Trip Report May 7-14 Trip Report

seems like Disney gets a bad wrap from time to time on the state of the WDW resort. I must say, we just returned from what can easily be described as 8 of the best days of my life with constant Disney Magic and employees going way above and beyond for us. The trip included my wife, our 5 year old daughter and 3 year old son. They were surprised to see my parents board the airport shuttle as a surprise addition to our trip! When we arrived in Orlando, Nana was their waiting by the Mickey as well making it a great start to the trip! High level recap, we stayed at Caribbean Beach, one of our favorites. For the first time in forever (see what I did there) my son had the courage to go down the resort water slides! The food court was great and the white sand beach was a great start to the trip to burn off some energy.

Night one included a swim at CBR, and a trip to the Boardwalk. We enjoyed the street shows and hit my personal favorite Beaches and screamed for ice cream. I had promised my daughter a kitchen sink but we decided to safe that for later in the week. She was still shocked to see Mickey looking at her in her ice cream! More to come, day one was an earlier night as we wanted to be up early for the opening show at MK!

 

[Blackburn23]

Day 2 we had the matching red Mickey shirts for the whole group and headed off for the Magic Kingdom for the opening show! We hit the Caribbean Beach Food Court on Saturday night so we could have breakfast in our rooms Sunday morning before we headed out to save some time. We enjoy what can only be described as the intro to what would be a fantastic vacation out front of the magic kingdom and we head in just in time to catch the horse trolley down Main Street to the castle and head to stand by for the Mine Trains. Some things I notice as we stroll, Main Street looks beautiful!! The smells from the Confectionery are fantastic. The staff is all out on main street smiling and waiving to my kiddos. It truly is like another world when you walk under the train station. While we hit a 45 minute wait at 7DMT, this would prove to be by far our longest wait of the entire trip! The kids really enjoyed the games in the line and climbing on the rocks. This was my sons first roller coaster and he absolutely loved it!

From there we used our first fast pass and met Cinderella and Rapunzel. Keep in mind, Nana has never been to Disney so I am trying to show her all it has to offer as she is only staying with us until mid-week. Of all of the princesses that we met on this trip, Cinderella takes the award for the best! She was so engaging and talked to our kids for a long time. My son was very shy so she asked for a hug and he sat down on her lap and received a a large lip stick mark on this cheek which was adorable. we left with a smile and a thank you and made the trek to Tomorrowland to ride Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. Now I know we are not following the flow of the park, but my son has talked about Buzz for months and this was his big moment...... but the ride was shut down from technical difficulties for the morning...

However, Buzz Lightyear himself was standing just a few feet away with a smile ready to meet our kids. We breezed past the ride and for the first time in his young life, my son met his favorite character in person! My daughter added another unique name to her autograph book (we got the one from Celebrations press that has stickers for the autographs and a place to put your pictures - its really cute).

After meeting Buzz, we had about 25 minutes to get to Splash Mountain for our second fast pass. My daughter was told she couldnt ride the last time we visited because she was too short, so this was her year to conquer the mountain. On the way, we came across the Move It Shake It Street Party and low and behold, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde were in the street dancing. My kids got to dance and sing and play with both of them along with Chip, Woody, and Jesse for a solid 10 minutes before we headed on to the mountain range. One of those random surprises that you encounter that wasnt in your plans, but is so much fun to run into.

My daughter conquered the mountain as she dreamed and loved every second of it. We waited about 2 total minutes to board and my mother-in-law got by far the most soaked (worked out well ).

At this point we have a tired and hungry crew. My son has been playing on the play set at the exit of Splash while we rode. So we pick him and my mom up and head to our favorite quick service in MK, Columbia Harbor House for some fish and chicken. Fantastic meal! Despite the huge lines one server offered to carry my second tray to our table, just another staff member going way out of the way to help. We always sit above the walkway to fantasyland as we eat there and can see the riverboat and the Haunted Mansion from that view.

After we eat, we decide to head back to the resort for a break. We take a slow stroll through Liberty Square and admire the detail of the buildings. Ever notice the leather straps that hold the shutters on, representing the latter stages of the revolutionary war? Amazing detail! We head down main street and get some pictures and head off for a break before an evening to be spent touring World Showcase!

More to come.....

 

[cgersic]

Great report so far! Following along!

 

[DiSnEyF@n]

Can't wait to read more!

