Trip Report Completed - Shaky the Elevator, and other Disney World Tales

Disney World...

Big...Wide...and very, very cold!

Ok, so that last part might not be 100% true, but for the first couple days of our recent December trip, it certainly felt true. Here is visual evidence. Pay no attention to the sunshine, it was a very cold day.

Welcome to our latest Disney Trip report. We visited WDW from Saturday, December 9th through the 16th. It was COLD!! VERY COLD!!! . Yes we were wearing coats in Animal Kingdom (all except for my wife Sara, but that is a different story).

Our trip began on Thursday, December 7th. That afternoon Sara and I loaded up our car (with way too many things) while our daughter Makayla, who is three, took her nap. Once our son Luke, six years old, came home from school, we all jumped in the van and were on our way from our Pennsylvania home.

We quickly learned that Luke is the perfect age for asking "Are we there yet?" over and over and over. Not 30 minutes into our trip the questions started raining from the back seat. -"Are we at our hotel yet?" -"No, we're not even out of Pennsylvania yet." -"How much longer?" -"About six hours, enjoy your movie" (the kids were watching "Mickey and the Roadster Racers," a favorite of Luke's. 15 minutes pass... -"Are we there yet?" And on and on.

About two hours into our trip we made a stop at a Moe's Southwest Grill for dinner, the continued on our way. We stayed the night at a Hampton Inn south of Richmond, VA. The kids had actually fallen asleep for the last hour or so before we arrived at the hotel, but they had no problem falling back asleep once we were settled in the room. Sara and I also had no problem getting to sleep. It had been a long day.

The next morning the kids woke up and watched some cartoons while Sara and I got ready. Here they are looking super enthused...

After a quick breakfast, we were on the road. This was Friday, December 8th. Areas around Atlanta, GA will likely remember this day as the day they got several inches of snow. A cold front was pushing through, which would bring arctic air all the way down to Florida. Brrrr. Thankfully, no snow for us as we were traveling on I-95 this day, just a heavy dose of rain.

We made several cold, wet stops along the way. Lunch was at a Pizza Hut in South Carolina, and at the Georgia Welcome Center we got to meet Forrest Gump.

Makayla posed for a picture, Luke refused. In the year since our past trip to Disney, Makayla has gotten slightly more comfortable with characters. She still doesn't like them, but she doesn't necessary go running and screaming away from them anymore. Her character interactions this trip would be very hit or miss depending on what mood she happened to be in.

They did both enjoy the trolley car at the visitor center however.

Once we were south of Jacksonville the rain finally relented, and the temperature rose from about 40 to 70 degrees in the two hours between Jacksonville and Orlando, at least according to our car's gauge. We had made it in front of the approaching cold front, but a quick glance at the forecast let us know that the warm weather wouldn't last. When we arrived at our hotel, we felt the warmest temperature we would feel that week. But with the warm weather was a steady north wind that we knew was bringing the cold air.

We stayed at another Hampton Inn in Orlando for the night. Luke and Makayla had loved the suite we stayed at the year before so much that I decided to splurge and get another one for the night. This one didn't come with a separate room, just a very large room. Can't complain though. It was very nice.

The next morning we were headed to Epcot!!!

 

[Lyear]

My alarm rang at about 6am on Saturday, December 9th. It was the start of our first Disney day. Hooray!!!

A quick look outside showed that the wind and rain that we had traveled with for the majority of our day yesterday had made their way to Florida today. I quickly went about getting ready and waking everyone up. It's our first day in Disney, who wouldn't be excited to get up and going???

Luke...that's who. -"Luke, it's time to get up." -"Hmggghh." -"We're going to Epcot." -"Hmggghh."

At home, Luke tends to be the first one awake, but today he was not having it. Even after we got him awake, he only wanted to watch The Weather Channel.

This is a new favorite of Luke that began as we were watching footage of the hurricanes this past year. Luke can sit and watch the weather channel for hours. He thinks he would be good as a weather forecaster. He certainly has an interest in it.

After a long time of checking the clock every couple minutes, we finally got the family up and ready to go. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel and were out the door.

