“Would You Like an Adventure Now?" A July PTR *Updated 8/1

[luvpoohandcompany]

our poor family. I feel like it's slowly taking you guys out one at a time. Your husband, your grandson...

Only Matthew and I left to catch it and I am so fed up with it all to be honest. Feels impossible to get too excited about any family plans as inevitably someone is quarantining which just spoils everything. Today I am going to a Winnie the Pooh movie at the museum with Nicky and the grandkids. We only told Lucas this morning in case I had to cancel out. I booked it over a month ago and it’s a great cause- you bring an item or two per person for Storehouse ( a charity that provides food and essentials like nappies or toiletries for people struggling financially) I’m looking forward to it now as of an hour ago I tested negative

As long as they have fun at the pool, everybody wins that way.

They do and I do too lol. Matthew is the one who is most often torn with staying poolside or going to MK and I love his company when he decides to come but I can also enjoy some time out for me so everyone is a winner regardless of who does what

We're also taking the kids on a surprise early birthday outing in London tomorrow. I cannot wait to see what Landon thinks of his bday excursion. I also can't wait to share some pictures with you guys on here. It's HP themed!

Ooh have fun! I think you may be headed to do something my HP fanatic niece did just before the pandemic and it was amazing! I love London though my visits usually include an Arsenal match and a trip to Spaghetti House. So much to do there you’d never run out of ideas but one of my favourite pastimes is to stroll down towards the House of Parliament and through St James park. Hope you guys have a fab day and Landon and Evelyn love the surprise.

Guess who’s breaking every Disney rule in the book?

Sometimes breaking all the rules = the best trip ever! I like your plans so far.

How in the world did Epcot win out over the Magic Kingdom?

We usually spend a ton of time in Epcot. It’s my favourite park by far. I love how much space there is to walk around compared to the others and the atmosphere in the summer months with live music usually happening somewhere gives it a great vibe. Lazy start to the day after a late night is perfect

Evelyn is now tall enough for Soarin’ and wants to give it a try. And all four of us appreciate the slow rides in this park. Living with the Land, Journey into Imagination, and Spaceship Earth.

Love all of these.

he biggest question I haven’t decided on for this day is whether or not I book a certain amazing, delectable, fantastic pizza restaurant for dinner.

Oh I say book it! Look at your wee smiley face in that photo with your mum- you need to feel that smiley again and we all know pizza = smiles

 

[rdkeim]

Your Epcot plans sound great! That park is still pretty torn up - hope they finish that project soon. I vote Yes for Via Napoli - who doesn't love pizza! If you get a later start, you should be good to stay for the nighttime show. I hope you post about your trip to London! We are stepping completely out of our comfort zone and will be driving around England (on our own) for 2+ weeks. We're leaving London for another trip since there's so much to see there.

 

[Steppesister]

Ooh, I didn't realize the queue for MMRR isn't great. So it's probably better to stand in the TOT line, right? Because that one's better themed and has more stuff to look at.

Once you're inside there are some shorts the kids can watch on screens, but that part of the queue is shorter than the boring outside/long part. Maybe you'll luck out with a short line overall.

We're also taking the kids on a surprise early birthday outing in London tomorrow. I cannot wait to see what Landon thinks of his bday excursion. I also can't wait to share some pictures with you guys on here. It's HP themed!

How fun is that?! I'm sure they'll have a great time!

 

[amazingact21]

You are breaking all the rules this trip!

This is definitely not the schedule I'd create if I was visiting solo!

Soaring', SE and LwTL are the Epcot trifecta for me.

No trip to Epcot is complete without trying to ride all three of those attractions.

I have heard it is best to tackle Rise later in the day if you are not a resort guest. The line builds very quickly in the morning with resort guests. I think your plans of doing MMRR and ToT first!

That's what I'm hoping, that riding Rise will work better in the evening.

I definitely do because we are always only there that long, lol We eat, shop, and drink all in 3-4 hours easily.

Good to know 3-4 hours is what you average at DS! I'm hoping we can get everything done in that timeframe.

I fell in love with London in my 20’s and have been all over the world since that time and it is still my favorite city of so many!! I love it. I hope to see it again someday.

I agree with 100%. London is my favorite city. If you want to see it again in the next year or so, we can have a DIS meetup!

 

[amazingact21]

It does make sense. And I am planning the same, a late start in EPCOT.

That is the one advantage to Epcot opening late, makes that second day in the parks a little easier. Although, we still have to wake up at 7 to get Genie+ reservations, potentially, so it'll be interesting to see how that all plays out...

It is the same for us!!! I love it but Andy is Meh on it.

It's always a shame when our opinions differ on Disney restaurants than our fellow partygoers.

