Trip Report A Not So Splashy, Very Dashy, Somewhat Sleepy and A Little Frisky, Uplyfting Sept 2018 TR (Completed!)

Once again, it is so hard to believe that our adventure in WDW is over. I don’t understand how time goes so fast when we are there. Even though this was our longest trip ever, it still flew by.

We returned home around midnight on Saturday and I’ve been getting back to reality and catching up on reading other TR’s before beginning my own.

Just in case you may not know us…

Me: Mary/mom

Ross – Dad AKA Grumpy, but was acting more like Sleepy on this trip. (And yes – those Crocs came along with him.)

Julia – DD Sweet 16 this trip

Hope – My 9 year old princess whose diagnoses of Autism usually lends itself to some interesting tidbits for my TR’s.

Trip details:

September 6th – 8th at Art Of Animation (Room only)

September 8th – 22nd Pop Century (MYW Package Free Dining)

Yep- that’s a LONG trip – our longest EVER. Still it managed to fly by in the blink of an eye.

If you’re not familiar with my crazy crew or you need to catch up, feel free to check out my pre trip report here:

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...feet-a-september-2018-pre-trip-report.944145/

All caught up? Are you ready? Okay then, here we go!

 

[Figment Forever]

We really didn't enjoy Disney Springs this year. It seems just like the outdoor malls we have close to where we live. Julia's drawing of Stitch is great. I kept my eyes open for you and the girls but didn't see you. We were at POP from 9/2-9/18.

I'm so bummed we didn't run into anyone. What section of POP did you stay at?

Just found this, happy to be following along. I loved last years' report, the year went by too fast.

Thanks so much for following!!! And yes, the year went way too fast!

Julia's drawing is so amazing! What talent!! Everything I draw is a stick figure LOL

Thanks so much! They do a great job showing everyone how to do the drawing, but that being said, mine would look like a stick figure too! lol

 

[Figment Forever]

Day 2: Friday September 7th, 2018

By 6:00AM I was up and getting ready for the day.

I woke Julia shortly after since she had her Japanese class at 7:00AM.

I let Hope snooze since we weren’t leaving the room until 9:30.

The plan was to head to Captain Cooks for breakfast followed by an exploration of Julia’s beloved & abandoned River Country, AKA Project 89 which we figured would certainly be demolished by our next visit.

I left the room and headed to the food court to get some coffee.

While I was there, I walked over to the lobby to ask some questions about switching resorts the following day. I’m always paranoid about what I need to do, so I just like to confirm before we head out. I also wanted to pay off our room charges with my gift cards.

I paid the bill and the CM answered my questions and said basically I just needed to leave my luggage in the room and call bell services to pick up. He said I did not have to be there for them to pick either. He also conformed we could swim at AoA the day we checked out and that our dining plan would kick in that morning.

As we were talking he asked me if we visited any theme parks yet. I said no – this was a room only and our package would begin the next day. He mentioned that MNSSHP was taking place during our stay and asked if we had plans to go. I said no – not this year. He then asked if we had ever been to one. Again I said no – not yet, but I’m sure one day we will. Then he said, “There’s a party tonight. Would you like to go?”

I laughed and told him it was not in our budget this year, but that I was sure one day we would go.

He then looked at me in a rather mischievous way and said, “That’s not what I asked. I asked if you would like to go to the party tonight?”

I was confused. So all I could get out was, “Yes?”

The next thing I knew, we had 3 Tickets to MNSSHP! WE WERE GOING TO MNSSHP!!!

I couldn’t thank the CM enough and felt like I was walking on air as I made the journey back to our room. I was bursting to tell the kids! But I knew I had to wait for Julia’s class to end.

On the walk back to the room, it was just about 9:00, so I called my parents. My mom and & talk to each other every day at 9:00AM. One always calls the other and being on vacation didn’t change that except for a few days that we were too crazy for us. I told them what happened and they were so happy for us. Part of me felt sad that Ross wasn’t here. I finished our conversation before I went back into our room. For some reason, I had no phone service inside our room. I always had to walk outside to make or receive a phone call.

