The trip that never was but was always meant to be! An October 2016 trip report...

[moesy4]

Day 5 Date Night Hollywood Studios



The kids were tired from the previous day and so they slept in until 10 am...gotcha! Not my lovely children. G was up at 7:15 and the rest of us got up at 8:15 am. The downside about a camper is it does rock when people are moving, particularly going in and out of the camper. We didn't notice it much but we all really tried to not move about too much before the group was up. Grandma got up with G and let her play on the tablet until the rest of us were up and moving.

We had a great, relaxing morning around the Fort. We got showered and ready and then made a big breakfast of waffles and sausage, Mickey Waffles of course! We got ready for the pool at that time and headed over there. Grandma was going to meet us later, but G was struggling and when we went to put sunscreen on, she flipped out. Like, a tantrum of all tantrums, which she never does. I knew she needed an emergency nap, so the boys stayed at the pool while I went back to the camper and put her down. 1700 loop is a short 7-8 minute walk to the pool and the weather, again, was gorgeous.

Grandma graciously stayed back at the camper and I went back to join the boys at the pool. N was SO excited there were no height restrictions on the slide and the boys both went down at least a dozen times.

We gave the splash pad a try which was another big hit.

We were holding out for G to join us and she woke up right about 12:30. Grandma brought her down and I sent A back with the boys to shower and get ready while I got some pool time in with my girl. At about 1 pm, I headed back while Grandma played with her in the splash pad.

We got ready and then it was time for our big date afternoon/evening!

According to Grandma, the kids hung out at the camper for awhile before heading to the playground.

They ate dinner at the walk up quick service by the pool and stopped by the Trading Post...

to pick up some "much needed" ice cream.

They went back and got ready for the evening. They all headed to the campfire again and this time the boys got to meet Dale from Chip and Dale.

G got a boyfriend who followed her around until he finally won her heart (she is particular with her affections!) and the boys found friends as well.

As for us, we headed to our lunch date at Kona Cafe. We had planned to take the boat to MK and then the monorail over, but the small boat that hits the resorts up was just arriving and so we took that over to the Contemporary instead to hop the monorail from there. We glanced around a little..don't quite get the appeal, although the walk to MK would be amazing!

We got on the monorail which was delayed for a bit, but we made it over to the Poly with plenty of time to spare before our reservation. We looked around the lobby for a bit and I really like the decor here. I can't imagine the prices, but to each their own!

Reservations were definitely not needed; we walked up at 2:10 pm about 20 minutes before our reservation and they had no problem seating us early. I had picked this place as many people had said it was a hidden gem. We ended up ordering the sticky wings and then splitting the turkey sandwich and the surf and turf burger. The turkey sandwich was just ok, but the other two were very good. I would've eaten a second order of wings! We debated dessert, but decided to wait until the parks.

We went down to the bus stop to wait for our Hollywood Studios bus, but we were starting to feel a little bit sleepy. Our first FP+ wasn't for quite awhile and we had no real plans. I sprung it on A, "Let's just go relax on the beach here a bit!" It was perfect, the weather was amazing, and it was just what we needed. We found a wee bit of shade, pulled up a couple of lounge chairs, and dozed while enjoying the view and listening to the music in the background. It was a highlight of the trip.

After about an hour, we were feeling much more relaxed and rested. We headed back to the bus stop and caught a HS bus. As I stated earlier, it shared with GF which we picked up next so it was a bit of a ride, but we were in no rush.

We arrived at HS around 5 pm and took our time just walking through, getting our pictures taken, and grabbing a Mickey bar.

Our first FP+ was for RnRC. It was going into refurb later that week and it was one of the only rides I didn't think DS would like, and that was why I picked it for date night. A had never ridden before, although I have, and it is a favorite. A enjoyed it immensely as he is definitely a thrill ride guy.

I really wanted to try out Voyage of the Little Mermaid as we had missed it on our mini trip and I love the Little Mermaid. As I'm sure you are well aware, it is just ok, but now I can say I have went!

It was then time for our FP+ to Tower of Terror, the other ride I didn't think DS would ride.

Those two rides were the reason we picked our date night to be here as opposed to Food & Wine, which was our original plan. We both had fun, of course. We headed over to Launch Bay...I guess I thought based on people's reviews there was more to this place? We are big Star Wars fans and the displays were cute, but I had allotted an hour here on our family day to HS and I was glad we walked through so I knew that wasn't necessary.

The lines were too long at the other rides to risk when we wanted to get to SW fireworks an hour early, so we decided to take in One Man's Dream. A got to watch a nice preview of Dr. Strange.

