Trip Report *COMPLETE* I always thought I’d be Simba… turns out I’m Zazu

We’re back! Well, we’ve been back since Saturday, but trying to settle back into normal life has taken some time. But, before the holidays fully kick off, I wanted to get started on the TR!

First an intro (I did did a PTR but plans changed quite a bit)-

There’s C (8), me, my wife K, and L (3). This was C’s 4th trip, and L’s 2nd.

When: December 3 - 10
Where: AoA Lion King suite

We were also joined by my in-laws for the 3rd-8th.

This trip was different in a lot of ways. Our last trip was August 2020, with hardly any entertainment, extremely limited hours and dining, masks everywhere and of course no crowds. That was also L’s first trip. Yes, we took a one year old to WDW during a pandemic. Can’t wait for him to be a teenager and give us an eye roll for that one!

So in a lot of ways, this was L’s first real trip - with characters, waits, fireworks, and having his own thoughts/desires. Which was awesome. What wasn’t awesome was that he and his sister realized the fun in getting on each other’s nerves right before this trip. But, they also had some incredibly sweet moments between the two of them.

This was also our first trip with no Magical Express (which I hated even more than I expected), and with Genie +. But, we didn’t use Genie + because we also got DAS for the first time. I’ll put more detail on that in a separate post because it’s not all peachy and maybe could trigger some I suppose.

Anywho, so it was different. Bad? No, the opposite. I think that what hit us the most was realizing that as we return more to WDW and as our kids grow, the way we vacation changes a bit. We did a lot of new activities, and that was by far my favorite part of this trip.

 

[Spash007]

A few more parade pictures

After this, it was time for us to head to Splash for the last time. I get it, and I am hopeful for the new ride (as long as they keep animatronics and good music). But I have a lot of good memories on the ride, so it was a bit sad to go through it one last time.

We tried to see if L could by a miracle be tall enough to get on, but not yet. He’ll just have to wait on Tiana to arrive.

I went on first with C, with K going on with the rider swap.

I have a weird affinity for these birdhouses

I really hope they keep the energy in these scene

While we were riding, L was playing in the Laughin Place, and continued to while K went on. He was playing a game that was making ice cream (blueberry ice cream in particular ) and then handing it out to the other kids. They all had a blast!

And then there was lots of running too of course.

Goodbye old friends

 

[Spash007]

While I was watching L play, I heard a very familiar sound. A sound I’ve missed for awhile.

The train!

After K came back, I asked the CMs blocking the stairs to the station if they happened to be running today, but the answer was unfortunately a no and they didn’t know when it would open. I believe this was about a week before it did.

We took care of C (Merida), L (7DMT) and me (Splash), so now it was on to K’s choice - Pirates.

First a potty run, so the boys got to hang out in the store.

May be TMI, but this was the first time we were consistently out that L has been old enough for us to stick to boys vs girls rooms which definitely does change a bit of the dynamic.

I remember L some reason found the dog hysterical and could not stop laughing

Ready for the best ride picture?

Other than C’s arms up, there is not one ounce of excitement on that boat.

We got off a bit before 2, and wanted to leave the park around 2:30/2:45. We had one set of characters we still wanted to meet who happened to be out. Back to Fantasyland!

The app had lied, and the step sisters were not out. But, there was a line of 3 families and a character attendant, so we figured we would wait a bit. After only a few minutes they came out!

The problem was the line was in the direct sun, so we had the kids go in the (photogenic) shade.

Coming up: We end the trip with the best interaction of all time, and we say See Ya Real Soon!

 

[cgersic]

The ice cream and parade pics are sooooo sweet! Love to see little hands waving

 

[Spash007]

After about 20 minutes, and a lot of stress wondering if we would miss our bus, it was time to meet the Step Sisters.

It started off fairly normal - they liked the ornaments we wanted them to sign that looked like them (something we did 4 years ago but never get the step sisters that time).

C told them they were beautiful which they of course loved.

Then it was time for the picture.

L sat down right in front of Drizella and became smitten with her. She couldn’t believe his comfort level and said something like that, and he started blushing out of control.

So then they chatted.

And her sister asked who her boyfriend was. They talked about his age, and how he was too young to get married yet.

Then they asked me if I would approve of their marriage (Of course - I would love to have a princess as a daughter in law!)

They discussed the ring she wanted, and then there was a hitch. C mentioned a girl in L’s class who we jokingly refer to as his girlfriend.

Drizella was not happy.

So she asked me and K who would we want him to marry. “You of course!” We both said.