 

[Blackburn23]

Day 2 part 2

Naps were a great call and we had two fully refreshed kiddos ready to head to EPCOT for the evening. The matching shirts were retired and everyone was energized for what we hoped would be a fun evening in World Showcase. The goal for the evening was to start on the Mexico side and work our way around, sampling food as we went, enjoying shows, and letting the kids enjoy the KidCot booths. We arrived out front of EPCOT, and headed into the main gate. I must say, one of my favorite parts of Disney that is kind of a hidden extra they do is the bus music. It is so fun to head to a park and hear the sounds of the park, same with the return to the resort each time, I get to listen to the steel drum and the sounds of the Caribbean.

Anyways, we head in and grab some photo pass shots out front. The other fun thing we have planned tonight is to check out the flower and garden designs throughout the park. For each one the kiddos get right they get a sticker. Also keep in mind we have a first timer in tow in my mother in law, so to her, she is still shocked that there is a whole other park that we are at!

After a few pictures we see a zero wait time for Spaceship Earth so we go for it. We thanked the Phoenicians and the kids enjoyed the video with their pictures on the way down. I had never seen this version, so that was pretty fun to watch. We then headed to Innoventions West to do the Disney Visa meet and greet. If you do not already have a Disney Visa, it is so worth it! The kids get a private room to meet and interact with both Mickey and Goofy. We get free photo pass pictures as well. There was no one in line, so we were able to stay and engage with them for a good 10 minutes which was a really neat experience for the kids.

From there, we headed to the left side of World Showcase and stopped at the Cantina (the little piece of heaven walk up counter in Mexico). We go my favorite, chicken tacos and the loaded nachos. We found a table right out on the lagoon and shared them as a family which was alot of fun. Fun fact for everyone, there is a fake owl at the top of the light in the out door seating area. The fake owl is not really a very hard worker as we had a white stork enjoying our tacos as soon as we sat down. The staff quickly came to our rescue and got us a new plate of food which was very nice of them!!

After food stop #1, we headed into Mexico and the kids colored their Duffy bear sticks for the trek around the lagoon. We enjoyed the lazy boat ride of the Three Caballeros, which in my opinion is a hidden gem. The new close to the show with the audio-anamatronic (sp) three amigos was awesome! Very nice additional to the ride.

From here we made a pass through Norway, they have a beautiful Elsa and Anna floral display out front. Small hope that the ride might be testing, but it wasnt. No problem as we continued on. We arrived in China and watched the full show of the acrobats (leaping dragons I think is what they are called). Very impressive and not a single thing that I can do. The kids really enjoyed the show and my daughter still tries to re-create the moves she saw here at home.

Germany was a quick pass through on our way to Italy. My mother in law has always dreamed of going to Italy but has never had the chance. This was fun to see her reaction to the country and interacting with the staff. She took many many pictures. Its funny, she thought that world showcase was like a tent with booths, so it was fun to see it through her eyes as she realized how real they are. For many, this will be the closest they will every come in their lives to these countries, me included. I of course joined my daughter in enjoying our second course...... Gelato! She went chocolate, I went vanilla. We made our way to America. Now for years growing up I groaned and complained about the concerts as they were usually my dads groups, 3 Dog Night, Paul Revere and the Raiders, etc. This time, the tables were turned as the Gin Blossums began their set! We made it through 2 songs as nightfall was coming so we continued on (with my kids eating boxes of popcorn).

In Japan we interacted with a fantastic KidSpot Cast Member. He wrote both kids names in Japanese which was really neat on their duffys. The also presented them each with a gift. A duffy sticker for my daughter, and a ninja star he made for my son (who was wearing a turtles shirt). The rest of the evening, my son called himself the ninja star! We quickly passed through Moracco enjoying shops along the way, and my wife, parents, and mother-in-law hitting the french pastry shop. The looked good but with about 20 minutes left till Illuminations, I made a run to the UK for my annual fish-and-chips!!

We watched Illuminations from the just past the bridge in the UK in front of the gateway. Again the joys of going with a first timer, my mother-in-law turned around very concerned at the fireball and said, "is something going wrong!!"

Honestly, I watched my kids more than I watched the fireworks. I did this alot during the trip. To see things through their eyes is priceless. How real the characters are, the rides for the first time, and seeing the fireworks explode in my sons eyes are memories that I will have forever.