 

[amazingact21]

Only Matthew and I left to catch it and I am so fed up with it all to be honest. Feels impossible to get too excited about any family plans as inevitably someone is quarantining which just spoils everything.

It almost feels inevitable at this point. But I do hope you and Matthew can keep it away. I mean, honestly, if you didn't catch it when it was in the house that leads to good odds, right?

Today I am going to a Winnie the Pooh movie at the museum with Nicky and the grandkids.

Did you get to go???

my favourite pastimes is to stroll down towards the House of Parliament and through St James park.

Mine, as well! That's pretty much the path we took when we were there.

with live music usually happening somewhere gives it a great vibe.

I forgot about that aspect of Epcot. It does make you feel like you can slow down a bit and not rush from ride to ride like in the MK.

 

[amazingact21]

That park is still pretty torn up - hope they finish that project soon.

Ugh, I hadn't thought about that. Is the construction still behind the SE ball and over where Guardians will be?
This park is going to feel like new to us, too, because we haven't seen it since the Fountain of Nations and MouseGears were still up and running.

e are stepping completely out of our comfort zone and will be driving around England (on our own) for 2+ weeks.

How fun! Do you have your itinerary mapped out? Any places in particular you are hoping to see? I'd love to hear about it!

Once you're inside there are some shorts the kids can watch on screens, but that part of the queue is shorter than the boring outside/long part.

Gotcha.
And let's not even talk about the high likelihood we'd end up in that outside/boring section during a rainstorm. Summer in FL doesn't bode well...

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

It almost feels inevitable at this point. But I do hope you and Matthew can keep it away. I mean, honestly, if you didn't catch it when it was in the house that leads to good odds, right?

This is what I'm hoping

Did you get to go???

We did and it was so much fun. The baby squealed with delight and was kicking her feet and waving at the screen. Lucas loved it too and then had to go visit the dinosaur fossils before leaving for home. It was a great event.

Mine, as well! That's pretty much the path we took when we were there.

I loved your fb photos.

I forgot about that aspect of Epcot. It does make you feel like you can slow down a bit and not rush from ride to ride like in the MK.

Even my non-theme park ride loving husband loves EPCOT

 

[amazingact21]

We did and it was so much fun. The baby squealed with delight and was kicking her feet and waving at the screen. Lucas loved it too and then had to go visit the dinosaur fossils before leaving for home.

Yay! I'm glad you got to go and the kids enjoyed themselves.

 

[amazingact21]

Hi everyone! We’re now in double digits for our trip!!! Hard to believe it’s coming up so quick.

Our trip into London was a busy one. For an early birthday present to Landon, we took the kids to a Wizards Afternoon Tea at the Wizard Exploratorium. They had an absolute blast “brewing” their own potion and eating all the sweets. The scones, macarons, and lemon tarts were phenomenal, but since you were in charge of making your own tea, none of ours turned out very good. (Then again, I still prefer coffee.)









(The kids couldn't resist stopping at Platform 9 and 3/4 while we were at the train station.)





(The shop provided a wand to cast spells to make a dragon egg incubate, brew the potions, and open the boxes for the ingredients.)



If the kids got as excited as they did for this experience, I can only imagine how much fun they are going to have in Universal. We’ll probably have to drag them away from Hogsmeade at park closing every night. Afterwards, even Alex commented, “Man, I feel bad, I almost wish we were staying longer and could give them more time at Universal.”



Anyways, moving on to our third park day of the trip!




Day 4 Plans:

Whose ready for some Magic Kingdom?! An ice cold Dole Whip from Aloha Isle? A strong spin on Buzz Lightyear? A wave hello to our pal Mickey in Town Square?

I know I sure am.


Too bad.


Dare I say it? Will this strip me of my Disney fandom?


But guys.


Our third park day is NOT in the Magic Kingdom.

HOW?

How in the world can we be skipping the legendary park once more?



Well, the reason is kind of the same as to why we’re going to Epcot the previous day.

Because this gal is going to be tired and sore. It’s going to be July. It’s going to be hot and humid and crowded and by the third day I’ll have two kids leaning and pulling on me, also tired and sore.

And the Magic Kingdom deserves more than our most tired and probably grouchy selves, right? It would be doing the park a disservice to drag our feet along the hot concrete of Fantasyland, listening to the children going, “I’m tiredddd, can I get a snack? Can we go back home to the pool? Why do I need to drink water again? The sunscreen is burning my eyes!”



No, the Magic Kingdom did nothing to merit the crankiness of two starting-to-burn-out kids in the dead of summer.

Besides, we will have gone to Alex’s two favorite parks by this point. It’s time my favorite park gets a turn!

Hence,



It’s going to be an Animal Kingdom day!!!


