Trip Report Welcome to Beautiful Billings! Wait...What?! A (Late) September 2014 Trip Report

Matt and Kelly · Oct 23, 2014

Day 3 - September 14

After a good night's sleep we were up and at it a little after 700 am. Kelly and I showered and got ourselves ready for the day while the girls slept a little longer. WE got them up when we were finished getting ready and had breakfast before meeting up with the others in the lobby. Again, the villa was perfect for this start to the day. We chowed down on cereal, eggs and waffles before packing up the stroller and heading down to meet the rest of the group for our first day together.

Everyone was waiting for us on the couches. They had stopped by Roaring Forks for breakfast and as we said our hello's we heard all about the crazy adventure the bunk bed room was going to be. Apparently as soon as Mindy and Guber walked into the room they immediately went down to the front desk to see if they could upgrade to a Villa. There was availability, but at an additional $250 a night! Needless to say they toughed out the bunk bed room. They had yet to see our room at this point but that only made things worse when they finally did!

We didn't stick around the lobby long before we took off to the boat launch and were back on our way to MK. Ella and Lennon were both very excited to see their cousins Hayden and Kendall and everyone was in a very cheerful mood on the boat.

We arrived and made our way to the entrance. Of course, we had our first hiccup of the trip right off the bat. Guber and my MIL, Deb, had issues with their Magic Bands so we had to head into the Magic Band area near the Mickey meet and Greet to get things straightened out. It took a little longer than expected but it did allow for the girls to meet Snow White who was set up just outside the doors.

That pose from Kendall in the last picture would be come pretty common when it came to meeting the characters!

Ok, the Magic Bands were finally straightened away and we made our way down Main Street to show the rest of the group the new Fantasyland. Our first stop was FP for Seven Dwarfs. Because Kendall and Lennon were too small for the ride a couple of people had to stay off with them while the rest of the group went on the ride. We ended up back at Dumbo (Shocking, I know) to take the little ones on that ride while we waited for the others. We all met up near the Pooh ride and made the switch. Second time riding the mine was a good as the first. Said it earlier but I really enjoy the ride. Very well done. Perfect addition to Fantasyland in my opinion.

Our Dwarf ride was over and we mulled around Fantasyland a little bit waiting for our next FP for Peter Pan. We walked by the line for Elsa and Anna which was already over an hour so we didn't stop there but we did get in line for Rapunzel and Cinderella who only had a 10 minute wait. We were sure getting our fill of character visits but the girls, minus Hayden, really seemed to love the interaction so that was just fine with me! It was their trip anyways I was just the chauffeur. The line moved very quickly and we were ushered into the chamber in less than the posted wait time. By this time Lennon seemed more interested in her autograph book than actually seeing whomever was in front of her and she'd usually just sit down near them and flip through the pages!

Kendall not too happy once again! HAHA she's too funny. Such a laid back personality all of the time but wanted nothing to do with anyone dressed up when the time came. Poor girl!

When we finished with the Princesses we made our way over to Peter Pan and once again enjoyed the flight! After Pan was over we made the quick trip across the way to Small World and everyone loaded up for the Happiest Cruise on Earth. Lennon still seems uninterested in the ride by my mom was happy!

For us, at least on this day, Fantasyland was our Disney World. We didn't leave the land all morning. We had lunch FP slated for Be Our Guest a little before noon and we also had FP for Big Thunder at 1120. The plan was for the adults, the big kids, to race off to Big Thunder than make it back for our reservations at BoG. Sadly we never made it over to Big Thunder. Instead we ended up doing Ariel's undersea Adventure before making our way to eat.

Both Kelly and I were very excited about BoG, not sure the others were but I know we were very much looking forward to eating here for the first time. Line moved a little slower once we entered the castle but it was so well themed inside. A lot to look at aside from the menu.

After about 15 or so minutes of waiting to get to the cashier to select our meal we finally made it up to the front. Both Kelly and I ordered the Carved Prime Roast Beef Sandwich. We ordered the Seared Mahi Mahi for the girls, received our rose and made our way through the restaurant to find a table big enough to fit all 10 if us. Took so doing but we were able to squeeze into a round table in the very back room. It was pretty tight but we were all together.

The set of the rooms were very cool. We were in a smaller area so it wasn't quite as noisy as the large dining room. Everyone was quite impressed that out of nowhere the food just sort of arrives, like magic! Kelly had used her Magic Band to order and had taken Ella to the washroom so our order came later than the rest of the table as I assume they didn't want to deliver to the women's washroom! Really cool how they deliver the food to your table. Everything looked pretty good and we were all ready to eat.

It had been a challenge already to get the girls to eat on this trip. I think the heat was playing a big factor in them not wanting to eat and this meal was no exception. Even with the destraction of the iPad, Lennon was not in an eating mood and Ella was acting weird in her own right. Usually she eats very well but this trip, and today in particular, was a little different. Everyone was enjoying their food and I had one bite of my sandwich which was good but not as good as the cheese steak sandwich from the Plaza. I was trying to get Lenny to eat and Kelly was prompting Ella. All the sudden Ella just lost it. She broke down crying pretty much out of nowhere. Normally a kid having a tantrum is nothing out of the ordinary but we knew this was something more. We quickly checked her blood sugar level and it was dangerously low. She was at 2.5 which is scary low. Ideally her sugars should be around a 7. A level of 4 or under is very dangerous. Add in the fact she didn't want to eat or drink so she was not helping herself get the levels back to a safe place. We ended up having to cut our lunch short to race her back to the hotel. I might have had half my lunch and I think Kelly only had one bite. While we were very much excited to eat at BoG, we had more important things to take care of so we rushed out pretty quickly.