The fireworks ended and the park was closed. There is not too many places in the world more beautiful than World Showcase at night after Illuminations with the lights and the music, I simply love soaking that all in. Anyways, we made a quick pass through Canada and headed through the gateway to get a bus at Hollywood Studios to avoid the EPCOT Crowd. I LOVE riding the friendship boats and strolling the boardwalk at night, so we danced (literally) around the Boardwalk enjoying the ambiance and boarded a boat at the Swan/Dolphin to Hollywood Studios. The palm trees lit and set to music on the Dolphin walkway is really fun by the way and worth the trip in the evening! We enjoyed the closing of the Star Wars fireworks as we road the boat back and literally walked past the front gate at DHS as the fireworks ended getting to the front of the bus line beautifully! From there, it was baths and bed, we had another full park day coming up for Monday!!

Stay tuned.....

 

[DiSnEyF@n]

Day 2 part 2

Naps were a great call and we had two fully refreshed kiddos ready to head to EPCOT for the evening. The matching shirts were retired and everyone was energized for what we hoped would be a fun evening in World Showcase. The goal for the evening was to start on the Mexico side and work our way around, sampling food as we went, enjoying shows, and letting the kids enjoy the KidCot booths. We arrived out front of EPCOT, and headed into the main gate. I must say, one of my favorite parts of Disney that is kind of a hidden extra they do is the bus music. It is so fun to head to a park and hear the sounds of the park, same with the return to the resort each time, I get to listen to the steel drum and the sounds of the Caribbean.

Anyways, we head in and grab some photo pass shots out front. The other fun thing we have planned tonight is to check out the flower and garden designs throughout the park. For each one the kiddos get right they get a sticker. Also keep in mind we have a first timer in tow in my mother in law, so to her, she is still shocked that there is a whole other park that we are at!

After a few pictures we see a zero wait time for Spaceship Earth so we go for it. We thanked the Phoenicians and the kids enjoyed the video with their pictures on the way down. I had never seen this version, so that was pretty fun to watch. We then headed to Innoventions West to do the Disney Visa meet and greet. If you do not already have a Disney Visa, it is so worth it! The kids get a private room to meet and interact with both Mickey and Goofy. We get free photo pass pictures as well. There was no one in line, so we were able to stay and engage with them for a good 10 minutes which was a really neat experience for the kids.

From there, we headed to the left side of World Showcase and stopped at the Cantina (the little piece of heaven walk up counter in Mexico). We go my favorite, chicken tacos and the loaded nachos. We found a table right out on the lagoon and shared them as a family which was alot of fun. Fun fact for everyone, there is a fake owl at the top of the light in the out door seating area. The fake owl is not really a very hard worker as we had a white stork enjoying our tacos as soon as we sat down. The staff quickly came to our rescue and got us a new plate of food which was very nice of them!!

After food stop #1, we headed into Mexico and the kids colored their Duffy bear sticks for the trek around the lagoon. We enjoyed the lazy boat ride of the Three Caballeros, which in my opinion is a hidden gem. The new close to the show with the audio-anamatronic (sp) three amigos was awesome! Very nice additional to the ride.

From here we made a pass through Norway, they have a beautiful Elsa and Anna floral display out front. Small hope that the ride might be testing, but it wasnt. No problem as we continued on. We arrived in China and watched the full show of the acrobats (leaping dragons I think is what they are called). Very impressive and not a single thing that I can do. The kids really enjoyed the show and my daughter still tries to re-create the moves she saw here at home.

Germany was a quick pass through on our way to Italy. My mother in law has always dreamed of going to Italy but has never had the chance. This was fun to see her reaction to the country and interacting with the staff. She took many many pictures. Its funny, she thought that world showcase was like a tent with booths, so it was fun to see it through her eyes as she realized how real they are. For many, this will be the closest they will every come in their lives to these countries, me included. I of course joined my daughter in enjoying our second course...... Gelato! She went chocolate, I went vanilla. We made our way to America. Now for years growing up I groaned and complained about the concerts as they were usually my dads groups, 3 Dog Night, Paul Revere and the Raiders, etc. This time, the tables were turned as the Gin Blossums began their set! We made it through 2 songs as nightfall was coming so we continued on (with my kids eating boxes of popcorn).

