Navy Family Trip (6/19/15 - 6/27/15)

[NavyDad]

Family of 5 - Me, DW, DS16, DD12, DD9.

We drove from Flint, MI. Left June 18th around 5 PM and arrived at our hotel in Lexington, KY just before midnight. Hit some nasty traffic in Cincinnati that delayed us about 1 hour. Left at 8 AM with expected arrival at WDW around 8-9 PM. That was not to be as we got delayed by about 2-3 hours as we passed through the traffic nightmare known as Atlanta, GA. (Worst HOV lane I have ever seen...)

Stayed at Fort Wilderness Cabins. I did online check-in but we did not recieve a text with our cabin number so I checked in at the outpost when we arrived around midnight. The staff was super friendly and helpful. There was some kind of issue with our magic bands and they had to be reset to our reservation so they would open the door to our cabin. We got the exact loop I asked for (2100) and our cabin was fantastic.

We loved the extra room. It was exactly as we pictured. Room was clean, housekeeping was fine and we LOVED having our car parked 15 feet from our front door. On the days we didn't want housekeeping they left a bag with towels and extra stuff we may need. Kids took the bedroom, DW and I took the Murphey bed in the LR. Worked out great. Bed was just fine. I am over 6 feet tall and had no problem. We are used to a queen but the Murphey bed was fine - just a bit cozy

This is our first ever trip without the dining plan!

This was also our first tip driving to most parks (all except MK).

We are used to touring in the summer but this was our hottest trip by far... mid to high 90's every day...

Day 1 ( Sat. June 20th) - Animal Kingdom opened 9 AM. We had a Tusker House reservation at 8:05. Arrived at 7:45, checked in with CM holding clip board, stopped for a picture by ourselves in front of Tree of Life. Food was really good, character interaction was perfect. Great pics with Safari Donald, Daisy, Mickey and Goofey. They did not have an omelet station like I am used to at CP but the variety in other things was better. Jungle juice was very good. Kids and I all had plenty of time to eat but DW was rushed as I told her we were walking out no matter what at 8:45 (we did). The experience was good but I would probably not do it again as it is expensive and you do not gain as much by being in AK early as MK IMO. We walked out just ahead of the crowd from rope drop, ducked right into Safari and were on our way before 8:50. Walked straight to Everest and rode twice all before 9:30. Walked to Dinoland and had that area to ourselves. Used FP for Dinosaur (waste) and did everything in Dinoland all before the first Nemo show (10:30 I think...). This was our first time seeing Nemo and we all loved it. Went straight to Lion King and snuck in just as they were about to start. First time seeing FotLK in the new building and it was great as ever. DD9 is a huge Minnie fan so we went to Adventure Outpost for another pic with Safari Minnie while the two older kids used the FP we had at Everest. Used FP at Kali but oddly enough none of us got a drop of water on us.... which was OK because it started POURING down rain as we walked to Tough to be a Bug around 1:30. We intended to stay and do the forest trails and the bird show but it was still pouring down rain so we left around 2 PM so we could go back to the cabin to change and relax a bit before our Backyard BBQ with Mickey and Minnie that evening. I will say that we were there on a crowd level 9 day but it didn't "feel" as crowded as other times we have been there.... we did follow Josh's cheat sheet and it just felt like we were one step ahead of the crowds at all times.

Well, the rain never really stopped but it did let up. We took a bus from our cabin loop to the Settlement about 30 minutes before our meal time. I was not worried about getting a good seat as I know that the kids can get up to go interact with the characters. DD9 loved the interaction and photo-op with Minnie and she even got picked to do the trick roping thing on stage. She got to keep the rope and got a nice, signed certificate. The food was actually much better than I expected. The unlimited beer, wine and ice cream add value. I saw some kids that had probably a half dozen Mickey ice cream bars. We were seated next to a really nice couple from Wales. He and I got our money back just in Yuengling I think and the women enjoyed some wine and sangria. We had a great time!

continued.....

 

[NavyDad]

Day 2 (Sunday June 21st - Fathers Day) - Just like AK the day before, HS was the best park to visit per Easy WDW and Touring Plans. This was probably our best day ever at HS. Park opened at 9 AM. We arrived at the parking lot about 8:30 and were parked in the third row back - very close to the main gate. Bag check was backed up pretty bad but we made it through and went through the gate at 8:45 when they started letting everyone in. This was the first trip we did not have to run to get TSMM Fast passes first thing so that was nice. Went straight to RnR. Standby was posted as 20 minutes but we waited less than 10. When we came out STBY was posted as 40 miutes so we rode single rider line. I think we may have lost time doing single rider as the STBY still looked really short... got to Tower of Terror abotu 8:45. I had FP for 8:50 but if the line was short I was just going to hop in STBY and change on the fly using the MDE App. Well, the line "looked" long and the wait was posted 30 minutes. We didn't want to fall behind so we just used the FP. May have saved us 10-15 minutes. After riding ToT we made it to the first showing of the Little Mermaid show. It was our first time and we thought it was OK but not up there with Nemo and Lion King IMO.

