Monomails and Kylo meets Kylo a April 2018 Trip Report- COMPLETED 7/31

I don't think I have commented her yet. But I am following along. Your kids are very cute!


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Adorable!

Great Family photo!
 
Enjoying your report - thanks for sharing. Love the Moana outfit- so cute! Looks like you had a magical time - looking forward to your next update. :tink:
 

Look at those sweet faces!


In all my time visiting, and even working at the World I have never seen this! It looks really nice, actually!

We then take to "Monomail"

I like it! I think it'll catch on!

A Royal Room!

What a fun surprise! I would have loved that as a kid (and as an adult, let's be real!)

We quickly notice how peaceful and quiet POR is.

Yes, it's so lovely!

So, Deb finished about 8:50

Woohoo! Way to go!


Too cute!


She nailed that Moana pose!


Not having any fun at all

Her job is Pretty simple, follow Patch and Captain Hook and carry the flag. She was pretty pumped!

What a fun thing! The cruise looked really great, and some fun character interactions!
 


Enjoying your report - thanks for sharing. Love the Moana outfit- so cute! Looks like you had a magical time - looking forward to your next update. :tink:

Thanks, been super busy, hopefully an update at the end of the week!
 


Day 3: HS and Flower and Garden

Whoa it's been a couple weeks since my last update. Sorry about that, but now it's summer vacation so I should be able to get the rest of this report done in a reasonable amount of time. I left off after a great and exhausting evening with the Pirates and Pals Cruise. Our plan for today was was to be up early and rope drop at HS. No FP for TSMM so we thought our best bet was to do it first. But after last night we decide to let the kids (and ourselves) sleep in.

FPs today are:
10:00am Frozen Sing Along
11:00am Star Tours (M and me)
1:10 RRC (Deb)

No Dining Reservations today, our plan is to stay for as long as we can at HS then walk to EPCOT and to sample our way through F&G.

AND we have an important encounter with Kylo Ren!

As I mentioned no early wake up today we sleep till about 8, which is late for our kids D is usually up at 5:30. Fairly refreshed the kids snack in the room and we are on our way to the buses at 9. We get there
and the line for the bus is GIGANTIC! We are not close to any of the stops around the resort so we have been using the main stop. It looks like there is a group there waiting for a bus, a large group, like a marching band. I will give Disney a ton of credit here, a bus for HS fills up as we get there, and a cast member is radioing for 2 more buses. One for the band, and the other for us. They arrive shortly after and we are at HS by 9:30, so all in all, not to bad. Only been open a half hour but the line for TSMM is already like 120 minutes, so we grab quick coffees and pastries at Starbucks.

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Then we spot the March of the First Order, so we take that in....

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After that it's off to the Frozen Sing Along, here's a fantastic picture of me....

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A better one of M!

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Fun show! We are done at 11 and it's time for M and me to get on Star Tours. Didn't need our FP it was a walk on. We are fans of that ride, I didn't write down which scenes we got and it's way to long after the fact for me to remember. I'm pretty sure we had Vader, went to see the Wookies and I do remember finishing on Naboo. Meanwhile Deb and D went to the Disney Junior area and met Pluto.

D does much better than he had been.

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Maybe he just really like Pluto...

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and then there's Jake, D is shy at first but looks like it all turns out well in the end..

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M and I get there as this is happening, looks like she has changed for her big encounter!

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I don't know if she thinks she's using the force here or what, either way we'll continue in the next post!
 
After that was done, it was time to meet Kylo Ren. We have the Disney Visa so no line for us. M has been insisting on wearing her Kylo Ren costume to meet Kylo Ren. So Kylo meets Kylo I guess?!?!?

It's like 88 degrees that day so I talked her into just putting it on when we went in. We've met him a couple times before and he's pretty intimidating, so I think M is hoping the costume makes her feel more brave.

She's ready!

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We head right in, I'm thinking Deb and D didn't come with us, or D wouldn't go near Ren. Either way they aren't in the pictures. Ren remarks to M that he wants to train her and thanks her for the support. He doesn't like my shirt and tells me I don't understand the power of the Dark Side.

