Trip Report It's a Cool Kid Summer!

8 days.
6 park days, 1 water park day, 1 rest day.
0 naps, 0 going back to the hotel, morning til evening every day.
In August!

They said not to do it, but we did it anyways. Summer is the time for fun, and there was a lot of fun to be had, and we weren't leaving anything on the table.

Who: Our usual Party of 4: myself, husband J, son Nemo (7), daughter Boo (5)
What: Our annual Walt Disney World vacation
When: August 13 - August 20, 2025
Where: Pop Century - for that last time? Dun dun dun...
Why: We usually go in May, but waited for summer this year so as to not miss school, since we took off a week in January for our Disney Cruise. Our May trips have always been nothing short of perfection, so I was apprehensive about going during August. Replacing Flower & Garden Festival with just…heat, humidity, and hurricanes?! Sounded like a bad deal. But slowly… things started to come together. Both water parks would be open. Starlight Parade would be starting. Halloween decorations would be up. And the kids would hit new height milestones. Couple all of those exciting developments with cheap resort rates and 50% off kids tickets, and it turned out to be one of the cheapest Disney vacations we’ve had since the kids became of age. Count us in!

We arrived at Pop Century around 10am. The kids went straight to their “Disney Kids Club” aka the TV in the lobby while I went to the front desk. I saw Dale roaming outside Everything Pop and Chip was in the Kids Club being ignored by my kids in favor of the TV.

Our room was ready, so we rolled along the familiar winding path to the 50’s section, past Lady and Tramp. Our hallway had a view of the Skyliner, so that was very pleasing for us Skyliner fanatics.

We changed into our bathing suits and were standing outside Blizzard Beach at 11am. We were serious about this free water park day. When I found out that both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon would be open this summer, I literally screamed. We loved our time at Typhoon Lagoon last year, and it gave us the Blizzard Beach itch badly. I even played with the idea of staying at a Disney resort the night before our cruise just so we could to take them there while it was actually open. (We didn't end up doing that). So it was a happy surprise that Blizzard Beach would be open this summer. I knew that the silly theming would be a hit. Nemo kept saying, “Remember to bring a sweatshirt since it’s going to be cold.” It was definitely not cold. It was 90 degrees and sunny, but we felt great in our swim shirts, hats and water socks. We honestly looked ridiculous, but hey, we felt great.

Our first order of business was to eat. We walked right up to Lottawatta Lodge and sat at a quiet, shaded picnic table with no one else around. I was more interested those nachos at Warming Hut, but this was closer. J got a Bacon Cheeseburger, I got a Rice Bowl with Chicken, and the kids split a Cheese Flatbread.

We ate at our leisure and Nemo commented about icicles and Boo shouted, "Goofy!" He had come out and was dressed for the pool as well. We hopped over to meet him after finishing lunch and it was a great start to our day.

The Chairlift was high priority. The kids were in awe and so ready to ride. Nemo noticed the accessible cabin and shouted, "It's the Skyliner!" Both kids seemed concerned that Summit Plummet looked less than safe with the ski jump.

I think our Summit Plummet days are behind us.

We had our eye on Teamboat Springs, the family raft ride. We enjoyed some great views while we waited on this fine day. Nemo kept talking about seeing the backside of Everest, the top of the Tree of Life, and the Pandora floating mountains. From another angle, we could see Tower of Terror and Galaxy's Edge.

Teamboat Springs was a hit! Nemo shouted, "This is just like the raft ride at Typhoon Lagoon!" The one that Boo did not appreciate us taking on last year. But she was all for it this time. She yelled, "I'm holding on!" Both weeee'ed and ahhhh'ed with identical faces as we went down and around curve after hill and curve. It was the first of many cup-filling moments this trip.