As soon as we were outside, I could tell it was going to be cold. The wind was biting, and it honestly felt more like a Pennsylvania December day than I would think Florida has any right to be. The forcasted high for the day was 51 degrees, so I figured it would warm up. Unfortunately, the high actually occurred at 12am that day, and it would get steadily colder into the mid 30's throughout the day. It was going to be a cold one.

The drive to WDW went very quickly and smoothly. It wasn't long before we were seeing this through our rain soaked windshield.

By reading the new Disney check in procedures, and some help from these boards, we knew that we should be able to go straight to the parks on our first day instead of going to the hotel first. Reading about it and doing it in reality was very different. As we approached the Epcot parking entrance, my mind began to think of what would happen if our magic band was not synced and ready to go. Would they let us park anyway? Would we have to pay? Would we have to turn around and go to our hotel to try to straighten the whole thing out?

Fortunately, it didn't come to any of that. The attendant scanned our band, wished us a great day, and we were on our way.

The rain had slowed to a slight drizzle as we loaded up our stroller and headed to the main entrance. We made our way through bad check and the entryway. This was Makayla's first time being old enough to actually need to scan her band, and she sincerely enjoyed the new experience.

 

[myhappyplace]

Reading along! As someone originally from PA, who never drove to WDW (I would fly) props to you! Now that I live around the Athens, GA area, funnily enough, we do drive...and that is plenty long enough!

 

[Lyear]

If you have read through any of my past trip reports, you no doubt know what our first ride was. Every year we start our WDW vacation at Spaceship Earth. It was about 30 minutes after park opening, and SSE was a walk on. We quickly parked the stroller and went inside. Luke rode with Sara, and Makayla was with me. Makayla was actually pretty scared through the ride. I guess the darkness didn't sit well with her. She held my arm tight through just about all of it.

Afterwards, we spent some time in the little game area they have at the ride exit. Luke loves the car driving game they have, and we also did this energy distribution shuffleboard style game.

Makayla was interested in first but quickly lost interest, so I ended up playing with Luke at the end.

Once we exited, Sara wanted to buy the kids autograph books for our trip, so she went over to Mouse Gear. I took some fountain photos of the kids while we waited.

Silly face...

And then Sara came back. More pictures. Something was bothering Makayla at this point. I can't remember exactly what it was, probably something her brother was doing to her.

More silliness...

We had a bit of time before our fastpass for Living with the Land, so we trekked to Nemo. We waited about 25 minutes for this, and honestly it was probably the longest wait we had. Luckily we had two angelic children waiting with us . At one point they were actually playing "Stop touching me." "I'm not touching you." I don't know who taught them that game, but let's just say I'm not a fan . Thankfully, soon enough our clam shell was waiting for us.

Afterwards we spent some time inside the pavilion.

Makayla really, really wanted to do this picture

We then had a quick, small snack and were on our way to The Land. Sara always complains that I only take pictures of her eating. That's just not true, though it does tend to happen a lot.

Makayla really liked living with the land, but thought the thunderstorm at the beginning was scary.

As we exited The Land, we had to say hi to the Epcot ducks!!! Our kids love them.

Once we had learned what was going on in the ducks' lives, we made our way out of future world and into World Showcase.

 

[Bullseye1967]

Following along!

 

[DryerLintFan]

My alarm rang at about 6am on Saturday, December 9th. It was the start of our first Disney day. Hooray!!!

A quick look outside showed that the wind and rain that we had traveled with for the majority of our day yesterday had made their way to Florida today. I quickly went about getting ready and waking everyone up. It's our first day in Disney, who wouldn't be excited to get up and going???

Luke...that's who. -"Luke, it's time to get up." -"Hmggghh." -"We're going to Epcot." -"Hmggghh."

At home, Luke tends to be the first one awake, but today he was not having it. Even after we got him awake, he only wanted to watch The Weather Channel.

This is a new favorite of Luke that began as we were watching footage of the hurricanes this past year. Luke can sit and watch the weather channel for hours. He thinks he would be good as a weather forecaster. He certainly has an interest in it.

After a long time of checking the clock every couple minutes, we finally got the family up and ready to go. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel and were out the door.