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We ask for a picture of just both of the Kylo Ren's

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Not bad (except for the sparkly shoes).... After Kylo Ren it's off to see Chewie, it was posted a 15 minute wait, but it was more like 10 minutes.

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He hugs M even though she's still in half the Kylo Ren costume. D likes him much more!

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I think she's using the force here, or way finding, you choose. Next stop is BB 8, posted 15 minutes and that was about right.

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He remarks that M makes him nervous because he has special data for the resistance. d gets one last hug before we go.

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Now it's after 12pm and we need to find something to eat. Our discussion somehow leads to canning the last FPs and eating over at F&G for lunch and then having dinner at POFQ, this way we can get everybody to bed early. Sold! But, we also decide the kids won't really eat anything at EPCOT and we re hoping for a nap as we walk over there. We settle on burgers at the Al American Cafe, it was only ok, they're quick service burgers nothing special. D however demolishes his.

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Looks like M had Chicken nuggets. From there we stop at the Star Wars store, have a quick look and then walk to EPCOT.

Continued next post!
 
We get to EPCOT around 2 through the International Gateway. Our plan sort of worked, D is napping as we head through France. We get a Cucumber Watermelon slushy for M.

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Grab some Fried Cauliflower in Morocco

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and Smoked Brisket and Pork Belly in the US

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The slushy and cauliflower were excellent, brisket and pork belly was mehhh, oh well. D wakes up and has some of my brisket, after that we wander around looking at the flowers and gardens.

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I grabbed a beer in Germany, skies looking bleak so at some point it does rain and we duck into the Nine Dragons.

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It cleared fairly quickly, but it looks like there is more on the way. We decide to grab a bus back to POR and the kids are dying to swim. Fine, lets go. We grab some more shots on the way out.

Continued Next Post
 
As we are going, we are definitely racing a thunderstorm, but Deb loves pictures....

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I know it was rainy but here are a couple pictures to give you an idea of the crowds, fairly empty if you ask me.

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I have some more from essentially the same spot on Friday to compare later on in the report.

We make it out and to the bus as a storm is rolling in. The bus is punctual and we are on and on our way back to POR. Kids want the pool, but because of the weather it's closed. We waste about an hour in the room watching some cartoons and having some down time.

Next up, THE LONG AWAITED POOL!
 
Once we figured there was enough time for the pool to be open we ventured down there. It never really stormed at POR but the pool was closed for a while for some reason (I'm sure the lightning was close enough to warrant the pool closing). I haven't mentioned it yet but M has been asking about going in the pool non-stop since we got here. She doesn't really swim, she's scared to go under water, and hates getting her face wet, so I'm not sure why she is so excited about the pool. Alas, we get there, put the life jackets on and get in the over sized bath (the water must have been like 85 degrees).

It doesn't look like I have any pictures of us swimming, but I do have some of when we got out!

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Kids get a smoothie, I get a Hurricane and Deb a Margarita..

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Yep those were strong; Whoa!

After that it was back to the room, and we changed for our walk over to POFQ for dinner. From our room this was a fairly short walk, and that would come in handy in the following days. We decide to go with the Louisiana cuisine and get Jumbalaya, a shrimp and rice bowl, M gets Mac and Cheese and d a Burger. Food was pretty good. We decided that we liked the food selection here better than at POR, let's try breakfast here tomorrow! Time to head back and get the kids in bed, on time. Everybody goes down quick after some baths.

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Tomorrow is our "resort day" but we have a couple other things planned as well. Come back and see what we are up to!
 
Day 4: Resort Day and Galactic Night

Today is our planned resort day, but no matter how we plan this we always end up spending sometime in parks. So, no FPs today but we do have an ADR for 4:00pm. Where? It's is a treat for all of us!

We sleep in till 8:30 which again is super late for our family. We were impressed enough with dinner last night at POFQ we decide to go there for breakfast and then use the pool over there. They have a splash pad too so that might be easier with the kids.

It's a nice short walk over in the morning next to the river. M and I get French Toast, it was awesome and waaaay too much.

