Trip Report *COMPLETED* Seriously...How is our Luggage Still Not HERE?! An August Trip Report

Hi everyone!

We have been back to reality for a little over a week now and while I still have yet to download all the photos we took during our recent trip to the World, I wanted to get started on detailing what was really an amazing trip.

Now, I must preface this report by saying that while the title of the report does play into our trip, which I will explain throughout, the trip really played out practically perfect in almost every way.

Ok, here we go...Our trip took place between August 3 through the 13th. Here is the cast from our last trip to Disneyland last August during the 60th Anniversary.

From left to right on your screen: Kelly, Lennon, Ella and me (Matt).

Originally we had booked the trip from the 4-13th in a studio at the Polynesian Villas. Upon booking, maybe a month or two later, we decided to add another day onto the trip and booked our first night at All Star Movies resort before moving the the Poly for the remainder of the trip the day after arriving.

I had detailed the our plan in this pre-trip report should you want to see the itinerary we had set out months in advance of the actual trip.

So let's jump in!

August 3 - Travel Day

After months of build up and anticipation the day had finally arrived. We live way up north in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada so making the trek down to Orlando is not always the easiest and definitely not the quickest so whenever we come the WDW we always make sure to stay long enough to really justify the long travel day.

Kelly and I were up around 4 am (MDT) to get ready, pack the vehicle and get the kids up and on the road by 530 to head out to the airport which is about a 45 minute drive from our house. Thankfully the kids were more than happy to get up early knowing they were heading to Disney World and after eating a small snack in the car we arrived well in advance of our 830 am flight from Edmonton to Houston.

Here we are killing some time in the airport waiting to board our first leg.

After small breakfast and some time spent calling the grand parents to say goodbye we were boarding our flight to head down to Houston. We ended up flying United as the options to get to Orlando from Edmonton are pretty limited. United has never been our air carrier of choice but in the spirit of giving credit where it is due this was the first time we took a trip using United that absolutely nothing went wrong and the service was great.

Lennon seemed pretty happy up in the air even if she was up early. We had no doubt that Ella was going to be very well behaved throughout the entire trip but Lenny is a major wildcard. Her mood changes at the drop of a hat so we didn't know what to expect from her while we were gone. Thankfully we were off to a good start!

After close to a four hour flight we touched down in Houston. We departed the plane to find out we would be getting right back on the same plane to head over to Orlando so that made things much easier plus it made for losing our luggage almost impossible. After about an hour layover and a really, really bad airport sandwich we jumped back on the plane for the second leg of the trip. After a four hour flight to get to Houston, the two hour jaunt to Orlando seemed like a breeze. The flight was pretty smooth and soon enough we were descending into MCO!

We touched down around 6 pm Orlando time and made our way to the airport monorail over tot he main terminal to jump on the Magical Express. We have never taken the Magical Express from the airport to the hotel and I must say it was a very nice treat bypassing the luggage carousel and heading straight to our bus.

After a short 10 minute wait we jumped on our bus and were on our way to All Star Movies!

We ended up sitting behind a young family from the DC area that was heading to Movies to celebrate their daughter's 6th birthday. Ella and the young girl started talking through the chairs and asking each other all sorts of questions during the drive. She was happy to have made a new friend!

After stops at Coronado Springs, All Start Sports and Music we arrived at All Star Movies around 730. We checked in and picked up or Magic Bands before making our way to our room int he Toy Story section. We were in a room on the first floor right outside the courtyard with all the big Toy Story characters. It was actually pretty cool to see these types of displays throughout the grounds. Fun hotel though based on the size of the rooms I am glad we only spent the night before moving into larger accommodations.

After a quick look at the room and some pics in the courtyard we made our way to the food court to grab some dinner. I didn't take any pics of this meal, it wasn't overly exciting, but Kelly enjoyed the homemade macaroni, I had the hot Italian sandwich and the girls, who ate dinner on the bus ride to the hotel shared an ice cream and a bag of cotton candy. They seemed happy with that night cap!

After finishing our meal we decided to walk around the grounds of the hotel and check out some of the other themed areas before killing a little time at the children's playground near the main pool for a little before heading back to our room to pass out.

Our luggage arrived shortly after we returned to the room and after a quick shower we hit the bed to finally get some sleep. No major plans the next day other than switching hotels and we were happy that we didn't have to set an alarm on the first night.

So that was day one, Our very exciting travel day that was thankfully uneventful and really quite smooth. I will have to really get on downloading our pictures to keep this going but will be adding more as the week progresses. Thanks in advance for following along and we look forward to sharing our trip with you!

 

[Scoppin]

Ok continuing on and finishing up our second park day. We spent some time in the pool after heading back from AK before we got ourselves ready to visit Epcot for the first time. For whatever reason there were always some kind of issue at the pool whether it was the main pool being shut down or the kids splash area being shut down. Maybe it's routine for scheduled cleaning but always seemed kinda strange. Nevertheless the kids loves taking a dip and I loved relaxing in the hot tub. Looking out across 7 Seas to see the castle and Space Mountain in the horizon was such a cool backdrop.

After an hour or so by the pool it was back tot he room to get ready and head to Epcot. We had dinner reservations at LeCellier and a FP+ for Frozen Ever After that the kids were very excited about. Not being a huge fan of Maelstrom I was looking forward to seeing what was done with the new Frozen ride though based on the mixed reviews off the site I wasn't too sure what to expect but I'll get to that shortly.

Once we were packed up and ready to go we made the short walk from our room over to the TTC and boarded the Epcot Monorail. Both Kelly and I weren't exactly sure if Epcot was going to be the girls cup of tea but it turned out it was likely their favourite park by the end of the trip so that was a major and pleasant surprise.

We arrived at the park a good hour or so from our reservation and we decided to ride Spaceship Earth as there was basically a 10 minute wait. Kelly has no interest in riding SSE and I admit it's not one of my faves but it was definitely a must do especially since we were basically walking right on. Lennon didn't seem to entralled with being on the ride and basically pouted the whole time which led to one sad looking photo of her being used for the future peice in the descent back to unload. Ella really seemed to like it and I was happy we rode but Kelly still found it to be boring as she's always remembered it! Sadly I wasn't thinking and didn't get a picture of our headshots but that's likely for the better based on Lennon's bitter expression.

The plan once we unloaded from SSE was to head towards Soarin' to use up one of our additional FPs but along the way we ended up stopping in at the Inside Out and Baymax character spots for pictures with Joy and Sadness. We'd been reading that lines for those two have been really long leading up to our trip so when we saw a 20 minute wait time posted we figured we might as well take advantage and then do Soarin' later in the evening.

The line wasn't huge but it was relatively slow moving. At least we could kill time by spying on the Baymax greet across the way. He looked way cool and I was curious to find out what that suit felt like. While nothing too fancy the queue to meet Joy and Sadness was kinda cool with the memory wall recreated throughout. Loved the fact that the bottom row was entirely blue just like the movie.

Kelly won't be happy I posted that picture but I really like it!

