Trip #8; But Was It Great? A WDW MAYcation with a side of LegoLand & Celebration, FL!

[wakica]

OH MY GOSH!!!!! You TOTALLY had to have walked by me at Soarin!!!!! We got into the park before 9am - just a few minutes before and walked over to Soarin. I went to get FP's and DD and DH went on the ride. I headed back out to sit and wait for them! I can't remember exactly what time it was when they came out and we took off for Sum of All Thrills but you had to either walk by me to get into the place or we were walking away while you were walking in!!!!! I was the lonely lady sitting on the cement sitting area by the entrance - near the CM outside the Soarin building. Did you see me??? LOL That's crazy close in timing!!!

Can't wait to hear the rest of your Epcot Day to see if our paths may have crossed again

 

[wakica]

oh man, I just went back and looked at your pics again and that last picture of coming into the land area with the cast member under the blue umbrella! If that photo had gone over to the right a bit more we may have possibly seen me sitting there!!!!

I'm recalling a family of 4 now - it's a bit fuzzy but one boy was near the mom and one boy was near the dad. Maybe it was you guys. I seem to recall one pair being ahead of the other pair - possibly bc someone stopped to take the pic?? I dunno - ring a bell?? I watched all sorts of people walk into that area. It takes awhile to go through that ride so I had time to do some people watching. lol

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

We are going Nov 28 thru Dec 3. The only thing that will not be up I think is the Big Tree in MK.

I am very excited to see CP, Osborne Lights and MVMCP.

That will be a fun time!! You are going to love the Osborne Lights & MVMCP!

LOVING the TR so far. I love how i feel like i'm right there with you guys.....

Glad you are enjoying the TR Mari!

OH MY GOSH!!!!! You TOTALLY had to have walked by me at Soarin!!!!! We got into the park before 9am - just a few minutes before and walked over to Soarin. I went to get FP's and DD and DH went on the ride. I headed back out to sit and wait for them! I can't remember exactly what time it was when they came out and we took off for Sum of All Thrills but you had to either walk by me to get into the place or we were walking away while you were walking in!!!!! I was the lonely lady sitting on the cement sitting area by the entrance - near the CM outside the Soarin building. Did you see me??? LOL That's crazy close in timing!!!

Can't wait to hear the rest of your Epcot Day to see if our paths may have crossed again

oh man, I just went back and looked at your pics again and that last picture of coming into the land area with the cast member under the blue umbrella! If that photo had gone over to the right a bit more we may have possibly seen me sitting there!!!!

I'm recalling a family of 4 now - it's a bit fuzzy but one boy was near the mom and one boy was near the dad. Maybe it was you guys. I seem to recall one pair being ahead of the other pair - possibly bc someone stopped to take the pic?? I dunno - ring a bell?? I watched all sorts of people walk into that area. It takes awhile to go through that ride so I had time to do some people watching. lol

Oh wow that is so funny!!! I bet we walked right by you. I don't remember seeing anyone sitting there, but I probably wasn't paying attention. We are usually walking 2 and 2, and 90% of the time I am the one taking the pics. You just might have seen us.

You'll have to look in all my other pics from the day and tell me if you see yourself! It's happened before. One time I posted pics of dinner at 1900 PF and a DISer reading my report saw her DD in my pic!!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

When I left off we had just made our way from the Poly to the TTC.

We got on the Epcot monorail and were zipping over to Epcot in no time! The monorail made its loop through Epcot before stopping and it was sad to look over and see a closed up TT with a big old garbage dumpster behind the construction wall.

The line at security was long and we could tell already that it was going to be another busy day at Epcot. The Flower & Garden Festival was in full swing and everything sure looked beautiful.

We quickly made our way to the Land to use our Soarin FP's. When we got there the wait time was 90 minutes and the FP return time was something like 5:30pm already. We knew we would be at dinner then so we didn't bother to get anymore. From the looks of the crowds we were pretty happy with being able to ride it twice that day! The CM thoroughly checked each of our fastpasses and said – okay go ahead. Then we heard the people behind us being turned away. The CM said – um actually these fastpasses are expired. We didn't stick around to see how that turned out!

After another flight over the beautiful state of Cali we went over to Living with the Land. The wait time said 20 minutes. The line didn't look that long though so we got in. Although it was weird to see a line there period, since that's not usually the case. Another sign that there were a ton of people in Epcot that day.

