"I've been waiting my whole life for this!" (says the 3 year old) - A September 2023 WDW Trip Report!

[MamaMouse0920]

Saturday 9/9/23 - Park Day 2: Animal Kingdom! (continued)

This was around 10am by this point, and even with that colossal cinnamon roll we were ready for a snack, so as I mentioned I bought a giant pretzel & a Night Blossom for the 3 of us to share- being sure to save a bit for Matt for when he got off FOP. We tried to go inside Satuli Canteen to enjoy some AC but a CM instructed us that if we didn't order food here we would have to sit outside, so I turned the stroller around and instead grabbed us a shaded seat in the way back of the outdoor seating area of Satuli, where we enjoyed our little snacks.


Don't ask me why DD4 is wearing two sets of sunglasses kids are weird.



DS3 must have been daydreaming because I don't know how else to describe this zoned out look!

The pretzel was a hit as per usual and the kids also LOVED the Night Blossom. This trip is where we discovered their love of Boba Pearls, at first they were leery of those little bubble looking things but soon enough they were squabbling over who was going to get the next one. I also thought it was tasty and made a mental note to try the boozy version next trip (maybe a little later than 10am though ).

After Matt finished riding (he agreed it was very cool but said he did have one small moment of motion sickness, but overall said he was totally fine & enjoyed the ride) we made our way toward Asia since I had made a LL for Everest at some point that morning. On our way, we stopped in front of the Tree of Life for some family pictures. There wasn't too long of a line, and we weren't completely soaked in sweat yet so we figured may as well! There was a couple in front of us (maybe late 20's, early 30's?) in line who were having so much fun popping the bubbles that floated their way from the kids' bubble wands, and it warmed my heart. Disney really brings out the kids in all of us!!














You can see DS3 was being a little stinker for most of these, but that's okay- kids will be kids LOL and I'm happy with the pictures we received regardless.

Photoshoot complete, we made our way to Everest where we immediately set up a rider swap for DD4, Matt & myself. I typically go first when we do new rides so I can be the "test dummy" for whether or not Matt will tolerate it in terms of jerkiness/motion sickness since as he has gotten older his tolerance has dwindled. So, DD4 and I excitedly wove through the queue, leaving DS3 & Matt behind to check out the floatillas across the way.

Leading up to this trip, I was a bit nervous about how she would handle this ride... and quite honestly I leaned toward skipping it altogether. She loves rides (obviously) but she also is quite sensitive to "scary" things (& the darkness), and gets nightmares frequently. I also had heard many people say that the g-force was too much during that backward spiral bit, and I didn't want to have a screaming terrified kid. We had watched ride videos & she said she wanted to ride, so we gave it a shot and hoped for the best.

SHE LOVED IT. I'm talking obsessed- she to this day talks about seeing the "Geti" (Yeti, lol) and how that was by far her most favorite ride of the whole trip. She said the backward bit wasn't her favorite, but still overall this ride was a huge hit. I loved it too!



Getting off, I knew immediately that this ride would NOT be well suited for Matt, so after we found them I let him know that I didn't think he would enjoy it so he had me take his magic band and ride with her again for the rider swap, him and DS3 content watching the floatillas- even though they were basically melting in the sun on that blazing section of concrete bleachers (if my memory serves correctly of that area?).

We raced back through the queue, DD4 basically pulling me and giggling with excitement to get to ride again. As we approached the CM asking "how many?" we could immediately tell she wasn't in a good mood, but we still SUUUUPER sweetly asked if it would be okay if we waited for the front row. She didn't even let me finish my sentence and gruffly told us "wait over there" where we did what we were told. I continued to amp up DD4's excitement "Can you believe we're going to ride in the FRONT row???" but we waited and waited, as she filled coaster after coaster. I don't know why she would do this but it felt like she was punishing us for making this request? Which I don't think is a huge deal, but alas - we waited maybe 5-7 minutes until she decided we had waited long enough and again gruffly instructed us to row 1. Yahoo!!! DD4 was absolutely giddy.



I had my phone out taking selfie-facing video of her reactions, which were priceless. After we got off, I wish I would have been quick enough to record her telling her brother all about the ride- her version of the "geti" ripping up the tracks - ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR - and then "zoom, you're backwards!!!" etc. She was so animated and cute, and DS3 was just listening to her in awe, it was really the sweetest thing.

Safe to say, we have a new favorite ride for DD4!!!

 

[RedK]

Her face in the front row picture is priceless. Love seeing the little ones have such fun!

 

[MamaMouse0920]

Saturday 9/9/23 - Park Day 2: Animal Kingdom! (continued)

After Everest, we were WARM (it was around 11:30 by this point) so we decided a nice cool off courtesy of Kali River Rapids was in order, so we headed that way. Standby was a 15 minute wait, but we were on in closer to 5 which is always nice. I also booked another LL for this ride for 2:10pm since I had a feeling we would want to ride again.