After about 20 minutes it was our turn to meet the characters. Ella had no issue with either one but for whatever reason Lennon got a little freaked out by Sadness which is really strange because she loves Sadness. Even has one of her dolls back at home. Even with her not exactly knowing how to act around her at least we got a couple good pics.

After meeting Joy and Sadness we really wanted to meet Baymax, actually I really wanted to meet Baymax, but we were closing in on our reservation time and decided to leave Baymax for another day and head towards the Canadian pavilion.

At this point it was a perfect evening. Not too hot but just cloudy enough that it was super comfortable. That said it did start to spit upon our check in but didn't last long at all. We made the short walk and soon we among our own!

We walked in and immediately I was greeted to "Go Eskimos!". I was wearing my Edmonton Eskimos hat and shirt as my favourite Canadian Football League team was set to play the Ottawa REDBLACKS (sorry, I'm not screaming, this is literally how the Redblacks want their name to be showcased in any forum) and was warmly welcomed by a fellow Edmontonian who was playing the role of hostess at Le Cellier that evening. She was not the only local that we would chat with that evening and it was nice to talk with some folks from back home even if they have been away for a little while working WDW. One such person happened to be the sister of a family friend who was nice enough to stop by our table in between serving others in the restaurant for a brief chat. She told us her husband, whom she meet at the Norwegian (if I recall correctly) pavilion years ago, would be heading back to WDW to work in a few weeks once his work permit was approved. Pretty cool story of them meeting while both working at WDW and now are married and still working at WDW.

We were sat in the Nunavut section of the restaurant and our server was another local Albertan from Calgary, just south of Edmonton. Kelly and I decided to start our meal with the signature poutine, which while different that the poutine we are used to, was delish! I enjoyed a Moosehead lager along with my food instead of going with a Canadian because really, I drink enough of that stuff at home as it is. For our mains the girls shared the kids salmon meal, Kelly ordered the New York strip and I went with the filet mignon.

SO, SO, SO good! My filet was cooked perfectly and pretty much melted in my mouth. Kelly really enjoyed hers as well and I was a tad envious of the size of her meal but once I cleared my plate I was too full to eat whatever leftovers she had on her plate. She did a great job of trying to finish every bite but couldn't quite get there. Even the kids devoured their fish so I think everyone was very happy by the time we finished up.

We settled our bill, said our goodbyes to our fellow country-people and set out to head over to Norway for our FP+ for Frozen!

What little rain there was before we entered Le Cellier was clearly gone and the rest of the evening would turn out to be pretty fantastic weather wise. We strolled through Mexico and entered the Norway pavilion to find only a 15 minute wait to meet Elsa and Anna. Both Lennon and Ella really wanted to stop in and say hi before jumping on the ride so that's what we did. Couple of quick pics in the queue before being whisked in to meet the royal family of Arendelle.

Lennon had her Frozen crocs on and made sure to show them off to both Anna and Elsa!

Fantastic interaction from both characters left the girls on cloud nine and definitely ready for the ride itself!

Very happy to have our FP+ and not have to wait in the standby line for this ride!

It was time to take our boat to Elsa's ice castle but alas I have run out of time to finish up our evening and will have to hold off until tomorrow morning to detail our ride and the rest of the fun we had at Epcot! Thanks for reading along and for all the great comments so many have been posting!

Thank you. Have altered agenda and decided to visit Joy & Sadness and Baymax right after rope drop on our Epcot visit.

 

[Scoppin]

August 7 - Hollywood Studios, quickly back to Epcot and an evening at Disney Springs

Even with the Eskies loss I was still able to get a solid sleep and wake up ready for our first taste of Hollywood Studios. Again, my morning started with a walk to get coffee before returning o help get the girls up and ready to roll. It was always convenient for them to be able to eat a somewhat decent breakfast before we made our way to whichever park we were headed to. It's amazing how quickly they can eat when they know the faster they eat the faster they get to enjoy more rides. Why can't they get this excited before school?

Before too long everyone was ready to go and we made our way down to the bus stop to hitch a ride. Again we got lucky that we arrived at the stop and the bus was already pulling in. Outside of our luggage issue everything was really going smoothly for us for the most part. We hoped on and made the trip with a handful of other guests. Before long we were heading through the gates, ready to roll!

First stop was a ride we always enjoy, Toy Story Mania! Even Lennon was excited for this one.

Pretty much no line, less than a 20 minute wait so we made our way through the standby queue. Cool to note some of the changes made with the recent refurb. Sad to see Potato-head was no longer around to entertain, or annoy I suppose, guests as they waited.

why so serious?

After maybe 10 minutes of winding through the queue we were up the stairs and back down again ready to jump into our first game of the trip. This ride became the popular choice at DHS, really there isn't overly too much for our girls to do there, so we had some pretty good competitions throughout.

I rode with Lenny which meant a point free-for-all for me!

Kelly posted a more than respectable score but I remained the undefeated champ within our family. A title I take far, far too seriously!

After Toy Story the girls wanted to ride the Great Movie Ride because Kelly had told them there was a scene from the Wizard of Oz, one of their favourite films. We made the short walk back towards the theatre and walked into the standby line again. Posted wait of 15 minutes but we sure waited longer than that. At least most of the wait was done indoors as it was another hot, sticky morning. Sadly no fun pictures to share but I think it was safe to say both Ella and Lennon were a little freaked out by the ride. Lennon essentially covered her ears the whole time and some of the scenes put a good fright into both of them. I enjoyed the ride, as did Kelly, but even the Wizard of Oz scene wasn't enough to salvage it for the girls.

After GMR it was time for one of our FP+ selections, the often talked about leading up to the trip, the Tower of Terror! I had somehow convinced the girls to ride by offering to by them one thing, whatever they wanted, if they did it just once. I would later to come to regret this but I'll get into that later. Walking down towards the hotel to check in for our stay was not easing their nerves. Lennon had no interest in going and Ella was reluctant but kudos to them, they decided to go through with it.

Once inside the building Lennon was definitely not feeling it and again we had to pretty much carry her through the entire line and somewhat force her to climb aboard the elevator when it was our turn. THe CM was really great about trying his best to calm them down. He easily could have put them over the top with some theatrics or really getting into the creepy mood of the ride but he was pretty cheerful for their sake. And I think it helped that a boy maybe a year older then Ella proclaimed this to be the best ride ever while waiting for the elevator door to open. That said, when we were loaded, I have never had my hand held tighter, especially when the car started to move!

Would you look at that, they survived. Not even looking to distressed. They claimed to have enjoyed it but wouldn't even step near ti throughout the rest of the trip. Still pretty amazing how brave they had been to this point.

After ToT it was back to Toy Story for another spin on the midway thanks to our next FP+ booking. This time I was with Ella and I got kinda nervous that Kelly might be able to overtake me since she was riding with Lennon but alas my fears we unwarranted. Champion again. She came close but ended up about 20,000 shy. Decent showing by Ella though!

From there we walked down towards Voyage of the Little Mermaid and parked the stroller. We watched the Star Wars march proceed by us before ducking in to watch the Ariel Show. First time I have seen this show and it wasn't too shabby. Much shorter than I assumed it was going to be but a really strong singer playing Ariel and some catchy tunes for the kids to sing along with. Was a nice break from the heat.