Thankfully on our way back to the hotel we were able to get Ella to drink some chocolate milk and some juice which leveled her out just enough to get her to be responsive again. I mean that she was not crying hysterically and would actually converse with you when you spoke to her. Pretty scary way to wend what was a very fun morning but we figured it was a good time to head back to the hotel, get things under control and put all the kids down for a nap before re-grouping later that afternoon.

Thanks again for following along. I'll finish up our day a little later on!

Maggie Mae · Oct 23, 2014

Lovin' the report!! Can't wait to read more! Your kiddos are adorable!

Mickey2006 · Oct 23, 2014

All caught up on your report. Really enjoying it so far.

draybook · Oct 23, 2014

Great report so far. I feel your pain on the flight delay, we were stuck for 7 hours here in Memphis on our way down to Orlando. I'd have rather been in Billings with a gorgeous view. Looking forward to more report.

Matt and Kelly · Oct 23, 2014

draybook said:
Great report so far. I feel your pain on the flight delay, we were stuck for 7 hours here in Memphis on our way down to Orlando. I'd have rather been in Billings with a gorgeous view. Looking forward to more report.

Nothing worse than being delayed in the airport trying to start your vacation! The view was very nice. Reminded me of the mountains here in Alberta.

Thanks for reading!

Matt and Kelly · Oct 23, 2014

Slow moment at work so back to the report!

We were able to get the girls back to the hotel for a quick nap before figuring out what the plan was for the evening. While Kelly stayed int he room to watch TV and make sure all was good with Ella and Lennon, I met the grandmas at the pool for some beers on what was a brilliant afternoon. Guber and Mindy took Hayden and Kendall back for a nap and ended up on their balcony tipping back a few brews as well. Didn't take long for their family to come join us down by the Villa pool as it turns out Hayden and Kendall were all to fond of napping, at least on that given day. Not a huge issue though as they both seemed very happy to be swimming in the perfect weather. Mindy and Gub took turns with the kids in the pool while the other would sit down at one of the tables we has pool side and drink a beer.

A few brews later and Kelly was texting me to say the girls were up so I went back to our room which was a short walk away from the pool to get them ready to join us for a dip. Pretty soon all 10 of were out enjoying the water. I was majorly disappointed that the main pool was under construction but the pool at the Villa was perfect for what we needed. If the kids were a little older it would have been great to have some extra space but really can't complain too much.

We enjoyed the pool for about another hour or so then decided it was time for something else. Everyone came back to our room to take the grand tour and to see what they were missing out on for not being patient. Most of us enjoyed another beer as the girls ripped around the room and outside the patio. We were ground floor so our room had two sliding doors that led right out into a quite grassy area. Was very peaceful, especially the odd day I enjoyed a cold beverage or morning coffee outside.

When everyone finished their drink they went back to their own rooms to shower and meet up again in a little while. Originally we had planned to dine at the Crystal Palace but decided to cancel that reservation just before the 24 hour period as we figured there was no way we would make it back to MK on time with all the girls napping and what not. Turned out since everyone was pretty much up we likely could have made it but oh well. No harm no foul. We didn't have any real dinner plans for the evening so we all just grabbed something from Roaring Forks before deciding to meet up to head over to Downtown Disney for a little shopping.

The girls seemed to be a tad tired from the water as you can see...

But Mindy and Guber seemed upbeat

Our first stop was our favourite store, the Days of Christmas store. We always seem to comeback with some new Disney Christmas stuff and this trip was no exception. Everyone spent quite a bit of time browsing through and picking up new ornaments for their trees at home. We bough a few new ones to hang on our Disney tree and even picked up another ornament for our travel agents as a thank you for helping us get to Orlando after the mishap we dealt with flying out. Thankfully, and rather thoughtfully, on of the TVs in the store had Frozen playing so we were able to entertain the girls on and off while we were looking around.

After the Christmas store we made our way into the Once upon a Toy store and ended up picking up a box of potato head pieces for Lennon's Christmas present. Kelly must not have been paying close attention as she just realized the other day that she packed two sets of Buzz Lightyear feet into the box!

I guess toy shopping made everyone hungry for dessert so we treated ourselves to something yummy from Goofy's candy shop! Now even though our girls didn't feel like eating too much up until this point they were both more than willing to gobble up their cake pops!

They were pretty good!

We ripped around DTD for a little while longer before making our last stop at the World of Disney. We all split up to search the store for whatever we could find and somehow met in the the middle of the store. As most parents do I'm sure, we left the store with more than a handful of new stuffies, shirts and accessories for the little ones!

