WDW: October 5, 2012

We were up extra early on our second-to-last day to pack up our things for our departure from Old Key West. We had booked a night at the brand new Art of Animation resort in the just-opened Little Mermaid section as a surprise for the girls for our final night!

 

We made it to the Magic Kingdom at about 7:45 for a breakfast reservation. It was morning extra magic hours, but there were so few people there I thought I had it wrong! Maybe the storm the night before threw everyone off? Even as I got my refund for the MNSSHP fiasco, the CMs couldn't stop discussing how dead the place was. Too bad we didn't intend to be there long, it would have been a great day for it!

After breakfast at the Crystal Palace - during which Ryder famously hated the characters we (ourselves and other disney aficionados) had previously hypothesized that no child could hate, considering they're just big, fluffy stuffed animals - we headed out for a few last rides.

 

 

Our first stop was Fantasyland, where we continued to try and get in on play-testing for the new Belle story time attraction. With no luck there, we made our way to the very, very first soft open of Pete's Silly Sideshow character meet and greet! The theming is very cute, and because nobody knew of it just yet, they all spent a ton of time with the girls. Donald, as the Astounding Donaldo, played with them for nearly ten minutes!

 

We took one last ride on the Barnstormer, then took Ryder on his first ride on a flying elephant!

Our last stops were "it's a small world" and the Jungle Cruise. I then dragged everyone over to Fantasyland one last time to knock on the magical mystery door for a final attempt at sneaking into New Fantasyland. I did find someone who really wanted to help us, but there was not play-testing planned at all for that day. I talked for a few minutes to a wonderful executive who was all set to take our names and resort information to guarantee that we got information on not only Belles's soft open but a special invitation (just a handful of guests, at that particular time) to a Little Mermaid testing experience that was to start on Monday... but we had to tell him we were leaving town on Sunday. Boo!

We got one last Dole Whip to combat the disappointment (any excuse, right?) and watched a bit of the Street Party before catching the Avengers-themed monorail (deemed "the yucky one" that the girls had tried to avoid the whole trip) to our car... and then it was onto our Surprise Hotel!

The Art of Animation was a beautiful, colorful, super fun resort! It definitely felt instantly more chaotic than some other Disney resorts we prefer, but it was very well done. I think Pop Century (it's "sister resort", to some extent) is also a great option for a value stay at WDW - but to take that quality (and years of improvement) and add adored movie characters and theming made it quite impressive! Our room was ready, but we explored a bit and grabbed some lunch at the Landscape of Flavors food court first.

Emmersyn and Hartley thought the room was spectacular, and it was - if a bit (a lot :)) small. I imagine the family suites there are quite cool, but they make no sense to me financially.

We repacked (our luggage was far from travel-friendly) and then headed for a swim. This time I took the girls and Zach brought Ryder to join us a bit later - so it was finally a whole family affair! After hating the pool as a younger infant, Ryder couldn't have looked more relaxed here.

 

Everyone had a great time until it started raining a bit. The skies were still beautiful, but Zach took the kids back anyway to change before a fun evening event. I wanted to check out the gift shop, and that was my downfall. :) The skies opened up worse than the night before (but at least this time there were no howling winds and wicked lightning to accompany it!), and despite running back I was very much a drowned rat by the time I made it all the way (allllllll the way, ridiculously far) back to our room.

The next question was whether or not Mickey's Backyard Barbecue, our final big activity for the trip, would be canceled. It wasn't, and oh my gosh am I glad. It was hands down one of the most fun things we've ever done at Disney World. Sure, the food was pretty horrible. But dancing with the girls, a surprise photo op with Mickey and Minnie, and fun music was more than worth it. Um, and there were unlimited ice cream treats, including Mickey bars. It was even worth traversing the ridiculously inconvenient campground. It was so, so much fun and we'll definitely do it again. We were quite thankful for a really fun-filled evening after a weird day of ups and downs!

 

Next: WDW, October 6, 2012



WDW: October 4, 2012

Despite a nice, relaxing day and a good bedtime, the night was extremely rough - so we skipped Epcot in the morning. Instead we just went straight to Downtown Disney when everyone was in a good mood, where Hartley quickly reminded us that we needed a picture on the Winnie the Pooh bench!

