Trip Report Ringing in the New Year with 4 Yinzers

krause · Jan 9, 2018

My sister was there 12/27 to 1/4 (offsite with 15 people including 5 under 5yo :jawdrop:

) so I’m interested to see how your trip compared!

riverside · Jan 9, 2018

Hello fellow Yinzer!! Looking forward to hearing all about it!!

myhappyplace · Jan 9, 2018

I like to think of myself as sort of a "honorary yinzer"...born and raised in central PA but in that area, we are all Pittsburgh fans in all sports (not that other city on the other side of the state...) Plus I grew up saying "yinz". Looking forward to reading along!

SHP · Jan 9, 2018

Day 1:

We were up and out of the house by 6:45 a.m. and at the Parking Spot by 7:15 a.m. Now, it was in the low teens in the 'burgh when we left so what to do with our big heavy coats? Leave them in the car or waste valuable souvenir space in our suitcases by packing them? I think you know the answer, but that was a decision I would definitely come to regret in a week when our landing temperature was 2 degrees.

Anyways, we got to the airport just as the super secret alternate security line opened up and we moved through smoothly and fairly quick. The main line downstairs was at least 30-40 min., if not longer. Once at the terminal, the kids opted for some soft pretzel bites for breakfast and we had time to sit and relax before boarding our Spirit flight to MCO. The flight was uneventful and we anxiously ran through MCO to find the Magical Express area. Unfortunately, the MCO stairs were blocked off (good timing MCO :cautious:

) and everyone had to wait for 3 elevators to take everyone on our flight and all other arriving flights down to baggage claim.

We met the nicest assistant at the entrance to the ME who helped the kids remove the gray portion of their magic bands and make them fit better (who knew to read the directions that came in the box first?) and also gave them transportation trading cards. Unfortunately, we did not have the short line luck I've seen in other TRs, and we had about a 30 min. wait in which many families were camped out on the floor with backpacks and blankets used as pillows. I debated whether or not to bring the kids' iPads on this trip since I was hoping for an electronics free vacation, but at this point, I was really glad we had them as they were pleasantly distracted and not screaming, "is our bus here yet?" like 50 other kids whose parents looked exhausted already.

When our bus finally arrived, we settled in toward the back and watched the video. A couple next to us had two boys who weren't exactly young - I'd guess they ranged from 7-9 (clearly old enough to read). At this point, they apparently still hadn't caught on that they were in Orlando and going to WDW. So their parents had the driver make an announcement that called them out by name and told them where they were going. Their parents were beaming with pride and anticipation at their reaction, cell phones and video cameras at the ready leading up to the big reaction, which was....

"Oh, okay. So when do we get to open our real Christmas presents?" Hilarious!!!!! :joyfull:

But for the parents' sake, I kept my giggles to myself. Then for the next 40 minute ride, the parents tried to get the boys excited about the trip, showed them pictures of the park, talked about how they kept this secret so long, etc., etc. (Polite smiles in return, but clearly these kids were already over it).

We got a text on the bus that our room wasn't quite ready yet (it was only 11 a.m.), but that was quickly followed less than 30 seconds later by a second text stating our room WAS ready. Hmmm. Then, when I tried to open up MDE to see the number, it froze. Oh well, guess I'd be making a stop at the front desk.

We made stops at two other hotels and then finally arrived at Jambo House. What a GORGEOUS lobby! So much better in person than any pictures on the internet. Perfectly themed, warm, open, and inviting. I made my way over to a cast member while DH and the kids headed to their first African drumming lesson. After about 20 minutes, I had our room number - the very first room off the lobby. I wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing at first. When asked for preferences during online check in, I asked for close to lobby and an upper floor figuring that the kids' legs would be tired after long days in the park and we wouldn't want to have too long of a walk back to our room at the end of the night.

We walked in and made our way out to the balcony to see if there were any animals outside our room. There were some unique birds and a giraffe waiting for us!

Although our room was right next to the public viewing area (literally right next to it), making me question whether the price of the Savannah room was worth it, I quickly came to love this location. The staff was always putting food out for the animals here so it was well populated at all times of the day, and we never had a far walk to any onsite dining, activities or the bus stop. We loved seeing the animals at all times without having to get dressed and leave the room. Plus, we were so tired at the end of every day that the noise from the viewing areas and lobby weren't even noticeable.

