Anyone want to read about our super quick whirlwind road trip to the world?

[KathyM2]

A few weeks ago I took my daughter on a sort of not really last minute quick road trip to Disney. We already had a 2 week trip planned to see my parents in South Florida...but I surprised her with 2 nights at Wilderness Lodge and as much Disney magic as we could cram in. It sure made me dream of a longer stay...but at least I got a bit of a Disney fix on and got to try some of the places I'd heard so much about.

Coming back to add some intros in case anyone is interested. Going on this little trip is just DD, Alexis, age 9 and myself, Kathy. I do have a hubby and a 12 year old boy, Carter...however...hubby was still back at home working in the cold (Toronto) and Carter was with my parents in South Florida. He doesn't do well with crowds at all...and also, my DD and he fight like cats and dogs constantly. I find we all get along so much better if we divide them up once in a while. So my parents took DS on a little trip to Ft. Lauderdale while we were at Disney. I know...kinda sad that DS didn't get to do Disney...but I will make it up to him some other time...and really...this way was a whole lot better for everyone's sanity!!

 

[lesliekatya]

That sounds wonderful! How did it go?

 

[KathyM2]

OK I've never done one of these reports and I didn't actually take notes when we were there...so I'm gonna try to remember as much as I can because I love reading about what people did and loved and didn't etc.

So. On March 10th, we were already in Florida...staying with my parents about 3 1/2 hours South of Orlando. We got up bright and early. My daughter Alexis is 9, and myself were the only ones going.

Anyway...Tuesday March 10th, we got up at about 6am and finished packing, grabbed a quick bite, and hit the road! My daughter in the back armed with ipad and snacks and toys...and me driving. BTW...driving in FL scares the crap out of me lol. I live in Toronto and have no problem driving in the city or traffic...but I-95...yikes. I seriously find that half the drivers on that road are 100 years old and drive badly at a snail's pace...and the rest of the people are just insane...cutting each other off, not signalling for changing lanes...just scary. So anyway, I was a bit tense!! Thankfully the highway part of the drive went well until we got close to Disney. As we approached the famous sign I asked my DD to take a picture since I was driving...but sadly...we ended up with a picture of the glove compartment And then we got lost trying to find Wilderness Lodge lol. We had to pull in to a few hotels (luckily they all have super friendly gate attendants) to direct us the right way. Finally we found our "home" for two nights and got to the AMAZING lobby to check in!!

We were super excited to be there and couldn't wait to start our little adventure.

 

[KathyM2]

Here's Alexis as we arrived at WL!

 

[KathyM2]

Oh well..on with the show. So. We arrived at WL and it was around 11:30am...after our multiple attempts to find the place. I was hoping to arrive earlier but what can you do. Since I didn't really know what time we would be arriving, I didn't really make any definitive plans for lunch. However, there were a few that I had hopes of trying due to all the recos around here...but not sure if it would happen on such a short trip. Luckily, when we arrived they were able to get us into a room asap. We got room 1007 which was on the first floor and opened right up into the pool area. It was a fantastic location....unless you wanted to go to bed before the geyser stopped erupting for the day...sigh. Good thing I had earplugs lol.

Anyway...we checked into our room. It was a bunk bed room! Yay!!. So my daughter at first thought she wanted the top bunk...she got up there....and couldn't get down. Sigh. So I told her unless she could learn how to get down, she would not be sleeping on the top...mean mom that I am. So she tried a few times...but sadly...for some reason the ladder scared her and she decided she couldn't learn how to do it...and proceeded to get all 9 year old dramatically sulky...ugh. I was all "we are at Disney, snap out of it" but...you know how kids are! I figured she must be hungry and that must be contributing to her moodiness. I went to the concierge since the internet on my phone was sketchy...and asked if we had any hope in hell of getting a ADR for lunch at Beaches and Cream very soon...he said the only thing showing as available was 2pm...but he recommended if we really wanted to go there, to just show up and see how long the wait was. He said that it was right near the Boardwalk so if we couldn't get in there would be other options. We decided to try it and hope for the best.

So we hopped on a bus to Magic Kingdom, to then transfer to a bus to the Beach Club. I had no interest in touching our car again while at Disney. I'm so terrible with directions and I find it so confusing around the parks. It was about 12:30 or so by the time we got to the Beach Club. The CM at Beaches and Cream said that she estimated about a 30 minute wait for a table (which seemed ridiculous because the place was half empty...but oh well) We decided to take a pager and hope that it wouldn't be that long. Guess what saved the day? The arcade next door. My daughter snapped out of her funk and was thrilled to play some games. I on the other hand was all "we are at freakin' DISNEY and you want to play at an arcade???" Whatev. Kept her happy until we got a table for lunch lol

We ended up sitting at the counter, which was actually kind of fun because we chatted with the CM's behind the counter. Alexis had a burger and I had a turkey sandwhich which was so good. Sadly though, I didn't have room left for ice cream which was the whole reason I wanted to go there lol. But Alexis got ice cream with her meal and I tasted it and it was pretty yummy!

