There's Always Too Much Sauce - A July 2022 TR *Updated 3/23

[Joy1127]

Your april trip sounds like it is shaping up! I recommend uber or lyft out of mco. Its just the quickest and easiest to do!

My Mom, sister and I will be in DAK on 4/13 and Hollywood Studios on 4/14! If you see us say hi! (I will also say hi if I see you so on the chance I'm oblivious as per usual, you are probably more likely to spot three blondes LOL)

Hollywood Studios is tough for sit down dining. Brown Derby tends to be our favorite but unless we're trying to spend the whole day there I prefer to eat somewhere else!

 

[amazingact21]

April sounds fun!!

I enjoyed brown derby with DD last year, it was a nice meal, but I had the Cobb salad!

I need to find a fellow salad lover, because I think I'd really enjoy the Cobb salad, but nobody else in my family is a blue cheese fan.

he races are a great excuse to spend time in WDW. I haven't stayed in all the resorts but quite a few. WL is my fav - enjoy your time there! I think your Mom will love it. Anxious to hear where you and your family are moving to.....

Running has always been something I've done for myself, especially when the kids were babies and I just wanted a few hours out of the house alone. I love that I can combine it with a Disney trip now.

I keep my phone close by nowadays, just on the offhand chance Alex got our next assignment and is calling to tell me. So far no luck....

The pool locker rooms have showers!

I hadn't thought about those!

Love Beaches and Cream and I have yet to get the No Way Jose.

I'm the same way with other ice creams on the menu. Haven't tried anything else, because I always go for what I know.

Great reward. Dennis wants to eat here too on our trip.

Can't beat pizza at Epcot.

I'm down for it too and so is Danielle.

Awesome. Do reservations open up at 60 days like other restaurants?

If you're really hungry and like BBQ, Wood's Round Up will be open too.

I saw this announcement! So many new things opening up this spring.

 

[amazingact21]

Definitely used Genie+ to it's fullest. We got a little bit too ambitious when we tried to watch the MK NYE firework show at 6:30 then hop to EPCOT for WS and the midnight fireworks there. EPCOT was actually way more crowded than MK was when we left there and it was just too much.... we decided to leave at about 10 when DW had a longer wait for the restroom and any ride we had been on all day.

I'm so glad you two had a great trip! Did you stop and go, "We don't have to worry about the kids!" a few times? It's amazing how much more stuff you can get done when it's just two adults.

I've heard Epcot is the place to be on NYE. Probably a smart call leaving. Hope a bathroom became available eventually.

I hope you get some answers soon. And get to be somewhere you want to be!

We knew it would be awhile before we got orders, but we both thought by February we'd know something.
The problem is that right now Alex is being considered for a special duty, so a job outside of his normal career field, and while he's in the running, nothing else can happen. So while the list of available bases appeared for us, they mean nothing until we find out about this job. (Which we learned about before Christmas.) It's been A LOT of waiting.

In addition to the 29.34 miles you're going to walk each day?

I am a little worried about how tired I'm going to be by the end of the days. Especially after the 10 miler. Run 10 miles....then walk another 10 miles to get allllll the way to the Italy pavilion in Epcot.
I specifically plan my long runs on nights the kids have basketball so I can delude myself into thinking that helping out with that for an hour gets me extra steps. Maybe on Evie's team it does, since I'm chasing the ball more than anything. It's amazing how far the ball can go just from a poor dribble... 6 and 7 year olds are hilarious to watch sometimes.

Still my favorite. And it was still decorated for Christmas!

I bet it looked fabulous at Christmastime.

Running then eating a half gallon of ice cream. This can't end badly in any way!

You know, when I wrote those plans, I wondered if somebody was going to mention how bad that combo sounded.

Gotta say, No Way Jose is like my holy grail of Disney desserts. I want one sooo bad. It just never works out. We actually snagged an ADR there on New Year's Day. But we also wanted to go to Oga's Cantina and the ADR I was finally able to snag there was for the same time. We were adults. We didn't have kids with us. Alcohol won.

