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.

 

[Swissmiss]

I believe it’s du rien, but it’s been 10+ years so I could be making that up!

We are also definitely at that age with his imagination taking off!

De rien is correct Also je t’en prie, je vous en prie and service.

 

[Spash007]

De rien is correct Also je t’en prie, je vous en prie and service.

Yay I do remember a bit of French!

 

[Spash007]

December 5 cont.

Soon we were transported to Arendelle by way of Norway.

L claimed he didn’t like this ride, because he got wet. The picture tends to agree with that.

But, he was enamored with the three way mirror.

This store is always one of the toughest to get out of. The adults like looking at the Norwegian items, the kids are drawn to Frozen. Luckily, we escaped without any purchases.

On our way to Mexico we decided to slow down a bit to find Olaf.

There he is!

And and Elsa had a really long wait, so we decided to wait on them. We made our way into Mexico. This has to be one of my favorite pavilions to just walk around.

Unfortunately the glass blower wasn’t out, which I love to just stop and watch.

After Frozen, L was a bit wary of another boat ride, but we assured him he would not get wet on this one. He somewhat believed us, but still held our hands just in case.

He did have a lot of fun finding Donald all around, and would laugh at some of the funnier scenes.

Although we knew we wanted to have lunch in Mexico, it was not even 11 yet, and our French breakfast had filled us up, so we made our way to the front of the park.

Specifically to the Land, where we got distracted by some Disney ducks outside.

Inside, we decided to see if L could make the height limit for Soarin, but since he couldn’t, I decided I would sit out. I like the ride, but it’s not a must for me. My father in law decided to join me.

We were thinking of going on LWTL, but the line filled the entire queue, so instead we did a first and went to see Awesome Planet. I really enjoyed this!

The smells, the little bit of water spray, the overall story line. And Phil Dunphy is one of my favorite TV characters.

L was fine with it but got a bit scared of the volcanoes and didn’t like the water. This is when I started second guessing if he would enjoy any ride/show, or if Millennium Falcon ruined the trip for him.

As we were leaving the theater, I got a text from K they were just loading so we went to sit in the area by the Soarin exit and wait. They overall had a good ride, and we were deciding our next adventure.

I had made a DAS for Test Track, so we figured we could split up, and then meet for SE. But first, more ducks. This time, I gave C the camera.

I have about 25 pictures of these ducks.

 

[Spash007]

The plan was for my MIL to take L on the Seas and then walk around in there a bit, and then rest of us would go to Test Track.

Why couldn’t they just make a path in between the walls so we could cut across? Wouldn’t that make sense? Maybe not with construction equipment, but still, it was a much longer walk than it should have been.

This also was I think the first time I designed the car in a very long time. Which also took a very long time. C had a blast and wanted to ride with her Grandfather, so they designed a car, and K and I designed another. Theirs looked ridiculous, so we thought we had the race in the bag. (Spoiler alert - we lost).

Finally we boarded, and I have to admit I enjoyed this more than I remembered. C declared it wasn’t as fun as she remembered because “we drive that fast on the road”. Which I agree, but I enjoyed the parts inside more this time.

We enjoyed some of the nice new models inside, before making our ways to the Seas to grab L and my MIL. C at this point was wearing down, so the two of us found a bench to wait for a few.

Once reunited, we made our way onto Spaceship Earth. Which, apparently C now thought would be boring because it goes soo slow, and she just wants roller coasters. we ain’t ready to go to Universal yet kid.

I rode with C, who declared at the end “that was actually a lot of fun!”. Phew, Universal can wait a bit.

It was about 1:30 when we got off, and the kids played around at the end for a few minutes. Luckily it wasn’t crowded so they each got their own games to play. Once done, we still had almost an hour until our BG would be called, so we made our way to Mexico for lunch.

I apparently didn’t take pictures, but I believe I got tacos, the kids each got tacos, and K got Nachos. Each of the adults also got a margarita. Overall a very good meal as always, although finding a table was like always, a pain.