At this point the sun had set, the lights were on at DTD which looked pretty awesome and the kids were starting to get a little restless. We may not have made it beyond the World of Disney but I think we were able to accomplish a lot with our visit. The shop-a-holic women of the group may not agree with me but they were already making plans to figure out when they could come back, make their way to the target by Animal Kingdom or hit up the outlets.

Back to the bus we went and we made our way back home. We returned and everyone made their way to their own rooms. Kelly, Ella, Mindy and Hayden were scheduled to get up early for breakfast at Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood Studios the next morning so everyone was off to bed.

Thus ends our first day all together! Tomorrow I will start to detail our first non-MK day as we visit Hollywood Studios! Thanks for reading along!

SharonD · Oct 23, 2014

The photos of the girls with the characters are so cute - especially the series with Tiana.

Goofnut1980 · Oct 23, 2014

Awesome report! Sorry to hear about the sugar issue.. that can be super scary!

Matt and Kelly · Oct 24, 2014

Goofnut1980 said:
Awesome report! Sorry to hear about the sugar issue.. that can be super scary!

Having dealt with her diabetes for the past year and a half we've gotten used to treating lows but when they crop up it still is a scary situation. We assumed we would have to deal with it eventually during the trip due in part to the excitement, the running around, extra activity or the heat. It was surprising how quickly it hit but thankfully we were able to treat it and didn't have to experience it again the rest of the trip.

Matt and Kelly · Oct 24, 2014

Ok back to the action!

Day 4 - September 15

Kelly and Ella were up around 630 to start getting ready to meet Mindy and Hayden for their character breakfast. Lennon and I had the chance to sleep in a little longer but we had invited the rest of the group to our room for breakfast before heading to meet the others at Hollywood Studios. Kelly and Ella were out the door around 715 to catch the bus. Lenny and I slowly got ourselves up as well and I put on a pot of coffee to share with Gub and the grandmas. They arrive around 745, we had our breakfast and started to make our plan of attack for the morning.

Meanwhile, over at DHS, Kelly, Ella, Mindy and Hayden had arrived and were ready to dine with some of their favourite Disney Junior characters!

Since Disney Junior is on our TV almost 24/7 at our house I have gotten very familiar with pretty much every character they met during their meal. Based on the pictures it looks like we missed a really fun time and I know the girls were really impressed with seeing all their favourites as they started pretending the rest of the trip that they were Doc McStuffins or Sofia and signing autographs for each other. Was pretty funny to watch. Kelly told me the food selection was quite good, much better than our Cheerio's and toast no doubt, and that Ella actually ate like she normally would at home for the first time all trip so that was nice to hear.

The rest of us had loaded up the strollers and hit the bus down to DHS to meet up with the happy diners. We arrived a little after 9am, just in time for the FP for the Disney Junior Stage show. Hurrah, more Sofia! Luckily for me and Gub, we made FP for Star Tours while all the girls watched the stage show.

Guber and I made our way through DHS and over to Star Tours. Line was non-existent both for FP and for Stand-by so we walked right onto the ride with about 3 or 4 other people. I thought for sure one of us would the rebel spy or whatever came up but I was wrong. Maybe Guber was too short to be seen on the camera and perhaps I was too handsome to be considered a spy. At any rate the ride was a lot of fun. A lot more wild than I recall from our last trip to Disneyland a while back. So much so that I was kinda thankful it ended when it did, I was starting to get a little motion sickness which pretty much never happens!

We finished up on Star Tours and still had quite a bit of time to ourselves before the stage show finished up. We decided to hit up Rock'nRoller Coaster before making our way to the theatre. Again, very short stand-by line. I think the posted wait time was 10 minutes. We walked uninterrupted through the queue pretty much right into the pre-show room. We'd been pretty happy not to have to wait very long for anything so far this trip. We were on the ride rather quickly and sped off down the highway to the concert! That take off at the beginning is one of my favourite feelings in all WDW!

After Aerosmith we walked back to the theatre to meet up with the rest of the group. The show didn't end for another 5-10 minutes and we were kicking ourselves for not taking a quick ride on Tower of Terror before heading back. Everyone filed out of the theatre just as our window for out Toy Story FP opened up. We made the short walk over to Toy Story and into the FP queue.

I had volunteered myself to sit with Lennon on my lap for the first go around but Kelly said she wanted to take her so me and Ella were in a car together and I had unobstructed access to run up the score. I get pretty competitive on this game as I have never been beaten by someone in our party before in the years of playing the game. Of course no different this go around as I racked up a pretty solid score, though I sadly don't remember it at this point, somewhere in the 185,000ish range I think. Ella even put up something like 30,000 which I thought was pretty good for someone who could barely see the screen!

After Toy Story we walked by the new Frozen area. We didn't go in but made sure we would return. We wanted to go and find Mike and Sulley as Sulley is Lennon's absolute favourite character. We found them just beyond the studio tour and made our way into the line. I think this may have been the longest line we waited in all week to this point. A lot of Monster's Inc fans around! As soon as the kids saw Mike and Sulley they really perked up. Kendall and Lennon kept shouting "Sulley" but as we moved through the line and got closer to them, they started to see just how big Sulley is and really clammed up! When it was our turn to head up Ella had no issues but Kelly had to carry Lennon. Sulley seemed to get the most attention from the guests before us and I felt kinda bad for Mike but thankfully Ella seemed more into Mike than Sulley!