In Japan we interacted with a fantastic KidSpot Cast Member. He wrote both kids names in Japanese which was really neat on their duffys. The also presented them each with a gift. A duffy sticker for my daughter, and a ninja star he made for my son (who was wearing a turtles shirt). The rest of the evening, my son called himself the ninja star! We quickly passed through Moracco enjoying shops along the way, and my wife, parents, and mother-in-law hitting the french pastry shop. The looked good but with about 20 minutes left till Illuminations, I made a run to the UK for my annual fish-and-chips!!

We watched Illuminations from the just past the bridge in the UK in front of the gateway. Again the joys of going with a first timer, my mother-in-law turned around very concerned at the fireball and said, "is something going wrong!!"

Honestly, I watched my kids more than I watched the fireworks. I did this alot during the trip. To see things through their eyes is priceless. How real the characters are, the rides for the first time, and seeing the fireworks explode in my sons eyes are memories that I will have forever.

The fireworks ended and the park was closed. There is not too many places in the world more beautiful than World Showcase at night after Illuminations with the lights and the music, I simply love soaking that all in. Anyways, we made a quick pass through Canada and headed through the gateway to get a bus at Hollywood Studios to avoid the EPCOT Crowd. I LOVE riding the friendship boats and strolling the boardwalk at night, so we danced (literally) around the Boardwalk enjoying the ambiance and boarded a boat at the Swan/Dolphin to Hollywood Studios. The palm trees lit and set to music on the Dolphin walkway is really fun by the way and worth the trip in the evening! We enjoyed the closing of the Star Wars fireworks as we road the boat back and literally walked past the front gate at DHS as the fireworks ended getting to the front of the bus line beautifully! From there, it was baths and bed, we had another full park day coming up for Monday!!

Stay tuned.....

I love everything about this post..... From your mom enjoying Epcot and Disney for the first time to describing how you're enjoying Disney through your children's eyes. That's what Disney all about!!!
I can't wait to read more! Thanks

 

[Blackburn23]

Here we go, day 3 part 1.......

We had a late night on our first day but the kids were full of energy, so they were up and ready to roll by 8:30 the next morning (Monday the 9th). Today we are starting out at Hollywood Studio and wrapping up the day at the MK with Wishes and Ice Cream. Today, quite a few magical moments were in store, more than we could have imagined!

If I havent mentioned it before, the weather was perfect for our week, upper 80s and sunny, could not have asked for better. We make our way into the park and hit a few photo pass stations on the way to breakfast at Starring Rolls Bakery. We had a 9:00 fast pass for Midway Mania, so w made our way back to the Pixar area. This was the first time we convinced our son to actually wear 3D glasses. He loved it! He spent the majority of the ride yelling out who he saw and reaching out to touch Buzz, Slinky Dog, and gang. Quite adorable. I am proud to say I won our ride vehicle with around 160k. Pretty good for me! From there, we made our way out to the street, my kids ran to the window and waived at Buzz and Woody as the Green Army men came marching down the street. We successfully avoided the gernades they kept dropping and got some pictures and autographs. Good times in the Pixar area! My kids favorite movie at the moment is Toy Story 2 so there is a huge connection there!

We headed back towards the Animation Courtyard and made our way to the Great Movie Ride. My mother-in-law again was blown away by the fact that there was yet another park to visit. To her, Disney was going to be like Kings Island! We spent some time checking out the hands in the cement, said hit to Goofy, and worked out way into the theatre. Personally, I liked the old queue better where we could watch more movie clips, but its always good to see new sponsors coming in. We got the gangster scene which is by far my favorite!! Still waiting for the guys in the car to have the guys to stay and fight..... The biggest disappointment was not seeing Mongo punch the horse in the closing segment from Blazing Saddles. But overall, great updates.

We are pushing it big time to get to our next fast pass at the Frozen Sing Along but we made it and were right in the middle. I have to say, I really enjoyed this! The historians of Arendale were absolutely hilarious and made the whole show very fun for the adults while the kids obviously loved signing. My daughters eyes when Elsa appeared are something I will never forget. I believe they grew about 10 sizes and all she could do was point with her jaw wide open. Priceless!

The show wrapped up and we headed on down the walkway to meet Olaf. This is the only character my son was scared of. I think Olaf turned out to be a bit bigger in person than he thought. He just kept backing up and saying nope, nope, nope..... hahaha

We headed over to the streets of America. It was REALLY strange seeing the walls up and all of that area closed. We headed over and threw some coins to miss Piggy in the fountain and headed in to see the show. Muppets are always fun and again seeing the kiddos reaching for pie.

