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]

It was definitely cool. There wasn't a whole lot for us to do at AK with Dinosaur being down, which is a ride the kids would have went on, and the fact that Ella didn't want to go on Everest (Len is too small still) but the park at night was a neat twist. Hopefully with the nighttime sked and the addition of Avatar AK will get better and better.

Too bad you guys couldn't check it out at night but I'm sure you had a blast anyways!

We did and I am getting to that reveal in my post report.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

We did and I am getting to that reveal in my post report.

I'll make sure to read all about it!

 

[Scoppin]

I'll make sure to read all about it!

It's taking a while to get it on there. Have a lot of pictures to go with the report and only able to upload 10 at a time. Not to mention, work and life gets in the way.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

August 12 – Magic Kingdom (The Final Park Day)

It was our last park day on the trip before we flew back home to Edmonton the next day so we were up early to make sure we could get as much done as possible to wind things down. We saved a full day at Magic Kingdom for last which I was very much looking forward to. We took a ton of pictures on this day so the final park day report will likely be split up into about 3 separate posts…hope you don’t mind! At this point it’s been a while since we were actually there and it’s been fun for me to re-live the trip through the photos even if some of the smaller details have escaped me.

Both Kelly and I got up before the kids to start the process and as usual I made my morning coffee run for the final time on the trip. It was another gorgeous morning and I made sure to savour the walk knowing it would be the last time I’d be making it. When I returned to the room we had our Magical Express confirmation hanging on our door. The sure sign that the trip was almost over…so sad!

The girls wanted to get moving quickly and get the park so it was breakfast on the go for them as they chowed down on Pop Tarts as we made the walk over to the Ferryboat to sail over to MK. On a side note, it’s crazy how many carbs are in Pop Tarts! We count all of these to ensure Ella is getting enough insulin to cover what she is eating and one single Pop Tart is the equivalent of her usual breakfast of cereal, waffle/toast and milk. That said, it does make for a quick and easy way for her to get her fill of carbs and eat something fast.

When we arrived and MK and made our way into the park it was decided that we would head towards Fantasyland to hit up as much as we could there before things go too busy after the morning EMH. Along the way we ended up seeing Alice and the Mad Hatter in front of the teacups and of course Ella would not let the chance to meet Alice again slip by. Line was decently long but at least it was in the shade.

Ella asked the duo if they would ride the teacups with her after but they politely told her they need to stay and greet other guests. Alice made sure to give Ella a little gift to make up for it though, a pack of sugar that we do still have at home! Perfect gift for a diabetic (yes, I’m fully aware Alice would have no clue of that, just pointing out the irony!). Ella was thrilled though.

Teacups ended up being our first ride of the day. Kelly quickly ran over to the Mine Train to grab a return time with Ella’s pass and returned to join us on the ride. I rode with Len and Kelly with Ella. Ella loves to spin and Lennon doesn't, nor do I so it was the perfect pairing!

Once we got off the ride and it was a quick hop over to Winnie the Pooh to take a rip around the Hundred Acre Wood before making our way to the Storybook Circus.

After Pooh it was over to ride Dumbo, Goofy Rollercoaster and to meet the characters under the big top. Daisy was essentially the last main player we had yet to meet and the kids wanted to make sure they didn’t miss her this trip.

Thankfully there was no wait for any rides at this point so we did Dumbo and rode Goofy twice in a row before making the short stroll over to the big top to meet Minnie, Daisy, Donald and Goofy. Much like the rides, the wait for the characters was non-existent so the kids got to spend a little extra time with the four characters to ham it up and get autographs. Both Lennon and Ella were very pleased to finally meet Daisy!

As we exited the character area we walked around the gift shop looking for last minute souvenirs to potentially take home with us but instead settled for more sugary treats before we went back towards the Mine Train for our return time. Surprisingly the girls didn’t really ask for too many goodies throughout the trip but they were more than happy to have them when they did ask for them. Much like the floats from the night before, I think I ended up eating the remainder of both Ella and Lennon’s snack. Again, just fine by me!

By the time we walked over to the ride, the treats were done and we were ready to roll through the diamond mines once more! By now the park was fully open and crowds were picking up. The standby line was only a 30 minute wait and the FP line might have been 5 minutes. We were seated and ready for the ride in no time!

I still love the ride pics for some of the more thrilling rides just because of the faces the kids would make so I’ll be sure to post another one once I download all the Photopass pictures. I really need to get on that!

After the Mine Train we hit up Ariel one last time before heading over to stand in line to meet Merida. At this point we also had an FP+ for Space Mountain, which neither of the girls neither could nor wanted to go on, so Kelly and I took turns taking our ride.