After we said our goodbye's to Mike and Sulley and after a quick snack, Kelly, Lennon, Guber, Hayden and I rode the Studio Tour and the others looked for a place to cool down. Both girls really seemed to like the tour, especially the water effects show before boarding the tram. We met up with the others after the tour was over and debated our next move.

Our window for ToT FP was nearly closed so that seemed to be the next plan of attack. For whatever reason it only turned out to be me, Gub and Mindy making our way over to ToT. Kelly wanted to stay out with Ella and Len as they were starting to hit the wall and the grandmas were too scared to ride! We made our way over and flew threw the FP line once again. After Splash and Soarin, ToT is one of my top three. It was a blast. I forgot about the forward movement that you don't get on ToT in Disneyland. Guber may not admit it but I know both him and Mindy were freaked out!

While we rode ToT the girls found a place to cool off and eat a little lunch. They also found their way back to the Frozen area to check that out before we decided to head back for naps. Like every child on the planet, our kids are crazy for Frozen so they loved playing around for a little.

On our way out of the park the adults, minus Kelly, had a craving for a cold beer and a pretzel so we made a quick pit stop to pick up these goodies. Little did I know Kelly was more than ready to get the girls back to the room and down for a snooze. After shaking of one of the worst stink-eye's I have received, I downed my beer in about 10 seconds as we walked back to the front entrance. Being a Canadian that Bud Light was just a tad stronger than a glass of water so I was certainly no worse for wear as we exited the park and made our way back to the Lodge.

That was our morning at DHS. Thanks again for following along and putting up with numerous pictures of our girls! I'll detail the rest of our day a little later on.

Zipadeelady · Oct 25, 2014

Following along! We were at MK the same day you were at HS. By noon it was crazy busy for September but I guess thats what happens if you plan a day ay MK when there isn't MNSSHP! Every one on property wanted to be able to stay later than 7:00. Next time I'll plan better.

ILoveDisney2006 · Oct 25, 2014

Love the report... Sorry about your unfortunate flight problems, we have been there before.

Matt and Kelly · Oct 27, 2014

Sorry for the big delay, took the weekend off! I'll finish up our 4th day and prepare for a very picture heavy Day 5 tomorrow!

We arrived back at the hotel a little after one and got the girls down for a nap. I asked Kelly if she wanted to head to the pool or go shopping or something but she seemed content hanging out in the room, keeping cool for a bit. I took the chance to once again head to the pool and rest my feet in the hot tub. I filled up my resort mug with a Miller Lite and made my way down.

Before heading to the pool I went back to the man courtyard at the Lodge as they had taken down some of the walls around the pool construction. I snapped a few quick pics of the construction site. Obviously looks a lot different than the last time we were there! Can still recall some of the different pool areas but based on how much work they are doing I am anxious to see the finished product.

I then found my way back to the hot tub and enjoyed my beer. Pool area was never very busy when we ended up there which made it nice and relaxing for the most part. Was fun chatting with some of the other folks staying at the Lodge.

After about an hour I made my way back to the room and relaxed a little with Kelly before having to get the girls up and ready to head back to DHS for our dinner reservations at one of my favourite stops, 50's Prime Time Cafe!

We had reservations at 520 so we all met at the bus stop around 430 to catch the bus back. Sounded like Hayden and Kendall were at least napping better in their room but Mindy and Gub were still isolated to the balcony. Every one seemed in good spirits as we made the trek back...I was super stoked to eat there again.

We arrived with plenty of time to spare and Ella couldn't pass up the chance to take a quick photo with Olaf!

We checked in at the restaurant pretty early, which was quite busy with guests waiting to be seated. I was hoping we might be seated in the section being waited on by our old Uncle Tim, whom we've had twice before, but no luck based on the size of our group. We made our way to the old school living room are to wait. Our moms reminisced about their youth and how a lot of the decor reminded them of home!

Thankfully there were a few things to help keep the kids occupied as we waited about 10 or so minutes for our names to be called.

Finally the Mandrusiak kids were called to enter the dining room. I was pretty impressed that my last name wasn't butchered like it normally is so things were already looking pretty good! For the life of me I cannot remember the name of the server we had but she was our distant cousin, and she was very good! Never a disappointment with the service at 50's.

She played the role really well but also kinda dropped the act at times to chat about the kids and her kids and all that fun stuff which was pretty cool. Though just when you thought she had her guard down she would quickly slip in a "get your elbows off the table" or "no hats in the house" just to get you back in the mood!

Not surprisingly the kids were a little rambunctious and didn't want to stay seated long so we kinda took shifts taking them out of the restaurant to the waterfront to look at the ducks. While we waited for our meals. I ordered the fried Chicken, Kelly had the pot roast and Ella and Lennon shared an order of Macaroni and cheese with a PB&J milkshake (delicious, by the way!). My chicken was out of this world good. Some of the best I've had. Plus a massive portion. Three huge pieces. I was a very happy man. Kelly really enjoyed her pot roast and the rest of the group said their meals were fantastic as well. Even the girls ate ok but were definitely more focused on the milkshake. I can't blame them! I will admit I was scolded a couple of times for licking my fingers but I couldn't help it! Too good to waste on a napkin!

