There's No Place Like Home......

[cstorm65]

Loving your report...and your treats from the confectionary are threatening my diet!!

 

[MnNsmom]

Magic Kingdom Goodies and Character Selfies



After Splash we made our way to Main Street stopping first at Aloha Isle.



I know what you are thinking. Listen I will be the first one to tell you that I am obsessed with pineapple soft serve and there are only a handful of opportunities that I have each year to get my fix. Don’t judge me lol!!



Now that mamma had her snack we continued towards Main Street USA. We then got distracted by the piano guy at Casey’s and stopped for a bit to watch him. If my Disney knowledge serves me correctly this guy has been playing the piano here since the park opened? If that is not accurate I at least know that he has been doing it for a very very long time. Anyways he was also kind enough to sing us a Happy Anniversary melody after noticing our pins, and I thought that was so neat!!



Our next stop brought us to the Main Street Confectionery where I spotted not only Mary Poppins but also one of her PENGUINS!!! GAH I love these guys!!! While I stood there and stared at him like a stalker the family went in the candy store.



I was headed in myself but then I got distracted by a Mickey pumpkin. I cannot say enough about the fall decorations….they are my favorite!



Eventually I made it into the store. Such a wonderful store filled with such wonderful things!!



I found the boys in line. Cory had apparently made his selection.



You can never go wrong with a Mickey Cake Pop! Especially when you find out that it’s red velvet…nom nom nom.



Now we were ready to head out and get back to the resort for a break. But then we got distracted once again on the way out lol! A certain white kitten was doing a meet and greet and this Aristocat is one of Sydney’s favorite Disney characters. So we got in line.



And Sydney finally got to meet Marie. Today was a good day for meet and greets for Sydney! She said that Marie was super soft too lol!

Meanwhile DH and Cory had split from us to get in the other character line across from Marie…..



And DH decided that a selfie with Pluto was in order lol! Love this guy!!!



We finally made our way out of the park and made a point to take one last picture of the kiddos outside the MK.



These two have grown up so much since our first trip to Disney in 2011! I wish I could freeze time….I just don’t want them to grow up!!



This place is truly magical. Thank you Walt and Roy for giving us a place to make such wonderful memories that I will cherish always. I might not be able to keep my kids from growing up but I am so very grateful to have these wonderful memories. We bid the Magic Kingdom ado and headed back to the resort for a break, but this was not goodbye yet, we still had a whole evening to spend at our favorite Disney Kingdom.
​

That's so cool that he sang an anniversary tune.

I haven't seen the fall decorations in person, yet, but I love the pictures of them.

Awesome character greets! I love that your husband took a selfie with Pluto. That's my kind of guy

 

[MnNsmom]

Dinner at Chef Mickey's Part II



Our server was also kind and brought a celebration cupcake for DH and I for our anniversary!

We had still yet to see one very important mouse at this point, but not to worry….



He made his appearance!

And then as to not break a new tradition……



We could now check all 5 off of the check list. The kids continued with their choice of desserts



And no meal is complete without DD hitting the ice cream bar lol!



I only made one appearance in this meal, picture wise, but a picture with my kiddo is just as special as one with a character IMO.



And then you have these two goof balls…..since it was apparent that Sydney had just about completely finished her ice cream cone, we were given the okay to go.



We made our way to the monorail. So glad they have signs otherwise I don’t know how we would find the monorail lol!


We made our way up the escalator



And in the line for our trip back to Magic Kingdom. We had a great experience this evening at Chef Mickey’s and now we were ready to get back to our happy place. Would the rain be a factor in our evening though?
​

Sounds like a wonderful MK day so far!

I love the silly pics of the kids, they are awesome. You got a lot of really good character pics. Once again, I enjoyed all your DH's selfies. What a sport!

We didn't meet Pluto or Minnie last trip, but plan to rectify that

 

[thornton0511]

You had a full night of fun (even if of the rainy variety) at the MK! So many attractions!

yeah we really accomplished quite a bit and it was a lot of fun! Even with the weather lol!

That's good!

