Trip Report The Tractor's out of gas, Nobody tells me nothing

Welcome to our September, 2019 trip report. Our family was in WDW from September 20th - 28th and we had a fabulous time.

Ok...so this trip was supposed to be it. At least for a little while. I mean, we have been going to WDW every year for five years now. It was time to do something else. And in case you haven't noticed, WDW vacations are not cheap. Time to maybe try something a little more affordable.

These were some of the thoughts going around in my head as we embarked on our trip. I had shared with Sara that maybe in the coming years we should take a cruise, or go explore a city, or even relax on a beach. But then this September trip came, and wouldn't you know that Disney Magic did its thing and we had perhaps one of our favorite trips ever. Now as I sit here typing, I can't wait to head back. We haven't officially booked anything just yet so we don't know when that will be, but that decision will be kept for another day. For now, on with the report...

We were pretty busy in the weeks leading up to WDW, so Sara, who normally is packing at least a week in advance, couldn't really start until about two days before out trip. This led to a bit of stress, but of course we got everything together. We have two cats, Oliver and Jasmine, and they both were insistent that they wanted to come with us.

We officially started on Thursday, September 19th when Luke and Makayla returned from school. Sara and I had taken the afternoon to load up our van. We met the kids at the bus stop, but before we hit the road, Makayla had her soccer shots session. We had signed her up for soccer for 8 weeks on Thursdays after school without really thinking through how it would affect our trip. We decided in the end that we would let her play soccer, then leave after. So a bit later than normal, but around 5:15pm we were on our way from York, PA.

We stopped just north of Baltimore for some Chipotle for dinner and a potty break. Then we were back on the road. Since we were leaving later than usual, I made the decision to go around DC on 495 instead of my usually creative detour on 15/17. Thankfully traffic was pretty light. We made our way through Virginia and to our normal stop on the way, the Hampton Inn in Emporia, VA. For some reason, the hotel has a picture of cows with "happy" behind the front desk.

We woke up and ate breakfast the next morning, and then were on our way through NC/SC, and Georgia. We made sure to take breaks along the way for the necessities, like throwing a football around and playing tag.

In Georgia, we hit a bit of rain, and then in front of us we noticed a very faint rainbow.

It shows up even fainter in this photo Sara took than what it did as we were driving. But trust me, it was there. If you start at the green sign and sort of go up and to the left, that's where it was.

We made great time on our trip, and by 4:45 we were entering Florida. We were so excited. We had never made it to the Florida welcome center by 5pm before, and we were finally going to get to try the complimentary orange juice...

WHAT?????

We worked so hard .

Needless to say, this was a touch disappointing. We still managed to explore a bit.

One thing you will quickly learn about Luke, he typically either has a football or soccer ball with him. He loves to play all sports. That made him super excited for our hotel this year, the All Star Sports. He had been asking to stay there for our last several trips, and this time we were finally doing it.

We left the Florida welcome center and began the absolute longest drive from the Florida border to WDW.

 

[Lyear]

When we exited, we realized the photopass area was a shoot with Cinderella's slipper, and the photographer was easily the most interactive and fun one we had interacted with. He started off with just some shots with Makayla.

Then Luke got into the shot.

Then the photographer asked them to look at the slipper like they couldn't believe how beautiful it was...and this was the result.

The photographer was really struggling to keep it together at this point, and remarked that he had never had anyone do that pose before. Luke thought it was hilarious and kept trying to do more and more to get more laughs.

Finally, we ended with the whole family together.

When I think back on our dinner and evening, I keep coming back to how fun it was. The characters were all very interactive, and all played their roles so well. And we had a lot of fun repeating Anastasia's "CHEESE!" all night long. What a fun experience, and one I hope we will come back to.

 

[Lyear]

When we left the restaurant, we spent just a little more time exploring the resort. Sara must have been very infatuated with the tiles on the floor, because she took a ton of photos of them.

It wasn't all floor tiles though , we took other photos too.

Luke at this point was full on nut!

Finally, we decided it was time to say goodbye the Grand Floridian and head back towards our resort. We made it out to the monorail station, when Sara thankfully realized that we did not have our stroller with us. I had left it back at the restaurant and forgot about it. Very glad we didn't leave the resort without it. I went back inside, downstairs, and grabbed the stroller and brought it back up. We then boarded the monorail with our stroller, and made it back to MK to get a bus to our resort.

We made it back, and started a little light packing as we prepared for our final day in WDW.

 

[John Dulmage]

When we exited, we realized the photopass area was a shoot with Cinderella's slipper, and the photographer was easily the most interactive and fun one we had interacted with. He started off with just some shots with Makayla.

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Then Luke got into the shot.

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Then the photographer asked them to look at the slipper like they couldn't believe how beautiful it was...and this was the result.

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The photographer was really struggling to keep it together at this point, and remarked that he had never had anyone do that pose before. Luke thought it was hilarious and kept trying to do more and more to get more laughs.

Finally, we ended with the whole family together.