Our final FP+ was up next, access to the Disney Junior Show which we cut pretty tight thanks to Ariel. Kelly and the kids decided to head in and watched the show but I was off to ride Rockin' Roller Coaster instead.

Line was pretty healthy at this point but being a single rider, I took advantage of that option. Was essentially loaded into the pre-show room immediately and as that ended and we walked down towards the loading queue the single rider line was maybe about half capacity. Was hoping it would move quickly but these lines are always a crap shoot. Had the chance to speak with the family in front of me about the ride. It was their first time and wanted to know what I thought. They seemed pretty excited to ride. Couple of them were in the same limo and the third rode directly after they took off. I ended up being loaded up with another single rider about half down the limo. I totally forgot how fast you take off at the start. What a rush!

Timing turned out great as I finished just as Kelly and the kids were released from the stage show. I met up with them to find them singing songs they had just heard and ready to get pictures and autographs with some f the starts of the show. Lennon was too afraid to meet Jake for whatever reason so Ella went solo. Pluto was next, followed by Sofia the first. Each line wasn't crazy busy but with the heat the characters took frequent breaks so that kinda slowed things down a tad.

After we had met all the characters we made a decision to leave the park and walk down towards the Boardwalk to make it on time for our lunch reservation at Beaches and Cream. We thought about possibly taking the boat but it was cooling off a little thanks to some cloud cover and decided to hoof it knowing we'd likely need to make some room for dessert. We had a lot of fun at DHS, even for only seeing pretty much two sections of the park, but the day was really only just getting started.

The walk itself took only about 30 minutes and definitely added a good amount of steps to my fitbit. I love the Boardwalk area and want to make one of the resorts in and around here our next place to stay whenever we come back.

Look at those ominous clouds. Now all we had to do was find Beaches and Cream before it started pouring on us!

This is where we will have some definite different planning as DS is a huge Star Wars fan, as is DD, and plan on having a Star Wars day for his birthday.

But earlier in the week we will take in some of the other more princess like attractions at HS. We will also be taking the walk/boat ride from Epcot to HS as well. I was hoping for less than 30 minutes though. Well actually was hoping it would be less than 40.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Oh man, the music from Soarin' used to give me the chills. I hope the new version still does it for me! AHH sooo nervous! @Ciara I am skeptical as well!

I always felt the same way when riding the original. The music put it over the top. I didn't feel the same sorta chills that I would get from the original music but even so it was really well done. Still lots of familiar elements in the music just a little different.

Thank you. Have altered agenda and decided to visit Joy & Sadness and Baymax right after rope drop on our Epcot visit.

The line for Baymax moves pretty fast and was nowhere near as long as Joy and Sadness. He can't sign autographs so it cuts the visiting times down. The line for Joy and Sadness can definitely stretch out. Not a bad idea to hit it early and try to avoid some lines later on.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

The sky was about to open up so we were rushing around the Boardwalk trying to find Beaches and Cream. We've never been to either the Beach of Yacht Club so we weren't exactly sure where to go so we were pretty much just wandering around admiring how beautiful both resorts are. Kelly is convinced either one of these resorts will be where we stay next time. Just the scent in lobby was enough to make me wish we were staying there. Gorgeous resorts.

After wandering for a bit we asked a CM in the lobby where we needed to go and she pointed us in the right direction. When we did arrive I could see how we couldn’t find it in the first place, the restaurant is almost like a little hole in the wall! We arrived a little early so we had to wait for a few minutes. The girls took a look through the arcade next door to Beaches and Cream while I watched the rain pour down into one of the really nice pool areas throughout the resort grounds.

A few families were now waiting for their table and once we finally did get to our seat I could see why. Only 10 or so relatively modest tables throughout the joint so seating is definitely at a premium. Really cool vibe inside the restaurant though. We were very much looking forward to this meal.

Kelly and I both ordered the grilled cheese and tomato soup and the girls had a hot dog and fries. I ended up ordering a vanilla diet coke, delicious, and Kelly had lemonade or something of the like. Food came out relatively quickly and man was it good. I typically do not enjoy tomato soup but this was very tasty. It wasn’t hard to clear this plate at all.

I was tempted to order the kitchen sink for dessert but having seen both the giant and mini versions presented to different guests enjoying their food there was no way I had enough room for that. We did order a treat after the meal though and my hot fudge sundae definitely hit the spot. Kelly ordered the brownie and admittedly I ate most of that too. What can I say, that walk from DHS to the Boardwalk made me hungry!

By no means was this like a fancy meal or an overly exciting themed restaurant or something like that, this may have been my favourite stop on the trip. Really simple and really good.

Thankfully the rain had stopped by the time we were finished so we figured we might as well walk through Epcot to catch the monorail back to the Poly. The walk through turned into a couple of quick stops to visit some characters along the way and take a few photos in the park before heading home.

Alice in Wonderland is Ella’s all-time favourite character so as we walked through the England pavilion we hoped to find her in the courtyard but instead Mary Poppins was out greeting guests so we made sure to say hello.

From there we made our way back to Baymax since we didn’t have time to meet him before our dinner at Le Cellier the night before. Long line for Joy and Sadness but more than manageable for Baymax. After maybe 10 minutes we had the chance to finally get an idea of what that suit felt like, which was super soft and squishy. Lennon was a little nervous for whatever reason but settled down after she felt that he was pretty soft. Ella loved him.

Since we missed out on Nemo before the park closed the night before we figured it would be a good time to appease Lenny and head over to our clam-mobile. Even for mid-afternoon the line was a walk on, which is not surprising. Didn’t take long for us to explore the big blue world though the ride did end up stopping for about 5 minutes and we were stuck in the final scene where all the characters are singing the big blue world song. Needless to say I had that burned in the brain for a few hours afterward.

By this time it was about 330 and the kids, Lennon especially, were getting pretty ornery and it was evident we could use a little break from being outside. We made our way towards park exit and Kelly decided to push our luck with one last photo with a PhotoPass photog just before leaving. Lennon’s mood was not lost on this photog and we had a great laugh when we got back to the hotel and saw the pictures posted on the MDE app…

Thankfully the mood didn’t last long and the girls were happy to be back at the hotel and into the AC. I took a quick solo trip to the hot tub to soak my legs while the kids played with their princess toys we brought along with us. This view from the hot tub just can't be beat if you ask me...

No park plans for the rest of the evening but we were definitely looking forward to seeing how different Disney Springs is compared to the old Downtown Disney.

 

[Ciara]

Oh my goodness, THIS photo! Its just adorable Lennon is too cute!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Oh my goodness, THIS photo! Its just adorable Lennon is too cute!

Why thank you! We are very fortunate to have two adorable little girls. Along with their mother they make me look far better than I am. I'm a lucky man.

 

[MinnieM123]

Still enjoying your TR and your great pictures. I really liked the photo of the two girls with Mary Poppins -- that was so sweet.

