Trip Report The I'm Ditching the Spreadsheets....an Unrecognizable Trip!

We arrived home around 10pm last night from our Disney vacation. The planning for this trip started in March, but by September it was not even close to the original. So how did it all turn out? Did I make the correct decisions? Was this trip as hectic as the last one? Should I have cancelled so many dining reservations? Did we miss too much because upon arrival I decided to rip up the spread sheets..the same ones that I so painstakingly obsessed over?! I'm thinking about all of this as I am attempting to organize my 609,504,302 photos.

There were a few hiccups, including my Etsy order not arriving in time, sprinting to the Magical Express just as the doors closed, leaving our Elf on the Shelf in the room after check out, getting stuck on a ride, a missing boat captain, broken ornaments, and a horrible 3 hour lunch. All in all it was an amazing trip. I do not regret the decision to change from the original plans, or the second, or the 3rd, or even the plans I had when we were on the plane heading to Orlando. I decided to throw out most of them and take a (semi) wing it approach.

 

[21stamps]

T is adorable! Loving his "cool dude" look. And your mickey manicure.
Wilderness Lodge looks awesome! The Hubby has been spoiled by AKL and doesn't want to stay anywhere else, but I think he'd love WL. Also, I too have a book for my kids cuteness. It's called Facebook, and she's gonna kill me when she gets older.

Thanks! He's a stinker for sure.

I have never been to AKL but have it booked for April. I'm not getting too excited yet, I'm leaning towards canceling. . But it looks amazing in photos!!!
I completely recommend giving WL a try!

Lol @ Facebook. Our poor kids..

 

[disneygirl1]

I am absolutely loving your report! I love mommy and me trips. I take them all the time with my two little guys... Well my one isn't so little anymore, he'll be 16, but can remember our trips like it was yesterday when he was T's age, so you are right enjoy every minute of them being little, because before you know they are a teenager. Can't wait for more.

 

[amjt660]

I order an Uber and we make our way to the front.
The details in this place are amazing!! Everywhere you look there is something interesting!
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Our car arrived promptly and time for Ohana!! (Our favorite character meal)
Yes, we've been to Poly a few times during this trip, but now we actually stopped to enjoy the entrance and all of the lobby details that we love (even though I miss the old lobby, this one is still pretty great).


Tristan's pose in those photo had me holding in a laugh again..
(Poor "teenager look-alike should have let me help him get ready, he didn't use enough product to keep his hair up..he was kinda bummed about that (see pouting photo above).lol This kid..all I can do is laugh. )
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What happened to T's quiff? His hair flattened out by the time you got to the Poly
(and yes I googled quiff to check the spelling - quaff is to drink an alcoholic beverage heartily)

Max

 

[21stamps]

I am absolutely loving your report! I love mommy and me trips. I take them all the time with my two little guys... Well my one isn't so little anymore, he'll be 16, but can remember our trips like it was yesterday when he was T's age, so you are right enjoy every minute of them being little, because before you know they are a teenager. Can't wait for more.

Thank you!
I bet your trips are great, especially with two! Hopefully our boys will remember these trips for the rest of their lives

What happened to T's quiff? His hair flattened out by the time you got to the Poly
(and yes I googled quiff to check the spelling - quaff is to drink an alcoholic beverage heartily)

Max

He wouldn't let me assist him in getting ready. If he would have allowed me then I would have told him that he didn't use enough product to hold that style.lol
He was so mad when it fell down within an hour. Ha ha.

I never knew of the word "quaff". Thanks for teaching me something new!

P.s. I still have your trip report bookmarked. I'm still sifting thru my photos and trying to complete this one..the end is in sight! It is so much more time consuming that I thought it would be. But I'll be happy to look back on it before our next trip. Are you finding yours more time consuming than you thought?
I don't know how peole get these done in a week or so!
Best thing about completing it. I'll finally have time to catch up on everyone else's reports!lol

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

So you've literally got a little Mr. T. He needs a little bit more jewelry though.

T says he doesn't want to go up.
I know that he wants to!! Oh, this drives me crazy about him. He has such a great personality and is so much fun..until he realizes that other people are watching. I don't understand it!!!!

My kids are the same way and it dives me nuts too! They will dance around and sing and act all silly, but as soon as they realize someone is watching, it all stops.

Great pic with T with the band. That is such a great shot! I also think it is adorable how he primps himself up. Luckily he is just 6. Cannot imagine how he will be at 13. You've definitely got a kid with personality.

 

[21stamps]

So you've literally got a little Mr. T. He needs a little bit more jewelry though.



