The Third Time's a Charm! Our 2012 spring break trip report. We found Perry!

[WDWDad73]

wow... what a trip

 

[preschoolmom]

wow... what a trip

Thanks! It was really fun!

 

[My princess Livy]

I'm loving your report! Thank you for sharing

 

[FairyGodmothers Sis]

Cute trip report! We did Gatorland several years back and still talk about it. Beautiful family!

 

[preschoolmom]

I'm loving your report! Thank you for sharing

Thanks for reading!!! I'm working on the next installment.

 

[preschoolmom]

Cute trip report! We did Gatorland several years back and still talk about it. Beautiful family!

Thank you! We really enjoyed Gatorland! Thanks for reading!

 

[JDUB]

For our family, taking the first night to just rest seems to work the best.

We are the same way. We drive from OH and get there for swim time and DTD. Easy day so we are ready for the rest of the busy week

Family looks great. My DW is a twin so I know what you mean....

 

[preschoolmom]

We got up early, and headed to Animal Kingdom on this day (Thursday). We had skipped this park on our middle trip, so we were really looking forward to riding Expedition Everest and Dinosaur.

When we got to the park, we were kind of in the middle of the front of the crowd. We couldn't see the turn styles, but we were still part of the rope drop crowd. We decided to walk through Dinoland on the way to get fast passes for Everest - because we thought it would be less crowded. That was true - it was less crowded - but not much. This park was busy today!

When we came around the corner and saw Everest, we also saw a WALL of people coming at us from the other direction We decided instead of running through the stand by lane with everyone else, that we would grab fast passes and come back. Joe went to get the fast passes - and the kids wanted to pose for pictures on these rocks

It took a while, apparently there was some problem with the fast pass machines - and people were getting really worked up. Not us - we just got our fast passes and walked back to Dinoland. We rode Primeval Whirl - which is just fun. I know it gets a bad rap, but we enjoyed it. Then we rode Dinosaur. The girls did okay on this one (I sat with them and talked them through it), but Will was really upset by it. He isn't really a fan of surprises, the dark or loud noises, so... Well... He didn't enjoy it.

After Dinosaur, we still had a few minutes to kill before our fast pass for EE, so we rode PW again, LOL.

Joe took this great picture, but he cut off the dinosaur's head

That's better.

There was no wait for Triceratop Spin, so we hopped on. (You can see the girls' hair wraps here - We had them done at the Pop Century Pool - and the woman that did them was amazing. She was just a really neat person, and I enjoyed talking with her very much.).

I love this one (this was all the kids, they saw it and ran right over - I'm so glad that they can embrace cheesiness).

Then we headed over for our date with the Yeti. The kids were ambivalent about this, but everyone just RAVES about it - so we wanted to try it. Well... Joe and I just weren't impressed. I never saw a Yeti, for one thing. I knew from the Dis that it is broken - and to expect something with strobe lights - but I never saw it. We really thought that this was one attraction where Disney did not deliver. Or maybe my expectations were too high? The kids were scared by it - and didn't want to ride it again.

We did stop in the gift shop and the girls bought Yeti key chains for their ice skating bags (seemed appropriately themed, LOL).

After EE, we headed to Kilimanjaro Safaris. We had struck up a conversation with a really nice college program guy in line at Pop that morning waiting for the bus. We chatted about his experience in the program, and he was just a really friendly guy. When the music came on at the bus stop, We started dancing - we were just having a good time (and embarrassing Rebecca, LOL, who is starting to care about such things). For no reason at all, the employee gave us a one time "good for any attraction" fast pass! Awesome bit of magic there! So we used it to ride Kilimanjaro Safari.

We had an nice safari, and we got to see Cheetas walking around - the driver seemed pretty excited about that. We also saw a Hippo out of the water - and I just love hippos, so that was pretty cool.