We finished up our meals and it was pressing 700 pm, which was park closing time. We made the trip all that way for dinner and not much else but it was absolutely worth it in my eyes. 50's will always be a stop of choice on any future trip we make. At least if I have any say in the matter.

We didn't stick around the park for too long after we ate and made our way back to the bus stop just before a huge rush of people hit. We made the next bus and found our way back to the lodge. It was still pretty early and the kids were still in good moods so we walked down to the beach area, which was also under construction, just to check it out.

The kids went berserk as soon as we got there! They loved ripping around in the sand. They were racing one another, playing hide and seek behind the lounge chairs and posing for goofy pictures. Even if it was pitch black with the exception of some path lighting, they had a blast blowing off some steam.

Lennon could not stop spinning in circles, singer her ABCs, counting to 10 and cheering for herself. It was pretty funny to watch how amused they were with basically nothing but sand around them.

We spent maybe 20 minutes down at the beach before calling it a night. Everyone made their way back to the rooms and settled in for the evening. Once again we would have another early morning, and a very busy day ahead of us, as we had breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table booked at 800am and tickets to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party that evening! Like I said earlier, stay tuned for a very pic heavy and likely lengthy review of our 5th day!

Thanks again for reading along!

CheersBigEars · Oct 27, 2014

Enjoying your TR and looking forward to day 5.

Matt and Kelly · Oct 28, 2014

Day 5 - September 16

This was likely the day I was most looking forward to on the trip. It was a day full of fun things happening at the Magic Kingdom. First on tap was breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table! Our reservation was for 805 am so we were up a little before 7 to ensure we could get to the park in time.

We were out the door relatively quickly and met the group in the lobby before 730. we arrived at the bus stop just as the MK bus was arriving and a few short minutes later we were making our way to the main gates. There more than a few other families also arriving for their breakfast reservations but since we were so early and still had a good 25 minutes before our reservation time we had the chance to pose for some cool pictures with little to no interference.

WE slowly made our way down Main Street taking pictures of the different Halloween decorations set up throughout the park. The park looked awesome!

And like all tourists, we did the obligatory photos in front of the castle!

After our picture frenzy we made it into the castle and checked in. We were sent right inside and joined the line to meet and get our picture with our host, Cinderella! This was really the only time Lennon was not feeling the character picture, as you can see...

After our picture and autograph opportunity with Cinderella we were whisked up the staircase and seated in the main dining room. We had one of the best seats in the house, at least according to our server. Whenever a princess was introduced, she entered the dining room right behind our table. It was actually pretty awesome as every time the announcement came on Ella and Lennon would stand on the bench and go nuts when the princess would walk by.

Before any of the Princesses made their way to our table, we ended up being one of the last tables they visited which wasn't so bad either, we ordered or meals. A lot of the group selected the crab cakes but I went with the stiffed french toast, Kelly had bacon and eggs and the girls had eggs, sausage and toast. The French Toast was fantastic but man was it rich and filing. I couldn't even finish but enjoyed what I did eat. As per usual, the girls couldn't have cared less about their meals, their focus was directly on the Princesses making their way around the room, expect for Lennon who couldn't be torn away from Peter Pan on the iPad. She wouldn't even take pictures with most of Princesses but she seemed ok with that.

When I called to make the reservation earlier this year I was asked if we were celebrating anything. I told the Cast Member that my girls would be celebrating birthdays the week after our visit so our trip was kind of an early birthday present. Well, after our visit from Aurora we were surprised with birthday cupcakes for both Ella and Lennon! It was actually a pretty well timed surprise as Ella really needed some extra carbs in her system wit the insulin we gave her before hand. They both were very happy...great touch by Disney!

As they ate their cupcakes the rest of the Princesses made their way over to say hello!

After what was a very fun experience, we finished up what was left of our food or drink and found our way down the spiral staircase and back to our strollers to go and explore the Park. We vowed to make our way outside of Fantasyland today to have fun elsewhere!

Before we made our way to the rides we made a couple quick wishes and we were on our way! Since I have shared so many pics already I will start another post and detail the fun we had after our breakfast.

Matt and Kelly · Oct 30, 2014

Ok, sorry for the delay! Back to the rest of the morning.

We did make plans to make our way outside of Fantasyland but before we did we had FP's for Seven Dwarfs again. This fast became Hayden's favourtie ride though Ella was clearly over it. She really soured on the roller coaster rides after that first day and half. Some of the group did the Dwarf ride while the some of the others explored behind the mountain.

and made our way to Ariel's undersea adventure. Walking through the queue was longer than the posted wait time but no worries there. The themeing and detail is fantastic. It's cousin in California Adventure cannot hold a candle to the work on display in WDW.

After taking a spin on Ariel and finishing up with the Dwarf FPs we finally made our way outside the realm of Fantasy to explore some of the other areas of the park! Both Guber and i were very pleased to see something new!