Went to the Animation building and saw Minnie and Baymax. Line was too long for Mickey so DW and DD9 did the Animation Academy while we waited for our TSMM FP window to hit. This was the first time they had tried it and they LOVED it.

Went to TSM and the FP line was backed up really bad. I have no idea why. Once we got inside we were on and off in no time. Went to Star Tours and looked around the gift shop while we waited for our FP window to open. Walked off Star Tours at 1 PM and headed right to the kiosk near Muppets to make our 4th FP selection.

We were planning on leaving the park for our mid day break after our ADR at 2 PM and then returning around 7 PM. I knew that GMR was closing early that night and DD9 really wanted to do the Frozen Sing Along. Our plan was to hit RNR and ToT later during the first Fantasmic and then catch the late show. Well, there were only 2 families in front of me and there were 2 kiosks open. The people were completely clueless and it took me at least 20 minutes before I was able to use the kiosk. I told the CM "I know what I am doing" and was done in 30 seconds. I was able to get GMR for myself, DD12 and DS16 and Frozen Sing along for DW and DD9 all for right around 7 PM. At 1:30 PM there were tons of availability for everything but TSM. We hopped into muppets and walked out just in time to wask to Sci-Fi for our ADR. We all got Cheeseburgers and shakes. The Burgers were OK and shakes were great. The dark atmosphere was the best part after a long day in the sun. We enjoyed it....

Left the park at 3 PM and went back to the cabin for a nap in the AC. Left the cabin at 6:30. It had rained again that afternoon and the park was clearing out as we arrived back at around 7 PM. Tons of great parking spots right up front again. Used our FP for GMR and Frozen. The atmosphere was really lively in front of the frozen stage. I think our older kids would have enjoyed just hanging out for the dance party. Checked the kiosk for a 5th FP at around 8 PM. Still had openings for Star Tours, ToT and both showings of Fantasmic. No RnR or TSM even when I searched for 1 at a time. Decided to make a FP for the late Fantasmic just because I knew they had priority seating. We rode RNR 2 more times with about 20 minute wait and came out just in time to see the fireworks. Rode ToT (20 minute wait) which is awesome at night and came out just in time to get in the FP line for the second Fantasmic. We were seated halfway up in the very middle section which was great. The theater ended up about 2/3 full but we were happy for the great view. The last time we did the Fantasmic dining package and were seated all the way to the right side. We enjoyed the show much more this time with a front on view. Overall we had a great day, rode everything we wanted to multiple times, had a good meal and we were refreshed from our mid day break. I will say with the Frozen stuff going on the atmosphere was great at night - kids had a blast. On a crowd level 9 day the longest line I stood in was behind the clueless people at the FP kiosk. I told DW they need to have a seperate line for people who have their "stuff" together....

continued....

 

[NavyDad]

Days 3-5 (June 22nd - 24th)

We left these days open as "relax" days where we would visit water parks, explore the resort and visit other resorts for dinner and/or shopping. We usually alternate these types of days in between regular park days but this year I decided to try 2 park days, then three "relax" days in the middle followed by 2 park days to finish up. I think for future trips I will go back to the old system....

We ended up doing 2 days at Typhoon Lagoon and 1 day at Blizzard Beach. Basically we just woke up each day and asked the kids where which water park they wanted to go to that day. It worked pretty well and we enjoyed our water park visits as always but 3 days in a row was just too much.

In the past we have always liked each water park equally. When my kids were younger they really liked the wave pool at BB and we have always enjoyed the family raft ride there that we feel is far superior to the one at TL. The Ski Patrol area has always been a hit for our "tween" kids as well. I have to say this trip we have transitioned to strongly preferring Typhoon Lagoon over Blizzard Beach. Even our youngest now thinks the BB wave pool is lame and she is the only one who still gets anything out of the Ski Patrol. Now that they are all old enough (and tall enough) to do everything at both parks we will be spending more time at TL but will probably still do one day each trip at BB to enjoy the family raft ride and the slides.

Both of our days at TL began with signs up saying Shark Reef would not open until Noon. The first day it actually opened up about 30 minutes after park open but the 2nd day it did not open until 12 and by that time had a really long line. My wife really, really likes this attraction and the first day we were able to experience it twice before the rest of the park knew it was open. I asked the CM handing out snorkels about the sign and she said they have cut back on staff in the morning and can't open up until they get enough people there to cover it. I thought that was strange....

