Trip Report Family Fun in the Hot, Hot Florida Sun!!

Hello All!! I'm back(unfortunately) from yet another wonderful trip to Walt Disney World. Lot's of fun & sweat(not trying to be gross but wow, was it ever nasty) was had by all!! Speaking of all--let me introduce you to our party of 10!! Most of these faces will be familiar to you but there are a few new ones in the mix!! I'll try to do this as simply as possible--

From left to right(somewhat): My sister C, my niece E(C & D's daughter), R(not sure why he's looking so miserable) & myself, in front of me(white shirt) is my niece B, in the green is E's niece L, my niece A(C & D's youngest) is wearing the blue glasses(when she remembers to put them on--her last trip to Disney prior to this one she actually left them at home), then we have "the same old crew" E & J, and last but certainly not least is my BIL D.
Whew--I'm glad you've met most of these people in the past--otherwise this could get very confusing!!

C's family was there June 13th-27th. They stayed the first week at their timeshare right outside of Disney. They spent their second week at our favorite home away from home. The rest of us were there June 18th-25th.

I'm looking forward to reliving the trip with you all--everything but the heat that is!! A big welcome to everyone reading out there!!

 

[wdw93]

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19TH

Back here at home E & I meet every morning at 6:00(as long as I don't have to work super early--sometimes I have to start at 4:00) and walk 3 miles. Since L was staying with her & would be in the room with J E said she would still like to walk at POR. This first day we decided to meet at 6:30. After that day we moved the time back to 6 b/c 6:30 didn't give us enough time & we felt too rushed.

The view from the front of our building.
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Our room--2nd floor.
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Look at this beautiful rainbow!! It was simply amazing & perfect!! I took tons of pictures but they're all pretty much the same so I'm just going to share a few.
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What a great way to start the day!! @Minnesota disney fan isn't it beautiful?

We went down to FQ.
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When we were done I went back with E to her room. She had placed an order through Garden Grocer & had got R a weeks supply of bananas(remember that he has to have one every day).

This was the view from her room.
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R's bananas. E said she felt bad b/c they were so small. I told her not to feel bad. It's not like she grew them!!
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I was so bummed when I looked at my watch. It had stopped I absolutely HAVE TO WEAR A WATCH. I don't like to look at my phone for the time, I like to look at my watch. Now, I had to go for a whole week not knowing what time it was. I still wore the watch most of the week b/c I feel weird not having it on.This isn't the first time this has happened to me on vacation either. I went to Key West & it had stopped on the day I got there. I like looking at a clock also. At work I'm always turning & looking over my shoulder at the clock on the wall even though the computer(that's right in front of my face)tells me the time. I guess I'm a bit old school!!
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I had stopped at The Riverside Mill to get R his apples & juice. B got a cinnamon roll & I got a yogurt parfait.
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Try a Citizen Ecodrive-

 

[winstongator]

So I learned today why sometimes they don't show up. There are 2 RIFD chips in the bands. One is for close range, like purchasing, getting into the park, scanning FP+ (this one continues working) the other is for farther away like ride photos and location at BOG, and has to have a battery. If the band is over 2 years old, the battery could be dead, and that's why the ride photos aren't showing up.

This is why my HM ride pictures didn't show up. I need to sort my magic bands by old & new.

 

[winstongator]

TUESDAY, JUNE 18TH

The skies weren't looking too promising after dinner.
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We were supposed to meet up with the rest of the family for our Mine Train FP's. I got a text from my niece, E that they were heading out b/c there was a storm coming. We decided to do the same.
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Pretty rainbow!!
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We stopped in The Confectionary to get some jelly beans. Those few minutes in there cost us b/c when we came out the heavens were coming down on us. It was a drenching rain.
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By the time we made it to the bus stop we were thoroughly soaked. On the bright side there was a Riverside bus there waiting.
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J's smiling b/c he has jelly beans!!
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B wasn't too thrilled with how wet she was--I didn't blame her!!
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I would have rolled the dice on the mine train FP's. You got the worst of both - no mine train, and got wet. We brought our raincoats when we were there the week earlier and got good use out of them!