The kids needed to make a rest stop in the bathroom, so I took them over to the Odyssey, and while walking back to meet up our BG got called!

K’s dad decided to sit it out, and L went with his grandparents to the playground by Creations, while me K and C went to Guardians.

I’ll try putting a spoiler for people who haven’t been on yet.

Spoiler: Spoiler alert - GotG

I saw some pictures of the queue, but overall avoided many spoilers for this one. The entry room was really neat, but it was hard to hear everything with people talking.

While some of the references to Epcot Center were forced, they still made me chuckle. I also enjoyed that they did try to tie in some educational aspects.

Overall though, the ride is just fun. The pre-shows I thought were really well done, and definitely lined up the attraction well. Sure, some of the physical set pieces could be a bit more advanced. But it’s just fun! The best description I heard of it was your mouth hurts afterwards from smiling. And I agree with that.

The queue inside did take longer than we expected, so by the time we got off, L was with my in laws for close to an hour, and he was getting cranky for a nap (it was about 3:30). They took him over to International Gateway, but since they had the double stroller, they really were not ok with folding it and carrying it.

So we hightailed it out of there. Luckily we all felt pretty good afterwards, and C was powering it through, but I think this did push her to the limit. Finally we caught up, and made our way back to the room via Skyliner.

We only had a little over an hour in the room, but it let every body lay down for a bit which was very much needed, before we got changed and headed back to the Skyliner for dinner!

 

[amjt660]

I have about 25 pictures of these ducks.

Love this!!!

(and when do we get to see these pictures?)

Max

 

[Spash007]

Love this!!!

(and when do we get to see these pictures?)

Max

They are mostly the same as the one I inserted except about a centimeter each off to the right

Vs

We did get some water in some

But don’t worry, she has more fun with the camera later this night

 

[Spash007]

Before we headed back to the Skyliner -

When we got back to our room, it looked like we got the new light room service (even though it wasn’t supposed to be for a few more days). Beds were not touched, some dirty towels were not taken, but there were fresh ones given and some things on counters were moved. Then I realized - my bathing suit that I used on the first day was no longer hanging up. It was on the clothesline, which was now put back in and my bathing suit was no where to be found.

Considering the next day was going to be our pool day, I was a bit extra peeved. I called the front desk who said they would speak to housekeeping and give me a call back. They called back when I was in the shower, and K talked to them. On one hand, I’m still a bit ticked that they even touched the clothesline. On the other, after saying they couldn’t find it, they very quickly offered a comp, and put a credit on our room account.

I also knew I packed a second one, but couldn’t find it. We looked in the gift shop on the way to the Skyliner, but they didn’t have any. My plan was to tear apart my stuff to find my extra the next morning, and worse came to worse, I had a pair of shorts I could wear to the pool.

 

[Spash007]

After the bathing suit fiasco, we met up at 5:30 at the Skyliner, just in time for sunset.

I think this time on it was when I really started to fall in love with it - the easy load, the views, I see the draw now of Skyliner resorts!

I just wish the glare wasn’t so bad, because the views we got of Spaceship Earth were great!

Once in Epcot, we made our way over to Canada for our dinner at 6:20.

Interesting to think the pictures above were only 15 minutes apart.Not only did we make it from near HS to Canada in 15 minutes, but it got completely dark.

I again tried the mobile check in, and this time it actually seemed to work as expected, and we got seated fairly quickly.

I hadn’t been to Le Cellier since the 90s, when I think it was a quick service. Mind you, I was actively debating my sister over text while at dinner because she swears it was sit down, but more casual when we were there. Any Magicians remember? I can picture the cases of food along the wall, and you would grab a tray and say what you wanted. @Tuvalu ?

Now, there were some people near lbs who seemed to think it was still a quick service with how they were dressed. And I get it, it’s a restaurant in a theme park. But, from what they were very loudly talking about, these folks were apparently locals who came quite often. Maybe I’m snooty, but I think any steakhouse should be somewhat dressy, at least to take off a baseball cap and not where a graphic, loose tee.