Completely understand why you chose to go to Oga's. How did you like it?
Last trip, Alex and I actually went to the To-Go window and ordered a No Way Jose. Just as good and didn't require a reservation.

WHAT????? I think you spelled Animal wrong?

My mom is in the same camp as you and Alex. Could care less about Animal Kingdom.
Why do I keep going to WDW with people who don't like DAK?!?!

Look. Yes, you can go to Disney Springs and get some good desserts from Gideons. But how often do you get to sleep just a short boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom? And how often do you get to walk down Main Street USA, just by yourself? You get to decide what to do. Want to ride pirates? Want to sit and people watch after you grab a sundae at the plaza? Want to go ride BTMRR back to back? You decide what you want to do! You don't have to worry about what anybody else likes or wants. Just buy the extra park day and enjoy the independence in one of your favorite places in the world.

This is a very valid point. I'll probably regret not going later on. And the idea of doing whatever I want in the parks sounds pretty amazing.

I’m with Alex on your last day adventures. We love getting every last moment out of our trips and always end up popping into Epcot for one last snack/drink/soak up every last bit of atmosphere possible!

I could see myself regretting not squeezing in every last second of the parks once I'm back home. Especially since I have no idea when I'll be back again.

Pro tip - stick some baby wipes in your bag to freshen up with before heading for the airport. You’ll be amazed at how much they help make you feel clean ( or at least less sweaty lol).

That's a genius idea! We actually used to buy these wipes that were pre-soaped and once you got them wet they'd lather up and act as a washcloth. We had to use them on Landon when he broke his leg at 2 years old, because we couldn't bathe him.
Well, this is definitely swaying me towards going into the parks...

 

[NJlauren]

need to find a fellow salad lover, because I think I'd really enjoy the Cobb salad, but nobody else in my family is a blue cheese fan.

Just got it for yourself! Mom can have something else! Worth it

 

[amazingact21]

They have, like, a set of quads and maybe 3 triplet sets of the dolls, but being an ID set themselves, they think it's fun rather than being disappointed with duplicates.

I guess that's one way of looking at it.

I'm so impressed that your kids tolerated the whole FoP line!! There should be a spot in the baby book, somewhere after first day of school, for first hour plus line that didn't leave one of you in tears.

I think having to wait for trains has helped a lot with their patience. They know they have to stand in crowds and can't be too rowdy otherwise they get the evil eye from Mom.

Parkstormers all the way!

Your girls are fantastic park tourers! I think Landon would prefer traveling with them rather than his mom who can't keep up.

April sounds amazing, I'm incredibly jealous! I think a 10 miler is the perfect distance run. I'll take a half, but a 10 feels like an accomplishment without overdoing it.

I'm really excited to give 10 miles a try. I've done halfs, but I feel like 10 is going to be more fun. But that might also because I always hit the wall at 10 miles. It's my toughest hill to climb.

With my chemo (I'll be fine, my cancer has an extremely high cure rate), we had to cancel our Spring Break trip entirely.

I am so sorry to hear about your health issues. Keeping you in my thoughts as you undergo chemo and hoping you have a solid support system nearby. Being a mom is difficult, being a mom to triplets is even more difficult, I imagine. Being a mom to triplets while sick has to be exhausting. While us here on the DIS can't be of help physically, I hope you know we are all thinking about you and sending good thoughts your way. Know that we're all here to help distract and/or keep your spirits up.

I'll look for you. Would love to say hi.

I hope we run into each other! It looks like we'll both be in DHS on the 18th. I love DISmeets, so I'll keep an eye out. I'll be the girl hobbling along, swearing running those races was worth it for the desserts.

I have used both Uber and Mears. Both are fine. If you want to save money, Mears. If you want to save time, Uber.

I really like the way you summarized both options. Definitely gives me a better way to decide.

