The Darling Family's Endless Summer Vacation: August 2013 New 1/24

[RGirl]

Ugh! As you well know, I am all too familiar with that hideous heat and just being DONE. I'm glad you were able to get into B&C though - that must have served well to cheer everyone up.

 

[dismom9761]

love the pics
Glad it worked out to eat there!

 

[chattadisser]

I’m just getting caught back up on your TR.

Bummer that BB was a bust but like you said, you got the lay of the land for next time.

My oldest daughter LOVES the great movie ride. It kinda astounds me because, other than the Wizard of Oz, I don’t think she knows any of the other movies.

I love the writers stop, its just so calm and a nice place to stop for a moment. Oooooohhhh, that chocolate chip cookie looks so good! I need to try the famous carrot cake cookie too, I’ve never had it.

Cute Sully! I love this class.

The ABC Commisary does get a bad rap from people but we love it. The food is no better or worse than the other counter services but, like you said, its indoors and a nice place to rest for a little while. Although, given a choice between ABC and Beaches N’ Cream, Beaches N’ Cream would win hands down!

Christine

 

[dismagiclover]

Cute pics!

Thanks!

Ugh! As you well know, I am all too familiar with that hideous heat and just being DONE. I'm glad you were able to get into B&C though - that must have served well to cheer everyone up.

That summer heat is something else! I still love Disney summer vacations thought!

love the pics
Glad it worked out to eat there!

I was super happy there was no wait! Made our day much better.

I’m just getting caught back up on your TR.

Bummer that BB was a bust but like you said, you got the lay of the land for next time.

My oldest daughter LOVES the great movie ride. It kinda astounds me because, other than the Wizard of Oz, I don’t think she knows any of the other movies.

I love the writers stop, its just so calm and a nice place to stop for a moment. Oooooohhhh, that chocolate chip cookie looks so good! I need to try the famous carrot cake cookie too, I’ve never had it.

Cute Sully! I love this class.

The ABC Commisary does get a bad rap from people but we love it. The food is no better or worse than the other counter services but, like you said, its indoors and a nice place to rest for a little while. Although, given a choice between ABC and Beaches N’ Cream, Beaches N’ Cream would win hands down!

Christine

It is kind of funny that your daughter likes the Great Movie Ride so much and basically knows none of the movies, but when I think about it Wendy doesn't know any of those movies either and she loves that ride. Go figure. Definitely put the carrot cake cookie on your to do list. It would make a great recovery treat after a half marathon. One of these days I'm sure we'll actually try the ABC Commisary, but not on a hot summer day with no inside seats available!

 

[dismagiclover]

After our yummy lunch we headed back to the Boardwalk villas and hopped into the pool. We considered heading over to a water park, but I think we were all a bit tired of crowds and lines. So we spent a relaxing afternoon splashing around the clown pool.



This is also the afternoon I picked up this shirt in the Boardwalk gift shop. I love it because it reminds me of my Disney home.



We had no set plans for dinner, but it was our last night at the Boardwalk so there really was no question what we would do. We were headed to the World Showcase. The kids also wanted to finish up Duffy Quest (or getting stamps from every country on the Duffy sticks.) So we headed over to Epcot. In addition to finishing up Duffy Quest, Michael had another important stop this evening. He had made his decision about his panda so he wanted to head over and get him. Which one did he choose?



His name is Bamboo Muncher (not to be confused with Bamboo Cruncher, another of the stuffed pandas) and he has happily joined Michael’s panda family. After this quick stop in China we resumed the Duffy Quest. We stopped in America.




While the kids were coloring I went to try and find some American candy. There was none in the shop. I decided we were in America so it didn’t really matter if we got any candy. Next up was Japan.



I did find some great Japanese candy here at one of the outdoor kiosks. I don’t remember what it was called, but they were kind of like Smartie candies except they were wayyy better. They just kind of dissolved in our mouths. We loved them. In fact, I think these may have been the best find of Candy Quest. I wish I would have saved the wrappers so I could remember their name. I did a google search and I think they were these candies.