It was now about 12:30 so we hit the ABC Commissary and grabbed some lunch and enjoyed the air conditioning for a bit. We made our way around the part towards the entrance, listening to the Stunt Show blow things up on the way. Time for the mid day naps for the kids and my wife and some pool time for dad. The evening coming at the Magic Kingdom would be truly magical, beyond anything we could have expected at Disney!!

stay tuned and thank you for the kind words! It is so fun to share our our trip!

 

[Blackburn23]

Continuing on with Day 3 part 2:

Napping when we did allowed us to miss the boiling part of the day and recharge the kiddos for a late night at the Magic Kingdom which was staying open until 11:00. This night would prove to be full of truly magical moments that only Disney can provide.

We arrived back at the park around 5:00 PM. My son had his eyes right away on the WDW Rail Road so we made our way up to the Main Street Station for a full circle tour around the MK. We rode in the first car behind the engine so the kids could see the steam and the engineer. What a fun ride that is and the little hidden moments during the ride are so fun. I always enjoy looking through the shrubs to see backstage. My kiddos really like the tunnel in Frontierland that allows you to see the river boat at the end of Splash, and the front row seat for Thunder Mountain which we had not ridden yet! It was also fun for them to see the Indian village and to watch with a front row seat, the engine get a re-fill on water.

So we completed the grand circle tour and made our way down from the station. We had 6:45 dinner reservations at Tony's to celebrate my mother-in-laws birthday. If i havent mentioned it, I got her a birthday button and she was just overwhelmed with the birthday wishes she got everywhere she went (more on that later)!

We walked in and were shrunk to the size of a fairy and met Tinker Bell. Really neat how the set that up to shrink you in the dark room with the LED lights. My kids ate that up and they have areas to play once inside before you meet Tink. Kids enjoyed the meet and greet and we headed over to Tony's for dinner. I will point out though, they never actually grow you back to human size......

So we check in and the kids watch Lady and the Tramp while we wait (only about 5 minutes). I was hoping to be sat in the Glass Porch area where we could see MS. Not only did they seat us here, we got a corner seat!

Our waitress was absolutely fantastic! Kind, friendly, played the role perfectly. The food was absolutely incredible as well! First big food accident of the trip happened though. My daughter was trying to pick up her plate of spaghetti and meatballs and get it closer to her and she accidentally let it slip and the entire plate ended up on her shirt and lap. Of course she was embarrassed and had pasta sauce and noodles all over her.

Magical moment #1 of the night - our waitress and the manager were on the scene before I was even able to get to the other side of the table. They quickly started singing a Frozen song (do you want to build a snowman) with the words changed to something like (do you want to eat some pasta). She was giggling and laughing the whole time as we cleaned her up. By the time she sat back down, an brand new plate of pasta was waiting for her. She was all smiles and the staff were so helpful and supportive.

Magical moment #2 - the manager walked over to me with a coupon and handed it to me. He said this coupon is good for one outfit at any retail shop in all of Disney World, no price contingent. He said we cant have one of our princesses walking around with pasta on her. It was absolutely amazing and unexpected. We were prepared to go buy her a new shirt and just deal with the pants, but Disney came through with that extra step to make sure we had a magical night!

Magical moment #3 - a big bowl of ice cream filled with chocolate shavings and candles come out for my Mother-in-Law who was shocked and a bit embarrassed. Tony's has quickly made it to my top 5 restaurants in the resort. what a great staff. I hear so much about the lack of this stuff now, but we experienced so much of it the whole trip!

We finished dinner and dove into the emporium where my little gal quickly found a rainbow mickey shirt and skirt. We changed her in a dressing room and made our way to Adventureland with the goal of hitting as many rides as we could before the 10:00 Wishes. On the bus ride over, I grabbed a fast pass Jungle Cruise and we walked straight on! Personally I think Jungle Cruise is best with the sun going down. The spotlights are on and it looks more realistic and the skippers get funnier as the night goes. We had a great skipper! It was funny, half the boat was a tour group from overseas and they clearly did not speak and English and did not have any translation headsets so they just stared blankly at our skipper who ate that up completely!

It was also fun to answer 396 questions from my daughter on this ride who thought it was all very real. Like i said, i LOVED watching these things through their eyes, it is so real to them and makes it so much more fun!