After lunch, we strolled around the Beach Club and then walked over to the Boardwalk. We did our first pin trade there - such a fun thing - we had never done it before. I had ordered a little starter set for Alexis and it didn't take her long to get right into the whole trading thing. She started looking for people with pins everywhere. So fun. She even figured out how to start collecting from a certain series etc.

I suggested we take a boat from the Boardwalk to DHS and then a bus back to WL from there - just for something different...but Alexis for some reason wanted nothing to do with the boat. So we waited for the bus outside the Boardwalk...it took a while, and of course we still had to go to MK and transfer to a bus back to WL. We finally got back around 3 PM and had a little time to hang out before moving on to our dinner plans!

 

[lesliekatya]

I on the other hand was all "we are at freakin' DISNEY and you want to play at an arcade???" Whatev. Kept her happy until we got a table for lunch lol

Too funny! My kids would be the same!

After lunch, we strolled around the Beach Club and then walked over to the Boardwalk. We did our first pin trade there - such a fun thing - we had never done it before. I had ordered a little starter set for Alexis and it didn't take her long to get right into the whole trading thing. She started looking for people with pins everywhere. So fun. She even figured out how to start collecting from a certain series etc.

Glad you enjoyed pin trading. We're trying that out this year.

Sounds like fun!

 

[KathyM2]

Leslie we found these people that knew the ropes and explained it all to us. Who knew. Some kids had these big wallet type things to hold all their pins. We had no idea what pins were "rare" or worth trading or keeping. Turns out one Stitch pin that I bought a few years ago was really rare and special so we decided to keep that. Now I wish that I had known about the whole Pin Trading thing years ago - I didn't even buy pins when we went on a Disney cruise or to DLP!! Regret!!

 

[KathyM2]

We ended up waiting quite a while for that bus back to MK and then to WL from there. When we got back to the room, we had a little rest - well I should say "I" had a little rest and DD played on the ipad lol. Then we decided to get ready to go for dinner. I had booked an ADR for the Hoop De Doo Revue at Fort Wilderness.

Before we go any further...just a little about my thought process for all this planning in case anyone's interested - because I know I was when reading other people's PTR's and TR's.... We could only be away from my parents place in South Florida for a max of three days total - it's a 3 1/2 hour drive each way. And I really didn't feel like I could show up to see them in Florida - and then say "Bye, we're going to Disney for half our visit to see you" lol. So that's why even though we did have a total of two weeks to spend in Florida...we only spent three days at Disney.

So...I tossed ideas around in my head for ages about how to spend those three magical days best. Options were...a)spend an absolute fortune and buy 3 park days, b) buy two park days and still pay way too much per day, or c) buy just one park day and make the most of that and do some non park things on arrival and departure day.

Being sort of compulsive and a real analytical type...I positively AGONIZED about which of these options to do. I pored over tons of TR's but the majority of people spent a whole week or more in the World...and it just made me sad that we didn't have more time. The few TR's I did read for shorter trips made me exhausted just reading them!! Maybe I'm just...weak or out of shape or something lol...but I just couldn't see myself and my 9 year old having the stamina to make it through more than one park in a day and if we didn't do much in each one was it really worth the crazy cost of a park hopper?? And also, I'm not a fan of long drives and they tire me out - especially when I'm the only driver. So I didn't think I'd want to do a lot of park walking etc. right after a 3 1/2 hour drive, or have to do a 3 1/2 hour drive AFTER being in a theme park. Yeah, wuss, I know. But that's me.

Here's where I netted out - and I know many would not necessarily agree with me...but now looking back..even though there are tons of things I would have liked to try to fit into our trip, I think the semi-relaxed pace worked out well for us. We saw and did a lot, without killing ourselves. I did have to keep telling myself that only "I" knew in this situation what we were missing - my DD had no idea because she was so little last time we were at Disney. Occasionally she mentioned wanting to see Epcot and AK...and I just kept saying "next time" though sadly I have no idea when that will be lol.

I ended up buying JUST the ridiculously expensive for one day park tickets for just ONE day and we went to MK only. We did no parks on arrival or departure day. So. Option "C".

Read on if you want to hear more

Gonna try again to post some pics...bear with me!

 

[KathyM2]

Where was I...right. We had just checked in at WL...went to Beaches and Cream for lunch...back to WL for a rest...and now time for Hoop De Doo!!

I wasn't sure what the best way to get from WL to FW was...so I asked a CM at the front desk about it. They said there was a boat, or a bus...or we could (gasp) WALK??? I asked how long of a walk it was and he said about a 1 mile walk each way. I didn't think that sounded too bad...and we could take the bus or boat back after since it would be dark.