Mmm... Disney snacks. I'm having a hard time deciding if I would choose the funnel cake or Sydney's cookie - oh heck, you know I'd probably end up getting both!
see that's what I was just thinking....ha! Sounds like a good plan to me!!!
Leaving the park after a parade/fireworks/etc. is always a madhouse. I try and avoid it whenever possible, but sometimes you just want to get home!

when in Rome.....lol

That is interesting about the funnel cake. I just read about someone having this for the first time and they did not like it. And I've still never had one.
oh my goodness Rob......like not at WDW or never in your life anywhere?! You have got to try this fried goodness lol
I do admit to really enojoying BTMRR at night. Sadly, the daytime still not so much. Come to think of it, it has been ages since I rode this. Wow.
that is interesting. I had no idea that you do not like this ride during the day. How come? Just curious. I will agree that it is a completely different ride at night though.
Honestly Jenn, you absolutely made the right call for the fireworks. Put the camera away and enjoy sharing the moment. The way it`s supposed to be.
well thank you sometimes it's just better to enjoy the experience
Haha, yup, even September brings with it Bus Madness.
oh my goodness right lol?!
It's probably my lack of memory so you probably covered this way back, but is that some kind of separater in the bed for the kiddos? Because that is genius!

ha! no it's the little decorative pillow that they but on the beds, the kids started using them as a barrier between them because DD is a bed hog and she knows nothing of personal space lol. Sadly I think that we are to the point now with the ages of the kids that we will have to split them up and give them their own sleeping place.

stop it Scott!!! lol I seriously had a major snake phobia after reading that thread here on the disboards like 2 years ago and had forgotten until you bring it up again lol!!


Sorry but it is what I think about. LOL.
lol Scott I know I was just giving you a hard time I think about stuff like that too....and I hate hate snakes!!!

Dinner looked nice ‘Ohana. We had 2 bad experiences there so have not been in a while, maybe in September.
I am sorry to hear that. We do love this place but I will say that the experience is not as great as we have had in the past. And for the first time ever we do not have it added on to one of our places for this upcoming trip. (Mainly because we will not be on the DDP and cannot justify the cost of 3 Disney adults and 1 child cost for what they offer) which makes me a bit sad but we are going to try a new place instead that I am pretty darn excited about

We have had that happen at POP I think with no housekeeping.
oh no! Our biggest thing was not that it happened, or didn't happen, but how it was handled. I know things are going to not be perfect but it's all about how you make it right when mistakes come along.
Nice gifts you got.


Fun day at MK.
love MK

The photos from BUZZ are funny.
lol thanks. They are a riot
Like the GOPRO on his hat. I want one. LOL.
thank you! We loved using it on the trip and while we do not own a selfie stick (lol I have heard there is quite some hate there) the harness we used was great for rides and for freeing up your hands when walking around. The thing I love the best is that my hands shake a lot when I am filming and so our videos are not so great because of that, and with the go pro I don't have that issue. I will say though that not having the LCD screen attachment proved to be a challenge because you are essentially blind filming. You have to purchase this as an extra and I think we are going to get that before our next trip. But we love using it!!

Caught up again.

so glad to have you still following along

Absolutely lovin this report. You guys look like you had a blast.

Awww well thank you!

 

[thornton0511]

That's so cool that he sang an anniversary tune.
I know just that extra Disney touch
I haven't seen the fall decorations in person, yet, but I love the pictures of them.
oh my goodness they are my favorite
Awesome character greets! I love that your husband took a selfie with Pluto. That's my kind of guy

Ha! He is something else. He has grown into quite the ideal Disney husband over the years....makes me proud

 

[thornton0511]

Sounds like a wonderful MK day so far!

I love the silly pics of the kids, they are awesome. You got a lot of really good character pics. Once again, I enjoyed all your DH's selfies. What a sport!

