TheOneWithTheTriplets
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2018
I'm late to the party but joining in. It sounds like a lovely trip so far!
"We forgot to go to Magic Kingdom!" (Not really) – A September 2019 Trip Report - F&W, MNSSHP - COMPLETE 4/17
- Thread starter jrmint427
- Start date
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Searching for a Safari FP & Harambe Market
I completely left this trip report hanging! Things got busy, then Covid hit, and our dreams of a March 2021 trip were set aside, and the rest is history. But as we're starting to talk about returning again one day (maybe 2023?) I started reading through my old trip notes and realized I never finished this one, despite typing up all the notes from our trip. So I'm going to give it a go again!
After lunch, we decided to check out the train to the Conservation Station. My dad was sad to learn that the MK trains were down during our trip, so my goal was to get him his train fix at AK. DD4 fell asleep in the stroller on our way to the train, and Pat had to carry her from stroller parking to the train. We were on a train quickly, around 1:55pm.
When we rolled up to the Conservation Station, DD4 was still asleep. We had left the stroller behind, which meant either someone had to carry her, or we would have to wake her up. Our policy on this trip was to let the girls take naps when they needed them, so we did not want to wake her. And no one really wanted to carry her for that long in the heat. So we made a quick decision to stay on the train back to Africa. I was still re-loading my app for a Safaris FP during this time.
When we arrived back in Africa, DD2 asked if we could ride the train again. It was in the shade and relaxing, so we decided, why not? This ended up being a good decision, because during our second round-trip train ride, I snagged a 3:50pm FP for the Safaris! We originally planned to leave the park around 2:30pm to swim at the resort, so we had to make a tough decision.
My dad pointed out that we had come to Animal Kingdom to see animals, and the best place to see a lot of them is on the safari. I really love the safari too, so I was happy to make the decision to stay for our FP. I did keep trying to reload for an earlier time, but nothing came through.
We stopped for several Photopass pictures throughout the day.
DD4 was still sleeping when we transferred her back to her stroller after the train. We decided this would be a good time for an A/C and drink break, but I wasn’t sure where to find “free A/C” in this area. I also had read about a drink I wanted to try at the Harambe Market (pretty sure I read about it on one of your TRs!), so we decided to hang out in the shade at the market.
The drink I had read about was the Frozen Flamingo – I was disappointed to realize it was non-alcoholic, but it still sounded very good – a strawberry and passion fruit frozen concoction. It proved to be very difficult to find, but it was worth it.
I started with a CM who was passing out menus at the Harambe Market. I didn’t see the Frozen Flamingo on the menu, so I asked her about it, and she said it was not sold there. She told me to walk around past the candy store, to a stand near the Safaris. Please keep in mind this was a SUPER hot day and I was sweaty and exhausted. So I must have really wanted this drink to go hiking for it.
I went to this stand and the CM there told me apologetically that, no, they did not have it, it was most definitely at the Harambe Market. Pat and I saw a PhotoPass photographer nearby, so we made a quick pit stop before heading back to the Harambe Market. We don’t look too sweaty yet, right?
Back at the market, I told the CM what the other stand had told me, and she shook her head and insisted, no, that is not here. I pulled up the app and showed her that it was an option to order online, but that I wasn’t sure where to pick it up if I ordered it online. She said, oh, there’s this frozen slush stand across the street – they should have it. So that is where we went next. We waited on a long line (and Pat ordered a mango and watermelon slush so it was not a complete waste), but they told me that the Frozen Flamingo was most definitely at the Harambe Market.
At this point, I decided to ignore the Harambe Market CM and take a chance. I ordered the Frozen Flamingo online. And then walked up to the online order window to ask about order. Guess what? They had it. I watched them pour it from a machine just behind the ordering counter.
According to my pictures, it took me 17 minutes to find this drink. It might not look like much, but it was so worth it. I tried Pat’s mango watermelon slush too. His was prettier.
It was good, but too sweet (and that is saying something, coming from me). I think he liked my Frozen Flamingo better too. DD2 definitely liked my drink the best.
We sat for close to an hour before heading back out for our Safaris FP.
I completely left this trip report hanging! Things got busy, then Covid hit, and our dreams of a March 2021 trip were set aside, and the rest is history. But as we're starting to talk about returning again one day (maybe 2023?) I started reading through my old trip notes and realized I never finished this one, despite typing up all the notes from our trip. So I'm going to give it a go again!
After lunch, we decided to check out the train to the Conservation Station. My dad was sad to learn that the MK trains were down during our trip, so my goal was to get him his train fix at AK. DD4 fell asleep in the stroller on our way to the train, and Pat had to carry her from stroller parking to the train. We were on a train quickly, around 1:55pm.