We then headed to snag a prime spot for the fireworks. I was surprised by how many people were already there, but we had no problem grabbing a spot right where I wanted. I went over to Min and Bill's (I believe it's called) and grabbed us a couple of waters and some nachos to split while we waited. We killed time watching SNL political skits and then an employee walked around and made us all stand up about 20 minutes before the show started. If you are coming in later and don't mind risking they don't do this, it might be worth it to hang out nearby and wait for this to happen. A whole slew of people got just as good of spots as us and waited 45 minutes less. Oh well.

The show started and this was one of my favorites ever. Very well done and the effects were just amazing! I got chills at the end. If you are even remotely into Star Wars, it is worth the wait.

We meandered out to the buses, which were a little chaotic, but we found our spot and made our way back to the Fort. We got back around 9:30 pm and despite a strict demand that the kids be in bed by 8:30 pm since G had an early nap and the boys hadn't napped at all, the kids were still up when we arrived. Naughty Grandma. They were ready for bed though and it was nice to tuck them in for the night and hear about their day. It is so nice that we know we can get time to ourselves and know they are having equally as much fun without us!

We relaxed and read for a bit before heading to bed early ourselves for our first Epcot day!

 

[moesy4]

Hi!
Enjoying reading your report! We love the Fort. We've only stayed in the cabins but we used to own a trailer so we're used to the camping life. We rent a golf cart and it is a fun way to get around the campground and it is so nice in the evening to jump on the cart and be on the way to the cabin without extra waiting.

Yes, I had always heard a cart was a nice perk but not necessary, but I would argue otherwise. We ended up renting one the last night to look at decorations and we figured out what we were missing. What did you think of the cabins?

 

[moesy4]

Another post, I am on a roll! I am trying to knock out as much of this report before we leave tomorrow as we will be gone until the beginning of next week. My mom, however, will be giving me her memory card to her nicer camera which are pictures I haven't seen yet, so I may be editing to add a few of those in.

Our plan was to split Epcot into two days, today being the first and the day we would be primarily doing Food and Wine. I had hoped Agent P and some of the characters would keep the little ones entertained. Well, the best laid plans....this was the day I felt like I finally got a feel for how our group does Disney. It was our 4th park day total and our 3rd with the kids and I was beginning to see a pattern. AK long day with mid day break? Perfect. Late arrival MK day? Fun but tiring and hot with everyone dragging by early afternoon. Evening HS date night? A loved it and we had an amazing night! Late arrival Epcot day? Fun but tiring and hot with everyone dragging by early afternoon.

See a pattern? I had thought the kids would sleep in later and couldn't handle late nights, and so had primarily planned our times for late arrivals through mid afternoons with the exception of a few early mornings or later evenings. This Epcot day was where it clicked that type of touring just didn't work with our group...we still had fun, but it was such a huge difference how both A and my kids did when they weren't battling heat or were fighting against mid day fatigue.

Thankfully, for the most part, it was an easy switch to change the rest of the trip to work with this newfound knowledge. And it was AMAZING how smooth the rest of the trip went. Like I said, we had been having a great time before then, but after this morning was when we really hit our stride. I could tell after this A was having a great time as well (not that he didn't enjoy it before, but it just worked well for him after this!) and the kids did great.

I am jumping ahead of myself as we haven't had our "fun by hot and tiring" day at Epcot yet, but I felt it was important to again point out that making the trip work for your family is way more important than making your family fit the trip.

Keeping a schedule because you made that ADR 6 months ago and aren't going to miss it, dang it! Or because you don't want to miss a coveted FP+ just doesn't make sense. I saw a lot of parents really ragging on their kids for dragging or having bad attitudes, when it doesn't take much to alter things to make it work. A day full of rides where no one is enjoying it is a lot worse than an unplanned day at the pool that everyone enjoys, even if it means no 7DMT or BOG that trip.

 

[moesy4]

Ok, I am beat and so my next post probably won't be until after the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

[G719]

Yes, I had always heard a cart was a nice perk but not necessary, but I would argue otherwise. We ended up renting one the last night to look at decorations and we figured out what we were missing. What did you think of the cabins?

We've stayed twice at the cabins. We love the cabins- the kitchen, the extra room to spread out, the porch to relax on. It's so much quieter than a hotel room because you don't have people above you making noise or running by in the halls.

 

[moesy4]

Long delay, but I have fixed the photo links (I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong!) and cleaned up the posts! I am hoping to jump into Epcot tomorrow evening and knock a couple of more days out.

 

[ariane37]

I got embarrassingly behind after our Nov. trip, but I'll catch up asap

 

[moesy4]

We all "slept in" Tuesday until about 8 am. I had made a crockpot french toast casserole which was pretty blech and the kids wouldn't touch it, but we all found something to eat before packing up and heading over to Epcot. We arrived at Epcot at around 10:30 and it was a beautiful morning with no humidity and perfectly sunny skies. We again had no issues with bag check and were through in a breeze. As I mentioned in my last post, this was the day that we finally figured out what worked for our family and what didn't. G was definitely struggling this day with several meltdowns, which isn't like her at all. She is generally very easy going and so you could really tell the lack of sleep and schedule was catching up with her. She was definitely trying though, and we were all still having fun!
We had left Grandma behind today and she was going to check out Downtown Disney and explore the resort some more.