 

We also all made/chose delicious creations from Goofy's Candy Company, which Emmersyn and Hartley thought was great. We had a lot of fun watching them watch their treats being made :)

 

 

Lunch at Earl of Sandwich was very ok - but it didn't matter, because it was time for the big surprise reveal! When we told the girls they were going to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, they were not nearly as excited as I expected them to be... but by the time we got there, they were ecstatic. The experience overall was wonderful, and the girls seemed to have a really special time. We couldn't wait to show everyone our beautiful princesses at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!

 

Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern was good, but very chaotic. We made a new plan given our late arrival, and realizing our main priority for the night was to get autographs of characters we don't have. We had no interest in the shows, etc for this party, and even the parade was one we weren't going to stake out a spot for hours in advance. It's just, for our family that isn't really at all into Halloween, not a great party. We forget that sometimes - but other than character sightings, find it's absolutely not worth the extra money.

We decided to start with the princesses in town square, because a line was already forming well before the party's official start time. We ended up waiting about 40 minutes, but only "using up" about 15 minutes of party time. The girls were so excited to see the princes with their princesses, though to be truthful, we had already met two of the three. Still, our meeting with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, with our two Mini Rapunzels and sweet little Pascal in tow, totally made the evening. Which is saying a lot...

 

... because it was, hands-down, the most wicked thunderstorm the area had seen in a long time, and most certainly during our trip. We tried to wait out the rain, brought giant towels and extra clothes, and did our best to survive the evening with positive attitudes since these things are notorious for their "rain or shine, no refunds" policy.

Eventually it would slow long enough to get somewhere else, so we made our way to Adventureland to see Tarzan, Jane and Terk. Tarzan had to leave just before our turn, but the remaining two were very fun.

 

We hit a few trick or treat stations, but many of them were closed because of the rain - and the lines for some were literally 40 minutes long, because everything else was closed and guests had nothing else to do. The characters all went in "to get ready for the parade", which never happened. The dance party was postponed because the floor was dangerously slippery, and couldn't stay dry. We were trying to make the best of a wet night, but a night in which nothing was offered? That was infuriating.

Apparently everyone else agreed, because the line for guest services was 3 hours long. Literally. After waiting about an hour (and Zach taking all the soaking wet, screaming kids home), Cast Members were doing the best they could to share the decision from the Disney brass with everyone throughout the line. They would, in fact, happily refund money for such a disastrous event. They'd prefer you go to another party, but if that didn't work out with itineraries, as was our case, there would be a refund available no questions asked at any guest services for the next 2 days. Hallelujah!

The next morning I was able to go to the Magic Kingdom and get a refund as simply as they stated I should. They didn't ask for our candy back, we saw a few cool characters, and - maybe - it was worth the stress since it ended up being free. Maybe.

But for the night, I had to go dry off - and get some sleep!

WDW: October 5, 2013

 

 

 

WDW: October 3, 2012

Emmersyn and Hartley were up and ready quickly and Ryder actually slept in a bit, so we went on a walk around the resort. We refilled mugs, explored the store, and scored some new balloon animals.

Around 8:30, we were off to the Studios for a little while. The girls got to be the special helpers to open the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show, and were unexpectedly shy. Ariel and Eric gave them special cards, thanking them for their help!

Next we saw the Art of Animation show, which was really cute still after having skipped it for a few years. The Animation Academy, perhaps because it was early in the day, was begging for people - so of course we took them up on their offer! We drew Tinker Bell... or at least a couple of us did. :)

We then stopped to see Donald and Daisy at the Sorcerer Hat, grabbed a soft pretzel with cheese, and went to wait for the Beauty and the Beast show. No pictures there, because my sweet snuggly boy was reaching for some mommy time - and he wins over the camera, every time. The kids all enjoyed the show, as always.
We had accomplished what we set out to do, so we said goodbye to the Studios for this trip!  Hartley was sad to leave her new favorite thing at Disney World - the drawing classes. You might have had to be there, but this was hilarious considering she had gotten very good at ignoring her surroundings and drawing whatever she pleased, instead of what we were being instructed. Alas, it's one of my favorite things - so if I can go more frequently because my kids also want to wait for it, I'll not complain!