After KS, we headed to Pizzafari for lunch. Along the way, we stopped for this picture. Cringe - I did not mean for them to climb up there, I just wanted them to stand in front of the toes - but I was digging for my camera, and when I looked up, there they were

So here are my children perched inappropriately in the Animal Kingdom

After lunch at Pizzafari, we decided to see the Nemo Show. I was ambivalent about this, but we'd done the Lion King show before, and Joe wanted to try something new. I'm so glad we did - it was so, so good. We really enjoyed it (all of us!). We sat up in the bubble zone, and that was a fun touch at the end.

That is Disney at it's best, IMO. Where else can you ride amazing rides and see Broadway caliber shows all in the same theme park, for the same admission price? We drank the Disney Koolaid big time on this trip.

After Nemo, Joe and the kids rode PW one last time (we had fast passes). Then we got some popcorn and headed for the buses. Today was our day to swim at the Computer pool, and for me to start packing everything up. Tomorrow is Friday, Magic Kingdom, and our last Disney Day.

 

[preschoolmom]

For our family, taking the first night to just rest seems to work the best.

We are the same way. We drive from OH and get there for swim time and DTD. Easy day so we are ready for the rest of the busy week

Family looks great. My DW is a twin so I know what you mean....

LOL about the twin thing. Thanks for reading!

 

[wildcatfan]

I am enjoying your trip report. You have a beautiful family. I love the way you were all so relaxed and laid back. Just making memories to last a lifetime.

 

[preschoolmom]

I am enjoying your trip report. You have a beautiful family. I love the way you were all so relaxed and laid back. Just making memories to last a lifetime.

Awww, Thank you. I would say that it took us a couple of trips to get to this point. I don't tend to be a relaxed person by nature. We really found our groove on this trip and we did just have an absolute blast.

Thanks so much for reading!

 

[Britard]

I am loving your report! The pictures are great, and I love how Perry went with you.

Did the kids argue over who got to hold him for the photos, or did the Disney Kool Aid keep them complacent??

 

[preschoolmom]

I am loving your report! The pictures are great, and I love how Perry went with you.

Did the kids argue over who got to hold him for the photos, or did the Disney Kool Aid keep them complacent??

There was a small amount of arguing over who got to hold Perry, but not too much

Oh, and thank you for reading!!!

 

[preschoolmom]

We woke up early on this last morning. We actually got to the bus stop ten minutes earlier than on Tuesday, but the crowds were much bigger. On the way to the park, Joe looked at the Lines App (I highly recommend this App from Touring Plans - it was very accurate during our week and we would check it before heading across a park to gauge wait times) and it said the park would be open until 1:00am (it was only supposed to be open until 11:00pm). Sure enough, the bus driver confirmed it, by making an announcement that the Magic Kingdom would be open until 1:00am. I'm guessing that means they were anticipating a big crowd

So, even though we were 10 minutes earlier this day, we were not the first people through a turn style. We were far enough back from the front that we could see the opening show (but just barely). When the rope dropped - it was instant CHAOS. We had been chatting with several of the families around us, and we were all concerned about the crowds - the place was packed (and this was before opening). So, we held hands with all the kids and walked at a brisk but steady pace down Main Street. People were running. I saw a girl that was crying and telling her friends to wait, and holding her arm - she must have gotten hurt some how.

The kids wanted to ride Dumbo, so we made our way over to the new area. We were probably on the second Dumbo of the day. I took about 10 pictures, but none of them are worth posting.

After Dumbo, we headed to Peter Pan. The wait was already 20 minutes! We grabbed fast passes instead, and back tracked to Winnie the Pooh.

After Pooh, we rode the Mad Tea Party

Then, because we had some time to kill before our fast passes for Peter Pan, we rode the Carousal

And Small World. Will does not like Small World - we didn't ride it on our second trip because he says it is too loud, and doesn't like it. But, we had a few minutes to kill - and Joe and I like it, and there was no wait. The girls thought it was babyish (from the girls that brought about 12 stuffed animals each on this vacation - and also purchased large stuffed animals as their favorite souvenirs ). I had read on the Dis that Small World seemed quieter, as if they had turned the volume down, and I thought that was the case. It did sound softer to me. Will still rode the entire time with his ears covered.