 

[riverside]

I was standing on the MK boat dock to get to ft wilderness when the tornado warning happened. Probably the most terrifying experience we’ve had at Disney. There really was nowhere for us to go! We ended up on one of the large boats that pulled up, they advised us it was our best option. We were stuck on the boat for about 45 minutes, luckily we did make it to HDDR on time, but soaked!

I would have been so scared. I am absolutely terrified to be outside or in a car while there is thunder & lightening so to be out during a tornado warning would probably have pushed me over the edge. Glad you made it to HDDR. I hope you enjoyed it!!

I'm with ya on the mediocre food at Sci-Fi and the service was so lacking a couple year back when we went, that we decided to take it off our must eat at list of restaurants. They actually lost our reservation and kept calling all these families that had checked in after us so when I finally brought it to their attention, they get us seated in the drive in which is not a car! They said they didn't have anything left. Ugh, I was not a happy camper. Sorry that you had so much rain on this trip but you all seemed to make the most of it and enjoyed yourselves anyway.

That stinks--I would have been quite irritated. To show how different people can be: Last year when we ate there they went to seat us & as we got to the table the CM realized that the table hadn't been cleared from the people before us. She kept apologizing & I told her it was not a big deal in the least bit. She offered each one of us a free appetizer for our inconvenience. I told her that was absolutely not necessary.
The rain is a bummer but a rainy day in Disney is better than a rainy day here!! And, in true Pittsburgh fashion, it's pouring here right now!!

Try a Citizen Ecodrive-

Very wise idea!! I will have to look into that!!

I would have rolled the dice on the mine train FP's. You got the worst of both - no mine train, and got wet. We brought our raincoats when we were there the week earlier and got good use out of them!

It was closed at that point. It probably did open later but none of us felt like sticking around. I did feel bad for L b/c she had never been on it. We went on later in the trip so it was all good!! After our HS day the rain was pretty much non existent. At that point I was wishing for it to rain--the heat became unbearable!

 

[myhappyplace]

It was closed at that point. It probably did open later but none of us felt like sticking around. I did feel bad for L b/c she had never been on it. We went on later in the trip so it was all good!! After our HS day the rain was pretty much non existent. At that point I was wishing for it to rain--the heat became unbearable!

Yes! While the rain was getting old to deal with, it did cool it down some. According to my phone, though you weren't on property yet, on the Sunday (16th) the temp dropped into the 70s after a rain!

 

[riverside]

THURSDAY, JUNE 20TH

B & I headed to Everest as quickly as we could. Since it was early the crowds were light so it was pretty quick getting there.

Hi J!!

E informed me that J kept saying he didn't feel well & had to puke. She kept a bag out just in case.

The sun was so bright & strong already. We knew it would be a hot day. My phone started ringing--it was R. He was lost I had given him specific directions on how to get to Everest along with telling him to follow the signs to Asia. He said he had no clue were he was. After he explained his current surroundings I realized he was near the Maharajah Jungle Trek.

R finally found his way & decided that he didn't want to go on Everest b/c he doesn't like the part where it goes backwards. E & L used R & J's bands and rode again!!

R & J were waiting for us when we came off the ride. Thank goodness they didn't wander around--they might have got lost!! Then again, it was J who helped navigate R through HS so R would have been in good hands with him!!

 

[riverside]

Yes! While the rain was getting old to deal with, it did cool it down some. According to my phone, though you weren't on property yet, on the Sunday (16th) the temp dropped into the 70s after a rain!

That would have been so welcomed!! I know it's June & going to be hot but it was unbearable. Even the kids were feeling it & it normally doesn't bother them.