Our first stop was, of course, Spaceship Earth! I had no idea how the kids would like it, but it was a huge hit! I think they would've ridden it a dozen times. Our next stop was Agent P's adventure. I really like the concept behind this, but the execution is just a little....clumsy? It is a LOT of time glued to your phone screen and the missions are really long. My oldest son loved it but because it took so long, we were only able to do one mission. It was really hard to hear the talking as well. I think it would be a great concept with just older kids with their own devices!

We headed to Mexico first to complete a mission and get a little break from the heat. Although it was lovely weather, there wasn't much shade and again, my husband hates standing around the heat. Between that and the meltdowns, he was struggling a little too. We all loved the boat ride in Mexico and there was virtually no wait, which was great! My husband took the younger two on another trip around while I finished the mission with M.

We strolled past Norway...we had decided based on the boys and the wait to skip Frozen but I had hoped to catch Anna and Elsa for G. Unfortunately, the wait was over 45 minutes already so we kept going to China. One of the biggest draws was the Food and Wine Festival which I had heard so much about, but between the heat and the prices (my husband is a big portion, little price kind of guy), A had no interest once we actually arrived. Thankfully, the day took a great turn when we went inside and found Mulan! She is one of M's favorite characters and the only princess he would meet. G was a little shy, but she warmed up as well which was a relief. She was such a great character and did so great with all the kids.

It had been about a 20 minute wait, but it was well worth it. Since Food and Wine had been a no go, we decided to go simple and grab a bit at Lotus Blossom Cafe. It was nothing special, but we didn't expect it to be. The kids enjoyed it.

We had only been in the park for a couple of hours at this point, but I could read the stars and between the meltdowns, heat, and lack of interest in F & W, it was time to call an audible. We were still having fun, but we just weren't feeling it. There was one more stop we just had to make, and that was in Germany for caramel corn! This was WELL worth the stop, I think we all could've eaten our own bag. We found a bench in the shade, relaxed, and people watched. It was a favorite moment of the day.

We were ready to head out and were about at the very back point of the park. We decided to take the Friendship Boat back across the lake. It was a long wait and G fell asleep. All in all, it took us almost 2 hours to get from Germany to our camper. We loved the Fort, but I don't know that I would stay again without a car to drive and a golf cart. It is just a long wait if you don't hit the buses right! Of course, G woke up before we got to the camper.

The boys took a nap (including A) and G and I hung out in the camper watching a movie until Grandma came back. She had a great time at Downtown Disney and took lots of pictures. I knew G still needed more sleep but she had slept just enough to throw her off and she wouldn't go back down. This is the point where I realized that getting out of the sun and taking our time getting out the door regardless of what that meant would be the key to truly getting the best trip we could. As I stated, this worked out perfectly for the rest of the trip. It wasn't that the days before this were bad, not at all! We had been having a wonderful trip and everything had gone smoothly. There just ended up being such a difference in everyone's overall demeanor once we figured out what worked for us. I'm sure that is the big appeal of going back time and time again!
The boys woke up from their nap and we headed to the pool. G had a major meltdown as soon as we got there and so I took her back to the camper and finally got her down for a nap. We swam for quite a while and ate some yummy crockpot ranch chicken sandwiches. At this point, we decided Grandma would stay behind with G while the boys, A, and I would head back into Epcot to utilize evening EMH. I had thankfully made some FP+ reservations for the evening on the off chance we headed back, which worked out perfectly!

 

[moesy4]

Grandma took Gabrielle for a nice, long walk to look at Halloween decorations and then they attended the campfire sing a long again. Grandma had become quite the regular there!
We took the bus back into Epcot and got there right around 7:30 pm. Our first FP+ was for Test Track but of course N was too short. A and M headed in while N and I headed to the exit area to check out the exhibit. We didn't know you needed your MB to access a lot of the exhibit, but we had a great time fooling around and just relaxing. M fell in love with Test Track and was so exited to do it again with Mom!

I was more than happy to oblige. The rider swap was such a help! It is good for the rest of the month, so don't feel like you have to do them back to back.

Of course, we were eager to get N on something fast and our next stop was Soarin' which he was also to short for, so we decided to suck it up and go on Figment. The park was just closing at this point and we caught a little of the fireworks over the lake. Shockingly (haha), there was no wait at all and the kids enjoyed it, especially the play area afterwards.

Note: EMH turned out to be priceless. We used them over and over and I know several sites recommend avoiding those days, they were so fantastic for getting lots done with short waits. I could easily stay off site and give up most of the Disney on site perks, but this one would be really, really hard to let go.