Our plan for the afternoon was to eat lunch at Goods to Go at OKW, then play some of the poolside games as a family. My several-day migraine was at its peak though - and the slide was now open, where it hadn't been the night before - so Ryder and I went to the dark, cool hotel room for a nap while the girls swam again. They were thrilled!

 

At about 3, we met back up at the boat dock to go to Downtown Disney for the evening. It was right there waiting for us, and the ride over was quite nice. We got a Doh Bar from Cookes of Dublin, which was the perfect snack, then everyone else headed to the lego play room (which gets unbearably crowded at night, when we're usually there) while I did some shopping.

We had a fabulous dinner at Paradiso 37. The presentation was great, the food was outstanding, the kids meals were wonderful. It was perhaps slightly overpriced for the amount of food, but then again we all eat too much anyway. And if you're utilizing the Disney Dining Plan, it's a no-brainer.

 

 

I stuck around to shop a bit more while everyone else headed back for an early bedtime. It was a very relaxing day, just what we needed between Illuminations the night before and the halloween party to come!

 

Next: WDW October 4, 2012 



WDW: October 2, 2012

It was on this day that I had a minor meltdown - about the sweat and the rain and the fighting and the neglecting of the third child on his first trip. I was thankful the trip was long, but sad knowing it wouldn't be as easy to pull the girls out of school going forward, and really just struggling a bit, despite a relatively good vacation. But since we're focusing on the good around here, we'll move on ;)

After a late night, we were taking the morning much more slowly. The girls played in bubble baths, we got breakfast at the resort, greeted the cast members who were wiping dry the benches and handrails, watched some Resort TV and generally lazed around - until about 9-something, anyway, which is pretty late for us early-risers!

The kids looked particularly cute in their matching surf shirts, so we attempted a picture - which was nearly an epic failure. We entertained a few passersby, though, so that was fun.

It was a Magic Kingdom morning, and we were starting out in Fantasyland. We got fastpasses for Peter Pan's Flight and Mickey's Philharmagic, and took another ride on our still-favorite "it's a small world". The girls were hilariously concerned about Ryder going overboard on bridges, boats, etc the whole trip - they are so silly!

We actually waited in line for Winnie the Pooh for the first time in ages (instead of using a Fastpass), so we finally got to see all of the interactive queue that has been finished for several trips now. It's very cute, and we had fun while waiting.

Emmersyn, Hartley and I went to Peter Pan and Mickey's Philharmagic while Zach took Ryder to Pinocchio Village Haus to grab a nap and a table for lunch. The girls were very impressed with our table that overlooked "it's a small world", so we ended up with a lot of extra food ;)

Next, Ryder and I checked out Big Top Souvenirs (a new favorite - what a great shop!), while Zach took the girls on the Barnstormer. Oh, by the way, it was raining a lot. Shocking, I know. Worked out well to clear lines, though! When they were finished, a few of us rode the teacups, resigned to the fact that Ryder's naps would never line up with him riding much of anything, and then made our way to Tomorrowland.

In the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, Emmersyn was chosen to be Boo - and then the audience heard the monster say, "and look, she has a stunt double!". So, so cute! Their joke was read again (first, out of a very full audience), so it was a fun day in Monstropolis for the Carter girls.

 

Zach took them on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin next, while Ryder and I went to our spot for the 3:00 parade. We all enjoyed a Citrus Swirl (less than a Dole Whip, though!) and a Sweet Cream pretzel while waiting.... but it wouldn't be enough, since the parade was delayed more than half an hour due to rain. For the first time, Ryder was going to be awake and playful during a parade, too, squealing with delight at everything in sight. *sigh* Instead, he was really crabby and has yet to really experience much of a Disney parade. I guess we'll have to go back? :) The girls were adorable, talking to all the characters - and hiding, literally scared, from the Queen of Hearts!

 

 

 

We went to the Enchanted Tiki Room next, because pretty much everything else was packed. The crowds were really picking up for Columbus Day, earlier than I had expected. Pirates wasn't a bad line though, so we went on that next. The girls love that ride, which still confuses me to no end. :)

Our last stop at the MK was at the Chapeau, where we learned that a previous Epcot cast member was ignorant - it's absolutely still possible to get the traditional font on Mickey ears in white. So finally, nearing the end of our trip, we remembered to get Ryder his first ears. That's all I'll say about that. That, and that he's super cute!

