« Look mommy, Tinkerbell is not sick anymore! » - A February 2020 trip report - UPDATED 04/17

[Isabelle12345]

Monday February 24, 2020
Animal Kingdom

Today was a morning EMH at AK, but since we were in MK quite late, we weren’t really planning on being there early. I know everyone says to avoid morning EMH if you don’t plan to go early, but this was my parent’s last park day and they had never been to AK... so Animal Kingdom it was!

Our FPor the day were the following:
8:00-9:00 Meet Minnie and Mickey
10:10-11:10 Navi River
11:30-12:30 Kilimanjaro Safari



Other priorities were FotLK, Meet Timon and Rafiki and explore Discovery Island. We were also hoping to see Rivers of Light, but we were not sure the kids would be fine with two late nights... so we were going to go with the flow and see where the day would lead us!

Our objective for the EMH, if we did get there, was to do the Kilimanjaro Safaris before Park opening (we knew we were going to be too late to do anything in Pandora, Everest and Dinosaur were too wild for most of the group, so this was the one thing we were aiming to do.) That way, we would be able to see the 12:00 FotLK show instead of our FP for KS, and go back to the resort for a break.

Having a 2 and a 5 year old means not being able to sleep late anyways, so we woke up around 6:50. We ate a quick breakfast in the room, put on our Lion King clothes (yes, we were that family with thematic shirts today! And we LOVED it!), and were out of the room at 7:25. We were quite satisfied with ourselves until we got to the bus stop... where a HUUUUUUUGE line was waiting for us. Seriously, it seemed like everyone at Pop Century was going to Animal Kingdom that morning! I guess now I will believe everyone who says EMH increase crowds levels!

We watched three buses load, taking FOREVER each time, but thankfully buses were coming quickly, and we got on the 4th bus and were finally on our way. We arrived in front of AK at 8:10, waited for security about 10 minutes and were finally in the park at 8:20.



We power walked to the safari and were in line at 8:24! (That was one moment where I was quite happy to have the strollers!)
There was a posted 20 min wait, but we waited about 10 minutes for a truck to pick us up.





It was the most amazing safari we could have hoped for. The animals were very active, and since the giraffes were walking everywhere, crossing the roads and blocking the cars just long enough, we got to see all the animals very well.







Our guide was amazed at how much the animals were moving! We even got to see the lions walking around and even posing for pictures! It made all the hassle to get to the EMH worth it! (Especially when we realized later on that the wait for KS was in the 3 digits range all day, so even our wait with FP would have been longer than that. Plus, it was a hot day so we were glad we did it first thing in the morning!!!)

 

[Isabelle12345]

Monday February 24, 2020
Animal Kingdom

We finished our safari around 9:00, which meant that the park was now open to everyone. We passed by the Starbucks, were hoping for a coffee but the line was crazy so we decided to wait... it was clearly going to be a busy day!

We went over to the Minnie and Mickey meet and greet. We knew it was early to use our FP, but our next step on the plan was meeting Timon and Rafiki. Since it started at 9:30, we had just enough time to do this before. We were the first family in the FP line, but we waited awkwardly for almost 10 min in a narrow corridor in front of a closed door before we got in... I guess Mickey and Minnie were not ready yet! It was a wonderful meet! I must say it is really nice to meet both Mickey and Minnie at the same time. It is too bad that it is not the case anymore in Magic Kingdom... we missed them for the anniversary celebration so it was nice to be able to do this today! We got some wonderful family pictures and the kids were really excited to have met the Mouse himself!





After meeting Mickey and Minnie, we walked over to the Timon and Rafiki meet and greet. It was 9:20, it wasn’t open yet but there were a few people already so we got in line. We were the 4th family in line. DH and GM went to pick up coffee at the kiosk beside the M&G (Isle of Java). It wasn’t the best coffee but it hit the spot, and DH and GM were able to meet us in line right before we were called in.

The meet was amazing! Timon and Rafiki really take time to interact with everyone. They were really sweet with the kids and also found a way to include GM and GP. Timon was really excited about our Lion King Tshirts. He joked with my dad (who had a Pumba tshirt) that he was stinky... DS5 couldn’t stop laughing!





We looked at the wait times and everything was already getting busy, so we decided to head to Dinoland to do Triceratops Spin (this was the only ride that had less than a 10 min wait). To our joy and surprise, we met Kevin on our way!!! We had watched Up for the first time just a few weeks before our trip, and the kids decided we would try to find her, but they knew that there was no guarantee... so they were over the moon! Mickey, Minnie, Timon, Rafiki and Kevin, all over the course of half an hour!





We got to Triceratops Spin, which had a posted wait time of 5 min, but we waited at least 10 minutes to get on. It was a nice ride but I would not wait more than 10-15 min for it.