 

[amazingact21]

So nice that you are having this special time together!

Living overseas, I know my mom misses me a lot, and I'm grateful to spend this time with her. Especially having the kids, it's rare I hang out with her one-on-one anymore.

Yay!!!! Nothing better.

WL is so special; I can't wait to show it to my mom!

On my list with the twins in August.

I hope they enjoy it!

So there are free cabanas by the Boulder Ridge pool.

Are the cabanas available to non-DVC members? I guess I thought the Boulder Ridge pool was DVC only.

have lunch delivered to your Cabana from Geyser Point

Geyser Point will deliver?!?! Oh my goodness...

And did I miss Universal part of your vacation ?
You had me at box of VooDoos so I can wait …
No sauce to worry about on donuts!

No, you haven't missed Universal yet. I'm taking ages to post updates, but I'll get there some day. (Maybe by the time Landon's in middle school. )
We went to CityWalk to fix the ticket issue so we wouldn't have to waste time on our Universal days. I'm glad we did, too, since it took almost an hour.

That's a very good point! Donuts can't deceive me with their sauce levels!

 

[vamassey1]

Awesome. Do reservations open up at 60 days like other restaurants?

I think they do. I also think it opens at 12:00 am eastern time zone. I have Dennis on board too.

 

[NJlauren]

So I am in the early stages of planning a London trip for November! Any interest on giving me alllll the tips

 

[amazingact21]

And I know all about those ticket windows- we had group tickets last May and no one could seem to help us. The sun was not my friend!

Hopefully, at Epic Universe, they install a better ticket window area!

Your April trip sounds AMAZING!

It's been a nice distraction from the stress of moving. I think getting a break in the middle of the madness will really help.

This... This is why I don't like Genie+!!! But it is what it is...

I don't understand why you can't book in advance. Even if they didn't want us booking incredibly early like Fastpass, at least let us do it the day before!

Which one do you think you will do, pre-post or during?

I believe there was discussion of going for the post fireworks one.

I am just missing you. We leave early on the 13th.

Aw, what a bummer! This is the trip you're staying at the Swan right? The one where you're getting a pseudo-kids free trip?

An uber / lyft might be the way to go as one person.

I think that's what I'm leaning towards at this point.

 

[amazingact21]

I recommend uber or lyft out of mco. Its just the quickest and easiest to do!

I think this what I'm leaning towards now. After a nine hour international flight, just getting to Wilderness Lodge as quick as possible will be the goal.

My Mom, sister and I will be in DAK on 4/13 and Hollywood Studios on 4/14! If you see us say hi!

How exciting!! I didn't know you had a trip planned this April. Do you know if you'll be in the parks more in the morning or afternoon time frame? Either way, I'll keep an eye out and say hi if I see you!

 

[amazingact21]

I think they do. I also think it opens at 12:00 am eastern time zone. I have Dennis on board too.

Great! Good to know when it opens. I love making ADRs over here, because the window opens at 11 my time. It's very convenient.
Were you still leaning towards the post-fireworks party?

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I meant to say and then forgot, but we always use a car service from MCO as we are knackered after the 9hr flight plus it means there less chance of Matthew up-chucking than there would be using the bus. We just want to be at the hotel in the shortest time possible without calling at other hotels. Car service works out to be cost effective too as there are 4 of us but if I was on my own I’d Uber it.

 

[amazingact21]

So I am in the early stages of planning a London trip for November! Any interest on giving me alllll the tips

That's fantastic! London is my favorite city in the world.
You've been before, right?

When I'm taking people on the "walking tour" of the most popular sights, I usually get off the tube at Westminster and walk outside to see Big Ben and Parliment and the London Eye. Then, I head towards Saint James Park. You pass Downing Street and where they do the Trooping of the Color (the famous balcony spot). Then either head into the park or walk down the Royal Mile and end at Buckingham Palace. That way if you need to get to another destination, the Victoria tube station is nearby.