We walked back up Mount Gushmore and saw some melting snow and leaks. They played along with that and yelled “Hurry before the avalanche!” Boo had said, "I want to do it again!" but Mom had other plans:

Toboggan Racers is my inexplicable favorite. I love the purple mats, I always favor up and down more than turns, and I've always loved doing it side by side with J. And now, I'm doing it side by side with J +2.

 

[belledream]

Nemo got a head start because the CM pushed him. I caught up, then J surpassed me, and then little Boo was last and I had to go get her because she was so tiny, she didn’t travel far enough. It was a blast and truly the only slide I really cared about. We decided to hop into Cross Country Creek. It was the first time we really submerged in water and it felt real good.

The kids jumped from tube to tube before finally settling down and sharing a double and basically running it through the river. I could only see the top of their hats as they traveled.

Snow Peas, B-r-r-r-occolli, Iceberg Lettuce, Sleet Corn, Ice Plant, and Chilly Peppers. So clever.

The kids liked the sneezing house and "avoided getting wet". Inside the cave, they pointed out the drawings on the wall. They have the eye for detail and it pleases me.

J and I agreed that the theming wasn't as good as Castaway Creek, but we stayed in for a full lap and then some because of how much fun we were all having. I enjoyed sharing a tube with him and had a flash forward to us doing this when we’re old.

We moved on to the Ski Patrol Training camp, which was really fun and innovative. We all did the little tube slide, and both kids tried the Thin Ice Training Course. Nemo jumped from ice to ice without using the nets and Boo held her own by reaching the nets. Both almost made it to the end. This was the first time they've both tried something like this and I was proud of them for wanting to give it a shot.

They both requested to go to Tike's Peak. I am terrible at keeping secrets but I did manage to keep the Frozen theme as a surprise. Boo is still 100% a Frozen girlie, and though Nemo is probably on the bigger side for things like this, he was having a blast. They both spent a good amount of time wading around with Olaf and the Snowgies and getting their heads wet by more of those leaks.

Too cute for words. However, again, I think Ketchakiddee Creek had more to offer entertainment-wise. I definitely missed the sand-bottomed creek. Same with Melt-Away Bay, but we knew that would be the case. Nothing is beating that Surf Pool. The area we hung out in still had surprisingly strong waves because they were being buffered back and forth from the wall.

They were getting tired so I got a frozen lemonade to buy us another hour. They walked along sipping their cups looking so cute. Nemo pointed out that the snack cart was a snowmobile. Then they both wanted to do “the family raft ride” again, so we did. Nemo really likes the sprinklers in the line. Oh and he loves looking through the slats that are hiding the conveyer belt for the raft return.

Cue the happy screams and priceless moments. Boo shouted, "How are we going up the side, Mom!?"

We decided on a last lap of the lazy river to close out Blizzard Beach. I could have done 100 more laps with them.

 

[belledream]

We stopped by Beach Haus on the way out. Bought some spray sunscreen since we only brought a small lotion for the start of our trip. Pro tip: don't buy the Moana Coppertone Kids sunscreen. That thing is weirdly hard to spray.

They thought this shirt was very silly and would say "Aww Phooey!" many times during this trip. In fact, every time Boo saw this shirt in a shop, she'd sing, "Nemooo!" to get his attention.

Boo told me to go outside and take a picture of her in "Goofy's shadow." Close, but not quite.

The kids were excited to sit on the snowmobile right before we exited the park. 'Twas a mistake as they got sand all over their water shoes and we had to backtrack to wash them off. But the photo was cute!

We exited the park around 4pm. It had been a full day of exploring new places, doing the things we wanted to do, whenever we wanted to do them. I like starting with a water park because we’re not behind the curve like we’d be at the parks. And yet, it provides so much entertainment, and we were thoroughly entertained. The weather was perfect for water parking. 92 degrees and we felt great all day.