 

[StephK]

Great report so far! I love the poly and really hope I have a chance to stay there some day! That hot tub view looks amazing!!
My boyfriend and I got so lost while looking for beaches and cream on our last trip, we walked all over even ending up outside at the bus stop before finally asking for help lol

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Still enjoying your TR and your great pictures. I really liked the photo of the two girls with Mary Poppins -- that was so sweet.

Thanks for continuing to read along! The character photos are likely our best memories of the trip. Both girls, for the most part anyway, just seemed so happy and excited to meet everyone.

Great report so far! I love the poly and really hope I have a chance to stay there some day! That hot tub view looks amazing!!
My boyfriend and I got so lost while looking for beaches and cream on our last trip, we walked all over even ending up outside at the bus stop before finally asking for help lol

Thanks for reading along! That view was really tough to beat. Poly was really fantastic and we were very happy to have had the chance to stay there.

Glad we aren't the only ones who got lost looking for Beaches and Cream! Worth getting lost for ,though!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

So after a little break from the humidity and a nice soak in the hot tub, we decided to take our time getting ready to head to Disney Springs. We were both pretty excited to go and check out the new changes as everything looks so different and very well done, at least from what we’ve seen in other reports on here and the DS website. I was most excited to get there for two stores really, the new Uniqlo store and always a favourite of mine, the Days of Christmas store.

Since we weren’t really in much of a rush the girls ended up eating dinner in the room. Nothing too exciting for them, Smuckers Uncrustables PB & J, some fruit and gold fish crackers. A meal right up their alley!

Leading into the trip, Kelly and I did have reservations planned for the Boathouse but we decided to cancel them a few days before we left just to make sure we didn’t have to rush around too much to try and get there. We figured there would be enough options to grab something to eat when we arrived so dropping the reservation made sense. After walking past the Boathouse I did have a little regret about cancelling but no big deal. Always next time.

After a short wait at the bus stop we arrived at the new Disney Springs right somewhere after 6. First impression was pretty amazing. We couldn’t believe how different everything looks compared to the old Downtown Disney. I didn’t mind DTD but it was never really a must do destination. This, at least to me, feels like you almost have to go there during a WDW trip (time permitting of course). Terrific selection of shops, eateries, entertainment and Disney. Really, really impressed with how they transformed this area.

Uniqlo was the first stop we made and while I was heading there to check out the Adam Scott golf wear collection, the selection of unique Disney themed apparel was really cool and the pricing was tough to top. Huge store with a ton of stuff and I left with a killer pair of golf pants and a new golf shirt. As I was heading to pay I noticed a great Mickey shirt that I couldn’t pass up, not for $14 bucks. Pretty successful trip for me.

Kelly and the kids ended up at the World of Disney store while I wandered around the Uniqlo sotre so I walked over to meet them once I was done. I always forget just how big that store is. I spent a good 10 minutes ripping around trying to spot them but gave up after it became like finding a needle in a haystack. After a couple texts I found them in an area near the kids’ costumes.

We ended up picking up a bunch of our souvenirs and things to take back home while we were browsing the store. Typically we leave this stuff to the last minute before we are wrapping up a trip so it was nice to grab stuff and still have a ton more time to pick things up throughout the rest of the trip. My big take home for the night was the sampler pack of Mickey’s Really Swell Coffee which I have become addicted to. So much so that whenever I find out friends or family are heading to Disney I always ask that they bring me back a pack. I love it.

After spending a bunch at the World of Disney both Kelly and I were feeling pretty hungry. We made our way down toward the Days of Christmas store and I suggested Earl of Sandwich but Kelly wanted to stop at Wolfgang Puck’s so I relented and that’s where we ended up. Inside was packed so we settled at a table just outside which was fine by me as it was a gorgeous night. Nothing too exciting for either of us but dang it was tasty. I had a four cheese pizza and Kelly enjoyed a chicken Caesar salad. Both meals were delicious, quick and relatively cheap, at least compared to what our Boathouse meal would have ended up costing.

After our quick dinner it was into the Days of Christmas store to see what cool new ornaments we could find to bring home. Usually every Disney trip we make it a point to pick up at least one new ornament for our big Disney tree that we display in our main living room during the holidays. Sadly though we were not overly impressed with the selection as we already had many of them ornaments and Kelly is not a big fan of the Mickey ear or Princess shoe collection. I did like the new garbage can decorations but Kelly wasn’t feeling it so we left empty handed. Too bad but I guess we will have to see what kind of options the Disney Store rolls out with soon.

From there we just decided to wander around and check out the new Disney Springs. It was a beautiful evening and it was jammed packed which made maneuvering through the crowds a little more difficult with the big stroller. The new layout is terrific. Lots of great stores, restaurants, places to enjoy live music, all sorts of fun stuff. It would have been fun for us to have gotten there a little earlier to enjoy more of the atmosphere than we got to but I think we both came away very impressed and looking forward to visiting again on any future trips.

Made a few more stops along our walk through Disney Springs and picked up a few more things here and there. By the time we were ready to head back we had pretty much walked through the entire area just to get a feel for everything around and take in some of the sights and sounds. We made our way back to the bus stop area to hitch a ride back to the Poly to turn in for the evening. We had reservations at Cinderella’s Royal Table first thing in the morning and we didn’t want the girls to be in too much of a bearish mood for the Princesses by staying out too late.

We walked back into our room by around 10 and it didn’t take long for us to get to bed and pass out after another long day!

 

[Zipadeelady]

You really made DS sound great. I'm starting to regret not going during our July trip. I'll have to make sure and go on our next trip! Hopefully next year.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

You really made DS sound great. I'm starting to regret not going during our July trip. I'll have to make sure and go on our next trip! Hopefully next year.

I was very much impressed with the new look and the multitude of options it now presents you with. Higher quality shopping without having to hit up a mall or outlet, great food choices and still some really cool Disney elements. After we returned from our trip both Kelly and I both wished we had time to visit again.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

It’s been fairly busy both at work and at home but I have found a little time to continue detailing our trip. Let’s dive in…

AUGUST 8 – Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios

We had to get up fairly early this morning as we had reservations at Cinderella’s Royal Table shortly after park opening at 9 am. It was also EMH that morning so we figured we would arrive a little bit early to take a few PhotoPass pictures before checking in for our reservation. After my morning coffee run we made our way down the TTC to jump on the ferry boat and head over to MK.

Relatively smooth lines even for midway through the EMH which lead to us getting in the park very quickly upon arrival. Main Street was busy but not overly packed so it was easy for us to work our way down towards the castle and stop at a few different PhotoPass photogs to get some different pics.

First a family photo…

Then the girls…

And finally Kelly and I before finally making our way into the castle to check in for breakfast.

We checked in for our reservation and were whisked right into the line up to meet Cinderella before heading upstairs to enjoy our meal and meet a number of other princesses.

We weren’t quite in the first wave of breakfast guests so there were already Princesses making their way around the room which had both Ella and Lennon extremely excited. I always enjoy this character meal simply for the setting. Our table didn’t quite compare to the year that Kelly and I were seated by the window overlooking Fantasyland but we were seated very close to where the Princesses appeared after they were announced so Ella and Lenny had a great view to wave hello to them first.