What we did notice was that we were STARVING and about 10 minutes away from HANGRY.

Even though we had a 6 p.m. ADR at Boma, we made our way down to the Mara for some quick grub. Our bacon cheeseburger, pepperoni pizza, and African potjie were all delicious and very filling (the grilled chicken salad was rather plain and dry, though). So now it was about 3:30 and we were stuffed and ready to relax for a bit.

NEXT UP: BOMA!!!!!!!

SHP · Jan 10, 2018

Day 1 (cont.)

The kids discovered the pool on the way out of the Mara and, of course, wanted to swim. It was only about 75 degrees out and the temperature was dropping with the afternoon sun. Nevertheless they changed quickly and jumped right in, eventually making their way over to the slide area. R made it about 25 minutes before his lips were completely blue and he was shaking all over so I took him up for a hot shower. G held out for about an hour - she absolutely loves the water, but she eventually succumbed to the cold as well.

While on the ME, I placed an order with Amazon Prime Now for a case of bottled water, a quart of milk, cereal, bowls, and some other snack and breakfast items that we could quickly eat at the bus stops to and from the park. While everyone napped/relaxed, I went and picked up our package from the bell stand and they let me walk into the back room behind the lobby. It was HUGE!!!!! Rows and rows of luggage and packages and carts and tags. There were probably 20 people working back there, sorting and retrieving items. I had no idea the hotel could house that much stuff.

Anyways, after unpacking and organizing our stuff for the next day at MK, it was time to get ready for dinner. This was one of the ADR's I was most looking forward to. Unfortunately, G fell asleep HARD, and there was absolutely no waking her. So, R and I headed down by ourselves and got seated hoping that DH and G would be able to join us within the next half hour.

For those of you who have never been to Boma, I want to give you a few pieces of advice that I wish I had before diving in. First, save your appetite for this meal. There is so much food and so much variety that I wanted to try everything and simply didn't have the room after our late lunch. :arghh:

Second, the buffet line starts at the back of the restaurant and almost immediately places you at a carving station. DO NOT start here! The most amazing part of the buffet is honestly the soup station, which is in the middle of the line. This night I tried a seafood curry and coconut soup and also a butternut squash soup, both of which were heavenly. There was also an oxtail stew that looked amazing, but I wanted to try some of the desserts so I passed :cry:

The carved meats and other sides and salads were also incredible, but the soups were by far the standouts.

R (my 8 year old who has never eaten second helpings of dinner in his life) went back to the buffet 3 times for the mac n cheese, which he declared was the best he ever ate. By this time, DH and G finally joined us. We totally wasted a TS credit on G as she was simply too tired and cranky to enjoy much of anything. I did let the kids go up to the dessert table and sample few items, but they mostly just chomped on chocolate chip cookies. I, on the other hand, had my first zebra dome (delicious!), and several other mini tarts that were excellent - especially this coffee mousse filled chocolate tart that was to die for.

After waddling out of the restaurant, we decided to explore the hotel some more. We went outside and found the observation deck where you can view the savannah through night vision goggles. This was so cool. The animals were not particularly close so it was a little hard to make out what they were doing, but still a once in a lifetime experience. Next, DH and R played some ping pong by the pool, while G and I settled into some pool loungers to watch Beauty and the Beast. Around 9:00 p.m. or so, I rounded everyone up and explained that EMH started at 7 a.m. in the MK the following morning and that would be our best bet to ride some of our favorites without a wait so we needed to be up at 6

Up next: Day 2 and our attempt at a 7 a.m. rope drop!

SHP · Jan 20, 2018

Time to get this trip report back on track.