We didn't meet Pluto or Minnie last trip, but plan to rectify that

thank you! lol yes make that wrong a right for sure lol

 

[thornton0511]

Animal Kingdom for Our Last Day

Today was our official last day for Disney. Always bittersweet. You never want it to end but also usually at this point you would not mind a quick trip home to recover and then come right back lol. I had gotten up quite early this morning because I needed to check us in for our flight home. This is the one thing about Southwest is that you cannot reserve seats ahead of time and either have to pay extra for them to automatically check you in at the 24hr mark or do it yourself. And the later you wait the further back you are in line for getting a seat and when you have littles with you the earlier the boarding the more likely you are to sit together. I was having a terrible time getting internet connection from the room so DH and I took a walk down to Peppermarket with the laptop and our mugs. Once we got there I had no issue with wifi and ended up getting us in the B group for getting on the plane. Not too terrible. While I was messing with that DH was getting drinks to go with our in room breakfast selections of poptarts or something lol.



We made our way to the nearest bus stop and waited. We had yet to visit Animal Kingdom yet and today was our day! The weather looked promising too as all of the evidence of the storm from yesterday had disappeared.



The kids were feeling the effects of the end of a vacation. You get to that point where you are just exhausted.



The bus ride there was pretty uneventful and we made it to AK just in time for rope drop.



I do enjoy walking around this park, as it is beautiful, especially first thing in the morning. We made our way through the oasis on the right side and headed toward Dinoland USA



On our way we passed the Wilderness Explorer’s kiosk. THE WILDERNESS MUST BE EXPLORED! KAW KAW RAWR! Sorry I just can’t help myself sometimes.



We made our way to the magnificent Tree of Life. Somehow the construction walls kept us from having that oooh ahhhh feeling this time. I knew that the word on the street was that they had started with the AK construction for River of Lights or whatever so I tried to prepare myself.



I was glad to finally be in Dinoland free of walls



First order of business was taking a ride on Primeval Whirl. Because that’s the normal selection for first thing in the morning right? This area of the park was dead, as I am sure that most people to do not sprint to Dinoland first thing in the morning. Fine with us though. We choose to zig when everyone else was zaging!



Obviously it was a walk on.



We do enjoy this ride. It’s hilarious . Apparently we enjoyed so much we decided to go another round…why not right?



After primeval we made our way over to our family park favorite. We love Dinosaur!



Again this ride was a walk on at this time in the morning.



We were all ready to travel back in time and grab a dino!



We almost didn’t make it……

At this point we were all done with Dinoland for now and headed to the other side. It was time for our first FP+ of the day!

Continued next post……​

 

[thornton0511]

Loving your report...and your treats from the confectionary are threatening my diet!!

thank you! And I know exactly what you mean lol every time I post something about food I get a Disney food craving!!!

 

[accountingbabe08]

Your family is adorable. .enjoyed them trip report very much

 

[cstorm65]

Great updating. Sad that it is your last day though. Can't wait to hear about the finish to a great trip!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Hahaha, OMG that is so true. If I could just pop home for a quick break and then head right back to Disney, that would be ultimate.

Even with that absurd boarding policy, I really wish we had Southwest here. I love the stories of the nutty employee behaviour and I assume the rates are relatively low too.

I like the walk into Animal Kingdom too. It's so mysterious since you really can't see a thing.

I hardly spent any time in AK this past trip. I know everything's open, but the walls just depressed me so. I am looking forward to the end result though.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

What a great night in MK! So many fun attractions and yummy treats
Thumper looks like he had a fun day as well so cute!

Yes, I know exactly what you mean, the end of an adventure to Disney always makes me very sad, but that much more ready to plan a trip back!

 

[Tricia's mom]

All caught up..... I want more ? What's for lunch ???? Did you watch finding NEMO show....did you groom goats at affection station.... ??? Ugh !!!! How will I sleep ? ......

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Jenn! Stopping by and pretty much read your entire TR! Oh boy, some lows with mousekeeping fails but I loved the redeeming high of the unexpected gifts for the kiddos. You're right, that's what sets Disney apart from the rest.

I've been to DisneyQuest twice but I'm too impatient for anything other than the stimulating stuff like the simulator roller coaster. The Jungle Cruise "ride" was just odd for us. The Magic Carpets were kinda fun if I could have navigated better.

You made some great family memories with your adorable family.

 

[thornton0511]

Your family is adorable. .enjoyed them trip report very much

aww thank you so much! and thank you for reading!!

Great updating. Sad that it is your last day though. Can't wait to hear about the finish to a great trip!