The line for the Character Spot was not bad at all and we hopped in line to meet Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie.

I still think watching the kids meet the characters is one of my favorite things, the characters mean so much to them!

We continued to make our way around and the next stop was the Land. The line to Soarin' was still a little longer than we would like, so we hopped on Living with the Land. We like to garden and so it was neat to see, and the kids liked the boat. At this point, Soarin' was down to around 25 minutes so A and M took their turn while I took N over to the Seas with Nemo and Friends. Both rides were huge hits, including with A who is pretty hard to impress! The park was about to close and we decided to save the rider swap for our second Epcot day and take another turn on Spaceship Earth.

The park closed at this point and we headed out. It had been an exhausting but fun evening.

We had the worst bus luck at Epcot and the bus before us broke down. We didn't get home until close to 1 am. The boys promised they would sleep in the next day (yeah, that worked out well!) and we all collapsed into bed!

 

[moesy4]

I forgot to add one more perk of EMHs...even the minor rides are nice to go on because the wait is minimal. If your toddlers are anything like mine, they are a fan of "Again!" which is really hard to do at Disney. But when N asked "Again!" after the Seas, I was happy to oblige.

Our amazing helped Grandma took Gabrielle when she got up bright and early the next morning and let us sleep in. The boys made it all the way until 8:30 before waking up. I will admit I was pretty grumpy about that, but once I wrapped my head around the short night, I perked right up. This was our biggest resort day and we were all ready for some fun at the pool and exploring the resort some more!
We had made reservations for the breakfast buffet at Trail's End. Even if you do not stay at the Fort, this buffet is soooo worth the stop! It is less expensive than most at Disney and the food was so good. We let the kids get whatever they wanted which is pretty rare and M smashed 3 bowls of Froot Loops, which made him so happy lol. We all waddled out there after getting our fill of that amazing maple pecan sauce and the beef brisket hash. It is making me so hungry just remembering it!

For those who have never stayed at the Fort, it is well worth the trip. There are so many fun activities and it has a great atmosphere. It is a short boat ride from MK and would be a great way to spend the evening. After breakfast we meandered over to the beach. It was again, a gorgeous day with no humidity and clear skies.

We spent quite awhile building sand castles, playing tetherball, and finding lizards.

After a relaxing morning at the beach, we made our way to one of the only things that big brother couldn't do, the pony rides!

The younger two were elated, but of course M was bummed. It is never fun to be left out.

G was a little hesitant at first, but really warmed up to it and had a great time. It is $8 a ride and my only complaint was how short it was...the whole thing was under 5 minutes and there was no one else there, they could've easily had us go another lap.

Our final stop was of course, Meadows pool. M wasn't feeling a swim today so he sat on the sidelines and read, but everyone else took a dip.
We all took a nap and then it was time for A, M, and I to head out for our special night! One of my favorite memories from our last trip was being up late at night running around MK soaking it all in. We took the lovely boat ride over to MK right at sunset. It was just gorgeous!

We arrived at 6:45 pm and wandered over to Tomorrowland. We had a really loose plan for the evening and were really excited to just take in what we could.

Our first FP+ was for M's old favorite, Buzz Lightyear. Such a cute ride, although I never do well at all! We had a little time to kill before our next FP+ so we headed over to the Laugh Floor which had a short wait. DH was on camera for "still lives with his MIL" which was funny since she was staying with us that week. We had enjoyed it on our last trip and this was no different.
It was then time for our next FP+ which was for Tomorrowland Speedway. Even though this is a fairly typical amusement park ride, it is still a favorite for everyone and my son loves to drive crazy (as I'm sure they all do!). It was about 8:45 at this point and we decided to take the train around to Splash Mountain for a scenic view of the park.

Spoiler alert: The train has no view at all...why? I don't know what it's purpose was, it was a long wait and we only caught little glimpes of the park. Oh well, it got us off our feet for a bit. We used our rider swap from Sunday to enjoy Splash Mountain. This definitely ended up being one of M's favorite rides. It was actually a little chilly once the sun went down and I was worried we would be cold, but thankfully we didn't get very wet at all.

It was then time to try to catch the Castle show. Our friends love it and we had sat for a really long time waiting for it the last time we had gone and had really been underwhelmed. I know we could get banned for saying this lol, but we still were really underwhelmed, I just don't get the appeal? We really enjoyed Celebrate the Magic before the castle show though. I was really starting to drag after our late night and we were tired from standing and really hungry as well. What was the answer? Another go round at Pecos Bills!
I told the boys I was up for another ride or two and then was calling it, they could stay without me. I just couldn't pull the trigger though! I really love watching the kids soak it all in and couldn't leave. Right before the park closed, we rode on M's ultimate favorite ride again, POTC. At this point, EMH had begun! Splash Mountain was down to a basically a walk on and being the good parents that we are, we went one more time.