Are you going with your kids? If so, the British Museum and Natural History Museum are really fun spots to check out. And Hyde Park has a fantastic playground.


If you're wanting to eat dinners or lunches at restaurants, definitely book ahead. Most places don't take walk-ups. There's a million pubs to choose from to get your traditional English food at.
If you want someplace safe, a pub that's part of the Greene King chain, is reliable. There's one right across the street from the British Museum.

If you need basic fare or something that doesn't require a reservation, I highly recommend Wagamama. It's our go-to dinner out over here, and the kids love it too. There's also Nando's, which is really popular because it's the only place that gives free soda refills.


I could probably go on and on, so I'll stop there. But any questions you have, please feel free to ask! We go into London all the time and have done a wide variety of stuff in the city. I wish I would still be here in November. I've had 2 DISmeets in London, wish I could've had a 3rd!

 

[NJlauren]

That's fantastic! London is my favorite city in the world.
You've been before, right?

When I'm taking people on the "walking tour" of the most popular sights, I usually get off the tube at Westminster and walk outside to see Big Ben and Parliment and the London Eye. Then, I head towards Saint James Park. You pass Downing Street and where they do the Trooping of the Color (the famous balcony spot). Then either head into the park or walk down the Royal Mile and end at Buckingham Palace. That way if you need to get to another destination, the Victoria tube station is nearby.

Are you going with your kids? If so, the British Museum and Natural History Museum are really fun spots to check out. And Hyde Park has a fantastic playground.


If you're wanting to eat dinners or lunches at restaurants, definitely book ahead. Most places don't take walk-ups. There's a million pubs to choose from to get your traditional English food at.
If you want someplace safe, a pub that's part of the Greene King chain, is reliable. There's one right across the street from the British Museum.

If you need basic fare or something that doesn't require a reservation, I highly recommend Wagamama. It's our go-to dinner out over here, and the kids love it too. There's also Nando's, which is really popular because it's the only place that gives free soda refills.


I could probably go on and on, so I'll stop there. But any questions you have, please feel free to ask! We go into London all the time and have done a wide variety of stuff in the city. I wish I would still be here in November. I've had 2 DISmeets in London, wish I could've had a 3rd!

I have been before but it was 20 plus years ago! We have been trying to get back for a while and you know some things got in the way!

We are taking the kids and have a few Harry Potter things on the to do list!!

Thank you for this! I’m pasting it in to my planning file! Sad we will miss you! You still aren’t sure where your going to end up right?

 

[vamassey1]

Were you still leaning towards the post-fireworks party?

Yes I am. I've done the before and after party. When we did the before party I felt rushed on eating my treats so we could get to sitting area with enough time to get a good spot. When we did the after party we had more time to enjoy the goodies.

 

[erinch]

Just binge read your whole report!
A vote for Brown Derby for dinner. And tell them you want a booth. Feels like old Hollywood, and lots of good menu choices. You could add the grapefruit cake to your dessert a Rama. With the limited time, it burns a lot of time to leave the park for dinner and come back. Last time I split the Cobb with my daughter and got the shrimp Mac and cheese. Delicious.

 

[Joy1127]

I think this what I'm leaning towards now. After a nine hour international flight, just getting to Wilderness Lodge as quick as possible will be the goal.




How exciting!! I didn't know you had a trip planned this April. Do you know if you'll be in the parks more in the morning or afternoon time frame? Either way, I'll keep an eye out and say hi if I see you!

Knowing us we'll likely be in the parks around 11AM! lol early risers we are not hahaha

 

[amazingact21]

We are taking the kids and have a few Harry Potter things on the to do list!!

Fun! Are you going to do the Warner Brothers Studio Tour?
Just as a forewarning, Butterbeer here tastes NOTHING like Butterbeer in Universal. They have a special tax on sugar here, so the drink is not nearly as good. But the bottles you can buy at the Platform 9 and 3/4 store look really cool!