Since there really wasn’t much we could still do without a long wait, we decided to walk over to Pandora slowly and explore the trails a little. We were getting to the Tree of life when we saw parrots flying over us... we caught the end of Winged encounters! It was truly amazing! This is what makes Disney Parks so unique... entertainment at every corner, even when you don’t expect it! I really hope this doesn’t change when they reopen but I am worried they will cut into that... here’s hoping!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Well, I've fallen off of Dis again. This time, though, it's just hard to think about how much the World is going to change when it reopens and how long before people will be able to have an experience like yours.

That sounds like an amazing day at MK!

We met Gaston at 10:00 sharp, at that point about 5 families were behind us.

Only 5 families is a really short line for him. You're not kidding about the park being low crowds for the morning.

We were thinking of hitting our next fastpass but I looked at the wait times on the App and Pete’s Silly Sideshow was showing a 5 min wait, so we decided to go over there. We were the 3rd family in line for Minnie and Daisy, and then second in line for Goofy and Donald!

So cool! It's great when you can manage to snag short lines for those things that you can't FP even if you wanted to.

We got in line to meet Tink and despite being in the FP line, we did not move for 10 min. Someone on the speakers announced there was an issue and the wait time would be increased by at least 30 min. (I think we heard that someone threw up in the meeting area...)

Ewww!

It was magical, my mom and I got teary eyes watching those wonderful interactions! I mean... this is exactly why you come to Disney with young kids, right?

100%, it definitely is. The rides are fun and all, but seeing the little ones engaging with the characters is what you're going to keep with you when they're old and grown.

 

[Isabelle12345]

So cool! It's great when you can manage to snag short lines for those things that you can't FP even if you wanted to.

I know! I had in mind all the attractions I was hoping to do that day but never thought we would get that short of a wait... my parents were really impressed with my planning! They now say I am the Mastermind of Disney World!

100%, it definitely is. The rides are fun and all, but seeing the little ones engaging with the characters is what you're going to keep with you when they're old and grown.

Yes, this is what they have been talking about every day since. And the pictures are priceless!!!
This is one of the things that makes me sad about the post CoViD-19 Disney World though... I am not sure what character meets will look like for a while... I am so glad we got to experience it in February!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Monday February 24, 2020
Animal Kingdom

We were making our way to Pandora, stopping on the way for some Photopass pictures and magic shots. We were very impressed by the theming in Pandora... it is quite impressive! We are not Avatar fans but we watched the movie a few weeks before the trip, so we were able to appreciate the details of the Imagineering!



We got to Navi River Journey where we used our Fastpass. The posted wait time was 110 minutes, but we waited only 5 minutes! The ride was very relaxing and pretty, I just wished they used less screens and more animatronics? It looked a little undone... except for the giant Shaman animatronic at the end which, as everyone says, was quite impressive!

After Navi River, we explored Pandora, but we were getting hungry and since there wasn’t anything else we were planning on doing until our next FastPass (Festival of the lion king at 12:00) we went over to Satu’li Canteen.

We mobile ordered and got 4 different
bowls (chicken or beef over noodles / potato mix / rice and beans), and we ordered one kids quesadillas meal for them to share. Everything was very very good, and so different from regular theme park food! It was nice to eat outside, it was getting warmer but we got a spot in the shadow to rest a little and recharge our batteries.

No one was hungry for dessert, so even if I was hoping to try the slushy at Pongu Pongu, I couldn’t convince anyone it was worth the wait... maybe next time! So we walked to Africa... the crowds were just crazy: the standby line for FoP went up to the Africa Bridge! The posted wait time was 300 min... I know this ride is supposed to be amazing, but I would never be able waste 5 hours of my life waiting for a ride! The walk was very peaceful though, and soon enough we were in Africa.



The crowds once again were wild, it was hard to get through with our strollers... DD2 had fallen asleep in the stroller, and stayed asleep in DH’s arms until the show started.

While in line, I tried getting another FP, but NOTHING was available (aside from it’s tough to be a bug, and sometimes the Nemo or Up show with a lot of refreshing...); since all the lines were awfully long and it was to warm to walk the trails, we decided we would go back to the resort after the show, so I got us a fast pass for the 7:00 Rivers of Light show (which, in retrospect, we really didn’t need).

We loved FotLK!!! It was a pretty amazing show, great music, dance, costumes... great atmosphere! We were singing and dancing in our seats the whole time! When we came out of the show, it was getting even busier than before so we headed towards the exit. We decided to go through the Discovery Island trails to avoid the crowd, and it was an amazing idea! It was great to see the Tree of Life up close! The kids had fun spotting the different animals, and it was such a nice, quiet break from the crowds, exactly what we needed!





When we got to the bus stop, a bus was waiting, so we got in, and had a quick ride to Pop Century. This was a much better bud luck than what we experienced in the morning!