Day 2: MK Day #1

The pixie dust had already taken over and I was up and at it around 6:00 a.m. with no alarm. I quickly got ready, and woke DH to go next. Then we both had to wake two very reluctant kids who moved like SNAILS. I kept trying to explain that this was a really busy week at WDW and if we didn't get to the park soon, the lines for all our favorite rides would be really long. Yeah, they didn't really care about rope drop. After finally getting them dressed and packing some muffins to eat at the bus stop, we were off. Made it to the bus stop by 7:05. Oh well, not too bad. The bus came very quickly and we had comfortable plush seats like the ones on the ME, rather than the hard seats on most of the shuttles we had all week. The only downside was that this bus seemed to take forever to get to MK. There was a lot of construction/traffic this particular morning. After finally getting through security and the main gate, we made a mad dashfor the mine train - which we didn't ride two years ago because the lines were ridiculous and we couldn't get a fast pass. We made it to the back of the line by about 7:30 ish with a posted 40min wait, but it only took about 30 min. Perfect first ride for the kids, those little sleepy heads were sleepy no more!

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As soon as we got off, G asked if we could go again. Sadly, the standby line was now about 75 minutes so I told her we should move on to try another ride we had never ridden before - Winnie the Pooh, which was only a 15 minute wait. Also, the kids really loved all the interactive things to do in the line while waiting, especially the bee rollercoaster. This ride is ok from a thrill level, but it is cute and easy. However, it did break down twice while we were on it. R is total nervous nelly too. He makes himself sick with anxiety every time we fly or something doesn't go exactly as planned. We kept reassuring him that everything would be ok, but we needed to get off the ride and distract him pronto.

Once we exited, we started walking toward the Beast's castle, and noticed that Belle's Enchanted Tales had no line. The last time we were here, there was a technical issue and we ended up in the middle of line and sitting for almost two hours to do the attraction. However, both kids remembered the parts they got last time - R was Maurice and G was Chip. We practiced doing those parts while walking into the ride line and guess what?? They got the same parts AGAIN! DH even got picked to be a marching soldier. They were all great!

Next stop, a much needed bathroom stop by Gaston's and then some coffee and Cheshire cattails. This was a first-time snack for all of us and let me tell you, they delivered. Not very filling for breakfast, but the perfect sugar and caffeine rush to keep us going until our brunch ADR. So, what's the best ride after gulping a hot coffee and loading up on sugar? You guessed it.

Notice DH decided to sit this one out, even though it was a walk-on. He's pretty adventurous with extreme sports, but we learned after a disastrous trip to Hershey Park a few years ago on a ride called "The Claw" (I think) that spinning rides and DH just don't mix.

We next tried to go Under the Sea, but this ride was also having technical difficulties. The CMs standing out front told us to come back in an hour or so and it should be working. So we made our way down to the Big Top instead and went on G's favorite ride, the Barnstormer. It's such a great ride for young kids who are too big for kiddie land type rides, but not quite big enough for rollercoasters like SM. We all had fun, and were torn about whether to wait in the line again (about 30-35 min wait) or to go over to Dumbo, which only had a 20 min. wait. Given that we had a 10:30 ADR at the Contemporary, I was nervous about doubling up on the Barnstormer so off to Dumbo. The kids absolutely loved the play area. I don't remember this being here two years ago, but I may have just missed it. Unfortunately, I had to rush them through this area so we keep to our schedule, but they got to run through the maze a few times and tried all of the neat little interactive play areas at least once.

However, once we got off Dumbo, both kids exclaimed the ride was kinda boring and I think they might have already outgrown it. :arghh:

Now, we really were cutting it close so when I heard the train whistle nearby, I made everyone run down to the station to get on thinking it might save some time rather than pushing through the crowds on Main St.

SHP · Jan 20, 2018

The weather was starting to warm-up enough that we could take off our long sleeve shirts and pants. The MPB brought us to the front of the park in no time at all, and we quickly headed up the ramp to the Resort Monorail to hitch a ride into the Contemporary. The kids thought this was SO COOL and kept asking if we were going to crash into the building. Once inside we checked in for...

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I know this buffet doesn't get a lot of love here, but we had a BLAST. We were seated in the upper level overlooking the top of SM just as Minnie was finishing up from the prior seating. We rummaged through our bag to get our autograph books and left them on the table to go grab some plates of food. Everything was delicious, honestly. R had a bagel with cream cheese and fresh fruit, G had some Mickey waffles and bacon, and DH and I took small samples of everything. The only negative was that it took our waitress forever to bring us some water. She came around with juice and coffee 3-4 times, but we had to keep asking for water.