 

Dinner was a monorail ride away at the Kona Cafe, and I have to say I was quite disappointed. People we know always rave about it, but we found it very mediocre, at least that night. The girls were well-behaved so the experience was a good one - but we'll stick with our beloved Ohana from now on when we want to eat at the Poly!

Back at the hotel, Zach and the girls swam at the feature pool while Ryder and I did laundry again. Don't worry, he'd get to swim eventually!

Next: October 3, 2012



WDW: October 1, 2012 - Happy Birthday Epcot!

That's right, we were there for the big 30th Anniversary/Birthday celebration of one of my favorite places in the world! If you're reading this and that isn't a big deal to you, just pretend - it was to us :) But first things first, major itinerary changes. We realized how difficult it was going to be to leave town as early as planned, so our ridiculous deal on flights was nullified when we changed them relatively last minute. And to make matters worse, our only option - for the first time ever in our time together - was a non-direct flight. It was honestly the lesser of two evils though, because it's one thing to leave home at 4 or 5 am after days to pack and prep - and entirely another to try and pack up a hotel room in the same situation. But that's a story for another day. This particular day was just phone calls, emails to confirm rental car agreement changes, etc. It all went smoothly and we were off to Epcot early and excited! We got there at 8:15 which felt like overkill, but we realized as soon as we were in the parking lot that it was going to be packed! The announcement time was elaborate for the big day, including confetti cannons. Our commemorative maps and buttons were cute, and the girls were just as excited as I was - if for different reasons.

 

There was a mad rush to Mousegear for some exclusive merchandise (seriously - some people waited in line for hours!) and a similarly mad rush to the Festival Center. We made it to the lounge in time for wristbands though, then set out to see if we would be able to get anything accomplished in the crowds. After a quick ride on Journey into Imagination (still a 10 minute wait where there usually isn't another soul around), I grabbed some Soarin fastpasses and fed Ryder while Zach and the girls headed to Living with the Land - which had a 20-minute wait!

We realized then there wouldn't be many attractions without lines, so we decided to head to World Showcase instead. The Food & Wine Festival was in full swing of course, and we hadn't yet sampled anything! We started with beef empanadas and a steak skewer at the Argentina booth, and a paleta at Mexico, before finally getting to play the Agent P World Showcase Adventure game.

Lunch was at Lotus Blossom (plus some extra Potstickers from the Joy of Tea booth!), where they've replaced one of the gross ice creams with a lychee flavor (some sort of Chinese fruit) that is delicious - making it a good counter service option again. We split just two meals so we could continue snacking around the world.

 

Finally the time came to ride Soarin with Emmersyn and Hartley, and I assure you I cried a little. :) There is something magical about that ride, and I finally got to share it with my sweet daughters. They were so precious riding it, I hope I never forget how excited they were with each new scene. I couldn't wait for them to ride it again with Zach! We then took a bus back to the hotel to keep our parking spot, and hung out there for a few hours - knowing it was going to be a late night.

Back at Epcot that afternoon, we got more Potstickers and a Mongolian Beef Bun, rode the Gran Fiesta Tour and spent some time in Norway.  Zach took the girls on Maelstrom (which they surprisingly really liked), and Emmersyn waited in a long, hot line to see Mulan while a sleepy Hartley watched the acrobats.

From there, we got a few things at the Karamel Kuche (where the simple milk-chocolate covered caramel square is still champion) and headed to dinner at Tutto Italia. The girls were most excited about Minestrone soup (thanks to the mention of "Minnie-Strone soup" on an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), but everything about the meal was absolutely delicious. We left only to find it pouring rain, and were shocked. Ha.

After ducking in a few World Showcase shops, the rain eventually stopped. I took Ryder to our viewing area while Zach took Emmersyn and Hartley to Soarin. They came back in tears (all of them, very nearly) because apparently Hartley - who had never once been a source of hesitation on a single 40" ride - was "too short". They were heartbroken, as was I.

Zach was an absolute rockstar with the kids as we waited for Illuminations. It was the most spectacular thing I've ever seen (and our view was great). The tag ending for the anniversary celebration was deafening and blinding and simply unbelievable.

 

And we were beyond exhausted by the time we fought the crowds out and made it back to the hotel, but we wouldn't have wanted to miss being there for anything.

Next: October 2, 2012