They have also began roping off the covered areas back near the Shark Reef and our favorite spot is now behind a sign that says "reserved for special events" or some such nonsense. This caused me to boil over for a second before heading to an area that was between Shark Reef and Crush N Gusher. No big deal in the end. We found the water parks to be dead all three days and had no problem finding shaded seating first thing in the morning. The whole family spent a lot of time at Crush N Gusher which is our favorite. I think we could do this for hours although carrying the tubes does get to be quite the workout. Also spent lots of time in lazy river and the wave pool. As DW and I get older and the kids can now go off on their own it is a nice break for us to hang out in the lazy river while they get pummeled in the wave pool.

We ate lunch at Typhoon Lagoon one day and I had a really good Turkey Pesto sandwich and the rest of the family had the standard food. Each day we got the little fried donuts with the chocolate dipping sauce which was amazing. Thank you to whoever recommended those little donuts - they were phenomenal! We also decided to let the kids do the sand pail ice cream one day. The 3 of them split it and they loved it. Pretty good deal for all that ice cream.

On Monday evening DW and I had reservations at California Grill at 9:30 for a date night out. We took a very relaxing boat ride from FW over to the Contemporary. Did some shopping and decided to check in early at 8:30. They seated us at 8:45 which was great because we were starving at that point. The service was good and the food was great. Our server was not super friendly at first but she was very efficient. Kind of reminded us of our servers at Sci-Fi and Prime Time in the past LOL. She did her job well though and seemed to warm up to us as the meal went on. She was impressed that we already knew what we wanted for each course without looking at the menu (we are planners LOL). We shared the pork flatbread, DW had the Scallops and I had a Filet cooked medium rare. For desert DW went with the creme brûlée and I had the chocolate desert. All three courses were outstanding both in taste and presentation. I had a Belgian beer but the wine selection is probably the best I have seen anywhere in the world I have travelled. The price for both of us was around $150. That is not cheap but about what I would expect to pay when we go to a "fancy" restaurant. It was very loud inside (don't go in expecting a nice quiet romantic dinner) but you can't beat the view outside for the fireworks.

Speaking of fireworks.... like many others we planned our dinner around seeing the fireworks from one of the best views in all of WDW. Our server timed it just right so we could go outside to get a better view just after our entree and our desert arrived right when we got back. We went outside about 9:45 as the Wishes music was starting to get piped in. Everyone went outside in an orderly fashion and grabbed a spot by the railing. There was plenty of room and each group had some space so you didn't feel you had to fight for real estate. The woman to our left was taking pictures so DW and I hung back about 18 inches from the railing so our heads would not cut off the edge of her photos. Well, just as Wishes was beginning this loud, obnoxious group of drunk women who had been sitting at a table near us came out cackling and tripping over each other in their heels. One of them shoved her way in front of us. We didn't want to cause a scene so we backed up another foot or so to give her some space and so we could see around her head. She then calls all her friends over and 4-5 squeeze right in front of us and squeeze out the woman next to us taking pictures (Her and her husband were celebrating their 30th anniversary and they couldn't even stand together because these obnoxious women basically pushed him out of the way). DW and I had to basically move back to the other rail to even have a view at all. The view was still pretty good and DW and I enjoyed ourselves. Honestly everyone else out on the balcony was great and the atmosphere was phenomenal other than that one group of "ladies". I would certainly do this again and honestly would love to make this a date night tradition every time we go to WDW. I have to say the boat ride back to FW that night was very peaceful with a beautiful view.

Tuesday evening the whole family did the Hoop Dee Doo. We paid extra for the Tier 1 seating at the 8:30 showing. The cast is completely different than previous trips and the show is a bit different than before but still a great time by all. The kids had a blast and were laughing the whole time. We had a table right next to the stage and truly felt part of the show. The food was great as always (except the ribs). DW and I enjoyed the Sangria. Pricey but a great night out for the family. This is probably a once every other trip family tradition for us. It was very nice to be actually staying at FW this trip which made getting back to Hoop Dee Doo much easier!

Wednesday night we ate sandwiches in the cabin (great way to save money) and then went to the Chip and Dale camp fire. We had our own Smore kits but needed to buy sticks. I think they were 50 cents each. The meadow area at FW is a great place with tons to do. The shop is neat and has interesting stuff, the pool is not as fancy as other disney pools but is an above average "campground pool" with a slide and snack bar. There is also plenty of covered tables if you bring a picnic lunch. The campfire was fun and we got some good pics with Chip and Dale. Our kids are a bit old for it so we stayed a short time and then went to the pool. All the younger families seemed to have a great time and a bunch of people stayed after to watch a movie under the stars. The best part of staying in the 2100 loop is that the Meadow was only a short 5-10 minute walk. I will say that at the end of our trip the whole family wished we had planned an extra day to just stay at the resort and take advantage of all the things there are to do.

