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

[smilie]

Can't wait to see the girls enjoying the Poly pool! I really enjoy reading your trip reports. I have a daughter Morgan's age and she's so much like her it's crazy.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Have just finished catching up and am really enjoying your report!

Gwen was def feeling better, as she started doing cartwheels one the way out.

She said she wanted to do them in each park. Umm ok...

I love this neat shot, and it's so cute that she had her own 4-park goal!

Our "secret spot" in MK is the same as yours, and we recently did our first split stay as well.

I've never been to Cali Grill, but I think I'm sold after seeing your pics!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

That's always the tough part of a resort change. You don't know your ready until you are actually ready, but by that point if you call then it may be 30-45 minutes before bell services can get someone out to you. I've been there done that. Trudging to the main building with a bunch of bags! haha

Luckily Morgan and Gwen are getting old enough where they can help drag the suitcases and stuff. This first repacking wasn't too bad. And I think we had mentally prepared ourselves for for the walk this time. It wasn't as bad as the walk tot he room when we got there. AND we didn't even have our suitcases with us then! It's all about your mentality a littlle.

ot much about our Disney trips would really "wow" the boys at this point lol for me to actually surprise them with! In fact Chris is pissed we're at the Contemporary next month because it's not the WL

Ha! Well, they WOULD have been impressed with your suite stay... But that wasn't planned... Didn't they not like WL at one point?

I'm glad the girls were excited about the resort switch!

Yikes that the park was so crowded already!

It was really so crowded! Feb seems to be getting more and more crowded. Secret is out!

I'm curious to hear how you felt about the transfer process. We ended up with a 1 day transfer in August.

I will def write more about it. But I will say that we really didn't have any issues, it was pretty easy. I don't think I want to do 3 stays but it worked out well enough that we are doing a split stay this summer!

Can't wait to see the girls enjoying the Poly pool! I really enjoy reading your trip reports. I have a daughter Morgan's age and she's so much like her it's crazy.

Thanks for reading along!!! Isn't it funny when you find a kid similar to your own?!?

I love this neat shot, and it's so cute that she had her own 4-park goal!

Spoiler Alert, she did not complete it. She half forgot and the other half of the time it was just too crowded to even try.

Our "secret spot" in MK is the same as yours, and we recently did our first split stay as well.

I've never been to Cali Grill, but I think I'm sold after seeing your pics!

I do think Cali Grill is worth doing at least once! I don't think we will go every trip but I am sure we will go again!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day Five: Searching for a Lizard

So, after striking out at Barnstormer and It's a Small World, I suggested we try and find the Pascals by the Tangled Bathrooms. And the girls instantly got into this idea!

And this turned out to be REALLY hard!!!! I ended up having to do an internet search to find where most of them were.

SO.... If you don't want to see where they are, Click Here, I will jump you to the end of this post. Although, I will say they are still hard to find even if you see the pictures!

First was the one that we had already seen before
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This one is in the flower boxes over by the entrance to the women's room to the right.

Then we started looking for the other ones. I did know that most were actually in the middle area, so we wandered that way. And weren't having much luck. This is when I googled where they were.

This one, we found standing on the bridge closer to the bathrooms and facing Columbia Harbor House.
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He really blends in!

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Here he is zoomed in.

We found this guy on a tree walking away from the bathrooms towards Haunted Mansion.
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Here he is zoomed in.

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This guy was on a post somewhere in the area. I want to say in the charging station area in the middle.

This guy is hanging out on the backside of the Morimeto Mori Building.
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He is obviously painted the same color.

At this point, I sent Andy and Morgan to go use the fast pass for Haunted Mansion. Gwen did NOT want to ride. So, I stayed with her and we continued to look for more pascals.

This one took us FOREVER to find!!!
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He is in the water nearest the mens bathroom.

We also managed to find this guys while they were gone.
Window Box Pascal_White
He is hiding under the flower box and it white.

Window Box Pascal_White
There he is zoomed in.

And then lastly we found this guy...
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He was somewhere in the water.

I had heard that there was to be (10) pascals but all we could find was (9) and seems like most of the bloggers could only find 9 as well. These were REALLY hard to find! So, the last one must be super hard.

As we were waiting for Morgan and Andy, and looking for the last one. Two different families came up to us asked what we were doing. And Gwen took great delight to telling the families and showing them where one was to get them started.

Continued in the next post, just in case some folks want to skip ahead...

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day Five: Columbia Harbor House Lunch

It was so so so crowded! By the time Andy and Morgan came back, I was starving and I think we were all hungry. So, I suggested we go eat early to avoid the crowds, and fill our bellies. So, we headed to Columbia Harbor House.