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We should have just gotten one to split. Deb gets a breakfast flat bread, it was excellent as well! Of course we got beignets. We must have been super hungry while ordering because 6 were waaay too many. Oh well, I think I took care of like 3 of them!

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I think he got some in his hair.

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Off to the pool!

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Splash Pad first

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It was fairly successful, they weren't as thrilled with it as we hoped, mostly because it dumps tons of water every 30 seconds and no one (M) likes their face wet. Oh well after that we go to the big pool and hang out till about 1. We decide that we could make our way to EPCOT and waste some time there get a little lunch/ snack before our ADR.

We head back to the room, change and are in line for the bus to EPCOT at 2:04. We wait about 11 minutes and are on the bus and in EPCOT by 2:30. Once D is in the stroller he promptly falls asleep. It's super hot out so I take him inside the building behind Club Cool. Deb takes M to see the butterfly tent.

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We also grab our AP magnets. We are lucky and ask for a Mickey one and the CM directs to someone who had extras. Deb was pumped!

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It's a bit more crowded today.

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Continued next post!

 
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D eventually does wake up and we start around the World Showcase to grab some snacks before our ADR. We stop in Canada for the flatbread and a beer. It was rather good. We got the beef tips for M (Sorry no picture).

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From there we decide to head to our ADR. Why have snacks before an ADR one might ask? Well.....

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We had to save room for ICE CREAM! We got to Beaches and Cream a little early. They check us in and and sit us down. We are only here for Ice Cream. We ordered the Fudge Mudslide (above) and the Snickers Sundae.

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Both were pretty good! We decide the Fudge Mudslide is better. Deb's only semi-impressed, she prefers Amble Hills.

Kids like them though!

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After this we have some time to waste. We figure since are close to HS we should head over there and see the Star Wars "fireworks" (there aren't a lot of actual fireworks!). We haven't seen it before and (if you couldn't tell) Star Wars is big for M and me. It's pretty early though, like 4:30 so we waste time in the Yacht Club. There are some cartoons on the TV in the lobby. D immediately starts asking for the train that was in the lobby when we were here in December, which I can't believe he remembers. After we feel a little digested we walk to HS. We are in about 6pm, M and I go on StarTours, I have in my notes we go to Jakku and Crait. From there we go see the Muppets 3-D, and walk right in.

Take some pictures in the courtyard!

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From there Deb gets on TOT, she can't talk M into going with her. We keep looking at wait times for TSMM, but nothing is there. As it gets closer to fireworks we decide to try and jump in line. at 8:15ish the wait time is posted for 40 minutes. We figure that is perfect, if it's accurate we'll be out just in time to see the show. Well it wasn't even close, we were in line maybe 15 minutes....

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Finishing off the day next!
 
Here's a picture on our way off the ride.

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We head from there to the Chinese Theater, grab a pretzel and beer on the way. Fireworks were pretty good, definitely a fun show to watch but probably at least third on my list.

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Getting out is a little crazy as expected, and looking at the buses we make a decision to grab a bus to POFQ because the line looks shorter and we just saw a POR bus pull away. This was a good decision. We get on the next bus and it's a short ride to POFQ. We walk back and are in our room at 10:30.

Up next AK day!


 
Day 5: AK

Today is Animal Kingdom Day!

Our plans for the Day are to spend most of the day at AK and we have a 4:00pm reservation at Morimotos in DS. Then we plan to shop for a bit.

Our FPs today are:


- 9:20-10:20 Safari
-10:30 Festival of the Lion King
-11:55-12:55 Flight of Passage
-1:10-2:10 Kali River Rapids

Originally we thought we would be up early and Rope Drop to get on Navi River, but after another late night we sleep in till 7:30 and then head to the buses around 8:20. We decide this time to head to the bus terminal around the back of Magnolia Bend instead of the main one in the front of POR. The station is packed, mostly with people for the MK. We manage to get on a bus, meanwhile a lady is asking when a bus for MK will arrive. She told the bus driver they have been waiting for about 45 minutes and has an ADR she is about to miss. It sounded like all of the MK buses were filling up before they got to the stop. Using this as a warning we decide that tomorrow we would take the bus to MK from POFQ. We are in AK about 9, which is perfect timing. We grab some Strabucks,

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Then head to the Safari for our FP. This was a great safari, Deb got a lot of good picutres,

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Hippos are always a favorite, they were pretty active this morning.