We were exhausted so we all crashed for a short nap. Afterwards, since it was getting much warmer outside, we took a pool break and enjoyed some Mickey Bars by the pool! The kids had fun playing in the water, and we all rested our feet and relaxed with a glass of wine, away from all the craziness of the parks! We spent more time at the hotel than we were planning on, but anyways the park was just so busy that day, it was the best thing to do... I mean, even Triceratops spin had a 35 min wait!!!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Monday February 24, 2020
Animal Kingdom

After our long relaxing break, we decided to go back to Animal Kingdom for dinner. I had my heart set on Flame Tree BBQ, so we headed there as soon as we got to the park. We chose a table on the patio by the lake, where we had an amazing view of Everest. It was also very quiet so we took our time and had a nice dinner.



Afterwards, we danced a little to the African music close by, and then walked around Asia. I love the theming out there, and the kids loved watching the people riding Everest and hear them scream! We didn’t have time to do any rides before Rivers of Light since the lines were so long (and there really wasn’t anything we were hoping to do as a family, and since it was our last night with my parents I wasn’t willing to split up). Also, the trails were already closed so we went in the seating area about 45 min before the show started. We grabbed a beer and just sat there for a while, talking and enjoying the atmosphere. The kids were overexcited and kept talking and singing crazy songs, it really was a great family moment!

We all enjoyed the show quite a lot. Unfortunately, the projections on the water screens were not great (probably in part because it wasn’t dark enough) but we loved watching the boats and sculptures light up and change colors.





After the show, we stopped by the Tree of life to watch the awakenings, but we were not impressed by it. We finally walked back to the bus stop, where there was a terrible line. We waited for at least 3 buses (it took more than 45 min since the buses were loading slowly and there was a long wait between each bus). When our turn came, we could see there really wasn’t that much space left, but the nice driver saw that we were exhausted and he let us in. It was standing room only, so my son had to hold on to the railing for the first time; he was really proud to do this on his own, like an adult! I think he remembers that moment more than many attractions we were on!

We got the kids to bed right when we got home, said goodbye to my parents who were leaving really early the next morning, and started packing our stuff since we were switching resorts the next day!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Wow... it's been a while since I last posted in this TR!

Things have been so crazy lately... but I just got something to bring me back in the Disney mood... we just put in an offer for our first DVC contract and... it was ACCEPTED! Paperwork has been sent to Disney and we are waiting for RoFR (which could take weeks to months according to these boards...) but if everything works... we will be owners of 100pts at the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows! Woot woot!!!

So... the least I could say is that it has put me back in a Disney state of mind! Time for another quick update on our February trip!

Tuesday February 25, 2020
Epcot and Resort Switch day!
Part 1 - breakfast at Topolino’s !

Today, we woke up a little later and let the kids relax in bed and watch TV while we finished packing our luggage. This was our last night at Pop and we were moving to Boardwalk Villas today! We were very excited about our first Deluxe stay, especially since we had planned Epcot and HS for that part of the trip!

We went down to Bell Services to get a cart, but all the carts were gone unfortunately, so they sent a bell boy to our room to take care of the luggage transfer. We had quite a lot of stuff between the luggage, groceries and bed stuff for the kids, but he was able to put everything on a cart quickly and we were off in a few minutes. The resort switch was starting off quite well! I have to admit it was a little painful to pack and unpack, but after reading about other people's trip here on the Dis, I had packed all the clothes in separate large Ziploc bags labeled by parks / days / character outfits, which made the move much easier. And it was so worth it to experience two different resorts!

This morning, we had a 9:45 reservation for breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace, which I was really excited about. We got on the Skyliner, and within 10-15 minutes, we were at Riviera resort. The mosaics in the lobby were quite impressive and we took a few minutes to take it all in. We got to the restaurant about 10 minutes before our reservation time, and were seated quickly (probably a few minutes before our actual reservation time).



The restaurant is truly beautiful! The lighting, the large windows, the furniture, everything was spot on. Our server was very quick to take our orders, bring coffee and POG juice (which was just as delicious as I remembered!). The kids got a nice a paper menu with activities and coloring pages. We were expecting that DD2 would eat from our plates, but our server kindly offered her own meal for free (which turned out to be a good thing because she ate most of her plate! It was THAT good!)

The food was amazing. We started off with a pastry basket with dipping sauces. The kids devoured the muffins, and we enjoyed the epi bread. We got mimosas (why not, when on the Dining Plan?) DH and I shared the wood-fired butcher steak and the spiced sausage hash, both were delicious! The kids both got the Mickey waffle dippers with fruits and bacon - I was surprised they still had room after the muffins and pastries but they loved it so much, DD2 would have licked her plate if we let her do it!







The characters were amazing too! The costumes were very cute, and they were very engaging with the children (and even with us!) They really took their time at each table, posing for pictures, interacting with everyone... it was a great, relaxed character breakfast!