I went first and Kelly after me. When it was her turn to ride I ended up waiting in the line with the girls for Merida. Timing was perfect for her to meet up with us just as we were next in line to meet the princess. Even better timing as the interaction with Merida was terrific. Lots of smiles and laughs form everyone as she really took the time to make all the guests feel comfortable even if it meant for a tad long wait for people wanting to meet her. Worth the wait!

By the time we had finished with Merida we had another FP+ for Peter Pan opening up so that was where we headed next. Still one of my favourite rides of all time and likely always will be! We actually watched Peter Pan last night for a family movie night and it made me want to go back and ride the ride again shortly!

After Pan Kelly took the girls on Small World again where she managed to get a picture of the cool name feature which we kinda missed a few days earlier. I honestly don’t remember what I ended up doing while they rode but it likely had something to do with food!

I met up with the gang and it was time for our final FP+ of the morning/early afternoon which was the Tinker Bell meet and greet. We decided it would be a good idea for us to make our way back to the Poly after the meet and greet to grab lunch, relax and start the process of packing up…sigh.

We made our way down Main Street back towards the entrance of the park and slipped in and out of the shops to pick up some of the things we wanted to take back home with us. As Kelly finished up at the Emporium I caught the last little bit of the Dapper Dan’s performance just outside which made me smile. I’m a big Dapper Dan fan and while I missed the majority of the show, catching some of it was a nice surprise and a good way to wrap up the morning.

From there it was in to meet Tink before heading back to the room to take it easy for a bit!

When we arrived back at the Poly we stopped at Capt’n Cooks to grab lunch to take back to the room. Girls had the kids hot dog meal, Kelly had the Thai Coconut Meatballs and I, of course, had the Pulled Pork Nachos! We walked back to the room to devour our food and start coming to grips with the fact we needed to start the packing process. The food was delicious by the way. My nachos were on point again and Kelly’s meatballs were unreal! So much so that she tried, failed but tried, to recreate them back at home shortly after we got home!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

So I’ve reached my picture limit on my previous post but now that I have uploaded all our PhotoPass pictures to photobucket I wanted to come back and add a few pictures to detail our fun from our last morning at MK.

I totally forgot that after our visits with Daisy, Minnie, Goofy and Donald in the big top, Chip and Dale were also out with not a soul around so I thought I might as well take advantage and get a picture with the fellas just to make sure they weren't too bored.

Seeing the kids’ faces on the ride pictures always makes me laugh. No matter how many times we went on a ride, especially the Mine Train, the combination of terror and joy never changed. I think the best part is how the grip the side of the car every time! Too good!

Not quite the same expressions on our faces during our solo ride of Space Mountain! Doesn’t mean we’re not having fun though…

And since I am adding these pics here I might as well add a few more that I took while we were slowly getting our things together during our short break from the park. I have a real problem with stealing the toiletries from the room any time we stay at a Disney hotel and this trip was no exception. Only bad part about staying in a DVC room is the housekeeping only happens once or twice during your trip depend on how long your stay is. Thankfully they came to clean up twice while we were there and since we had two bathrooms that definitely helped add to my stash. I had these babies stashed all over my luggage to make sure I could fit everything in my bag.

I have a full cabinet of Disney soaps, shampoos, conditioners and lotions just sitting there organized very neatly. I can’t quite bring myself to use them though Kelly is kinda forcing me to so I did dip into one bar of soap and a shampoo that I now take the gym with me. I’ll need to stock up again the next time we end up going!

Typically I’ll bring back a coffee mug from each Disney trip as well but on this trip I ended up bringing back four! I love the Starbuck “You are here” collection and there was no way I was going to pass up the chance to bring back a mug from all four parks. I’m sure the AK and DHS mugs may change a bit once all the additions are finished at which point I’ll gladly pick up the new versions as well.

My mug collection now included both DL parks and all four WDW parks. Always a nice reminder of the parks when I’m drinking my morning coffee in one of these mugs.

With all of the additional items we picked up throughout the trip thanks to Kelly’s Target trip, our visit to Disney Springs and the shopping done in the parks, our bags were getting very tight for space but for the most part we were able to get everything pretty much ready for the trek home the next day before we made our way back to MK to wrap up our magical trip.

 

[JustKeepSwimming]

Typically I’ll bring back a coffee mug from each Disney trip as well but on this trip I ended up bringing back four! I love the Starbuck “You are here” collection and there was no way I was going to pass up the chance to bring back a mug from all four parks.

I love to bring mugs home too! I ended up bringing three back from our trip this year.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I love to bring mugs home too! I ended up bringing three back from our trip this year.