We started to make our way over to Haunted Mansion but M spotted Frontierland Shooting Arcade and we had to try it out. FYI: It is just $1 but it only takes cash. Such a cute, inexpensive little stop. We had debated about Haunted Mansion as M can be a little sensitive, but he agreed to give it a shot. It was almost a walk on and he ended up loving it.
Note: The Lines app by Touring Plans was such a great tool at these times when you are kind of winging it. I found it be really accurate, even more so than the posted wait times. It was definitely worth the subscription just for this!

The app stated Peter Pan was down to 17 minutes and I knew it was usually a really long wait and so we went for it. The queue is super cute and I was glad we got a chance to go through it. The ride is cute, nothing super fancy, but definitely classic Disney.
At this point, the Lines app had 7DMT down to 25 minutes. It was about 30 minutes to closing and I didn't think it would get much less so we jumped in line. We had given up our second FP+ for this ride when we rearranged our schedule and so this would be our final chance. The girl working the line was shouting out "It is a 50 minute wait!" when the sign said 30 minutes and a lot of people were changing their mind and walking away. We hesitated, but I had read of something similar on here and trusted the TP app, so we went with it and it was indeed only a 20 minute wait. I honestly think she was trying to discourage people from getting in line so she didn't have to stay too long after closing.
Anyway, the ride was great at night and we got off right as the park closed. Such a wonderful night and such special memories with our oldest son!

 

[moesy4]

Phew, 3 posts after my long break! Can you tell I am itching to go back?

 

[moesy4]

Poor Grandma couldn't figure out the couch bed and was still awake when we made it home at 2 am...we all got settled in collapsed. Then what charming granddaughter was up at 6 am? Our blessing of a Grandma somehow managed to keep her quiet until the sun came up and then took her for a stroll and to the park so we could get some much needed rest. N actually slept in until 9 and we all got up then for a yummy breakfast of pancakes and bacon.

If you have considered staying at the Fort, I would highly recommend looking into it! There are several great rental RV companies and we had such a great experience with a little extra space to spread out and access to a full kitchen. We had rearranged this day when we had figured out our groove; therefore, we had nowhere to be until after naps. We, of course, ended up at Meadows pool and swam for quite awhile. I really liked how Disney lets kids in the spa, I know if you were only a family of adults you probably wouldn't appreciate it, but the kids enjoyed that more than anything else!

G fell asleep on the way back from the pool and the boys had a blast making a big pillow fort in their "bedroom" while we relaxed around the camper and straightened up a bit. We got ready to go and headed out around 3 pm for another go at Epcot as a family this time! Grandma was in tow and was again, a big help.
Our first stop was Turtle Talk with Crush. It was such a cute show and all the kids loved it. We each grabbed a kid and took some time to explore the exhibit. It was very nicely done, but didn't take as long as I thought to go through (which is probably good as we were always hopelessly behind!)

As I stated earlier, G is a HUGE Nemo fan and we were so excited to take her on a spin of The Seas with Nemo! It was, of course, a hit. We began our trip around Epcot with a stop at the Land. A and M went for another trip on Soarin' while we did another spin on Living with the Land....it isn't necessarily a two time ride, but the kids of course liked the boat! It was then Grandma and I's turn with rider swap for Soarin'! A got the younger two a snack at Sunshine Seasons...loved Soarin! I had totally forgotten the rider swap from the other day and was bummed we couldn't go again, but I think the younger ones were ready to move on.
The next stop was one the boys had been waiting for since our last visit as we had just missed it...Club Cool! Pop is a really rare treat in our family and so the kids tried them all, even the Beverly.

It was a gorgeous evening and the sun was just starting to set as we made our way back over to Test Track. Grandma was still burned on roller coasters from Expedition Everest and so it was M, A, and I for another go. We had gotten rider swap, but I had had my fill of that ride. A and M went for one last spin while Grandma and I began to make our way over to Mouse Gear for the boys' light sabers.
On the way, we passed the little fountains shooting out of the ground. For some reason, G was delighted by these and dove right in. It was dark and a little cool and I didn't have spare clothes and so I almost intercepted her, but I thought "What the heck, it is Disney!" She and N dove right in and got soaked chasing the fountains all over the pad and sitting on the "fire" (aka light under the fountains). They got so many laughs from those walking past and it was such a fun Disney moment.

After wringing out their clothes, we met the other boys at Mouse Gear and the two boys built their light sabers. It was such a great souvenir choice (they had seen it when we had been there the previous night). G made the rounds with Grandma and settled on a talking Nemo, another great choice.

Exhausted but content and ready to battle, we waited another loong time for the bus back to the Fort and settled everyone into bed. A ran and got a pizza from PJ's take out.

Note: Another perk of staying at the Fort is the relatively low cost food options. The Giddy up and Go is around $25 and is more than enough for a full meal with 8 pieces chicken and 2 sides. The pizzas were very yummy and inexpensive, maybe around $18? We actually ended up scrapping doing the buffet to the tune of $100 plus the last night to do some pizza instead.