Our character interactions were all fantastic and the kids were finally settling into the fact that we were in WDW and we were going to have a magical week. Everyone enjoyed having this 1.5 hour break from the park since it had just started getting crowded and our feet were already a little sore from mom rushing everyone all morning. All in all, a perfect choice for day 1.

Next up, a quick circle on the Monorail, where we met the cutest set of twins. They did not speak English - if I had to guess, I would say Portuguese. Their mom was fluent in both languages and was nice enough to translate for everyone. We always call G the mayor because no matter where we go she makes friends. The Resort Monorail is all of 15 minutes MAX, and by the time the twins exited at GF, G was sitting in between them, teaching them various English words and gave each twin a hug before they left -- so cute! Once we entered the Park, holy traffic jam!!!! The parade was making its way through and despite CMs best efforts, everyone was stopping to watch on the way in and not following directions to keep the right lane moving. DH and I picked up the kids and started squeezing through the crowds to:

We stopped at one of my favorite rides - the Laugh Floor. This was the perfect post-buffet digestion attraction, where we could sit and laugh at a leisurely pace. Although the line was pretty long, we were on in about 40 minutes. Then we headed to CoP, which R can't stand, but we made him suck it up because the rest of us like it.

So next up it was time to use some FPs. I knew R was dying to try SM since he was too short on our last visit. I didn't want G to feel left out so I made FPs for her and DH at Buzz at the same time. Again, R felt a lot of reluctance with us splitting up, but we tried to reassure him that we would be fine and would meet back up together as soon as we finished our rides.

R absolutely loved breezing through the FP line, while the Standby line was easily over 2 hours. We hopped on board, but I felt very nervous when I got the last seat, knowing that it would be very jerky and hard to control my neck and upper back. However, I was able to wedge my feet in tight and push back against the head rest to help stabilize things. TBH, I'm glad the standby line was so long because I don't think I could've done a second round. I really hope a refurbishment for a smoother track is coming soon!

DH and G were having a great time on Buzz, but their FP line was obviously not as quick as ours. We waited a good 20-30 minutes before they were off.

Our last ride for Tomorrowland was the PeopleMover. It was a LONG LONG wait. I'd say 35-45 minutes, which is pretty ridiculous, but it is the busiest week of the year so we tried to make the best of it. R finally understood how TPM enters and exits SM now that he had been on both rides and thought it was coolest thing ever.

So note that between 7:30 and 10:15, we were able to ride 5 rides with no FPs, but between 12 and 4, we could only manage 4 rides, and had to use a FP. It was time to leave the MK again and do an early dinner since we ate an early brunch. The crowds were so bad through Tomorrowland and Main St. that it was a relief to get back to the Monorail.

Up Next: Dinner with the Stepsisters

SHP · Jan 20, 2018

Day 2 cont.

I know @Tuvalu often talks about her Shirley status, but I just assumed there was no way this would ever happen to us on this trip during this week in particular. However, after the resort monorail stopped at the Contemporary - everyone exited our monorail car, and the car in front of us! That means we had 4, yes 4! completely empty bench seats ALL TO OURSELVES and all the way to the GF. So what to do but each take a bench and grab a quick 10 minute nap!

None of us had ever been inside the GF lobby so it was pretty amazing to see the decorated tree for the first time. It is a really beautiful resort, but TBH, it feels a little too fancy and pristine for me. I really preferred the cozy feel of AKL and its dark, rich tones and smells of the lobby. I felt a little anxious having the kids in GF lobby for fear they might break something or put their sticky hands on the perfectly white walls, lol. :joyfull:

We checked out the gingerbread house for a bit, then made our way into 1900 Park Fare. The restaurant itself was just ok, nothing too special and frankly, the booths were a bit dated. Our server, however, was fantastic - very attentive and gave several recommendations about what to save room for on the buffet. He also gave us a heads up when we should make our way to the buffet and when we should wait to see the grand entrance of the characters so we didn't miss anything.

So first, lets talk food. I really enjoyed everything I tried. For me the standouts were the Mongolian beef, green beans, butternut squash ravioli, mussels, prime rib with horseradish sauce and a pasta with lemon cream sauce. I had very small helpings of everything (it was all very rich and heavy) having learned my lesson at BOMA to save room to try everything. The kids each had a slice of pizza and some bread.

They didn't even touch the French fries, but they were kind of cold and mushy so I didn't blame them.