Anyway next time I go back to Epcot I am getting more. After Japan came Morrocco. The kids got their stamps and this is where we had dinner. I love Tangierine Café in Morocco. It is probably my favorite counter service in Epcot and since Epcot has the best counter service in Disney World I’d have to say it is my favorite counter service in Disney World. Here is what I ate.



Yummy! After this we were off to France. Since we were full from dinner I put a hold on the Candy Quest. I knew we’d be back to the World Showcase later in the trip. We crossed the English Channel (most people just call this the bridge between France and the UK), and visited the UK. While the kids colored I sat in a nice chair in what is presumably the entry hallway in a London townhouse.



After the UK came our last stop in Canada.



With that the Duffy Quest was complete. So we headed back for our last night in the Boardwalk. On the way back to our room the kids asked if they could do a photo strip in the photo machine on the Boardwalk. I thought it would make a great little memory of the trip so I said yes. Here is what they took.



Notice they are trying to show you their Duffy Sticks in the first picture. In the 3rd one you can see Michael’s recently acquired panda. Silly kids. Anyway, we made it back to the room and settled in for a night of Disney Dreams. Tomorrow we were headed to a new resort.

 

[RGirl]

Fun evening!

I love the BS shirt and Bamboo Muncher.

Japan has the BEST candy! I have a friend at work who is married to a woman from Japan - every once in a while, he will bring in some Japanese candy. I love those days!

Canada also has great candy - I hope you got some there too!

Love the photo strip - totally want to do that with Willow next time.

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Ok...caught up again. I can relate to the stuffed animal search - Jack is always all about the stuffed animals. However, it's not limited to pandas. The child could fill his entire bed with the ones he has! As of right now, they fill up half his bed and an entire half of a bookshelf.

Mmmmm...your meal at Tangerine Café looks great. That's the only bad thing about one day in each park in December...too many good places to eat! That one's high on the list, though. You're reminding me of all the great places...tough decisions to come!

Can't wait to see where you're headed off to next!

 

[Queenofallthings]

Sounds like a great evening! Love the panda! Nothing better than an evening wandering WS....love it!

 

[dismagiclover]

Fun evening!

I love the BS shirt and Bamboo Muncher.

Japan has the BEST candy! I have a friend at work who is married to a woman from Japan - every once in a while, he will bring in some Japanese candy. I love those days!

Canada also has great candy - I hope you got some there too!

Love the photo strip - totally want to do that with Willow next time.

We definitely going to sample more Japanese candy in December. I really was impressed with it! I don't think we ever got to Canda's candy. Sounds like a major oversight that we will have to fix! The photo strips really are fun. A bit overpriced, but isn't everything at Disney. It is currently displayed in the corner my dresser mirror so I get to look at it everyday.

Ok...caught up again. I can relate to the stuffed animal search - Jack is always all about the stuffed animals. However, it's not limited to pandas. The child could fill his entire bed with the ones he has! As of right now, they fill up half his bed and an entire half of a bookshelf.

Mmmmm...your meal at Tangerine Café looks great. That's the only bad thing about one day in each park in December...too many good places to eat! That one's high on the list, though. You're reminding me of all the great places...tough decisions to come!

Can't wait to see where you're headed off to next!

Unfortunately, Michael doesn't just limit himself to stuffed pandas. His stuffies easily could fill his whole bed. However, he can be quite creative with them. One of his favorite games is Stuffy Baseball and he has also been known to have belt tests (think Taekwondo) for each of them. Of course his oldest Panda is the grand master with the highest ranking black belt.

Sounds like a great evening! Love the panda! Nothing better than an evening wandering WS....love it!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Best thing about Boardwalk Villas is the Epcot evenings that come with it!