As soon as Julia was done with her class I told them both the good news. I was soooooo excited! I exclaimed, “We are going to the Halloween party!” Julia looked at me and said, “Oh, OK.”

What? Did she not hear me? I proclaimed again. “WE ARE GOING TO THE HALLOWEEN PARTY!!” I looked at Hope and she replied with, “NO Halloween Party – just the regular Magic Kingdom.”

I was completely blown away. Have my children gone mad? Julia seemed unimpressed and Hope did not want to go!?!?

I announced we were going – like it or not! Not only that... but we were were going to have the BEST time EVER!!!!

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

Awww yay! I love it when people get pixie dusted, especially MNSSHP pixie dusted! Cant wait to see if your experience was like ours (we went to the party on the 14th!)

 

[Rista1313]

As soon as Julia was done with her class I told them both the good news. I was soooooo excited! I exclaimed, “We are going to the Halloween party!” Julia looked at me and said, “Oh, OK.”

What? Did she not hear me? I proclaimed again. “WE ARE GOING TO THE HALLOWEEN PARTY!!” I looked at Hope and she replied with, “NO Halloween Party – just the regular Magic Kingdom.”

I was completely blown away. Have my children gone mad? Julia seemed unimpressed and Hope did not want to go!?!?

I announced we were going – like it or not! Not only that... but we were were going to have the BEST time EVER!!!!

What the heck! LOL I was excited for you if that helps!

 

[dizfan917]

We went to one Halloween Party (as Piglet & Pooh) and got SO. MUCH. CANDY. it was ridiculous. We didn't need any candy and yet we had piles that nearly filled the dining room table in our Treehouse Villa!!

We really enjoyed the show and fireworks and the parade was super cool!!

I hope the girls came around...

 

[disneypearl]

Wow! Congratulations on the MNSSHP tickets! That was an amazing gift! I absolutely love that party!

 

[krisri18]

That's some seriously amazing Pixie Dust!!!

 

[righttrack]

Great TR so far. This is very detailed and the extra resort days made for some nice exploring. Beautiful family btw!

 

[riverside]

The next thing I knew, we had 3 Tickets to MNSSHP! WE WERE GOING TO MNSSHP!!!

That is so amazing!! I was thrilled reading that!!

I always had to walk outside to make or receive a phone call.

I stayed at AoA a few years ago. I questioned why the cell phone service was nonexistent in the rooms & a CM told me b/c the walls are extremely thick--it was built to withstand a hurricane.

I can't wait to hear about the Halloween party!!

 

[AKemily]

He then looked at me in a rather mischievous way and said, “That’s not what I asked. I asked if you would like to go to the party tonight?”

I was confused. So all I could get out was, “Yes?”

The next thing I knew, we had 3 Tickets to MNSSHP! WE WERE GOING TO MNSSHP!!!

This is amazing!!!

 

[MegRuss626]

Day 2: Friday September 7th, 2018

By 6:00AM I was up and getting ready for the day.

View attachment 316653

I woke Julia shortly after since she had her Japanese class at 7:00AM.

View attachment 316662

I let Hope snooze since we weren’t leaving the room until 9:30.

View attachment 316663

The plan was to head to Captain Cooks for breakfast followed by an exploration of Julia’s beloved & abandoned River Country, AKA Project 89 which we figured would certainly be demolished by our next visit.

I left the room and headed to the food court to get some coffee.


View attachment 316661View attachment 316660View attachment 316658View attachment 316657View attachment 316656View attachment 316655View attachment 316654

While I was there, I walked over to the lobby to ask some questions about switching resorts the following day. I’m always paranoid about what I need to do, so I just like to confirm before we head out. I also wanted to pay off our room charges with my gift cards.