Then it was time for my favorite part - the desserts!!!! My favorite was the cannoli, but I also loved the mini cheesecakes, key lime pie and chocolate mousse tarts. :hungry:

The kids, once again, ate chocolate chip cookies, and of all things, gummy bears.

Ok, let's talk character interaction. First up was Cindy and Prince Charming. They were nice enough and signed autographs, but the kids weren't really sure what to talk about with them so they moved on pretty quickly. When the stepmother came out, she was great in character (perfectly sarcastic), but this time, the kids were a little frightened of her to say anything and she also moved on pretty quickly.

By far, the very best part of our dinner were the stepsisters! They would not leave poor R alone. "OOOOH, what's your name? Do you have your own kingdom? How big is your castle? Do you have a girlfriend? Do you think I'm pretty? Don't you want to marry me?" His face was beat red, and we were dying laughing.

After dinner, we decided to walk around the resort a bit and check out the grounds. The kids wanted to play in the sand on the beach area for awhile so we sat on the steps and relaxed, this was really the nicest evening weather wise of our whole trip so we tried to soak it in, but we still had two FPs to use in the park so we needed to get a move on.

Back onto the monorail (FYI - the whole security line at the resorts was not bad AT ALL). The whole process took less than 5-10 minutes and it meant we didn't have to go through security at MK, which takes WAY longer. Our first FP was for Splash Mtn. In all of my prior trips to MK, I have NEVER ridden this ride because it was always closed for refurbishment or technical difficulties so I was most psyched of all, I think. We still had some time before our window opened so we made our way to HM to see if we could ride that first, hit the end of our window for Splash and then hop on our last FP ride at BTMRR. Ah, the best laid plans. Unfortunately, the HM had a 90 min. wait so that was NOT happening.

Instead we made our way to Splash as soon as our window opened, hit the Briar Patch to shop a bit in between and then finished off the night with BTMRR. The only other downside was that now the sun had completely disappeared for the night and the temperature was dropping fast. Since I had never been on Splash I didn't know how wet I might get and started to get worried that I might be freezing on my favorite ride BTMRR. So I completely wussed out and wore a poncho, don't judge! My face was completely soaked, but at least my clothes stayed relatively dry.

Final ride of the night was definitely the best since G was too little to ride it last time, we were able to go on together as a family. I have no idea what happened to our ride photo on this one, but it is firmly ingrained in my memory as being awesome!!!! While I would have loved to have stayed for Happily Ever After, there was no way of getting good spots this late in the game, and the kids were completely exhausted from a long first day so we made our way out of the park around 8:45 p.m. and over to the bus stop.

Next up: Mini Rant

Tuvalu · Jan 20, 2018

There is no ride photo on BTMRR ~ just your own camera.

SHP · Jan 20, 2018

Tuvalu said:
There is no ride photo on BTMRR ~ just your own camera.

Ah, that explains it...

SHP · Jan 20, 2018

Day 2 cont.

We found our bus stop easily and saw that bus was already there and ready to head to AKL. We decided to make a run for it, along with 5-10 others, but as soon as we got there we saw that it was jam packed. However, never fear, another AKL bus pulled in as soon as the first bus pulled away. That's when I noticed a woman with an ECV waiting for the same bus. I'd guess she was about 60-65 years old, and here comes the mini rant: SHE WAS ALL ALONE! The bus driver patiently stopped the bus and set down the ramp. We watched as this poor woman had no idea which buttons to push or how to get up the ramp. The bus driver attempted to help her as much as she could, but really this woman had NO CLUE how to operate the ECV. It took about 10 minutes before she could straighten out enough to get up the ramp and at least another 10-15 minutes to maneuver into a spot on the bus. The driver was frustrated, the woman was frustrated, and the now very long line of people waiting to get on the bus were very frustrated.

Look, I'm not unsympathetic at all to those who need to use an ECV to enjoy a day in the park, and NO ONE should be excluded ever. But where was this woman's family or friends? (Yes, I am making the assumption that she was not a solo traveler - I could just tell). Why did they abandon her when it was clear that she was not capable of getting the ECV safely onto the bus? Furthermore, did the rental company provide her with any training before setting her loose in an already overcrowded park? This woman kept confusing drive and reverse and had clearly no idea which way to steer to back into a spot. DH and I wanted to jump in and help, but the bus driver kept all the doors closed after the woman finally made her way up the ramp, I guess to prevent people from rushing onto the bus before she was secure. I felt so bad for this poor woman who was red faced from embarrassment and sweaty from her efforts to control the ECV.