DS3, being around 39 1/2 inches (remember how he couldn't ride Big Thunder Mountain?) but over the 38" requirement for this ride got a fancy wristband indicating he would need the lap bar. He was excited about this wristband, lol!





We got moderately soaked, I would say? Not absolutely drenched, but enough where we felt cooled down afterwards so I would say the ride was a success.

We got off around 11:45 and headed toward the Maharaja Jungle Trek which was unfortunately underwhelming. Our local zoo here in MN was better in our opinion, but that also could be because it was a gazillion times hotter than back home and also a gazillion times more crowded. We had to try to peer through gaps of people in order to get a glimpse of any of the animals, and trying to fit through doorways with the double stroller was a challenge since no one seems to hold doors for people anymore. This was the only picture I took the whole time apparently, at 11:56 --



& by 12:12 I have a video of Kevin walking by- so we must have darted through the trail pretty quickly to get out of there and on to the next thing, which was lunch at Flame Tree BBQ around 12:20.

Matt and I were SO looking forward to Flame Tree Barbecue, since as I have mentioned in previous TRs that Matt is a semi-professional meat smoker & we loooove us some good barbecue. I had once again ordered a smattering of things from the menu for everyone to try, including the Baked Mac & Cheese with Pulled Pork, a smoked pulled pork sandwich, a side order of corn bread and a couple of beers for Matt & I. We were once again underwhelmed - it was good don't get me wrong, but not the best thing we've ever tasted which again is kind of what I was expecting from "the best barbecue on property!" as I've heard so many times in reference to Flame Tree BBQ. The pulled pork mac & cheese would have been better if it weren't slathered in barbecue sauce (any TRUE smoker will tell you that if your meat is good enough, you shouldn't need sauce at all), so next time if we return here I will be sure to request that on the side or nix the sauce altogether. Our favorite of the meal was probably the pulled pork, and it wasn't in the same league as Matt's recipe, and from my memory I would say we preferred Regal Eagle's version as well. The corn bread, which is a HIT for both kids when I make it at home, had like chunks of oranges in it or something??? And neither kid was impressed- nor was I. The kids hardly ate anything at all, poking mainly at the french fries that came with the pulled pork, but I'm not the kind of parent that forces food down my kids' throats so we let the kids check out the floatillas nearby while Matt & I ate and drank our beers in relative peace. After lunch, we made a quick stop to the bathrooms nearby and when we left there was the Viva Gaia Street Band playing which the kids thoroughly enjoyed! We had a family dance party to the catchy music and the kids were really having a great time. I took tons of video but no pictures, so you'll have to use your imagination Around 1pm the kids were complaining of being hungry (go figure, that's what not eating lunch will do!) so we stopped at Pizzafari and mobile ordered a kids pepperoni pizza for them to share, as well as busting out some of our snacks we brought from the hotel, including apple slices & a peanut butter sandwich.





Matt and I ordered another beer and parked ourselves outside Pizzafari where the kids ate their lunch & we enjoyed our drinks. We decided to try for another AC break, so we made our way toward Festival of the Lion King for the 2pm show.



It was a great show (Lion King was my all time favorite movie as a kid) and I think the kids enjoyed it, except for DS3 who was obviously more than ready for a nap. He kept fidgeting and I could tell he wanted to lay down/fall asleep. He was sitting with Matt and I kept trying to whisper "snuggle him!" but either Matt wasn't getting what I was saying or he didn't want to cuddle our giant 3 year old like a baby so eventually I grabbed him snuggled him like he was a little baby, used my hand to cover his eyes and he was zonked out in no time. The show ended and I was NOT about to wake him up so I had to carry this giant toddler out of the show and to the stroller parking - parents kept giving me knowing looks and parted the seas for me, everyone I think understanding "let's all work together so this poor mom doesn't have to wake her kid!" which was nice.

He transferred to the stroller without waking, and we encouraged DD4 to close her eyes as well, which she did and soon enough both kids were asleep. Huzzah!





Matt & I thrilled at this (seemingly nothing, but in real life is a huge accomplishment) success:

We then wandered around aimlessly, hoping to give the kids a lengthy nap. Matt had decided he needed a coffee, so he went into the looong line at Creature Comforts for a coffee while I continued to push the stroller around, wanting 1) to have the motion of the stroller keep them asleep and 2) look for a companion bathroom since I had to pee something fierce. I approached a CM who was standing outside of Pizzafari, asking if she knew where the closest companion bathroom was. She didn't, so invited me inside the restaurant so she could ask a coworker- who said the closest one was in Pandora. Ooof. So I pushed the stroller back out the doors and turned right, heading toward Pandora.

As I approached the Pandora restrooms I discovered the companion bathroom was occupied, no big deal, I waited. Until the person emerged and it was a 30 something year old man- alone. I probably looked at him like this:

To which I think made him feel like a total buffoon getting busted using the companion bathroom.. because he immediately scrambled to hold open the door and help me push the giant double stroller through the little doorway so I could pee with my two sleeping kids in the stroller A mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do!