It's my favourite keepsake to bring home. Cupboard is full of Disney themed mugs and the collection will definitely keep growing with future trips!

Which mugs did you bring back?

 

[Scoppin]

August 12 – Magic Kingdom (The Final Park Day)

It was our last park day on the trip before we flew back home to Edmonton the next day so we were up early to make sure we could get as much done as possible to wind things down. We saved a full day at Magic Kingdom for last which I was very much looking forward to. We took a ton of pictures on this day so the final park day report will likely be split up into about 3 separate posts…hope you don’t mind! At this point it’s been a while since we were actually there and it’s been fun for me to re-live the trip through the photos even if some of the smaller details have escaped me.

Both Kelly and I got up before the kids to start the process and as usual I made my morning coffee run for the final time on the trip. It was another gorgeous morning and I made sure to savour the walk knowing it would be the last time I’d be making it. When I returned to the room we had our Magical Express confirmation hanging on our door. The sure sign that the trip was almost over…so sad!

The girls wanted to get moving quickly and get the park so it was breakfast on the go for them as they chowed down on Pop Tarts as we made the walk over to the Ferryboat to sail over to MK. On a side note, it’s crazy how many carbs are in Pop Tarts! We count all of these to ensure Ella is getting enough insulin to cover what she is eating and one single Pop Tart is the equivalent of her usual breakfast of cereal, waffle/toast and milk. That said, it does make for a quick and easy way for her to get her fill of carbs and eat something fast.

When we arrived and MK and made our way into the park it was decided that we would head towards Fantasyland to hit up as much as we could there before things go too busy after the morning EMH. Along the way we ended up seeing Alice and the Mad Hatter in front of the teacups and of course Ella would not let the chance to meet Alice again slip by. Line was decently long but at least it was in the shade.

Ella asked the duo if they would ride the teacups with her after but they politely told her they need to stay and greet other guests. Alice made sure to give Ella a little gift to make up for it though, a pack of sugar that we do still have at home! Perfect gift for a diabetic (yes, I’m fully aware Alice would have no clue of that, just pointing out the irony!). Ella was thrilled though.

Teacups ended up being our first ride of the day. Kelly quickly ran over to the Mine Train to grab a return time with Ella’s pass and returned to join us on the ride. I rode with Len and Kelly with Ella. Ella loves to spin and Lennon doesn't, nor do I so it was the perfect pairing!

Once we got off the ride and it was a quick hop over to Winnie the Pooh to take a rip around the Hundred Acre Wood before making our way to the Storybook Circus.

After Pooh it was over to ride Dumbo, Goofy Rollercoaster and to meet the characters under the big top. Daisy was essentially the last main player we had yet to meet and the kids wanted to make sure they didn’t miss her this trip.

Thankfully there was no wait for any rides at this point so we did Dumbo and rode Goofy twice in a row before making the short stroll over to the big top to meet Minnie, Daisy, Donald and Goofy. Much like the rides, the wait for the characters was non-existent so the kids got to spend a little extra time with the four characters to ham it up and get autographs. Both Lennon and Ella were very pleased to finally meet Daisy!

As we exited the character area we walked around the gift shop looking for last minute souvenirs to potentially take home with us but instead settled for more sugary treats before we went back towards the Mine Train for our return time. Surprisingly the girls didn’t really ask for too many goodies throughout the trip but they were more than happy to have them when they did ask for them. Much like the floats from the night before, I think I ended up eating the remainder of both Ella and Lennon’s snack. Again, just fine by me!

By the time we walked over to the ride, the treats were done and we were ready to roll through the diamond mines once more! By now the park was fully open and crowds were picking up. The standby line was only a 30 minute wait and the FP line might have been 5 minutes. We were seated and ready for the ride in no time!

I still love the ride pics for some of the more thrilling rides just because of the faces the kids would make so I’ll be sure to post another one once I download all the Photopass pictures. I really need to get on that!

After the Mine Train we hit up Ariel one last time before heading over to stand in line to meet Merida. At this point we also had an FP+ for Space Mountain, which neither of the girls neither could nor wanted to go on, so Kelly and I took turns taking our ride.

I went first and Kelly after me. When it was her turn to ride I ended up waiting in the line with the girls for Merida. Timing was perfect for her to meet up with us just as we were next in line to meet the princess. Even better timing as the interaction with Merida was terrific. Lots of smiles and laughs form everyone as she really took the time to make all the guests feel comfortable even if it meant for a tad long wait for people wanting to meet her. Worth the wait!

By the time we had finished with Merida we had another FP+ for Peter Pan opening up so that was where we headed next. Still one of my favourite rides of all time and likely always will be! We actually watched Peter Pan last night for a family movie night and it made me want to go back and ride the ride again shortly!