It was a good idea to go when we did, the lines were bad at all, so we decided to just wait and not mobile order, as it was only 2 families deep.

We ordered our food no problem but it took forever for the food to come up. But once we got the drinks, I took the girls upstairs to find a table.

We always sit upstairs in the area over the walkway. And this time I made us squeeze around one of the tiny table by the window. We usually have to sit in the middle cause those tables are too small.

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We ordered (2) of the Fish & Shrimp Platters for Andy, myself and Morgan to share.

And Gwen wanted just Hush Puppies, or as she calls them Sush Puppies...
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All of it was good. But I always forget to ask for lemon! They don't have any out and I love lots and lots of lemon on my fried fish. And I feel like the platter wasn't as much shrimp as it used to be. But it helped our moods and we discussed what to do until next.

As we sat, we could see the Liberty Bell Boat going by, and decided to go ride that. Since we had never done that before!

Up next, would we like our ride?

 

[disneyAndi14]

We love looking for the Pascals, I have only found 4 so far, I will keep searching!
I want to try the Cheshire Cat Tail, one of these trips I will!
Liberty Belle is a good choice when it is really crowded!

 

[kastoney]

I suggested we try and find the Pascals by the Tangled Bathrooms. And the girls instantly got into this idea!

Gwen must have mentioned this to Casey because every time we walked by she wanted to look for Pascals just like Gwen

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Sneaky that they all aren't green. I would have presumed they would have been.

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We haven't been here in ages, but their fish was always so good. And it looks like you got like triple what we had at Raglan Road I'm guessing for half the cost!

And Gwen wanted just Hush Puppies, or as she calls them Sush Puppies...

I could so go for a sush puppy right about now!!! These look awesome

 

[PollyannaMom]

I never knew about the hidden Pascals. - What a fun little thing!

 

[cstorm65]

So, after striking out at Barnstormer and It's a Small World, I suggested we try and find the Pascals by the Tangled Bathrooms. And the girls instantly got into this idea!

I've never heard of this before. Something to try with the boys next time for sure!

As we were waiting for Morgan and Andy, and looking for the last one. Two different families came up to us asked what we were doing. And Gwen took great delight to telling the families and showing them where one was to get them started.

That's awesome! Take pride in sharing the magic with others! That's what it's all about!!!

We always sit upstairs in the area over the walkway. And this time I made us squeeze around one of the tiny table by the window. We usually have to sit in the middle cause those tables are too small.

What a great treat the upstairs seating area is, especially if you can find a window seat. But we find those small tables hard too!

And Gwen wanted just Hush Puppies, or as she calls them Sush Puppies...

Hahahaha!

As we sat, we could see the Liberty Bell Boat going by, and decided to go ride that. Since we had never done that before!

We've never done it either. In 7 trips now for us we've never ridden it, and it is on my to do list about every time. For some reason it's one of those things that just always gets pushed out of the plan if you get behind or if you want to do something else or if it gets hot in the summer!

Enjoying the report!!!

 

[suse66]

I actually had leis from a birthday party a couple years back, so I packed those, and I ordered the hawaiian themed stickers for the magic bands that we got for this resort stay. And the card told them about the switch in hotels.

What wonderful gifts to clue them in about the new resort! And a VIP event too!

So, after striking out at Barnstormer and It's a Small World, I suggested we try and find the Pascals by the Tangled Bathrooms. And the girls instantly got into this idea!

I am totally doing that this summer!

As we sat, we could see the Liberty Bell Boat going by, and decided to go ride that. Since we had never done that before!

I hope they had fun on the Liberty Belle. It's one of my favourites!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

The hidden Pascals area a great way to have fun despite the crazy lines.

Lunch looks yummy! Hubby isn't a seafood person, so there wasn't much for him at CHH, but I was happy .

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I want to try the Cheshire Cat Tail, one of these trips I will!
Liberty Belle is a good choice when it is really crowded!

It def was a good choice and nice to check it off the list!

Gwen must have mentioned this to Casey because every time we walked by she wanted to look for Pascals just like Gwen

I think she pointed it out to her that night when we were at the VIP event.

And it looks like you got like triple what we had at Raglan Road I'm guessing for half the cost!

Probably! It is def good value for a counter service.

I could so go for a sush puppy right about now!!! These look awesome

They were kind of plain but perfect for Gwen. Gwen didn't like Homecoming's Hush Puppies, they were too spicy or well, they had spice.

I never knew about the hidden Pascals. - What a fun little thing!

I am not sure how I found out about them. And had always wanted to look for them but we are usually in a rush to hit a ride!

