Escape From Craziness to Pandora, Po Boys, and Oppressive Heat - Finished & New TR Link 12/28

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Sounded like a great end to the day! It always amazes me how fast time can go by as you get towards the end of your day. We have yet to see Illuminations. EPCOT just always wears us out!

 

[cstorm65]

Sounded like a great end to the day! It always amazes me how fast time can go by as you get towards the end of your day. We have yet to see Illuminations. EPCOT just always wears us out!

IllumiNations is awesome! Maybe my favorite. I'm not sure the kids enjoy it as much, but I really like it. The music is so good! I do agree, Epcot can be so tiring, especially in the heat of the summer!

 

[cstorm65]

Day 5 Part 1 - A Morning Swim

After a late night at Epcot to watch IllumiNations this morning the plan was to sleep in! Well, you know what they say about the best plans! This little guy decided to get up at 7:30.

Once I wake up I usually am not able to go back to sleep, so I strapped him in the stroller and we went to see what kind of trouble we could stir up while DW and DS5 went back to sleep. Ok, while DW went back to sleep. DS5 would sleep through a marching band in the room. He is not one that is easy to wake up!

DS1 and I went walking and I decided it was a good morning to wash some clothes so I took a load to the laundry. The credit card machines to start the laundry was super easy! Then we headed over to the food court and bought a biscuit and gravy and some breakfast potatoes.

The potato casserole was really good and I’d definitely order that again. But the biscuits and gravy not so much. I am really picky about some things and one of those things is I like my biscuit cut in half before gravy is added and as you can see above they were just sitting the whole biscuit on the plate and slapping some gravy on top. I want all of the gravy goodness to penetrate down into the biscuit as much as it can. The biscuit in this case was not really warm or soft at all, so it was a little bit of a let down. We swung through the gift shop before heading back to see if the rest of the family was up.

We headed back to the room at about 8:45 and DW and DS5 were just getting up. We got our swimsuits on and by 9:15 we headed out for a morning dip in the pool. The boys had a lot of fun.

DS1 is pretty independent and he did not like being held in the pool. He wanted down thinking that he could just swim by himself. So we tried the floaty we brought him. He did ok in it, but before long he was trying to dive out of it!

At about 10:15 we finished swimming, grabbed the clothes out of the dryer and headed back for a little rest time. DS5 enjoyed helping DW fold the clothes...wish he would do that at home!

DS1 did not want to fold clothes and instead ate handfuls of apple jacks!

At 11:30 it was time to head out as we had a lunch reservation to get to. We waited about 10 minutes for a Hollywood Studios bus and DS5 and DW had a little photo session while waiting. Of course DS5 ended up showing muscles again!

We were on a bus by 11:43 and headed towards Hollywood!

A little ways into the drive the boys ended up sitting together!

Up Next: Starstruck by Stormtroopers​

 

[Hatbox]

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This photo! THIS PHOTO! I can hardly stand it, it's too adorable.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Well, you know what they say about the best plans! This little guy decided to get up at 7:30.

7:30 would be sleeping in for my girls!

Then we headed over to the food court and bought a biscuit and gravy and some breakfast potatoes.

The potato casserole was really good and I’d definitely order that again. But the biscuits and gravy not so much.

Biscuit & Gravy looks gross like that. They need to work on the presentation just a little,

His face is so cute in this pic. Like she doesn't know what to make of the ears..

He did ok in it, but before long he was trying to dive out of it!

The former lifeguard in me want to jump in that picture and swoop him up. He is trouble that one!

DS5 enjoyed helping DW fold the clothes...wish he would do that at home!

See! Literally EVERYTHING is more fun in Disney!

Best Waiting for a bus selfie photoshoot! Love both DW & DS5!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I have been reading along and love your TR, your two boys are so cute and you all look like you are enjoying your trip very much! I travel with my daughter to WDW and we have made so many memories. I remember reading some of your other reports before you had your second son! We have AP’s also so we have been going 2-3x this past year, love it.

 

[cstorm65]

This photo! THIS PHOTO! I can hardly stand it, it's too adorable.