After breakfast, we went out on the terrace to look at the view. It was very windy, but it really was a pretty great view!

à

Overall, it was an amazing experience and I can understand why people raved about this place! It really was everything I was hoping for, and even more!
It was probably our favorite meal of the whole trip! We will definitely be back someday (hopefully when they get back to the full character experience)!

Up next, another Skyliner ride... and some Epcot time!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Part 2 – Epcot

After an amazing breakfast, we got on the Skyliner and had a quick ride to Epcot. I have to say we all loved the Skyliner. It is very efficient, we never encountered more than 5 minutes wait, and it was really nice to see they views from above (aside from all the construction walls in Epcot!), and we loved looking at all the cabin covers with different Disney characters. I think it definitely increases the appeal of AoA, Pop and CBR!

We did not have high expectations for today. We were essentially hoping to do the Frozen ride, and hopefully meet Anna and Elsa. We had booked FPs before Frozen, not knowing whether or not we were going to get there in time. Our FP lineup for the day was the following:



We arrived at the International Gateway to a short bag check line, but the park was packed with people. We had some time before the end of our first FP window, so we took some time to stroll around World Showcase and admire the topiaries that were already in place for Flower and Garden, which was starting about a week after.











I was very impressed with the topiaries, and the kids loved them too. I definitely will try to plan another trip around Flower and Garden!

We eventually got to Future World, and headed to Journey into the imagination with Figment. Boy, were we glad we had a Fastpass because the wait was 50 min (for Figment!!!). The kids loved the ride, and especially the song… they were singing it loudly and repeatedly when we exited the ride... thankfully we saw Joy had very little wait when we saw her so it distracted them from singing!



We then went over to the Seas Pavillon, where Nemo was showing a whooping 90 minutes wait!!! Seriously? The FP queue went all the way outside up to the stroller parking! This is where all the reading and planning paid off: I told DH to skip Nemo, and head to World Showcase instead, where the wait times were quite reasonable.

We were able to do Grand Fiesta Tour with a 5 min wait. I hadn’t been on this ride since I was a kid (when it was just the Mexico ride) and I had vivid memories of people eating dinner while we were on the boat… and I loved it just as much as back then! The kids loved screaming “Donald” every time he showed up on a screen, and the boat ride was definitely relaxing compared to the crowds back in Future World.

Then, I logged on the app and saw that Anna and Elsa had a 25 minute wait – definitely better than 90 min for Nemo! We quickly walked to Norway, changed the kids into their Frozen clothes, and we were in Anna and Elsa’s house just a few minutes later. We only waited 15 minutes to meet the sisters. Anna was a great meet, very talkative and enthusiastic. I thought she looked the part too! DD2 was thrilled to meet Elsa, she was jumping up and down! DS5 was star struck… he was completely speechless!







Seeing all those pictures of my kids hugging the characters is bitter sweet… I don’t know if we will ever get back to that level of proximity… but I really hope so! At least, I am glad we were able to go when they were that young, and really believed in the Disney Magic… it was really beautiful to see how happy they were! The character meets were the highlight of our trip!

After meeting the sisters, we went on their boat ride (we were just in time for our FP!). We had a minimal wait and soon boarded for one of our favorite rides of the trip: Frozen Ever After! Every member of the family loved it!

We then enjoyed strolling around World Showcase (getting caramel popcorn in Germany, and a lemon slushy in France) but the heat was getting to us and we were dreaming of pool time... this was when we received our room ready text for the Boardwalk! This was exactly what we needed to convince us to head out... We were very excited to see our new room!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Tuesday February 25, 2020
Part 3 – Disney’s Boardwalk Villas

The walk to our hotel room was really nice. After our bus struggles the day before, it was amazing to be able to walk to our resort! The Boardwalk was much less crowded than the World Showcase, and it was a peaceful stroll – and such a stunning view of the Crescent Lake area!



We were able to go straight to the room (which was a good thing because DD2 had fallen asleep in her stroller right after we decided to head out of the park). The room was amazing – much bigger than our room at Pop Century, nice kitchenette, lots of space for the strollers and the luggage, and most importantly, we got the exact location I had requested (higher floor, view of the village green and side view of the Boardwalk)! It was perfect!!!










We were able to transfer DD2 on the day bed without waking her up, and I went down to the lobby to see if our luggage had arrived (I did not have high hopes since it was barely 2PM, but much to my surprise, it was there!)



The lobby was luxurious and the fresh smell was so nice, and every Cast Member I encountered was extremely helpful and friendly. Even though we loved our stay at Pop Century, this was a big step up in my opinion. Right then, I thought they might just have converted a new DVC member! (Turns out I was right - we did not pull the trigger while on vacation, but our experience at the Boardwalk definitely contributed to the fact that we are in the process of buying resale DVC at the moment!)



