Trip Report Epcot is Glowing

Hello Everyone. We made it back from our 10 day trip a few days ago. I had a lot of fun working on my last trip report, so I wanted to do one for this trip too. The big change from last time??? We took both kids along for their first trip to Disney.

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Leading up to our trip, I had a lot of conversations with people I work with about our vacation plans. I guess I was just so excited that I was steering conversations that way. What I learned is that a lot of people see visiting Disney World with kids as an obligation. When I would tell them where we were going, I'd get, "Oh, you're going there..." It got to the point where I'd be able to finish their story before they did. They spent (insert high amount) of money to go there, it was hot and the kids only wanted to go to the pool, and they ended up not remembering the trip. They knew that Disney was something they should do with their family, but did not enjoy their trip while they were there. Maybe it had something to do with the fact I talked to a lot of dads.

I'm glad to say our trip was nothing like this. Sara, myself, and the kids had a great time, and Luke, our 4 year old, is constantly talking about what he enjoyed and what characters we met. As any parent can tell you, traveling with young children certainly has it's challenges (and that might be a nice way to say it). But it also has some truly great moments as children are able to fully immerse themselves in the magic. I'm very happy to say we had a good number of those moments.

The trip started at 3:15am on Friday.

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We had done most of the packing the night before. The kids slept in comfortable clothes, so we were able to get them up and place them in their car seats with the goal being to have them go back to sleep. They did fall asleep, but Luke woke up again before the sunrise.

Yes, this was a drive to WDW, first time we had done that. We did have a DVD player in the minivan, and I can't put into words how helpful this was. Ok, I could, but I doubt you'd want to read it. We threw on a Jake and the Neverland Pirates DVD, and made it south of Richmond for breakfast at McDonalds. They liked the play area.

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After breakfast, we continued our trek through the Carolinas, and ended our day in Brunswick, GA.

A few driving photos:

Sara taking a turn
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Luke watching something on DVD
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and Makayla taking it all in
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We stayed at a Hampton Inn for the night, and had dinner at a Toucan Ale House. It was right by the hotel and made for an easy dinner. We don't have them in Pennsylvania, but it reminded me of an Applebee's.

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Luke enjoying his meal.
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Sara and Makayla
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Time for a selfie (or groupie) Not sure what the cool kids are calling it these days. Obviously forgot to wipe Luke's mouth first.
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Makayla didn't eat a lot for dinner (which is completely unlike her), and we noticed that she had a bit of a fever. We hoped it was just due to a long day in the car and gave her some children's Tylenol. It was time for some sleep and then we'd finish the drive to WDW the next day.
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We took the tram back to our car, then made the quick drive over to HS. I've heard recent stories of the HS parking lot being full and CM's directly cars to the Epcot parking lot. Wow! Thankfully, the HS lot was nothing like that for us. In fact it was almost empty. The park hours had been extended at HS, and there were Extra Magic Hours on top of that. The result was the park being open until 11:30. We weren't going to be there that long, but it gave us plenty of time to have fun.

Our first stop was the villians in vogue store for Sara, then we made our way to the lights through Pixar Place. Even though it was now almost 9pm, the line for TSMM was still 60 minutes.
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The lights were just as big of a hit as they were earlier in the week. Luke had fun catching snow, and we spent some time dancing to the songs. Kiwi was a bit tired tonight and looked like she was ready to fall asleep pretty much the whole night. It was also a bit colder than it had been. We were all wearing jackets, except Luke who had gotten hot and sweaty from dancing.
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Luke was very intrigued by this parking meter.
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It was a nice, relaxing, and fun way to spend our last night. Luke really liked the song "What's This?" from the Nightmare before Christmas. Fun story. We have a house near us in York that does a set up similar to Osborne Lights, but not nearly on the same scale. We went to see it before Christmas this year, and Luke asked when they were going to play the "What's This?" song. He also wanted to get out of the car and dance. I'm glad the Osborne Lights made such an impression. It was awesome to spend out last night doing something Luke liked so much.