I love it too. One of my favorite of the trip!

7:30 would be sleeping in for my girls!

7:00 is our normal wake up time at home, so getting him to go until 7:30 is late too!

Biscuit & Gravy looks gross like that. They need to work on the presentation just a little,

I agree. It just doesn't look right and didn't taste any better!

His face is so cute in this pic. Like she doesn't know what to make of the ears..

I know. He is a ham.

The former lifeguard in me want to jump in that picture and swoop him up. He is trouble that one!

So much trouble!

See! Literally EVERYTHING is more fun in Disney!

So true!

Best Waiting for a bus selfie photoshoot! Love both DW & DS5!

DS5 is shy, but every now and then that personality comes out!

I have been reading along and love your TR, your two boys are so cute and you all look like you are enjoying your trip very much! I travel with my daughter to WDW and we have made so many memories. I remember reading some of your other reports before you had your second son! We have AP’s also so we have been going 2-3x this past year, love it.

Thanks for reading along! The year of our annual passes has been awesome! We most likely aren't going to renew, so we'll probably take two years and travel some other places before doing a year of AP's again! That is if they don't cost $1,500 a piece by then. They might at the rate the prices have been increasing!

 

[cstorm65]

Day 5 Part 2 - Starstruck by Stormtroopers

We were at Hollywood Studios by 11:55 and at 12:00 we heard the Star Wars music and DS had to know what was going on. So we found a spot as it was the March of the First Order.

DS1 had already found him a comfortable spot for an afternoon nap as you can see.

He was in the shade due to our new umbrella shade for the stroller. This was something we purchased on Amazon since the cover for our stroller was pretty weak and useless as it didn’t cover much area. This one covered a bunch and was very nice in some ways. It took a lot of getting used to and it was big which made it tough to navigate in crowds at times. Ok, here is the pic and I’ll be done with the review:

Anyways, DS5 was very excited as we saw the Stormtroopers coming and you could say he was starstruck!

He was just watching and didn’t want to leave when it was over. DS1 on the other hand didn’t even know what had happened!

After DS5 was convinced the march was over we headed back to other parts of the parks. I’ve got some random photos that I guess we just took as we walked because the next attraction we did was Muppets.

On our way to Muppets DS5 and I got a pic by this Star Wars Land sign! We are so excited!

And now into Muppets for some fun. DS5 and DW went by themselves.

DS1 was still content with his nap as you can see and so me and him found a quiet park bench to sit on while the they watched the show.

We were heading to lunch and walked around a little bit first as it wasn’t quite our reservation time yet and we walked by Jedi Training.

I was showing DS5 the show and asking if he wanted to do it later in the trip, but he kept saying no. He’s pretty shy, especially about doing things like that in front of a crowd, so we just watched the show!

We headed over to our lunch reservation spot, one of our favorites:

We’ll share our lunch with you coming up next!

Up Next: “Daddy...That’s Scarrrry!”​

 

[cstorm65]

Day 5 Part 3 - “Daddy...That’s Scarrrry!”

At 1:05 I checked us in at Sci-Fi, we had a 1:20 reservation, but we were sat almost immediately. This was great as on our last trip we were consistently seated 20-30 minutes after our reservation time and we had really good experiences so far this year. DS5 and I shared our row and DS1 sat next to DW.

Before we even ordered one of the “scary” movie trailers came on and DS5 looked at me and said “Daddy, That’s Scarrrry!” in a playful voice. At least he can tell the difference in real scary and funny scary! Here was our view of the screen, although I missed the movie itself:

One of the only negatives of the seating arrangements is that the high chairs just have to sit out in the aisle.

I actually got a pretty good picture of the dining room too. All my other attempts are usually too dark, this one turned out pretty good.

So, for lunch I got the Oven Roasted Turkey Sandwich: House-brined Herb-roasted Turkey served on a Fresh-baked Multigrain Croissant with Bacon, lettuce, Vine-ripened Marinated Tomatoes, and Cilantro-Avocado Aïoli. It was good, especially the bacon! I think there needed to be a little more of the aioli on it, but it was still good.