As soon as we were outside, I could tell it was going to be cold. The wind was biting, and it honestly felt more like a Pennsylvania December day than I would think Florida has any right to be. The forcasted high for the day was 51 degrees, so I figured it would warm up. Unfortunately, the high actually occurred at 12am that day, and it would get steadily colder into the mid 30's throughout the day. It was going to be a cold one.

The drive to WDW went very quickly and smoothly. It wasn't long before we were seeing this through our rain soaked windshield.

By reading the new Disney check in procedures, and some help from these boards, we knew that we should be able to go straight to the parks on our first day instead of going to the hotel first. Reading about it and doing it in reality was very different. As we approached the Epcot parking entrance, my mind began to think of what would happen if our magic band was not synced and ready to go. Would they let us park anyway? Would we have to pay? Would we have to turn around and go to our hotel to try to straighten the whole thing out?

Fortunately, it didn't come to any of that. The attendant scanned our band, wished us a great day, and we were on our way.

The rain had slowed to a slight drizzle as we loaded up our stroller and headed to the main entrance. We made our way through bad check and the entryway. This was Makayla's first time being old enough to actually need to scan her band, and she sincerely enjoyed the new experience.

My daughter is not yet three but she insisted on scanning her magic band everywhere

Looking forward to the rest of your report!

 

[PixieDust900]

Following! I know a lot of people that went that same week and they all said it was cold - and we are from Iowa!

Kudos for at least taking pics of your wife though - we took a family trip to CO this past summer and I wanted to use the photos for Christmas cards. Except, there were no pictures with me in them! 573 pics and not one with me! The only one we would have had of the five of us was a professional one that my husband didn't want to pay for

 

[Lyear]

Following along!

Glad to have you along Bullseye. Love the Avatar pic

Reading along! As someone originally from PA, who never drove to WDW (I would fly) props to you! Now that I live around the Athens, GA area, funnily enough, we do drive...and that is plenty long enough!

We flew until we had kids, then it became cheaper to drive. It certainly takes a long time to drive, but it's like a mini adventure.

My daughter is not yet three but she insisted on scanning her magic band everywhere

Looking forward to the rest of your report!

Makayla did the same thing last year when she was 3. She would get upset when we would all scan our bands going into a fastpass and she wouldn't get to. I remember she was super excited when we were checking out and the cast member assisting us asked if she would want to scan her band.

Following! I know a lot of people that went that same week and they all said it was cold - and we are from Iowa!

Kudos for at least taking pics of your wife though - we took a family trip to CO this past summer and I wanted to use the photos for Christmas cards. Except, there were no pictures with me in them! 573 pics and not one with me! The only one we would have had of the five of us was a professional one that my husband didn't want to pay for

As I type this we are preparing for wind chills well below 0, so a 38 degree day in Disney doesn't sound so bad. That sounds disappointing about the pictures, but maybe you can use it as an excuse to go back. I've never been to Colorado myself.

 

[PixieDust900]

As I type this we are preparing for wind chills well below 0, so a 38 degree day in Disney doesn't sound so bad. That sounds disappointing about the pictures, but maybe you can use it as an excuse to go back. I've never been to Colorado myself.

We are heading back on the 17th! Super excited! it's looking like it might be in the mid 60's, so it's going to feel amazing after days of windchills this cold!

 

[Lyear]

We took the small path that leads in front of the imagination pavilion and takes you over to World Showcase towards the Canada pavilion. The rain was letting up, but there was still on again, off again drizzle coming down. We made our way to Canada, parked the stroller, and made our way back towards the theater. We always have horrible timing when we go to Canada, arriving just after a movie has started. Sure enough, we got there when the wait was 18 minutes. Oh well, plenty of time to explore the waterfalls. It's become a bit of a tradition.

It looks like Makayla is ready to sneeze in this one.

And here's a nice, smiling picture. There were topiary reindeer in behind the kids in this picture that Makayla loved.

And one pic without kids.

After "patiently" waiting for me to take this picture, Luke decided that the Canadian pavilion would be a great place to play "Floor is Lava." . He decided that the bridges would be lava, and you would have to cross them in 5 seconds, or else your feet would get burnt. I'm sure we were quite the show running and jumping around on the bridges. We were also a hazard to all who were trying to walk around and take in the Canadian scenery. Thankfully no visitors were harmed during our game, but I'm sure there's stories floating around about that crazy family in Canada.