The Bell boy quickly delivered our luggage, and we unpacked a little while DD2 was still sleeping. As soon as she woke up, we put our bathing suits on and headed to the pool! I wasn’t convinced about the theming on the pictures, but I really liked the pool area! DS5 enjoyed his first real water slide (almost 20 times in a row!) and DD2 loved playing in the small playground and swimming in the paddling pool. There wasn’t a lot of people around the pool area and we were able to just relax and take it all in. It was a great afternoon!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Part 4 – Hollywood Studios



While we were relaxing by the pool, I was able to snag a Toy Story Mania Fastpass. We had thought about an early night, but we were so excited to be within walking distance from two parks that we decided we would go to HS for the evening! We mobile ordered pizza and salad at the Pizza Window, and brought the food back to the room.



It was nice to let the kids watch some TV, draw and just relax a little. But after a while, they were both ready to get out! So out we were, and on our way to HS!



We are fast walkers so we thought the walk to HS was fairly quick. The bag check line was very fast, but the lines everywhere were terrible, so we headed to TSL right away. Unfortunately, right after we scaned our FPs, they made an announcement that the ride was down (only one out of 3 tracks was still loading, so the wait time was very much increased). Despite being in the FP line, we waited 35 minutes to get on TSM. But the wait was worth it! We all loved the ride!

When we got off, every ride still had 75+min wait, and all the character lines were awfully long. I got a FP for the Frozen Sing-Along (in retrospect, we really didn’t need it) and we decided to watch the show before going back to the resort. It was really fun and DD2 enjoyed seeing the sisters again, after meeting them earlier in the day! DS5 was very excited to see Kristof, but I think we pushed him a little too much, and he was really tired during the show (after all the energy he burned during pool time, I can’t blame him!). When we got out, it was drizzling and our strollers were a little wet, so we decided we would take the boat. Right when we got out of the park, a boat was leaving, and we really didn’t want to wait in the rain, so we briskly walked / ran back to the Boardwalk (probably scoring a record time… but our feet were hurting so much!)

DS5 fell asleep before his head hit the pillow, but DD2 was overexcited of yet another amazing day, so she joined us on the balcony where DH and I were drinking a well-deserved glass of wine. Then suddenly, we were delighted to see fireworks light up the sky - we were able to watch some of the Epcot fireworks from our balcony! It was a magical ending to a magical day!

 

[DouglasE]

I am truly loving your trip report. I would think if I had young children I would tackle Walt Disney World just as you did. Basically the little ones are in charge (not that I would let them know I can't believe all the good luck you received despite the big crowd levels. Congratulations on being new DVC owners!! How lucky you all were to get to experience those meet and greets the way that you did. Just think in a few short weeks after your visit, Walt Disney World closes down. Your Boardwalk stay pictures look wonderful. It reminds me of my summer stays by the ocean when I was your children's age. The Safari is so hit or miss with the timing of the activity of the animals. I had similar luck on my last visit. I mostly took video which was a bit too complicated to figure out how to incorporate that into my trip report. But I'm happy with the report. I'm so thrilled for you that you got to experience so much.

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your visit.

 

[Raemama]

Really enjoying your trip report thus far—thank you for taking the time to write it! It’s a bright spot in my day. Seems like you had a wonderful trip!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Another month has gone by without an update on this trip report... hopefully I will be able to complete it before it becomes completely irrelevant!
I had a crazy week at work and I felt like I needed a little spark of joy tonight, so I thought: what better way than looking back at our fabulous trip to WDW?

I am truly loving your trip report. I would think if I had young children I would tackle Walt Disney World just as you did. Basically the little ones are in charge (not that I would let them know I can't believe all the good luck you received despite the big crowd levels. Congratulations on being new DVC owners!! How lucky you all were to get to experience those meet and greets the way that you did. Just think in a few short weeks after your visit, Walt Disney World closes down. Your Boardwalk stay pictures look wonderful. It reminds me of my summer stays by the ocean when I was your children's age. The Safari is so hit or miss with the timing of the activity of the animals. I had similar luck on my last visit. I mostly took video which was a bit too complicated to figure out how to incorporate that into my trip report. But I'm happy with the report. I'm so thrilled for you that you got to experience so much.

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your visit.

Thank you and welcome! Thanks for taking the time to reply! We had such a wonderful trip, one that we will always look back to as « the trip before CoViD »... We created so many memories that we can cherish during these uncertain times.
I am glad we were able to do so much despite the crazy crowds. I was a little disappointed about the crowd levels right after our trip, but looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing, especially with the Parks closing shortly after, and everything changing for a while!

Really enjoying your trip report thus far—thank you for taking the time to write it! It’s a bright spot in my day. Seems like you had a wonderful trip!

