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]

Who would have thought that a giant ball could be so darn photogenic?

Being close to park open, the wait was a bit longer, around 20 minutes, but it was still cool out, and there was a slight breeze. You could tell that this was going to be the hottest and most humid day yet though.

All aboard!

I let L select our future, which I'm pretty sure put us living underwater (something I would NEVER do)

Right as we were getting off, K and C were boarding Guardians, so we headed over that way.

C and I went through the LL entrance this time with the rider swap, and pretty much got right to the pre-show. It's a shame that you miss so much of the queue, and I think first time riders really do miss out.

Since we were on so quickly, K and L just hung out in the area and had a snack.

Once we were off, we all went and did another first for the 4 of us - Club Cool! I had been to Club Cool many, many years ago when it was in Innoventions and made to look like an ice cave with a big polar bear outside.

Sigh.... Epcot was really great in the 90s.

While this iteration lacks creativity, at least it still had some great flavors.

The area around the samples was a bit crowded, but we ended up taking turns with another family, and quickly got to discussing our favorites. The Phillipines and Madagascar were the winners, with Moldova being the most interesting yet enjoyable. We all agreed that while the Beverly is not good, the one from China was like a liquified BBQ sauce.

Sorry kid, I had to get you on the Beverly.

At this point, Anna and Elsa were meeting, and their waits were slowly climbing, so we decided to head there before it got too bad. But first, some sustenance from the Odyssey.

Both were good, but nothing too special. The sugar Spaceship Earth was like any sugar cookie from a grocery store, and the Gingerbread Man was nice and soft, with a slight ginger flavor without being too overpowering.

It was shaping up to be a beautifully sunny, but hot, day.

Coming up: I go full Zazu

 

[Spash007]

On our way to park the stroller, we first stopped for a few pictures.

I really liked that they had Photopass photographers throughout Epcot, including by lesser known landmarks. AK & MK were both really lacking photographers except at the obvious locations.

We made our way into the line for Anna and Elsa, and waited. And waited. And waited. It was probably only 30 minutes, but the lines for meet and greets really drag on since you stand still for long periods. And it doesn't help that for the first half we were outside in the sun.

Finally, we made it in to see the Queens. Anna was her usual bubbly self, and L felt right at home chatting it up with her. C on the other hand, still got a bit star struck.

We got a ton of pictures, but other than these two, most were not good at all. Like this gem:

Gotta love those photo boxes!

As we made it outside, we saw that FEA was down We had a DAS, so we wanted to stay in the area if it came back up.

Watching the Barn Santa is always fun.

And so is hanging out with Disney ducks.

We figured we would eat a bit, and look for more Olafs and made our way towards China.

Little did I know, that K and I realizing that it was nearing 12 and asking the kids what they wanted to eat would cause a meltdown of epic proportions. I'll leave out a lot of the details, but we decided it was best for me to stay outside with C, while K took L in to meet Mulan.

Disciplining in Disney is probably the worst part of bringing kids to Disney - you don't want to let them get away with things, but you also are well aware of the money spent, and you don't want to call it quits or to lessen the kids' experience that much. And you also are very well aware of the constant watch people have on you (like the woman who felt the need to tell me C was on a bench when I walked away to give her some space - although I could see her from where I was).

After probably 10 minutes that felt lie an eternity, I brought C inside because it was just too hot and I was sure that the combination of heat and tiredness was adding to the mood. We sat down on a bench in the Reflections of China building just in time to watch L meet Mulan.

 

[Spash007]

We took a few minutes to sit in the a/c and contemplate what to do next. Do we trek across the park to the Skyliner, or because Frozen was back up, head there? We decided on the later, figuring the cooler air could be good for everyone.

It had just come back up, so the wait was very short.

Great picture! (Sense the sarcasm?)

Everyone was feeling a bit better after this, so we decided to mosey towards the exit, and stop for some (well-deserved) beverages and snacks.

A Tipsy Ducks in Love for me

Very good, but very potent!

A bread pudding from Germany for K.

It was good, but K definitely liked it better than I did. I thought it was a bit dry.

As we were getting these, C completely passed out in the stroller. She was completely exhausted. I believe L also fell asleep.

We took this moment to just walk through some of the countries, go into stores where the stroller fit, and just take our time. Clearly K and I were also feeling the last 5 days as our pictures are lacking.

Earlier, C was saying she really wanted some coleslaw (her grandmother’s is one of her favorite things to eat). As we were approaching America I realized that obviously they should have some inside Regal Eagle, so we placed a mobile order for some Mac and cheese and cole slaw. And maybe some BBQ chicken if I remember.

We had to wake C up, and she was half zombie when eating her beloved coleslaw, and L woke up not in a great mood. He’s like me - unless he takes a very good nap, he tends to wake up feeling extra groggy.

After they finished up, we made our way outside and I picked up the Thanksgiving platter from the booth, along with a slight for K and I to share.

We also found the Olaf nearby.