We headed from there to the Tiki Room for a Walt classic and then off to the Pirates. My son fell in love with the Pirates that night. I think the ship shooting at the fort was the winner but by the end of the ride he was singing and dancing in the boat! Disney does a great job of emptying you into gift shops so we had a family sword fight afterward (I lost).

One question, the rumor is there is a hidden Donald in the beach scene, I didnt see it. Anyone know much about this??

So from there we had a few minutes so we headed to the haunted mansion in what would be my kids first shot at that ride. We told them but they are friendly ghosts and just laugh and sing along. 2 great things happened in here:

1- my kids LOVED it and laughed and had a great time with it
2- My mother-in-law, being a first timer, had no idea what to expect. Right before we entered the library I leaned forward and pounded on the back of her doom buggy, the audible noise that followed could probably be heard in the graveyard. hahaha

Also, the end of that ride is so cool. I had no idea they could read our magic bands so to see my tombstone with my name on it was really neat! (and a bit creepy).

Anyways, we headed to Main Street and found a great spot in front of the Ice Cream parlor for the fireworks. While the family watched the projection show, my dad and I went on Ice Cream duty and got some scoops at the Parlor. We came out and delivered but my son had a bathroom emergency. It timed out perfectly and he and I walked out just as Wishes started. We were unable to make it back with the group but one of the greatest moments of the trip happened then.

I held my son and watch the fireworks burst in his eyes. His smile and wide eyes were priceless. Every penny we spent on that vacation was worth it right then. He just soaked it in and was completed speechless. Personally, I hope they never get rid of Wishes, that is such a magical moment for everyone. Thousands of people standing quietly together watching the culmination of a magical day is incredible.

The kids were still rocking pretty well so we headed to tomorrowland against the crowd. We had an hour till park close and figured we should do some rides instead of standing at the bus lot for an hour.

We headed to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger spin (which I am absolutely terrible at). This was a big moment for my son. Seeing Buzz barking out instructions and coming face to face with Zurg for the first time was really fun to watch. he sat there with his mouth wide open shooting straight up in the air. It was quite overwhelming for him but was so much fun again to see him react to it. he could barely talk afterward so we did what any good parent would to an overstimulated kid, we walked back to the entrance and did it again! After multiple pictures with the defeated Zurg behind bars we made a run to the Speedway.

Magical Moment #4 - as we entered the staff handed my kids Tomorrowland Speedway Drivers Licenses and told them they could drive! My daughter wants to be a race car driver (a dream I share with her) so this was amazing to her!! I held the pedal down and screamed the whole time while she bounced and banged us around the course. What fun!! and what HUGE smiles!!

We barely missed a nighttime ride on the TTA at park close but we were satisfied so we made our way to main street to head out. Once we go there, we noticed alot of people sitting on the sidewalks, i thought that was odd then the lights went out and.....

Magical Moment #5 - an after hours Main Street Electical Parade started! We had front row seats to all of the beautiful lights and characters!

After the parade we made our way to the bus stop and piled on for the ride back to Caribbean Beach. Why not have one more Magical Moment for the night right?

magical Moment #6 - through the silence, we suddenly heard over the intercom, "Lets sing happy birthday to our birthday girl!!!" and the whole bus sang to my mother-in-law leaving her teary eyed and smiling!

What a perfect day it was and the best part was, we werent even to the halfway point of our trip!! we would be sleeping in a bit and take a day off from the parks but we still had tons of fun in store.

day 4 coming next.

 

[cgersic]

Oh my gosh, you are seriously making me cry so much! In a good way! So special to hear you describe the looks and feelings. What a superb report - you are getting me ready for my trip next week! Soooo following along!

 

[WDWDarling]

Loving your report so much!!! Just like you mentioned, I feel like we read & hear so much negativity but reading experiences like yours just brightens my day! I'm so glad that you had so many wonderful experiences and can't wait to read more .

 

[DiSnEyF@n]

 

[Blackburn23]

Day 4 part 1

We slept in (well slept in for Disney.... till a whopping 9:15)...... Both kids woke us up jumping on the bed ready for more! Today we were out of the parks with a plan of Disney Springs for souvenirs and lunch at the Rainforest, check out the new boat house, and a visit to the Grand Floridian. All of this after of course some quality pool time!