 

[moesy4]

After scrapping our super early morning on Sunday at Magic Kingdom, we were forced to alter our schedule. It was imperative we had some time in Fantasyland before the crowds picked up to accomplish some of the rides I didn't get FP+ for. We had purposely done a short day at Epcot the day before to keep us well rested for our big Magic Kingdom day. We got up nice and early and grabbed some snacks for breakfast. We then took a beautiful boat ride across the lake over to the Magic Kingdom and got through the gates at about 8:05 am. They had EMH that morning but we had opted not to go quite that early and were hopeful the crowds would still be low, especially since we no intentions of doing 7DMT.

Look at these happy faces!

I can't remember how much details I gave earlier, but my Mom was using an old Super Duper pass which we thought had 3 days left on it. If you remember, she ended up having to wait quite awhile to get the pass redeemed. When I ended up plugging it into MDE, it came up as a 5 day pass, not a 3! I was hesitant to get excited, but I ended up being able to make FP+ for all 5 days on the ticket. The only thing we could think of was that maybe it was a little Disney magic to make up for the hassle with customer service.

Well, this would've been my mom's first bonus day and when I got through security, I turned around to see her getting turned away. It truly was a 3 day ticket. I was panicked thinking of not only not having the help, but also missing all those memories with her. She assured us she would be fine as she headed back to the boat and we headed towards Main Street, but I just couldn't shake the fact that she should be there and ended up bawling. My husband stated "Why don't we just buy her a ticket?" It was a splurge we hadn't planned on, but we knew it was the right choice. I called her hoping to catch her before she got on the boat and she had the same idea and was already looking up prices!

Relieved, we told her to meet us back in Fantasyland and headed that way.

Our first stop was Winnie the Pooh and it was still, thankfully, a walk on. The kids all loved it and since the line was short, we decided to go again. Grandma had made it back by that point and was able to join us.

The only bad thing about no wait is not being able to take advantage of the cute queues! Such a smart idea and I'm sure a big help in long lines. We spent a little time playing, but didn't want to lose the early advantage. Our next stop was around the corner at the Little Mermaid. We enjoyed another walk on for the ride and then made our way to meet Ariel! M refused, but the younger two were enraptured and barely spoke a word. She was great and again, the line was short.

The snacks just weren't cutting it and we were right by another place I wanted to try, Gaston's Tavern! A and M had hopped in line and we found a table, ready to dive into the 2 big cinnamon rolls. They didn't disappoint and the ambience was perfect.

We had a date with a princess next, but stopped at Philharmagic. It was cute, but the younger two were freaked out by the 3d and I don't know that I liked it enough to do it again. We split at this point...Grandma and I took the younger two to meet Cinderella and Elena while the other two made their way back to Haunted Mansion.

Note: Make sure all the adults have their phones! My husband is notorious for leaving his behind and even the best laid plans can get messed up at Disney. We ended up waiting quite awhile at IASW not sure where they were at when they got stuck at the Haunted Mansion for awhile when the ride broke down. We wasted quite a bit of time waiting, unsure of what to do!

The princesses were great and watching G meet Cinderella was definitely a highlight of the trip. N was obsessed and couldn't look away, but was too shy to talk or even go close to them. He talked about Elena for weeks afterwards!

Once the boys finally found us, we made our way over to Grandma's favorite ride, It's a Small World! We had an 11 am lunch reservation at the Plaza, but managed to sneak in one more trip on the carousel.

We made our way across Fantasyland and checked in to the Plaza. I had chosen it as one of only table service meals. We were on a pretty tight budget and this was listed in several places as a good value. It took about 15 minutes to get seated (not sure why as the restaurant had just opened?) but we did get a glimpse of the Move it, shake it parade. It was actually really nice with lots of characters and something I wish we would've made time for.
Lunch was very good, but...I just don't see the value in table service at Disney! I know I could get in trouble for saying that here as everyone loves table service at Disney, but I thought we could've spent half the amount and gotten just as good of food at the right quick service. N was pretty cranky as well, which probably didn't help, but I think we would be ok passing on most table service experiences in the future.
We did have a lovely view of the castle and the kids loved the Mickey sundaes.

We had a fantastic morning, but we were all ready for a break so we could gear up for the evening.

Note: The park closed at 7 pm this evening for the Halloween party. Even with a mid day break, we had plenty of time to accomplish what we needed and the crowds were way lower than Wednesday. It was definitely a great day with a good plan!

We headed back to the camper for naps all around!

 

[moesy4]

After a solid round of naps, we were ready to head back into the park for the last couple of hours before the Halloween party. We arrived back at the park around 3:45ish and caught the tail end of the stage show.