After a bit we made our way back to the theater. I went to check the photos I had taken, but Luke decided it was time for a close up. I'm not sure how he did this, but it's a nice effect.

Following the movie we made our way over to the kidcot area and colored Duffys.

Super excited about our Duffy bear

We made a quick stop in the UK to get the kidcot stamp, then made our way to France. We love the French bakery, and have been known to stop by several times during any given trip. I felt really bad for Luke as we headed in. We mentioned we were going to get something to eat, and his response was, "I'm so hungry, I want pizza and some french fries." Over the summer, we had spent plenty of time at the great Pennsylvania theme parks, Hersheypark and Dutch Wonderland, and Luke had become familiar at eating at some of their food court style restaurants. I explained to him what was available here, and his expression fell. He was a bit more excited when he saw the chocolate chip cookies, and he got one of their strawberry tarts for himself.

The seating area was very crowded. Sara was able to secure a table where a cast member was cleaning up a previous ice cream spill. We didn't have chairs however, so we all stood around the table enjoying our snacks. Once we had finished, we stopped in and watched the France film. Luke was not impressed. He must have asked 10 times if the show was over yet. I guess the beautiful scenery and romantic music just doesn't do it for him. Finally, his wishes came true and the show ended. We filtered out, then quickly hit Morocco, Japan, and America to get our Duffy stamps. Makayla wanted to pet this camel in Morocco.

Italy was next. Leading up to our trip, I had been excited to try a gelato from their stand in this pavilion, but the cool temperatures made that a no-go. Duffy stamps only please, then off to Germany where the kids took some time to enjoy the trains.

Once we had completed Germany, we decided to make our way back over to Future World. World Showcase had become increasingly crowded throughout the day, and since we had reservations for San Angel Inn, and a fastpass for Frozen Ever After later that evening, we decided to finish WS later in the day.

 

[Lyear]

Once we hit Future World, we made a quick stop at a soft pretzel stand to get another snack as we counted down the time until our dinner reservation. We then made our way to the Mission Space playground area. This is a favorite of the kids, and a great place for Sara and I to rest our feet after what feels like a LOT of walking getting through World Showcase. While Makayla was not technically old enough to go up in the play area, she was not going to be denied. Go ahead, it's our little secret.

The indoor area does not make for great photos. Great photographer I am not, but I wanted to get one of the general playground area.

After a bit, Luke observed the Mission Control computer game across the way, and asked if we could go try that. It wasn't quite clear at first exactly where to go once you entered the Mission Control area, but we figured it out. Once you found a computer and started playing, it was pretty straightforward and easy. We did one or two rounds at the individual computers, then made our way the big show at the front of the control station. This was where you took the parts that were sent in from the individual computers to fix problem areas in the spaceship. As I type that I realize it probably doesn't make the most sense if you have never done it, but it's a fun little game. It took Luke a little bit to get used to the controls, but soon enough he was flying.

We did two games here, and won the 2nd one

A quick check of the time, and it was time to head to Mexico for dinner.

 

[Lyear]

Every year as we approach the 180 day mark to make dining reservations, Sara makes her case for the San Angel Inn in Mexico. She loves the food and atmosphere. I love it as well. I am always tempted to want to try somewhere else, but come back to San Angel Inn as the obvious spot for our first meal. On this night, as we walked back towards World Showcase, the temperatures were dropping and the wind was picking up. I wish I had thought to take a video of the lake. The water was a choppy as I had ever seen it. There weren't giant waves or anything, but as I looked out, I wondered if they would be able to put on Illuminations that night.

WS remained crowded. We slowly pushed the stroller through the masses of people and found stroller parking near the Mexican temple. It felt good to head inside.

We first got our kidcot Duffy stamps, then made our way into the village. Mexican Donald was greeting guests as we made our way through the bustling town towards the restaurant.

Once we checked in, we were seated very quickly. Last year we had been lucky enough to sit at a river front table. Not so lucky this year, though certainly not a bad seat.

The atmosphere in the restaurant is certainly unlike anywhere else in Disney World.