PSA to those bringing Grandma on your next Disney trip - your eagerness to see the fireworks should not trump Grandma's comfort and safety. Ok - end rant.

SHP · Jan 20, 2018

Back at AKL, the kids and I had hot showers and quickly got into our PJs and under the covers while DH went in search of a late night snack at the Mara.

Day 3: Animal Kingdom

We woke up around 7:30 the next morning in order to get ready for our breakfast ADR at Boma, which NEVER disappoints. Once again, everything I tried was superb, especially the coffee and fresh POG juice. DH and I both had MTO omelets, and some fresh pastries, while the kids ate Simba waffles and fresh fruit. Our server was very sweet and brought the kids some chocolate cupcakes to finish off their meal.

We were moving pretty slowly after the long day at MK the day before, and the kids requested some downtime before heading to AK, which was a no-brainer since we were so full from breakfast. We finally made our way down to the bus stop a little before 10 and were on a bus within minutes.

Now our kids are still pretty young and haven't seen Avatar. So with the scarcity of FPs for the new rides in Pandora, we decided to skip this part of the park altogether assuming we would avoid the most crowds. WE.WERE.WRONG. There were people EVERYWHERE. There was no room to maneuver around anyone on the sidewalks, you simply had to slowly march behind the person in front of you to get to your destination - it was absolutely the worst crowd we experienced during our week (even worse than MK on NYE).

Knowing that we had some time before our first FP, we decided to do the safari first hoping we would have good views of the animals. The posted wait time was 75 minutes, but honestly it was much closer to 90 before we got on, and that was only because there were several large groups in front of us that our small party of 4 were able to bypass. We got the last row, which worked out great.

After the safari, we needed to rush over to Asia to make our FPs for Everest. This is my absolute favorite rollercoaster in WDW (the backwards scare gives it a slight edge over BTMRR in my book). The kids LOVED this ride so much and were once again depressed that we couldn't go on it a second time, but the standby wait was well over two hours.

G was so proud that she conquered the Yeti:

Ellen Ripley · Jan 20, 2018

Fantastic report and a lovely family! Cant wait to read more.

Zipadeelady · Jan 21, 2018

Really enjoying your report.

SHP · Jan 21, 2018

Ellen Ripley said:
Fantastic report and a lovely family! Cant wait to read more.

Thanks for following!

SHP · Jan 21, 2018

Zipitidoda said:
Really enjoying your report.

Thanks!!! If only I could get back to it, but I’m behind on 10,000 other things (sigh).

SHP · Jan 30, 2018

Day 3 Cont.

Trying to get back to this. I can't understand why writing this trip report can't be my full-time job, instead of going to work and playing chauffer every evening for my kids' activities. Let's pick up where we left off:

After conquering the yeti, we found a photopass photographer to grab a shot of us in front of the mountain.

We were still comfortably full from our enormous breakfast, but I figured we should scope out the QS line for Yak and Yeti while we were still in Asia. OMG, I could not even find the end of the line!!!!! Frankly, we couldn't even move out of Asia due to the thick crowds. Our only option was to veer right and onto the Maharajah Trail. This provided a slight reprieve from the crowds, but not much. I don't really have any pictures or thorough memories of this since we were literally just trying to find some breathing room. Here's what I do remember: the entryways to a few areas of the trail have somewhat heavy chains over the doorways (I assume to prevent the birds from going into certain areas?). Here's some unsolicited advice to stroller wielding parents: how about you slow down and move the chains aside so they don't whack your toddler in the face?

We made our way to a nice area that was relatively peaceful where there were some type of buffalo just chilling. This area had a few small benches and we were able to sit and just take everything in - it was so nice! While people watching, I saw a woman huffing a massive double stroller up the slight incline. She was red-faced and sweating (despite the cool temps) and she looked utterly miserable. In the stroller? Twin girls who could not have been more than 2-3 months old. I looked around to see if there were older siblings that might explain why this woman would drag her infants out in this insane crowd, but no, there was her husband next to her strolling around looking like he was having the time of his life.