Thank you and welcome! This is exactly why I am sticking with this TR... I love reading about other people’s trips, especially now that everything is complicated and I have no idea when my next trip will be... thanks for reading!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Wednesday February 26, 2020
Hollywood Studios

Today was our first real HS day (we had another morning planned on Friday). We woke up a little later today (having a toddler and a 5 year old, we felt lucky to be able to wake up around 7:15!), had a relaxing breakfast on the balcony, enjoying the view over the wonderful Boardwalk.





We were on our way to HS around 8:30. The park was opening at 8AM that day, but since we were not attempting to get a boarding group for Rise, we decided to head into the park a little later and avoid the rope drop madness.

Our FP+ for the day were the following:
TSM 9:10-10:10
AS2 10:25-11:25
SDD 1:35-2:35
just a week before the trip, I was able to snag a SDD FP when they added to FP for smugglers Run.

We walked briskly to the park and got though security quickly, and were inside the gates before 9AM. Since Olaf was one our goals today, we headed that direction, only to be told that the building was closed because of a fire alarm. They said the fire team would be there in about 15 min, but they were unable to provide an expected time frame to reopen. The wait time was already posted at 20min and the line was filling the queue outside the building, so we changed our mind and headed to Toy Story Land.



We had met Buzz the year before and the kids were REALLY excited to meet Woody and Jessie (Bo had stopped greeting guests the week before ). When we got there however, the line was crazy long (the CM in charge of the line kept coming to inform guests that the wait would be at least an hour). All wait times were already crazy (60+ min for AS2, 90 min for TSM, 110 min for SDD!), and we had nowhere to go other than our first FP (all the shows and other M&G were starting after 10AM), we explained to the kids that the wait would be very long, yet they decided to go for it.

One thing to know about me: I don’t do lines. I hate waiting and I hate having people waiting for me. So this whopping 75 min wait for Woody and Jessie was getting on my nerves... to say the least! Hey, what wouldn’t we do for our kids? They were much better than I was at waiting: they got a snack in their strollers, and I think they probably napped a little. They were entertained by Slinky Dog, and the Green Army Men parade, which we got to see a few times.



I was beginning to worry that we wouldn’t make it in time for our Fastpass for TSM ... Finally, it was our turn, and I have to admit that the wait was (almost) worth it. Jessie and Woody were very engaging with the kids, interacted with both of them, and really took time to make them feel special. (DH kept telling me: « with a line that long, maybe they could spend a little less time with each family? » But I have to admit it was a really special moment!)





Thankfully, the walk to TSM was very short, and we made it right before the end of our grace FP window. And the wait was so much quicker than the night before! We were in our ride vehicules 5 minutes after, and had a blast!

Our next FP window had opened, so we walked a little further down TSL and went for a quick ride on the cutest little spaceships I have ever seen!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Wednesday February 26, 2020
Hollywood Studios Part 2

We left the crowd of people in TSL and headed to our initial destination of the day: the Olaf meet and greet (the kids were really enjoying the characters and they made it a priority). When we left TSL, the app said the wait time to meet Olaf was 20 min. We got there and the sign said 40 min. This is where I broke: just maneuvering the strollers around was a pain. The humidity was kicking in, and everyone was a little grumpy. I guess we were also getting a little hangry.

We quickly decided to mobile order some food and Backlot Express, rest our feet and figure out what to do next. The crowds were making our HS experience less enjoyable. I was itching to go see Star Wars land but I knew it would make the rest of us miserable. We had seen Frozen Ever After the night before and this was our only can’t miss show. We decided we would go meet Olaf after lunch, do our FP+ for slinky dog and then head back to the hotel. There were so many throngs I was hoping to do (Beauty and the Beast show, meet the Incredibles and Sully from Monsters inc., watch the Lightning McQueen Show) but I knew it wasn’t meant to be. Not today, not with these crowds.

Lunch was good but unremarkable, but I remember DH and I had a cold drink that hit the spot. We headed back to Olaf and waited about 30 min before we were let in. Once again, I was impressed with how well our kids behaved in line: turns out when they want something, they can be really patient!

The Olaf M&G was amazing, the kids were smiling and happy and that is all that mattered.





While walking back to TSL, DD2 fell asleep in her stroller. She was just on the edge of her 38inches so the nice CM at the SDD FP line agreed to let us do Rider Switch.

DH let me FP first with my son. DS5 is not a thrill ride guy, and I was really hoping he would love Slinky Dog since we had another FP for it on Friday. Well, we made it out of SDD with a mini meltdown. He thought this was way too scary for him and was shaking while walking back to daddy. But yet, when DH headed back with Rider Switch, je decided to go with him... and loved it the second time around! (Those kids!!)




(See the 170min Standby time? Thank god for FP+ and Rider Switch!)