It was really cute and this was one of the things I had hoped to schedule in but we just didn't have time. G spotted Anna and Elsa and refused to let us leave until the stage show was done.

Our plan was to start in Tomorrowland and work our way back. Our first FP+ was for Tomorrowland Speedway. We all took a turn with rider swap with the exception of G who was soooo MAD she didn't get to ride. We watched from the bleachers, but she was not happy.

As you can see, she calmed down when her brothers came back. The party guests were starting to pour in and of course, they begin in Tomorrowland. It was starting to get crazy packed with people, but we had planned our FP+ accordingly and knew we would be ok. Our next FP+ was Buzz and it was a hit with all the kids. My husband spotted Buzz Lightyear outside and dragged the boys over for a meet and greet.

While we were waiting, the girls headed over to the Peoplemover for a quiet, relaxing ride. We must've hit an odd time because the line was really long as the ride had shut down for a bit (and did again while we were riding!) But Gabrielle, of course, loved it. We did another trip around with everyone and it was a nice way to relax and see the park as the sun was starting to set.

We had wrapped up our plans in Tomorrowland and were ready to head up to the circus! Our first stop was the iconic Dumbo ride! The play area is ingenious...our wait wasn't long enough to justify a pager but we stopped just to play for a few before we rode the ride. We had to drag them out of there to actually go on the ride.

N was ready at this point for his very first roller coaster and I was so excited to take him, he really thought he was important for this. A took the boys on Barnstormer while Grandma took G back into the play area on Dumbo (I think I was using the bathroom? I can't remember). The waits were nice and short as the park was about to close to regular guests and so A and I took turns separately with the boys while G and N went back on Dumbo for one last spin.

At this point, the park was closing and it was a beautiful evening, but time to head back. The park was PACKED with people and especially the entrance, holy moly! I know people say the party nights have short waits but I just couldn't see it based on the insane crowds out front and the number of people we had to push through to get out of the park. The bag check lines were at least 40 people long each. Glad we weren't in that crowd!
We made our way back to the camper from some grilled cheese sandwiches and a Disney show before bed.

 

[moesy4]

Our final full day was one that I was about the most excited for. The Jedi Training Academy was an absolute must for M, and I had been stressing for months about getting in line early enough to run over there and get a spot. I had heard many nightmare stories of people waiting an hour in line after waiting out front for 30 minutes and then only getting one of the last spots. Not a fun way to start the day. So...I booked a prepark breakfast at Hollywood and Vine. I couldn't get excited about spending that much money though on food that was poorly rated and characters M didn't care about.
Once the trip got closer, I decided to scrape up a little bit more money and splurge on a special date morning for the 2 of us with Early Morning Magic! I was super excited and kept it a secret all week. A was going to meet me in the park with the younger two after it was done.
The only problem was...I could not get a straight answer from anyone if the buses (both internal and external) would be running! I asked guest services, the front desk, the forums, the bus drivers, the transportation supervisor, and everyone was clueless. We finally tentatively agreed that the external bus would run but probably not the internal bus. Without a golf cart, that meant hoofing it...at 6 am...in the dark.
But...we did it. It was a good 20 minute walk and full speed (the Fort is huge!) but I had M in the stroller so he didn't mind. Plus, I had told him what we were doing and he was beyond thrilled!
We got to the bus stop right at 6:30 and thankfully, a HS bus pulled right up! I think the bus driver was shocked to see anyone, and so he sat around for about 15 minutes and then chatted with us for about 15 minutes after dropping us off. We were plenty early so it was a nice chat.
We were the first ones to walk up to the gate which M thought was cool.

We didn't wait alone long though as people began showing up for breakfast reservations and EMM. An employee came up and began to hand out wristbands...there were only about 30 people on the list for the event, which I was pumped about!

It was another picture perfect day and we killed time by chatting with employees and playing games. Finally, we were allowed to enter just after 7:45 am. M took off like a shot and I got a great picture of him on Hollywood Blvd. by himself!

Our first stop was, of course, sign ups. Oddly enough, I think we were the only ones from EMM who were there to sign up. We had our pick of times and were on our way in no time. Our first stop was Toy Story Midway Mania. We both loved this ride, it was awesome! The place was so dead we didn't even have to get off. We went around I believe 5 times before I finally convinced M to try something else. We went across the way and met a (bored) Woody and Buzz. I was a little bummed at this interaction..I think they could've done a lot more especially since there was no one around. But oh well.

We were then over to a ride I had sworn I wouldn't do because of motion sickness, Star Tours. My son is such a huge Star Wars fan I conceded. I convinced him to stop and see Sorcerer Mickey on the way and was glad I did, that was a great character interaction! He had so much fun with M.

We skipped Olaf (as M was NOT a fan of Frozen) and walked right on Star Tours. It was a great ride and thankfully, I didn't get sick at all. At this point, the park was opening but per the advice on the boards, we didn't head to breakfast quite yet. Instead, we made our way back to Launch Bay to take advantage of short waits for Chewbacca and Kylo Ren.