 

[dismagiclover]

The boys and I were up bright and early this morning. Like really early. The sun was just coming up as we left the room. Where were we going at such an early hour? Some kooky scheduling had Animal Kingdom opening at 8:00 am this morning with an Early Magic Hour scheduled. So that meant it really opened at 7:00 am. I saw this as an incredible opportunity. I didn’t think there were too many people willing to actually get up and be at a park gate at 7:00 am on their vacation. And I was right. I had never seen so few people in this park. (Up to this point. Later on in the trip I saw even fewer people.) Wendy had no interest in going with us this morning. First of all, Animal Kingdom is her least favorite park, and more importantly she is 13 years old and likes to sleep past 6:15 am. So it was just the boys and I off on our adventure. We were checking out of the Boardwalk that morning so we’d have to be back by 10:30 which I figured is just about when Wendy would be up and ready to go. I didn’t think she would miss us one bit (and she didn’t). We pulled into a pretty empty parking lot and walked up to the entrance. As we waited for 7:00 we discussed our plan of attack. I knew most people would be heading to Expedition Everest, but my boys had never ridden Expedition Everest. The plan was to do it on this trip, but I thought they should wait and go with DH. Poor guy was stuck at home working. The least we could do is have something significant he could experience when he showed up. So we all agreed we would wait to ride Expedition Everest until DH was with us. The safari was the next obvious choice for first attraction, but it didn’t start operating until 7:30. So we decided to head to Dinosaur Dumbo (some people call it Triceratop Spin.) Suffice it to say there was no mad dash for Dinosaur Dumbo. In fact we were the only people around as we walked into Dinoland. We had our pick of Dinosaurs. We hopped in and the cast member asked the boys’ names. Then before she started the ride she grandly announced to all of Dinoland, “We would like to recognize John and Michael. They are the first riders of the day on Triceratop Spin.” The boys loooved it. They thought they were famous or something. I didn’t have the heart to point out to them that only five people heard the announcement. (Us and the two cast members.) Then we had our private ride on Dinosaur Dumbo. Here are a few pictures.









Sorry about the picture quality. As I studied the pictures I think I might have spotted a man in one of them. That would make six people that heard the announcement. After the first ride, there was still no one around. So we stayed on and went for ride #2. By the time that ride was finished there was a couple of people waiting so they got on and we did ride #3. After that the boys were ready to move on. I wonder how many times in a row we could have gone. I’m sure if they boys had been younger, we would have found out. When we exited the ride the CM handed us a special certificate honoring us as the first riders of the day. Now we can always remember this feat. If you’ve read my previous trip reports you may remember that I have won the Dumbo Dash a couple of times. (Meaning we were the first riders of the day on Dumbo.) Now we can add the Dinosaur Dumbo Dash to our list of achievements. After getting off Dinosaur Dumbo I decided to try another first.



We’d never been on Primeval Whirl. I’d always thought it would make me kind of sick and didn’t think it was worth waiting in line for. Well today there was no line so I figured we’d give it a try plus I thought the boys would really enjoy it. So we hopped on and I was right about it. It did make me feel sick; it wouldn’t be worth waiting in line for, and the boys really enjoyed it. In fact they wanted to go again. So I stepped out of the car and they stayed in and went for another ride. And another. And another. Without ever exiting the ride vehicle. They were loving it. Luckily they had a little waiting area right by the tracks where I could relax. After four or five times on the ride (I lost track) I suggested they get off because it was past 7:30 so the Safari was open. They reluctantly agreed. Dino World that morning was definitely a hit. Anyway we hiked over towards the Safari stopping to pick up a fastpass for Kali River Rapids on the way. The line for the safari was still pretty short and it was a fun ride. No trip report is complete without Safari pictures, so here are a few.













It was about 8:30 by the time we finished the Safari. Pretty amazing considering how much fun we’d already had. Stay tuned. More fun ahead.

 

[RGirl]

What an AWESOME early morning at AK!!!! I just love it when we luck out and end up somewhere totally empty like that. It's the best feeling, isn't it? So fun!!!

 

[chattadisser]

Ugh..I can't imagine Primeval Whirl that early in the morning! Once was enough for that ride.

Glad to see Bamboo Muncher is adjusting well to his new home.

Can't wait to see the new resort!

Christine

 

[dismagiclover]

What an AWESOME early morning at AK!!!! I just love it when we luck out and end up somewhere totally empty like that. It's the best feeling, isn't it? So fun!!!

It was such a fun morning! I still don't understand why they had the 7:00 am EMH, but it made for an awesome morning!

Ugh..I can't imagine Primeval Whirl that early in the morning! Once was enough for that ride.