We spent about an hour checking out the lights. Finally, it was time to leave. After we got back to the hotel and got the kids to bed, Sara and I spent about a half hour packing our things so we could load the car in the morning. We had on final day at MK ahead of us.
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
We were all wearing jackets, except Luke who had gotten hot and sweaty from dancing.

Once again, Luke made me laugh! And, I can only imagine the "creative" dance steps he came up with. ;) You know, if you could somehow bottle up his energy and sell it to the public, you'd be a millionaire in no time! :joyfull:
 

catmom46

Well-Known Member
Great (almost finished) TR! I am quite familiar with the "tantrums" as I have a 7-year-old daughter, and can totally relate to that guilty feeling when you feel responsible. It just comes with the territory of being a parent. But you guys sound like terrific parents and your kids definitely demonstrate how loved they are through your stories. :)

I just wanted to make a comment about the Pirates and Pals cruise, since we did that last July and also had a blast. Your version of the "routine" while on the boat sounded a bit different, plus that pirate sword looks really nice! I don't recall the prizes on our cruise being quite as fancy - my daughter got a light-up necklace and (I think) a dog tag necklace. I still thought it was worth the money, even though I barely ate any of the dessert (and we decided not to meet Peter Pan). :D

Looking forward to reading about your final day!
 

Doc Disney

Well-Known Member
I am loving your report! Your kids look like they had so much fun! I liked your part in the beginning about people telling you it is a waste to bring your kids, but how Luke really remembered a lot of the trip. People always have this conversation with me (I don't have kids so I don't know why haha) and I like to tell them that I actually remember some of my first trip when I was 3.5. When we go as a family in May my sister is considering coming and bringing my nephew (who will only be 8 months) and we are so excited. Obviously he won't remember any of it but he's already intrigued with watching things so I think he will enjoy looking around :)
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
Great pictures of your children at DHS! I remember our first family trip when our oldest two were 6 and 4 and how exhausted we were. You guys did a great job getting things done. Sorry Kona and Tonga Toast didn't live up to expectations. I also hate that "rushed" feeling. I'm still warming up to the new Poly lobby - thanks for the pics!
 

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
Hello Everyone. We made it back from our 10 day trip a few days ago. I had a lot of fun working on my last trip report, so I wanted to do one for this trip too. The big change from last time??? We took both kids along for their first trip to Disney.

Leading up to our trip, I had a lot of conversations with people I work with about our vacation plans. I guess I was just so excited that I was steering conversations that way. What I learned is that a lot of people see visiting Disney World with kids as an obligation. When I would tell them where we were going, I'd get, "Oh, you're going there..." It got to the point where I'd be able to finish their story before they did. They spent (insert high amount) of money to go there, it was hot and the kids only wanted to go to the pool, and they ended up not remembering the trip. They knew that Disney was something they should do with their family, but did not enjoy their trip while they were there. Maybe it had something to do with the fact I talked to a lot of dads.

My first trip to Disney, Disneyland specifically, was at the age of 5. Granted I don't remember everything, but I do remember some things. Like trying to spin the tea cup so fast it would make my mother sick (what is it about kids and throwing up?). Riding on the Nautilus with my dad. Seeing Mickey in person for the first time. And that trip was many decades ago. So I say, forget those naysayers. Granted, your daughter probably won't remember anything, but you son may. And you have the pictures to remind him of the fun time.
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Once again, Luke made me laugh! And, I can only imagine the "creative" dance steps he came up with. ;) You know, if you could somehow bottle up his energy and sell it to the public, you'd be a millionaire in no time! :joyfull:

Yes, Luke is great at interpretive dance. Yes, Yes, Yes to the energy. I don't know where he gets it from.

Great (almost finished) TR! I am quite familiar with the "tantrums" as I have a 7-year-old daughter, and can totally relate to that guilty feeling when you feel responsible. It just comes with the territory of being a parent. But you guys sound like terrific parents and your kids definitely demonstrate how loved they are through your stories. :)

I just wanted to make a comment about the Pirates and Pals cruise, since we did that last July and also had a blast. Your version of the "routine" while on the boat sounded a bit different, plus that pirate sword looks really nice! I don't recall the prizes on our cruise being quite as fancy - my daughter got a light-up necklace and (I think) a dog tag necklace. I still thought it was worth the money, even though I barely ate any of the dessert (and we decided not to meet Peter Pan). :D

Looking forward to reading about your final day!