We probably actually waited about 10-15 minutes.

Then it was back out to take a look at all those beautiful topiaries we had seen the night before in the dark.

Continued in next post.....

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Continued.....

Everything was so beautiful! Even the kids commented on how amazing the topiaries were.

Next we were off to Mexico! From the looks of the crowds and with TT being down I had started to wonder if there was going to be a wait for the Gran Fiesta Tour and Maelstrom.

There was a little line for the GFT, but it kept moving the whole time, so we really didn't have much of a wait.

When we were done with our boat ride it was super crowded in there and hard to move and look around so we headed out. On our way to Norway we saw Donald with a short wait so we jumped right in line. Donald is the kids' bus driver's favorite character, so they were eager to get some pics for her!!

Up Next: Making our way through World Showcase

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Hello Shelly! I finally got here!..it only took me 10 pages! I love your TR so far! Hate that the room was a disappointment for you--but guess where we are booked for November?! It is still DHs favorite place! I do adore the proximity to Epcot,...if I am not at the CR walking into the MK, put me here! I have tried to talk him into the POR, with a nice reno'd room--but he does NOT want to be restricted to just bus trans all week, and I have read that with a fam of 5 it gets reeaaaallly tight in there!
I was curious how your arrival day was gonna be with that late flight--I hope we never have to do that!! And I have come to love the GFT so much! Maybe because it's out of the way and we have never had to wait for it! Plus we loved Donald getting into all those hijinks!!

 

[Monny2AE]

What a great start to your day! Soarin followed by Kona followed by Soarin again!!!! It doesn't get better than that! The pics of your Kona breakfast put the bowl of Cheerios I had for breakfast today to shame. I love the pics of the Flower and Garden Festival. Gorgeous!

Welcome Kim! Hope you can keep up. How are the renovations coming on your house?

It was a tough start. Evening flights stink. But yes, some yummy ice cream was a great way to end that day!!

An evening flight still sounds better than a 2 day car ride though.

Ugh! They're moving slowly. I'm going to be ready for a trip to Disney when all is said and done but by then our bank account will be too drained to afford it!

 

[JoBird]

Love to wake up to pictures of Epcot.

I can't beleive the dang crowds you were encountering on this vacation! I have never seen a line at Living with the Land. I take that back. I did the day after Christmas but I don't count that time-- there were lines just to breathe I think.
I sure hope it isn't crowded for my trip in mid December. If it is.... well, IDK what I'll do. Cry perhaps!


The topiaries look beautiful in the pics- I bet they were stunning IRL. They must have been gorgeous if the boys noticed.

Love the pics of them with Donald. The duck looked like he was busting a move there.

Gran Fiesta---- IDK why but I love that ride. LOVE it. Weird.


Great update- can't wait to see more!!!

 

[PEANUT1]

My girls love the living with the land ride. They call it the vegetable rideIt is one of their favorites.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Hello Shelly! I finally got here!..it only took me 10 pages! I love your TR so far! Hate that the room was a disappointment for you--but guess where we are booked for November?! It is still DHs favorite place! I do adore the proximity to Epcot,...if I am not at the CR walking into the MK, put me here! I have tried to talk him into the POR, with a nice reno'd room--but he does NOT want to be restricted to just bus trans all week, and I have read that with a fam of 5 it gets reeaaaallly tight in there!
I was curious how your arrival day was gonna be with that late flight--I hope we never have to do that!! And I have come to love the GFT so much! Maybe because it's out of the way and we have never had to wait for it! Plus we loved Donald getting into all those hijinks!!

Welcome Shawna! I was wondering when you were going to make it!!

Yep, the BC was a huge disappointment for us. But it's okay, everyone has their likes & dislikes. So happy for you booking it for November. I wish you could try POR, but you really would be crowded with 5. I take it your oldest decided to come along then?

Don't ever take an evening flight if you can avoid it. It stinks!!

We love the GFT too! I even like it better than IASW.

What a great start to your day! Soarin followed by Kona followed by Soarin again!!!! It doesn't get better than that! The pics of your Kona breakfast put the bowl of Cheerios I had for breakfast today to shame. I love the pics of the Flower and Garden Festival. Gorgeous!


An evening flight still sounds better than a 2 day car ride though.