An Art of Animation bus came first, so we decided to hop on. Boo fell asleep and Nemo was close. We ate dinner at Landscape of Flavors and sat in the Lion King section because my kids are now obsessed with Timon, Pumba, and singing Hakuna Matata and Can You Feel The Love Tonight hummahummaway. They observed the art and listened to all the music. I purposely chose a seat away from the TV so we could focus on these things.

J got the Ramen Noodle Bowl with Beef because he can never say no to ramen. He said it was good, and he is well-versed in ramen, from instant to hole-in-the-wall NY ramen.

Since I couldn't have my Pork Elote Nachos at Blizzard Beach, I got Chicken Adobo Nachos here. A decent substitute.

The kids split a Kid's Chicken and Vegetables with Pasta. I had ordered one for each of them last year and remembered them to be huge portions, so I was still hoping that was the case now and that they could share. They did, but no pictures because ravenous children.

They walked around Ink and Paint and surprisingly didn’t ask to buy anything. Must be gearing up for a big souvenir. They played on Righteous Reef playground, but only for only a few minutes. Bittersweet. They’re growing out of things. Or maybe they were just tired. We carried those buggers all the way across the bridge. Seeing and hearing the Skyliner got all of our adrenaline pumping and they started asking about our plans and where we’d be going tomorrow, and the day after. They were happy to see their pet stuffies displayed in our window. They played in the bath tub and watched bedtime stories eating the one apple I brought from home. It’s all part of a tradition now and things that I know they’re going to remember as core Disney memories. We were lights out by 6:30 and they said "Goodnight, happy to be here with you."

 

[k8einwdw]

Can’t wait to hear all about your trip!

 

[Showgirl21]

I love Blizzard Beach!!

 

[belledream]

Can’t wait to hear all about your trip!

Happy you’re following along!

I love Blizzard Beach!!

Such a whimsical place.

 

[belledream]

Boo and I were the first to rise early this morning. We cuddled for a bit and then I decided to take her outside to breathe in that fresh Florida morning air.

Carrying my barefoot 5 year old, both in our PJs, we walked alongside the stationary Skyliner and looked up at these bowling pins.

They're becoming *that* resort icon for my children. Like the jazz musician silhouettes at All Star Music was for me. Vivid memories of my childhood.

The boys awoke (ok, we woke them up) around 7am and we put chairs up by the window to watch the Skyliner run while eating breakfast at our leisure. And we were on our way for what we hoped to be an epic day at Magic Kingdom.

The bus was right there, and we even got seats, and arrived at Magic Kingdom right at the start of Early Entry at 8:30am. "Halloween decorations in summer!?" - Nemo

As we went under the tunnel, I pointed out the "Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy" plaque to them, hoping it would really stick with them. And they did indeed identify Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland as the likely references.

They immediately noticed the scarecrows and determined which ones they "were". We took some pictures by the main photo spot. It was already feeling warm, so we needed to get these in before the sweat.

We walked down Main Street looking at all the clever pumpkin carvings and feeling so thrilled to be here with a whole day just waiting for us. What to do first? We had proudly ripped off the FastPass/Genie+/Lightning Lane bandaid today, which felt great. Not quite sure how to wing it just yet, but we were about to find out. After a few fountain/castle pictures, we veered towards the Fantasyland entrance, just to turn right and power walk to Space Mountain. It wasn’t on my bingo card for today, but Boo was 44 inches tall now, and it was a walk on, so down and up the ramp we went listening to Star Tunnel.

Nemo rode once before when he was 4, but claimed to not remember anything. Both him and Boo were a little nervous as we waited to board, but they kept their chins up and held on to excitement. In true parenting mode, I leaned forward and held onto Boo the whole time.

It was a blast! So proud of Boo and so happy that we got to try something new, all four of us together! J hadn't been on that ride since before kids. Nemo was cheesing in the picture and he talked our ears off the whole length of the walkway. He said Space Mountain was one of his favorite rides along with Haunted Mansion and Small World. A Top 3 I can totally get behind.

 

[belledream]

After some brief shop perusing, we came out to a still empty Tomorrowland.