The kids didn’t seem to interested in eating but since I guess that was part of the deal we ordered them the Royal Children’s breakfast. I had the stuffed French toast and Kelly had the traditional breakfast. As was the theme for the trip to this point, the food was darn tasty. Love that French toast but admittedly I couldn’t finish it all. Must have filled up on too many pastries beforehand.

As we ate we were greeted by the Princesses. They all loved that the girls were dressed up in their costumes for the meal and made sure to talk to them about it. Ella was most excited to show off her Ariel costume to the little mermaid herself!

Yet again, another great opportunity for character interaction and a very unique setting to boot. We tend to make this meal a must do on every trip but I think we will end up moving over to Epcot next time to try out Akershus for the first time.

After breakfast the kids didn’t get their fill of Princess interaction so we made a quick trip to the Fairytale Hall to meet Tiana and Rapunzel before getting on a few rides.

After finally getting our fair share of Princess time, we made our way to the Mine Train to kick-off our first ride of the day. Doesn’t matter how many times we ride, the girls faces kill me every time I see the photos!

After the Mine Train I took the girls on the carousel while Kelly took a couple pics and went to check something out. Surprisingly we only ended up riding the horses twice all trip. I thought we’d do it at least twice a day but I guess the girls are getting too big for this ride and are looking for more thrills!

Our next FP+ was for enchanted tales with Belle. This was a new experience for us, something we’d never done before and we didn’t really know what to expect. Hanging out in Maurice’s cottage before taking in the show was kinda cool though.

We made our way into the staging area for the show and it ended up that Ella volunteered to play a role in the story which was a surprise to both of us! She tends to be super shy around strangers so seeing her step up and want to do this without any encouragement was very cool to see. She ended up playing the role of the wardrobe and while she had a very limited role, she stood up there and did a great job…even in the company of Belle!

It was a pretty cool show and the girls definitely enjoyed it, especially getting the chance to spend a few minutes with Belle afterwards.

After Belle we decided to do Small World before heading out of Fantasyland for a bit. This was my first ride on Small World, of which I don’t find to be as good as the Disneyland version, but I did think it was really cool that they can capture who is riding in the boats via the MagicBand and display your names as you near the exit. Pretty cool touch…somewhat creepy but cool nonetheless!

We decided to make our way out of Fantasyland for a little bit and cruise over to the Tomorrowland Speedway to do something a little different. I ended up with Lennon, Kelly with Ella. Just as we were loaded into the car is started to rain pretty hard. We got soaked for the majority of the ride which made Lennon not so happy as we made our way around the track but I thought it was pretty fun! Seemed like it was just awful timing for us as it cleared up, or at least stopped, as soon as we finished the ride and made our way back loading area. We were wet…but we had fun!

It kept drizzling as we made our way over to Space Mountain. We had changed our final FP+ that was supposed to be for Splash to Space instead. Plan was for Kelly and I to ride separately as Ella didn’t want to try it and Len is still too short! I rode first and Kelly took the kids on Buzz. They squeezed in together and battled Zurg while I hurled through space.

We met up and exchanged but Kelly didn’t seem too keen on capturing her picture on the ride for whatever reason.

It was nearing 1 pm at this point so we decided to make our way back home for a rest before having to head back to DHS for dinner at 50’s. Lenny was definitely in need of a nap and Kelly wanted to relax so she took her back to the room for some quiet time.

Ella and I packed up our swim suits and decided to head to Cap’n Cooks for a lunch date before hitting the pool. Figured that was a good way to allow Lennon to get some peace while she slept and keep Ella occupied doing something fun. Really, all I wanted was another excuse to eat the pulled pork nachos, which I did for the second time but still not the last time!

It’s always fun getting a chance to hang out with just Ella, especially in WDW! Was the perfect way to wrap up our busy, character filled morning!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

After Ella and I enjoyed our lunch together and hung around the pool for a while, we made our way back to the room when Kelly told us Lennon was up from her quick nap so that we could great ready to head over to Hollywood Studios for the evening. We had dinner reservations at 50’s Prime Time Café that we were all looking forward to. Much like our breakfast at Cindy’s house earlier in the day, 50’s has always been on our ressie list for each WDW trip we’ve made in the past several years. Just something about that place that we really enjoy.

After getting back to the room, freshening up and loading up the stroller for the evening, we made our way to the bus stop and hopped aboard to take the trip to DHS. The girls were definitely used to the transportation system at this point. They seemed to enjoy the combination of bus, boat and monorail rides. I much preferred the boat or the monorail simply for the fact I didn’t have to fold up the stroller. Those bus rides proved to be a pretty decent workout.

When we arrived at DHS Kelly wanted to make sure we were getting our money’s worth with the Memory Maker so we once again made time to stop at a PhotoPass photog to snap a couple quick shots. The kids weren’t in the picture taking mood so it was just us for this one.

We slowly made our way down towards the theatre and decided to enjoy the Frozen sing-along. I made my way over to Toy Story to grab a return time with Ella’s pass to enable us to ride before our reservations and then met back up with Kelly and the kids for the show.

I gotta admit, the show was a blast! I can easily recite every song from that movie already but even so, the entertainment value of the entire show was pretty great. The two historians were hilarious and definitely added something for the adults in the room. Terrific chemistry on stage, which I suppose you would expect doing shows over and over again but the energy level made for a really fun set.

Comedic relief aside, the kids were up dancing and singing throughout and were totally caught up in the snow fall towards the end. As an Edmontonian the fake snow made me think that we get back home we aren’t overly too far away from seeing the real stuff. Thankfully we aren’t quite there yet even with things cooling off pretty good of late.

We left the show still singing the Frozen tunes as we made our way over to Toy Story for a pin on what was likely our most frequented ride throughout the trip. This time Kelly wanted to combine all three of their scores to see if they could overtake me as champ. I was up for the challenge but sitting with Ella I knew I wasn’t going to have the same free-for-all as I would with Lennon. Ella did pretty good again and even Lennon contributed more than usual which sadly lead to a combined score that topped mine by just over 3,000 points. At least I still crushed Kelly on a head-to-head basis.

After Toy Story we wanted to swing back to meet Olaf before heading over to the Muppet show for a FP+ time we added just before dinner. The line ended up being far longer than we might have thought it was going to be so we had to skip out on meeting everyone’s favourite snowman and opt to head over to the Muppets instead. It’s crazy how much of the park is blocked off with construction but it’s pretty clear the addition of both Star Wars Land and the expansion of Toy Story Land is desperately needed to make DHS somewhat desirable again. We weaved through the maze to get to Muppet Vision and found our seats just before the show was about to begin. The show is out of date but still good for a few laughs.

It was time for us to head over to 50’s to check in for our dinner. I was very much looking forward to a tasty plate of fried chicken. We arrived to a packed restaurant and an extremely tight waiting lounge along with a number of other diners waiting to get called in. We must have waited around for about 10 minutes before we were called and escorted to our table.

I love this place and would eat here every time we come to WDW if it were solely up to me. In the past we’ve had our uncle Tim serving us on multiple occasions but not knowing if he’s still working there, and we didn’t see him around the restaurant, we had a new server, our cousin Anthony! He was really good and really needled the girls which was funny but thankfully he wasn’t too strict cause I had my elbows on the table pretty much all night and didn’t get in trouble. Maybe he let me slide because I finished all my vegetables!

