crazy rain makes for not the best time in a theme park.

Your older son looks so happy posing with Lightening McQueen and Mater!

So, beyond getting tons of souvenirs did you husband like the updated Start Tours?

 

[khertz]

Crystal Palace breakfast is a must on our trips too. I am dreaming of that puffed French toast now that I have read this update!!! So glad both of the boys did well with the characters. DS2 with Pooh is the cutest picture!

So glad DS5 loved Big Thunder! I'm hoping my own DS will not be so terrified of it by the time we go next time so we can take him on it. He loves trains too, but the fact that BTM is a train wasn't enough to cover the fact that it's fast!!

Totally agree on Lights Motors Action...way too hot in those stands! After seeing it a few times, I'm totally over it!

Ugh, the downpours were just following you around!! At least you didn't let it totally ruin your evening.

 

[themommy]

So sorry that the rain plagued y'all! I love the "wet dog" reference. I know the feeling! Next time stay at ASSP I am going to try their nachos and see how they compare to Mexico's. Yummm, now I want nachos! I am glad they liked the new Star Tours. I love the pics with Mater and Lightening McQueen!

 

[ashleymrush]

First, to the little guy!

I remember the one thing I liked about our stay at All Star Sports was the food court.

It really is great and the new refurb looks awesome!

How nice that you and oldest DS got away for a swim!

It was really a fun time. I just wish I had pictures of it. At that point it was gorgeous outside though.

So glad that DH and oldest DS LOVED Star Tours. I can't do it...upsets my tummy. I love that they came out with souvenirs.

It was nice that they got some stuff. I just wish they wouldn't have taken so long to do it. They'd get more Star Wars stuff later in the trip including one awesome light saber!

Too bad about all that rain. I hate when it rains like that at Disney. I don't mind the 20 minute shower, but that on and off again stuff drives me nuts.

Luckily we were able to laugh it off. I expected rain on the trip and wasn't about to let it get me down.

I'm hoping with a good night's rest that the little guy is better on your next day with eating.

Things do start getting a little better once we finally figure out what the problem is. You'll get to find that out soon.

Happy Birthday to your son!

Thanks! I can't believe he's 2 already!

Ugh, crazy hot heat and then crazy rain makes for not the best time in a theme park.

At least it drives all the people out. I always love that. Of course that ended up being us as well after a little while.

Your older son looks so happy posing with Lightening McQueen and Mater!

He was! He loves them so much! They were the best kind of characters too because he had no need to be a little shy with them since they aren't interactive.

So, beyond getting tons of souvenirs did you husband like the updated Start Tours?

He did! He was so much more impressed with the new version. This wouldn't be the only time he'd ride it.

Crystal Palace breakfast is a must on our trips too. I am dreaming of that puffed French toast now that I have read this update!!! So glad both of the boys did well with the characters. DS2 with Pooh is the cutest picture!

It was so worth doing! Even though I'm not a big Pooh person I'm really glad we switched from Chef Mickey's over to CP.

So glad DS5 loved Big Thunder! I'm hoping my own DS will not be so terrified of it by the time we go next time so we can take him on it. He loves trains too, but the fact that BTM is a train wasn't enough to cover the fact that it's fast!!

I was too. I was so worried he'd be too scared. I hope your DS rides it next time. Good luck!

Totally agree on Lights Motors Action...way too hot in those stands! After seeing it a few times, I'm totally over it!

It's really quite surprising how hot it can get in that stadium.

Ugh, the downpours were just following you around!! At least you didn't let it totally ruin your evening.

There was no way I was going to let that happen!

So sorry that the rain plagued y'all! I love the "wet dog" reference. I know the feeling! Next time stay at ASSP I am going to try their nachos and see how they compare to Mexico's. Yummm, now I want nachos! I am glad they liked the new Star Tours. I love the pics with Mater and Lightening McQueen!

Dare I say, I actually think that their nachos were better than Mexico's. Mostly because you get to customize them with the toppings of your choice. They were so yummy! I wish we could've gotten Jackson in the Cars pics too. As I was taking them with Brody I saw Lucas chasing Jackson around like a chicken that escaped!