Finally we had to leave, and they had an emotional good bye. Drizella told him to come back when he was older and he nodded enthusiastically. This whole time he was just staring up at her with the biggest eyes. It really was like he was infatuated with her!

At this point it was 2:20, and our Sunshine Flyer was coming at 3:30, so we had to skiddadle on out.

The Friendship Faire was happening as we left so we got a bit of last minute fireworks.

On the way out we just tried to take in all of the details and ambience of Main Street one more time.

Leaving is always such a mix of emotions - grateful for the trip, sad to be leaving, and the mental stress to make sure we get home ok.

We waited about 20 minutes for a bus, and considered calling an Uber if we had to wait any longer. The bus came, and we were one of two families on it.

Between running around the play area and flirting, L was exhausted and passed out on the bus.

Which is actually really interesting that he was so keen on Drizella when he was this tired. Throughout the trip if he was tired he did not want to meet anyone (and even normally he tends to be more shy when tired).

We got to AoA around 3:15, and quickly picked up our luggage. We did a quick bathroom change to get out of our sweaty clothes and into clothes for the plane, while also moving things out of our park bags to become carry ons. As we zipped our suitcase, the bus came right on time.

The ride to the airport was uneventful, and our flight was on time. Which meant we waited for close to 2 hours in the airport. I believe we got dinner, but I honestly have no idea what it was.

On the plane, K sat with the kids, and I sat with a mom, her baby and her football playing son. Her baby was very sweet and any worry I had when seeing her was quickly dissipated. Granted a week later I got bronchitis and pneumonia and the rest of my family then followed, so this is likely the culprit…

 

[Spash007]

@riverside Ive commented before how J reminds me of C. Now C is following his lead!

The flight itself was uneventful, and our ride met us outside the gate at Newark. We finally got home around 11, and all went right to bed.

The next morning, I tried to replicate my morning coffee routine.

I will follow up a bit later with final thoughts!

 

[Spash007]

Final thoughts
There is nothing quite like Disney during the holidays. The weather was a bit hotter than expected, but the crowds were for the most part ok.

Our feelings on AoA were mixed. The Skyliner was awesome (even with getting stuck on it once), we loved the food, and our day just walking around and exploring was wonderful. And hourglass lake became one of my favorite locations. Going in we knew the theming was over the top, but I was a bit disappointed in the quality of the finishes in the room. I know we were paying for the space, but when the rooms do run high in cost, having contractor grade cabinets and doors, and decor that are just stickers is a bit of a let down.

We were disappointed in CMs this trip. But we also had some really great interactions. Some of the things we are used to - like ToT CMs in character or even housekeeping saying hello to you was missed. I’m happy to say that our February trip was much better in this regard, so I’m wondering if CMs started working before some training was complete.

The DAS was great. I don’t know if I’m just more attuned to my anxiety, or if it has gotten worse, but I definitely felt more relaxed this trip, and I think everyone was happy with that.

I am glad we brought the double stroller. I hated it, but the days that C needed it, she really needed it. That said, this will be the last trip with it.

On that note - we talked about whether we push the kids too hard. We either need more break days, or shorter trips.

And on that note - this trip Disney and Florida truly started feeling like a second home. I wasn’t feeling as excited as past trips, but the comfort led to its own kind of happiness. With that came this realization that we are extremely blessed to visit as often as we do, so we don’t need to feel the pressure to do everything. This trip we skipped Big Thunder and Pooh, but that’s ok - we’ll go next time.

Lastly, what I love about these trip reports is seeing how Disney trips change as kids get older. Do I miss C being really into Princesses and being excited to ride Dumbo? Of course. Next trip most likely L won’t even be that excited by it. But, there are so many new memories we are making and each trip really is different. And I think reading others’ trip reports really help to keep that in perspective.

I’m going to take a little break, but will be posting our adult only trip in the near future!

 

[Swissmiss]

The pictures with the step sisters are fantastic! It looks like they had all the time in the world for your kids (and especially L).

Thanks for taking the time to write this TR - I loved it

 

[k8einwdw]

Absolutely loved reading about your trip, thank you for sharing your memories with us! L’s interaction with Drizella was too cute - you never know what/who kids are going to latch onto!

 

[MickeyCB]

Thanks for sharing, it was really fun to follow along!

 

[Tiki Traveler]

Your reporting and photos were terrific! What a sweet family trip!

 

[Katiekitten]

The pictures with the step sisters are amazing!

I've enjoyed following along, thank you for sharing!

 

[cgersic]

Such great writing and the photos are absolutely priceless! Can't wait for the next one!

I saw this and it reminded me of the way your son was with Drizella, and how I felt seeing the photos. So much fun!