The line at Starbucks was insanely long, so even after all that Matt still was texting me that he had a hefty amount of people in front of him. Knowing this, I slowly made my way back toward him, pausing at Nomad Lounge. Do they take walk ups for To Go orders? I thought to myself, eventually asking the CM at the door- "Yes, we do!" so I once again struggled to open the double doors, use my foot to hold it open, then reach forward and awkwardly pull the stroller far enough in til I can use the stroller's weight to hold open the doors, then even more awkwardly try to run back toward the handle bars and push it the rest of the way inside. I hope I'm describing that well enough, but I'm thinking anyone reading this who has EVER attempted to get a stroller inside a heavy door by themselves knows exactly what this song & dance looks like.

Successfully inside, I grabbed a menu, parked the sleeping kids out of the way of traffic and waited next to the bar so I could order a drink.



I waited. And I waited. After about 10 minutes (the lounge was busy!) I happened to glance out the window and saw Matt walking by, his hands full with not one but two large iced coffees. I was confused (I hadn't asked for one) but decided I was giving up on a fancy cocktail from Nomad Lounge so I caught up to him outside and instead drank the iced coffee which was delicious.

It was after 3pm by this point, and since we were about to miss the end of our return time for Kali (3:10), I modified the LL for a little later so we wouldn't miss our window altogether and not be able to ride. Deciding that the kids could probably wake up now, we parked them outside the Viva Gaia Street Band who were playing again. One would think this super loud, vivacious music would wake the kids but no dice. Eventually we decided we'd just walk to Kali River Rapids and wake them up there. Once we arrived to the stroller parking, I discovered that the stroller next to us had left their iPhone on top of their stroller- with the map still open leading them to Kali River Rapids. Eek!! Matt and I didn't know what to do. I know theft is unfortunately a semi-common occurrence so I didn't feel comfortable leaving the iPhone sitting there in broad daylight. Matt went and told a CM, who told them unfortunately they couldn't touch it either so we had to just leave it. I wasn't exactly OK with that, so I at least tried hiding it a bit under a flap of stroller cover, hoping to not cause a huge panic once the owners realized what they had left behind- but also not having this $1,000+ iPhone in plain sight for any Tom, Dick, or Harry to come by and grab.

We woke the kids and had another great time on Kali River Rapids, once again getting the perfect level of "wetness", not so much that you're miserable and look like you just jumped in a pool, but enough to cool you down and keep you cool for a while afterward.

 

[MamaMouse0920]

Saturday 9/9/23 - Park Day 2: Animal Kingdom! (continued)


(I'm not sure when I snapped this one, but forgot to add it in it's appropriate place so here you are! Enjoy this picture of Tree of Life, vastly different than the other ten billion pictures of the Tree of Life you've seen before )


After Kali, I booked a LL for DD4 and I to ride Dinosaur- Matt knowing already he didn't want to ride since everyone says how crazy jerky this ride is. Him and DS3 went to check out Dinoland, USA while we were on the ride.

DD4 did NOT enjoy this one She wasn't crying, but had one hand clamped over her eyes, and the other hand holding on to the bar/my arm for dear life. I don't think she even saw 10 second of this ride, lol!



Leading up to the ride I had prepared her, telling her that these are FAKE dinosaurs that look like they're jumping out at you, but they're not real. And she had said she understood and still wanted to ride.... famous last words That very next day is when they announced that Dinosaur was being changed into something else (Indiana Jones?) so when I told DD4 she didn't seem too upset by this news After getting off the ride, we headed over toward the kiddie area with the Triceratop Twirl that DS3 and Matt had ridden twice while the girls were away.





As we approached Matt & DS3, we realized DS3 was in the beginning stages of a meltdown - I'm not exactly sure what started it, but as I understand it Matt had promised him ice cream once DD4 returned from Dinosaur so that is where we headed- DD4 picking out a Mickey bar & DS3 picking out one of those strawberry bars. I tried reminding him that at Magic Kingdom yesterday he didn't really eat it and that mom ended up finishing it, but he swore up and down that that was what he wanted.........

.........only to realize after a few licks that it WASN'T what he wanted.

Is anyone surprised? No? No, me neither. And so cue a MASSIVE meltdown. He didn't want the strawberry bar, but when we said we'd take it away he didn't want us to do that either, he wanted DD4's Mickey bar, but that isn't fair to her, and so as I said a massive temper tantrum ensued and it was thoroughly embarrassing. About 10 minutes in, we said we were leaving the park which just made the screams louder but at that point we didn't care- we just needed to get out of there. As we approached Discovery Island, Matt made one last ditch effort to calm him down. Thankfully it worked! Matt was hailed the toddler whisperer.

On our way toward Africa (getting ready to finally ride our Kilimanjaro Safari LL I had made all those hours ago), we stopped at the restrooms nearby. I went in with DD4, and Matt took DS3 into the mens room. While DD4 and I were going potty, we heard a mom & her daughter, close to DD4's age in the stall next door. It was a lot of "No, don't touch that!"s and "don't open the door yet!!!" and "omg gross, please don't touch the floor/handle/toilet/etc." which made me chuckle because I get it. We exited the stalls around the same time, and all made our way toward the sinks where that 4-ish year old girl had a huge fit over washing her hands screaming "I don't want to wash my hands!" the mom saying "get real, you just touched X Y and Z inside that stall" and the daughter proceeded to- I'm not kidding- lick both palms of her hands in defiance.