After Pan Kelly took the girls on Small World again where she managed to get a picture of the cool name feature which we kinda missed a few days earlier. I honestly don’t remember what I ended up doing while they rode but it likely had something to do with food!

I met up with the gang and it was time for our final FP+ of the morning/early afternoon which was the Tinker Bell meet and greet. We decided it would be a good idea for us to make our way back to the Poly after the meet and greet to grab lunch, relax and start the process of packing up…sigh.

We made our way down Main Street back towards the entrance of the park and slipped in and out of the shops to pick up some of the things we wanted to take back home with us. As Kelly finished up at the Emporium I caught the last little bit of the Dapper Dan’s performance just outside which made me smile. I’m a big Dapper Dan fan and while I missed the majority of the show, catching some of it was a nice surprise and a good way to wrap up the morning.

From there it was in to meet Tink before heading back to the room to take it easy for a bit!

When we arrived back at the Poly we stopped at Capt’n Cooks to grab lunch to take back to the room. Girls had the kids hot dog meal, Kelly had the Thai Coconut Meatballs and I, of course, had the Pulled Pork Nachos! We walked back to the room to devour our food and start coming to grips with the fact we needed to start the packing process. The food was delicious by the way. My nachos were on point again and Kelly’s meatballs were unreal! So much so that she tried, failed but tried, to recreate them back at home shortly after we got home!

Sounds like you had a nice M&G with Alice and Mad Hatter. I have stated if you don't ask, you don't know. Good for her for asking them to join her on the ride. Too bad they didn't join but it would be difficult. But nice Alice had something to give her. We weren't able to have the same M&G, but we did make it up with all of the others.

Final day is not easy.

 

[Scoppin]

So I’ve reached my picture limit on my previous post but now that I have uploaded all our PhotoPass pictures to photobucket I wanted to come back and add a few pictures to detail our fun from our last morning at MK.

I totally forgot that after our visits with Daisy, Minnie, Goofy and Donald in the big top, Chip and Dale were also out with not a soul around so I thought I might as well take advantage and get a picture with the fellas just to make sure they weren't too bored.

Seeing the kids’ faces on the ride pictures always makes me laugh. No matter how many times we went on a ride, especially the Mine Train, the combination of terror and joy never changed. I think the best part is how the grip the side of the car every time! Too good!

Not quite the same expressions on our faces during our solo ride of Space Mountain! Doesn’t mean we’re not having fun though…

And since I am adding these pics here I might as well add a few more that I took while we were slowly getting our things together during our short break from the park. I have a real problem with stealing the toiletries from the room any time we stay at a Disney hotel and this trip was no exception. Only bad part about staying in a DVC room is the housekeeping only happens once or twice during your trip depend on how long your stay is. Thankfully they came to clean up twice while we were there and since we had two bathrooms that definitely helped add to my stash. I had these babies stashed all over my luggage to make sure I could fit everything in my bag.

I have a full cabinet of Disney soaps, shampoos, conditioners and lotions just sitting there organized very neatly. I can’t quite bring myself to use them though Kelly is kinda forcing me to so I did dip into one bar of soap and a shampoo that I now take the gym with me. I’ll need to stock up again the next time we end up going!

Typically I’ll bring back a coffee mug from each Disney trip as well but on this trip I ended up bringing back four! I love the Starbuck “You are here” collection and there was no way I was going to pass up the chance to bring back a mug from all four parks. I’m sure the AK and DHS mugs may change a bit once all the additions are finished at which point I’ll gladly pick up the new versions as well.

My mug collection now included both DL parks and all four WDW parks. Always a nice reminder of the parks when I’m drinking my morning coffee in one of these mugs.

With all of the additional items we picked up throughout the trip thanks to Kelly’s Target trip, our visit to Disney Springs and the shopping done in the parks, our bags were getting very tight for space but for the most part we were able to get everything pretty much ready for the trek home the next day before we made our way back to MK to wrap up our magical trip.

We had a similar experience with the M&G under the big top. And Chip and Dale were next door with barely anyone there to visit them.

I have a story regarding our Space Mountain experience but that will have to wait.

We brought home some toiletries but nothing like you have.

 

[JustKeepSwimming]

Which mugs did you bring back?

I brought back these ones:


They get a lot of use in my dorm room

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I brought back these ones:


They get a lot of use in my dorm room

Great haul! Really like the one on the right. Could imagine they are very well utilized in the dorm! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Yikes…massive delay in posting. So sorry. Especially since I am so near the end of the report, which is also almost as sad as the actual trip coming to a close. Alas I can finally finish up the final park day of our epic vacation.