Well, we ran into Space Dale though.

We hopped onto Blue Ride, which is always the ultimate treat. Progress City, a preview of Tron, and revisiting Space Mountain where we just were. The movement of the ride felt good, as it was already heating up.

I checked wait times after we got off and saw that Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which was down at official park opening, sported a 5 minute wait at 9:30am! We booked it from Tomorrowland, across the Hub, through Adventureland to Frontierland. to Adventureland. Easy peasy when the kids are in the stroller. Felt like the old days for me and J. Well, I wasn't the one pushing the stroller. But J said he had been training for this. Our kids are definitely outgrowing the stroller but it is still so necessary for the way we do Disney.

Kids shouted about the golden Pooh and Piglet statue. Our favorite friends.

I was in awe of how beautiful it looked. The ride had opened up about two months after our last trip, and it really all came together with the sight and sounds of the water running.

I was giddy with excitement as we entered the still 5 minute line and kept walking the queue, stopping to peer into the pantry and salivate over those beignets. We stopped at the cave and it instantly brought back Splash Mountain nostalgia. That was my favorite ride as a kid and it's been so long, I didn't realize how much I missed it til now.

I sat in the front with Nemo, and Boo and J sat behind us. Boo is not a fan of getting wet, so I told her I would shield her from the front and that Daddy would protect her otherwise. And we were off! Nemo said, "That was a short drop!" after the first one. Just wait buddy.

It was a feast for the eyes. Beautiful flora, sparkling lights, charming music, I was instantly transported to another place. Of course, I miss Splash Mountain. The story was there, bursting with character and antics to boot. But I am grateful for all the memories, and I really felt them as I rode this ride for the first time in a long time. I truly adored how a lot of little Splash Mountain details were preserved. Gardens, trees, even just a door.

Got wet, felt good, cleaned up in the bathroom after, and visited the shop. Like clockwork.

We love our shops. The kids notice every detail, in addition to every toy with wheels that gets zoomed across the floor.

 

[belledream]

Haunted Mansion was up next. Gotta get all the outdoor queues done in the morning. The big fans actually made it really nice. We were comfortable during our short wait. Nemo loves Haunted Mansion and Boo was definitely like third scary ride in a row?! But I told her parents love Haunted Mansion because they get to cuddle with their kids and that’s what we did. When the ghost appeared next to her in the mirror, she looked to the side of her. It was so cute.

We emerged just in time for lunch at our favorite, Columbia Harbor House. We sat in our usual spot which the kids thought was "reserved" for us.

J got the Trio Platter which came with a measly three hushpuppies that the kids are obsessed with, so I had to buy another side of them later on. But hey, we saved money on LLMP so I was feeling rich. They were supposed to split the nice and healthy Grilled Salmon kids meal, but much attention was devoted to the hushpuppies. I was devastated when CHH took the New England Shrimp Boil off the menu, so I consoled myself with a Shrimp Salad. The shrimp was real good. Could've eaten ten more of them. Salad was refreshing for a day like today.

They asked why this woman was floating (from our table vantage point, it did look like that). I explained to them that she was the figurehead of a ship, like how Dumbo is on the Disney Fantasy.

We were ready for the indoor portion of our day. Small World was just up the street. We usually do this first, but things are different today. The kids asked why we weren’t scanning our MagicBands which I thought was amusing. We all looked for things that we had not noticed before. I just love our conversations with them on rides.

Philharmagic was up next, and it was 12 minutes of pure joy. During Part of Your World, Boo literally stood up and walked up to the empty seat in front of her to grab the jewels. She was so flinchy throughout all the 3D gags. I have so much love for this show. It makes my heart swell a million times over.

Pooh was up next, even though the wait said 30 minutes. It was perfect because it gave the kids time to play in the play area. Boo was making gophers pop out of the ground and Nemo was working hard popping tomatoes. They both particularly loved the "bee rollercoaster". Once the play areas were over, the actual wait was nothing. They sat together in the front row and I don't think I stopped smiling for the whole ride.