 

[riverside]

THURSDAY, JUNE 20TH

As it turned out my friend & her family had a change of plans & ended up going to Epcot. They were going to come to AK later. We said we'd try to meet up. We decided to still see the 10:00 FotLK show.

I was loving the low crowds!!

J looks like he's on a mission. He was feeling a bit better at that point.

I was amazed at how much available seating there was in the theater. I would have to assume it's b/c it was the first show of the day & it wasn't that crowded in the park yet.

After the show R got a lemonade. He gets kidney stones quite frequently & his doctor recommends drinking lemonade. A few weeks before we left he ended up in the ER b/c he was in so much pain. He normally passes them & while it's painful it normally doesn't warrant a trip to the ER. They did a scan & told him he currently had 3 stones. He ended up passing one that evening. Then he went through a full week of sheer torture until he finally passed a 5.4 mm stone!! For anyone that knows anything about kidney stones you know a stone that size is going to cause issues. I kept telling him if he didn't pass it by the time we left he would have to keep riding BTMRR over & over again. I had read articles where it was proven that the ride helped people to pass stones. Fortunately for him though he passed it before we left. He probably wouldn't have ended up coming on the trip had he not passed it b/c the pain is so intense.
He also got a button since he donated to the Disney Conservation Fund.

 

[riverside]

THURSDAY, JUNE 20TH

Up next we had a FP for Kilimanjaro Safaris--a favorite of J's. They made a change to the stroller parking & IMO it wasn't for the good. You used to take the stroller through the line & shortly before boarding there was an area to drop your stroller off. Now, if you have a FP you have to park the stroller at the beginning of the attraction. If you're in the standby line you do it the old way With the old way everyone was dropping off their strollers at the same spot. So now as you're walking through the FP line people are cutting across you so they can drop off their strollers since the drop off point is to the right of the FP line. It made no sense & it was completely disorganized. I hope they make some modifications to that.

I didn't take too many pictures but I never noticed this waterfall before.

Our guide told us it was a treat to see the giraffes sitting b/c it's something they rarely do.

This one got a bit close!! I loved it!!

Afterwards R saw a PP photographer & wanted to stop & get a picture. He asked her if it was alright to hold the sign above his head. Ok, then......

This has to be the most ridiculous picture I have ever seen. She told us to pretend like we were walking. I assumed it would be some kind of magic shot but I guess I was wrong?? Or maybe the "magic part" somehow didn't make it into the photo. Who knows but it looks ridiculous.

 

[susan lees]

THURSDAY, JUNE 20TH

Up next we had a FP for Kilimanjaro Safaris--a favorite of J's. They made a change to the stroller parking & IMO it wasn't for the good. You used to take the stroller through the line & shortly before boarding there was an area to drop your stroller off. Now, if you have a FP you have to park the stroller at the beginning of the attraction. If you're in the standby line you do it the old way With the old way everyone was dropping off their strollers at the same spot. So now as you're walking through the FP line people are cutting across you so they can drop off their strollers since the drop off point is to the right of the FP line. It made no sense & it was completely disorganized. I hope they make some modifications to that.
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I didn't take too many pictures but I never noticed this waterfall before.
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Our guide told us it was a treat to see the giraffes sitting b/c it's something they rarely do.
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This one got a bit close!! I loved it!!
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Afterwards R saw a PP photographer & wanted to stop & get a picture. He asked her if it was alright to hold the sign above his head. Ok, then......
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This has to be the most ridiculous picture I have ever seen. She told us to pretend like we were walking. I assumed it would be some kind of magic shot but I guess I was wrong?? Or maybe the "magic part" somehow didn't make it into the photo. Who knows but it looks ridiculous.
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J doesn't look very impressed lol. Fun picture though.