Kelly and I started with the onion rings which were brilliant!

I ordered the fried chicken as I do every time and Kelly had the pot roast. The kids shared the chicken fingers kid meal and a PB and J milkshake which was a big hit.

My meal was excellent as it always is but Kelly said hers was a little subpar. She said it was fine but not as good as the last time. We were due for a bit of a downer at some point and I suppose this was it.

Still we had a great time and a lot of fun at one of our favourite stops.

After dinner we grabbed one more quick PhotoPass picture before leaving the park and deciding to head back to spend the rest of our night back at MK.

We hopped back to MK and made our way over to Adventureland. From there we parked the stroller and hit up a bunch of the attractions in that area. We started at the Jungle Cruise which I love at night. Couldn’t really get any good pictures while on board but that’s ok. Our skipper was good but she was almost too quiet on the mic at times so many of her zingers went unheard by the rest of the boat.

At this point the kids were clamoring for some water so we ended up grabbing a bottle at the stand where they sell Dole Whips. Even if I was still full from dinner I wasn’t passing up a Dole Whip dessert. Unreal as always!

I wolfed that down in record time just was we walked over to Pirates for another ride. Ella continued to be obsessed with this ride so we set sail once again.

After Pirates we made our last ride of the night Aladdin’s Magic Carpets.

It was nearing time for the MSELP and the Fireworks so I thought we would be smart and take the train back to Main Street instead of trying to wheel through the heavy crowds but found that the train was closed for the fireworks when we arrived at the station near Splash. My bad…I should have known. I contemplated riding Splash before we made our way home but nobody else wanted to get wet with me so I decided to pass. Little did I know I would come to regret not taking the ride but at the time I figured I’d be back on it at least once more before we wrapped up our trip.

While it took some skill to move throughout the crowd and not run anyone over with our stroller, we made it through Main Street and found ourselves back on the boat heading home for the evening just as the fireworks were exploding. Made for another cool trip across Seven Seas and a nice way to cap the evening.

We got back to the room and the kids played with their toys for a little as we prepped for the next day. The morning called for breakfast at Chef Mickey’s and a visit to Blizzard Beach. Once we had everything packed up and ready for the morning we shut the lights to recharge from yet another busy day.

 

[littleroo]

Love the girls with the princesses. Adorable!!

 

[Scoppin]

It’s been fairly busy both at work and at home but I have found a little time to continue detailing our trip. Let’s dive in…

AUGUST 8 – Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios

We had to get up fairly early this morning as we had reservations at Cinderella’s Royal Table shortly after park opening at 9 am. It was also EMH that morning so we figured we would arrive a little bit early to take a few PhotoPass pictures before checking in for our reservation. After my morning coffee run we made our way down the TTC to jump on the ferry boat and head over to MK.

Relatively smooth lines even for midway through the EMH which lead to us getting in the park very quickly upon arrival. Main Street was busy but not overly packed so it was easy for us to work our way down towards the castle and stop at a few different PhotoPass photogs to get some different pics.

First a family photo…

Then the girls…

And finally Kelly and I before finally making our way into the castle to check in for breakfast.

We checked in for our reservation and were whisked right into the line up to meet Cinderella before heading upstairs to enjoy our meal and meet a number of other princesses.

We weren’t quite in the first wave of breakfast guests so there were already Princesses making their way around the room which had both Ella and Lennon extremely excited. I always enjoy this character meal simply for the setting. Our table didn’t quite compare to the year that Kelly and I were seated by the window overlooking Fantasyland but we were seated very close to where the Princesses appeared after they were announced so Ella and Lenny had a great view to wave hello to them first.

The kids didn’t seem to interested in eating but since I guess that was part of the deal we ordered them the Royal Children’s breakfast. I had the stuffed French toast and Kelly had the traditional breakfast. As was the theme for the trip to this point, the food was darn tasty. Love that French toast but admittedly I couldn’t finish it all. Must have filled up on too many pastries beforehand.

As we ate we were greeted by the Princesses. They all loved that the girls were dressed up in their costumes for the meal and made sure to talk to them about it. Ella was most excited to show off her Ariel costume to the little mermaid herself!

Yet again, another great opportunity for character interaction and a very unique setting to boot. We tend to make this meal a must do on every trip but I think we will end up moving over to Epcot next time to try out Akershus for the first time.

After breakfast the kids didn’t get their fill of Princess interaction so we made a quick trip to the Fairytale Hall to meet Tiana and Rapunzel before getting on a few rides.

After finally getting our fair share of Princess time, we made our way to the Mine Train to kick-off our first ride of the day. Doesn’t matter how many times we ride, the girls faces kill me every time I see the photos!

After the Mine Train I took the girls on the carousel while Kelly took a couple pics and went to check something out. Surprisingly we only ended up riding the horses twice all trip. I thought we’d do it at least twice a day but I guess the girls are getting too big for this ride and are looking for more thrills!

Our next FP+ was for enchanted tales with Belle. This was a new experience for us, something we’d never done before and we didn’t really know what to expect. Hanging out in Maurice’s cottage before taking in the show was kinda cool though.

We made our way into the staging area for the show and it ended up that Ella volunteered to play a role in the story which was a surprise to both of us! She tends to be super shy around strangers so seeing her step up and want to do this without any encouragement was very cool to see. She ended up playing the role of the wardrobe and while she had a very limited role, she stood up there and did a great job…even in the company of Belle!

It was a pretty cool show and the girls definitely enjoyed it, especially getting the chance to spend a few minutes with Belle afterwards.

After Belle we decided to do Small World before heading out of Fantasyland for a bit. This was my first ride on Small World, of which I don’t find to be as good as the Disneyland version, but I did think it was really cool that they can capture who is riding in the boats via the MagicBand and display your names as you near the exit. Pretty cool touch…somewhat creepy but cool nonetheless!

We decided to make our way out of Fantasyland for a little bit and cruise over to the Tomorrowland Speedway to do something a little different. I ended up with Lennon, Kelly with Ella. Just as we were loaded into the car is started to rain pretty hard. We got soaked for the majority of the ride which made Lennon not so happy as we made our way around the track but I thought it was pretty fun! Seemed like it was just awful timing for us as it cleared up, or at least stopped, as soon as we finished the ride and made our way back loading area. We were wet…but we had fun!

It kept drizzling as we made our way over to Space Mountain. We had changed our final FP+ that was supposed to be for Splash to Space instead. Plan was for Kelly and I to ride separately as Ella didn’t want to try it and Len is still too short! I rode first and Kelly took the kids on Buzz. They squeezed in together and battled Zurg while I hurled through space.

We met up and exchanged but Kelly didn’t seem too keen on capturing her picture on the ride for whatever reason.

It was nearing 1 pm at this point so we decided to make our way back home for a rest before having to head back to DHS for dinner at 50’s. Lenny was definitely in need of a nap and Kelly wanted to relax so she took her back to the room for some quiet time.