I could have kissed DD4 right then and there for not doing that to me, because I would have died. I honestly don't even know what I would have done if I were that mom.

Thoroughly disgusted but also dying to tell Matt what I just witnessed, we left the bathrooms where DD4 said "take a picture of me, mama!" So I did.



She's all about the mini photo shoots these days!

Reunited with Matt & DS3, we walked over to Safari- this time for a LL instead of standby. I know people say it all the time, but we had a totally different safari! We saw different animals, had different views, and altogether it was just night/day difference so I'm really glad we rode it twice.





This time we got to see the lions, but they were sleeping. Still cool, though!!! We also had to stop many times due to a giraffe in the road, so this safari took considerably longer. The driver was also more animated than our last driver, not exactly Jungle Cruise Skipper funny, but at least not super dry so it made for a more fun ride.

I'm not 100% sure if I had booked it earlier and just didn't make a note of it, or if I booked it right then and there with an immediate return time, but either way we had a LL for Na'vi River Journey so true to our form, we zig-zagged all over the park to return to Pandora and close out the day with one last ride on that half of the park. It was cute & calming, but not at all worth a lengthy wait which I think everyone can agree on. After we got off, we refilled our popcorn bucket one last time for the road, and stopped (at the kids' request) to take a few more pictures in Pandora:









The park closed at 7pm this day, and the timestamps on those pictures above are 6:30 so we cut it pretty close to shutting the park down (which is funny to say when it's still daylight out, lol!) and we joined the masses returning to their cars/the buses.

Soon enough we were back at the hotel, where we showered & ate more leftovers for dinner. We ended the night with some TV, Epcot fireworks, and were in bed around 9pm. We had no alarms set for the next morning, and were looking forward to a relaxing day at the resort!

TOTAL STEPS: 23,309

Up next: Rest Day! Sunday 9/10/23

 

[MamaMouse0920]

Animal Kingdom video!

Again, grainy & distorted thanks to being a screen recording from social media but you get the gist!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Kids really are wild!! Bathroom girl was not having it...

You guys had a very productive AK day!! You really plan well and make the most out of your time, especially with two small kids. And only one meltdown is a very good day in my book.

 

[MamaMouse0920]

Sunday 9/10/23 - Rest Day!

We only managed to sleep in til 6:45, but that's still 45 minutes later than weekdays back home so I'll take it! DS3 woke us (me) up with his usual "I'm hungry- can we go downstairs?" even though 1. We're at the hotel, not at home so not going "downstairs" at all and 2. We've been living in my parents basement since June so every morning for the last 3+ months we've gone UPstairs upon waking, not down But I digress- yes, DS3, we can start breakfast.

I made some fried eggs in one pan and sauted the (cooked) chicken sausage in another, popping some bread in the toaster for buttered toast. This hearty home cooked breakfast hit the spot! We turned the TV on for the kids while we figured out our game plan for the day. Matt did dishes and I tidied up and put away some laundry until we figured out what we were going to do- pool in the morning, come back to watch the Vikings game/have the kids take a nap, and then go back to the pool for the afternoon. So that's exactly what we did!







I had remembered from our trip last September that the pirate pool doesn't get sunny until midday, but the kids REALLY wanted to swim in the pirate pool so Matt & I toughed it out - and thankfully it was WAY warmer this year than last year (though you might remember- I had COVID and didn't know it, so any water was going to feel like Titanic water to me!), but we still decided to pack up and head toward the more toddler-geared splash pad on the other side of the property. Good & bad, that area is 100% sunny. Good because obviously warmer, but bad because we didn't have hats for the kids (I didn't think their DIY Mickey hats I had made would hold up with the water/playing).







These selfies are the only ones I got of the morning pool session, and after that we headed back to the room for a quick lunch (just deli meat sandwiches) as well as to watch the Vikings first game of the season (we lost, boo) and the kids had a nap.

After nap, we returned to the pool but this time hung out by the pirate pool which the kids were thrilled with. The adults I think were happy to be next to a bar!

Matt & I snapping this sunny selfie on the walk over.







Matt was really good at taking "Proof of Mom" pictures this day (or really this trip overall)!

 

[footballmouse]

That sounds like a very relaxing day. I always scheduled pool days inbetween park days when my kids were little. Great way to break up all the running around and early wake-ups.

 

[VAtink]

I'm a bit late, but joining in!

Towards the descent, the kids' ears started bothering them but neither of them were really crying, just kind of whining. We're still working on teaching them how to yawn, and the typical suckers/fruit snacks/taking sips of water don't seem to work much for them either. I'll take any tips/advice you have, since we usually fly 2-3 times a year!