Continued with the last two days of our trip at Epcot and MK...

 

[NavyDad]

Day 6 (Thursday June 25th) - Epcot Day!

Park schedule open was 9 AM. We arrived at the parking lot at 8:15. A CM announced to the crowd that we would be let through the gate at 8:30 and would be held just past the ball. We were the 3rd or 4th family back from the gate and ended up in about the same position behind the rope to the left side just past the ball. By 8:45 the area behind us was just jam packed with wall to wall people all the way back to the gate. DW and I were so happy we got there when we did.

They dropped the rope around 8:55 I think and just moved out of the way. We split of to Test Track and it was just a massive chaos stampede. DW and DD9 got seperated and DD9 got knocked to the ground. Ended up with some skinned knees but nothing too bad. I just have never seen a stampede like that even with the early runs to TSM.

This was our first time doing the full queue at the "new" Test Track. The kids really enjoyed the design phase. We stopped to fill out a survey for Chevy at the end and got 3 Tomorrowland pins. Even with the extra time to do that we were on our way before 9:15. Followed Josh's cheat sheet and did Sum of All Thrills before heading to Mission Space. So glad we did - this is one of our kids favorite attractions and the line built up really quick. When we walked up the wait was posted as 10 minutes. I waited on the bench while DW and the 3 kids basically walked on. As soon as they entered the room there was just a flood of people came pouring in and the posted wait jumped to 30 and then 45 minutes while I waited for them. They were all done in less than 15 minutes and we headed to Mission Space. This was again basically a walk on at 9:30. This felt like a very crowded day from the get go but following Josh's plan instead of my own gut instict in the morning really kept us about 5-10 minutes ahead of the big crowds at each attraction.

At this point we could relax a little as we got the big stuff out of the way and had FP for Soarin, Spacechip Earth and Turtle Talk. We walked at a slower pace to the Seas and rode the Nemo ride and spent a good amount of time at the aquarium. DW and DD's all really enjoy this part so I did not want to rush them. Somewhere in there we used our Turtle Talk FP as well.

Headed to the Land pavilion around 11:30. We had a great lunch at Sunshine Seasons (split 3 Roast Chicken meals with cheddar mashed potatoes) and then rode the Land ride as we waited for our FP reservation to open up. This was the first time we saw a negative impact of FP Plus with the Land ride being backed up to a 30 minute wait around Noon. We have always pretty much walked on this ride around the same time (right after we eat lunch). We then used our Soarin FP just before 1 PM. The timing worked out just about perfect.

Now we headed to the Disney Visa character meet. We got there right as they were opening and there was a substantial line. We probably waited about 30 minutes and had no idea which characters we were going to meet. DD9 is a huge Minnie fan and we were happy to see Minnie, Mickey and Pluto. We got a really nice family photo (free 5X7) with all of the characters so it was worth the wait. We used our FP for Spaceship Earth (30 minute posted wait) and picked up our photo at the Kodak store right there at 2 PM. I wanted to stay some more and do Figment and Ellen but the kids were ready for a break so we headed back to the cabin for a nap before our 7 PM ADR at Via Napoli. We were able to snag FP reservations for 8:30 right before we left.

It again rained while we were taking a nap and we returned to a half empty parking lot around 6:30. We arrived at Via Napoli around 6:50 and were seated about 7:15. Bread service was just OK but we were starving. The kids really liked the fruity water specialty drink. We ordered a Metro with sausage and peperoni and DD9 ordered a kids cheese pizza. The pizza was huge and AMAZING. Best thin crust pizza I have ever had. We just destroyed that pizza. Really, really good and one of the cheapest meals we had on property.

The storms had knocked out some power and some of the registers in World Showcase. Our TT Fast Passes had changed to anything anytime passes. The kids went to use them on Mission Space (they really like that ride) while DW and I strolled around World Showcase. We set up a meeting place between Norway and China and told them to meet us there by 9:55. Well, in the meantime Test Track opened back up so the kids diverted there but the FP line was super long. The CM convinced them the Single rider line would be quicker so they hopped in that. They did not make it back in time for Illuminations so DW and I watched alone. We met up right after the show and strolled out and ended our great day at Epcot. One bummer though was that with the power issues in World Showcase we were not able to get the school bread and some of the other snacks we planned on that night... Oh well...

Continued with our last day at MK...