Ella and I packed up our swim suits and decided to head to Cap’n Cooks for a lunch date before hitting the pool. Figured that was a good way to allow Lennon to get some peace while she slept and keep Ella occupied doing something fun. Really, all I wanted was another excuse to eat the pulled pork nachos, which I did for the second time but still not the last time!

It’s always fun getting a chance to hang out with just Ella, especially in WDW! Was the perfect way to wrap up our busy, character filled morning!

[/QUOTE

I was totally impressed with Akershus.
There were several Princesses there but they seemed to be in a rush when they were in at our table. I would have liked to have seen more interaction.

I wasn"t totally impressed with Akershus. It appeared the Princesses were in a rush while at our table.

 

[DimpledDevil18]

Your girls look adorable in their princess dresses! You guys look like you got a lot done on this day! Your daughters are troopers, huh?

 

[Scoppin]

August 6 - Animal Kingdom and EPCOT

After a great first day at MK we had plans to hit up Animal Kingdom in the morning and spend the late-afternoon/evening at EPCOT for day two of our WDW park adventure.

It was early EMH at AK but we didn't really feel like getting up as early as we did to hit up MK the morning before so we slept in an extra hour or so before getting up and getting ready to catch the AK bus. As became my morning ritual, I showered and got dressed before heading down to Capt'n Cooks for my morning coffee. I returned to see find the girls pretty much ready to go and eating breakfast before we made our way to the bus stop which was relatively close to our longhouse.

Again, a very sticky morning and I was already getting a good sweat on. UGH! One of the crazy things that happened pretty much all trip was arriving at the bus stop just as the bus we needed to catch was rolling in. We seemed to have very good luck with that though it did make for a mad scramble to remove one of the stroller chairs and fold it up to get on the bus. I was definitely an expert at doing so and didn't mind the slight upper body workout carrying that thing around the buses provided. Lord knows I could use any work I can get on these pipe-cleaner arms of mine.

Relatively empty bus, even after stopping at the Grand, heading to AK. I got lost in thought as we drove by the golf courses that didn't appear to be overly busy either. Really wanted go and play but decided to pass up on scheduling a tee time on this trip. Next time for sure as I really enjoy playing a Disney course when in WDW.

Alas, my visions of birdie putts were replaced by the cranes and new buildings for Avatar land that were evident from our last trip. Looks like they are making really good progress on that area and I am very much looking forward to checking out the new attractions whenever we decide to return next. We arrived and easily made our way through the security line and entrance just after the regular park opening at 9 am. We didn't have any FP+ booked as we saved them for EPCOT later that evening. We did still have those additional FP's that we could utilize if we needed to. First stop was to head towards the Safari...one of my favourite attractions in all of WDW.

Virtually no wait, other than the queue itself, to get on the safari and we were loaded front row onto a waiting vehicle. Guess they didn't want just us to be touring the preserve so we waited around for several minutes to fill the rest of the vehicle with guests who would trickle in. After about 5 minutes we were ready to head out and thankfully the animals were up and at 'em nice and early.

Some really great opportunities to see some amazing animals super close up at times. Even the kids were pretty fired up to see the different animals which was a little different than last trip as I recall Lennon pretty much laying down on my lap and sleeping through the ride.

When we unloaded we came across a gift kiosk selling baby stuffed animals wrapped in a blanket which we couldn't pass without dropping a couple bucks for the girls to get a baby giraffe and a baby zebra. Didn't seem to phase them that we were in Disney and could pretty much get any Disney-themed toy as opposed to something we could easy get at any toy store at home. Apparently they NEEDED these guys for whatever reason. Ok...fine.

We made our way towards Asia after picking up these animals with the intention of riding Kali River to cool off. Another big ride and with a very good chance of us getting soaked and even that didn't scare the kids enough not to at least try it out. Sadly no pictures as we locked up our camera and our phones before jumping on the ride but safe to say we all got wet and, unfortunately for me, I got soaked! Both girls thought that was pretty funny but I wasn't laughing. Good thing it was gorgeous. I dried pretty quickly. It was snack time so we took a quick break from walking to the next stop to enjoy an ice cream bar before heading down towards Everest to try and convince Ella to ride that next.

Before making the trek to the forbidden mountain we ended up stopping by to meet Minnie and Mickey as there was pretty much no line and we wanted to get out of the sun for a few minutes. After a short wait in the queue we were in front of the boss and his best girl. They seemed very impressed with the new stuffies the girls just had to show off!

It was nice to get out of the heat for a bit before continuing on. Back towards Everest we went. I tried to stop and grab a beer on the way over but was rejected as I didn't have proper ID. They wouldn't accept my Canadian drivers license and I didn't have my passport, or a picture of it. While it was nice to look young enough to be ID'd, I was bummed I didn't get my beer. Woulda been so good in the heat! Bah, curse these boyish good looks! Bet if Norma didn't cut out all the grey hair the day before I wouldn't have had an issue.

I thought we had a good shot of getting Ella to ride but when we walked up she bailed pretty quickly. Lennon is still not tall enough for this one so I think that helped make Ella's mind up not to ride. I think maybe the idea of the yeti may have been the last straw but she claims she didn't want to go backwards. Oh well! I knew she would bail on something at some point so I can't really blame her. She's been pretty adventurous to this point. Kelly and I decided not to ride as singles and wait until we came back to AK the next time.

We made our way towards Dinoland after deciding not to wait for the Nemo show. Kelly really wanted to watch but the kids wanted more rides. Only ended up riding the Triceratops Spin before leaving to take in the Tough to be a Bug show. Sucked that Dinosaur was closed while we were there. I quite like that ride, as do Kelly and Ella and I'm sure Lennon would have enjoyed it too but alas, one for next time.

As we walked towards the Tree of Life we noticed that Pocahontas was greeting folks so of course we had to stop for a visit.

Likely the best interaction we'd had to this point. She was great with the girls and took time, not only with them, to really talk to people and have fun with everyone she met. After a shy start at MK, Ella was starting to warm up to the character much like her sister already had. Made for some comical conversations throughout the trip.

Tough to be a bug was the next stop. Busy waiting area with people looking for a reprieve from the heat. Pretty much the entire theatre was filled by the time everyone funneled in and sat down. Lennon is petrified of bugs and we could tell she was definitely a little unsre of what to expect.

They ended up loving the show and I had a huge laugh at how high they both jumped when being stung by the bees and having the beetles walk through the theatre. Plus they both kept reaching out to try and touch the 3D effects during the show. Lennon especially couldn't figure out how something could be so close yet she couldn't quite grab it.

At this point we decided we should probably head back to the hotel for some pool time before visiting EPCOT later in the afternoon. Both Kelly and I were hungry so we picked up a couple of Mickey pretzels and found a quite spot to sit and snack. Not only was I enjoying my pretzel but Kelly had no issue with ordering a beer without being ID'd so I was very happy to savour a safari amber ale along with my food. So good!

Ella showing off her camera skills again...

When we were finished with our "lunch" it was time to find the exit and jump on the bus back to the Poly. Even with the bus sitting at the stop Kelly had to get one last picture as we left the park. Ella the showoff blending in to the surroundings!