Ugh! They're moving slowly. I'm going to be ready for a trip to Disney when all is said and done but by then our bank account will be too drained to afford it!

Yes, Soarin - Kona - Soarin. I wish every morning could start like that!

I guess you are right -- any flight is better than driving from clear up here!

Sorry your renovations are moving slower than anticipated. But it will all be worth it in the end!! I know what you mean about the bank account though. As I sit here looking at my ugly old kitchen appliances that I want to replace so badly, but don't want to give up Disney to do so.

Love to wake up to pictures of Epcot.

I can't beleive the dang crowds you were encountering on this vacation! I have never seen a line at Living with the Land. I take that back. I did the day after Christmas but I don't count that time-- there were lines just to breathe I think.
I sure hope it isn't crowded for my trip in mid December. If it is.... well, IDK what I'll do. Cry perhaps!


The topiaries look beautiful in the pics- I bet they were stunning IRL. They must have been gorgeous if the boys noticed.

Love the pics of them with Donald. The duck looked like he was busting a move there.

Gran Fiesta---- IDK why but I love that ride. LOVE it. Weird.


Great update- can't wait to see more!!!

Good morning! I had a feeling you might like this update!

It sure was crowded on the weekends on this trip. Crazy busy compared to what we are used to. I sure hope your mid December trip isn't crowded!! That's supposed to be the slowest week of the month, supposedly. Guess you will find out!

The topiaries were fabulous. Yes it takes a lot for my kids to notice stuff, so that tells you how awesome it was!

Well we got a 'fresh' Donald! Just as we were second in line Donald had to go "take a break & get some nachos". He was quite chipper when he got back!

The GFT is fun & relaxing! I love it too!

My girls love the living with the land ride. They call it the vegetable rideIt is one of their favorites.

The vegetable ride! That's actually a pretty good name for it!!

My kids aren't thrilled by it. DS13 especially has to moan and groan about how boring it is. DH really enjoys it though.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Love all the F&G pictures! I really want to see that someday.

So glad you got another ride on Soarin'. I hate it for the folks who don't know about the FP changes though. I know there are going to be some mad visitors over the next year or so.

Love the pics with Donald! That is such a great backdrop. I've been wanting that one for a while. It's on the list for the next trip! I'm so glad your boys haven't reached that "I'm too cool to pose with characters" stage yet! I realy dread that happening to me. DD has already lost some interest in meeting the characters and she's only 8!

I sure hope there's more WS to come!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Well..I booked without him, then he said, go ahead and add me, I don't think I can miss it!! Now, he's riding the fence again! We find out this week sometime what his schedule is for next year and I guess he will decide for sure then,....I told him we needed a definite answer by around July so we can book airfare!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Love all the F&G pictures! I really want to see that someday.

So glad you got another ride on Soarin'. I hate it for the folks who don't know about the FP changes though. I know there are going to be some mad visitors over the next year or so.

Love the pics with Donald! That is such a great backdrop. I've been wanting that one for a while. It's on the list for the next trip! I'm so glad your boys haven't reached that "I'm too cool to pose with characters" stage yet! I realy dread that happening to me. DD has already lost some interest in meeting the characters and she's only 8!

I sure hope there's more WS to come!

It is a pretty amazing site to see. But I don't know if I'll ever go in the spring again. So this might have been the last time we will see it!

Yeah, I felt bad for the people who didn't know about the new FP thing. And even worse for the people who didn't know about TT being down. Disney not posting that on their site until that very day they closed was so crappy.

That is a great spot for Donald pics. Sometimes you can even catch it with very little wait, like we did that day.

My kids went through a little phase a couple of years ago when they were 'too cool' for character pics. It broke my heart. But I think they realized when we got back and there were no character pics from the entire trip that was what was not cool. And I think they saw how disappointed I was. Now they just go for it. As long as the line is short that is.

Wait til you see the character pics we got at MK!!

Well..I booked without him, then he said, go ahead and add me, I don't think I can miss it!! Now, he's riding the fence again! We find out this week sometime what his schedule is for next year and I guess he will decide for sure then,....I told him we needed a definite answer by around July so we can book airfare!

Yeah, it will be alright as long as he decides for sure before you have to buy airfare. I hope he decides to come!