We've never done it either. In 7 trips now for us we've never ridden it, and it is on my to do list about every time. For some reason it's one of those things that just always gets pushed out of the plan if you get behind or if you want to do something else or if it gets hot in the summer!

It was a nice way to have a break. I think we will do it again if we are trying to kill time or need some rest time. It was very relaxing.

Enjoying the report!!!

Thanks!

 

[Tracy161]

So, how did Gwen like it? She said she would ride it again.

Yay! Go Gwen Sounds l like the ride later that night wasn't the best... but good for her for trying it again!

Thirsty River Bar & Trek Snacks!

I've never been here! (or heard of it before... )

I think this show gets over shadowed by the Lion King Show. It is equally amazing and def worth seeing!

Yes, you're absolutely right. I'm pretty sure it's been years since I've done the Nemo show - maybe I'll try again in August

I love this, just cause it is a small thing, but adds some fun to your day. Not everything needs to be a huge new ride, you know?

Yes! Absolutely. That's the beauty of Disney... there's something for everyone, even those who don't do lots of the rides.

We meet them by the trash can across from the fast pass entrance for FOP. What? Doesn't everyone meet there?

We took in the lobby as we headed down for dinner at BOMA!

Awesome! Looks like a great meal. I've never been here! I think I always hesitate to go "all the way there", but all the reviews I've read have me thinking I need to just suck it up so I don't miss out!

We always sit upstairs in the area over the walkway.

Me too! That's the best

 

[vamassey1]

They were SUPER excitied!!!

I would be too!

We did drag our bags down to bell services ourselves. I didn't want to call until I knew we were ready to go. And I also didn't want to wait a long time for them to come. We managed fine enough. Checked our bags with bell services and headed to a bus for Magic Kingdom!

We did the same thing. It takes long enough to get packed up. I don't want to wait for them to come get the bags.

(Just a little behind the scenes at how I keep track of our timeline sometimes. The girls will notice me taking a weird picture and ask my why I took a picture of whatever random thing I snapped! HA

I do the same thing.

It was crowded!!!!!

Yikes.

We did end up pit stopping for a snack! I wanted a Cheshire Cat Tail!

This looks good. I've never had it.

So, we just decided to wait out the now 10 minutes before our Haunted Mansion Fast Passes.

What did you do?

 

[vamassey1]

So, after striking out at Barnstormer and It's a Small World, I suggested we try and find the Pascals by the Tangled Bathrooms. And the girls instantly got into this idea!

A very fun activity!

I had heard that there was to be (10) pascals but all we could find was (9) and seems like most of the bloggers could only find 9 as well. These were REALLY hard to find! So, the last one must be super hard.

You did really good. I can't remember how many I found last year but I'm going to be looking again. Danielle has never tried this.

As we were waiting for Morgan and Andy, and looking for the last one. Two different families came up to us asked what we were doing. And Gwen took great delight to telling the families and showing them where one was to get them started.

Sharing the Magic!

So, we headed to Columbia Harbor House.

This is a family favorite.

We ordered (2) of the Fish & Shrimp Platters for Andy, myself and Morgan to share.

Looks good!

And Gwen wanted just Hush Puppies, or as she calls them Sush Puppies...

That's cute! DH calls them "sea puppies".

As we sat, we could see the Liberty Bell Boat going by, and decided to go ride that. Since we had never done that before!

I've done it either.

 

[afwdwfan]

Hi! I started reading through here quite a while ago, but never quite got caught up... then you just kept updating more so I had to take some time this morning to just read through all of it.

I loved your reveal to the girls!

• First, she said that this is different than it used to be right?
• Then, she said, I like that the Red Head Lady gets to be in Charge.

So, I agree that it didn't need to change. But the change is being noticed by little girls! So, take it for that! Gwen has girl power!

Interesting perspective on the change!

Jungle Cruise Skipper

This Skipper must have really been nailing the Dad jokes if you can get (probably) a dad to facepalm.

These were just ok. We ate here on our very first trip and I remember the cupcakes being much better. Now, I don't know if that is because it was so long ago and I just remember it differently or if they are just not as good anymore.

Overall, we enjoyed lunch but didn't love it. We would probably skip dessert if we came back and order ahead of time.

I'm kind of with you on BOG. We've gone there every trip since it opened. Last time it was just crowded noisy, slow and the food was good, but meh... It's not on our agenda this time.

Brazilian Mom yelling at her kid to get of the pool. And the kid just completly ignoring her. Glad to see that kids are the same in ALL countries!

Go figure... kids can be uncooperative in all languages!

Day Three Plans
Here is our cheat sheet for the day. (Which by the way, I didn't make for this past trip, and I missed them so much! I can never remember what time our fast passes are)

Well, they look awesome! I thought since you kept posting them you had actually made them all!