Thank you for this! I’m pasting it in to my planning file! Sad we will miss you! You still aren’t sure where your going to end up right?

No, we're still waiting to find out.

When we did the before party I felt rushed on eating my treats so we could get to sitting area with enough time to get a good spot. When we did the after party we had more time to enjoy the goodies.

That makes sense. Plus, eating afterwards allows the crowds to thin a little during the exodus out of the park.
Do you know if we book separately if we can put in a request to be seated near each other? I can't imagine it'll be an issue.

Just binge read your whole report!
A vote for Brown Derby for dinner. And tell them you want a booth. Feels like old Hollywood, and lots of good menu choices.

Thanks for reading!
Brown Derby is a restaurant I'm dying to try, but I seem to be the only one in my party! Maybe one day I'll have to eat there on my own.

Knowing us we'll likely be in the parks around 11AM! lol early risers we are not hahaha

Well, maybe we'll cross paths near the entrance as I'm leaving and you're entering.
Because of the races and being on U.K. time, I'm sure I'll be up insanely early every morning.

 

[amazingact21]

July 13th Part 1:



It was about time!


After three years and five days on property (ish…close enough to property) my family was FINALLY going to the one and only Magic Kingdom.


HOORAY.


Unfortunately, it does not pay to be a driver when visiting this particular theme park. We had to park at the TTC, walk over to the center, and hop on board a ferry just to get to the tapstiles.


Anyone else feel like they’ve run a marathon before entering the park?


I mean, Alex and I lathered the kids up with sunscreen before we got out of our vehicle, and we practically needed to reapply the stuff by the time we made it to the train station.



A small price to pay, I suppose, for entering the world of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and setting our sights on the glorious castle at the end of Main Street U.S.A.




Such a wonderful, iconic, happy sight.

There’s nothing else like it.


And when it’s been years between visits, like it was for us, seeing the castle fills you with a joy that shouts, “You’re back! You left the real world again and get to have some fun!”



As any good parent does when presented with Cinderella’s Castle, I made the kids stop and take lots of photos.

I’m not sure why I keep trying to do this.



Every single one turns out terrible.


It’s almost a tradition to see how awkward the pictures will be this time around.


The kids knew the rule and did not disappoint:



Could Evie look any more bored by the assignment? This girl hates posing in front of the castle. I tell you, she makes Walt Disney World look so underwhelming.



Alex and I had arrived during Early entry for resort guests, so after taking our award-winning photos, we walked over to a shady area by the bridge to Liberty Square and settled ourselves. A couple came up to us and asked about EMH, and when I told the wife that if they walked over to Tomorrowland, they could go in and ride the open attractions, she turned to her husband and yelled, “I TOLD YOU SO.”

It was not a pretty scene.

They were not off to a carefree morning.

I really hoped for the husband’s sake, their visit to the Magic Kingdom picked up. It also made me think about how absolutely confusing and baffling the parks must seem to newcomers. The hoops you have to jump through just to navigate a single theme park. I’ve been trying to talk to my mom, who hasn’t been since pre-Covid and sometimes she just says, “Stop,” because it gets too confusing for her.

But they took away parking fees at the resorts, so there’s a start, right??



Eventually, the welcome show on the castle stage began, and the kids were able to see it from our vantage point.





Then, while the masses headed to 7DMT or PPF, my group of four hurried over to….


The sword in the stone!



Not the most exciting sight in the Magic Kingdom, perhaps, but it was a tradition for my family. Landon and Alex had to try to pull the sword out:





With the boy’s MK Must-Do out of the way, a certain daughter was ready to enjoy her favorite MK attraction.

For those of you who do not know, Evie has loved the carousel since she was a tiny little toddler, and no trip is complete without a ride on it. Evie chooses her horse very carefully, and she has to pay attention to all the details on the one she picks.

It’s a big deal.







Isn’t it apparent how much she loves the carousel?