 

[krisri18]

THURSDAY, JUNE 20TH

B & I headed to Everest as quickly as we could. Since it was early the crowds were light so it was pretty quick getting there.
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Hi J!!
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E informed me that J kept saying he didn't feel well & had to puke. She kept a bag out just in case.
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The sun was so bright & strong already. We knew it would be a hot day. My phone started ringing--it was R. He was lost I had given him specific directions on how to get to Everest along with telling him to follow the signs to Asia. He said he had no clue were he was. After he explained his current surroundings I realized he was near the Maharajah Jungle Trek.
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R finally found his way & decided that he didn't want to go on Everest b/c he doesn't like the part where it goes backwards. E & L used R & J's bands and rode again!!
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R & J were waiting for us when we came off the ride. Thank goodness they didn't wander around--they might have got lost!! Then again, it was J who helped navigate R through HS so R would have been in good hands with him!!
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The guy in the green shirt in front of you on Everest! Lol

 

[krisri18]

THURSDAY, JUNE 20TH

As it turned out my friend & her family had a change of plans & ended up going to Epcot. They were going to come to AK later. We said we'd try to meet up. We decided to still see the 10:00 FotLK show.
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I was loving the low crowds!!
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J looks like he's on a mission. He was feeling a bit better at that point.
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I was amazed at how much available seating there was in the theater. I would have to assume it's b/c it was the first show of the day & it wasn't that crowded in the park yet.
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After the show R got a lemonade. He gets kidney stones quite frequently & his doctor recommends drinking lemonade. A few weeks before we left he ended up in the ER b/c he was in so much pain. He normally passes them & while it's painful it normally doesn't warrant a trip to the ER. They did a scan & told him he currently had 3 stones. He ended up passing one that evening. Then he went through a full week of sheer torture until he finally passed a 5.4 mm stone!! For anyone that knows anything about kidney stones you know a stone that size is going to cause issues. I kept telling him if he didn't pass it by the time we left he would have to keep riding BTMRR over & over again. I had read articles where it was proven that the ride helped people to pass stones. Fortunately for him though he passed it before we left. He probably wouldn't have ended up coming on the trip had he not passed it b/c the pain is so intense.
He also got a button since he donated to the Disney Conservation Fund.
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Kidney stones are no joke! I've had them twice and it's the worst pain I've ever had in my life, and I've had 3 children!

 

[lindawdw]

I've heard how horrible the pain for kidney stones can be so I'm glad R was able to pass them before the trip! I think the PP photographer was trying to imitate the scene on R's Hakuna Matata shirt.

 

[riverside]

J doesn't look very impressed lol. Fun picture though.

No, he doesn't. Maybe he was still feeling a little under the weather??

The guy in the green shirt in front of you on Everest! Lol

Kidney stones are no joke! I've had them twice and it's the worst pain I've ever had in my life, and I've had 3 children!

That's what I hear--the worst pain. The nurse had a hard time getting an IV in him b/c he was sweating so bad from the pain. Once he got the pain meds he was a totally different person. It's amazing something so small can cause so much pain.

 

[riverside]

I've heard how horrible the pain for kidney stones can be so I'm glad R was able to pass them before the trip! I think the PP photographer was trying to imitate the scene on R's Hakuna Matata shirt.

I was glad too--I was tired of listening to him whine!! JK--I felt bad for him. He's passed around 10 stones over the years & as long as they are on the smaller end it's not as bad but is still painful. He's had a few that were questionable if he would be able to pass them b/c of their size. He was scheduled for surgery one time & he miraculously ended up passing it a few hours before surgery was due to start!!
You might be right about the scene on the shirt!!

 

[riverside]

THURSDAY, JUNE 20TH

We worked up such an appetite from our "walking photo" that we were hungry for lunch. We were going to go to Flame Tree but given what our dinner plans were we thought the food was too similar to what we would be eating later so we headed to Yak & Yeti.
I pretty much always get the same thing--an egg roll & chicken fried rice.

There's the star of the show though--a Safari Amber!! R & I split it which was a big mistake b/c he ended up really liking it so that was less for me to have.

Either J still wasn't feeling good or he was incredibly bored. I can't recall.