Our server was with us quickly, and we let them know of our vegetarian preferences. I've written about this before, but we love the fact that nearly every restaurant in Disney World can cater to vegetarians. Tonight Sara ordered the Plato Vegetarian, and I ordered cheese enchiladas. The kids each got the cheese quesadillas.

Luke was interested in the games and puzzles on his children's menu. Unfortunately the low level of light made it very difficult to complete the games and puzzles.

Shortly after placing our order, we got our complimentary chips and salsa, which we all loved. Our food came shortly after. Sara said her Plato Vegetarian was great. She's not normally a great vegetable eater, but she said she really liked the veggies that came as part of this dish. My enchiladas had a different taste than a typical enchilada I had eaten before, but it was good regardless. For dessert, Makayla and I each wanted ice cream, and Sara ordered a bavarian cream dessert. Luke was the big dessert winner however. He thought he was ordering a brownie, but what he got was a brownie, with ice cream and hot fudge topping. He was very generous in sharing his dessert with the rest of us.

It had been another great first meal at the San Angel Inn. Will this be our first meal on our next trip? We've already had some discussions. In the end, it will likely win out.

It was getting late on this night however, and we were beginning to feel tired following our early wake up. Still had plenty to do however before our first day was over.

 

[riverside]

Every year as we approach the 180 day mark to make dining reservations, Sara makes her case for the San Angel Inn in Mexico. She loves the food and atmosphere. I love it as well. I am always tempted to want to try somewhere else, but come back to San Angel Inn as the obvious spot for our first meal. On this night, as we walked back towards World Showcase, the temperatures were dropping and the wind was picking up. I wish I had thought to take a video of the lake. The water was a choppy as I had ever seen it. There weren't giant waves or anything, but as I looked out, I wondered if they would be able to put on Illuminations that night.

WS remained crowded. We slowly pushed the stroller through the masses of people and found stroller parking near the Mexican temple. It felt good to head inside.

We first got our kidcot Duffy stamps, then made our way into the village. Mexican Donald was greeting guests as we made our way through the bustling town towards the restaurant.

Once we checked in, we were seated very quickly. Last year we had been lucky enough to sit at a river front table. Not so lucky this year, though certainly not a bad seat.

The atmosphere in the restaurant is certainly unlike anywhere else in Disney World.

Our server was with us quickly, and we let them know of our vegetarian preferences. I've written about this before, but we love the fact that nearly every restaurant in Disney World can cater to vegetarians. Tonight Sara ordered the Plato Vegetarian, and I ordered cheese enchiladas. The kids each got the cheese quesadillas.

Luke was interested in the games and puzzles on his children's menu. Unfortunately the low level of light made it very difficult to complete the games and puzzles.

Shortly after placing our order, we got our complimentary chips and salsa, which we all loved. Our food came shortly after. Sara said her Plato Vegetarian was great. She's not normally a great vegetable eater, but she said she really liked the veggies that came as part of this dish. My enchiladas had a different taste than a typical enchilada I had eaten before, but it was good regardless. For dessert, Makayla and I each wanted ice cream, and Sara ordered a bavarian cream dessert. Luke was the big dessert winner however. He thought he was ordering a brownie, but what he got was a brownie, with ice cream and hot fudge topping. He was very generous in sharing his dessert with the rest of us.

It had been another great first meal at the San Angel Inn. Will this be our first meal on our next trip? We've already had some discussions. In the end, it will likely win out.

It was getting late on this night however, and we were beginning to feel tired following our early wake up. Still had plenty to do however before our first day was over.

Love San Angel!! The food and atmosphere cant be beat!!

 

[PixieDust900]

Every year as we approach the 180 day mark to make dining reservations, Sara makes her case for the San Angel Inn in Mexico. She loves the food and atmosphere. I love it as well. I am always tempted to want to try somewhere else, but come back to San Angel Inn as the obvious spot for our first meal.

We finally ate at San Angel Inn in 2016. We had avoided it previously because so many people I knew hated it. But, DH and I made a last minute trip with my cousins and it was the only place that had an open time that worked with our schedule, so we went ahead and decided to try it. DH was not excited about it. He didn't think the menu sounded good and he had heard the negative stories from friends. But, we loved it! In fact, DH said it was the best meal he has ever eaten at WDW. Glad to hear there are other fans of it too! We will be having dinner there on the 20th with the whole fam.