Thank you. yeah, every parent seems to have a good tantrum story. I'm glad you had a good time on the Pirates Cruise as well. I would think it's still somewhat new, so they might still be trying to get their routine down. I know a few people on our boat got the pirate sword and eyepatch combo. Maybe they've used the cruise's popularity to upgrade on the prizes :)

I am loving your report! Your kids look like they had so much fun! I liked your part in the beginning about people telling you it is a waste to bring your kids, but how Luke really remembered a lot of the trip. People always have this conversation with me (I don't have kids so I don't know why haha) and I like to tell them that I actually remember some of my first trip when I was 3.5. When we go as a family in May my sister is considering coming and bringing my nephew (who will only be 8 months) and we are so excited. Obviously he won't remember any of it but he's already intrigued with watching things so I think he will enjoy looking around :)

Thank you. We all had a really good time. Luke seemed to enjoy almost everything we did. I think the "kids not remembering anything" is a go-to story that people tell, so if you mention Disney, they'll probably bring it up, even if you don't have kids ;). That's awesome that you remember bits and pieces of your first trip. I'm amazed at some of the random things Luke will bring up in conversation. Just today we rode a school bus on our way to the PA Farm Show, and Luke was telling us all the ways the school bus was different than the Disney bus. I hope you guys have a great May trip. Only 4 months...
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Great pictures of your children at DHS! I remember our first family trip when our oldest two were 6 and 4 and how exhausted we were. You guys did a great job getting things done. Sorry Kona and Tonga Toast didn't live up to expectations. I also hate that "rushed" feeling. I'm still warming up to the new Poly lobby - thanks for the pics!

Thanks. Yes, exhausted would be a great word to describe us as well. I was glad Kiwi was contained to a stroller for a good portion of our trip. Next year may be a different story.

I remember reading your "I'll melt with you..." report and it being one of my first descriptions of Tonga Toast. I'm convinced it's clearly just my expectations that were too high. If I had walked into a random restaurant and ordered that dish, I probably would have been amazed.

My first trip to Disney, Disneyland specifically, was at the age of 5. Granted I don't remember everything, but I do remember some things. Like trying to spin the tea cup so fast it would make my mother sick (what is it about kids and throwing up?). Riding on the Nautilus with my dad. Seeing Mickey in person for the first time. And that trip was many decades ago. So I say, forget those naysayers. Granted, your daughter probably won't remember anything, but you son may. And you have the pictures to remind him of the fun time.

It's great to hear stories like that LAkid53. Those sound like some great memories. Yes, our experience was almost the complete opposite of what I had heard before. We had a great time, and Luke is still talking about all the fun things he got to do. Definite Win!

What a great TR! Love the story about the Osborne Lights making such an impression that Luke wanted to get out of the car and dance to the Christmas lights near your house. Priceless!

Thanks. Ha, the funny thing about the house local to us is that they pipe in the music through a local, low power FM radio station. So if you get out of the car, the music goes away. Trying to explain that to Luke when he wanted to get out of the car was quite the challenge.
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
On our last day, I was the first one awake, which I think is how most of the other mornings went as well. As I got up and started getting ready, Sara was soon awake as well. Soon the lights were on and we were in full packing mode. When we were about a half hour out from being ready, I called luggage services and asked them to come with a cart. A half hour later we were fully packed, and still no cart.

I decided I'd start making some trips to the van myself, figuring the bell services guy would be there soon. One trip turned into two, two into three, and so on until the van was completely full, and we still hadn't heard from luggage services. I had given myself a good workout, so I sat down to catch my breath before calling and cancelling the cart. Apparently they were really busy that morning.