I had this problem when I was a kid too, it was so bad on some flights I actually lost my hearing for a few days afterwards. Finally I started using earplanes and they made such a difference! Definitely recommend, they make kids sizes, but I don't know for what ages.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

You enjoyed so many things at AK - congrats on nearly closing down the park! (In daylight! )

The more I go to Disney the more I think rest days (or even rest mornings/afternoons) make the trip so much better. I’m glad you got to enjoy so much pool time (and happy you weren’t sick this year!).

 

[MamaMouse0920]

That sounds like a very relaxing day. I always scheduled pool days inbetween park days when my kids were little. Great way to break up all the running around and early wake-ups.

No kidding! I say this every trip, but next trip I REALLY AM going to add in more rest days!!

I had this problem when I was a kid too, it was so bad on some flights I actually lost my hearing for a few days afterwards. Finally I started using earplanes and they made such a difference!

OOoooooo definitely googling, thanks for the tip!!!! We just booked a cruise for May 2024 which will obviously include a flight (to Orlando, no less!) so we'll put them to the test!!!

You enjoyed so many things at AK - congrats on nearly closing down the park! (In daylight! )

The more I go to Disney the more I think rest days (or even rest mornings/afternoons) make the trip so much better. I’m glad you got to enjoy so much pool time (and happy you weren’t sick this year!).

You are so right - we are usually rope droppers but one day later this week we slept in (GASP!) and surprisingly, the world did NOT end since we weren't there at park opening!! Whodathunk?!?!?!

 

[MamaMouse0920]

Sorry for the abrupt departure, we had a last minute trip to the cabin planned for this past weekend and needed to pack and hit the road ASPCA (Muppets Haunted Mansion, anyone?!?! Pepe is my fav).

Here are a few pics from our (unseasonably warm) cabin weekend!


DS3 & his worm -- not pictured, DD4 found a slug which she named Bronson & proceeded to make me babysit him while she went on a fun tractor ride with grandpa The good news is he was an easy watch, he didn't move very fast






The picture makes that tree look closer to the fire than it was- don't worry! Their "walking the plank" activity was perfectly safe And the chainsaw is also adequately far away & covered LOL safety first, over here!


Anyway, back to the trip report!!!

Sunday 9/10/23 - Rest Day!

As I mentioned in my last post, we decided to park ourselves next to the pool bar, so we ordered the kids a virgin daquiri (so a strawberry smoothie, ha) & a beer for Matt & I.





Which the kids happily cheers-ed & Lady & the Tramp style shared, deciding they wanted to combine their smoothies into one cup. The kids posed for a few more pictures:





And soon enough we wrapped the kids in towels & returned to the room with the plan being to start on an early dinner. Matt & DD4 went down to the community grills to grill up some chicken breasts (I had brought a little baggie of Matt's seasoning from home) and DS3 & I stayed behind and made some instant mashed potatoes & steamed some green beans. Matt and I both commented on how lucky we got with the weather that day, not a single rain cloud! Sunny & 90 degrees - perfect pool temps.

After our relatively healthy (at least healthier than the park day meals we've been eating!) meal we let the kids talk us into ice cream around 7pm, so as a family we all headed down to the resorts ice cream shop and sat at the tables outside, enjoying our treats.

After ice cream we were in bed by 9pm (after our nightly firework show of course!) with our alarms set for the usual 6:30 for Epcot the next day!! The kids didn't join us on our Epcot park day last trip, so they were excited to check out a new place, and Matt & I were excited to get back on Guardians of the Galaxy!!

Total Steps (you ready for this?): 2,371

 

[MamaMouse0920]

Monday 9/11/23 - Epcot ...... Question Mark??

Around 3am Monday morning, DS3 woke me up with a "mama... my tummy hurts".

Of course on the inside, I'm panicking. My vomit phobia + lingering stomach illness from our LAST stomach bug has the alarm bells ringing but I do my best to stay calm. I ask him the usual mom questions "Do you have to poop? Maybe your tummy is just hurting a little bit because you're hungry?". He denies the pooping part but agrees to a little applesauce pouch to see if it helps. I wake up Matt, & we turn the TV on (reminder that the 4 of us are in a king size bed) while DD4 somehow stays sleeping. He tries a teensy bite of applesauce but is still whining about his tummy hurting so I quickly go to the kitchen to grab a bowl. Thankfully with our Walmart pick-up order, they gave us ten thousand plastic bags & remembering a "hack", I lined the large mixing bowl with a couple of those plastic bags juuuuust in case.

Sure enough around 4am the first round rears it's ugly head, followed by a second & third round about 45 minutes later. Poor DS3 was of course crying & I did my best to comfort him but Matt knows me well enough to shoo me out of the room (I took DD4 with me, somehow she managed to stay asleep through all of that but woke up when I went to move her to the hideabed in the living room). By 6am he fell asleep for about an hour and at 7am woke up and acted as though everything was perfectly fine. Asking for breakfast, no less!! I really didn't know what to do- I obviously didn't want to risk exposing thousands upon thousands of innocent Epcot guests to any sort of stomach bug, and we had hired a theme park nanny to sit at the hotel with the kids that night while Matt and I went back to the park for some alone time... It didn't seem fair to put her at risk either. I also didn't want to be in the middle of a theme park and have the rest of our family (me, Matt, or DD4) start dropping like flies - getting ill and needing to somehow find our way to the exit, puke bags in hand.