We made our way down towards Splash Mountain. Hayden had been talking a lot about Splash ever since Ella showed her the picture of her and Kelly riding on it the first day we arrived. We weren't sure that Hayden was going to be tall enough to ride so we wanted to find out. Upon arriving she fell short by about an inch which of course was very upsetting to her that she wasn't going to get the chance to go on. She did settle down a little which enabled us all to take turns making the plunge! I even got my mom on the ride which I didn't think was going to happen!

We clearly had a blast getting a little wet and thankfully so as it was really getting hot. We noticed Jessie and Woody arriving at the character spot just outside Splash and figured we might as well stop to say hello before heading into Adventureland and taking a trip on Pirates. Lennon is Toy Story crazy at home but at this point she wasn't too thrilled to see Jessie or Woody! Just one of those days I guess! Ella on the other hand was right into it and wanted to know where Bulls-eye was!

With the sun really beating down we made the short trek to Adventureland and parked the strollers to ride Pirates. Everyone with the exception of Ella was excited but much like Haunted Mansion, it didn't take too long for her to settle in. By the end she was singing "yo-ho" pretty loudly. Pirates had won her over, though she didn't like that she couldn't see Elizabeth Swann!

From Pirates we made the quick trip to Aladdin's Magic Carpets. Lennon was mad that it wasn't Dumbo ride but seemed ok with it once she saw the spitting camel! She loves that song "Alice the camel" and started to sing it as we waited in line.

After Carpets it was time for a quick water/bathroom break and to apply more sunscreen. The kids were really sweating now and it was only a matter of time before the heat became a little too much for at least one of them. Until that happened she remained in a pretty good mood while we sat down for quick break.

Once we were hydrated again and the sunscreen was lathered on we made our way to the Jungle Cruise. We had another 20-30 minutes to kill before our FP window for Space Mountain and the wait for JC was about 15 minutes. We hoped in line and slowly made our way through the queue. About half way through Lenny decided she had enough. She started with the crying and quickly it escalated to her on the floor kicking and screaming. Kelly and I got a little annoyed with one another on how to handle her so instead ruin everyone's cruise, I took her out of line and back to the hotel. She desperately need a nap and we learned our lesson from day one not to push it too much.

Everyone else enjoyed a peaceful cruise while I found the stroller and made my way to the entrance. By the time we reached the gates she was out like a light so at least I didn't have to worry too much about the boat ride back.

I got back to the hotel pretty quickly and Lennon went right to sleep. I flipped through what seemed like 40 ESPN channels and enjoyed a cold beer. At least the other guys weren't having as much fun as I was!

Ok maybe they were! Oh well! I was happy they got to enjoy the park some more even if I wasn't able to join in. I did get a tad worried though as I had a haircut booked on Main Street at 130 and I didn't want to miss it! Based on some of the pictures it's pretty clear I needed it too! Until someone came to hang out with Lenny all I could do was watch the clock!

I'll detail my solo trip back to the park and our Halloween party experience in the next posting!

Matt and Kelly · Oct 31, 2014

After a few nervous moments and some texting back and forth, the grandma's showed up at our Villa around 1oopm to hang out while Lennon slept so I could make my way back to MK for my hair appointment. I had just enough time to get back and make it to the barber shop on time for my appointment. I was also looking forward to a little quiet time at the park on my own. Could do a few things I have always wanted to do but never had the chance to.

Thankfully the boat was just pulling in as I arrived at the dock and I jumped right on. Had the chance to take a few photos of the fantastic surroundings you get to see as you make your way to the Magic Kingdom.

I made it to the gates at about 20 after and was very much looking forward to my haircut. This would be the second time I have gotten a cut on Main Street. I had my first cut three years earlier and really enjoyed the experience. Every trip I take to WDW from now on will include a trip to the Main Street barber shop! I had gotten my hair cut about a month earlier and my hair grows very quickly so I was long overdue for this trim.

I checked in and took a seat on the bench to wait. There were three barbers working away on a variety of guests but the child's first haircut seemed to be the most popular choice of the day! Lots of little one's jumping into the chairs for their first cut. We really should have done this with Ella but we dropped the ball!

I waited for about 5 minutes until my barber, Michal from Chicago, to finish up with another customer. I jumped in the chair and embarrassingly showed him a picture of a previous cut that I particularly liked. He laughed and told me not to worry about being lame and showing a picture! He went to work and after some small talk about where we were from, what did for work, all that fun stuff, he was done after about 10 minutes. It was a great cut and I was more than happy getting out of the chair. Sadly, in my rush to get back tot he park I didn't grab any cash, I only had my magic band. I was able to pay for my cut with the band but tips were cash only. I told Michal that I was coming back for the Halloween Party that evening and would be sure to stop by with a tip. He took it in stride but I doubt he believed I would return. I felt bad but knew I would be back.

I received a message while I was getting my cut that the rest of the group was now back at the Lodge and that they were relaxing for a bit. I used that time to spend about 90 minutes on my own strolling through the park.

Since I didn't get to enjoy Space Mountain with the others earlier that day, I made that my first stop. Standby was posted at 15 minutes so I jumped in line. I walked quickly through the queue as nobody else was really in line until we got near the loading area. Things slowed down a little but only took about 5 minutes until I was boarding, front row at that, so I was happy.