 

[ashleymrush]

When I last left off, we were dragging our drenched selves back to our hotel room for some much needed sleep. The next morning we had plans to go to early EMH at Animal Kingdom. I know that AK seems to get a lot of flack lately but I really do love it. I was really looking forward to seeing it through my sons' eyes.



We had plans to do RD each morning which I had never done before and let me tell you...it was so worth it! Luckily my boys are early risers so it was very easy for us to get up and out in the mornings. This morning wasn't quite as early as the last so DH and I were a little more rested as well.


A quick Tree of Life pic!

So what to do first? The safari of course!

I'm not going to lie, I had very high expectations for this safari ride since I was with the boys. Last time I rode it in March of 2013 we were treated to the male lion standing on the rock as we drove past and he let out an amazing roar! It was something right out of the Lion King! I knew that wouldn't happen again but I was hoping we'd get some kind of special experience.




To say these guys were ready for the safari and all the animals is an understatement!

As you can guess, I've got about 50 million pics from the safari like we all do on the ride. It's amazing to me how I can ride it over and over and still feel like I have to take a picture of the same animals every time. Just goes to show how incredible these animals really are. I don't want to bore you with them all but here are a couple of the pics from the ride.







After the safari, which the boys loved, we decided to take a stroll through Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. Along the way we took some more pictures.


I have no idea what this monkey had stuffed in his mouth but it was too funny!


This was a special shot that was taken and then promptly texted to a dear friend from Buffalo, NY! He lives in Concord too and agrees with the rock!


So cute! Reminded me of the little guy that gets away from Scar in the beginning of the Lion King.


Notice Brody's pirate themed outfit...find out more about why that was the chosen attire later!


Whatcha lookin' at hippo?!


He was looking right at me for one picture but I can't find it.

After we finished the trek we went to hop on the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch which was going to be new for me! Unfortunately, we got there at 9:00 and we informed that the train's first ride wasn't until 9:30. So what to do with 30 minutes? First...potty break and sunscreen applying while watch some African drumming. Didn't get any pictures of them since I was applying the sunscreen. With 20 minutes still to spare I suggested we take a stroll to Expedition Everest to see if by luck DS5 would be tall enough to ride. He really wanted to ride the "snow mountain train" as he put it. We walked all the way over there only to be disappointed when DS5 was 1" too short. He was a little disappointed that he couldn't ride but did ok with it. Next time it'll be a hit! (Side note: I've since learned that you can ask for a pass if your kids are too short to ride which will allow them to have a free FP for the ride on their next trip! Who knew?!)

*continued in next post...too many pics*

 

[ashleymrush]

We promptly turned around and headed back to the train which was now running. I knew that the boys would really be interested in Affection Section and seeing the goats. That was our main goal.


Ready to board the train!

Once we got there it took a little warming up but the boys were eventually loving the goats!












I love this picture of Brody!


Another selfie? Why not?!

After about 20 minutes of goat time the boys were ready to go. They spotted some snacks and DS2 actually showed interest in food!
DS5 got some cotton candy (because we are on vacation and what's better than cotton candy at 10 am) and DS2 wanted some Mickey pretzels. I was only too happy to oblige. We boarded the train back and let the boys snack.




Just to prove that DH was there and having a good time!


Just to prove that the little guy did eat something!

It was on this train ride back that I finally figured out why the little guy was SO cranky and not eating! Sorry if this ends up being TMI but I was adding the days together in my head and realized that DS2 had not gone to the bathroom (if you catch my drift) in a solid week! Poor guy! I wouldn't want to eat either. It's due to this problem that I almost named this TR "Nothing a good "Pooh" can't fix!" But I thought that might be a bit too much for a thread name!

It was about 10:45 at this point and we decided to head back to the hotel for lunch in the food court and early naps because we had somewhere special to be at 3:00.

UP NEXT: Good times but a BAD decision which involves all of us getting drenched...AGAIN!