 

[Lyear]

We are heading back on the 17th! Super excited! it's looking like it might be in the mid 60's, so it's going to feel amazing after days of windchills this cold!

Hope you have a great trip!!!

Love San Angel!! The food and atmosphere cant be beat!!

Agreed! 100%

We finally ate at San Angel Inn in 2016. We had avoided it previously because so many people I knew hated it. But, DH and I made a last minute trip with my cousins and it was the only place that had an open time that worked with our schedule, so we went ahead and decided to try it. DH was not excited about it. He didn't think the menu sounded good and he had heard the negative stories from friends. But, we loved it! In fact, DH said it was the best meal he has ever eaten at WDW. Glad to hear there are other fans of it too! We will be having dinner there on the 20th with the whole fam.

It seems to have a wide range on the spectrum from positive to negative. I think the low lighting might freak some people out. I know Sara was a little freaked during our first visit there.

 

[Lyear]

With full bellies we managed to make our way out of the San Angel Inn. Luke had been itching to go on the "Donald boat ride" as he calls it while we were in the restaurant, so we made our way over there. Both kids are the perfect age for this ride. They were giggling loudly at Donald's shenanigans throughout the ride.

As we finished, Luke made his case to go again. He would do this after just about every ride this week. No time right now though, we were well into our window for our Frozen Ever After fastpasses, and didn't want to be missing them.

As we left Mexico, we were blasted by very un-Disney-like air. My phone told me that the temperature had reached the mid 30's. With the wind it felt colder. I worked up my courage to ask Sara a question that I knew could land me in the doghouse..."Do we really want to stay for Illuminations?" Epcot is Sara's favorite park, and Illuminations is her favorite nighttime show. To my surprise, she responded with something along the lines of "Yes, I was thinking that too." The cold weather had won us over. We decided that we would visit Norway and China, then head home for the night.

The Frozen fastpass line went by pretty quick, and we were enjoying being indoors.

We did not appreciate getting wet on the ride. I had totally forgotten how that happened. Makayla really liked seeing Elsa, and both kids had a great time. They both were begging to ride again, but with a roughly 80 minute wait, that wasn't happening.

We stopped by the Kidcot station as we exited, then made our way to China. As we entered the Chinese temple, a cast member told us it would be 15 minutes until the next show. I took both kids to get our final Duffy stamps, then came back to find Sara. As we waited, we thought we were waiting for the Reflections of China show. But it turns out the show the cast member was referring to was the acrobat show. I always remember this happening outside before, but it must have been inside due to the weather. Either that or there has been a scheduling change in the past couple years. Anyway, we stayed and watched the acrobat show, and it was really good. How can you not be impressed when you see the performers doing things, and in the back of your mind, you are thinking, that shouldn't be possible. Once the show had ended, they opened the doors to the circle vision theater, but Sara and I decided it was getting late and we were more interested in getting to our hotel. So on this night there was no Reflections of China for us, and no Illuminations. But we had had a very full day, and a great first day in WDW.

We made our way out of the park and to our car, then drove to the All Star Music resort, our home for the week. This was our 3rd straight year staying here, and we have enjoyed it each time. This year we were placed in the Rock Inn, which I really didn't have any positive or negative feelings about. The big let-down, however, came with us being placed on the 2nd floor. I always request a first floor room because it makes things so much easier with a stroller. We knew the hotel was full, which is probably why we didn't get the first floor. I was too tired to inquire at the front desk, so a 2nd floor room it would be.

Upon arriving, we used the stairs to go to our room, and luckily enough the door opened!! I then used the stroller to make several trips to and from the van with our stuff. There were two elevators in our building. On my first trip, I got the elevator on the left side, which was a normal, functioning elevator. This would be my last time on this elevator for the entire trip. The rest of our elevator trips would come on the elevator we nicknamed Shaky, which as you might guess is the basis for the title of this trip report. Shaky was the elevator on the right side as you stood looking at them. It looked normal from the outside, but once you were inside everything changed. The entire elevator shook to the point where you could feel it in your feet. The lighting on the top had a constant non-stop rattle. Everything about the elevator screamed "this isn't safe." Ok, maybe not that bad. But Shaky did it's job throughout our trip, and is likely still shaking to this day.

