A trip full of Triple Stay / Annual Pass / VIPassholder Fun - A Late Feb/Early March Trip

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Happy Friday Everyone! I am so close to having this trip report complete! Let's see how far I get today!

Day Nine: The Desserts!

So, I left us off with heading to the dessert party. We waded our way across the walkway and re-checked in at the podum. They checked our name off and escorted us to a table. We were one of the first in, and let the girls choose the table that they wanted. They choose one against the wall. They also gave a quick run down of what was available to eat as we walked by.

We put our stuff down and headed for the food!
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I did not take buffet pics. I feel weird taking pictures at buffets. Plus I still have to help Gwen get food sometimes, so it's a bit of a juggling act.

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But I "think" Andy might have taken some for me! These were little cheesecakes, I think.

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Some happily Ever After Cupcakes. They look like they are funfetti cake.

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Or maybe I came back up and took pictures later? These were one of my favorites. Gwen liked them as well. But Morgan hated it.

It was fresh pineapple sweetened somehow on the bottom with a mouse type topping. It was dole whip like... It didn't taste like dole whip but reminded me of it. If that makes sense.

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Gwen loved these, they were super cute. Although a little weird to eat.

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Here is Gwen giving a thumbs up to the desserts. I believe this was her first plate. She loaded up on macaroons.

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This was my first plate. I LOVE chocolate Covered Strawberries. They are one of my favorites! These were just that, chocolate covered strawberries.

The push pop on my plate was different than the mickey one. This one was smaller and had some crunchies in the middle. Kind of like the crunchies in a Carvel Cake but bigger. It was good but as an adult, it was weird to eat.

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The cupcake was a cupcake, but the chocolate on top was super cute!

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This was Morgan's first plate. I was suprised that she went for cheese on her first round.

This was Andy's first plate:
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Needless to say, he is more of a savory than sweet guy. He went straight for the egg rolls. He loved them, they were the cheeseburger egg rolls.

He also got an iced coffee. Which we really liked that there was already cold coffee there.

I don't have a picture of the drink selection, but there was hot coffee and tea, water, iced coffee and some juices. I do wish they had some soda as well. But I appricated the iced coffee.

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Andy had a SECOND plate that looked very much like the last plate... (Same iced coffee) Andy texted his sister this picture. And they text were texting back and forth a bit. During this, they discovered that we were going in August to Disney at the same time!

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My second plate I went more savory, and got a few egg rolls (which I also really liked) I also got some spinach dip. I liked the dip. It's nothing amazing but it was good. I totally appricate that there are some savory options and not just sweets.

Clearly I got another of the Pineapple Delight. And then they had a table with a CM "roasting" marshmellows on a small fire and then rolling them in graham crackers/chocolate bits. This was really good, as it was freshly "roasted"

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Gwen's second plate... she was all about the macrooons.

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Morgan went sweeter her second time around. The item on the right is some sort of strawberry cake item. I don't remember if she liked it or not.

When we had walked in, the CM had mentioned a make your own cookie. And I remembered after 2 plates of goodies in. Ooops. But so I walked the girls back up to find where they were doing that.
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Morgan went back for a 3rd plate!!! That blue icing cookie was Morgan's Make your own Cookie.
And apparently there was some fresh fruit, which is also nice, even if Morgan was the only one who took advantage of that.

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This was Gwen's make you own cookie. Your Welcome! Doesn't it look delish?!? no?

At some point they started the 2nd show that they do on the castle. First off, I didn't even know this was a thing!!!! I tried to see some of it but from the upper seating area, which is where we were, you couldn't really see it.

We really loved the dessert party. It was a VERY low attended party. But at that point, I don't think it matters.

I mentioned to the girls that there were to-go cups for coffee and drinks to take with you. (Which I also really liked). And said they should fill them up with desserts to take to go. THEY LOVED THIS!!!