It's been a while since I had been on space in WDW. I'm so used to the Disneyland version so it was a ton of fun riding for the first time this trip. The ride felt a whole lot faster than I recall! Those single seat cars are a lot more wild than the big two seaters at DL. I loved it!

After Space I walked around a little taking in the sights and sounds around me. I made my way into Fantasyland where I grabbed some popcorn and boarded the Disney Rail Road. In all my years going to Disney Parks I had never been on the Rail Road. Every trip I always say I'm finally going to do it so I can mark it off my bucket list but I never end up actually riding. This trip I finally did...and it was very cool! I never knew they had all those mini scenes set up along the ride and it was pretty neat seeing some of the back roads behind the rides. We ended up heading past the afternoon parade which was lining up in the background getting ready for the show. Quite cool to see. I made it all the way around the track before exiting again at Fantasyland. Finally happy to mark that one off the list.

I was going to head over to Jungle Cruise since I missed that ride in the morning as well but it was pushing 3 o'clock and we had FPs to meet Elsa and Anna around 430 that afternoon. I decided to slowly make my way back to the Lodge and make sure we were ready for the Halloween Party. I made it back just in time to greet Lenny who was waking up from her good snooze. Ella and Hayden were playing in the grandmas room so Kelly and I packed up the stroller for the Party, got Lennon into her costume and made the trek to find Ella and get her ready to go.

Ella and Hayden could be heard laughing and screaming down the hall as we approached the grannies room. We spent a few minutes getting them dressed up and ready to go. Mindy, Gub and Kendall met us in the room and we were ready to make our way back to MK yet again to meet Elsa and Anna, grab some dinner and party on!

A lot of people were arriving for the party at the same time as we were, right around 430. We made our way through the gates, got our party wristbands and took off straight to the Elsa and Anna meet and greet! The girls were all very excited to finally meet Elsa and Anna. Standby time was well over an hour but we waited no more than 10 minutes to make our way into the parlour through the FP line. Have to say FP+ was outstanding for us all trip. Very little waiting. Once we got in the girls we so fired up once they saw both Elsa and Anna. Anna was first up and she was awesome. Funny, engaging and quirky just like the film!

Then over to Elsa! She was just as engaging as Anna but a little more reserved like the film. Very well done by these Cast Members!

Well worth the wait to finally meet the most popular people in all of WDW!

As we were inside the sky started to open up and a pretty good rain started to fall. We killed a little time in the Frozen store, again buying the girls a few new items, and decided it was time for something to eat before we enjoyed the rest of the night. We ran over to Pinocchio's Village Haus for some sustenance . I had the Chicken Caesar Salad, Kelly had a flatbread, and the girls ate Chicken Fingers and Fries. Nothing fancy but good enough to keep us going, at least until all the trick-or-treat candy made an appearance!

Next up...Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!

Matt and Kelly · Nov 4, 2014

After we finished eating the rain had pretty much let up. It was pretty close to MNSSHP time but we still had about 30 or so minutes before the official party started. We figured we would venture into Tomorrowland and ride Buzz when the party started so we took off in that direction. Along the way we used Ella's guest assistance card to reserve a time to come back to Tomorrowland Speedway and we hit up Winnie the Pooh as the line was next to nothing as we walked by.

Sad thing about the line being so short is that we didn't even have to walk through the interactive queue so the girls didn't get the chance to play around in there. Wasn't a huge deal but that queue is pretty fun! I know Pooh gets a bad wrap for taking over for Mr. Toad but I have to say I am on the bear's side in this debate. Pooh is just a fun ride for everyone and based on the girls reaction after coming off the ride they thoroughly enjoyed the bouncing part! But now Lenny was scared of Heffalumps and Woozles!

From Pooh we utilized the guest assistance card for the Speedway. Throughout the entire trip I think we may have used the card no more than a handful of times and yes, it was a nice advantage when we did use it, but for the most part wait times were more than manageable and it wasn't overly necessary for us to have. I rode the speedway with Ella and of course she wanted to drive so that was a-ok with me. After a few violent run ins with the guiding track, her driving days quickly came to an end so I had to reach over and steer the rest of the way while she enjoyed the ride with no issues! Still always a little surprised when riding the speedway or Autopia in DL that Disney hasn't found an alternative to the loud, smelly, gas vehicles. In time I suppose.

As we exited the Speedway the party had just begun. The trick or treat stations were all set up and people were starting to head through to fill their sacks with tasty treats. We didn't hit the candy lines just yet, instead electing to go into Tomorrowland and ride Buzz Lightyear. I admit, I SUCK at this ride. I can never figure out where the lazer is shooting and always embarrass myself in the end. I'm always pretty good at Toy Story but this one gets me off my high horse. Thankfully I had an excuse as to why I was so awful this go around...I sat with Lennon so I said my focus was more on her than actually playing the game. Which may or may not be true. In the end her score was not that far off from mine! Both were atrocious. Fun nonetheless!

Ok, my score was definitely embarrassing but maybe not as bad as that picture of my mom!

As we walked off of the Buzz ride, standing in front of us was Buzz himself! Line was pretty sparse so we figured we'd jump in and say hello to everyone's favourite Space Ranger!

Looks like Ella has a thing for plastic muscle men!