And Boo found this Hidden Mickey!

They are ready for Halloween over here in the Hundred Acre Wood.

We decided to head back towards Frontierland and arrived right as the next Country Bear Jamboree was about to start. The nice CM even offered to park our stroller for us so we could make it. I thought that was a lovely gesture that you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

I forgot that the show had been reimagined and it was cute to hear the medley of Disney songs, especially since they kids can recognize them. I loved Try Everything, and the kids laughed at Big Al singing Remember Me. Fun show, and perfect timing for Festival of Fantasy.

 

[belledream]

Festival of Fantasy has become Boo’s favorite soundtrack to listen to at home. In the car, we have a 16 minute loop that usually gets us to where we need to go. Good viewing for this was a no brainer. We settled outside Prairie Outpost and I took the kids to the Trading Post to look around in AC for a few minutes. They dug through the $7.99 rock bins showing me each one. Then we heard the sound of thatfanfare begin and we rushed back to J. The sky had turned overcast for the majority of the parade and it was wonderful. It was a jubilant celebration. We enjoyed every second of it.

We followed the parade to Liberty Square so we could duck into the Hall of Presidents. The show wasn’t starting for 30 minutes and that was just fine with us. We parked it on a bench and both kids laid their heads on our laps and decompressed in the AC. I was actually hoping they would fall asleep during the show, but they were alert and interested. Nemo even said, "Hey, I've seen that painting in school" when the painting of Washington crossing the Delaware appeared.

We ran across the street to Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe where we all had a great time looking at all the different ornaments. I collected these Sketchbook ornaments years ago when they were $10 and under. They’re $27.99 now. Crazy! J said it was like opening the oven every time we walked by the door. We were happy to while away the time in such an entertaining shop.

We migrated to Fantasyland where we decided to take a spin on the Carousel. Boo is such a merry go round fan. It always brings her to life. She had a specific horse in mind and didn’t even care that she was separated from her brother. As it was close to our dinner time, we popped into Sir Mickey’s. Nemo dressed himself as a knight and slammed his sword against the shield he was holding. At the same time, a Cast Member shut a door. A guy standing next to us was like, “Yeah!” because he was impressed with the sound Nemo had made. Then he realized it was mostly the door and we all had a good laugh about it.

It was on the early side, but we just couldn't wait for our very special dinner... at Cinderella's Royal Table! This was the place that J and I had always agreed to wait to go to when we had children. And Nemo and Boo were at ideal stages to really appreciate how special this was. "We get to eat in the castle!" Upon entering the Grand Hall, we joined a small line to meet Cinderella. Boo was elated. She went back and forth from hugging my leg to jumping up and down nonstop.

Nemo wanted me to take a picture of him next to a suit of armor. He was also very interested in how the called parties to be seated using the chimes.

Both kids pointed out details such as Cinderella's bird friends in the stained glass, and Jaq and Gus watching from above.

After meeting Cinderella, we were asked to proceed up the spiral staircase to the banquet room. The kids took off, exhilarated, full of energy, eager to see what would await them at the top of stairs.

Beautiful arches, medieval flags, stained glass windows, golden chandeliers.

And we had a spectacular view of it all.

Let the feast begin!

 

[belledream]

We settled in feeling very fortunate and ready to go. What were the Wishing Stars for? We would have to wait and see.

You don't hear the most positive reviews of CRT's food, but J and were plenty pleased. We both ordered the
Crispy Pork Belly for our appetizers. They were in fact crispy, flavorful, and the pickled tomatillo/cabbage slaw was right up my alley.

For the main course, I ordered Roasted Lamb Chops. Very tender, and the glaze was very good. J kept swiping at it. The potato pave was probably the best part.