And got last plates and filled them up at the table. We were one of the last families to leave the area. We were just relaxing and enjoying our time. I was really suprised at how many people ate and left so fast. The park was still open, so I guess they wanted to ride some more rides. But we wanted to enjoy what we paid for.

Overall, I would recommend doing the dessert party at least once!

We finally headed out to do some rides before the park closed!

Up Next the end of our night!

 

[Aaeolien]

This has been a super fun trip report to read and over the last few days as I'm waist deep into planning a trip for next summer after not really thinking alot about Disney trips with crazy life changes going on. The more I read the more excited I get about it. Can't wait.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day Nine: Finish up the Night!

When I switched our fast passes, I had booked Buzz Lightyear Fast Pass. So, we headed there first. It was about 9:15 when we got in line.

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I love this view finder! I am a sucker for all things Toy Story!

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I have no record of our scores but I am sure none of us did very well.

After that we headed over to the Tea Cups, only 15 minutes after getting in line for Buzz! The wait was MUCH better than earlier in the day.
Tea Cups

Tea Cups
We let the girls have there own cup. So, us OG's didn't have to spin too much.

Tea Cups_M&G

Tea Cups_M&G

I will say the tea cups are much more tolerable if you don't spin the tea cup! I can handle the ride that, extra spinning, nope.

After our spin, we headed over to Dumbo around 9:45.

Storybook Circus Sign
The app said that Dumbo's wait wasn't too bad. But the que was strange.

Dumbo Sign
The were sending just a few people at a time. And the CM kept looking around the corner. It felt like she wasn't sure what she was doing. It was odd.

Dumbo Night
But we didn't have to wait too long before we were on our elephants!

Dumbo
We rode adults vs kids. And turned out that Morgan and Gwen couldn't get there elephant to fly and then we couldn't get ours to go down. It was weird and a little disappointing of a ride.

So, we couldn't let that be our last ride.

Dumbo Signs
So, we left the area and headed toward Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but the wait was a bit long. So, we decided to do the caroseul instead.

Caroseul at Night
While we were in line, which was really just one cycle of the ride, we saw a bunch of teenage kids doing flip the bottle. It was pretty empty by now, so they weren't bothering anyone but it was just weird that, that is what they decided to do. But there were have a grand old time!

Carosel Selfie
We were on the ride around 10:15 and ready to ride!

Cinderella's Horse?
The girls originally wanted to try and get Cinderella's Horse, but then just grabbed whatever.

Morgan & Gwen on Carosel
This isn't the most exciting ride, but it ended up being our first ride on our first trip, so it is always a little special because of that.

We decided to make Big Thunder Mountain our last ride of the night. But I thought we had enough time for one more ride before heading over to BTM.

So, we hopped in line for It's a Small World around 10:30.
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By now, the crowds had thinned out, and we were able to claim two rows for us in the boat.
IASW

IASW taking photos
We had dueling photos of each other. I know we are lame...

IASW White Room

IASW_Ariella
The screens were very fitting this evening...

IASW_Gwen
I am not sure why, but this is so exciting to see.

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It's a Small World is also a sentemntally favorite also. Our first trip Gwen called it "The Dolly Ride"

After that, we high tailed it over to Big Thunder Mountain to get in line before official park close.

Ferry Boat
I took this on our walk over around 10:48.

BTM Birds
And took this at 11:02, so we must have gotten in line just before 11:00! We had never actually seen the birds before, so that was fun to see!

BTM
And by 11:12 we were on the ride, for our last ride of the trip.

It was a fun ride, but as soon as we were off. It hit the girls HARD that the trip was basically over. They were beyond sad again, there may have been tears....

We walked slowly to the front of the park. Didn't even stop for treats.

Main Street at Night

We made our way out and to the bus. We had to stand, which Morgan was not happy about but I didn't want to roll the dice on how long the next one would be.

Tired
A little after midnight, Morgan was in this position! It was a long night. Fun! But long and we were all tired!

