The one with the dusty, wrinkly, moldy-oldy 4 day park hopper ticket from 1992! (August 2025)

[MamaMouse0920]

After lunch we headed toward Millenium Falcon Smugglers Run (I'm guessing that was the LL I booked after scanning in to Slinky Dog).





Another new one for my mom and she enjoyed it! It was about 1:30pm by the time we got off.



It being 1 billion degrees I think we were all ready for our afternoon rest back at the hotel... some of us more than others, since the kids had zonked out in the stroller before even leaving the park!

When we got back to the hotel we all passed out for a couple hours, when we woke it had started storming and after checking the weather it didn't seem like it was going to pass any time soon.. so that of course threw a wrench in things. This was my moms last park day!! We hemmed & hawed a bit (it was around 4:45pm by this point - again, Mother Nature can you be a bit more convenient please and stick to those 1-2pm downpours?!) and ultimately decided to stall even longer and go grab a large pizza & a couple pastas from Landscape of Flavors (Matt being the one to take one for the team and run through the torrential downpour) while we figured out what we should do.



It's funny, as much as the kids LOVE Disney World, they are happy as clams to be in their jammies and eating a pizza while watching Old Mickeys- not at all feeling like their time is wasted or that they'd rather be in the parks. Just happy to be in the bubble at all, I guess! And yes, I sanitized the dickens out of those couch cushions before using them as a mini table for the kids Even so, seeing the picture now makes me shiver a bit out of grossness, LOL.

It wasn't until after 7pm that the thunderstorm finally stopped and we ventured back outdoors, heading back to the Skyliner to this time make our way to Epcot.



Spot the double rainbow?!







We wandered around World Showcase after grandma got her ECV for this park, stopping here and there to show grandma all the cool things Epcot has to offer.



We eventually made our way to Soarin', since we had a LL.



I hadn't told my mom at all what to expect with this one and I saw her white knuckling the handrails on either side of her seat, ha!! I love this ride. Did you see the new 'Soarin over America' or whatever??? I'm wondering if it is a temporary overlay (similar to how they've done the California bit for a short period of time here & there) or if it's permanent??! The fact that they had Patrick Warburton film a new intro kind of tells me it's permanent but I haven't heard confirmation one way or the other. If it IS permanent, I will be so sad!! No more yummy Fiji smells?? Or the grass smell in Africa?! No Eiffel tower?!?!??!?!??! USA is cool & all but Matt and I often joke that Soarin' feels like the closest we'll ever get to some of those places - don't take that away from us!!

Anyway, white knuckles aside for those first few moments we all had a blast!!! We were off the ride by 8:17, with our Remy's LL scheduled for 8:20 so we scurried our way back over to France to ride that before the park closed at 9pm. On our way, I stopped at the Beer Cart in Germany and ordered the grapefruit Hefeweizen (I order this every time thinking I like it, then take that first sip and only then remember that I DON'T like it. Seriously, I do this every trip- next trip I vow to remember!!!) The three of us choked it down despite none of us enjoying it (waste not!) as we power-walked to France. As we wove through the queue you'll never guess who was behind us..... the Destructo-Fam from AK a few days before (again looking like super models). What are the odds?! I pointed them out quietly to Matt and we both were so surprised to be in line next to them again, ha!

Soon enough it was our turn to ride, and as soon as we were seated in our rat and ready to go the ride suddenly went down, booo!! We waited for maybe 10-15 minutes until eventually the CMs alerted us that the ride would be coming back up soon (I think one of them confirmed it was from a pair of ears that had fallen off and onto the track), so we were off through Gusteau's in no time.