For DW’s meal she loves to get the Sci-Fi Appetizer Sampler: Boneless Buffalo Wings, Spinach-Artichoke Dip, and Fried Dill Pickles served with Ranch and Blue Cheese Dipping Sauces. She loves everything on this. The wings were good. They did bring here buffalo sauce instead of the honey she wanted to start, but that got fixed. The fried pickles are my favorite thing in this meal as she gave me a try of everything too!

DS5 got the mac ‘n cheese and he ate a lot, but it was a huge portion. DS1 got popcorn chicken but finished some of the mac ‘n cheese as well. Of course as you can see here there was ranch dressing for dipping involved!

We also got a couple of oreo shakes to share and they were great, but I forgot to take a picture! Overall this is a great meal. I took a pic of the TiW card for some reason, not sure why, although this card is a great money saver.

We LOVE Sci-Fi. The kids meals are great too as they came with ice cream which we had forgotten about, but the boys enjoyed that. Just simple vanilla ice cream can make the youngsters so happy sometimes!

We headed out and passed the Great Movie Ride (RIP) on our way to Toy Story.

This line has some of the best picture opportunities:

We enjoyed our Toy Story ride before heading over to see what the Launch Bay was like. DS5 really enjoyed looking at all of the Star Wars stuff, especially the Millenium Falcon.

DS5 also like Darth Vader, unfortunately the Dark Side is cool to him.

We headed into Launch Bay at 2:45 and the line for Chewbacca was about 30 minutes and we knew DS1 wouldn’t be able to do that. Kyle Ren’s line was pretty short, but DS5 was a little scared to meet him when it came down to it. What kind of trouble could we get into next:

Up Next: I See Nemo​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I was showing DS5 the show and asking if he wanted to do it later in the trip, but he kept saying no. He’s pretty shy, especially about doing things like that in front of a crowd, so we just watched the show!

My girls are the same way. One trip they talked a big game in the hotel, so we got up and headed over early but by the time we got there, they had already chickened out.

One of the only negatives of the seating arrangements is that the high chairs just have to sit out in the aisle.

How do they not have a booster seat option?

Great Picture of the whole area! I think this is on my list for our next trip again. I loved this and the girls loved sitting in the cars.

This line has some of the best picture opportunities:

I can't wait for Toy Story Land to be open. The whole land will be one big photo shoot for kids! (At least I hope so)

Kyle Ren’s line was pretty short, but DS5 was a little scared to meet him when it came down to it.

Kylo Ren looks super scary! I wish they would bring back Darth Vedar. We met him awhile back and it scared the pants off poor Gwen. So, we haven't tried meeting Kylo.

 

[Eddie512]

Such a fun trip report to read! We went to Universal and Disney at the same time, so we were in MK on July 5th too! I wonder if my hot, sweaty family is in any of your pictures I planned that trip for 3 years (after going in 2014 with NO plans haha) and I thought it was a great time to go! Watching Independence Day fireworks from the Poly Beach was next level amazing for sure. I’m so impressed re: how much y’all are getting done with a toddler and a 5 year old, wow!! Your boys are ADORABLE!!!

 

[disneyAndi14]

How exciting for your son to see the stormtroopers March, it is impressive!

We love Sci-fi to, such a fun way to relax and have a good meal.

Great pictures of your boys, love your little one sleeping away the whole time the march was going on, so cute!

 

[bravenyc]

Great trip report. Your boys are so adorable. As a mother of two children herself, I am sitting here in shock and awe at how fast you were able to get out of the door in the am!!!! Sometimes you were out in only 30 minutes! You guys are the jedi masters of small children wrangling - most impressive!

 

[Newcastle]

We headed into Launch Bay at 2:45 and the line for Chewbacca was about 30 minutes and we knew DS1 wouldn’t be able to do that. Kyle Ren’s line was pretty short, but DS5 was a little scared to meet him when it came down to it.​

I have some great pictures of my 13 and 17-year-old DD's meeting Kylo Ren last year. My eldest daughter has this look like "I'm outta here!" on her face as she exits stage left and ditches her sister once Kylo Ren starts questioning her about her loyalty to the dark side. The fear is real! Great pictures as always !