Once through the Buzz line we were going to meet Lotso who was set up steps away from Buzz but the line was massive and since Ella needed to use the potty we figured we would make our way to the nearest restroom and go from there.

Turns out, right in front of the washroom was a huge Monsters Inc dance party! Ella went to the washroom and the rest of us partied with all our Monster friends! A ton of little kids and their parents were dancing along with Mike, Sulley, Boo and the gang blowing off some steam. Great set up and a lot of fun seeing how all the Monsters tried in some way to interact with the kids. For being totally scared of Sulley the day before both Lennon and Kendall didn't seemed to mind that he was around as they ripped around the square and danced away. We must have spent a good 20 minutes or so dancing around and high-fiving the monsters that were part of the show.

When the dance party ended we were on a mission to find candy! Ella was especially excited since she doesn't really get the chance to snack on too much candy back at home due to her diabetes. Since she wasn't eating enough throughout the day as it was and seeing as how she definitely had enough insulin in her body, we told her she could have some treats which made her quite excited. Didn't take long to find the glowing pumpkins and we shuffled our way through a pretty big line to received a more than fair sized portion of sugary goodness! Wasn't too hard to convince all four girls to sit in their strollers in order to get a chocolate bar or something just as tasty!

As they ate their candy we started towards the castle between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. Along the way we crossed by the Merida meet and greet and nobody was in line. She was coming back in a couple minutes so we were happy to wait. Rides clearly took a backseat to characters and candy during the party!

Merida returned shortly after we parked ourselves in line. All of our character interactions to this point had been great but this one takes the cake! She was absolutely brilliant with the kids, as you'll see from the pictures, and likely provided us with one of the top memories we will always remember from this trip. I haven't seen Lennon smile and laugh so much since we arrived. Merida was awesome! This was the first time that everyone went up together and of course, they immediately sat down which seemed a-ok with Merida!

People always ask us why we only seem to vacation to Disney parks, sometimes multiple times a year. No matter what we tell them they always think we are crazy or are missing out by not going elsewhere. I think these pictures, the looks on our girls faces, provide a better answer as to why we keep choosing Disney over anything else and likely will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

After Merida the first Boo-To-You parade was closing in so we decided to take a walk down to Frontierland to find a space to watch. We stopped at a few more trick-or-treat stands along the way to top up the candy bags before looking for seats.

Needless to say it was packed with people and maneuvering two huge strollers through the open viewing areas was very difficult. We ended up getting pinched off right in front of the Golden Horseshoe and even if we wanted to turn back and head out the way we entered we were pretty much SOL. We were stuck, but stuck with decent viewing lanes for the parade. Ella once again had to use the restroom so off she went with Kelly to find the washroom. I got a text a few minutes later that they had found front row seating with room for us to join towards Pecos Bills. After several angry responses saying "great...we are stuck" we settled on the fact that Kelly and Ella were watching the parade without us! The parade started a few minutes later and everyone was at full attention!

Boo to You is a great parade. At this point one of my favourites but that was before seeing festival of fantasy later in the trip. I didn't take any pics, I had Lenny on my shoulders, but I know there was a recent post here on WDW Magic that had tons of great parade shots. Highlight for me, outside of the music, is the shovels making sparks on the ground and of course the headless horseman that kicks everything off!

Parade came to a close, we found Ella and Kelly but said goodbye to Mindy, Guber, Hayden, Kendall and Deb who decided to call it a night. We wanted to stick around for a little longer to watch the fireworks before heading back. Kelly and I decided to head towards Big Thunder to take a quick spin before heading back towards Main Street for fireworks seats. Ella is tall enough to ride Big Thunder but was not into the idea at all! We made another stop for candy near Splash Mountain and my mom watched the girls while we took the wildest ride in the wilderness!

Like all rides, I think riding in the dark makes it that much better! We were seated near the back which was great as well and the ride seemed so much faster than we remember. It has been some time since we've been on Big Thunder thanks in part to the DL refurbishment so we had a blast.

After the ride we found our way back towards Main Street for Hallo-Wishes which was brilliant. Ella had never liked fireworks up until this show but now she was hooked! Mesmerized by the lights and sounds she stared at the sky from start to finish. Main Street was packed with eager on lookers who were in much the same state.

The fireworks concluded and so did our very busy day! We jumped on the boat and called it a day!

Animal Kingdom was up next for us, well most of us, Mindy and Guber were heading off to Universal, so we were down two members of the party the next day.

Thanks so much for reading along!

EDIT - I totally for got to say that I did indeed make my way back to the barber shop with a tip for my guy, Michal. As soon as I walked in he almost seemed shocked to see me return. He stopped the cut he was working on and I handed him a tip and told him I really appreciated the job he did! He thanked me and shook my hand then I was on my way. Great barber for anyone considering a cut!

FlaggNL · Nov 5, 2014

Wow I love your girls! The smiles when they are around one of the princesses! So great!! Following along! Thanks for the share!!

SweetEvangeline · Nov 5, 2014

Those Merida pictures gave me chills!! Sooooo perfect!

Trip Report Welcome to Beautiful Billings! Wait...What?! A (Late) September 2014 Trip Report

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