We made one final sweep, making sure we hadn't forgotten anything. Then it was time to say goodbye. We had loved our room in the All Star Music resort. Luke will always remember it as being in the "purple building." Today is Awesome had been taken down, leaving our window bare. Today certainly didn't feel too awesome as we left :(.

We swung by the main building to fill our mugs one last time, then drove to MK. We parked in the heroes lot, and had a bit of a hike to get to the TTC. Not as bad as it was 2 days ago.

We knew going into today that MK was going to be busy. It was the Monday before Thanksgiving and it was an extra magic hours day. They had shifted the opening time to 7am about a week before we had left for the vacation. But I don't think anything could have prepared me for this.

When we approached TTC, we were given word that the express monorail was down. We decided to take the ferry, along with almost everyone else. Sara decided to use the bathroom and said she would catch up to us. Big mistake!!! As we moved forward, we were shoulder to shoulder, inches behind and inches in front of everyone else. There was not on inch of extra room available as we waited for the ferry. We didn't get on the first ferry, so we had to wait for a second one. Luke was becoming stir crazy, but there was really nothing I could do. I couldn't have turned around if I wanted to.

Sara later compared it to the ferry scene in War of the Worlds. If you've seen the movie, you'll get the reference. Thankfully there wasn't a giant three-legged alien robot coming after us.

Once we got on the ferry, we were again packed in. I was near the end, and as I turned around I could see Sara waving at us. She was going to have to wait for the next one. Once we made our way across the lake, we went through a long bag check line, and were finally in. When we had pulled into the parking lot, I had figured we'd be inside by about 8:15, and it was now about 9:15.

With just Luke and Makayla, we decided to head towards tomorrowland to ride the people mover. This had been a favorite of Luke's before, and he wanted to ride it again. After zig-zagging our way down main street, we made the turn to tomorrowland. Luke was very proud of himself for not being scared during the dark parts of this ride. And he really liked the part where he could see into the Buzz ride.

As for Sara...

Sara made it onto the next ferry, but by the time she arrived to MK, they had shut down part of the bag check area. We don't know why. Anyway, this was her view.


Craziness!!! And a little closer.


It ended up taking her almost an hour from the time we had entered the park until Sara entered. By that time, Luke, Kiwi, and I had ridden the people mover twice. I called Sara and confirmed she was on the way to Tomorrow land. But of course, being Sara, we have to stop for a picture:).


And she really wanted to get a photo of this tree grate.


As Sara approached, Luke decided he wanted to play some Hide and Seek.


We did a good job of hiding, but finally our family was back together. And just in time to make our Buzz Lightyear fastpasses.
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Once we all were together, Sara quickly brought us up to speed on what her morning had been like. We then headed over to ride Buzz. Altogether, Luke probably rode this ride about 10 times this trip. Today, it would be a single ride since the wait was about 45 minutes. We still had a great time.




I must say, saving the galaxy with one hand while holding Makayla in the other is no easy feat :D.

After Buzz, we made our way to Sleepy Hollow for some waffle/funnel cake breakfast. As I've said before, it was crowded, so Sara stood in line while I took the kids to have a seat on a bench. We were not expecting it to be 25 minutes. At least we had a nice view.


Luke was having fun running around and stomping in puddles. Poor Makayla was not happy. She was hungry, and getting her out of the stroller, or putting her back in, didn't help.



Finally Sara walked up, like an angel, with our food. We quickly went to town. The waffle didn't last long, and the funnel cake only lasted longer because Luke decided he was full. At this point, Sara took another trip to the bathroom. While she was gone, Luke said he had to go, and it was an emergency :facepalm:.

So I put the funnel cake on the stroller and we ran towards the frontierland bathrooms. As I made a turn, the funnel cake went flying off. Luke ran over to pick it up and we were able to find a nearby trashcan. When we got to the bathrooms, since I had both kids, I had no choice but to roll the stroller into the bathroom. Let me tell you, the frontierland bathroom is not designed for strollers :confused:. We found a stall for Luke as I was banging to everything in sight. But...crisis averted. No wet pants. We exited the bathroom and met back up with Sara in Liberty Square. No need to thank me, I just saved the day and avoided wet pants by taking both kids on a race to the bathroom. :):):)

After this, it was back to tomorrowland for our speedway fastpasses. Luke still remembered Sara's "broken" car from earlier in the week, and said he only wanted to go with me. We were able to convince him that the broken car had been fixed, and it'd be more fun to ride two times than one time. He finally agreed and we got the rider swap.