 

[Stasieki]

Great updates! We haven't been to Sci Fi in a while. Need to add that back in for next trip. We have done three trips in a row with Mama Melrose and also did Prime Time last September. But I miss Sci Fi.

 

[cstorm65]

Day 5 Part 4 - I See Nemo

After our trip into the Launch Bay we came out and DS5 heard the music! Yes, we watched the March of the First Order again. DS5 was hooked!

Once the storm troopers were gone we headed over to DS5 and I could ride Star Tours.

Our obligatory picture with our 3D glasses on:

DS5 loved the ride, especially when Darth Vader grabs the plane!

This was the last thing we wanted to accomplish this day so we headed back to the bus stop. As we were walking up a bus was pulling up, so it was perfect timing!!

I’m not sure why, but DS1 wanted to sit in a seat by himself on this ride.

Once we got back we laid DS1 down for a quick nap. We weren’t going to let him sleep long as we were planning on getting to bed early tonight, but he needed just a quick rest. While he did that DS5 and I went for a little swimming. After we were done swimming it was close to dinner time and our plan was to head over and check out Landscape of Flavors across the lake at Art of Animation. So we walked that way.

Do you see that person down there? Oh wait...that’s DS5!

And the walk across the bridge.

As we were taking that last picture DS5 starting losing his mind…”I See Nemo, I See Nemo, I See Nemo”! He just put together all of the Nemo themed stuff around this part of Art of Animation and he really was excited, and he really wanted to swim in the Nemo pool!

Here are a few pictures of the Art of Animation lobby and gift shop before dinner.

Up Next: How to Eat Ice Cream with Your Hands​

 

[cstorm65]

Day 5 Part 5 - How to Eat Ice Cream with Your Hands

After we had looked around the lobby for a little bit we headed in for some dinner at Landscape of Flavors. I ended up deciding on the Tandoori Boneless Chicken Thighs: with Naan Bread, Basmati Rice, and Green Beans for $10.49.

Unfortunately, this dish was pretty flavorless. It’s hard to mess of chicken thighs usually, but they were really bland. Some seasoning can go a long way and this had none that I could pick out. The green beans were pretty bad too. The Naan was by far the best part of this meal, but we had just eaten at Sanaa two days before so even that wasn’t too great for us!

DW just got the cheese pizza. She wasn’t super hungry and she knew DS1 would share this with her.

They both enjoyed. DS wanted Mac ‘n Cheese that we’d brought from the room. We ordered some of this type of stuff from Amazon and it was very easy to heat up and eat there in the food court once we found the microwave. DW also tried a dessert of what they called an Italian Espresso which was vanilla gelato topped with a double espresso. She said it was really good, but unfortunately there wasn’t very much of it. I tried the cookies and cream gelato and it was good. DS5 wanted a Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich and in case you didn’t know here is how you are supposed to eat ice cream...with your hands:

We have no idea what he was doing, but he refused to use a spoon once it started melting and he just went at it with his hand, oh well, we are on vacation kid, so go for it! After dinner we spent about 30 minutes walking around and taking pictures in the cars area, it was a lot of fun and the kids loved it.

DS5 may be getting tired of smiling!

After a bunch of pictures we headed back to the room as it was about 8:00 and we wanted the kids in bed at a decent time as we had a rope drop in the morning. First, a few pictures by the lake.

But it wasn’t too long before the boys were ready for bed!

Up Next: “Where are you going sir?”...”Umm, the Magic Kingdom!”​

 

[cstorm65]

Sorry to those of you who are reading. Been MIA for a couple of weeks. It has been a crazy few weeks at school! We are officially on spring break thought! Woohoo!!!!

My girls are the same way. One trip they talked a big game in the hotel, so we got up and headed over early but by the time we got there, they had already chickened out.

DS5 does not like getting in front of people at all, so we are not at all surprised! I'm not too disappointed either. It is a crazy thing to sign up for and so instead we may get an extra ride on Toy Story out of the deal!

How do they not have a booster seat option?