I’ve wanted to take the kids on Expedition Everest ever since I had kids, and now both of them can experience it for the first time together. I never imagined we wouldn’t have taken Landon on it by now, but that’s how life works sometimes.

Evie has talked about the “coaster that goes backwards” for years now, and this is the attraction she’s most excited to go on. Even more than Rise, I think.





Plus, the Safari is her favorite attraction in all of WDW, so needless to say, this is going to be a wonderful day for Mom and Daughter.

*It’s good fortune that the Safari was her first ever Disney ride*


Evie loves all animals, wants to know everything about them, and tells people her dream job would be working with the hooved animals at DAK. She wants to see the skeletal system of critters, learn about the foods of fish, identify birds in trees, she wants to know it all. If it is part of the living ecosystem, Evie is curious about it.

She fell in the love with The Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Disney + and asks all the time if there’s going to be another season. Pretty sure Dr. Dan, one of the vets, is who she aspires to be. And she’s dying to know if the vultures from the show were ever successful with an egg. In her words: “It’ll be two egg seasons since the show aired when we visit, we HAVE to check them out and see.”

Sweet girl.


We don’t have any meals planned for this day. Everyone loves Satu’li Canteen and can’t wait to go back there to eat. Evie (are you seeing a pattern with this park and certain member of the family) wants the blueberry mousse from this restaurant again, and it’s conveniently located next to Africa, where Festival of the Lion King has finally returned.




We might be worn out on this day, but there’s so much in the park I want to do. In fact, I think DAK will have more attractions and shows that interest me than either of the other two parks. But the boys will probably bore here and choose to meander and chill for a lot of the day.

That’s fine.

So long as Evie and I can get our Animal Kingdom loving heart’s fill.



Goals for Day 4:
- Ride Expedition Everest
- Eat at Satu’li Canteen
- See the Tree of Life Awakenings
- Ride Kilimanjaro Safari
- Watch Festival of the Lion King

 

[suse66]

Our trip into London was a busy one. For an early birthday present to Landon, we took the kids to a Wizards Afternoon Tea at the Wizard Exploratorium. They had an absolute blast “brewing” their own potion and eating all the sweets. The scones, macarons, and lemon tarts were phenomenal, but since you were in charge of making your own tea, none of ours turned out very good. (Then again, I still prefer coffee.)

What a perfect birthday adventure!

Whose ready for some Magic Kingdom?! An ice cold Dole Whip from Aloha Isle? A strong spin on Buzz Lightyear? A wave hello to our pal Mickey in Town Square?

I know I sure am.


Too bad.


Dare I say it? Will this strip me of my Disney fandom?

Who are you even???

It’s going to be an Animal Kingdom day!!!

I do have to say that Animal Kingdom is my favourite park and you can never go wrong with a day spent there.

Evie loves all animals, wants to know everything about them, and tells people her dream job would be working with the hooved animals at DAK. She wants to see the skeletal system of critters, learn about the foods of fish, identify birds in trees, she wants to know it all. If it is part of the living ecosystem, Evie is curious about it.

I love that girl! One suggestion I would make is adding in the "Feathered Friends in Flight" or as we like to call it "The Bird Show." It is so well done and I think it would be right up Evie's alley.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Our third park day is NOT in the Magic Kingdom.

Who are you even???

I love how similar you and Evie are and how excited she is in all things related to the animal world. Sounds like a fab day and I like Susan's suggestion of the bird show too.

 

[rdkeim]

Ugh, I hadn't thought about that. Is the construction still behind the SE ball and over where Guardians will be?
This park is going to feel like new to us, too, because we haven't seen it since the Fountain of Nations and MouseGears were still up and running.




How fun! Do you have your itinerary mapped out? Any places in particular you are hoping to see? I'd love to hear about it!




Gotcha.
And let's not even talk about the high likelihood we'd end up in that outside/boring section during a rainstorm. Summer in FL doesn't bode well...

Yes, from what I remember the construction is where you mention. We were there in March 2021 and March 2022 and I didn't notice any progress? I could be wrong. Our time in England/Wales will be in York (2 nights), Conwy (3 nights), Bourton on the Water (4 nights), Henlow Bedfordshire (2 nights) near the Shuttleworth air museum. We've booked some walking tours and a van tour in Wales. Hope my DH gets the hang of driving quickly!

 

[vamassey1]

You're saving the best park for last, Magic Kingdom.

I do think AK is a better park for taking it slow. Evie is going to love learning all about the animals. I also think the Bird show would be great for her.

 

[Steppesister]

Nothing beats a day in AK, and Satuli is such a great addition! I love how Evie calls it the "roller coaster that goes backwards".

 

[afwdwfan]

They have one goal in mind.

Galaxy’s Edge.