We got up and got ready. The grandparents were still resting so my wife and I took the kiddos to the CBR food court and then off to the pool. I absolutely love the main pool at CBR. the zero entry end, two slides, and a big splash area, its just great! My kiddos went down the open slide approximately 1,395 times with me catching them at the bottom each time (which was a blast by the way)! The little smiles perfectly synched with shear terror every trip was absolutely adorable. The trust they had to do it knowing dad was at the bottom made it even more fun.

We swam for about an hour, got cleaned up and headed off for our 1:00 Rain Forrest reservation. Now I personally don't find the food at the Rain Forrest to be the best honestly, but the atmosphere is just great! For my kids, it was the question, are those real? We say right by the aquarium which was fun and after we ordered we did the full walk around and while we walked we got caught in a tropical storm (which was fun to see all the animals). My daughter got the light up cup which was a fun keepsake as well.

After the Rain Forrest we walked towards the World of Disney store and took a quick detour to the Once Upon a Toy. I mentioned earlier my kids love for Toy Story, the giant Buzz and the giant Mr. Potato head were just too much to walk past! Pictures ensued, and we headed in. My son was overloaded with Toy Story. He made about 8 Mr Potato heads that we didnt buy but had a blast making, and then it happened..... A Zurg action figure was starring at him! He grabbed it and jumped all around the store and looked up at us and very sweetly said..... "Can we buy it and take it home mommy and daddy?"

So after we convinced him to wait until we got to the World of Disney store we headed that way (Disney Visa 10% discount!!!). We thought the Once Upon a Toy was overwhelming, man were we wrong! Over the course of the next hour the store was completely turn upside down. I want this, no I want this more, no I want that one!!!! It was so fun! My daughter came out with a Shelly May Duffy, a Jessie Doll and a Jessie Hat, and Wedding day Ariel. My son came away with the big 4 Toy Story Action Figures (Buzz, Woody, Zurg, and Bullseye) and 4 of the Cars characters. Lets call it a win of a day for them!

We had a tired little boy and it was getting hot so my dad and I checked out the boathouse and the collection behind it. Neat to see a couple from Indiana where we are from. We scrapped our plan to take the Sassagola River Boats to Riverside and were preparing to head back when little buddy fell asleep in his stroller. I made the quick call to dive into the Christmas Store. We gave our daughter the task of picking out the one perfect Ornament to remember out trip by! 45 minutes later she was down to her top 3 and had about half the staff following her around giving her tips and holding her options. In the end, it was a castle that lights up, great pick!

We grabbed the next bus back to our resort and freshened up a bit. We had a few more surprises in store for the evening!

Stay tuned.

 

[Blackburn23]

Oh man and I almost forgot a really funny moment, the dancing water there at the entrance to Marketplace in the sidewalk. My daughter was standing at the edge explaining how fast she is and the water will never get her. Seconds later as she turns her head to make a dash for it, the water she was standing over jumps up and smacks her right in the mouth, and best part, I caught it all on camera! She was stunned and people walking by were treated to 5 adults in tears laughing.

 

[Zipadeelady]

Really enjoying your report!!

 

[Blackburn23]

Day 4 part 2

Little buddy slept the whole ride back to CBR and I laid him on the bed to rest some more. Channel 30 on the in room TV was popular during our trip showing the vintage Mickey cartoons which the kids loved watching throughout the week as we got things ready each day. We relaxed around the room for a bit and prepared for a fun night. Tonight we were heading out to ride some outside the park rides! Tomorrow morning my mother-in-law was off to the airport ending her visit. During the course of our stay she kept asking about the trains she kept seeing everywhere (the monorails). So we headed off to EPCOT to grab one!

We got to the top of the monorail station out front of EPCOT (after successfully again missing the medal detector line!) and my dad said ok, lets see who knows this place more... I said, challenge accepted. Now as a per-cursor to this part, I was standing by the gate to board the monorail facing East, he was standing facing the line. He says, "Ok smart guy, what monorail is going to pull up in the station in a minute?" Now little does he know I am watching the green monorail drive behind him as he speaks an I said, oh come one dad, give me a tough one. He explains blah blah color is on blah blah line and expertly picks red. I think about it then say...... "Oh lets guess green." seconds later, guess what color pulls into the station.....

I guess I am the expert....