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Giraffes were out an about which was awesome. Last time we were here they were all huddled in a corner and no where near the vehicles.

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So the lions were super active! Not sure why, but usually they are laying about and you have to look for them. This time it looked like 2 females were not happy with each other, so they were roaring and bugging each other. Even the driver remarks about how active they were.

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Almost done!

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Continued next post!

 
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After the Safari we don't have a lot of time for FOTLK. I have no idea where this picture is from, but its a good transition....

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So we headed that way. We've figured out that if you wait outside till a cast member talks with you and you are polite you can get front row seats. We've been able to manage this the last few times. So we hang out as the crowds go in, and it looks like this might not happen as no cast members have come out. Oh well, and just a we are about to get in the line Deb spots a cast member wearing a head set. She says hello and strikes up a conversation. The cast member tells us to follow her on in, and there we go right up the the front row of the Wart Hogs section. Bah, we've been here before, and it means that the lady is going to have me be the Wart Hog....

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Bah, I'm a good sport though, she tells everybody it's her lucky day! I guess, you should ask my wife if that's correct or not.


The show is excellent as always, D and M get to be in the parade at the end.

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After the show we are pretty hungry, so it's time for one of our favorite lunch/ snack

Falafel and and the Hummus. It's served from a cart between Africa and Asia, and there is a little spot to eat down by the river.

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Next it's of to Pandora to hang out and use or FP and rider swap FOP. OR SO WE THOUGHT! First we try to access Pandora by going back past FOTLK, well apparently it's exit only. We back track and on our way into Pandora there are cast members telling everybody that BOTH attractions are down. Bah! Well there goes out FP. They are offering adding additional FPs for people but it's whatever for us. In the long run both of the rides were down for most of the week. We've been on FOP before so we aren't crushed and we try to figure out what to do next. Well the good news is D fell asleep so time for some adult Dole Whips!

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Man those are good! Then M wants to do the explorers which we though was an awesome idea so we get started with that!

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We start looking for some stations and Deb rides Everest while M and I do a scavenger hunt. We grab a photopass photographer...

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We hit the Kali Rapids with and rider swap, nobody gets too wet. The last thing we do before it's time to leave is the Wilderness Explorer station where King Luis and Babboo used to be. Then by 2:30 we think it's time to head to DS, remembering to leave plenty of time. It's a good thing we did!

Come back and find out why next!
 
Leaving the park was uneventful, we used the bathroom and made our way to the buses. We figure we'd jump on the bus to DS, and have some time to walk around etc.... Only one problem, we see the bus to DS doesn't start till 4pm. So now the debate is what is the best way to get there. We think of a few options and decide to grab the bus to SSR and walk over to DS. This bus took FOREVER to show up, but we jump on and head to SSR. We are trying to figure out which stop to get off, should we walk? Do we grab another bus? Then then bus driver announces that the bus to DS is pulling in behind us at the first stop. Perfect! We get off at the first stop and and get on the DS bus. Well, not that we could plan for this, but the bus we just got on makes like 6 more stops at SSR. So between the time it takes people to get on and off, a couple scooters etc... we get to DS at like 3:45.

So it's a good thing we left early. We book over to Morimoto and get there just in time for our ADR. In the long run, we could have been late, the place was empty!

I start off with a Tiger Lager...

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The story here is that I went to Beijing when I was in college and had a bunch of these. They are hard to find in the US so whenever I see it on a menu I get it!

Deb orders the Orange Chicken.

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I get the Beef Lo Mein Noodles

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M gets the Mac and Cheese.

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All the food was excellent. We like how they had chopstick forks for the kids (you can kind of see them in the Mac and Cheese pic). They also had origami to work on, but we were pretty bad at that. Oh well, after dinner it's time for some shopping and to enjoy DS.