After Small World, we rode Peter Pan. Who doesn't love this one?

After Peter Pan, Joe was going to run to Splash for Fast Passes, and I was taking the kids to Cosmic Rays for lunch. We were there about 10 minutes before lunch started. Joe texted me on his way back that Splash was down and they weren't giving out fast passes (should have checked the App!).

So, we had lunch at Cosmic Rays.

We were walking back toward the hub when we took this picture - another vacation favorite:

The kids were asking for ice cream - so we stopped. Have to get the ice cream on vacation shot:

While the kids were eating their ice cream, I ran over to get Jungle Cruise fast passes.

Then we headed to Pirates. There was a decent wait at Pirates (but it moves so quickly, plus it is inside and cool - it was starting to feel hot). We all enjoyed our boat cruise. I mentioned to Joe that I couldn't believe the crowds, and he pointed out that we were there on a very busy day and that both Splash and Big Thunder were down.

After Pirates, we headed to the Jungle Cruise. The fast pass line for that one was pretty long, and moving slowly. Will was kind of having a small fit about being hot at that point - but we muscled through. Our Skipper seemed... Tired... But Joe and I love the jokes, so I'm glad we made the effort to ride it.

After our Jungle Cruise, we headed back to Pop for our last swim! And our last dinner.

Next update - our last evening in the Magic Kingdom!

 

[preschoolmom]

After our swim break, we headed back to Magic Kingdom for one last evening.

We went on the Speedway (Which broke down, two cars were off their tracks, which enabled me to snap a bunch of pictures of Joe and Will in the car behind us).

We rode the People Mover again - Fun again! And it broke down when we were in a dark tunnel. After about 30 seconds, the lights came on, and after just a couple of minutes, we were moving again.

They were doing the dance party in Tomorrowland, again. We headed to the Laugh Factory. Joe was ambivalent about it this time, as I think he would have preferred to do something new - but it was close, and the kids wanted to do it. It was SO FUNNY. The jokes were all different, AND they flashed us up on the screen making a joke about how we screwed up the laundry. Then the monster said, "Is that a platypus?" and zoomed in on Perry. The kids were THRILLED to have been on the big screen. It was such a magical moment for them!

The kids were still asking to ride Splash, but we didn't want to fight the crowds. This park was PACKED.

We had reservations for the Tomorrowland Dessert party, so we went there next. The line started around 8:30, but we didn't want to wait - so we went back over to the dance party and let the kids dance for a couple of songs. I might have danced, too Hey, we're on vacation, who is going to ever see us again?

After that, the kids were getting thirsty and ready for a snack, so we went to check in. We had an INCREDIBLE table, right at the front of the Terrace. We got some desserts, some ice water (so refreshing!) and settled in to watch the castle change colors. It was beautiful. The weather was just perfect (no one was hot or cold). The desserts were very good (plentiful with a nice selection), and it was so, so, so, so nice to have a table and chairs all to ourselves.

We snapped just a couple of pictures (nothing to write home about, mine of Joe and the kids is actually blurry):

Oops, I'm out of space. Continued in the next post.

 

[preschoolmom]

We could see the Electric Parade, but it wasn't a great view. If that is a priority for you, you won't be able to see it clearly - but we could see the floats well enough.

I was also surprised at how well we could see the Magic, Memories and You show on the castle. I had also read that wasn't visible (and we couldn't see it perfectly - but we could see many of the effects very well).

We were also just watching how incredibly huge the crowd was, and we were so thankful for our little spot there on the Terrace. I don't think we could have stood on the curb in the Hub for two hours. This was money very well spent. Will was able to play Angry Birds while we waited, and just sit with no one in his personal space. I'll be honest, it was nice for all of us

We were right up against the railing, so we didn't even have to stand to see Wishes - we just pulled our chairs right up to the railing, and sat as a family and watched it.