 

[sjs314]

Good update. In all our trips I do not think I have ever seen Donald only Daisy

I love the toporaries so many beautiful pictures Our last two trips were during F&G so we need a change this time Christmas and then Food & Wine in 2013

 

[Lil'Mermaid75]

I'm admiting my dorky-ness here, but I love Living with the Land. I think we're going to try the behind the seeds tour this year.

Love all the topiary photos! It's amazing what Disney can create.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Soarin, Kona, Soarin, Epcot - Aahhhh!!! Those topiaries are so cool - when we went in March 2011 I think I took at least one picture of every single one!

I think next trip if we wait to see any characters I want us all to act silly and get fun pictures! I like the Mexico boat ride - it's always nice and cool in there!

I'm working on getting my girls to ride Maelstrom next trip. I think Sarah went on it once with my SIL, but Paige never has. DH also wants us to try Everest, but I'm not too sure that will happen!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

I'm admiting my dorky-ness here, but I love Living with the Land. I think we're going to try the behind the seeds tour this year.

Love all the topiary photos! It's amazing what Disney can create.

No, I'm the dorky one....I always buy one of those Mickey Garden plants from the little shop outside of Soarin that comes from the greenhouses. I love those things!!

 

[lala3291]

Love all of the topiary pictures! We just missed the official start of the F&G Festival this past trip, but they put some of the topiaries up towards the end of our trip, which was a great surprise! We have loved going in May and seeing all of the special topiaries.

By the way, take a look at my new ticker...you have convinced me and I am NOT switching this time! At least for now...

No, really, my girls, DH, and I are so excited to try somewhere new! I showed DD21 some of your Poly pics today, and she thought the Poly was gorgeous! What's not to love?

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Good update. In all our trips I do not think I have ever seen Donald only Daisy

I love the toporaries so many beautiful pictures Our last two trips were during F&G so we need a change this time Christmas and then Food & Wine in 2013

I can't believe you've never seen Donald!! We always see him. It took us forever to find Daisy. We never saw her until trip number 4 I think.

It is fun going in all different seasons and experiencing a different feel to WDW each time.

I'm admiting my dorky-ness here, but I love Living with the Land. I think we're going to try the behind the seeds tour this year.

Love all the topiary photos! It's amazing what Disney can create.

I was teasing DH that he should take the Behind the Seeds Tour and then when we were on the ride we saw them giving one and all the people were about 70. The kids and I had a good laugh at DH's expense!!

Those topiaries are amazing!

Soarin, Kona, Soarin, Epcot - Aahhhh!!! Those topiaries are so cool - when we went in March 2011 I think I took at least one picture of every single one!

I think next trip if we wait to see any characters I want us all to act silly and get fun pictures! I like the Mexico boat ride - it's always nice and cool in there!

I'm working on getting my girls to ride Maelstrom next trip. I think Sarah went on it once with my SIL, but Paige never has. DH also wants us to try Everest, but I'm not too sure that will happen!

I think I got a pic of almost every one of them between all the days we were in Epcot.

You've got to get the girls on Maelstrom. It's so fun. You'll have to wait and see what happened with DS10 and Maelstrom later in the week!

No, I'm the dorky one....I always buy one of those Mickey Garden plants from the little shop outside of Soarin that comes from the greenhouses. I love those things!!

I've never noticed those. What do they look like?

Love all of the topiary pictures! We just missed the official start of the F&G Festival this past trip, but they put some of the topiaries up towards the end of our trip, which was a great surprise! We have loved going in May and seeing all of the special topiaries.

By the way, take a look at my new ticker...you have convinced me and I am NOT switching this time! At least for now...

No, really, my girls, DH, and I are so excited to try somewhere new! I showed DD21 some of your Poly pics today, and she thought the Poly was gorgeous! What's not to love?

Thanks!

And Oh My Gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You better not change this time. Seriously. Just book it and forget about it. Don't second guess it or rethink it or any of that. You'll be at the Poly at the same time we were there last summer and it was fabulous!!!! I'm so excited for you! And a bit jealous, I wish I had one of those tickers.

 

[lala3291]

I know, I'm just going to forget about it! I'm so excited I just bit the bullet and finally booked it! I forgot...you were there the exact same week last year that we are going this year! I booked a Kona breakfast, and am thinking of booking another too, since I know we are going to love it!

I've been wanting to stay at the Poly for years, so I can't wait for August! I am probably going to have questions for you, hope you don't mind!