I definitely prefer this traffic jam to the ones heading towards Baltimore.


Once Luke and I were done, Sara and Luke went. The ride was a little smoother this time.


To save some time, Kiwi and I went into Cosmic Ray's to order our lunch while Sara and Luke were still riding. I was still kind of full from breakfast, but we figured this would be the only time we'd have to sit down and eat without completely disrupting the rest of our day. Cosmic Ray's was very crowded (are you picking up a theme here?) and they had implemented crowd control measures. Once you ordered your food, you went and stood in a line, and a CM led you to an open table as soon as it was available. Sara had great timing, arriving just as we were being led to a table. The CM then quickly did a search for a high chair for Makayla, and after a short while we were all seated. We were sitting right by a CM who was controlling the exit/bathroom area of the restaurant, and we struck up a small conversation with her. She was having issues with people trying to get around the "table finding" line and sneak in by her, and she had to turn them away. Most of the time, guests just didn't realize what was going on. And honestly, it's not like there was a seat available anyway.

So we sat and tried to enjoy our meal as best we could in the bustling Cosmic Ray's. After we were done, we did a quick bathroom run for everyone, then were on our way to our final fastpasses - Anna and Elsa.
 
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Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
The border of tomorrowland and fantasyland was quite busy as we left Cosmic Ray's. As we gathered our stroller, the marching band was coming through.




And then these guys walked right by us.




Luke was excited to see all of it. We made our way slowly over to the stroller parking area by the carousel, then were off to our appointed time to see Anna and Elsa. Sara had brought some bubbles along for Luke to play with, since we knew from meeting Cinderella and Rapunzel that waiting inside the castle walls can be difficult for a 4 year old. Bubbles in hand, Luke quickly became popular with the kids around us.

Just like Luke was scared that Rapunzel was going to tie us up in her hair, he was afraid that Elsa was going to freeze us. We had assured him a few times that she was now in control of her powers and wouldn't do that. We were excited to meet Elsa since Luke loves the "Let it Go" song. He is probably responsible for about half the youtube hits on the music video, and actually had come up with a very cute 3 year old version of the video. Unfortunately he would never really do it for the camera.

After a brief wait in line, we were called in, and there was Elsa. Luke was a little shy, as had become custom for him.


Again, he found the camera person and stared right at them.


Elsa called Luke her little snowman and compared him to Olaf, which he liked.


Then we came to Anna. Anna unfortunately is a clear runner up in Luke's mind. He was still his shy self, but there was just much less of a wow factor. She too called Luke a snowman, and with some coercion even got a hug.

Again staring at the camera.






As we walked out of the M&G, we had used all our fastpasses for our trip. We still had a few things we wanted to do, mostly surrounding shopping. However, as we made our way back towards Main Street, I had an idea. Our goal was to leave before the parade to avoid the crowds that would be gathering on Main Street for that. We still had some time, so I figured, why not visit the tree house again on our way out. It's pretty close to the hub, and even though it's super crowded, it's not popular so it shouldn't be busy. WRONG!

There was a line for the tree house.


I admit I haven't been to WDW as much as some people, but I had never heard of a tree house line. Luke was super excited to go, so we had to do it. Luke and I walked through, and he enjoyed it as much as his first time. He was telling me about all the rooms. It was a great last attraction for us.

Once we were done, Sara showed Luke this guy who was having a M&G. We didn't have time to get in line, but Luke at least got to wave hi.