After lunch we headed to our next FP for Dinosaur. The ride must have been down earlier b/c here was the start of the FP line!!

E is scared to death of this ride. She's the one that I torture by taking photos of this & sending them to her. I know, I'm such a mean aunt. She decided today was the day she was going to conquer her fear & keep her eyes open the whole time!! She even wore that shirt for the occasion. She also said she wanted to sit next to me. I told her we needed to get our picture together to document this important event!!

While in the never ending FP line it started to pour & we had literally nowhere to go. Then the guy in front of us(he was with his son) was told "Access Denied"!! He didn't speak English & didn't understand what the CM was trying to tell him. The bottom line was his FP was for FOP, not Dinosaur. This kept going on & on--the worst part was we were getting more soaked by the second b/c of him. Finally we were told to go around them.

Imagine my surprise when I turned around to see him behind us in line(blue shirt)! I guess the CM gave up & let them in. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Dinosaur but..... Maybe he hadn't been on FOP yet & didn't know what he was missing. I hope they enjoyed their ride back in time & didn't end up waiting standby for FOP at some point!!

While we were in line A decided on how the seating arrangements should go. She didn't tell E but she told me that she wanted her older sister to sit on the end closest to the big dino so she could be scared more. Not very nice A, but funny!! I was to go next then it would be A then B.
E's all smiles--for now!!

The amount of times this happens are few & far between......

 

[riverside]

THURSDAY, JUNE 20TH

...but not this time!! I feel like it's been forever since a ride pic from Dinosaur has found it's way into my PP account. So, E ended up handling it quite well. She may not look thrilled but at least her eyes are open!! A shouldn't have been making fun of her sister b/c she is obviously a scaredy cat herself--look at her arms wrapped around mine!! Then there's D--he has the "thinking" look going on.

While we were in prehistoric times J caught up with some friends.

 

[riverside]

THURSDAY, JUNE 20TH

Upon leaving Dinosaur I saw that Pluto was out with only a few people in line. I asked who wanted to stop to meet him. Everyone kept walking except R & E(I think they felt bad for me that's why they stuck around). After a few minutes in line the CM said that Pluto would only be out for 5 more minutes. No big deal--I knew we would make it. Until, that is, the two women in front of us took their turn. Listen, I get it, everyone pays their admission & deserves to have a good time. But, knowing that he was going to be leaving wouldn't you be courteous enough to make sure everyone in line was going to get a turn & not take up a ton of his time? What made it worse was that these 2 grown women talked to him in voices like they were talking to a 1 month old puppy. Then things escalated to a whole new level. They started making him do tricks like he was a real dog. Then they got down on their hands & knees and were asking him to do tricks with them & were barking like they were dogs. Not only was it rude to take up that much time but WHAT THEY WERE DOING WAS DOWNRIGHT CREEPY!!! I felt so sorry for whoever it was in that costume. I really wanted to take a few pics but it would have been way too obvious so I didn't.

Fortunately, there was still time for us.

We got a quick picture & left so the poor guy could go take a well earned break.

Walking through Dinoland we saw that Goofy didn't have many people in line to see him so we got in. I'm glad we did--this is the only other PP whole group photo we got during this trip other than the one we took the first day in front of BTMRR.

Goofy was all about the fist pounds!!

E got one too!!

No--that baby is not part of our group....

 

[Zipadeelady]

You are a better person than me. I would've taken pictures. I love people that can interact with the characters but you're right that was creepy.

 

[riverside]

You are a better person than me. I would've taken pictures. I love people that can interact with the characters but you're right that was creepy.

I really wanted to but I couldn't find a clever way to do it. I agree esp. when it's adults by themselves. I never know what to say--that's why I like having the kids around. I can still see them but the focus is on the kids!! R kept mumbling to me & E looked like she was in a state of shock. It was so weird that I actually felt embarrassed watching it if that makes sense.