Since Matt was the unsung hero that night from about 3:30-6:00am that morning, I let him sleep in til about 9:30 while I kept the kids corralled in the living room/on the patio. I made the kids a suuuuper light breakfast (I think we had lightly buttered toast? Or maybe dry cheerios? I'm not sure but I know it was very bland lol) and just turned the TV on and let them do their thing until I couldn't let him sleep any more- we needed to discuss what the plan would be.

We knew we weren't going to the parks, but with DS3 acting totally 100% normal (literally begging for snacks, wrestling with his sister, jumping up & down etc.) we were torn. What would we do with that lost park day?!? We technically had until 9/15 to use it, even though we were supposed to be driving to Ft. Myers that day to visit Matt's parents for the remainder of the trip... but if push came to shove, I would be A-OK with rearranging things and adding on a park day at the END of our trip, cutting back on a day with the in-laws in Ft. Myers.

Matt I think felt even more guilty about doing that than I did, but had me run down to the front desk to see if we could extend our stay by one night while he asked his mom what she thought. The front desk people said that there were zero rooms available for that night (??????? how....????) which I was shocked by, but whatever. I guess we'll take our money to a different resort...????

As for Matt's conversation with his mom, I wasn't there for the conversation, but it sounded like she did the usual "I mean.... do whatever you guys want to do..... obviously we want to see you for as long as possible but..... we get it......" which of course made Matt feel even MORE guilty/unsure of what to do.

Apologies for the cliffhanger, but I have to hop off for now - stay tuned for what we decide to do!

 

[MamaMouse0920]

Monday 9/11/23 - Epcot ...... Question Mark??

Okay, so when I last left off, Matt and I were debating back and forth for an entire day on what to do. Do we push back our departure of Orlando/arrival to Ft. Myers? Do we cancel our Epcot day and pay the extra fees to push those 4 park tickets back to some random day in 2024/2025, without a trip planned? Do we pay the extra $300 (or whatever it would be) to stay another night at the hotel we're currently in, or find a new hotel for one measly night? Would Matt's parents be pissed because it's less time with us/the kids than they had been planning on? Do we check out Thursday morning as planned, but go to Epcot for a shorter day and then leave straight from Epcot to Ft. Myers? Not arriving of course until later than 9pm probably... Plus there was the fact that we had hired a Theme Park Nanny that was non-refundable ($160) so if we didn't rearrange our plans to include Epcot on Thursday instead, we would be out that $ as well....

Well eventually after another phone call to his mom (and I think after she had had some time to digest this new plan for a bit) his mom had said that she didn't want him spending an entire day in a theme park and then driving presumably exhausted, the 3 hours from Orlando > Ft Myers. Especially considering it would be late at night by the time we got there, so what would be the point?

I hid my reaction but I was thrilled by this decision. I had told Matt many times in our deliberations that it wasn't going to be ME who made the final decision, since it wasn't my parents we were missing out on an entire day/night of seeing, that decision would have to come from him and/or his mom. So when she had said "just come on Friday morning" I was ecstatic. You mean I get an extra day at Disney?!?!?! YES PLEASE.

Now since our current resort had said "smell ya later, go on, get, scram", that meant we had to start searching for last minute availability at a Disney resort. Since we had Epcot planned, we knew we wanted it to be something on the Skyliner. Before we booked this trip we were debating between WBC and Caribbean Beach Resort, obviously ultimately settling on WBC. So we figured what better way to get a feel for maybe where we'll stay for our next visit than a quick one night stay to check it out? Luckily CBR had availability, so I booked us a Standard View 5th Sleeper with a 9/14/23 check in and a 9/15/23 check out.

I was so excited! That whole day (Monday) was a bit of a waste of a day, but we ALL got some rest & relaxation that was desperately needed. We didn't feel comfortable bringing DS3 to the pool or playground etc. in case he was contagious but we did go on a walk around the property so at least stretched our legs & got some fresh air.

OH - and I almost forgot to mention! At some point that morning we had realized that DS3's Apple Air Tag was missing from the strap of his sandal. So we pulled up the location on Matt's phone and it showed it was pinging from across the resort property in the main tower. It must have fallen off when we were at the ice cream shop last night? So we put the kids in the stroller and power walked across the resort, hoping against all hope that no one grabbed it in that time. By some miracle the tiny black dot was spotted relatively quickly after we arrived and we were able to grab it before someone else had.

See if you can spot the tiny little bugger in the picture below! Probably why no one had grabbed it, it was so hard to see!



What luck!