Up next Our travel day home and wrap up!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

It's been a little while since we've eaten at Skipper's Canteen but your review makes me want to go back. The Blue Moon shandy with lemonade sounds delicious!

This last trip I had the Tropical Sangria there and it was REALLY good. Highly recommend!

I did the After fireworks dessert party and loved it also. I thought it was great not to be rushing to eat to get a spot but to get to relax and eat them while the crowds emptied out!

It really is what makes it worth the money! And how I think that is how you should approach the party.

This is such a great picture!

Thanks!

Sounds like such a nice time relaxing in front of the castle! And what a great view of HEA!

The view is perfect and worth doing at least once.

Hmmm... foreshadowing for the next TR?

yup!

Looks like a great set up for you. Looking forward to hearing about the desserts... I guess this is a different dessert party from what I was thinking... I always thought it was served before the fireworks at Tomorrowland Terrace?

So, there are two now, one where you eat before the fireworks, and one where you eat after. I personally like the one after, becuase you feel less rushed to eat!

I like Riverside but only in the manor section which is not preferred.

I think I would have to request that area if we stayed there again.

Glad you enjoyed the dessert party!! DH and I really liked the one we did for MNSSHP this past trip because it was empty! The only one I did for HEA was over Columbus day weekend and was so busy! I definitely did not enjoy that as much! lol

It's too bad that you never know what you will get till you are there.

Made those wings and noodles at home many times and while they are super close and super yummy they just aren't the same as getting them on that platter. Lol

Ohhhh!!! Where did you get the reciepes?

It seems to be a hit or miss resort for many people. I liked Riverside, but my wife did not. I think French Quarter would be a nice one to try though.

I think it is, and we def liked FQ better. But I do think it is just personal perference. I mean it wasn't HORRIBLE, just not our style.

I've never done any dessert party either. I would like to, based on the reviews in some trip reports. Sounds like you enjoyed the fireworks part.

We haven't done many either, so I don't have many to compare to. But for the projections, I feel it helps to see it. And the desserts are good.

This has been a super fun trip report to read and over the last few days as I'm waist deep into planning a trip for next summer after not really thinking alot about Disney trips with crazy life changes going on. The more I read the more excited I get about it. Can't wait.

Thanks! Reading trip reports really can get you excitied for your own trips! And I am always writting things down from people's reports.

 

[amazingact21]

I'm glad to hear you all enjoyed the dessert party. I think that first time viewing the fireworks in the garden after years of fighting the Main Street crowds is one of the best experiences. It's kind of crazy how much easier the whole nighttime entertainment experience is at the dessert party.

To-go cups filled with desserts!!! Yet another tip I need to write down.

You guys managed a lot of attractions after the party, and ending on BTMRR is a pretty good way to finish a Disney trip.

 

[ariane37]

I spy Disney macarons at the dessert party!! Not Toothsome macarons but I still love Disney's and would have had a plate full of them lol.
We haven't done a MK dessert party in years, since it cost like $30 per person or something reasonable like that. The desserts all look tempting and I like the idea of the after party. I would definitely do it if we are there for a holiday again like July 4th or if we go with people who have never seen HEA.

BTMRR is the perfect ride to end a trip with! Those last rides are hard though

Hey weren't you supposed to be up here this weekend????

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

To-go cups filled with desserts!!! Yet another tip I need to write down.

I kind of got the idea from Su-Lynn! And the CM did not care one bit. I am sure once that food is brought out, it has to be trashed. So, they were more than happy to giv eus as much as we wanted.

I spy Disney macarons at the dessert party!! Not Toothsome macarons but I still love Disney's and would have had a plate full of them lol.

YUP!!! And the macarons were gone by our May trip. The girls were both kid of disapointed.

We haven't done a MK dessert party in years, since it cost like $30 per person or something reasonable like that. The desserts all look tempting and I like the idea of the after party. I would definitely do it if we are there for a holiday again like July 4th or if we go with people who have never seen HEA.