I know. This past Christmas we just put him in the inside of a booth with me. I'll report on that at some point I guess though.

Great Picture of the whole area! I think this is on my list for our next trip again. I loved this and the girls loved sitting in the cars.

I've never gotten a good pic in there, definitely the best one I've ever gotten!

I can't wait for Toy Story Land to be open. The whole land will be one big photo shoot for kids! (At least I hope so)

I hope so too. I've heard a lot of mixed reports on how that land is going to go, but I'm staying optimistic!

Kylo Ren looks super scary! I wish they would bring back Darth Vedar. We met him awhile back and it scared the pants off poor Gwen. So, we haven't tried meeting Kylo.

I know. It was maybe for the best with DS5's shyness!

Such a fun trip report to read! We went to Universal and Disney at the same time, so we were in MK on July 5th too! I wonder if my hot, sweaty family is in any of your pictures I planned that trip for 3 years (after going in 2014 with NO plans haha) and I thought it was a great time to go! Watching Independence Day fireworks from the Poly Beach was next level amazing for sure. I’m so impressed re: how much y’all are getting done with a toddler and a 5 year old, wow!! Your boys are ADORABLE!!!

Thanks for reading along. We really loved this time period. I feel the summers are actually a little more manageable than they were a few years ago, but from what I read spring and fall are more crowded than they used to be.

How exciting for your son to see the stormtroopers March, it is impressive!

He loved it and if you read the latest post we had to see it again before the day was over!

We love Sci-fi to, such a fun way to relax and have a good meal.

I agree. We have eaten here a few trips in a row. It is a nice low key meal, seems to keep the kids entertained, and for the money you pay it is a good value.

Great pictures of your boys, love your little one sleeping away the whole time the march was going on, so cute!

I know. We were worried if he'd nap in the stroller before the trip. And...turns out he did, as long as we wore him out enough!

Great trip report. Your boys are so adorable. As a mother of two children herself, I am sitting here in shock and awe at how fast you were able to get out of the door in the am!!!! Sometimes you were out in only 30 minutes! You guys are the jedi masters of small children wrangling - most impressive!

Well...I wouldn't say we are jedi master's, but we do practice that about every day of the school year. We are pros at letting out kids sleep as long as we can in the mornings before school since DW and I are both teachers and we leave at the same time. If we let them sleep longer we can get ready in peace, make breakfast/lunch in peace, and we are both much happier. Then we wake them up, get them dressed real quick, and get out the door.

I have some great pictures of my 13 and 17-year-old DD's meeting Kylo Ren last year. My eldest daughter has this look like "I'm outta here!" on her face as she exits stage left and ditches her sister once Kylo Ren starts questioning her about her loyalty to the dark side. The fear is real! Great pictures as always !

I have read a lot of stories like that about the Kylo Ren meet. One one hand its a little spooky, especially for kids, but on the other hand it's cool for them to get that into character!

Great updates! We haven't been to Sci Fi in a while. Need to add that back in for next trip. We have done three trips in a row with Mama Melrose and also did Prime Time last September. But I miss Sci Fi.

We've done Mama Melrose too and enjoyed it. Sci-Fi just seems to work well for us right now at the age of our kids. It really entertains them well and the service is usually pretty quick which is good when you have young kids.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I’m not sure why, but DS1 wanted to sit in a seat by himself on this ride.

Umm... because he is a bit kid, of course!

Do you see that person down there? Oh wait...that’s DS5!

It kind of looks like he is peeing in the bushes...

Gross! but that is the adult in me... I am sure as a kid it was FANTASTIC to eat it that way.

DS5 may be getting tired of smiling!

But not DS1! Too cute sitting on top of the car.

I hope so too. I've heard a lot of mixed reports on how that land is going to go, but I'm staying optimistic!

I think it will be amazing if you have small kids and just keep in mind that it's an area not a "LAND". I think, at least. Anything new in Disney is great and Hollywood Studios needs help fast!

 

[disneyAndi14]

We loved the Cars area at AoA also, themed so nicely. The boys looked like they were having fun with all the cars!