 

[MamaMouse0920]

***Side bar *** I just remembered I misspoke when I said Matt took one for the team with the pizza: we BOTH headed to the main building, Matt heading to Landscape of Flavors & me heading for the lobby - I had bought an LLSP for Guardians for all of us for 5pm this day and, due to the storms, wanted to inquire with a CM whether or not they could refund me since I didn't know for sure whether or not we'd be going back into the parks that evening. The nice front desk CM was happy to help and did offer me that refund, the only trouble was that I had bought the LLSP over a week ago and had since deleted the Gift Card # from my notes app since I had used it all and switched to a different Gift Card now that we were here. The refunded amount (something close to $50, so not exactly chump change!) was re-issued back to that mystery gift card and I unfortunately spent the next couple days scouring my emails for any trace of what that gift card # would be, in order to transfer that $50 back to my current GC I was using. Eventually I did find it (I can't tell you how many email gift cards I have, and from so many different stores! Some from Target, some from Sam's Club, some from Costco... it wasn't an easy feat!) so all was right in the end, but consider this a free tip - whatever gift card you use to purchase LLs.... keep that number handy!!! DO NOT DELETE THE NUMBERS FROM YOUR NOTES APP LIKE I DID!

Anyway, after we got off Remy's the park had closed and fireworks were already well underway. Crap!! That meant we'd be battling post-fireworks crowds, not fun! Plus, grandma still had to return the scooter- oof! As we approached the International Gateway, we eventually got separated in the masses of people. Matt & the kids in the stroller and me + my mom in her ECV, Matt looking over his shoulder for me and me trying to just wave him ahead, as if to say "just go, we'll meet you back at the hotel", of course feeling bad that it meant Matt had to navigate the Skyliner + 2 kids + all the bags/contents in the stroller basket + the water bottles & popcorn bucket + collapsing & carrying the stroller itself. After returning her scooter we joined the hefty line for the Skyliner, where we eventually spotted Matt & the kids far ahead of us in the windy queue. Unfortunately DS5 saw me in the distance and this spurred big ol' crocodile tears, him not understanding why we weren't all together. Seeing him crying for me of course made me sad, and was made worse when literally seconds later we had adults budge past us saying "sorry we need to re-join our group", the group also made up of adults.

Yeah well get in line, bozo! We too got separated from our group, see that kid up there crying for mama?!?! You don't see me elbowing my way to join him... no, because I'm an adult and these things happen- I can handle being separated for a brief Skyliner ride & I imagine you can too.

Obviously now, several months later I can look back and say that we were all just tired and hot and overstimulated & crabby, but at the time the mama bear in me was wanting to come out, feeling so guilty for not being there for DS5. I obviously let the group pass by without incident I just remember feeling those feelings & thinking those thoughts at the time.

Separately, we made it back to the resort around 10pm and decided then & there that we would shift our plans around and sleep in the next morning (rope dropping DAK was our original plan). Grandma would be flying home in the morning, so this not only would give us more rest but also gave us a little bit more time with her too. We were off to bed around 10:30pm, looking forward to sleeping in!

TOTAL STEPS: 22,066 (10.2 miles)

Up next: Tuesday, August 19th (Day 7)

 

[pwdebbie]

I have to know, did Grandma like Tower of Terror? Will she do it again some day?

 

[MamaMouse0920]

I have to know, did Grandma like Tower of Terror? Will she do it again some day?

She loved it and definitely will do it again some day!! Was worth the decades long wait, I guess

 

[MamaMouse0920]

REAL LIFE UPDATE

Sorry for once again going MIA, life has been nuts! Here's a few things that have happened since I last posted:

- DD6 (now officially DD7- waaah!) celebrated her SEVENTH birthday, Haunted Mansion style! We had a great time at her party!!
- Halloween was a hit, our first time Trick or Treating in the new house! Unfortunately it was cold and rainy but that didn't slow the kids down one bit and the kids treat bags were so full that they struggled to carry them, both kids even leaving a trail of candy behind them as they trekked from our back yard to our front yard... we're still finding candy outside!
- We booked another trip- LOL! You know we can't resist. We will be back in the land of Mouse in August 2026, I'll start a pre-trip report MUCH closer to then, I think this is the furthest in advance we've ever booked! I don't even have enough Mickey heads for our Mickey balloon countdown, ha! We're at a whopping 273 days, but there's something relaxing about at least having a trip in the books- regardless of how far away it is. With our kids being young(ish) I don't ever want to wish time away so I don't want to say "I wish August would come soon!" but I know we're all going to be counting down the (273) days as we get closer and closer to summer 2026.

Anyway, I'll get to the next installment in this TR in the next post - but first I'll share a few pictures from life lately!