Those are exactly the reasons why we we are doing it in December! it will be Saturday right after Thanksgiving and the L's haven't seen it before! Plus, the part will be closed when we are eating desserts, so we won't be missing out on anything.

Hey weren't you supposed to be up here this weekend????

Yes, and we were. but we went up and back. Andy was traveling all week and didn't want to stay over. So, we drove home today. I tried to convince him to stay over but no go. Morgan has also been BEAT!!! Middle school is kicking her butt! She is doing good but I think she is mentally exhausted from all the changes!

 

[kastoney]

I hope your Monday was more fun than mine. Work has just been so busy, I am already ready for another vacation. Ha!

You and me both. I've been working 60 hour weeks since labor day and am so exhausted at night I've had zero time for this place. I am so ready for Columbus day and a long weekend!

We got to security around 8:45 and through the tapstiles by 8:50 thanks to this entrance:

Did you notice in August that most of these seemed to be covered up or gone? We love them but they seemed to be non-existent.

Well, was Andy right, or me? ME!!!! My time stamps were 9:08 for getting in the que and 9:28 getting on the ride. So, I win!!!
Woo Hoo!

Ariella for the win!!!

Andy Candied Bacon
This might be Andy's new favorite food in Disney. Gwen too, but her little self can only eat so much.

You all seriously love your bacon

I am sure we sat in our "secret" spot. As Gwen insists on this every time now.

And now Casey too!

We have raised our girls right, and they do enjoy this ride.

Us too! I think a love of the people mover and COP solidifies the true Disney fans

Andy found GREAT humor in the irony of me using higher technology to ckeck into our flight than the show has in it, VERY funny! (This picture is me literally waiting to hit check in the second that the time was correct. A must for flying Southwest)

Your braver then me. I always pay extra so SW will check us in

Would it be bad of me to stay, that I hope when they refurb this, they find another way to reveal the scenes? So that we aren't looking through the screens?

Yes it would be very, very bad of you to say that. I'm all for rehabbing the last scene but keep the cheesy screens in there

Hidden Mickey Ketchup
Which she also LOVED! She place the potatoes for me to take the picture...

Love it!

Orinoco Ida&#x27

Oh these are some of our favorites! The apps are definitely the way to go at Skippers

With purchases made, we headed to the bus and back to the resort to rest!

Did I miss your "land" shot???

I am not even sure if we got in the hot tub becauce it was just too crowded and full of kids.

Yuck! They really need to have no children hot tubs even in Disney

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It is really dark and hard to tell, but we are all laying down in the middle of Magic Kingdom before fireworks. It was amazing!

That is pretty awesome.

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Not sure how I feel about this combo

Overall, I would recommend doing the dessert party at least once!

You may have convinced me. We have never done one, heck we've never even seen the fireworks from in front of the castle, but the price and no booze gets me every time. But if we can load up on some sweet and savory items and not have the crowds maybe it is worth it

IASW_Gwen

We have never once gotten these. I have no idea why

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Did you notice in August that most of these seemed to be covered up or gone? We love them but they seemed to be non-existent.

YES!!!! And I was very sad about this!

You all seriously love your bacon

Andy really doesn't eat bacon at home but clearly loves it! I make a special spiced bacon for Christmas morning but that is it. Gwen does LOVE her bacon.

Your braver then me. I always pay extra so SW will check us in

See, I am the opposite, I refuse to pay extra. I hate the way all of the airlines are!

Did I miss your "land" shot???

I will have to go back and make sure I posted it. We took my picture right before lunch.

Not sure how I feel about this combo

I agree...

I wish they served some alcholic drink with the dessert party. Even if it was limited to 2 drinks per person or something. I don't think we would bother with fireworks without doing the dessert party. The crowds are just too much for us usually. I think it is worth doing once. It is pricey but you really have to factor in part of the cost of the viewing area. It is worth it if you find value in that. you know?