I paid the bill and the CM answered my questions and said basically I just needed to leave my luggage in the room and call bell services to pick up. He said I did not have to be there for them to pick either. He also conformed we could swim at AoA the day we checked out and that our dining plan would kick in that morning.

As we were talking he asked me if we visited any theme parks yet. I said no – this was a room only and our package would begin the next day. He mentioned that MNSSHP was taking place during our stay and asked if we had plans to go. I said no – not this year. He then asked if we had ever been to one. Again I said no – not yet, but I’m sure one day we will. Then he said, “There’s a party tonight. Would you like to go?”

I laughed and told him it was not in our budget this year, but that I was sure one day we would go.

He then looked at me in a rather mischievous way and said, “That’s not what I asked. I asked if you would like to go to the party tonight?”

I was confused. So all I could get out was, “Yes?”

The next thing I knew, we had 3 Tickets to MNSSHP! WE WERE GOING TO MNSSHP!!!

I couldn’t thank the CM enough and felt like I was walking on air as I made the journey back to our room. I was bursting to tell the kids! But I knew I had to wait for Julia’s class to end.

On the walk back to the room, it was just about 9:00, so I called my parents. My mom and & talk to each other every day at 9:00AM. One always calls the other and being on vacation didn’t change that except for a few days that we were too crazy for us. I told them what happened and they were so happy for us. Part of me felt sad that Ross wasn’t here. I finished our conversation before I went back into our room. For some reason, I had no phone service inside our room. I always had to walk outside to make or receive a phone call.

As soon as Julia was done with her class I told them both the good news. I was soooooo excited! I exclaimed, “We are going to the Halloween party!” Julia looked at me and said, “Oh, OK.”

What? Did she not hear me? I proclaimed again. “WE ARE GOING TO THE HALLOWEEN PARTY!!” I looked at Hope and she replied with, “NO Halloween Party – just the regular Magic Kingdom.”

I was completely blown away. Have my children gone mad? Julia seemed unimpressed and Hope did not want to go!?!?

I announced we were going – like it or not! Not only that... but we were were going to have the BEST time EVER!!!!

Well, if it makes up for their lack of excitement, I’m SUPER excited that happened!!

 

[Elizabeth Swann]

I'm so bummed we didn't run into anyone. What section of POP did you stay at?

We were in the 60's in 4159 right by the bridge to AOA. It was the perfect location. It was nice and quiet and the lake was so pretty to look at. Plus we really enjoy AOA's food court so it was nice and close when we wanted to walk over. We also sometimes used their buses if we could walk on the bus and POP's wasn't there yet or had a really long line.

 

[piru]

We still brought our stroller and Lenny will be 6. But in all fairness she weighs as much as 3 year old and is super tiny lol. We did tell her this is the last time we will bring the stroller.
Lol dolls are a big thing in our household, I'm too embarrassed to say what our collection is at!

My boy is 6 and I will rent a stroller for our trip. We will be in the parks from opening to close time and napping is an important part of his routine. More than one adult will be willing to have a stroller too instead of taking ride-naps.

 

[Brwneyedgirl72]

What a wonderful surprise!! I was actually at MNSSHP that same night! I wish I would have seen you guys.

 

[Figment Forever]

Awww yay! I love it when people get pixie dusted, especially MNSSHP pixie dusted! Cant wait to see if your experience was like ours (we went to the party on the 14th!)

It was awesome! I look forward to hearing about your time there too!

What the heck! LOL I was excited for you if that helps!

Thanks!! lol Don't worry - they changed their mind quickly!

Wow! Congratulations on the MNSSHP tickets! That was an amazing gift! I absolutely love that party!

Thank you!! It was an amazing gift! We will remember it forever!

That's some seriously amazing Pixie Dust!!!

It certainly was!

Great TR so far. This is very detailed and the extra resort days made for some nice exploring. Beautiful family btw!

Yes - my reporting gets less detailed as our park days go on. lol

That is so amazing!! I was thrilled reading that!!