We rushed to the bus, hoped on and made our way back to the resort. Again not many folks joining us but as we pulled up to the Poly the mother in the family sitting next to us said "Hey! I know you guys...you're on that blog, right?"

Turns out we had just crossed paths with @JustKeepSwimming and her family! They informed us they had read our pre-trip report and would be keeping an eye out for our trip report when we had the chance to post. Pretty cool running into other members of the forum, even if very unexpectedly. Hope you guys ended up having a great trip!

Now it was time to hit the pool and take it easy for a bit before our EPCOT and dinner at Le Cellier. How cliche for a bunch of Canadians to eat in the Canadian restaurant with so many other options available!

I think that lion doesn't move. He was in that exact spot when we went on our safari.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I wasn"t totally impressed with Akershus. It appeared the Princesses were in a rush while at our table.

Good to know. Thanks for the feedback, we will definitely keep that in mind whenever we end up planning to come back. I think we may end up trying it out just for a new experience but I do like to hear what other people have to say.

Your girls look adorable in their princess dresses! You guys look like you got a lot done on this day! Your daughters are troopers, huh?

I couldn't believe how much they wanted to do in a day without ever asking to stop. Kelly and I loved that we got to spend way more time in the parks and out of the hotel room compared to previous trips. Already looking forward to the next trip to see how much more we can squeeze in.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

August 9 – Blizzard Beach and the Boardwalk

It’s been darn busy lately and I hate that I am not able to post updates as quickly as I’d like but what can you do I guess? It’s Ella’s 6th Birthday today, Lennon turns 4 on Saturday, so we had a big party yesterday that took up a bunch of time to put together. At any rate, I’m back on track with another report from the next day of our trip.

It was yet again another somewhat early morning as we had reservations for Chef Mickey’s before heading over to enjoy the water at Blizzard Beach. Even though we were heading out for breakfast I made my usual coffee run to fill my resort mug before we made our way over to the monorail to jet over to the Contemporary. I probably didn’t need the coffee run this morning but it was almost impossible to not want to do it as that walk around the beach seeing the sun shining down on the lagoon with the castle and Space Mountain in the horizon was too good to pass up.

The girls were pretty excited to get going for a number of reasons. They were looking forward to breakfast but more so really pumped up for the waterpark. It was one of Ella’s favourite stops during our last visit a few years back and now that Lennon was bigger and could do a little more than she could the previous trip I think Ella was excited to show her around.

We packed up and made our way to the Monorail stop to head over to the Contemporary for breakfast. As we sped by MK we slowed down enough to see the steam train ready to pull into the station for the big park opening show. It was kinda funny to see all the characters hanging out doing a whole lotta nothing before the show started. Wish I coulda caught a picture but that was something we didn’t expect to see at all.

Quick monorail ride ended as we jumped out at the Contemporary and made our way to check in at Chef Mickey’s. We waited in the lobby for about 15 minutes before our buzzer went off and we were whisked over to take our family photo before being seated for our meal.

We ended up getting seated near a window on the upper level overlooking the park which made for some really cool views. I wanted to take a pic but not being right up against the window I didn’t want to be rude and start snapping pics while another big group was enjoying their breakfast. Even without the pic, was a great way to kick start the day!

The characters weren’t in our area yet so we made our way to the buffet to grab brekkie. It’s quite a spread with a number of tasty looking selections but I have to admit my favourite part was the oatmeal. I ended up having two bowls of it but also made a couple trips to sample the other food as well. Fantastic chocolate chip pancakes too, by the way!

Just as we returned from our first trip through the buffet, Minnie Mouse was our first visitor. She got the party started and the rest of her friends swung by the table shortly after.

It was rather congested in our area but even with a couple big groups all the characters made more than enough time for everyone they visited with which I know the kids really appreciated. Plus it was pretty cool when they kinda took breaks to have a small dance party that our kids loved as well.

Not only did they make time for the kids but Donald even made a little time for a quick selfie. I think he was digging my shirt!

Goofy and Pluto rounded out the character visits so now that we were very well fed, the autograph books were stocked and we had taken a number of pictures, we made our way out of Chef Mickey’s and down to the Contemporary bus stop to make our way over to Blizzard Beach.

This was the most time consuming commute as there was no direct bus. Instead we had to travel to Animal Kingdom then catch the Blizzard Beach bus once we arrived at AK. Really not a huge deal but a little more time consuming and labour intensive with the multiple stroller fold ups to arrive at the waterpark.

Eventually we finally arrived at Blizzard Beach shortly after the park had opened at 10 to enjoy the warm sun and cool water. We stopped quickly at the change rooms to get into our swimsuits and found a few loungers near Tike’s Peak area where we set up shop for the day.

It didn’t take Ella long to fly up the slides and start having fun. Lennon was far more apprehensive and needed our help but before too long she was more than happy heading up and down the slides on her own. Seems like the excitement her sister had for the park wore off on her.

After a little while of enjoying the kids area, we decided to make the trek up to take a spin on Teamboat Springs. The walk was exhausting, especially having to carry Lennon most of the way as she was pretty scared of the slide and didn’t really want to go. After what seemed like an eternity we made our way in line but went absolutely nowhere. The ride broke down just as we arrived and after 5 minutes of waiting and hoping it would resume but to no avail. Kelly took the girls back down and jumped over into the line for the Summit Plummet. Figured I might as well, I was already there!

The view of WDW from the queue of Summit Plummet is unreal! You can see everything! Always amazed at just how big WDW looks from up there and how many trees are around the compound. Though looking at the backside of Everest is not the most attractive view.

It was finally my turn and I must admit my heart was racing a little. It’s super high up and comes straight down. It was the fastest, most intense couple seconds I experienced all trip! Such a rush! Cool that they had a PhotoPass photog snapping pics of each rider near the bottom of the slide. I apologize in advance for the horror story this picture displays! Actually I made sure to select the one that was least likely to scare everyone!

I met up with the family after my ride just as Ella was clamouring to go for a float down the Cross Country Creek so that’s what we did. We found a double tube, jumped in the water and slowly floated around the waterpark. Not sure what was so great about it but she loved it! It was a nice relaxing float which was cool but she made it sound like it was her favourite spot. As long as she had fun that’s all I cared about!

We went around about ¾ of the park before getting out and meeting up with Kelly and Lennon to once again try our luck on Teamboat. Thankfully this time it was working just fine and after a short wait in the queue we made our way into the family sized tube and down through the ride. As petrified as you’ve seen the girls look on some of the rides so far, it couldn’t compare to the looks they were giving all the way down! I laughed so hard!

After a quick lunch break it was back to Tike’s Peak for more slide action.

By the time we were finally ready to go I think we were all wiped out from all the water. It was about mid-afternoon now and with a longer bus ride ahead of us to get back to the Poly we decided to head home and take a break.

We had no plans, dinner or park, for the evening and the debate between mini-golfing and taking a bike ride around the Boardwalk was the topic of conversation for the ride back and the subsequent time spent back at the resort. Both options were winners to me but it proved to be a more difficult decision than we had anticipated!