With the MK requirements knocked out, Alex and I were feeling relaxed and ready to tackle some attractions. It was a very crowded day, much busier than any of our previous days, and it felt even more hot than usual.

It’s a Small World hadn’t built up too much of a line by this point, so the four of us hopped in line. I love this classic attraction, and the kids love waving to the people in Pinocchio’s (although there wasn’t anyone there that early in the day).



After exiting, our first Genie Plus selection of the day was available: Haunted Mansion.

When we opened the app at 7 that morning, our goal was to grab a pass for Jungle Cruise, but by the time we clicked through, the return time was already up to noon. I don’t know what it was about the Jungle Cruise, but it was the most popular pick for the MK!



Alex and I wanted to be able to tap in and use our pass so we could get another before 11, so we chose HM instead.


Landon does not care for this attraction – it’s too scary for him – but he agreed to one go on it. I think since visiting DLP and experiencing their Mystic Manor and learning the rich backstory of the attraction, the ride might have grown on him. I bet I won’t have to convince him as much to give Haunted a try.


As soon as we got off the attraction, Alex checked the app to see what was available.


Nothing.


Dumbo and Barnstormer and Buzz had decent return times, but I was trying hard not to run all over the park. The plan was to focus on Fantasyland and Frontierland in the morning and Adventureland and Tomorrowland in the evening.

But Genie Plus wasn’t having that.


Like I mentioned earlier, it was incredibly hot this day. The sun was relentless and there was zero cloud cover. I think it was the hottest day of our Disney portion of the trip, and despite only being outside for a few hours, I was becoming drained.

I needed air conditioning.

We ALL needed air conditioning.



So, I suggested to Alex he select the only thing that had an immediate return time in Fantasyland.

Philarmagic.

Yes, dear friends, it was ten thirty in the morning on a Magic Kingdom day, and we were using our pricey Genie Plus ticket for Philarmagic.


Did you cringe? Did I make your eye twitch?


What can I say?

The heat beat us that morning.



Alex and I justified it by telling ourselves we wanted to see the new Coco addition.

And, for what it was worth, the kids LOVED the show.





Both list it as one of their favorite things to do in the Magic Kingdom.

So…if it makes the kids happy….



The show dumps you in a gift shop, where Evie wanted to try on all the ears.

This poor girl. Maybe she dislikes the Magic Kingdom so much, because every trip her parents let her try on cute Minnie ears and every trip she walks away empty handed.


I’m so sorry, Evie. You looked adorable in these:




But I didn’t think your interest in them would last, and I wanted to wait and see if you liked any other pairs.


You did not.

And you reminded me several times later on that you could have had cute England ears to match where we lived.


I failed!


I swear, the very first thing I’m doing with Evie next trip is taking her to a shop and letting her buy some ears.

Then taking her right to Main Street to get some photos while she’s still giddy from making her purchase.




Leaving the shop, I called it. I told Alex I was ready to head out of the park. Florida won.

On our way out, we saw the 50th Cavalclade:




It was really cute! I loved that they did this, because it was nice to catch sight of the characters without waiting around for the parade or a meet and greet.



Then, I tried one more time to get the kids to take a photo.

You can imagine it went even better than the first time.





Who says MK photos can’t be memorable? My kids’ are, just maybe not in the way people think.





Up Next…This Doesn’t Need Ketchup

 

[NJlauren]

Fun! Are you going to do the Warner Brothers Studio Tour?
Just as a forewarning, Butterbeer here tastes NOTHING like Butterbeer in Universal. They have a special tax on sugar here, so the drink is not nearly as good. But the bottles you can buy at the Platform 9 and 3/4 store look really cool!

We are!! High on our list!! That’s a bummer my DD will be sad! However they have the Harry Potter store in NYC and their bitter beer tastes pretty much the same, so worst case I’ll take her to get one there!

No, we're still waiting to find out.

Soon I hope! That seems like it might give a bit of anxiety