We were glad we had done that as the lines were significantly longer before we even left that area. We spotted our first Stormtroopers on the way out and M was elated! But we were starving and it was time for breakfast. They had a huge buffet with the best French toast slices I have ever had. No pictures because I was shoveling them in too fast. I wish I could've had 10 servings, but we were stuffed. All in all, it was money very well spent for the two of us and something I will never forget.
A called to say they had made it in unscathed (which says a lot with two toddlers). They said the March of the First Order was starting and we met them in front of the theater. It was amazing, it gave me chills! I can't wait until the whole area is open, they do such a great job with it.

At this point, we all headed over to Muppets but decided that M and I better head over to the Jedi Training Academy. A said the kids weren't a fan of the movie...there just isn't a lot for younger kids at all there right now. They made their way over to the stage and snagged a spot. There really should be seats as it is a long time to stand and there was no shade at all. It was a beautiful day but mid 80s and hot in the sun.
Waiting before the show started was a little slow but we finally made our way over to the stage.

We were so excited, M had ended up in the line to fight Darth Vader! The show was great and M had a blast. Even N and G were getting into it, using the Force to push them back.

It was a great experience, that is for sure.

We were right at Star Tours and had a FP+ for it. A and M hopped on board while I got a snack for the younger two and rested for a bit to get out of the sun. The first Indiana Jones show was about to start and I didn't want to miss it. A and M arrived just in time and we slipped in. This is always a favorite for me, I remember it even as a kid. All three kids were enthralled with the action.
At this point, it was getting pretty crowded and really hot in the sun. We decided to skip movie ride and finish up at TSMM. We had a FP+ for it and our bonus FP+ for JTA sign ups. N oddly didn't care for the ride, but everyone else including A loved it.
We were exhausted at this point and ready to call it a day, but happened to catch most of the Star Wars stage show on the way out. This was something else I hadn't had time in my schedule for but had really hoped to see. It didn't disappoint.

We left the parks for the last time this trip, tired but satisfied in a great day!

 

[moesy4]

I did, however, have one last surprised for the kids. We had reserved a golf cart for the night to check out the Halloween decorations! We were supposed to take it back from the bus, but unfortunately didn't know we needed our license. The kids were bummed but went down without too much of a fuss while I got the cart. Grandma had spent the entire day relaxing on the beach and we caught up with her for a bit.
The kids woke up and were more than ready for a spin on the golf cart! We took it over to the pool for one last swim.

We went back to the camper, changed, and got Grandma before heading to PJ's for some takeout pizza and a trip to the playground. We played for quite awhile before heading back to the campfire. The kids had gotten to go many times with Grandma, but this was only my 2nd time because of our rearranged schedule! We had, of course, brought our marshmallow fixings and enjoyed smores while we did the sing a long. We watched about 30 minutes of the movie before heading down to the beach.
I had packed glow wands and the kids had a great time running around the beach. It was one of my favorite memories, just such a beautiful way to end the trip. We got to see the Electrical Pageant for the first time which we all loved of course, and then our final fireworks show. For some reason, but A and I agreed we liked Wishes way better from a distance.
It was late, but since it was our last night we took the golf cart all over the Fort and looked at the decorations. A took G back to bed around midnight and we took one last spin around the Fort. It was Halloween weekend and the place was packed!
Finally, we called it a night and headed back to finish packing and tuck the kids in.
Well, our final morning probably isn't worth its own post. We packed and ate the last of our groceries. We had used Garden Grocer.. pricey but we had great service and the food was all good. I really enjoyed making our own meals. We took one last spin around the Fort to say goodbye before meeting the luggage haulers at the camper. We headed to the airport, breezed through security again, and began our uneventful trip home.

 

[moesy4]

Closing Thoughts:
It is an odd thing to say, but I loved Disney way more than I thought I would. Yes, it was exhausting, there were meltdowns, and no one slept, but there were just so many amazing memories with everyone. It has been 6 months and I honestly still think about this trip with fond memories several times a day. I would go back tomorrow....A had a great time but is fine waiting a few years before going back. I am toying around with the idea of taking M for a homeschool trip with just us two this fall...we shall see.
The advice on these boards was priceless, please take the time to read if you are newer! We loved using Touring Plans, loved Memory Maker, and EMH. I would be ok never riding a Disney bus again, we just weren't impressed and would rent a car next time. All in all, it was a wonderful trip we will all remember. It was truly a trip that was meant to be!

 

[milwaukee1]

Loved reading your trip report! Looks like you had a great trip!

 

[buzzrelly]

Great trip report! Sounds like you definitely caught the "Disney Bug!" And the only cure for it is to plan your next trip, which it sounds like you are already doing! Happy planning!