Since I have no poker face, I figured it was time to move on before they saw my disbelief.

By this time we were very lost and starting to get hungry. A very kind CM helped us find our way out to the main road and we made our way over Flame Tree BBQ. This line was also very long, but at least it seemed to be moving and it was now around 2:00 p.m. so we figured we beat the worst of the lunch rush. DH was kind enough to stand in line while the rest of us started back into the maze of eating areas to find some seats. We found a great empty area where the predator was some type of water snake and the prey was a crab. I tried to explain this to DH via text message so he could find us once our order was ready, but it didn't translate well... He ended up showing my text to a CM who took pity on him when he saw his enormous tray of food and lost puppy dog look, LOL. Anyway we once again had SO.MUCH.FOOD. This was the meal that did us in and had us cursing the DDP. I ordered the ribs, DH a sample platter and two kids' meals that come with carrot sticks and a cookie. Trust me when I tell you that DH's one sampler plate would have been enough food for all 4 of us, no problem. The portion sizes were unreal, and even though the food was delicious, I felt terrible because we wasted so much. :bored:

Next up was another FP for the Lion King show. Not sure the FP was really worth it - it basically just gets you into the theater first so that your seats are closer to the front of the stage, but there are so many fast passes awarded that we still ended up about halfway up the bleachers. The show itself was incredibly well done. Here are a few stock photos since none of my shots came out, but I would definitely recommend this show to kids of all ages. There is so much to look at and if your kids have seen the movie or even the Lion Guard on Disney Jr., they will know all the songs so it was a fun sing-along. The acrobat monkeys were fantastic, and since R and G both take tumbling lessons, they could fully appreciate how talented they were.

Once the theater doors opened and we were back in the main hub, we were once again forced into the wall-to-wall march of other park-goers trying to get to Discovery Island. We made our way over to Dinoland to use up our last FP and make it back to our hotel to meet some local family members. Because we were on a tight schedule, we bypassed the boneyard (kids were NOT happy), and we walked over to Dinosaur, which was down due to technical difficulties. :banghead:

SHP · Jan 30, 2018

R was intrigued by Primeval Whirl so I said that we could check the wait - about 35 min. We would still be in our FP window at the end if Dinosaur came back online so I said ok. However, when we got to the front of the line the CM stopped G because she was not at least 48" This was the first and only time she was stopped during our trip, but this was an unplanned stop so I didn't double check the height requirement. Since DH is not a spinning fan anyway, he took her to ride the more mild Triceratops Spin. DH also cannot handle G's feelings being hurt in anyway so he was suckered into paying for a face painting and several carnival games while they waited on us. For some reason, my photos are too big to load here -- Sorry!

PW was totally fun even though it had a cheap carnival feel. R and I loved it, but I honestly wouldn't wait more than 20-25 minutes for it. Finally, we made our way back to Dinosaur and it was up and running. With our FP, we were on in 10 minutes. Both kids seemed a little scared once we got into the final queue, but they were good sports.

Now we really had to run back to the front of the part and grab our bus to AKL. As soon as we made it to the gates, R spotted a CM with a big board of pins and he picked that very moment, as we were running late, to pluck up the courage to make a trade. Oh well, that's what it's all about, right? After securing a new pin, we hopped the bus and were back at AKL in about 10-15 min. We quickly changed our clothes and met my cousins for a drink at Victoria Falls Lounge. Shout out to Svetlana who took great care of us and made the kids Shirley Temples. I had a drink called the Magical Star and it was so good - very tropical tasting, and it came with a glowing ice cube that the kids were fascinated with. They even let me bring it home (though I had to hide it since I only got one and you know how two kids cannot share).

We had a great night with my cousins who had driven in from New Smyrna Beach.

We went up to the lobby to chat while the kids danced, drummed, and watched a wood carver design an intricate animal. (This man was truly an amazing artist, and we made sure to stop by this area every evening after the parks to see what else he had been working on while we were out). Another magical day and night!

Up Next: JEDI TRAINING!!!!!

PacNWTigger · Feb 2, 2018

I'm late to the party, but I'm following along. Enjoying your adventure so far.

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