Then we made the trip back down main street. It was crowded as people were already lining up for the parade. We found an open area near the alley by Tony's. (just writing that is bringing me to the scene in Lady and the Tramp). First order of business was to get Mickey ears. Luke picked a Buzz Lightyear pair, Sara got an Anna and Elsa reversible pair, and we got Kiwi a pink pair. Luke and Makayla got their names scribed on the back. While we were waiting for them, we still had some snack credits to use. This was quickly remedied by a quick trip to the confectionary.

Then we just hung out there for a bit in our alley. We go Makayla out, and Luke and Makayla were chasing each other around and blowing bubbles. It was a good, relaxing, moment in an open alleyway in an otherwise crazy busy MK.

Finally, our ears were ready. We did a final bathroom run, then it was time to say goodbye. Luke's response was classic. "I don't want to say bye, I want to say hi." Poor kid leaving for the first time. :(

We explained that we had had a fun trip, but now we had to go home. We were of course sad as well as we made that left turn and headed to the exit. Our WDW trip had come to an end.
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Probably because we had our kids with us, the fact we were leaving really didn't dawn on me until we were on the ferry. It had certainly hit Luke.


I ended up being with Luke a lot on the ferry ride back.


Maybe it's because I was trying to comfort Luke, or maybe it was because we were on the ferry, but I was able to look back at the castle this time (photo taken by Sara :))


And then of course, there are the bungalows. Seriously, any good friends on the site that would like to shell out 20k so I can spend a night in one of these ;)?


As we were being ferried, I explained to Luke that we can't stay in WDW forever, but that we can always remember the fun times that we had. I also explained how he could tell all his friends at daycare how much fun he had, and he said he couldn't wait to show them his Main Street Balloon for show and tell.

After leaving the ferry, we made our way back to the car. And that, my friends, was the end of our WDW trip. We got onto the highway, and made our way to Savannah, GA that night, and did the rest the next day. I'd love to tell you it was smooth sailing, but unfortunately Luke got sick (same thing Kiwi had we think). He threw up twice in the car. Fun Parenting Times! So there was that, and DC traffic, which was nuts. But we made it home safely, and came home loaded with great memories of a fantastic trip.

So that's going to end the day by day part of this report. I do plan to post a final summary shortly.
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
That was quite the "last day" you had at MK. I was absolutely floored when I saw the line to get in the park--yikes. It's a miracle that Sara was able to find you and Luke, after she caught the ferry behind yours. My goodness, those crowds were unreal. The long line for the treehouse was funny. I love the treehouse myself (it's classic Disney and I love the nostalgia about it), but I don't think I could wait in a long line like that to climb it! Then again, I don't travel with a 4-year-old like you do. ;)

I really like the "crowd control" system they have in Cosmic Rays during high season. That place is always a madhouse (I love Cosmic Rays!), and the two line system (one for seating) is a great idea to help with the flow.

Those were nice photos of your family with Anna and Elsa. Thought the one of Luke hugging Anna was adorable!

It's so hard to leave WDW on your last day there, and you had some good advice for Luke. I'm sure your words were comforting to him on the ferry ride back.
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Altogether, we were in Disney World 10 days, from November 14th to the 23rd. The longest amount of time Sara and I had ever spent in Disney World, and obviously our kids' first trip. We won't be planning any trips this long in the near future, but do hope to be able to make a WDW trip an annual event for our household. As I finish this report, here's a few quick hints on things I noticed.

What happened to November?

November used to be a great time to go to WDW. I remember on one of Sara's and my first trips in November getting through the entire magic kingdom in one day. Well, everything besides Stitch's Great Escape ;). Going in the fall on a regular basis, we became used to near empty buses, short wait times, and easing our way through bag check. This trip it was exactly the opposite. I've never been to WDW the week between Christmas and New Years, but I've heard people compare November to that time. My guess is it has a lot to do with free dining, and possibly the Osborne Lights this year. But it was crazy crowded this year. It wasn't so much the high wait times. With fastpass you can really negate most wait times, IMO. But it was just the overall congestion. People were crowding in on you as you went through bag check, as you walked down main street, as you ordered your food at a quick service location, etc.