I know the last day is always the least magical of it all

Hahaha, OMG that is so true. If I could just pop home for a quick break and then head right back to Disney, that would be ultimate.
it would be PERFECTION
Even with that absurd boarding policy, I really wish we had Southwest here. I love the stories of the nutty employee behaviour and I assume the rates are relatively low too.
lol it is definitely much more low key than stuffy American Airlines that is for sure and yes ultimately that is why we have been using Southwest more and more for our more recent trips....AA just got too high on the rates and for a family of 4 that can get pricey. And now they have nonstop flight from Dallas to MCO so I don't know if we will ever not go with Southwest again
I like the walk into Animal Kingdom too. It's so mysterious since you really can't see a thing.
you nailed it Rob....that is exactly right
I hardly spent any time in AK this past trip. I know everything's open, but the walls just depressed me so. I am looking forward to the end result though.

yeah we will probably wait until it more complete before returning ourselves

What a great night in MK! So many fun attractions and yummy treats
Thumper looks like he had a fun day as well so cute!
yes and they have lots of yummy nom noms for sure lol! Ha! Yes Thumper was getting lots of Sydney cuddles
Yes, I know exactly what you mean, the end of an adventure to Disney always makes me very sad, but that much more ready to plan a trip back!

exactly! And I am the kind of person that needs to be able to start planning the moment we get to the end of the present one, otherwise it really is "the end" and that would be the ultimate Disney depression

All caught up..... I want more ? What's for lunch ???? Did you watch finding NEMO show....did you groom goats at affection station.... ??? Ugh !!!! How will I sleep ? ......

HA! you crack me up! Love it!!

Hi Jenn! Stopping by and pretty much read your entire TR! Oh boy, some lows with mousekeeping fails but I loved the redeeming high of the unexpected gifts for the kiddos. You're right, that's what sets Disney apart from the rest.
Well hello there stranger!! Brenda I am so glad you found me and joined!!! I cannot believe you read the whole thing lol that is a lot of Texas rambling to conquer! yes this trip was full of lots of ups and downs but Disney will never disappoint in the end
I've been to DisneyQuest twice but I'm too impatient for anything other than the stimulating stuff like the simulator roller coaster. The Jungle Cruise "ride" was just odd for us. The Magic Carpets were kinda fun if I could have navigated better.
lol you crack me up! Yeah I was glad that we did it the one time just to experience it but I will say that Disney Quest made this 30 something gal feel old. If there is ever a return visit I am afraid it will be when the kids are old enough to be let go on their own and I can spend that time hanging out in DTD and shopping lol

You made some great family memories with your adorable family.

thank you so much glad you are here too!!!

 

[thornton0511]

Kilomanjaro Safari



We made our way over to Africa for a safari ride on Kilomanjaro.



But first Cory had to pause and do this lol. And more construction walls! Bleh. This park was looking a lot like DTD. It was more annoying than I thought it was going to be.



We found our way around the maze of walls and took our seat in our safari vehicle.



We were hopeful to see some excitement on this safari ride today.



The animals seemed pretty groggy this morning. Not that I was expecting the hippos to put on tutus and twirl around….because that would be ridiculous. I mean right? Except apparently that had happened on another TR that I read (Rob) so my expectations have now been raised. Okay maybe deep down I was hoping that could be a possibility.



Seems like I heard somewhere that when CM’s are training for this ride they are told that if for any reason a guest decided to jump off ship in the croc area that they are instructed to call it in and quickly drive away to keep other guests from seeing the result of someone falling in the croc pit. Kind of disturbing. Please people do not jump into the croc area, no one will jump in to save you.



We got to see a giraffe…kind of. I remember once that a giraffe came right up to our vehicle, but now every time they seem to keep a distance. It was at this particular part of our journey that we noticed the family behind us had a toddler that kept standing up on the seat despite numerous warnings from the driver for all passengers to keep their seats….and for parents to keep their children seated too. These lovely parents apparently did not think that this meant them as they continued to allow junior to stand and move about on top of the seat. I could see the driver making eye contact through the mirror and next thing I know I guess his foot accidentally hit the brake quite suddenly which caused the dad to suddenly have to grab at junior to keep him from falling off the seat. Now see if he had been sitting down that would not have happened lol. Safety first.