I stayed at AoA a few years ago. I questioned why the cell phone service was nonexistent in the rooms & a CM told me b/c the walls are extremely thick--it was built to withstand a hurricane.

I can't wait to hear about the Halloween party!!

Oh wow - that is something! I thought maybe it was only our "area". I didn't even think it was a problem throughout the resort.

This is amazing!!!

It really was!!!

Well, if it makes up for their lack of excitement, I’m SUPER excited that happened!!

lol Yes - it does!!

We were in the 60's in 4159 right by the bridge to AOA. It was the perfect location. It was nice and quiet and the lake was so pretty to look at. Plus we really enjoy AOA's food court so it was nice and close when we wanted to walk over. We also sometimes used their buses if we could walk on the bus and POP's wasn't there yet or had a really long line.

Nice! I liked the AoA food court more too. POP had some tremendous bus lines but at least they really sent a lot of busses to clear it out! I wish we had crossed paths!

What a wonderful surprise!! I was actually at MNSSHP that same night! I wish I would have seen you guys.

Oh wow - I wished we would have crossed paths!!!! I hope you guys had an awesome time!!

 

[Figment Forever]

We went to one Halloween Party (as Piglet & Pooh) and got SO. MUCH. CANDY. it was ridiculous. We didn't need any candy and yet we had piles that nearly filled the dining room table in our Treehouse Villa!!

We really enjoyed the show and fireworks and the parade was super cool!!

I hope the girls came around...View attachment 316665

Love your costumes!! Yes my girls came around pretty quickly and yes we got so much candy too!! We're still munching on it!! I have 2 bags left!!

 

[Figment Forever]

We switched up our plans for the day since I knew we could enter MK at 4:00PM, it made more sense for us to take it easy for the day and save our energy for the party. We had breakfast from the snacks we had in the room and then decided we would hang out at AoA for the day.

We left the room close to 11:00 and Julia went straight to the drawing class, while Hope decided she wanted to “tour” the resort and get pictures with all the characters on our way to the pool.

 

[Figment Forever]

Hope and I swam at the Cars pool and then walked over to the Nemo pool where we met up with Julia.

 

[Figment Forever]

Then we journeyed through the jungle and headed into our grotto to swim with Ariel for the first time.

 

[Figment Forever]

I did some laundry while Hope & Julia swam. I have to give a shout out to @englanddg - I totally agree - I miss those Purex Sheets!! WTH happen to them??!!!

Once it started to sink in that we were going to the party, I realized I probably should have some kind of plan of action. I figured I had 2 options. The first was just to go and have a good time. See and do what we can and just enjoy it without any “plan”. My other option was to do some quick “research” and figure out a strategy so we could do the most with our time. I was a little torn, but thinking that this may be a once in a lifetime thing, I really wanted us to enjoy everything we could – so I opted to get a strategy. So as I did the laundry, I went on the WDW Magic Boards and looked up some info on the party. I knew special characters would have HUGE lines so we decided if we could do any if would be Moana (Hope’s choice) and 7 Dwarfs (Julia’s choice). Julia wanted to ride Space Mountain in the dark and HM to see that special details. Julia knew there would be special “treats” so she wanted to check those out too. They also wanted to T&T a little. Plus we knew we wanted to see the parade and fireworks.

We wrapped up our swim and got changed and ready for the party. Obviously, we had no costumes but that was no big deal for us. Hope wore her Aurora dress and Julia went as a MU student.

The weather called for rain started at 3:00PM and going until about 10:00PM so we packed our ponchos and Hope’s stroller rain cover.

I wanted to eat before we left so we didn’t have to waste any time during the party eating. Julia just HAD to do the next drawing class at 2:00P – she was hooked!

We dropped Julia off and Hope and I walked around. Hope then decided to take a picture of EVERY sketch in the lobby!

Then we had an early dinner at the food court. I ate the rest of the chicken strips we had from the night before. Julia got pizza and Hope got mac & cheese.

Then it was time to board a bus to MK!