Glad to see Bamboo Muncher is adjusting well to his new home.

Can't wait to see the new resort!

Christine

I think that will be my only time on Primeval Whirl. My kids,however, are already planning on it in December. Just a couple more updates and we'll finally make it to the new resort. This is a slow moving trip report.

 

[dismagiclover]

After exiting the safari we still had some time to kill before our Kali fastpasses were good so we decided to walk the trail. Well I should say I decided to walk the trail. The boys squawked a bit, but they followed me. It was a nice walk. It wasn’t too hot yet and the trail wasn’t crowded at all. The thing I remember best were seeing the hippos underwater and the gorillas which we actually got really close to. Michael had the camera so the pictures of these are a bit off, but you can sort of get the idea. If you look hard you can see the hippo in these.





You can see the gorilla’s back half in this one.



After finishing up the trail we headed over to use those Kali fastpasses. We were waylaid by these drums. Because no young boy can walk by a set of drums without making lots of noise on them.





Then we ran into a Photopass guy who happily took a few pictures of us.







Then Stitch came climbing out of the sidewalk. We were all amazed.



The boys and I saw Stitch climb out of the sidewalk in 2010 too, but Michael was not impressed back then.



Here’s my boys.



We finally made it to our destination and hopped onto Kali River Rapids. It seems as there are always two people on every raft who get soaked. Well this time those two people were myself and John. John thought this was fabulous. Me, not so much. I will just say it. I don’t like wearing wet underwear. Time was ticking away and I suggested we head back to the room to check out. (Really I wanted out of my wet clothes.) The boys suggested one more stop. Did we go straight back to the room or did I give in to the boys?

 

[DisneyJo]

What a fantastic morning at AK so far, well except the soaking, I hope if you did do one more thing it wasn't air conditioned

 

[TalkDisney2Me]

Your marathon TR was one of the first ones I read when I started lurking on the Dis a few years ago. Glad I found your new one!

And your wet underwear comment made me

 

[princessnpirate]

Great report. Enjoying it!

 

[dismom9761]

Wow! Awesome AK morning!

 

[dismagiclover]

What a fantastic morning at AK so far, well except the soaking, I hope if you did do one more thing it wasn't air conditioned

The soaking was a bit much and don't worry we didn't go into air conditioning!

Your marathon TR was one of the first ones I read when I started lurking on the Dis a few years ago. Glad I found your new one!

And your wet underwear comment made me

Welcome! Oh my marathon TR. That was such a fun one to write because it was such a great experience. I don't think this report quite lives up to that one, but you only run your first marathon once.

Great report. Enjoying it!

Thanks!

Wow! Awesome AK morning!

It was a great morning!

 

[dismagiclover]

Anyway, after getting soaked on Kali River Rapids I suggested we head back to the room. It was check out day so we needed to be out by 11:00. The boys said OK, but asked if we could please stop by Camp Minnie Mickey on the way out. I agreed because I am always a sucker for characters. First up was our old friend Donald.





They each wanted individual pictures with the Duck.





Can you tell they are wet? (Especially John.) Next came Baloo and Louie.



They spent some time messing around with the boys.





Then came Chip ‘n Dale. Here they are fist bumping their greetings.



Chip loved Michael’s shirt. He kept miming the explosion of the Angry Birds.



Chip ‘n Dale quit messing around and posed for pictures.



They insisted I get in the picture.





Here you can tell how wet I am. I didn’t like it. (Just in case you weren't sure.) Pocohontas was also available for meeting, but the boys don’t like meeting characters of the opposite gender so they passed. I believe it was after 10:00 by this point anyway so we needed to head back to check out of our beloved Boardwalk. We made it back to the room and Wendy was waiting for us. We packed up and this time I was smarter about how to get the luggage to the car. We hauled the luggage to the front entrance, I left the kids with the luggage, and went and picked up the car. It was much easier than the way we transported the luggage at our arrival. We hopped in the car and said goodbye to the Boardwalk. We just love this place. Even though it is always a little sad to say goodbye, we knew we would be back because it is our Boardwalk home. Plus, our Disney vacation wasn’t even close to over. Where in the World were we headed to next?