Now that we had some time to pack up our stuff and get ready to head home the next day we decided to head back to the park as we had a reservation at the Crystal Palace to make it to and we wanted to make sure we could milk the most out of our final day.

We returned to the park after a quick Ferryboat ride back to MK and made our way to Tomorrowland. We hadn’t spent a ton of time there during the trip but we wanted to hit up a couple rides before our reservation came up. We had about 45 minutes to kill before checking in so we made our way to Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. One of the only attractions we had yet to enjoy all trip.

Not sure if everyone feels the same way about the Laugh Floor as I do but I quite enjoy it. I like how it’s pretty interactive and it’s always good for a laugh. Would I prefer something like the MI ride at DCA? Yeah, probably but this is a cool alternative and a unique change of pace.

We had a bit of a wait until the auditorium cleared to let our group in but we ended up with solid seats in the middle of the theatre. It was a pretty packed room and as I remembered from other trips, “that guy” seemed to get the biggest laughs and to his credit he really played along, not shying away from being cast as “that guy”. “Dancing guy” on the other hand was a total let down! Some funny lines and a couple really good laughs later and we were on our way back out.

We had made a FP+ for Buzz which was now open so we went over there one last time to ride before making our way to dinner. I don’t think we actually kept our photos from the ride as we had to rush out but needless to say we defeated Zurg and the world was saved, at least Lennon thought so. I still suck at this game and can never seem to score very high. I enjoy it but much prefer Toy Story Mania!

From here we said goodbye to Tomorrowland and made the walk over to the Crystal Palace to check in. Originally we did not have this meal on the agenda but Kelly was so happy with the character interactions during the meals that we made a last minute change to the Crystal Palace, letting go of our Liberty Tree Tavern meal.

The restaurant was packed! Even the check in line was massive so we had a pretty good wait ahead of us but eventually we checked in and killed a little more time before we were called to our seats. Kelly and I figured it was a great time for a selfie!

Our names were called after about 10 or 15 minutes and in to the restaurant we went. We were seated in an area with a great view of the castle so I guess it was worth the wait. From there we all made our way to the buffet to start our meal before the characters stopped by.

Now, I wasn’t overly thrilled with adding another pricey meal to our tab but at least the food was really good. All sorts of great options and I definitely got my fill. BBQ ribs, chicken, pasta and a great selection of desserts which I was more than happy to sample. I didn’t take any pictures, mostly because I didn’t want people to see just how much I ate.

While the food was my main event, the girls we super stoked to meet Pooh Bear and all his friends.

Before we left we took one more picture and made our way back to the park to see how long we could last before finally heading back to the hotel for one last sleep at the Poly.

Sun had started to set and the park was really coming alive with all the light…always my favourite time to be at the Magic Kingdom. We made our way into Adventureland to take another spin on Aladdin’s Magic Carpets and Pirates. Virtually no line for Carpets so we were on and off pretty quickly. Ella was fired up to ride Pirates again but Kelly had had enough of Captain Jack so her and Lennon stayed back and ended up doing some last minute shopping for our niece’s back home.

Ella and I made our way through the queue and were about to load into the front row when an older gentleman, maybe in his early 40’s, and what I assumed was his dad squeezed in front of us and took our row. I usually don’t call people out in public but I did in this case to ensure he knew he was asked to go in row two and we were to take row one. He didn’t seem to care and I let it go after I made sure he knew I wasn’t disappointed, but my 6 year old was. Hiccup aside, second row was just fine and Ella loved her last ride on Pirates.

When we got back outside it had started to rain, relatively lightly at this point but it was getting wet nonetheless. Kelly had decided she wanted to ride Splash once more even with the rain and that had me excited as that’s my favourite and I still wanted one more ride. Just as we were ready to walk through the queue Lennon bailed! I couldn’t believe it…and I was nice enough to stay back while Kelly and Ella rode. I may not have been happy about it but I took one for the team! And just them it started pouring too so it was a real kick in the pants.

Lennon and I hid out under the bridge as the rain beat down around us. As you can assume we weren’t alone under there but at least we were staying dry. Kelly and Ella made their way back around 20 minutes later we made sure to get their coats on before battling the rain to make our way to Fantasyland.

By the time we reached the Haunted Mansion, which the girls were all the sudden too scared to ride, the rain had essentially stopped so at least that was a plus. We walked by the Mine Train to grab one last return time before heading over to the tea cups for a ride and a family photo out front.

After the Tea Cups and our picture we went back to view Mickey’s Philaharmagic, my favourite 3D show on property, before heading to the Mine Train for our final rip. Still just as fun, actually likely even more fun in the dark, and still the same screams and reaction from the kids! Too good!