Morgan & her Cinnamon Roll

Just have to randomly comment that the way his name is written on the plate in sharpie makes it look like it should be on the bottom of a certain cowboy boot.

 

[Cloe Colton]

I can only imagine how excited the girls were for the Polynesian! Did they think you were staying at Caribbean Beach the whole time or did they know you would be switching?

I, like you, was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to have luggage transferred! I definitely won't hesitate to do a split stay without a car in the future!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Just have to randomly comment that the way his name is written on the plate in sharpie makes it look like it should be on the bottom of a certain cowboy boot.

I didn't notice that! But you are right. Perhaps a CM in a former "life"

I can only imagine how excited the girls were for the Polynesian! Did they think you were staying at Caribbean Beach the whole time or did they know you would be switching?

They thought we were staying at Caribbean Beach the whole time. They had not clue. Which was fun, it was an extra little surprise.

 

[DisneyParkLover]

You know that sad feeling when you get to the last page of a good trip report or the bottom of a Dole whip? That’s how I feel now after finding and binge reading your report. Can’t wait to read more!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Hi Everyone!

I managed to get my work computer hooked up to the pool wifi! And I have half an hour to type up a post! Let's see how far I get. So, if I stop kind of awkwardly, that's why!

So, let's get on with the massive amount of Liberty Bell Photos! (I always love when we do something new, because the # of photos taken goes up expedintially

Day Five: Taking a ride on the Liberty Bell and BACON!!!

So, as we were eating lunch we could see the Liberty Bell going around. And I could see it slowly coming around the bend to park. So, I said we should get moving and hop on this round. So, we cleaned up our table and headed out.

We walked over and waited only a minute or two for them to open up the gates to let eveyone on the boat. Perfect timing!

Getting on the Liberty Bell

We decided to go to the top level to get a birds eye view to start.
On the Liberty Bell

We didn't wait long at all for the everyone to get on and for them to get us moving. We were facing towards "land" so we could see most of the stuff.
Frontierland from Liberty Bell
First was Frontierland, and I have to say, this picture DOES NOT portait how busy it was that day, or at least how busy it felt.

Maybe this picture of all of the people wedged onto the Tom Sawyer Raft does?
Tom Sawyer Raft from LIberty Bell

We slowly made our way around to Big Thunder Mountian, and got to see some of the stuff on the rivers edge.
Big Thunder Mountain from Liberty Bell

Big Thunder Dock from Liberty Bell

We decided to check out the Tom Sawyer Island side after passing BTM,
Checking out the Scenery on Liberty Bell
Look a Moose!

We saw this little boat docked somewhere on the island.
Boat from the Liberty Bell

Moose on the River From Liberty Bell

Tom Sawyer Island Bridge from Liberty Bell
And the fairly familar site, of the bridge.

We also found signs of life with some Native American huts and tents?
Huts from Liberty Bell

Indian Village from Liberty Bell

And some not so Native American Huts?
Alligator Swamp from LIberty Bell

As we were nearing the end, I wanted to check out the inside of the boat as well.
Interior Room on the Livery Bell
There was this really cute interior room. Which had 2 people just chillin' and chatting. Probably just avoiding the crowds, cause you can't see anything when you are in there.

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We saw this "secret" walkway on the side of the fort too, that the girls thought was cool.

Haunted Mansion from the Liberty Bell
You get an amazing view of the Haunted Mansion from the boat (and Tom Sawyer Island for that matter)

We really enjoyed our ride on the belle. And I am glad we did it, it was on of the last couple things that we had never done before. And we will def do it again on a really not day or busy day, for sure!

After our ride, Gwen wanted more food! Andy and Gwen had been wanting to try the candied bacon and Morgan wanted a Hei Hei Cone, so we divided and concored. Andy and Gwen got in line for the bacon and Morgan and I went over to get the Hei Hei. I was able to mobile order the Hei Hei cone today, but that changed a few days later. Probably because, they still had to make them to order, so it was really backing up the mobile order line. If you wanted a simple dole whip you had to wait awhile.

We met up in our "secret spot" and shared our treats.
Candied Bacon
Gwen LOVED this. She is a salty girl through and through and this is her go to snack now. (while it lasts, of course)

Morgan loved the Hei Hei cone as well.
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And this was not her last! Andy and I tried a little of each, but at that point, we were def saving room for our dinner later!

While we were enjoying our treats, this duck just kind of waddles past us. And Gwen became obessed with it.
Duck

After our treats, it was time to use our last 2 fastpasses. First was Splash Mountain!

Up next some rides and a visit to our new home!