Anyway, in between mine & Matt's debating what to do all day, we tried keeping the kids occupied (but quarantined a bit, hoping to avoid spreading potential germs - even though now in hindsight since he never got sick again, and none of the rest of us ever got sick, I don't think he had any virus or anything - with them playing with their bubble wands on the balcony, creating obstacle courses out of couch cushions, even filling the bath tub and giving them cups/water bottles/other random stuff to play with for some fun water play.

There was a CRAZY storm that night, and the four of us had a great time watching it unfold from our 13th floor balcony - it was really fun/cool to see the lightning in the distance with the HUGE storm cloud looming over Epcot's Spaceship Earth. The lightning looked close to us but it must not have been all that close in actuality because they still did the Epcot fireworks so our heads looked like this:

Between the storm straight ahead/to the right and the fireworks/Spaceship Earth light show to the left. Eventually I turned the TV on in bed and the kids watched Mr. Poppers Penguins, which they'd never seen before but was on TV and they liked it well enough. I fixed them a little pre-bedtime snack of apple slices & peanut butter and they were happy as clams as we watched the movie & the storm & the fireworks, eventually turning the tv off, brushing teeth & going to bed around 9:30.



And so we ended the day happy about having our new plan in place, not realizing exactly just how stressful it would be to pack up our entire 1BR Deluxe Suite and move to an entirely new (smaller) hotel for one lonely night... but boy, were we about to find out!

Up Next: Park Day 3- Hollywood Studios! Tuesday 9/12/23

Total Steps: 7,398

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Hooray for a makeup Epcot day (plus a night at Caribbean Beach)! I’m sorry your original plans were interrupted but I’m glad you were able to find a solution.

I’m also glad DS’s illness was brief and didn’t spread. Tummy problems are terrible and I’m not a fan of it myself - amazingly I’m able to handle my kids’ vomit with little trouble but do not do well seeing it anywhere else.

 

[MamaMouse0920]

Tuesday 9/12/23 - Park Day 3: Hollywood Studios!

We woke up at our usual 6:30am, with Matt & I getting ready first & then waking the kids and getting them dressed/breakfast etc. At 7am I made a LL for Slinky at 11:05, and we left a little after 7:30 - making sure to stop in the lobby on our way out to fill up all of our water bottles with ice for the day.

When we arrived at Hollywood Studios, we scored an AMAZING parking spot, literally the first row, a super short walk from the gates. However even with that great parking spot, we still had to stand in a line for about 1hr 10 minutes while waiting for offsite guests to be let in. I'm not complaining! We were only like the 3rd family in line (eventually there was a HUGE line behind us, so I know my mega-early-rope-dropping strategy is worth it).





We filled the time/kept the kids entertained with shadow puppets, snacks (both pictured below, LOL) and sunscreen-ing up.



There was a nice, empty open area next to us so I was thankful to be able to give him some space to run around- burning off some energy while not disturbing other guests waiting their turn in line.



Soon enough it was 9am and we were allowed to scan into the park. We had hoped to Rope Drop Mickey & Minnies Runaway Railway but as I was eyeing it while waiting for rope drop, I noticed it had been down and hadn't come back up. Boo! Instead, we made our way to Andy's backyard to check out the wait times on TSM & Alien Swirling Saucers. Saucers was a posted 20 min wait but ended up being pretty close to a walk on, so that was our first ride of the day.




DS3 & I shared a spaceship while Matt & DD4 had their own.



The whole time we were in line, I was monitoring the MDE app to see if MMRR had come back up, hoping to race over there and beat the crowds the SECOND it was running again. Of course, after we got off, it was back up but the posted wait time was already 30 mins (and the line looked to be much longer, I have a feeling everyone had my same idea) and so instead we decided to grab a coffee and peruse Municiberg after departing Toy Story land. This ended up being SUCH a great way to fill our time, as there were tons of characters doing meet & greets in that little area. The kids first got to go inside & meet Edna Mode:





Then Mr. & Mrs. Incredible (do you call her Mrs. Incredible? Elastigirl? Helen?)

 

[MamaMouse0920]

Tuesday 9/12/23 - Park Day 3: Hollywood Studios! (continued)

We made sure to tell Helen/Elastigirl/Mrs. Incredible our favorite quote that DS3 loves to randomly blurt out while we're eating dinner:

"Can we just eat? The dinner? While it's... hot?!"

Which Mrs. Incredible seemed to enjoy.



After our visit with the Parr parents, a visit to our favorite blue monster was next:







The kids sure love getting their Sulley hugs!!

We had seen Frozone walking around but as quick as he appeared, he would disappear. We made a comment as we passed a CM who happened to overhear us and they gave us a little hint that if we stood RIGHT by a secret set of doors, he'd be making his way out any minute.... And sure enough, there he was!



And so there you have it, that's how all by 9:57am we had been on one ride & met 5 characters! Wham, bam, thank you ma'am!