View attachment 449790

When I think back on our dinner and evening, I keep coming back to how fun it was. The characters were all very interactive, and all played their roles so well. And we had a lot of fun repeating Anastasia's "CHEESE!" all night long. What a fun experience, and one I hope we will come back to.

Those pictures of Makayla with the slipper are really precious and Luke is hilarious! Great pics and seems like a great time.

 

[Darstarr]

And while I'm at it, here was my drink for the evening...I felt like trying something new, and it didn't disappoint.

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Longboard, one of my faves

 

[Lyear]

Those pictures of Makayla with the slipper are really precious and Luke is hilarious! Great pics and seems like a great time.

Thank you, We think those pics are very precious as well. Some of our favorites from the trip.

Longboard, one of my faves

This photo perfectly fits how we were feeling

 

[Lyear]

Sadly, our final day had arrived. In my head my countdown always starts at least midway through out trip, and when you finally get to one, it's very deflating. Honestly, I feel that being a parent and driving have really helped with this. Last days used to be filled with a lot of sadness, but now I find myself very task oriented as I'm packing the car and getting our kids ready to go. My focused tasks help me not dwell on the fact that it's our departure day.

Sara let Luke and Makayla have the phone this morning, so we have a ton of pictures that aren't really clear. Here's one that turned out.

You'll notice the huge bag of sour patch kids in the background...a necessity for the long drive back to PA.

At one point Sara stole the camera back and took some actual photos to remember our room.

After about 5 trips back and forth to the car, it was time to say goodbye to our room and head out to the car. We said goodbye to the All Star Sports resort. We certainly enjoyed our time here. Luke especially. It seemed like it was the perfect resort for him with how much he loves playing and watching sports.

Our first stop today was the Animal Kingdom Lodge, where we had a breakfast reservation for Boma. Boma is the one restaurant we've made sure to eat at each time we visit WDW, but this was our first time trying it for breakfast. We were not used to the sunlight beaming in through the windows

And who wouldn't love this!

When I first stopped by this sign, there was no one around. A chef came up from the kitchen and confirmed what I wanted. Suddenly, there was a large line of people standing behind me. Guess I was really one to start a trend today.

Boma for breakfast was really good. I feel like I say that about all the restaurants we visit, but it's true. The food, and the coffee, tasted amazing. One small complaint I might mention is that I felt for breakfast there was not quite as much African inspiration in the menu as there is at dinner. It seemed to be straightforward breakfast food. It tasted good, but after being here for dinner so many times and having very unique dishes, I was expecting something similar with their breakfast line up. There was a touch here and there, but it didn't seem nearly the amount we normally see in the evening.

Overall though, we all had a great time and got our fill of wonderful food. We took a photo by the carved animals on our way out.

 

[Lyear]

Once we had finished at Boma, and waddled ourselves back to the lobby, we took a lot of time exploring the Animal Kingdom resort in the daytime. There was a lot to see, both inside and out.

Sara loves her fireplaces...even in September.

This display was certainly eye catching. So many different colors going together so well. We had to catch a photo.

A look outside from a balcony. There were some animals in the distance. I can't remember the name of them now, but they look like longhorn cattle.

Stepping outside.

Rocking chairs were a win.

The resort had several different displays near the fences out back. It was great that you knew what to look for in what area, and exactly what you were seeing.

I feel this photo really provides a scope of how huge the resort is.

 

[Lyear]

As you get further away from the resort, there's a lot of red rock formations creating the landscape. Little things you really don't expect to find when coming to Animal Kingdom Lodge.

This girl is always so photogenic

So beautiful

We made our way back inside, and up to the fourth floor bridge. After Sara and Luke had found this on our last trip, I was excited to go up there myself this time. Not really sure what was prompting Makayla's face here.

 

[Lyear]

As you can tell, we got slightly photo happy here. In the moment it did feel like we were spending a lot of time here, but definitely created a lot of lasting memories just spending time together.

We eventually found ourselves back outside again near the pool area. I'll admit I was a bit jealous seeing all the people who got to make this pool their own during their stay. It was really nice.

Eventually, the time came that we had to leave AKL, but it was a wonderful visit. We went back through the lobby and towards our car. We were ready to make our final visit to Epcot!

 

[MinnieM123]

As you can tell, we got slightly photo happy here. In the moment it did feel like we were spending a lot of time here, but definitely created a lot of lasting memories just spending time together.

AKL is so unique in its design. One can't help but take many photos, because there is just so much to admire there. The savannahs outside the guestrooms are such a wonderful treat. Actually, I haven't stayed at AKL in years (it was before they started the upcharge for the Arusha Savannah view, which is the largest panorama). Anyway, it's just a gorgeous resort, but very pricey. Oh, I also think they have the best gift shop of any WDW hotel.

I liked your breakfast review of Boma. Don't think I've actually read a review of breakfast there before, so I was really interested in your comments. As a side note, I like The Mara for QS. The quality there is better than many of the other hotels' QS outlets.