As I said, we had an absolute blast at DD7's Haunted Mansion themed party!

As for Halloween the weekend after, we were dressed up as a 'Monster Mash', each of us taking on a different classical 'monster'!

 

[MamaMouse0920]

Tuesday, August 19th (Day 7)

We slept in which felt amazing, but still were up and at 'em by 7am because that's just the way life goes I guess. We eventually got breakfast, eating inside Landscape of Flavors with grandma's luggage in tow so we could drop her off at her Uber after we all finished eating. There were LOTS of tears as we said our goodbyes to grandma, the kids absolutely miserable watching the Uber drive away.

The only thing that helped slightly was as we made our way back inside the lobby we noticed Pluto & Goofy were doing the rounds, so that cheered them up very slightly.



We had a really weird moment where Goofy was taking a picture with a young girl as her parents 'oohed' & 'ahhhed' and took her picture with Goof when a grown man inserted himself into the picture, putting his arm around Goofy. The mom was like ???????????? so she'd put her phone down, he would step away for a second like "oh are you taking a picture?" and then as soon as she'd put her camera back up he'd step back into the picture. The poor CM in training was probably like what in the actual??????????? It was was SO awkward, ha!

Anyway, after saying goodbye to Goofy & Pluto we went back to our room to get changed into our swimsuits and head to the pool - the plan for the day being a pool morning followed by DAK at some point in the mid-morning. Swimsuits on & sunscreen lathered, we made our way to the Cars pool since it's a bit quieter and easier to find seats, but it was closed since they didn't have enough lifeguards on duty. The CM said it would be opened soon, so we hung around the area- DS5 excited to check out some of his favorite Cars characters up close.













Eventually around 9:30 since it still wasn't opened, we gave up and headed toward the Big Blue pool.

 

[MamaMouse0920]

The kids really wanted to go back to the Cars pool (not sure why but that smaller pool was their clear favorite of the trip!) and eventually around 10:30am I walked back over there to check it out and sure enough it was opened, so I parked myself in one of the cone cabanas and called Matt to scoop up the kids and join.













Eventually the kids made fast friends with another group of kids, with all of them making a game out of jumping into the pool on the count of 3- it was adorable! The little boy was absolutely enamored with DS5 and DD6.

Everyone was having such a good time swimming that Matt and I kept pushing back our "okay guys, should we stay in the pool for 30 more minutes and then head to Animal Kingdom?" and before we knew it, it was 1:45pm. So much for our morning plans of DAK! We eventually were able to pull the kids out of the pool for a late lunch, but the kids were adamant they weren't done swimming and had zero intention of going into a theme park this day. Say what?! So I texted Miss Maya, explaining that I know it's super last minute BUT if she didn't have anything going on, would she be interested in hanging out in the AoA pool for a few hours while mom & dad hit up DAK on our own?! To my surprise she said yes and that she'd grab her suit and be here in the next hour. Saaweeeeet!

On our way from the pool to pick up our mobile order, DS5 found some pixie dust in the bushes- a little toy car! It had a message on it about a little boy who had passed away but it was written on paper and taped to the car and soon enough DS5's wet hands blurred the writing so I can't even name the little angel boy or thank his parents (there was a 'if you find this post in the WDW Facebook Group' message written on it as well) so if you're here and this car looks familiar- we're thinking of your sweet boy and my sweet boy loved the pixie dust!!

 

[MamaMouse0920]

It was around 2pm that Miss Maya arrived and so Matt and I were on our way toward the bus station, headed toward DAK!











Is it just me or is the walk from the bus stop into DAK the absolute WORST in terms of sun/heat?! I swear it feels like you're trekking across the savannah - so perhaps intentional, ha!

First picture of the Tree of Life was at 2:34--



And we were seated on Matt's favorite ride (safari) by 2:45 so it was basically a walk on, which is the beauty of the mid/late afternoon at this park!





We got to see a ton of animals including the lions which is always cool. As we were riding we noticed it looked like rain, so after the safari was done we decided a cocktail at Nomad Lounge to escape the rain was in order. They thankfully had availability so we were seated (outside, per our request) immediately.