This was our first time as a family watching Wishes (the kids never managed to stay up for it on our previous trips - except one night, and that night it got rained out and cancelled - so this was my big "must do" for this trip). Tinkerbell flew RIGHT OVER US. Amazing. And the fireworks and music and being together as a family, and just feeling so incredibly blessed and lucky - what a way to end a magical vacation.

We told the kids that we were happy to go ride Splash after the fireworks ended, but they were WIPED OUT. We all were, LOL. So, we waited about 15 minutes, until we could see the crowd was actually moving - and then we made our way out.

They were exiting people behind main street - so we happily walked behind all the stores and avoided the major exiting crowds. We were dumped back in right at the Chapeau. Perfect! We walked out and to the Pop Bus Stop.

I have to say, Disney brought it's A game. We didn't wait at all for a bus. You could see that they had every bus in the fleet working - there were all different types of buses picking people up. We walked right onto one, and headed back to Pop.

What a fantastic end to a fantastic vacation.

One more post to finish up some of my thoughts on our vacation!

 

[preschoolmom]

Here are just a few thoughts...

We were thankful to have access to the GAC, but I'm even more thankful that we didn't really need it. We only used it the first night for Test Track. It was reassuring to have it, just in case, but now I know we don't need it. For our family, Touring Plans, swim breaks, fast passes and not having ADRs really was enough.

I did miss being able to use Fast Passes after the window. Not a huge deal, but it would have been nice to be able to ride things later, and spread out the attractions more throughout the day.

There are definitely things we still haven't seen and experienced, so odds are we will return at some point.

I feel like we got a great value on this vacation. If anyone is interested in seeing more of how our budget broke down, feel free to PM me. We were able to get free Quick Service Dining, which was perfect for our family. We did two connecting rooms at Pop Century. We drove instead of flying. We have the Disney Visa, so we redeemed some points toward our package as well. Disney can be an affordable vacation!

Would I travel during spring break again? Yes, if it didn't coincide with Easter. We found crowd levels at 8 to be fine - 10 was a bit much. I wouldn't want to battle crowds at a 10 all week long.

Given the choice between extremely hot weather (our second trip) or higher crowds (this trip), I would choose higher crowds. I also feel Disney really does a great job on the peak times - they are fully staffed and expecting the crowds.

I know on the Dis a couple of things come up over and over - and now that we've traveled during a higher crowd time, I just have to comment on the buses and the wheelchairs/ECVs. Complete non-issues. I never saw a small child, elderly person, or even a woman forced to stand on any bus. All the men offered up their seats (or if they didn't, it was no big deal - I just mean that no one was left hanging on to a toddler, a stroller, and their grandma on any of the buses I rode on). And we barely noticed wheelchairs or ECVs in the parks. Yes, some were there, but it had no impact on walking in the crowds or anything else. It only takes about a minute to load one on a bus, and we never once felt even slightly inconvenienced by it. It was a total non-issue. It did not seem worse than two years ago or four years ago.

Our drive home was very long. The first day was brutal - the traffic/construction south of Atlanta made for a long first day. We stopped in Dalton, GA for the night. Joe did the rock star 3:30 am shift on Sunday - and made it 3.5 hours (and the kids finally SLEPT for 3 hours) before breakfast. Priceless.

We were home to Chicagoland by about 2:00 on Sunday.

Thanks so much for reading - and please don't hesitate to ask any questions! I am so thankful for The Dis, Touring Plans and Easy WDW. My trips would not be nearly this good without these resources!

 

[TillyDe]

Thank you for sharing your vacation.
I enjoyed it.

 

[preschoolmom]

Thank you for sharing your vacation.
I enjoyed it.

Thank you for reading it!!! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

 

[BurleyGirl]

Great report. Your thoughts on your last night at the dessert party brought tears to my eyes...I've had several Disney moments like that, and I cherish them, too! And, so glad you decided to do Epcot so you could keep your siggie pictures going...it's the little things like that that make the best memories.