My kids are the same way and it dives me nuts too! They will dance around and sing and act all silly, but as soon as they realize someone is watching, it all stops.

Great pic with T with the band. That is such a great shot! I also think it is adorable how he primps himself up. Luckily he is just 6. Cannot imagine how he will be at 13. You've definitely got a kid with personality.

Omg this makes me feel better! Glad I'm not alone.lol sorry.

My kid definitely has personality..until he gets in groups or with strangers..then he becomes shy and awkward. I don't understand it at all. I'm hoping it will go away as he gets older.

 

[amjt660]

I agree with you that writing the report is time consuming
I try to post every second or third day and then reply to others in between

I started one month after the japan trip and it will probably take 2 months to finish

Max

 

[21stamps]

Animal Kingdom Continued..

We stopped for a quick lunch at Harmabe Market. We each ordered the lamb flatbread.
I didn't take any photos, we were too busy discussing the dancers and watching the video that I had recorded.
The food was delicious!
Last year we had dinner at Tusker House and really enjoyed it, but in an effort to allow us to be "spontaneous", I decided to just do quick service for lunch and dinner this year. I highly recommend Harambe Market!

Time for Rafiki's Planet Watch!
(We have about 45 minutes before our FP time starts for Kilimanjaro Safari.)

Stop and spend some time at the first Explorers station..

We walk and stop at all of the signs, talk about conservation efforts and things we do at home..

Then make our way inside to see the Vet and more Wilderness Explorer activities.

Thanks white socks guy for smiling for my photo!

 

[21stamps]

Here's how I feel about Planet Watch. It's neat, and worth a visit. I love the Wilderness Explorer stations inside especially.
However, this is the most "zoo like" part of Animal Kingdom imo. We are currently, and have been for a long time, members to a fantastic Zoo where we live. We have good reciprocity benefits and travel on day trips to other zoos in a 5 hour radius.
Kiddo has done conservation camps, and we do a lot of interactive seminars several times during the year. And- we have a great Children's Zoo with a neat petting/brushing area, we also have a petting zoo at the amusement park where we have annual passes as well.

So, when my kid wanted to skip Kilimanjaro Safari so that he could spend an hour brushing EVERY SINGLE GOAT, I was less than thrilled. The 2015 Kimberly almost came out, I thought about forcing him to leave so we could go on the ride. I mean- a petting zoo over the Safari ride????, come on kiddo, I know what you'll like better than you do, I'm the adult. You can do this at home! Let's not hang out in a bunch of animal poop while at Disney World!
I wanted to say this to him, but then I looked at his facial expressions and how he was so amazingly sweet with the goats.
Oh well. I'm tucking in my "must do everything" side. He's happy, we can skip our Fast Pass.
I tried to switch our FP to later, nothing available, so got a FP for Primevil Whirl instead.

Look at these photos.. this kid had to brush EVERY SINGLE Goat for about FORTY FIVE MINUTES.lol
He is so sweet with animals though. I received a lot criticism in a thread on here for skipping "the best Safari ever" for this and switching to Primevil Whirl, "not appreciating the wonders and theme of Animal Kingdom".. But looking at my child's expressions in the pictures, I don't regret it. Not one bit.

Both of them smiled for the photo

My favorite photo below.

 

[sheriffwoody]

That safari ride will still be there when you come back, but kiddo is only 6 for a short time! Best to enjoy all that sweetness!

 

[21stamps]

That safari ride will still be there when you come back, but kiddo is only 6 for a short time! Best to enjoy all that sweetness!

I agree, reluctantly at first..but I did see the light

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I mean, you can ride in a vehicle and maybe see some animals from afar - or you can actually brush them yourself. No brainer!

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

He walks out of the restroom, sunglasses on, and says "Do I look like a cool dude Mommy? I think I look like a cool teenager."

What is it with 6 year old wanting to be teenagers? My 6 year old daughter loves dressing up with lipstick and eyeshadow, just so she can look like a "teenager". She even tried to convince me to let her wear a crop top, because that's what teenagers do. It cracks me up.

 

[Ms.Sunshine]

I LOVED Harambe Market! The portions are a nice size too, I was able to split the ribs with my MIL. My husband couldn't even finish his, and meat is pretty much all he eats.
As for skipping the Safari, you get what you want out of every trip, that's the best part. Every trip is a different experience, and for this one he wanted to brush some goats.

 

[bee]

Both of them smiled for the photo

Couldn't not smile at this photo myself!