I fully understand Disney is not complaining about this problem, nor should they. Any amusement park would love to be packed every day. But for me, it was a little too much, and it made the trip less enjoyable. In the future, our plan is to forego free dining, and try to visit during a different time of year. We've heard mid December is a good time, so our current next trip is planned for December 10-17, 2016. Here's hoping what we've heard is correct. Still plenty of time to change it ;).

The Drive

Our fist time driving, and I was very impressed by how well the kids did. Unfortunately Luke did get sick on the way home, but that's going to happen. We did have the occasional whine, tantrum, etc, but for a 4 and 1 year old, they did great. I cannot state enough how much the DVD player helped. If only we had one of those when I was a kid. It was very nice having our car there during the trip when we decided to drive to a park.

The Resort

All Star Music was everything we could have hoped for. I mentioned before, with some of the reviews we had seen, I thought we were going to be trying to pack everyone into a space slightly bigger than a closet. However, there was enough room for all of us, at least for a week. What really stood out to me was the theming. Luke loved the larger than life instruments, and loved that the buildings were all different colors. The pools were well themed and fun the day we went swimming. Even the playground was nice. Bus service was just fine. I think there was only 1 time this trip we were waiting for more than 10 minutes for a bus, which is saying something given how busy the place was. We will definitely be staying here again, and have it booked for our December, 2016 trip.

The Food

Not going to say too much more here as I talked in depth about the restaurants we ate at in the report. But we enjoyed it all. My favorite was Paradiso 37 in Disney Springs. They ironic thing is that this was Sara's least favorite. It's still undecided if we will be going here again, though convincing Sara to try it again will likely be difficult. Sara really enjoyed the character meals, and also thought the food at Mexico was really good. She is having trouble coming up with a favorite, as she enjoyed just about all of them.

The Experience

The reason you come to Disney is for those unforgettable memories, and we definitely got our share. We have some on the not-so-good side, such as Kiwi getting an ear infection, or Luke throwing a tantrum as we left Epcot. But we also have some great memories. I'm thinking about meeting Jake at Hollywood and Vine, scaring Captain Hook at Disney Jr. Live on Stage, dancing to the Osborne Lights, and sailing on the Pirates and Pals cruise. And those are just a few. I could also throw in Luke and Sara's wild ride on the Tomorrowland Speedway, which we still talk about to this day. Overall great experience here. Going with kids definitely allowed me to experience Disney through a child's eyes, and experience that magic in as pure a form as it can be experienced.

Was it Worth it?

Going back to the comments I heard as we planned our trip. That Disney is so expensive, and the kids won't remember it anyway. Well, yes, Disney is expensive. There's really no good way to plan a trip without spending a fortune. We can get mad at Disney over this, as some people do, but I always go back to the fact that Disney is a business, and businesses exist to make money. In that regard, Disney is doing what anyone else would. So I fully understand that going to Disney will never be cheap. However, as for the memories, I found our experience to be entirely opposite of what I had heard from so many people. We loved experiencing the attractions at Disney, and we still talk about it to this day. Luke is constantly bringing up what we did at Disney, and how he can't wait to ride Buzz next time we go. For Kiwi, she likely won't remember any of this, but I can't wait until she is a few years older and we get to experience the magic with both kids.

So now, I put Disney 2015 in the rear-view mirror, and soon we'll begin our plans for 2016 in earnest.

Finally, a big thank you to everyone to took time out of their day to read this report. It really was a joy to write, as I attempted to put into words exactly what we had experienced. I've read so many great reports out there, and I look forward to reading many more in the future.
 