When we rolled up to the Conservation Station, DD4 was still asleep. We had left the stroller behind, which meant either someone had to carry her, or we would have to wake her up. Our policy on this trip was to let the girls take naps when they needed them, so we did not want to wake her. And no one really wanted to carry her for that long in the heat. So we made a quick decision to stay on the train back to Africa. I was still re-loading my app for a Safaris FP during this time.
When we arrived back in Africa, DD2 asked if we could ride the train again. It was in the shade and relaxing, so we decided, why not? This ended up being a good decision, because during our second round-trip train ride, I snagged a 3:50pm FP for the Safaris! We originally planned to leave the park around 2:30pm to swim at the resort, so we had to make a tough decision.
My dad pointed out that we had come to Animal Kingdom to see animals, and the best place to see a lot of them is on the safari. I really love the safari too, so I was happy to make the decision to stay for our FP. I did keep trying to reload for an earlier time, but nothing came through.
We stopped for several Photopass pictures throughout the day.
DD4 was still sleeping when we transferred her back to her stroller after the train. We decided this would be a good time for an A/C and drink break, but I wasn’t sure where to find “free A/C” in this area. I also had read about a drink I wanted to try at the Harambe Market (pretty sure I read about it on one of your TRs!), so we decided to hang out in the shade at the market.
The drink I had read about was the Frozen Flamingo – I was disappointed to realize it was non-alcoholic, but it still sounded very good – a strawberry and passion fruit frozen concoction. It proved to be very difficult to find, but it was worth it.
I started with a CM who was passing out menus at the Harambe Market. I didn’t see the Frozen Flamingo on the menu, so I asked her about it, and she said it was not sold there. She told me to walk around past the candy store, to a stand near the Safaris. Please keep in mind this was a SUPER hot day and I was sweaty and exhausted. So I must have really wanted this drink to go hiking for it.
I went to this stand and the CM there told me apologetically that, no, they did not have it, it was most definitely at the Harambe Market. Pat and I saw a PhotoPass photographer nearby, so we made a quick pit stop before heading back to the Harambe Market. We don’t look too sweaty yet, right?
Back at the market, I told the CM what the other stand had told me, and she shook her head and insisted, no, that is not here. I pulled up the app and showed her that it was an option to order online, but that I wasn’t sure where to pick it up if I ordered it online. She said, oh, there’s this frozen slush stand across the street – they should have it. So that is where we went next. We waited on a long line (and Pat ordered a mango and watermelon slush so it was not a complete waste), but they told me that the Frozen Flamingo was most definitely at the Harambe Market.
At this point, I decided to ignore the Harambe Market CM and take a chance. I ordered the Frozen Flamingo online. And then walked up to the online order window to ask about order. Guess what? They had it. I watched them pour it from a machine just behind the ordering counter.
According to my pictures, it took me 17 minutes to find this drink. It might not look like much, but it was so worth it. I tried Pat’s mango watermelon slush too. His was prettier.
It was good, but too sweet (and that is saying something, coming from me). I think he liked my Frozen Flamingo better too. DD2 definitely liked my drink the best.
We sat for close to an hour before heading back out for our Safaris FP.
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Kilimanjaro Safaris
We arrived at the Safaris 7 minutes before our FP window and were relieved when the CM told us to go ahead and scan our magic bands. They would have worked in 2 more minutes, but it was nice that we didn’t have to wait.
According to my notes, we were on the ride right at 3:50pm. We had waited all day for this ride!
I noticed the crocodiles had colors painted on their backs and tails. Our guide didn’t comment on this, but I’m guessing this was a way to track each one.
The girls love this ride, and DD4 especially liked “collecting” animals by tracking which ones we saw on the guide at the top of the trucks.
We got close to one of the young giraffes. I love how close they will get to the trucks!
I also really like the Wildebeest.
I take the same pictures over and over again on this ride.
At some point after the giraffes, but before the Flamingos, we got stopped for at least 20 minutes. In a spot with no animals ☹ We thought an animal might have been blocking the path at first, but then our guide heard on her radio that a truck up ahead of us had broken down. I think they said they eventually needed to tow it away. Our Safari ended up taking 50 minutes.
We decided that there were worse rides to get stuck on, and at least we had nowhere else we needed to be. My friend that we had met for lunch earlier said she was on the FP line for the ride when this happened, and she was wondering what caused such a long delay. When we finally started moving again, we didn’t get to slow/stop much more for pictures because they needed to make up for the lost time, which we understood.
We had been planning to leave the park around 2:30pm, and it was about 4:45pm by the time we got off this ride. We decided it was time to go back to our resort. We stopped only for some quick pictures in front of the Tree of Life.
We never got to see the real Kevin, so I was a little excited for the magic shot they gave us.