 

[themommy]

I love the animals. Where is that Buffalo rock? I don't remember ever seeing that. EE will come next time and maybe both of the boys will be tall enough to ride! Nothing a little Pooh can't fix is awesome!

 

[KatMark]

Ashley, fun update.

Your boys really are so cute.

Great animal pictures. Love the picture with the rock.

Glad the boys warmed up to the goats.

No wonder the little guy wasn't eating. This happened on our youngest son's first trip to Disney. We finally gave him some prune juice and he was a total different child after that.

I think you should have gone with the "Pooh" title.

 

[bobtabin]

Looks fun!!

 

[ashleymrush]

I love the animals. Where is that Buffalo rock? I don't remember ever seeing that. EE will come next time and maybe both of the boys will be tall enough to ride! Nothing a little Pooh can't fix is awesome!

The buffalo rock was somewhere on the Pangani trail. I just randomly came across it. I'm kind of wishing I would have gone the "Pooh" route now but too little too late. Maybe it can be the name of an upcoming chapter. As you know, things to get better eventually.

Ashley, fun update.

Your boys really are so cute.

Great animal pictures. Love the picture with the rock.

My friend from Buffalo agreed with the statement! It was just too funny to pass up.

Glad the boys warmed up to the goats.

They were really cute with them. I'm glad they did too.

No wonder the little guy wasn't eating. This happened on our youngest son's first trip to Disney. We finally gave him some prune juice and he was a total different child after that.

I would have given anything for some prune juice. They didn't have any at the gift shop. I was hoping that the problem would remedy itself eventually. It does and things to get MUCH better. We've still got a litle more time to go though.

I think you should have gone with the "Pooh" title.

DH thought it was a bit too much of a title. I'm regretting a little now too. Although I do like the title I chose.

Looks fun!!

It really was!

 

[ashleymrush]

So it's been a couple days since my last post. I had a VERY busy and full weekend. We had DS2's birthday party on Saturday afternoon. Just a small little family get together. After the big party for DS5 we decided we needed to do something a little more low key for the little one.


You may be able to notice the family Dis obsession considering my little brother's Disney shirt and my mom's Disney phone case. Our obsession seems to creep it's way into many family photos.


We got a new addition to our family from Grandma! One thing that I wanted to get DS2 when were in Disney was an Olaf and they were of course impossible to find. I was so excited to hear that my mom found one and he sings the summer song! So cute!

Besides the birthday party I also had a very important event that evening. Justin Timberlake came to Charlotte and there was no way my girlfriends and I were going to stay away! (I must admit at this point that my obsession with JT is almost as deep as my obsession with Disney.) I know these pics aren't Disney related but I can't help but share.


We were dressed up and ready to go! A night away from the boys is not something I get very often.


We didn't have the best seats ever but it was definitely worth every penny for that ticket!

Ok, enough with the non-Disney chatter. Let's get back to the story at hand. When we last left of we were leaving AK and heading back to the hotel. We had a special appointment at the MK at 3:00 and seeing as it was approaching noon, I was worried about getting to the room and napping and getting back to the MK without having to wake the boys from their naps which never has good results. So we made a quick decision that was thought was an ok idea. Let's just let the boys skip their nap all together and go play in the pool! YIKES! WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!

We got to the pool and had a blast! I was so thankful that AS Sports had a kiddie pool because DS2 was not into wearing his floaties or life vest and has no fear of water.












A little wine pool side makes for a wonderful afternoon.

After some fun pool time we needed to get back to the room and get ready for our special appointment at the MK. We put the boys back in their pirate themed outfits and headed out. Within minutes both boys were snoozing in the car.


Unfortunately a 10 minute nap wasn't quite enough to keep DS2 satisfied.

I make it sound worse than it was but you'll get to hear more about our crazy evening soon.

UP NEXT: A Pirate Extravaganza!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Thanks to your mommy, themommy, I found your trip report! Such a cute family you have!

There's simply too much to comment on so I'll just say that I'm all caught up and looking forward to reading more of your adventures.