I wished we could have had a seat in the much more comfy chairs directly across from us, but no such luck.

 

[MamaMouse0920]

I swear, Nomad Lounge's covered patio.. drinking a cocktail (I ordered the Tempting Tigress, which is basically an Old Fashioned)... in the rain... without the kids... is perfection.









We were having the BEST time! There was a slight breeze, and the mesh curtain was blowing softly in the wind, doing a perfect job of keeping the rain out but allowing adequate airflow.. until we spotted a friend clinging to dear life on this gently swaying curtain:

 

[MamaMouse0920]

At some point during our chatting, we spotted an order of churros being delivered to a nearby table and both us & our neighbors seated across the way from us stopped in our tracks and immediately flagged our waitress down and said "we'll take some of those, please!" - my oh my were they delicious!



My favorite was mixing the two dipping sauces together - yum!





The rain was very short lived & perfectly timed - it wrapping up as soon as we had paid our bill and started making our way to the exit. We decided on dinner at one of our favorites, Polite Pig, so headed toward the buses. Perhaps thanks to my cocktail, I insisted on stopping & taking the iconic Animal Kingdom picture of Matt --



Which of course makes me chuckle because I am 12.

We waited about 15 minutes for a bus, eventually getting on one headed toward Old Key West which was a resort we'd never been to/seen before. We'd hoped to take the boat, but after departing the bus and making our way toward the boat dock or whatever you'd call it, the CM standing there informed us that thanks to lightning in the area we'd need to take a bus to Disney Springs. Dang it! So we cut through the covered walkway near the lobby to one of the bus stops (not realizing that there were MANY at this resort) and got on to another bus, while we made the winding trek throughout the property, each time picking up more and more and more guests. This bus was JAM PACKED by the time we made our way toward Disney Springs! All said & done it took us over an hour to get from DAK > OKW > Disney Springs, which felt like a waste of nanny-time but what could we do?



Disney Springs was also pretty busy, which was semi surprising since it was a Tuesday but as I've said before, it seems there is no real rhyme or reason for busyness at WDW these days!

Around 6pm we ordered our food & were seated outside, enjoying the beautiful weather & people-watching.



I ordered the Chipotle Cobb Salad which was delicious but once again HUGE and I barely finished half.



Matt ordered the ribs which were also (as usual) delicious - of course not forgetting my favorite side dish there, the mac & cheese!



I wish the picture did the size of this bowl justice, I swear it's the same size as our popcorn bowl at home, ha!



While we were eating, I made the rookie mistake of accidentally clicking the "I'm here, begin my order" to our dessert order over at Amorette's Patisserie so Matt, being the wonderful man that he is stepped away from his meal to go grab it (thankfully it's only a couple stores away so he wasn't gone long. As I watched him walking toward me, he caught me filming him so he did this goofy little dance and I was happy to have snapped a photo mid-performance

 

[MamaMouse0920]

After finishing eating, we made our way toward World of Disney where we found 4 mugs that we liked (no pictures I guess!). The CM who rang us up was so sweet & extremely diligent with her packaging to avoid them getting damaged in our travels home. While she rang us up, I also made a last second impulse buy for 2 things of soap dispensers that make little Mickey heads out of foam.



Meanwhile, apparently the kids were enjoying s'more time with Miss Maya!









Followed by a visit to the Elephant Graveyard!



Around 7:30 we hopped on a bus to return to the kids - excited to share our Amorette's purchase (a Goofy dome) with them.



The mousse was a little damaged in transit and I'd like to say that it was still delicious regardless of it's appearance however none of us really cared for it - the consistency was not enjoyable (even though we love mousse in general) and overall it was just a little 'off' tasting.



We said goodnight to Miss Maya (we'd see her again in a few days!) and thankfully were able to pawn off 2 of the 3 jugs of Fruit Punch to her- ha!! Which felt better than letting it go to waste. After some quick showers, we were in bed by 9:30pm. The next morning our plan was to rope drop Hollywood Studios, with our alarms set for 6am.

TOTAL STEPS: 15,334 (7.1 miles) --> pool day, much?

Up next: Wednesday, August 20th (Day 8)