So we started out on our trek...it was a really beautiful nature trail. We saw people biking and running...made me wish my hubby was with us because he loves running...maybe that will be enough incentive to plan another Disney trip in future . Anyway...after a bit DD started complaining...it's too long, I'm too hot, when will we get there...and I kept saying "only a bit farther" but really I had no idea lol. Thankfully soon the barn where they keep some horses and animals at FW soon came into view and we were there. We took a quick look around first before checking in...and then finding out we were still quite early for dinner and since it's a dinner SHOW, you can't go in early even if you get there early..So. We decided to browse around the Fort a bit. We had a look in the store, and DD did some pin trading and we played some giant checkers.

Eventually it was time to go in. We got an adorable little table for 2 right near the piano and fiddle players off to the right of the stage. As soon as we sat down they took our drink orders and the food started coming. I had some sangria and DD had some pink lemonade in a fancy cup. First was the salad and corn bread. DD didn't think much of the cornbread...so I practically ate the whole loaf myself. There's a lot of food when you go with just two people. We got a big bowl of salad...I picked out all the veggies DD liked for her and I ate the rest myself. The salad was really good too.

Next came ribs, fried chicken, corn, mashed potatoes...I thought all of it was delish but my fave was the chicken and corn and salad. I would have been happy with just that. DD liked the mashed potatos best. Meanwhile the show started sort of in between courses. It was a fun, albeit hokey, show. They got the audience involved a bit with birthdays and special celebrations and songs about where certain people were from etc. They had some audience members get up on stage and dress up and be part of the show. After the main course they brought out the dessert - Strawberry shortcake. This was delish - although also way too big for the two of us. DD loved the strawberries. After dessert came what I think was DD's fave part - they gave her a washbord to play along to the music with a spoon. She really enjoyed that. And then they made sort of a conga line with all the kids and marched around the auditorium. DD liked that too. After that, she ate a few more bites of dessert and it was time to go.

We headed out and we were so lucky because there was a bus back to WL pulling up just as the show ended and we got right on. We got back to our room and it was time for bed. Unfortunately the geyser outside our room had a different plan for us! Yeah I know...no one goes to bed at 10pm at Disney lol...but we were tired and wanted to make RD at the MK the next day and hoped to get a good night's sleep..... I ended up putting in some ear plugs. Thankfully it didn't seem to bother DD too much so I think she fell asleep!!

Tomorrow...a full day at MK!!

Yeah so....I got a picture in but...it's huge!! Gotta work on that...sigh. Hate being technically incompetent.

 

[KathyM2]

Hmmm crickets in here...but that's ok. I want to get my TR down so "I" can remember the trip!!

I left off...trying to sleep with the geyser at WL going off every 20 mins or so....

That alarm came early at 6:00am!! I felt like sort of a drill sargeant. My DD is 9 and she has been to Disney before...but not recently enough. So she doesn't really understand the real importance of being at the park for RD. I kept trying to explain that the best time to try to do as many rides as possible was early before the crowds got bad...especially when we are talking about MK in March...sigh. But she was all "but I thought we had fast passes for our favourite rides" and I was all "yeah, but we want to do others without waiting forever too, right?". Yeah...that's when I start questionning my own sanity...when dragging my kid out of bed to get to a theme park before the sun is up....YOU guys all "get" it...but well...a lot of people thought we were nuts.

ANYWAY...we dragged our tired butts out of bed and made our way to the Roaring Forks for some grub. DD had a croissant and some cereal and I had a bagel and some juice. I knew that there would be lots of chances for yummy snacks at MK so I wasn't too worried about food!! I was worried about catching a bus to MK ASAP!!

We finished breakfast and walked to the bus stop. After our adventures trying to drive to WL, I was really grateful to not have to drive around Disney myself and have transportation provided. I think that's a big plus to the whole Disney "bubble" experience. Maybe that's just me, but I don't love driving when I don't really know my way around. We waited about 10 mins for the bus and we were on our way to MK!!

There were a couple of families waiting at the bus stop with us and one noticed my DD's pin lanyard. This was awesome because we are real pin trading newbies. They explained the whole system to DD...how you know what is in a series, and what's good to collect. They traded a couple pins with her - from her starter kit, and even gave her a couple for free! That was so nice of them.

We got to MK, got through bag check quickly...and waited. Of course DD got impatient pretty quickly because she didn't really get why we had to get up at the crack of dawn to....wait. But then finally the opening show started and she was all smiles. Finally the countdown...and we were IN.

 

[kaetra]

I think your plan for 1 park day sounds perfect Hoop De Hoo! Woohoo! Your pic of MK entrance makes it look like the sun has barely come up hehe! Was it an AM EMH day?