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
Nice report, fun to read. I really hate when people say not to bring young kids to Disney because they won't remember it. It is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. If that was the case why do anything with young kids?! They might not remember a zoo, a show, or a museum but people still take their kids to those. Or for that matter, I'm in my mid-30's and I don't remember sometimes what I did last week. Isn't the point to go and have fun together, create stronger family bonds, and maybe some good memories? Good for you for having fun with your family!
(Sorry for the mini-rant, a lady I work with said today that WDW was too expensive to go to with kids. I pointed out her kids are under 3 and get in free. So then she changed her tune, and said it wasn't worth it because the kids wouldn't remember it. Then she went on about the Santa breakfast experience she took her kids to at a tree farm for Christmas. It kind of ticked me off, I don't think that her kids will remember that either.)
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
That was quite the "last day" you had at MK. I was absolutely floored when I saw the line to get in the park--yikes. It's a miracle that Sara was able to find you and Luke, after she caught the ferry behind yours. My goodness, those crowds were unreal. The long line for the treehouse was funny. I love the treehouse myself (it's classic Disney and I love the nostalgia about it), but I don't think I could wait in a long line like that to climb it! Then again, I don't travel with a 4-year-old like you do. ;)

I really like the "crowd control" system they have in Cosmic Rays during high season. That place is always a madhouse (I love Cosmic Rays!), and the two line system (one for seating) is a great idea to help with the flow.

Those were nice photos of your family with Anna and Elsa. Thought the one of Luke hugging Anna was adorable!

It's so hard to leave WDW on your last day there, and you had some good advice for Luke. I'm sure your words were comforting to him on the ferry ride back.

Haha that treehouse. Since we had already suggested it to Luke, there was no backing down. It felt so crazy to wait for it. I tried to do the best I could with Luke on the ferry. He was outwardly expressing what I was feeling on the inside.

Nice report, fun to read. I really hate when people say not to bring young kids to Disney because they won't remember it. It is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. If that was the case why do anything with young kids?! They might not remember a zoo, a show, or a museum but people still take their kids to those. Or for that matter, I'm in my mid-30's and I don't remember sometimes what I did last week. Isn't the point to go and have fun together, create stronger family bonds, and maybe some good memories? Good for you for having fun with your family!
(Sorry for the mini-rant, a lady I work with said today that WDW was too expensive to go to with kids. I pointed out her kids are under 3 and get in free. So then she changed her tune, and said it wasn't worth it because the kids wouldn't remember it. Then she went on about the Santa breakfast experience she took her kids to at a tree farm for Christmas. It kind of ticked me off, I don't think that her kids will remember that either.)

thanks ajrwdwgirl. It's such a popular refrain to say Disney costs too much and my kids won't remember it. I get the thinking behind it. If you're only going to go one time, why not wait til they can remember it. But so far we've been amazed at how much Luke has remembered, and Sara and I had such a good experience getting to watch Luke and Makayla experience everything for the first time. Definitely worth it in my opinion.
 

hollymc3

Active Member
Nice report, fun to read. I really hate when people say not to bring young kids to Disney because they won't remember it. It is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. If that was the case why do anything with young kids?! They might not remember a zoo, a show, or a museum but people still take their kids to those. Or for that matter, I'm in my mid-30's and I don't remember sometimes what I did last week. Isn't the point to go and have fun together, create stronger family bonds, and maybe some good memories? Good for you for having fun with your family!
(Sorry for the mini-rant, a lady I work with said today that WDW was too expensive to go to with kids. I pointed out her kids are under 3 and get in free. So then she changed her tune, and said it wasn't worth it because the kids wouldn't remember it. Then she went on about the Santa breakfast experience she took her kids to at a tree farm for Christmas. It kind of ticked me off, I don't think that her kids will remember that either.)
I absolutely agree. Should you do nothing with your children until they are 5 because they won't remember? This is when you build the foundation of a loving family!
 

hollymc3

Active Member
We leave for our trip in 7 days! I really enjoyed reading your report as I count down the days. I have 16 yo triplets. Your report brought back memories of our first trip when they each had a turn at vomit and fever over the course of the week. We still made amazing memories that trip and everyone since then!
 

Lyear

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We leave for our trip in 7 days! I really enjoyed reading your report as I count down the days. I have 16 yo triplets. Your report brought back memories of our first trip when they each had a turn at vomit and fever over the course of the week. We still made amazing memories that trip and everyone since then!

Hope you have a great trip. I hear January is a great time. 16 year old triplets...must be tough on the family car ;)
 

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