After we left the Mine Train it was over to Goofy roller coaster, also much more fun at night even for a quick little ride like that, before settling in line for one last Dumbo ride. Perfect timing too…just as we were about to board the fireworks went off. Can’t get a much better final Dumbo ride than one with fireworks exploding throughout.

After Dumbo we felt like this might be the right time to say goodbye to MK and call it a night so we started to make our way out of Storybook Circus to head back towards the exit. Before we could make it very far the kids begged for one last ride on Winnie the Pooh and so Kelly and I easily gave in and lined up in the queue. Not a bad way to wrap up a very busy day and an unbelievable trip.

After Pooh we slowly made our way down Main Street towards the exit. I know I took in as much of the sights and sounds as I could as we made that walk as I always try to do during that final exit. It was hard to imagine the end was here already even though it was one of the rare vacations that truly felt like time didn’t just zip by without being fully appreciated.

One last look at the Main Street station and we walked out the gates towards the Ferryboat. It’s never a happy time knowing your Disney adventure has come to end but I think it’s easy for me to say this was the best Disney trip we’ve ever had.

And so it was back to the room for one last sleep before getting up, having breakfast at Kona, and heading to the airport to fly back home to Edmonton.

I’ll wrap up the report with a rundown of our travel day and some final thoughts on the trip that was.

 

[DisneyJeff]

Great trip report, Matt!! Thanks for sharing. After following along for the past 3 months, I'm sad that it's ending!!

 

[dclfan]

I'm so sad to see your trip report come to an end. It was a great read. So when are you guys headed back? L

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Great trip report, Matt!! Thanks for sharing. After following along for the past 3 months, I'm sad that it's ending!!

Thanks very much. Jeff! I know it took me an awfully long time to get to this point so I really appreciate your patience in following along. It was fun to write and I'm happy to see at least a few people were interested in keeping tabs on our trip.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I'm so sad to see your trip report come to an end. It was a great read. So when are you guys headed back? L

Thanks so much for the kind words. Truly appreciate you taking the time to follow along. We'd love to get back as soon as possible but nothing firm in the works just yet. Early thought is we will look at possibly planning something in late October to potentially get to the final Halloween party and still catch some of the Christmas celebrations. Time will tell.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

August 13 – Heading Home

There was no real urgency for us to get up early as our flight wasn’t until the early afternoon so we had a pretty solid sleep before getting up and getting ready to head back home.

We did a good job of packing the day before so there was no mad rush to try and get the bags ready which was a major bonus. Good planning on our part. We took our time getting dressed before heading to the main building to drop our bags off at the airport check in.

I have absolutely no idea why we have not used this service on previous trips, maybe it’s because I didn’t think us Canadian’s qualified, but man have we been missing out! The gents at the check in desk were extremely helpful and after a few short minutes we had the boarding passes for both our flights and the bags had been checked and sent to the airport. Truly a huge asset to take advantage of, especially with the kids and having to push a stroller around the airport while trying to handle baggage. Such a huge helping hand and I feel ashamed for not knowing more about this service to us on previous trips.

Alright, enough gushing about resort check in…we had one last meal reservation to get to. Thankfully it was a quick walk from the check in area to my favourite breakfast spot, Kona Café. Before we walked upstairs in the Great Ceremonial House we had to take a few parting shots in the lobby.

Then it was up to check in for our breakfast!

Restaurant wasn’t overly busy so we were seated right away and the dilemma then kicked in…should I order the Tonga Toast even though I had already enjoyed it earlier in the trip or should I try something else? One thing I knew I’d be ordering for sure wads the pressed Kona coffee. Had been looking forward to it all trip and, as usual, it did not disappoint. Best cup, well cups, I’ve had all trip!

Finally it came time to decide on our meals. The kids were easy, they ended up ordering the Donald’s Choice kid’s meals as they really wanted the cinnamon toast, Kelly decided on the Big Kahuna and I ended up going with the oatmeal and struck a deal with Kelly to eat her macadamia pineapple pancakes. Not a bad call at all and we all really enjoyed the fare. The oatmeal was excellent which really made me happy.

Ella enjoyed her food so much that she asked for another piece of cinnamon toast which completely made her morning!

After a delicious breakfast it was back to the room to grab the stroller and our carry on stuff before heading back to check out of the room and wait for the Magical Express. It was definitely bitter sweet sitting on the benches outside waiting for the bus. There was lots of reflection on the great trip that was but also a little sense of excitement to get home. Maybe not as much excitement for the plane rides home but I was very much looking forward to sleeping in our own bed that night and seeing our dog the next day when he got home from my parents.

The bus took a little while to get to the resort but finally it arrived and it was time to load up and head home.