Looking forward to reading more. You're picking up Trip Report skills very quickly!

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Hmmm crickets in here...but that's ok. I want to get my TR down so "I" can remember the trip!!

I know the feeling that's why I followed along with yours.

 

[luckylady]

Fun times so far. Glad she liked the RD it was well worth getting up at 0 dark thirty for. Can't wait to read about your day.

 

[KathyM2]

I think your plan for 1 park day sounds perfect Hoop De Hoo! Woohoo! Your pic of MK entrance makes it look like the sun has barely come up hehe! Was it an AM EMH day?

Looking forward to reading more. You're picking up Trip Report skills very quickly!

Thanks!! Funny - actually it wasn't a EMH day - but park opening was 8am - March break I guess? But it did seem ridiculously early and dark at the time!

I know the feeling that's why I followed along with yours.

Thanks for following!!! I guess I have to hang around and get to know more people around here And try to make my TR interesting lol.

Fun times so far. Glad she liked the RD it was well worth getting up at 0 dark thirty for. Can't wait to read about your day.

Thanks!!! Yeah it sure was early but the first 2 hours in the park were awesome...wouldn't it be amazing to just once have a whole day where the crowds were as light as at 9am?? Dreams.

 

[KathyM2]

I left off when we just got through the entrance of MK. I had been debating (as you do) from the time we booked this trip, about what to book for our FP+ rides at MK. Here's the thing...I'm not a big roller coaster/thrill rides type person...and neither is my DD. So even though the 7DMT is the new "must do" at MK...I just wasn't sure if I should book it or not. I was afraid - and here's one of the drawbacks (in my mind) of the FP+ system - I was afraid that what if I booked 7DMT as an FP+ and we got there and DD decided she didn't want to go on? Then I'd have wasted one of my precious FP+. I know you can supposedly change things on the fly - but I didn't want to be on my phone all day at MK - I'm working hard to "live in the moment" and not on my phone these days...and having to worry about ride scheduling wouldn't help with that. So. I opted to NOT book 7DMT. We decided....with everyone else gathered at MK that day at RD....to walk to 7DMT first thing in, and decide then if it was gonna happen for us or not. So...as soon as that RD countdown was over...we hoofed it (and tried to avoid being trampled) over to NFL and saw the mine train. DD decided pretty quickly - well partly because the standby line was already 40 minutes...that it was out.

So then we had to quickly decide what we would do first to make the most of the fact that pretty much everyone else was at 7DMT. We opted for Winnie the Pooh as our first ride. So we walked right on in and had a good time. Then as we were about to get off, the CM says "oh, the sound was a bit off on that ride, do you want to stay on and go again?" OK. So we got a second ride in! Fun!! Next, while lines were still short we rode Ariel twice, Dumbo and then DD did the tea cups (that makes me puke so I opted out). I really liked the detail in the new Ariel ride - but then that's one of my fave movies. The new Dumbo was fun too, and we even got a picture.

 

[jchurch0409]

Following along!! Looks like a great trip!!

 

[KathyM2]

Following along!! Looks like a great trip!!

Thanks for following along!! I went and checked out your PTR too!! So excited for you!

 

[KathyM2]

After some rides, we decided it was time for our first Disney snack of the day!! I had a list going of my "must try" snacks...of course it was way too long to actually accomplish in our one day at MK...but I was willing to give it my best shot lol. Since it was nearby, I decided I would go to Cheshire Cafe and have the cupcake cup!

This thing was delish. But warning - it is only good if you, like me, think that the best part of cake is the icing, because there was a LOT of it and it was really sweet. But I "do" think that icing is the best. And it had some yummy little chocolate ears and crispy candies on the top, all of which were tasty as well. Alexis actually went for the popcorn instead of this...but she was happy with her choice as well! And we had some water (from our water bottles) as well.

Feeling a little refreshed, we went for a quick ride on astro orbiter - the lines were still pretty short at this point which was great. Then we walked over to Jungle Cruise and rode that with a 5 min wait. Finally we got to my all time fave ride, Haunted Mansion. The wait was about 5 minutes as well which was ok because we got to see the new interactive queue. Alexis loved that.

After HM, we still had a little time before our first FP - since we had gotten to MK for an 8am RD, and our first FP+ was at 10:30am....so we rode IASW. I couldn't believe how much we got done between RD and 11:00am. As much as it was hard to get up and drag our butts out of bed at 6:00am...it was WELL worth it. You feel pretty awesome about the whole thing when you have accomplished all your favourite rides by 11:00am.

 

[mamamary]

Sounds like a fun trip. Glad you got so much done early!

 

[KathyM2]

Sounds like a fun trip. Glad you got so much done early!

It was indeed a really fun trip...sigh...wish we were back there now!! I guess that is why everyone's here lol...so we can dream and plan being back there together lol