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day Ten: Traveling Home & Wrap Up

We woke up the next morning, and really just had enough time to pack up and head to magical express. We had a pick up time of 8:15.

So, we were very quickly doing this.
Walk of Shame_Disney Style

Andy called this the Disney Walk of Shame.

Magical Express
Magical Express showed up on time, and we were off to the airport.

Tragical Monorail Ride
And in no time at the airport.

Waiting in the Airport
I honestly don't remember the flight home. I think it was fine.

Flying Home
But before long we were on our way home.


Thoughts on Hotels:
Caribean: I think we really enjoyed this resort now that it has, had some upgrades. I really enjoyed the quick service food here. And we are staying here in December, so we clearly liked the resort.
Poly: Our short stay here was really nice. But now that we have stayed at a few other deluxe resort, it isn't our favorite anymore. It is great, for sure! And I am so glad we got to stay here again.
Riverside: We clearly didn't love this resort. That is not to say it's a bad resort, it just wasn't our favorite. Of the Moderates I think we will stay Caribean or French Quarter. But if someone said they were staying here, I wouldn't say they shouldn't. It does need an upgrade in the rooms!

Switch hotels: This was our first time doing a split stay. And I was worried how it would go. But it really wasn't that bad. The biggest issue, is when you switch you are homeless for a little bit. Moving the bags over was super easy and Disney def made it easy. I don't think we will do another triple stay, but two is much more doable. If you are thinking of doing a split stay, my advise would be to just plan to either have a pool day on the day you move resorts or plan a full park day on that day.

Food:
We purchases the Table in Wonderland Card this trip.
The Tables in Wonderland Card was $150.
We saved that much on dinner in our first 4 sit down meals.
California Grill: $51.06
Sci-Fi Drive Inn: $25.45
BOMA: $38
Ohana: $38
So, after that, our discount was all gravy
Kona Cafe Breakfast: $15.86
Via Napoli: $24.71
Skipper Canteen: $33.40

And we have / had more trip to come!

 

[disneyAndi14]

The dessert party looks yummy. Andi and I are doing the sit down one in January at Tomorrow Land Terrace. I wasn’t feeling well in May at the after hours one and I want a do over!! The egg rolls are yummy!

The last night of rides for you all went well, you did quite a few in a short time!

Ahh the Disney walk of shame, I hate that walk, lol!!

Enjoyed your report as always and will be waiting for the next one!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

The dessert party looks yummy. Andi and I are doing the sit down one in January at Tomorrow Land Terrace. I wasn’t feeling well in May at the after hours one and I want a do over!! The egg rolls are yummy!

I hope you guys like it! We are doing it again on our Thanksgiving Trip. It will be the Saturday after the holiday, and I assume it will be busy. So, I think we will really appriciate being in the viewing area.

The last night of rides for you all went well, you did quite a few in a short time!

We did, but we did kind of do the rides that are not quiet as popular.

 

[missangelalexis]

Enjoyed reading about your trip, as always! Can't wait for more :-D

 

[Cloe Colton]

What a great trip!! I think your dessert party reviewed swayed me to the dessert party over Tonys for the Christmas party! haha Can't wait to hear about the next one!

What is your favorite deluxe now??

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Andy called this the Disney Walk of Shame.

Enjoyed reading about your trip! I can't wait to hear about the next one!

 

[DLo]

Thanks for taking the time to write this TR. looking forward to the next one.

Your. Dessert party pics have me looking forward to mine in Nov . I attended my first ever dessert party in May for Illuminations and wondered what took me so long to book one. I have one booked for the MVMCP this time . Technically,it is a Universal trip but added a night to go to MVMCP.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I will be back for a few final comments to you guys, but I wanted to let you know that I started out May Trip!!! It will be short but we had some good stuff on this trip that I just have to share with you!

This Surprise Trip brought to you by Annual Passes! (With a little EPICness Sprinkled in)

 

[afwdwfan]

My second plate I went more savory, and got a few egg rolls (which I also really liked) I also got some spinach dip. I liked the dip. It's nothing amazing but it was good. I totally appricate that there are some savory options and not just sweets.