We continued ahead and saw the far off elephant.



And then came across a rhino trying his best to stay cool. I hear ya. Central Florida in Sept can be pretty brutal even in the morning.



Then we passed the lion who, of course, was sleeping on the rock lol.

Around this time the lovely family behind us, who was now keeping their child seated, began to have a conversation using words in the English language that we do not use, especially in front of our children. Clearly this was not the case with them and they had no issues using this language in front of their children. It was awkward and I remember thinking to myself what I would give to be over the croc pit again….not that I would advocate throwing adults overboard or anything



We were finally coming up to the end of the safari, and sadly I was glad, but we did get to see one thing new! Zebra butts!!!

And that was the end of our safari ride for this year lol!

Continued next post……
​

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Ugh, yes, walls like Downtown Disney. I think the effect on Animal Kingdom was certainly so much worse too. I get the need but, call me when it's over, lol.

Aww what a cute photo of the kiddos with Sydney's mouse ears and Cory's rabbit ears. Precious.

Oh no, I'm so sorry you didn't get to see the dancing hippos. That's a real bummer. Perhaps next time start humming some Fantasia music to see if that does the trick. It's worth a try.

That is really interesting about the crocs. I imagine the end result of someone falling in would be really unpleasant.

Ugh, why do people think the rules don't apply to them??? I'm going to assume that the driver did that on purpose and GOOD ON HIM. Nobody hurt, but message delivered.

Wow, this other family are real winners. I refuse to use strong language when children are present, period. It really isn't that difficult, and I'm the same way. It makes me really uncomfortable.

 

[MnNsmom]

We love AK, but I'm already dreading the walls, ugh. Looks like hitting Dinoland first was a good idea. I love the picture of Cory with the gorilla! Ok, the bit about the crocs is gruesome, but kinda made me laugh. It's Disney, they don't do unpleasant No Safari is complete without an animal butt or 3.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

A big BOO to your last day! I'm glad you made the most of it and were up early for Animal Kingdom!

I tried Primeval Whirl once and wasn't too impressed. I think it may have had to do with the fact that they gave Anika and I our own car - no spinning for us. It was a bit of a bummer, as we would've liked to spin!

It looks like you had a very nice safari! Minus this, of course:

Around this time the lovely family behind us, who was now keeping their child seated, began to have a conversation using words in the English language that we do not use, especially in front of our children. Clearly this was not the case with them and they had no issues using this language in front of their children. It was awkward and I remember thinking to myself what I would give to be over the croc pit again….not that I would advocate throwing adults overboard or anything

Good grief, people. Not that I am innocent in never using that language, but I do hold my tongue around kids. How unfortunate!

 

[thornton0511]

Ugh, yes, walls like Downtown Disney. I think the effect on Animal Kingdom was certainly so much worse too. I get the need but, call me when it's over, lol.

Aww what a cute photo of the kiddos with Sydney's mouse ears and Cory's rabbit ears. Precious.

Oh no, I'm so sorry you didn't get to see the dancing hippos. That's a real bummer. Perhaps next time start humming some Fantasia music to see if that does the trick. It's worth a try.

That is really interesting about the crocs. I imagine the end result of someone falling in would be really unpleasant.

Ugh, why do people think the rules don't apply to them??? I'm going to assume that the driver did that on purpose and GOOD ON HIM. Nobody hurt, but message delivered.

Wow, this other family are real winners. I refuse to use strong language when children are present, period. It really isn't that difficult, and I'm the same way. It makes me really uncomfortable.

I agree about the construction. I love that Disney takes time to make sure everything looks perfect and I appreciate that but then I see how fast Universal builds something and I'm like come on Disney put a little pep in your step lol! It will all be worth it in the end though! You know Rob I did not even think about humming Fantasia....I will definitely have to try that next time....as long as the crocs do not decide to put on hats and capes. Um yeah the driver absolutely pushed hard on those breaks for that reason. Just a kindly reminder to remain seated at all times, wink wink. The foul language was uncomfortable to say the least. And the most disturbing was how it was used like any other appropriate word in the English language. At least if I find myself in a slip it comes out in a very unnatural way and I feel embarrassed lol.