We were back to our resort a little before 6:00pm, and the girls were begging to swim. I have no more pictures from our evening, so I know we took it easy. My mom and MIL didn’t want to swim, and Pat decided not to buy swim trunks since this would be our last chance to swim during the week, which left my dad and I to take the girls to the pool. I was tired from our day and not in the mood to swim, but also didn't want to disappoint the girls, so we took them.
We swam for probably 45 minutes. Pat came by the pool so we could talk about what to do for dinner. We decided we would order pizza and eat it up in our room. Pat went to talk to Bell Services to see where we should order from and Len (Bell Services CM) suggested Flippers Pizza. It was a great suggestion.
Around 7:00pm, Pat took the girls upstairs for baths and pajamas while my dad and I sat in the hot tub for a little bit. The hot water and jets felt so good on my sore legs. We were back in our room around 7:30pm and took quick showers while we waited for the pizza. It didn’t arrive until close to 8:00pm. We ate our pizza, watched the 9:00pm MK fireworks, and then went to bed.
Steps: 20,020
Miles: 8.05
Predicted Crowd Level: 3
Actual Crowd Level: 4
We arrived at the Safaris 7 minutes before our FP window and were relieved when the CM told us to go ahead and scan our magic bands. They would have worked in 2 more minutes, but it was nice that we didn’t have to wait.
According to my notes, we were on the ride right at 3:50pm. We had waited all day for this ride!
I noticed the crocodiles had colors painted on their backs and tails. Our guide didn’t comment on this, but I’m guessing this was a way to track each one.
The girls love this ride, and DD4 especially liked “collecting” animals by tracking which ones we saw on the guide at the top of the trucks.
We got close to one of the young giraffes. I love how close they will get to the trucks!
I also really like the Wildebeest.
I take the same pictures over and over again on this ride.
At some point after the giraffes, but before the Flamingos, we got stopped for at least 20 minutes. In a spot with no animals ☹ We thought an animal might have been blocking the path at first, but then our guide heard on her radio that a truck up ahead of us had broken down. I think they said they eventually needed to tow it away. Our Safari ended up taking 50 minutes.
We decided that there were worse rides to get stuck on, and at least we had nowhere else we needed to be. My friend that we had met for lunch earlier said she was on the FP line for the ride when this happened, and she was wondering what caused such a long delay. When we finally started moving again, we didn’t get to slow/stop much more for pictures because they needed to make up for the lost time, which we understood.
We had been planning to leave the park around 2:30pm, and it was about 4:45pm by the time we got off this ride. We decided it was time to go back to our resort. We stopped only for some quick pictures in front of the Tree of Life.
We never got to see the real Kevin, so I was a little excited for the magic shot they gave us.
We were back to our resort a little before 6:00pm, and the girls were begging to swim. I have no more pictures from our evening, so I know we took it easy. My mom and MIL didn’t want to swim, and Pat decided not to buy swim trunks since this would be our last chance to swim during the week, which left my dad and I to take the girls to the pool. I was tired from our day and not in the mood to swim, but also didn't want to disappoint the girls, so we took them.
We swam for probably 45 minutes. Pat came by the pool so we could talk about what to do for dinner. We decided we would order pizza and eat it up in our room. Pat went to talk to Bell Services to see where we should order from and Len (Bell Services CM) suggested Flippers Pizza. It was a great suggestion.
Around 7:00pm, Pat took the girls upstairs for baths and pajamas while my dad and I sat in the hot tub for a little bit. The hot water and jets felt so good on my sore legs. We were back in our room around 7:30pm and took quick showers while we waited for the pizza. It didn’t arrive until close to 8:00pm. We ate our pizza, watched the 9:00pm MK fireworks, and then went to bed.
Steps: 20,020
Miles: 8.05
Predicted Crowd Level: 3
Actual Crowd Level: 4
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Day 3: Sunday, September 22 – Magic Kingdom
This was our marathon Magic Kingdom day – three of us spent 16 HOURS at Magic Kingdom.
The plan was to spend the whole day at Magic Kingdom as a family (taking advantage of morning EMH), and then in the evening, my parents would take the girls to Disney Springs for dinner while Pat, his mom and I stayed for MNSSHP. According to my FitBit, I got 6 hours and 30 minutes of sleep the night before. How do you think we did?
We left our room at 6:57am. One of the reasons we chose Wilderness Lodge was my husband has pleasant childhood memories of taking a boat from the hotel to Magic Kingdom (from a different resort) and wanted to share the experience with his children.
I called the front desk the night before and they told me the boats would leave at 6:45, 7:05, and every 20 minutes after. We decided to try to make the 7:05 boat, but it’s a good thing we got down there early. There was a boat at the dock as we were approaching at 7:00am, and we departed at 7:03am. Look at that happy Daddy Mouse!
This boat was small, so they asked us to fold up the double stroller. We all loved the short boat ride.