J got the Grilled Filet Mignon and it was satisfying for this steak lover. I told him to enjoy it because it would be the only steak he'd have this trip. And to EAT SLOWLY.

The kids both chose Sliced Apples for their appetizers, but the main course was in fact, the main course. Though they both checked off Mac and Cheese on their menus (which they went right down to business working on coloring), I told our waiter that they would both actually be having the Braised Beef Short Rib with Gravy. With a side of vegetables and...mac and cheese? Our wonderful waiter was more than happy to substitute that in for us and my mac and cheese monsters were thrilled. They went to town on their whole meal and that alone made the price tag worth it.

Of course, the princesses were a welcome addition as well. After we had started our main courses, they began to announce their arrivals. Merida, Aurora, Jasmine, and Ariel would be joining us this evening. We seemed to be near the end of their rounds so we continued to eat slowly and enjoy the atmosphere. Until an announcement was made about the Wishing Star. Ariel came right next to our table as they directed us to hold it to our heart and close our eyes, make a wish, and say Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo! When we opened our eyes, the banquet room was sparkling. Magic! Boo wished for "a pink rose" and Nemo apparently wished that he brought his funny word list on vacation.

Then the princesses started coming around. Merida came first, and though I'm not sure that Nemo ever watched Brave and Boo thought the movie was scary, they were both eager to get her autograph and do an arms-crossed pose with her. Boo even did a shy, goofy little wave. Then Aurora came shortly after Merida. Now Aurora is Boo's favorite princess (but she calls her Briar Rose). We have never met Aurora before, so Boo was positively shaking with excitement. She was practically standing up in her seat saying in her soft but determined voice, "You're my favorite princess." Then Aurora gave her a hug and she was so happy. She even held out her skirt to pose in the picture. I had brought a Cinderella dress, one of those more comfortable nightgown-type ones, for Boo to wear during this meal but she had said she didn't want to change. Amidst all the little girls in their Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique makeovers, she was just happy in her Cinderella Castle sequined t-shirt and skirt combo. J said he loved that.

Jasmine was next, and she was very memorable from the Royal Gathering on our Disney Cruise. Nemo said, "We met you on the cruise" and Jasmine said it was nice to see them here again and asked if they had also traveled to the cruise by magic carpet. Boo said, "No, Grandpa." She also told Ariel that she had met her at her grotto before and showed her the Ariel sticker we had in our autograph book. Ariel's voice was on point: "Oh my gosh!" They’re really having memories and learning how to make conservation with characters. I love both things.

After another round of mac and cheese, it was dessert time. Boo chose the Seasonal Sorbet and Nemo got The Sword in the Sweet. Both were unfinished by them, and finished by us. In addition, I ordered The Clock Strikes Twelve which I thought was delicious. Chocolate ganache with coffee mousse filling... my holy grail. J ordered the Jaq and Gus Cheesecake to be different, despite not being the biggest cheesecake guy. The kids thought he was actually eating cheese for dessert. We were stuffed, but determined to finish every crumb.

I took Boo to the bathroom and came back to toy swords and wands at our table. I had ecstatic children fooling around the restaurant just a teeny bit. They ran back down the spiral staircase and Nemo stuck his sword in the suit of armor's hand. J was like, this guy is just so creative.

For how expensive the meal was, I would have been mad if it was a subpar experience. But it was simply wonderful. Pure joy for all four of us from start to finish with the characters, setting, food, and souvenirs. We were fed, rested, and ready for the long evening ahead. Cloudy with the rumble of thunder as we set off on our next adventure.

 

[cgersic]

Your trip reports are one of my favorites, and you are not disappointing with this one for sure! Your writing makes me picture everything that is happening, I just love your style! Can't wait for more!

 

[belledream]

Your trip reports are one of my favorites, and you are not disappointing with this one for sure! Your writing makes me picture everything that is happening, I just love your style! Can't wait for more!

You are always so sweet! Thank you for always following along!