On our way out of Municiberg I stopped to get our first popcorn refill of the day, and holy smokes was this the saltiest batch ever! It almost made our tongues hurt, lol! Still delicious and we ate every last kernel, just goes to show you how much we love salt

I call this one 'DD4 Loves Popcorn: A Series'







A few sips of water & a potty break later, we decided to catch the next showing of the Frozen Singalong since the rest of the park's wait times were high & we were stuck in the 120 min rule from my 11am Slinky LL.

As we were sitting in the theater (or whatever you'd call the Frozen singalong area), I got a tap on my shoulder and this nice older couple behind us handed the two kids two little stuffed animals with a tag on them saying we've been Pixie Dusted! Whaaaat?! There was SO much magic this trip, it really made the kids feel SO extra special.

The singalong was amazing as usual, and the kids really enjoyed it. I got tons of video of them singing along and enjoying the "snow" which I think really makes those highlight videos I make after our trips showcase the magic of Disney.

At the very end of the show, my timer had gone off & it was time to make another LL - I picked MMRR for 12:25. We left Frozen & made our way back toward Andy's backyard... it was our turn to ride Slinky Dog Dash!!! DS3 was tall enough this visit and was SO SO excited to finally get to ride!!

 

[MamaMouse0920]

Tuesday 9/12/23 - Park Day 3: Hollywood Studios! (continued)

We snapped a few pictures as we wove our way through the brief queue, only having to wait about 5ish mins or so. Thank you Genie+!









DS3 LOVED Slinky, as we knew he would, and had a bit of a temper tantrum as we left the ride/Toy Story land altogether. We had passed Buzz doing a meet & greet (we got in the long line but as soon as we did, a CM told us the family in front of us would be the last family Buzz would be visiting with) as well as Jessie walking by, and I think those two disappointments in a row, plus not getting to ride SDD two times in a row (it's so hard to explain to kids that you can't just "hop back on the ride" after getting off ) + the heat were what all caused this minor meltdown. I say minor, but it did start escalating into a full-blown meltdown which ultimately led to the decision to have an early lunch. We meandered around the park, passing a bubble cart so we bought some more bubble refills hoping it would help the meltdown- no such luck. He (DS3) finally told us that he wanted a pb&j sandwich, which seems like a simple enough lunch to find at a theme park??? However every QS restaurant I searched on the MDE app wasn't serving those little uncrustables. I was getting exasperated until I finally found one that did - Backlot Express- so we headed that way. On our way that direction, I mobile ordered a cheeseburger & fries, chicken strips, a pb&j, chocolate milks, a yogurt, a Wookie Cookie AND two beers for the adults.

That giant spread + being in the AC seemed to do the trick, and DS3 was instantly MUCH happier. There was a younger toddler nearby who was having a similar crying episode, and I kept making gentle comments to DS3 like "Boy, that's almost exactly what you sounded like just 2 minutes ago!" hoping 1) to reassure the mom that we've all been there (some of us only 2 minutes ago) and 2) to point out to DS3 that his cries/tantrum is heard by other guests too, not just his parents.

Oh and by the way- that Wookie Cookie... a MEGA disappointment. The cookie itself was dry, and the frosting in between the two cookies had zero flavor. Most of it went uneaten. Boo!

After lunch we headed to redeem our LL for MMRR, which is a favorite for everybody.


After Mickey & Minnie's, it was time to book my next LL so I grabbed a Toy Story Mania. I didn't make note of the time, but it had to be within 120 mins because we were back to doing the old "tap & grab" method. After a quick potty break we headed over and watched Muppets 3D via standby. It was cute as always- the kids really enjoy that one!

After Muppets we returned to Toy Story Land to redeem our TSM LL. After we scanned in for TSM, I booked a LL for Tower of Terror- DD4 agreeing to give it another go despite last year's trial & her NOT liking it. While weaving through the queue I was playing "genie slots" and just modifying/refreshing constantly. I was able to modify our ToT LL from 3:05 to 2:20- at 2:03. Score!! So around 2:05pm we rode TSM, this time me with DD4 and Matt with DS3. As I mentioned during our MK day, I take these competition style games very seriously and let the kids do their own thing while I rack up as many points as I can. DD4 got 32,300 and I scored 150,200. I'm impressed with her score for doing it completely on her own!

As DD4 and I entered the LL for ToT, DS3 announced he was quite ready for a nap, thank you very much, so Matt reclined his stroller seat and perused the shops on Hollywood & Sunset Blvd- enjoying the AC and eventually buying himself a hat while DS3 napped. DD4 and I on the other hand, had entered a LOOOOONG lightning lane. It took us about 25 minutes, oof! I snapped this picture while waiting our turn in the long line:



Eventually we rode, us seated next to a nice dad who was on his turn of a rider swap- he was very sweet to DD4 and told her how brave she was. She was saying "I'm scared!" the whole time LOL so I'm not sure if he heard that or just heard her say "that was fun!" after it was all said and done. Considering those two conflictions, I'm not at all sure her true feelings on this ride, haha!

 

[Paulaparm]

Just got all caught up with this. What a great time you're having. Your family is adorable

 

[VicarJT]

I am really enjoying this trip report and I love the HS-themed clothing!