 

[Lyear]

AKL is so unique in its design. One can't help but take many photos, because there is just so much to admire there. The savannahs outside the guestrooms are such a wonderful treat. Actually, I haven't stayed at AKL in years (it was before they started the upcharge for the Arusha Savannah view, which is the largest panorama). Anyway, it's just a gorgeous resort, but very pricey. Oh, I also think they have the best gift shop of any WDW hotel.

I liked your breakfast review of Boma. Don't think I've actually read a review of breakfast there before, so I was really interested in your comments. As a side note, I like The Mara for QS. The quality there is better than many of the other hotels' QS outlets.

We have never gotten to stay at AKL, but hopefully sometime we are able to do that. I've never the tried The Mara, but we may need to chec it out. We have gone to the gift shop there several times. I agree with how beautiful the resort is. Disney did such a great job with it.

 

[Lyear]

We traveled from AKL to Epcot, and immediately realized it was going to be a busy day with the F&W festival going on. The line of cars to get in was very deep. We patiently waited our turn and then entered to park our car. Our first fastpass window was already on us, and it was for Soarin. We made our way over to the Land pavilion, and Sara took a photo of Luke and Makayla while I parked the stroller.

This was our third time on Soarin on this trip, and it has become a family favorite. Everyone loves it, and we all get sad when we fly over Epcot and realize our ride is coming to an end. Such a great attraction. It makes me so happy that we all enjoy it.

Hanging out as we exit...

They wanted to do the leaping fountains, but they were very sad to learn they weren't turned on today.

We had fastpasses set up for Nemo and Living with the Land, but Luke had mentioned that he really wanted to do Test Track. The wait was a little over an hour, but we decided we would potentially check it out. We first went over towards Mouse Gear, where they were giving out the coaster sets for passholders and stood in line to each get our set of coasters. Sara was happy...Yay.

Sara wanted to do some shopping at Mouse Gear, so I took the kids to the playground just outside. They had wanted to do this when we were here on Monday, but it had been too dark when we got there. They were happy to get a chance.

You might think from this photo that we had the playground to ourselves. Trust me, this was not the case. I'm not sure how i managed this photo, but there were plenty of kids running around with Luke and Makayla.

Sara took this one after she returned.

I took a couple photos while they played. Luke fancies himself a contestant on American Ninja Warrior, so he was doing his best not to touch the ground.







We also found Remy, the last one that we hadn't found on Monday.

 

[Lyear]

When we finished at the playground, we checked the wait time for Test Track, and it was still over an hour. We checked in with Luke and Makayla, and they wanted to do it standby, so we got in the line. At least we were in air conditioning. Our wait was pretty uneventful, with the exception of the ride breaking down while we were being sorted for the design room. Thankfully, it was only down for about 10 minutes. Overall, we waited about an hour and 15 minutes, but we had a good time. Luke enjoyed the outside part the best.

After we were done, we spent a little time checking out the games and exhibits inside the pavilion.

And with that, our last attraction had ended. We left Test Track and made our way back towards the center of the park. Sara took the kids into Electric Umbrella to get slushies and a brownie, while I exited the part a little early and stopped at the Joffrey's outside to get a coffee for the road. A photo of the brownie.

And sadly...that is where our WDW story comes to an end. Our trip back was thankfully very smooth.

We made it to a hotel in Savannah for the evening.

The next morning we were up and out early. We had one instance of Luke getting a bit carsick, but he did ok, and once he got better it didn't return.

And that has brought us to the end of this trip report. Sadly, we don't currently have another trip back to WDW planned, but we talk about it often. I'm sure before long we'll be making plans to visit Epcot and eat at Mexico on our first day again.

Thank you to everyone who followed along and commented, it made the writing process very fun. Wishing everyone happiness as you plan and visit WDW.

 

[John Dulmage]

Thanks for a fun TR. I'm sad to see it finally come to an end. Looks like you and the kids had a great time.

 

[riverside]

Thank you for sharing your trip & I hope you get back soon!!

 

[MinnieM123]

What a fun TR! Thank you for sharing your family's experiences and photos. I recall a TR from some time ago, and it's interesting to see the children growing up. The biggest change was Mikayla -- it wasn't all that long ago that she was just a toddler!

 

[KellBelle]

Thanks for taking us along! Enjoyed this one as much as always!

 

[Darstarr]

Loved it! Thank you for writing it. I know they take a lot of time but it was so much fun to read!!!

 

[krisri18]

Thank you for sharing, your kids are adorable!

 

[Lyear]

Thanks for a fun TR. I'm sad to see it finally come to an end. Looks like you and the kids had a great time.

Thank you for sharing your trip & I hope you get back soon!!

What a fun TR! Thank you for sharing your family's experiences and photos. I recall a TR from some time ago, and it's interesting to see the children growing up. The biggest change was Mikayla -- it wasn't all that long ago that she was just a toddler!

Thanks for taking us along! Enjoyed this one as much as always!

Loved it! Thank you for writing it. I know they take a lot of time but it was so much fun to read!!!

Thank you for sharing, your kids are adorable!

You guys are awesome!!!! Thank you so much for following along and for all the love!