Smooth sailing to the airport and I’ll reiterate how great it was to simply roll right to security as opposed to check in with our luggage. From there we took one last monorail ride to our terminal and it was time to say goodbye to Orlando.

I always get a little nervous when I fly United thanks to multiple poor experiences in the past but, like the flights heading to WDW, everything went beyond smooth which was a total surprise and a most welcome change of pace.

Our flight to Houston was quick and easy and after a relatively short layover our flight from Houston to Edmonton, although a bit longer, was just as easy. Not only that but all of our luggage had safely made its way back with no issues whatsoever.

On the ride back home from the airport Kelly and I reflected on just how great everything was from start to finish, even with the small luggage hiccup when we arrived at the Poly. It truly couldn’t have been a better trip and we were amazed at how well the kids acted throughout. We thought we would easily have a few meltdowns but they definitely surprised us.

We walked through the door of our house a little after 8 pm and it was back to reality. It certainly didn’t take long for the kids to ask “when are we going back?” as we put them to bed that night and that’s pretty much all it took for us to start thinking about the next trip! Now the planning begins all over again!

Well, that’s a wrap on the trip that was. We had an absolute blast from start to finish and I hope I was able to convey that in this report.

I thank you all for reading along even if it took me forever to detail the trip. I am going to have one final post of my general thoughts and a look ahead to what could be our next trip. I’d love to get your feedback and thoughts on what’s next so do feel free to provide your insight once I do post.

Thanks all!

 

[Scoppin]

Yikes…massive delay in posting. So sorry. Especially since I am so near the end of the report, which is also almost as sad as the actual trip coming to a close. Alas I can finally finish up the final park day of our epic vacation.

Now that we had some time to pack up our stuff and get ready to head home the next day we decided to head back to the park as we had a reservation at the Crystal Palace to make it to and we wanted to make sure we could milk the most out of our final day.

We returned to the park after a quick Ferryboat ride back to MK and made our way to Tomorrowland. We hadn’t spent a ton of time there during the trip but we wanted to hit up a couple rides before our reservation came up. We had about 45 minutes to kill before checking in so we made our way to Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. One of the only attractions we had yet to enjoy all trip.

Not sure if everyone feels the same way about the Laugh Floor as I do but I quite enjoy it. I like how it’s pretty interactive and it’s always good for a laugh. Would I prefer something like the MI ride at DCA? Yeah, probably but this is a cool alternative and a unique change of pace.

We had a bit of a wait until the auditorium cleared to let our group in but we ended up with solid seats in the middle of the theatre. It was a pretty packed room and as I remembered from other trips, “that guy” seemed to get the biggest laughs and to his credit he really played along, not shying away from being cast as “that guy”. “Dancing guy” on the other hand was a total let down! Some funny lines and a couple really good laughs later and we were on our way back out.

We had made a FP+ for Buzz which was now open so we went over there one last time to ride before making our way to dinner. I don’t think we actually kept our photos from the ride as we had to rush out but needless to say we defeated Zurg and the world was saved, at least Lennon thought so. I still suck at this game and can never seem to score very high. I enjoy it but much prefer Toy Story Mania!

From here we said goodbye to Tomorrowland and made the walk over to the Crystal Palace to check in. Originally we did not have this meal on the agenda but Kelly was so happy with the character interactions during the meals that we made a last minute change to the Crystal Palace, letting go of our Liberty Tree Tavern meal.

The restaurant was packed! Even the check in line was massive so we had a pretty good wait ahead of us but eventually we checked in and killed a little more time before we were called to our seats. Kelly and I figured it was a great time for a selfie!

Our names were called after about 10 or 15 minutes and in to the restaurant we went. We were seated in an area with a great view of the castle so I guess it was worth the wait. From there we all made our way to the buffet to start our meal before the characters stopped by.

Now, I wasn’t overly thrilled with adding another pricey meal to our tab but at least the food was really good. All sorts of great options and I definitely got my fill. BBQ ribs, chicken, pasta and a great selection of desserts which I was more than happy to sample. I didn’t take any pictures, mostly because I didn’t want people to see just how much I ate.

While the food was my main event, the girls we super stoked to meet Pooh Bear and all his friends.

Before we left we took one more picture and made our way back to the park to see how long we could last before finally heading back to the hotel for one last sleep at the Poly.

Sun had started to set and the park was really coming alive with all the light…always my favourite time to be at the Magic Kingdom. We made our way into Adventureland to take another spin on Aladdin’s Magic Carpets and Pirates. Virtually no line for Carpets so we were on and off pretty quickly. Ella was fired up to ride Pirates again but Kelly had had enough of Captain Jack so her and Lennon stayed back and ended up doing some last minute shopping for our niece’s back home.