To Alex, Hollywood Studios is going to be like a brand new park. None of us have ever been to the new Star Wars land, we haven’t ridden Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and we’ve only gone on Slinky Dog Dash once.

Ok... I mean, I get where they're coming from. But I think I'd still rather start in MK.

Really, though, how do you plan this out in the best way?

I have no earthly idea. All the changes and new attractions have me scratching my head and feeling mildly stressed out about the idea of planning a trip. I'm hoping to figure that out before next summer (if we actually bite the bullet and actually book a trip)

Since this is something none of us have ever done, we’re willing to wait 60-90 minutes for it, but I don’t know if the kids will be tired and crabby by then.

Spoiler: They will be.

And she wants to bring the costume with her and immerse herself in the Star Wars experience.

That is awesome! She makes a great Rey!

There’s a simple explanation.


Epcot has a later opening.

Ok... that actually makes sense.

But I really thought the reason was going to be that you'd need to drink your way around the world after the stress of a day of getting your family through all the must do's in DHS.

I imagine we’ll hang out in Future World for most of the afternoon. Wait, it’s not called Future World anymore, is it?? They’ve broken the areas into different names. But what are those names???

Out of the loop, I say!

Me too. Can't we just continue to call it Future World?

The biggest question I haven’t decided on for this day is whether or not I book a certain amazing, delectable, fantastic pizza restaurant for dinner.

How is this even a question?

Our trip into London was a busy one. For an early birthday present to Landon, we took the kids to a Wizards Afternoon Tea at the Wizard Exploratorium.

That looks like a lot of fun! I'm glad they enjoyed it and got a little bit of a primer for Universal!

Our third park day is NOT in the Magic Kingdom.

HOW?

How in the world can we be skipping the legendary park once more?

It would be doing the park a disservice to drag our feet along the hot concrete of Fantasyland, listening to the children going, “I’m tiredddd, can I get a snack? Can we go back home to the pool? Why do I need to drink water again? The sunscreen is burning my eyes!”

Spoiler: You're going in July. You'll be listening to the children saying these things whether you're fully rested going in or not.

She fell in the love with The Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Disney + and asks all the time if there’s going to be another season. Pretty sure Dr. Dan, one of the vets, is who she aspires to be. And she’s dying to know if the vultures from the show were ever successful with an egg. In her words: “It’ll be two egg seasons since the show aired when we visit, we HAVE to check them out and see.”

That is awesome! I'm glad that she's found such an interest in that! I really enjoyed that show as well. I'd love to see them do more seasons.

I didn't realize Disney had a Minion dessert.

 

[Dugette]

Your plans sound great to me! On our trip a couple years ago, we planned MK for our last park day...and then left early and skipped it entirely! (darn pandemic beginning!) Still a great trip. So much to do at the other parks. Your AK day sounds great. So excited for you to take the kiddos on Everest! Izzy loves it too. Fun thing, when we were there last August with DIS friends, Izzy and Aria got to ride it themselves! (because they wanted to go more times than either adult did...that darn backwards part makes me sick-ish) So wild they are big enough to do that, but they loved it! And I love the food at Satu'li - yum!

 

[cindianne320]

I love me some AK! I am so excited to get on EE again- it was closed last month- Austin was so bummed!

 

[amazingact21]

I do have to say that Animal Kingdom is my favourite park and you can never go wrong with a day spent there.

I feel like there are two kinds of Disney fans. Ones who absolutely love Animal Kingdom and ones who it's their least favorite park. Not many in betweeners!

I love that girl! One suggestion I would make is adding in the "Feathered Friends in Flight" or as we like to call it "The Bird Show." It is so well done and I think it would be right up Evie's alley.

We've done a lot of bird shows here in England. There's even a place right down the road from us that lets kids as young as 4 hold some of the birds of prey, so I'm not sure we'll get to the bird show this time around. Maybe if we need to rest our feet for a bit and don't have anything planned for awhile, though.

I love how similar you and Evie are and how excited she is in all things related to the animal world.

She got to pet a snake last Friday at school and then feel its skin that it shed, and she thought it was the coolest thing ever. Meanwhile, I was cringing at just the thought of touching one.

 

[amazingact21]

Our time in England/Wales will be in York (2 nights), Conwy (3 nights), Bourton on the Water (4 nights), Henlow Bedfordshire (2 nights) near the Shuttleworth air museum. We've booked some walking tours and a van tour in Wales. Hope my DH gets the hang of driving quickly!

Sounds amazing! York is one of my favorite cities. So many things to see and such a beautiful area.
I'm sure your DH will acclimate quickly. Honestly, if the beginning of your trip starts on a motorway (like the interstate) then it's really easy to get the hang of it. You're just following the flow of traffic.