Anyways, we board the monorail with my mother-in-law hanging on for dear life. Apparently the 40 mph was intimidating that high up. We head to the Ticket Center and get off and hop on the General Joe Potter. Good times boarding too. The captain was looking down and saluted my son who gave him a big salute back as we walked on. We enjoyed the slow boat ride over to the MK. Anyone ever notice the rope hidden Mickey when you get off the ferry at MK on the left? My daughter caught it right away. From there we headed to one of my favorite rides, the small wood boats to the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian. It was sunset and the 7 seas lagoon was absolutely breathtaking! The slow voyage over the smooth water was wonderful with the sunset and monorails all over the place. My son I believe strained his finger pointing everything out to me!

Again the fun of watching things from the view of a first time visitor. My mother-in-law said to us each time she saw a new resort, "this HAS to be the most expensive one right?" that statement was made at the yacht club, the beach club, the boardwalk, the Dolphin, and the Poly. As we approached the GF dock I sad, THIS is the big one!!

She was speechless. The chart of an evening stroll down the dock and around the grounds was fantastic. We headed first to the hidden gem known as the Gasparilla Island Grill. Great, no, Fantastic food choices and a beautiful view of the MK as you eat outside. To top it off I have a blueberry cupcake with Lemon Sugar Icing. To say it was good is an understatement!

After we ate we headed to the main pool with the water spouts. We brought extra clothes for the kids and they proceeded to run back and forth through them for a solid 10 minutes laughing and giggling non-stop (and becoming complete soaked). It was nightfall and if you have not see the GF and that pool area at night it is 110% worth the trip. Absolutely stunning. We walked the grounds a bit more and headed in to see the grand lobby. Their was a piano player in the lobby and as we headed up to the main floor, a vacation club lady stopped us and asked if we wanted some group pictures. Very nice of her to do this for us!

We located a few hidden mickeys and a hidden donald in the floor and headed out for a nighttime monorail ride around the resort look. No first trip to Disney is complete without a monorail ride through the Contemporary!!

We made the grand circle ride and on the way, as we exited the Contemporary, noticed the barge parade starting on the lagoon. We went around to the MK, walked down from the station, and found a bench on the GF walkway for a front row private viewing of the lights! Could not have planned that any better if I had actually planned it! What a magical moment! My kids stayed with the grandparents and my wife and I took a romantic, leisure stroll down the walkway all alone. Boats off in the distance and only the street lights around us. What a perfect conclusion to the night!

We snagged a bus back to CBR and had one of the funniest bus drivers we have ever had! We sang as a group Hakuna Matata, we did Disney trivia and had a place. My mother-in-law said to us that night that she had absolutely no idea that Disney was 1 - this big, or 2 - this magical. She said it was like another world and was in near tears that she had to leave. Amazing the impact a WDW experience has not only on kids but adults. It is such a neat separation from the grind of life to the true pleasures of life. As we left the GF I remember looking back in from the monorail and watching and elderly couple ballroom dancing in the door way. I talked to so many strangers on this trip just as happy and care free as I was.

People have told me before that I am a different person when there. I am relaxed and a kid again. It truly is such a perfect place to be!

Anyways, back to the room for bed. Midnight tonight would officially be the halfway point! Tomorrow brings a first experience for all of us and some more park fun!

Stay tuned!!!!

 

[cgersic]

I have tears in my eyes reading your MIL's reactions. Truly why I love the place so much myself. Am LOVING your report!

 

[Blackburn23]

I have tears in my eyes reading your MIL's reactions. Truly why I love the place so much myself. Am LOVING your report!

Agree! It has been a long time since I have been there with an adult first timer. The kids reactions and watching it through them is so neat, and so is the experience of someone who has just no idea what is coming their way!

Appreciate the kind words!

 

[Blackburn23]

Loving your report so much!!! Just like you mentioned, I feel like we read & hear so much negativity but reading experiences like yours just brightens my day! I'm so glad that you had so many wonderful experiences and can't wait to read more .

Agree! It seems like with the cuts etc people feel that that spark in the cast is gone but man we did not experience a change at all! It was the best trip I have ever had there period!

 

[Blackburn23]

Oh my gosh, you are seriously making me cry so much! In a good way! So special to hear you describe the looks and feelings. What a superb report - you are getting me ready for my trip next week! Soooo following along!

I hope you have a great time!!! Where are you staying?

 

[Blackburn23]

That was my face the entire trip!