K and I started discussing the rest of the day, as we still felt we had to have some sort of consequence for the earlier behavior, and it was also clear everyone was too tired to just bounce between parks. It only seemed fair to skip going to AK, since that was more for C anyway, and instead head to the room for a couple hours rest.

I tried to get a picture of a taco-free lagoon. So glad this is back to normal now!

As we finished eating we headed towards the Skyliner, but Belle was meeting and C really wanted to meet her. L was not in the mood for pictures at this point.

As they were waiting, I headed into Tangierine Cafe and got the lamb kebab and fig mimosa. Both were really good! That garlic aioli on top of the kabob was

As we were finishing eating, L absolutely lost it. You know how you can tell your kids’ different cries? This was a painful one, and we had no idea what was going on. Finally we got it out of him that his ear was hurting. C was very prone to ear infections when she was younger, and L already had to have surgery once so we were starting to worry, counting our flight was the next day.

We had some medicine in the room so we quickly hightailed it to the Skyliner and got him somewhat comfortable.

When we got back to the room we decided to clean his ear, and let’s say there was something there (no details for the queasy). Between cleaning it and some Tylenol he seemed to be much better, but we were still worried so I went down to the desk to find out about urgent cares. Meanwhile, K called his pediatrician who said to keep an eye on it, but the stuff we saw was actually good because it was draining and a flight should be ok. This week he was a bit congested, and he had thrown up that first day, so it was possible he had an ear infection that was now working it’s way out. To say we were on edge for the next day is an understatement. I almost booked a rental car to just drive home, and considered it up until we boarded our flight. But, he at least did seem comfortable now, so that was the important part.

We followed up with his ENT after we got back, and found out that the tubes he had put in his ears last year were still there, although they should have fallen out by now. So he ended up needing to have them removed in early January. Not sure if that contributed or not.

 

[Spash007]

After a couple hours, around 6:30 we headed back to Epcot. It cooled down considerably and was shaping up to be a lovely night.

We had a DAS for Ratatouille from earlier.

Which was good because the wait was

!!!

It’s a good ride, but I would not wait more than 2 hours for it! Probably not more than 45 minutes in all honesty.

This area is really gorgeous at night, especially during the holidays!

After the ride, we headed towards the L’Chaim booth.

A pretty, but crowded night.

I love the details of the Morocco pavilion.

At the booth, we got a Salmon Latke for K, and a Pastrami on Rye for us to share.

I believe K said the Salmon Latke was a bit weird, but the Pastrami was really good! We offered it to the kids, and they both surprisingly liked it too!

 

[Spash007]

We also got a black and white cookie. Growing up in NY, these were always my favorite, and they mostly nailed it in the booth. The problem was that the frosting was too soft, where real black and white cookies should have nice and hard frosting. The taste was good though! Or so I thought. The kids were not fans and my NY heart broke a bit.

After finishing, we decided to head to the front of the park.

This was our first up close look at the beacon on Spaceship Earth, and it was just as great as we hoped!

Living with the Land was only 15 minutes, and we wanted to see how the holiday overlay was.

It was AH-mazing!

I really hope they do this every year!

 

[Spash007]

We were going to grab dinner at Sunshine Seasons, but even though the app said they should be open, they were some reason closed. A little annoying, since the booths also close early at night. Although Connections seems good, we didn't want to traverse the maze of walls. So we figured we would grab some Fish & Chips on the way out. L though needed a potty break, and Soarin was a walk-on (this part of the park was much emptier than World Showcase, so I went on with C.

We were on the side, but more towards the middle of the section so things weren't too bendy.

After our quick trip around the world, the 4 of us went to the front of the park for some more pictures

We also got some Photopass pictures

We went back to the UK, and they were doing the Tinkerbell pictures under the lighted arbor. The results were not as good as expected:

Wait, that's not right

That's not quite right either. But this lady seriously held up the line in order to have costume changes to be on theme with Tinkerbell. I get it - if she's your girl, you do you. But let's read the room a bit here.

 

[Spash007]

Ah finally that's the right people!

But you can't really see Tinkerbell... Oh well!

We then got in line for some Fish and Chips, and K and I split a beer. We found a spot on the curb right before Harmonious started, and just sat and ate, while we enjoyed what we could see. We debated on standing, but the projections didn't do much for us, we were tired, and it was crowded so we figured to leave space for people who haven't seen it.

The kids absolutely loved these fish and chips. We've found that white fish is a very big hit in our house and is now on the menu on a weekly basis.

The view:

The feeling:

It ended up being the perfect way to end our last night. As soon as it went into the last section (I think Tiana's) we started to head to the Skyliner to avoid the crowds. Our original plan was to end the night at AK so we would have time to pack. We got some packing done earlier in the day, but morning's eviction was looming real close now!

With everyone still watching Harmonious, I was also able to get an empty picture of my favorite street in Epcot.

Our plan worked well, and we were able to quickly get on the Skyliner with the fireworks still going off in the distance. The kids went to bed quickly, so we quickly pulled their clothes into our room (the 1 bedroom really spoiled us this trip) and we got our suitcases situated for the morning.