Like others above I too binge-read most of your report at once. It seems like you are raising a thoughtful and sensitive child who will grow up to be a good adult! All the dabbing in photos cracked me up. I'm sure Akim was not offended by your Christmas stickers.

 

[Frogglet]

Love your report, but the pictures of you T with the goats are the best!

 

[Courtney6682]

He is soooo freakin cute!!! How do u stand it?!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Nice pictures of your son with the goats. It reminds me of the old Big Thunder Ranch at Disneyland, next time I'm at Animal Kingdom I might have to got visit these goats.

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

Here's how I feel about Planet Watch. It's neat, and worth a visit. I love the Wilderness Explorer stations inside especially.
However, this is the most "zoo like" part of Animal Kingdom imo. We are currently, and have been for a long time, members to a fantastic Zoo where we live. We have good reciprocity benefits and travel on day trips to other zoos in a 5 hour radius.
Kiddo has done conservation camps, and we do a lot of interactive seminars several times during the year. And- we have a great Children's Zoo with a neat petting/brushing area, we also have a petting zoo at the amusement park where we have annual passes as well.

So, when my kid wanted to skip Kilimanjaro Safari so that he could spend an hour brushing EVERY SINGLE GOAT, I was less than thrilled. The 2015 Kimberly almost came out, I thought about forcing him to leave so we could go on the ride. I mean- a petting zoo over the Safari ride????, come on kiddo, I know what you'll like better than you do, I'm the adult. You can do this at home! Let's not hang out in a bunch of animal poop while at Disney World!
I wanted to say this to him, but then I looked at his facial expressions and how he was so amazingly sweet with the goats.
Oh well. I'm tucking in my "must do everything" side. He's happy, we can skip our Fast Pass.
I tried to switch our FP to later, nothing available, so got a FP for Primevil Whirl instead.
View attachment 189917 View attachment 189918 View attachment 189919



Look at these photos.. this kid had to brush EVERY SINGLE Goat for about FORTY FIVE MINUTES.lol
He is so sweet with animals though. I received a lot criticism in a thread on here for skipping "the best Safari ever" for this and switching to Primevil Whirl, "not appreciating the wonders and theme of Animal Kingdom".. But looking at my child's expressions in the pictures, I don't regret it. Not one bit.
View attachment 189920
Both of them smiled for the photo
View attachment 189921

My favorite photo below.

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Love these pictures. What a gentle soul your son seems to be. I love going to Planet Watch. My 9 year old loves pigs. Last time we went to Planet Watch she may have been 7. She saw a huge pig laying down. She got next to it, gave it a hug and said, "I love you". Needless to say in our house you better not eat bacon around her. She will cry within 2 seconds.

 

[21stamps]

I mean, you can ride in a vehicle and maybe see some animals from afar - or you can actually brush them yourself. No brainer!

Ha ha right!

What is it with 6 year old wanting to be teenagers? My 6 year old daughter loves dressing up with lipstick and eyeshadow, just so she can look like a "teenager". She even tried to convince me to let her wear a crop top, because that's what teenagers do. It cracks me up.

lol! I don't know! We spend our youth wanting to be older, and then we spend our "older" years wishing to be younger

I LOVED Harambe Market! The portions are a nice size too, I was able to split the ribs with my MIL. My husband couldn't even finish his, and meat is pretty much all he eats.
As for skipping the Safari, you get what you want out of every trip, that's the best part. Every trip is a different experience, and for this one he wanted to brush some goats.

I think Harambe Market is the most underrated spot in AK!

Couldn't not smile at this photo myself!

Like others above I too binge-read most of your report at once. It seems like you are raising a thoughtful and sensitive child who will grow up to be a good adult! All the dabbing in photos cracked me up. I'm sure Akim was not offended by your Christmas stickers.

Thank you!

Love your report, but the pictures of you T with the goats are the best!

Thanks!

He is soooo freakin cute!!! How do u stand it?!

Well, sometime I appreciate the "cuteness" after the fact..sometimes during it is frustrating.lol

Nice pictures of your son with the goats. It reminds me of the old Big Thunder Ranch at Disneyland, next time I'm at Animal Kingdom I might have to got visit these goats.

Thank you! I haven't been to Disneyland since I was a child, and my son has never been. I hope to visit there someday!

Love these pictures. What a gentle soul your son seems to be. I love going to Planet Watch. My 9 year old loves pigs. Last time we went to Planet Watch she may have been 7. She saw a huge pig laying down. She got next to it, gave it a hug and said, "I love you". Needless to say in our house you better not eat bacon around her. She will cry within 2 seconds.

Oh my gosh, that's so sweet!