Once inside our room, the kids quickly changed into pajamas. They watched a few cartoons until I had finished bringing everything inside and we had done a bit of unpacking. Oh, and they found their novelty hats.

After this it was quickly to bed. Animal Kingdom would be our destination the following day.

 

[Lyssa]

I was amazed with how cold it was when we were in Disney this past week... But I also really liked it... We were wearing coats, scarves, gloves, and hats everywhere!

 

[Lyear]

I was amazed with how cold it was when we were in Disney this past week... But I also really liked it... We were wearing coats, scarves, gloves, and hats everywhere!

I'm glad you like that weather. We made the best of it, but I would prefer my nice, warm Florida weather personally. Thankfully it got better later in the trip. But certainly some weather we are having right now.

 

[Lyear]

After a late evening our first night, we had a bit of a slow morning as we got ready. Today was Sunday, December 10th, and our destination was Animal Kingdom. I was the first one up and moving. Sara and Makayla soon followed. Finally, there was Luke. It seems when we're at home and there's no plans, he's always the first one up and ready to go. But on the days when we have someplace to be, all he wants to do is sleep. We finally managed to coax him out of bed and get ready.

Before we left, I did a quick search of the weather, and saw that it was currently in the 30's, with a high of 48 degrees forecasted. I made the decision to run out to our car to get our winter coats. I did not want a repeat of yesterday. So fully prepped as if we were ready for a snowstorm, we made our way out the door towards Animal Kingdom.

First some exploring around the Rock Inn.

Makayla with her goofy faces.

On our way through the main lobby of the hotel, we stopped to get our refillable mugs. Sara stayed by the stroller, and told me to get her whatever color mug I thought best. I took the kids with me. Luke wanted blue, Makayla pink. I picked a red one, and picked out a purple one for Sara. Here we are purchasing the mugs as Sara looked on.

As I came back, Sara's first comment was "that person has a teal mug, why didn't you get me a teal mug?" Ah, I do appreciate the support of my wife. I'll say that she may have been saying it in jest. We quickly made our way to the beverage station. Sara and I both picked hot chocolate. I believe Makayla got a pink lemonade, and Luke picked Powerade.

 

[Lyear]

Once we arrived at Animal Kingdom, Makayla began seeing the animals on the benches and signs, and quickly morphed into one of her favorite animals, a T-Rex. Over the past few months, Makayla has fallen in love with dinosaurs and horses. In August, we had a baby dinosaur 3rd birthday party for her. I guess seeing the animals around made her think T-Rex this morning.

We got through bag check and into the park. Getting in was a bit of a hassle this morning because the kids fingerprints both wouldn't work correctly. Sara and I ended up using our fingerprints for both kids, which worked the rest of the trip.

The first thing we saw when we entered as D'Vine. Makayla typically doesn't like animals, so lets just say the idea of a plant coming to live wasn't her favorite thing in the world.

We managed to get her to pose in front of her, but she wasn't happy about it. Luke wanted nothing to do with it.

As we continued into the park, we noticed a photopass cast member just standing and waving. We asked the kids if they wanted to stop and get a photo, and to our surprise the both said yes.

The idea of a magic shot took a bit of explaining by the photographer. Luckily she was patient enough. I still don't think Makayla quite had the idea of what we were going for.

We finally made it to the Tree of Life area. Our goal was to get to Pandora for fastpasses for the Navi River Journey. But first Sara wanted to stop and sign the kids up for the Wilderness Explorer program. This turned out to be pretty fun, and something Luke was very interested in. They had a guide book which led you to different areas in the park, where cast members were set up. The cast members would be there to teach a quick lesson on nature or animals, and there would be a quick task to accomplish. Once you were done, you got a sticker for your book. Luke spent a lot of time on the map page of his guidebook, trying to find which stations were nearby. The best part is that you can bring the book back next time you are there, so you don't have to start over each time. It definitely became a memorable part of our day.