The last couple times we've been here it's been packed, but today is not so bad. In fact, it's pretty much empty!

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We hit up the Lego store which the kids like. M buys herself Kylo Ren Legos to add to her Star Wars collection at home. It's small but we got BB-8 legos at Christmas and she loved putting them together so this is a good use of her money.

I debate getting this, but it's like $799! Maybe one day, I don't think Deb will ever go for it though.

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I love that it limits you to 1 per person, like who in their right mind could afford 2? Deb's more likely to let me buy this one day....

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M and D want a picture with more lego friends.

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From there we shop a little more and head back to POR via the boat. It's a long ride but convenient and we are at the resort about 7pm. Not bad! M got a treat when we got back, looks like an Olaf Bar.

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We want the kids in bed early tonight because we are rope dropping at MK tomorrow. Big day planned for tomorrow and as Deb puts it "A proper touring plan day!"

Kids are out right away, I think they needed the rest!

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Day 6: MK All Day

Today we are up early at 7am. Perfect, we get ready have our snack in the room and get moving at 7:50 for the bus. Park opening for MK today is 9am so we should have plenty of time.

Our FPs for the day are:
- 10:55-11:55 Peter Pan
- 12:05- 1:05 Splash Mountain (Deb and M)
- 12:10-1:10 BTMRR (Me)
- 1:55-2:55 Haunted Mansion

We have an ADR at O'Hana at 3:50. Our plan is to Rope Drop and get as much in around the Fantasyland area as we can before our first FP. Then we will do our FPs and hang out in MK till around 3. We'll eat and come back to MK for the evening and watch HEA.

So after seeing what people experienced yesterday at the POR bus stops we head to POFQ and take the bus to MK from there. We get on a bus by 8:10 and are at the gates of MK at 8:26. D is yelling for the "Monomails" which to his delight go by every few minutes. Security doesn't take long and we are in at 8:38. Here are some excited kids on the bus!

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Deb with Walt and Mickey!

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Of course we grab a Starbucks on Main Street (I guess this was a daily theme, I should have put it in the title!)

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We watch the welcome show, I really liked this a lot more when it was out front and all the characters got off the train. I thought it had way more charm and felt more special. Oh well I guess everything changes.....

First we go meet the princesses.

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Looks like we just did Rapunzel and Tiana. If I remember D was not into meeting them and the line for Cinderella and Elena was long, so we skipped them. Then we headed to Winnie the Pooh, then Dumbo. All pretty much walk ons.

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Next we jump in line for Goofy and Donald, it's opening so no more than a 10 minutes wait. As always there was Way Finding!

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A nice family one, in case no one noticed looks like this was the family shirt day!

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I get one for myself because Goofy is the best!

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Donald was next!

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More coming next post!
 
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After we meet those guys it's time for a snack! Here's a look at the crowds on our way out through Fantasyland.

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Not too crowded yet! We stop at the Cheshire Cafe and grab a Cheshire Cat Tail....

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Then we catch the second half of the Friendship Fare! M's favorite!

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From there we start our FPs, off to Peter Pan we go. We finish that by 11:20 and have some time to kill before our next FPs and we don't want to stand in line. We decide to go to Tow Sawyer Island. Looks like we can walk right onto one of the boats. Thinking about it we have never been out to the island so this will be something new, and the kids will get to run around a bit!


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The kids love playgrounds so this little area was perfect!

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We watch a few trains go by which D loves and then keep exploring. Once we make our way through the island it's time to head back to the main land and for more of our FPs.

M hasn't been on Splash Mountain yet so she is a little nervous and says she doesn't want to get wet. Deb reassures her she wont's get wet.

Yeah that was a lie.

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You might not be able to tell by the photo but they are SOAKED. D was trying to hide in this little nook the whole time.

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I ride BTMRR and then we need to decide what to do. We are fairly tired and hungry, so we pick a spot to hang out in Liberty Square. The kids snack on a few things we brought from the hotel and D falls asleep.
 
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