Ella and I made our way through the queue and were about to load into the front row when an older gentleman, maybe in his early 40’s, and what I assumed was his dad squeezed in front of us and took our row. I usually don’t call people out in public but I did in this case to ensure he knew he was asked to go in row two and we were to take row one. He didn’t seem to care and I let it go after I made sure he knew I wasn’t disappointed, but my 6 year old was. Hiccup aside, second row was just fine and Ella loved her last ride on Pirates.

When we got back outside it had started to rain, relatively lightly at this point but it was getting wet nonetheless. Kelly had decided she wanted to ride Splash once more even with the rain and that had me excited as that’s my favourite and I still wanted one more ride. Just as we were ready to walk through the queue Lennon bailed! I couldn’t believe it…and I was nice enough to stay back while Kelly and Ella rode. I may not have been happy about it but I took one for the team! And just them it started pouring too so it was a real kick in the pants.

Lennon and I hid out under the bridge as the rain beat down around us. As you can assume we weren’t alone under there but at least we were staying dry. Kelly and Ella made their way back around 20 minutes later we made sure to get their coats on before battling the rain to make our way to Fantasyland.

By the time we reached the Haunted Mansion, which the girls were all the sudden too scared to ride, the rain had essentially stopped so at least that was a plus. We walked by the Mine Train to grab one last return time before heading over to the tea cups for a ride and a family photo out front.

After the Tea Cups and our picture we went back to view Mickey’s Philaharmagic, my favourite 3D show on property, before heading to the Mine Train for our final rip. Still just as fun, actually likely even more fun in the dark, and still the same screams and reaction from the kids! Too good!

After we left the Mine Train it was over to Goofy roller coaster, also much more fun at night even for a quick little ride like that, before settling in line for one last Dumbo ride. Perfect timing too…just as we were about to board the fireworks went off. Can’t get a much better final Dumbo ride than one with fireworks exploding throughout.

After Dumbo we felt like this might be the right time to say goodbye to MK and call it a night so we started to make our way out of Storybook Circus to head back towards the exit. Before we could make it very far the kids begged for one last ride on Winnie the Pooh and so Kelly and I easily gave in and lined up in the queue. Not a bad way to wrap up a very busy day and an unbelievable trip.

After Pooh we slowly made our way down Main Street towards the exit. I know I took in as much of the sights and sounds as I could as we made that walk as I always try to do during that final exit. It was hard to imagine the end was here already even though it was one of the rare vacations that truly felt like time didn’t just zip by without being fully appreciated.

One last look at the Main Street station and we walked out the gates towards the Ferryboat. It’s never a happy time knowing your Disney adventure has come to end but I think it’s easy for me to say this was the best Disney trip we’ve ever had.

And so it was back to the room for one last sleep before getting up, having breakfast at Kona, and heading to the airport to fly back home to Edmonton.

I’ll wrap up the report with a rundown of our travel day and some final thoughts on the trip that was.

Sad that some people believe they are they only ones around. And to step in front of a little girl like that. Good for you for standing up for her. It doesn't cost anything to be nice. Older gentleman.... in early 40s.....remind me not to step in front of you as I would hate to hear what you would call me.

Sounds like you had a great final day, even though you weren't able to ride splash one more time. Not to mentioned a great trip as a whole.

 

[dclfan]

Thanks so much for the kind words. Truly appreciate you taking the time to follow along. We'd love to get back as soon as possible but nothing firm in the works just yet. Early thought is we will look at possibly planning something in late October to potentially get to the final Halloween party and still catch some of the Christmas celebrations. Time will tell.

We just got back from our trip. We went Monday October 24th until Monday October 31st. I would highly recommend this time of year. The parks were very empty. World showcase was busier then normal because of food and wine but nowhere near unmanageable and food and wine just adds to the whole experience so no complaints there. We rarely were on a bus with more then a few other families at any given time and the weather was perfect. Low 80's during the day and low 70's at night. We rarely needed a coat to transition from day to night and it didn't rain once. I can't say enough great things about visiting this time of year. Halloween at Magic Kingdom is also magical and a must see at least once.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. It lit a fire to go ahead and post the next section of my trip report.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Sad that some people believe they are they only ones around. And to step in front of a little girl like that. Good for you for standing up for her. It doesn't cost anything to be nice. Older gentleman.... in early 40s.....remind me not to step in front of you as I would hate to hear what you would call me.

Sounds like you had a great final day, even though you weren't able to ride splash one more time. Not to mentioned a great trip as a whole.

HAHAHA my reference to "older" is simply in relation to me even though I, too, am starting to creep up there!