 

[Swissmiss]

It’s almost over

 

[Spash007]

It’s almost over

I feel like I’ve been dragging this out! Once I’m done with this, I also have an adults trip from February waiting for me lol

 

[Swissmiss]

I feel like I’ve been dragging this out! Once I’m done with this, I also have an adults trip from February waiting for me lol

I‘ve really been enjoying your TR so I’m happy to hear another one is coming

 

[Spash007]

December 10 - Our Last Day
My note from this day is that it "started rough". I believe that meant we were all tired and trying to pack and get out the door. Somehow the last minute items seemed harder to pack when in Disney than when at home. We had hoped to make EMH at 8:30, but only left the room around then. Luckily we didn't have a long to do list so we also didn't feel a rush of time.

Good morning beautiful!

I was trying to take in as many details as possible.

First thing on our list was to get a caricature of the kids. We had gotten one of C a few years ago, but really wanted one of both.

I don't remember the artist's name, but she was awesome! I am so impressed with how they free hand the portraits. She was also very friendly, and we had some great conversations about her time at Disney, her previous work and a girls' trip she was taking soon.

This little alley was completely empty.

The finished product:

I wanted to get a picture of some of the 50th decor for the records

I think this may be one of my favorite statues:

Next up was a stop to visit Merida who just started visiting (maybe showing up late worked out after all). As we were parking the stroller, some other friends walked by!

 

[belledream]

I just caught up here and I think it’s so cool how you guys go back at nighttime and we barely see darkness on ours. It’s like a different world.

And love the silhouettes! They make great souvenirs!

 

[Spash007]

I just caught up here and I think it’s so cool how you guys go back at nighttime and we barely see darkness on ours. It’s like a different world.

And love the silhouettes! They make great souvenirs!

It really is! Sometimes I wonder if we push them too hard, and if we should have some more early nights. I think on longer trips we'll have to start. They seem to max out at 4 late nights.

We love it! It's right in our entryway and are planning on getting some more in the future too

 

[Spash007]

The wait for Merida was only 20 minutes, but I still found time to go over to Cheshire Cat and grab e and K some iced coffees. I was hoping for a Shakin Jamaican, but they said their machine was down. So instead I just looked what was in it and tried to make my own with an iced hazelnut coffee with medium success.

Merida has always been one of our favorite M&Gs - she's on point, super friendly, super energetic, and Brave has been one of C's favorite Disney movies since she first watched it. I understand that Mirabel is immensely more popular right now, so I get why they are changing it, but it still makes me a bit sad.

Earlier this morning I had grabbed a DAS for seven dwarves, so we hopped over there when we finished up.

L sat with me again, and once again he absolutely loved it! He even tried to keep his hands up whenever he could!

Side note - I know people like to pose, but I also wish they were more aware of the people behind them. We had another picture from Space Mountain where the two people in front of C were just on verge of being inappropriate.

Once we left, we placed a mobile order at Friar's Nook and immediately click I'm here. Of course we still had to wait 15 minutes for our food, and watch people who ordered at the window get theirs before ours. But, the food was worth the wait!

We got the donut holes and breakfast sandwich to share, and it was all really good! I am more disappointed in Gaston's each trip, and this I think is my new favorite breakfast in MK!

While waiting for our food, we asked the kids which Princesses they would like to meet. They chose Rapunzel and Tiana, and I grabbed a DAS while we ate. As we finished, our time came up so we headed in.

Rapunzel was her usual overly bubbly self, and I think she asked if we saw Pascal. L wasn't really sure what to do with her high energy, and I think C was a bit embarrassed for her lol

Tiana was lovely and regal, asking us if we ever had beignets. C said yes to be polite, and then asked us afterwards what they are (she never have had them). Meanwhile, L couldn't figure out what to do with how big her dress was.

 

[cgersic]

The description of the kids during the Rapunzel and Tiana M&Gs had me giggling. You can totally see what you are saying in their faces. Cute!

 

[Spash007]

The description of the kids during the Rapunzel and Tiana M&Gs had me giggling. You can totally see what you are saying in their faces. Cute!

Thanks! Those pictures really brought me back!

 

[fractal]

I took the liberty of editing your photo...

 

[Spash007]

I took the liberty of editing your photo...

Holy crap, that’s awesome. Thank you!

 

[Darstarr]

Everyone needs an @fractal !!

 

[Spash007]

This day we were very much just doing whatever anyone wanted, so as we exited the Princesses and the kids saw the Carousel, of course we had to jump on.

Look at those strollers - you could tell the holiday crowds were coming!

Side story - when I went as a kid, our tradition was to always ride the carousel our last day. I think a big driver was it was one of the few rides my mom would go on!

We got off around 11:45, and I snagged a DAS for Splash. They were having two FoFs this day, with the first one at noon. Since we would be gone by 3 for the other parade, we headed towards Frontierland to grab a spot.

Not a cloud in the sky.

While I love watching from Main Street, there’s something more peaceful to watch it out here and I think I prefer it.

And there’s ice cream!

Soon, the parade came through!

I’ve always loved these!