We then headed back to the resort, trying to navigate the sea of people. We had just missed the boat and decided to walk. It started raining a little before we got to the room, thankfully it was just a little drizzle and we didn’t get too wet, but this was just enough to bring the spirits down after this harder morning.

We decided HS was too busy for us this year, and that we didn’t want to go back despite having the perfect lineup of FP for Friday morning (all 3 TSL rides before lunchtime!). Therefore, while everyone in the room took a little nap, I rearranged our FP plans for Friday morning to make it an Epcot day.

Overall, it was our most difficult day so far, yet we were still able to do all TSL rides, meet three important characters for the kids and enjoy lunch over the course of 4 hours, which really wasn’t that bad! And a crowded day at Disney is still better than any other day at home, right?

 

[Isabelle12345]

I can’t believe how long it has been since I posted something on this TR thread...
I guess with the cancellation of our spring break trip, and all the uncertainties about international travel, not knowing when we will be able to go back to Disney, I just wasn’t feeling it... but reading TRs about other people’s pre CoVid trips has made me so happy lately, that I decided to come back and put in writing some of our amazing memories from our February trip!

How has everybody been doing? I have gotten my first CoViD shot a month ago (Canada is short on vaccines so we are only getting our first shot for now, hopefully we will get the second one soon!)
I have been missing travelling and especially Disney lately... and it sounds like DD has been craving Disney too... today she asked me to put on our Magicbands and Minnie ears and watch a YouTube video of the Frozen ride! Hey, if we can’t get to WDW, we’ll bring WDW here!
I also made a batch of Magic Cookie Bars to recreate some Disney Magic!

Back to the trip report!

Wednesday February 26, 2020
Evening on the Boardwalk

I left off when we were leaving a very busy HS after a difficult but fairly successful morning. I had picked up a Frozen Ever After FP for the early evening, but DH and I decided to enjoy a low key evening so we let it go (pun intended!) and booked a 5:30 Trattoria Al Forno ADR instead.

When we got back to the room, DD was still asleep in her stroller and we decided to all take a nap before going to the pool. Well, turns out she had had enough sleep so she woke us all up and we went down to the Clown Pool!



DS5 really enjoyed going down the slide and DD2 had a lot of fun in the splash pool and the playground by the pool. DH and I took turns going on the slide with DS (it was really fun!) and laying down on a chair by the splash pool watching DD.

We went back to change and headed to Trattoria al Forno for dinner. A cold front had arrived and we were happy we weren’t going anywhere tonight as it was freezing!

The food was good, I think we got the lasagna and chicken parm but we were so exhausted we didn’t even get food pictures! We were able to switch our DP desserts for a salad appetizer so we decided to go next door and try an Ice cream sandwich from Ample Hills... wow those things were huge and soooooo good! I am really sad that they won’t be reopening as it was an amazing option on the Boardwalk!

We walked a little, enjoying the views of the magnificent Boardwalk, had fun in the Boardwalk Photobooth with the kids doing all sorts of silly poses and called it a night (or so I thought!).





It was freezing, but DH had convinced DS to go back to the pool for a late night swim. We decided to all go as a family and enjoyed a few more laps on the slide, but mostly the hot tub! We were alone in the pool area, had the slide and hot tub to ourselves... it felt really magical! This was a wonderful way to end the night and one of my best memories of our Boardwalk stay. The kids still talk about that late night swim in the cold... crazy how the smallest things sometimes become the best memories!

After our evening pool fun, we put the kids to sleep and enjoyed the fireworks view from our balcony while sipping on a glass of wine. We were able to see some of Epcot and MK fireworks... the Boardwalk location couldn’t be more perfect!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Thursday February 27, 2020
Magic Kingdom Part 1

This morning, DD woke up early, so I took her down to the Boardwalk bakery to get some breakfast items to eat in the room, and coffee for DH and I. It was a gorgeous day with amazing blue skies, but it was very cold compared to the days before. DD requested a Photobooth session and we had fun doing lots of silly poses. We got back to the room and woke the boys up: we were excited to get to MK early and enjoy low wait times like we did on Sunday! (Spoiler alert: that didn’t happen!)
We were very lucky with the bus timing and got right on, and soon enough we were soaking in this beautiful view!



We took some Photopass pictures in front of the castle and enjoyed the morning show, then headed straight to the castle because we had some princesses to meet!
I hadn’t realized that this was a special Cinderella EMM morning, so I was disappointed to see that the line for Cinderella and Elena was more than I was expecting for rope drop... but we still waited less than 15 minutes to meet the royalty!

We didn’t know Elena of Avalor back then, but she was very engaging and talkative. Since then, the kids have really gotten into her show, and I am sure they would have a lot to talk about now!





We also met Cinderella but I guess she was having a rough morning... she hardly spoke to the kids and reluctantly posed for pictures. It was our first (and last) negative experience for meet and greets!



