A Surprise for the Kids!
We arrived at Restaurantosaurus after mobile ordering and quickly had our food. Finding a place to sit was another story entirely, because the place was packed! DW managed to find a table outside on one of the porch areas and L stayed to help me carry our food. I made a couple of trips to the condiment and drink stations to get everyone what they needed and we sat to enjoy our meal.
This was the first of multiple issues we experienced this trip with lid free cups.
R had a Sprite and he managed to knock it over, spilling it across the table and down the front of himself. He ended up not being too wet, but his legs and crocs were soaked. He flipped out. We ended up wiping him down as well as we could at the table, then I took him to the restroom to wash out his crocs and rinse the stickiness off of him better.
In hindsight, it probably was a good call to switch to Restaurantosaurus. The kids ate their fries and ate most of their chicken tenders so it was worth it to get something they’d willingly eat. R as usual was slowly picking at his food. While we were eating DW and I got a text from my mom.
As I mentioned before, they would be joining us for the last half of our trip. Mom bought B mermaid swimming lessons for her birthday and decided a week before our trip that she wanted to come and watch so they booked a trip. They planned to get to Disney World Tuesday evening, but they’d driven farther than they expected Monday night and by the time we were eating lunch, they were just about to Disney World property. We didn’t tell the kids, but mom said they were going to get checked in and meet up with us at AK.
While R was still eating, the older 2 were asking what we’d ride next. I asked DW if she wanted to ride Dinosaur... if she did, we’d wait for R to finish eating and go get RS. If not, I was going to take L and B to get in line while he finished his meal. She didn’t want to ride, so off we went.
I believe this is the first time B has ridden it. She was a little bit scared, but she said she enjoyed it after we got off. I don’t think she’d have rushed back on though if DW had taken me up on that RS. L loved it though, because Dinosaurs.
The only priority DW had for our day was seeing the Lion King show, so we headed across the park.
We stopped on the way for a picture at the Tree of Life. This time, B was in a more agreeable mood and joined us.
We stopped by Starbucks once again for the big cups of ice water. I got another text from mom and she said they were at CBR but their room wasn’t ready so they were going to get on a bus to head to AK. I let her know we were getting ready to go into the Lion King show and could meet up after.
The show was good, as always... I think it is DW’s favorite in all of Disney World. The kids enjoy the music and the dancing so it was nice to be able to sit and relax without worrying about it keeping their attention.
We exited the theater and went to get the stroller. Right around the corner from the stroller parking area, Mom and Dad were sitting on a rock. The kids had no idea they were there, but B was the first to see them. She screamed and ran straight over for hugs.
We just sat and chatted for a little bit, but they hadn’t had lunch yet and dad wanted to find a snack somewhere. We headed over to the Harambe Market to see if we could find anything they wanted. Dad didn’t see anything that interested him there. He said he just wanted a hot dog or something. I remembered seeing a hot dog cart on the way into Pandora. Our next FP was there so we headed that direction.
We found a hot dog and some chips for dad and then found him a spot to sit in the shade in Pandora. Mom and Dad didn’t have FP since they booked their trip so late. It worked out great though. Dad can’t ride FoP anyway due to motion sickness. I had 2 of Ryder’s old magic bands in my park bag just in case he did lose his. Since we booked him on all of our FP, I gave mom one of his extra bands. We wanted to let L & B ride twice, so Mom and I went to ride with them while DW took Ryder and got RS.
The ride was fun. Again, Avatar just isn’t an IP I’ve bought into fully. The ride is well done, and it is impressive, don’t get me wrong. I think it is a must do. But I’d still call Everest my favorite attraction in AK. I just prefer real motion and movement to screen based movement.
We got out and the kids were excited to go again. They hopped back in with DW while mom and I waited with R and Dad. R seemed pretty excited to see them too, so it made waiting a lot easier. He was more content when he had 3 laps to hop between.
Having accomplished our goals for AK, we were ready to get some dinner and call it a day. I was really hoping to go to Satu’li Canteen as it is another of my favorite QS places in Disney World. However, once again, I was overruled. The kids weren’t really liking anything on the menu.
Instead we chose Pizzafari.
At this point, we separated from Mom and Dad. They wanted to try to do a few more things in AK before they left since they had just arrived. They ended up riding Nav’i River Journey, Kilimanjaro Safari and then had dinner at Flametree before returning to CBR that evening.
I didn’t hate the idea of going to Pizzafari, honestly. We’d never been there before, and I don’t absolutely hate Disney pizza. No, it isn’t the best, but I don't think it is terrible.
We mobile ordered, and consistent with our experience, our food was ready almost immediately. DW and the kids found a table while I got our food. R had his usual mac & cheese and he was really being a slow eater. The rest of us quickly ate our food and we spent quite a while waiting on him to finish up.
The pizza was fine. I don’t know if they’re cutting back on the size or if it is just me, but most Disney meals have plenty of food. More than you really need to fill you up. I have been trying to be better about watching what I eat and cut back the past few years so my appetite isn’t even what it used to be. But I had my salad and pizza and I was still hungry. This has been the case the last 2 times I had a Disney QS pizza. I started picking at crust and scraps of anything the kids had left.
After waiting for R to eat, we finally just decided to go. We took his mac & cheese and put it in his cupholder on the stroller so he could eat while we walked. DW and the kids decided to take the tram back to the car, but after folding the stroller and dealing with it poking me in the leg that morning, I decided it would be easier to walk so R and I took off to meet them there.
DW got this picture of the older 2.
And I took this picture.
See that puddle of condensation underneath the tailpipe at the back of that van? This was about 9 or 10 hours after our frustrations in the parking lot that morning.
The van was still running.
Now I really thought it was funny!
I walked around looking to see if it was locked, and it appeared that it wasn’t. I didn’t touch it, obviously, but let me tell you the temptation to move it to a random parking spot clear on the other side of the lot might have popped into my head.
We got out of there and headed back to the room. The kids wanted to swim but DW didn’t so I took the kids and went to the pool. L & B were having a blast going back and forth between the slides. R was loving the zero-entry part of the pool where he could stand and splash around. I took him to the kids splash pad area, but he didn’t care much for that (and the water there was a lot colder!)
We spent quite a while out at the pool. We were out there late enough that I was leaned back against the edge, sitting in the water with R watching the fireworks from Illuminations. For the rough start we had that morning, it was a pretty cool way to end the day.
The restaurants don't give you enough to fill a bottle anymore unless you get multiple cups. I liked getting a big one.
You've got that right! But you know me.... LOL!
D'oh!
I bet your parents loved that the kids were so happy to see them. I love it when my grandkids are excited to see me - that may not always be the case. Hope your next day starts out smoother - I'll watch for an update!