Off my soapbox now, I got the cheddar cheese soup to split with K, and then we each got the filet.

Wow. K thought the soup was a bit heavy, but it’s cheese soup. It couldn’t be too heavy for me! And the steak…. Not my number 1 that I’ve had (that goes to a steakhouse in NYC), but definitely top 5. The risotto underneath was good in terms of flavor, but the texture was a bit hard still. K honestly makes the best risotto I’ve had.

The kids each got Mac and cheese, and if I remember did a pretty decent job eating.

Towards the end they did start getting antsy, so I took them outside to wait. Here, they found a relic of times past, that made me question if we were in some sort of anti-Future World.

Yes, a pay phone. They played on these for more than 10 minutes.

I also kept trying to book a DAS for Ratatouille, but the service inside the restaurant wouldn’t load. And by the time I got outside, the wait was 90 minutes, and it was already 7:40. With Harmonious starting at 9:30, it just wasn’t in the cards.

 

[Spash007]

With rides seemingly out of the question, we decided to wander the countries and grab some desserts. K and I both had our eyes on Germany, and the kids wanted ice cream. So we figured we would head back towards Mexico and loop around, planning to stop in France to grab a spot for fireworks.

Originally I wanted to go to the front of the park this night to get a better view of SE, but it seemed far out of the way, and we would not be able to get around the lagoon then. We decided that we would change plans later this trip and pop back in Epcot at night.

Another technology peeve of mine on this trip - getting the 50th statues to interact with the MB +. I would say we had maybe a 30% success rate.

Imagine how nice this picture could be if Thanos hadn’t landed his ship there?

Also, is the ring not centered? Between the trees and America, I look to be centered. But the ring isn’t.

Still didnt work.

I think these two did actually work.

Ah no ring and no tacos

 

[Spash007]

Here’s where we made it to Germany. I wanted something with caramel and went into Karamel Kuche. Of course I forgot with C’s expander, she can’t have anything chewy, so I promised I would find her ice cream. I meanwhile got a gingerbread and caramel cookie.

K went over to Sommerfest to look for the pretzel bread pudding. Where she was disappointed to find that they stopped selling it earlier in the day. But, we made a note to prioritize it our next Epcot day.

While she was in line, we found the next Olaf.

And C took my phone, and took at least a dozen pictures of this variation:

What is with the peace sign? I don’t know where she learns this stuff from. Or why she thinks this looks good or cool (or whatever the kids call it these days)

We also went into some of the stores here, and I couldn’t resist some of the mini Christmas houses. I got one for us, and one for my parents who were watching one of our dogs (the older one. The younger one has so much energy he needs to go to a place with other playmates).

We continued walking, and wound up near Italy. The lagoon was getting a bit crowded with people grabbing spots, so we claimed ours and took turns wandering and holding it down. While there, we were able to watch some fireworks in the distance.

Counting L had been asking for fireworks since we landed, he was very happy at this point. But, he also all of a sudden claimed to be scared of them. Not good considering these were so far away.

On my turn to wander, I stopped to get the kids their ice cream, and found Olaf by accident.

By the way, none of the three flavors we got from the Gelato stand in Italy were very good. Each of the kids did not like theirs, and after I took a bite, I wasn’t a fan either. K got some too and felt the texture was just weird.

This cookie though was one of the best things I’ve had at Disney. When people claim they dream of Disney food, I never understood until now.

 

[amjt660]

Imagine how nice this picture could be if Thanos hadn’t landed his ship there?

Maybe Disney will turn it into a ride after it is removed from the lagoon?


Max

 

[Spash007]

Maybe Disney will turn it into a ride after it is removed from the lagoon?


Max

I could get behind that!

 

[Darstarr]

Imagine how nice this picture could be if Thanos hadn’t landed his ship there?