We rushed out because we had another very important goal for the morning... I was excited to meet Aladdin and Jasmine (my favorite movie as a kid!) and wanted to be in line before their first set at 9:30.
We got to see the evil stepsisters walking around on our way to Agrabah... they are really in character! DD2 was scared that the mean girls would come for her, but they were too busy picking at each other!





We got to Aladdin and Jasmine’s meet and greet spot and were the second family in line. We waited less than 5 minutes before they arrived, and the line after us was getting long... DH was very impressed with my planning skills! (See, this is why I was spending so much time on the boards! ) Jasmine and Aladdin were everything I was hoping for, they took time to interact with the kids and we had a wonderful chat about travelling the world... Jasmine even asked if we thought she could come to visit Montreal on her magic carpet!





To be continued ...

 

[SleeplessInTO]

I’m enjoying your trip report. Thanks for posting this! We were also at BWV end of February last year and are also missing Disney, so reading this is bringing back some happy memories. I’d almost forgotten how bad DHS was last Feb! Madness!

... I miss the crowds, haha. As you said, a crowded day at Disney is better than one at home.

 

[Isabelle12345]

Thank you !
If you were in Disney in the same period, you know what I mean when I say the crowds in Hollywood studios were crazy! I definitely wasn’t expecting that many people... looking back at the pictures it just seems unreal to have that many people in such a small place!
But I am so happy we went when we did, even if we had longer waits we were some of the last people who had the full Disney experience... just a few weeks later those crowds would have felt so uncomfortable, but in the moment we didn’t realize what was happening and were able to just be in the moment and not worry about anything!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Thursday February 27, 2020
Magic Kingdom Part 2

We had met 4 characters (plus two streaming stepsisters!) and it was now 9:40. The park was getting crowded, seriously crowded. We thought about going on Magic Carpets, but the wait time was already at 35 minutes... No offense but Magic Carpets it not something I am willing to wait more than 15-20 min, so we skipped it and went towards Fantasyland. Our FPs for the day were:

Peter Pan’s Flight 9:25-10:25
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 10:35-11:35
Meet Tinkerbell 12:30-1:30 (we switched that one after the Tink fiasco from the first night... we originally had one for Rapunzel and Tiana so it was an easy fix!)

We had a lunch reservation at 11:45 at Crystal Palace and we were planning on seeing the parade at 3:00. We didn’t want to rush too much since we had already done so much on our previous MK day, and we were hoping for a long park day which is not something we usually do, so we wanted to maximize our chances of success!

We were off to Neverland in no time with our FPs (standby was 75 min at 9:45!), and headed Under the sea next since it had a 5 min wait (and the kids love it so they requested another Ariel ride!)

We stopped for some Photopass shots by Ariel’s castle and in front of the Beast Castle. The kids were really enjoying posing for the magic shots!

DD2 really wanted a ride in the carousel and posted wait time was 10 min, so we jumped in line. Unfortunately, we waited 25 minutes (for the carousel!) and DD2 was getting restless... thankfully, as soon as she got on her horse, her smile came back and she had a blast!



We then headed to 7DMT. We didn’t know if DD2 was tall enough for it, and it would be her first real roller coaster so we were hoping she would like it... she barely got on (she got checked twice - at FP entrance and then just as we were boarding) but she made it! She liked the ride but she held on to me the whole time, and said she was happy it was over (although she was really proud of herself!) DS really enjoyed the ride and said it was less scary than Slinky Dog but just as fun!

I was hoping to get one last ride in before lunch, but the lines were getting long and the kids showed signs of fatigue and were getting “hangry”, so we decided to take a break. We got a Cheshire tail for all of us to share (it may sound like it was not the best idea right before lunch, but anyone used to travelling with toddlers knows it’s better to keep those bellies full!)

Well rested and with smiley kids, we then walked towards Crystal Palace for our lunch reservation. We waited a little while before they let people in for lunch, and were seated in the corner by the window, with this wonderful view of the castle!



The kids were restless at first since no characters were coming around and they were impatient to meet them, but they quickly calmed down when we gave them something to eat (ah, the joys of hungry toddlers!) and we actually had time to eat a little without being interrupted.

The characters started streaming around, and all came to our table within a few minutes of each other. We were sitting in a corner table so we had lots of room for them to talk, sign autograph books and take time with DS and DD. It was a fantastic character interaction! DD2 was delighted when Piglet noticed she was wearing a Winnie the Pooh shirt, and DS5 loved bouncing up and down with Tigger!







The kids even participated in the little parade (DS took DD by the hand and led her through the restaurant; he was being very protective of her which made my heart melt ❤ !)


Overall, it was a delicious meal and we loved the character interaction! It was also a nice break away from the crowds and let us recharge before going back in search of more characters!