I kind of like that... You could almost use it in place of a meal. I couldn't do that with just sweets, but some egg rolls and some fruit to help supplement the sweetness might just make it work.

I mentioned to the girls that there were to-go cups for coffee and drinks to take with you. (Which I also really liked). And said they should fill them up with desserts to take to go. THEY LOVED THIS!!!

Great idea!!!!

And took this at 11:02, so we must have gotten in line just before 11:00! We had never actually seen the birds before, so that was fun to see!

Perfect timing! I honestly can't think of a way I'd rather end my trip than a night time ride on BTMRR after closing the park down on that last day.

It was a fun ride, but as soon as we were off. It hit the girls HARD that the trip was basically over. They were beyond sad again, there may have been tears....

We walked slowly to the front of the park. Didn't even stop for treats.

You know, it's kind of hard to make that walk out of the park, but at the same time, is it wrong that I kind of feel happy reading that... having that kind of appreciation of Disney World and not wanting to leave... that really says a lot about what this trip and the place meant to everyone.

Andy called this the Disney Walk of Shame.

Magical Express showed up on time, and we were off to the airport.

Boooo!!!

Riverside: We clearly didn't love this resort. That is not to say it's a bad resort, it just wasn't our favorite. Of the Moderates I think we will stay Caribean or French Quarter. But if someone said they were staying here, I wouldn't say they shouldn't. It does need an upgrade in the rooms!

I completely understand. While I really like Riverside, myself, this is kind of what I'd say about Coronado Springs. Maybe the tower would change my mind, but I've stayed at Coronado. it was a nice enough resort, some people love it, I'm just not one of them.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Enjoyed reading about your trip, as always! Can't wait for more :-D

Thanks!!!! I love sharing. I am behind of everyone else's reports right now. I will get back there eventually.

What a great trip!! I think your dessert party reviewed swayed me to the dessert party over Tonys for the Christmas party! haha Can't wait to hear about the next one!

Andy's sister and family did the dessert party during the Halloween party and they really liked it. Tony's does have alcohol....

What is your favorite deluxe now??

That is tough, but Yacht Club might be now! With Wilderness Lodge right behind it. We have really enjoyed the closeness to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios and the girls love the pool there.

njoyed reading about your trip! I can't wait to hear about the next one!

thanks for following along!

Thanks for taking the time to write this TR. looking forward to the next one.

Thanks for reading! It helps to know that people are reading!

Your. Dessert party pics have me looking forward to mine in Nov . I attended my first ever dessert party in May for Illuminations and wondered what took me so long to book one. I have one booked for the MVMCP this time . Technically,it is a Universal trip but added a night to go to MVMCP

Right?!? it is a little pricey but I do love having dedicated space for us. Even the to-go box dessert party for fantasmic is great.

You know, it's kind of hard to make that walk out of the park, but at the same time, is it wrong that I kind of feel happy reading that... having that kind of appreciation of Disney World and not wanting to leave... that really says a lot about what this trip and the place meant to everyone.

That is a good way to look at it, for sure. And so true!

I completely understand. While I really like Riverside, myself, this is kind of what I'd say about Coronado Springs. Maybe the tower would change my mind, but I've stayed at Coronado. it was a nice enough resort, some people love it, I'm just not one of them.

Andy likes Coronado better than me, but It is the same for there. It's ok.

 

[Cloe Colton]

Andy's sister and family did the dessert party during the Halloween party and they really liked it. Tony's does have alcohol....

We may do Tony's for that reason haha plus I think I want the better view of the parade and we'll just find a spot for fireworks!

That is tough, but Yacht Club might be now! With Wilderness Lodge right behind it. We have really enjoyed the closeness to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios and the girls love the pool there.

YC is awesome!! Honestly I have a hard time picking my fave deluxes since 1-3 are all super close haha