 

[sheriffwoody]

All caught up! That cookie from Germany is one of my favs too! Also my daughter constantly takes selfies on my phone. She doesn't understand the peace sign yet, but I'm sure it's coming soon. She's very goofy just like her parents

 

[Spash007]

All caught up! That cookie from Germany is one of my favs too! Also my daughter constantly takes selfies on my phone. She doesn't understand the peace sign yet, but I'm sure it's coming soon. She's very goofy just like her parents

I love reading other TRs with kids, especially slightly older or younger ones to think I can totally see mine doing that, or I miss when mine did

 

[Spash007]

So I had a post almost done, and then my browser crashed and I lost it

While in our spot for Harmonious, K’s parents decided to head back. The past two days were getting to them, and they felt that standing for another hour+ was just not worth it. Luckily the next day was a rest day, and they were very much looking forward to it.

Also, while K was on her own scenic tour, two things happened: the kids fell asleep after finishing their ice cream, and K saw a spot closer to America that was open. So we moved here knowing we could see the ring a bit more centered. An added bonus was that we could also hear and somewhat see the end of the Candlelight Processional, which combined with a rare kid-free moment made for a special few minutes.

A few minutes before showtime, two older ladies asked if they could stand behind our stroller. Of course. We got to talking to them a bit, and they were amazed that both kids were asleep. We mentioned that C slept through numerous fireworks shows in the past, but we weren’t sure if L would follow since he tends to be a bit more sensitive to noise. Soon after the show started!

With the show being fireworks light in the beginning, both kids kept sleeping. But with the first big boom C woke, somewhat.

We kept trying to wake L, as he really wanted to see fireworks but he was out COLD.

Literally the sky was filled with fireworks and he was snoring.

Finally, I think it was around the Jungle Book sequence he awoke, and immediately was upset by the noise. Luckily, we learned from C when she was his age to have headphones ready. This did the trick and he enjoyed the rest of the show.

 

[Spash007]

A few more from Harmonious

I loved the fireworks that shot out from the perimeter. A bit scared at first, but the effect was great.

Honestly, my favorite part of the show was the music and fountains after. It set a certain vibe around WS that reminded me of Illuminations days, and it sucked that the park was closed and we couldn’t actually enjoy it.

All in all, I enjoyed Harmonious more than I expected. The music in particular I thought was a good fit. Did it make up for the eyesores though? No, not even close.

As we approached IG, both C and L fell asleep in the stroller. As expected, the line for the Skyliner reached down to the main path but moved quickly. As we got to the switchbacks, K took L, and we had to wake C. I felt bad because she was clearly in that “I just dozed off and now have no idea where I am” state, but she recovered and walked while holding a hand.

For being such a long line, we only waited 10-15 minutes. Another win for the Skyliner. Who I did feel bad for though was the ECVs. That line hardly moved at all.

This trip back we had another couple with us, who we didn’t talk much too (mostly because both kids fell back asleep) but while we were at Riviera we slowed to a crawl and overheard a CM announce that “IG is blitzing”. We all looked at each other concerned until we realized that they must have been loading multiple ECVs at once.

Anyway, once we got back we got right into bed, and the kids were asleep before we left the room. I think this may have been the night that K and I discovered the show Naked and Afraid on Discovery, which was strangely addicting and is still a guilty pleasure (it’s not as bad as it sounds, I promise. It’s addicting to try to figure out how to survive in various climates, but I think after a few episodes K and I are pros)

Total steps this day: 23,587

 

[mpaulam]

I love Naked and Afraid and your trip report

 

[fractal]

bathing suit caper!

more good reviews for the Skyliner. Maybe next time I'll ride it.

Don't get me started about how some people dress for dinner.

there are worse things than a peace sign.

Enjoying the report!

 

[Tiki Traveler]

Your photographs are beautiful. Thank you for posting them. In your photos from HS I didn’t know the ornaments by Dinosaur Gertie lit up!

You were lucky to get into Karamel Kutche. We were in Epcot in early Nov. on a Thursday and Monday night and the line was out the door and down the road! Oh well, someday.

Lastly headphones for the win! They saved us at many an event.