There was one part where they took us over a water bridge. I wonder if the water ever floods over onto the road below?
The boat was very convenient. In just 17 minutes, we arrived at the park, got through bag check and were in the park. Once again, I was held up briefly because DD4’s magic band wasn’t working, but they let us into the park at 7:20am. The girls were so excited to see the castle that they did not understand why we were not actually going to the castle. Can you guess what our first ride was?
They were so excited to ride Dumbo! Their birthday party this year (right after the trip) was Dumbo themed, so I got to use those Dumbo tops again. DD4 claimed she was cold even though it was about 100 degrees out. We were on the ride at 7:34pm.
There was hardly anyone on the ride, maybe 2 or 3 other cars were filled. Apparently I didn’t hear the CM after the ride ended, but they offered to let us stay on for another ride. I would have said yes if I had heard! But I guess I was already walking off, so Pat and DD4 followed me.
This was our marathon Magic Kingdom day – three of us spent 16 HOURS at Magic Kingdom.
The plan was to spend the whole day at Magic Kingdom as a family (taking advantage of morning EMH), and then in the evening, my parents would take the girls to Disney Springs for dinner while Pat, his mom and I stayed for MNSSHP. According to my FitBit, I got 6 hours and 30 minutes of sleep the night before. How do you think we did?
We left our room at 6:57am. One of the reasons we chose Wilderness Lodge was my husband has pleasant childhood memories of taking a boat from the hotel to Magic Kingdom (from a different resort) and wanted to share the experience with his children.
I called the front desk the night before and they told me the boats would leave at 6:45, 7:05, and every 20 minutes after. We decided to try to make the 7:05 boat, but it’s a good thing we got down there early. There was a boat at the dock as we were approaching at 7:00am, and we departed at 7:03am. Look at that happy Daddy Mouse!
This boat was small, so they asked us to fold up the double stroller. We all loved the short boat ride.
There was one part where they took us over a water bridge. I wonder if the water ever floods over onto the road below?
The boat was very convenient. In just 17 minutes, we arrived at the park, got through bag check and were in the park. Once again, I was held up briefly because DD4’s magic band wasn’t working, but they let us into the park at 7:20am. The girls were so excited to see the castle that they did not understand why we were not actually going to the castle. Can you guess what our first ride was?
They were so excited to ride Dumbo! Their birthday party this year (right after the trip) was Dumbo themed, so I got to use those Dumbo tops again. DD4 claimed she was cold even though it was about 100 degrees out. We were on the ride at 7:34pm.
There was hardly anyone on the ride, maybe 2 or 3 other cars were filled. Apparently I didn’t hear the CM after the ride ended, but they offered to let us stay on for another ride. I would have said yes if I had heard! But I guess I was already walking off, so Pat and DD4 followed me.
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Barnstormer, Dumbo, Merida
Our next stop was the Barnstormer. DD4 rode last year but DD2 was too short and was not happy about that. This year, when we talked about it in advance, both told me they did not want to ride. But I thought I would walk them by it to see how they reacted in person. DD4 still did not want to ride, but DD2 said that she would, so Pat, my dad and I took her. There was no wait, so we were on the ride by 7:44am.
DD2 was nervous but seemed excited.
I really couldn’t tell if she liked it! She was making “ummm” type noises but didn’t get upset. She said she didn’t really like it because it went too fast, but I was proud of her for giving it a try. After our ride, DD4 said she wanted to ride Dumbo again, but DD2 did not. There was still no line, so my MIL took DD4 for another quick spin.
After this ride, it was already time for our first outfit change of the day. We had a very important (and Brave!) princess to meet. Merida starts meeting at 8:30am and I wanted to be there early. We were changed and the first in line at 8:10am. It was already feeling pretty hot in the sun. No one else showed up until 8:23am, but the line grew pretty quickly after that.
Instead of taking us on stage for pictures, they had us in a shaded area (which I totally understand because Merida’s outfit looks HOT), but it made for a very awkward angle for pictures. Merida was nice, but it did seem like the heat was a bit rough on her. She told the girls that she liked their summer options (dresses), that she needed to get one like that herself for this kingdom… because it doesn’t get too toasty in Scotland, but it does here!
We thanked her and went onto our next activities. It took awhile for the pictures to show up on my app, but when they did, I was disappointed. They didn't get any pictures of the girls smiling/looking at the camera, and in the full family picture, you could not see most of DD2’s face – she was hidden behind an adult because of the weird angle. I felt like the photographer should have asked us to move so they could see everyone in the family shot, and most would normally try to get the girls' attention for a picture. There were also weird sun spots in some of the pictures. These are a few examples:
I debated what to do. I knew I was being picky. I wanted to let it go, but I had gotten these Merida dresses for the sole purpose of getting a decent photo with Merida to put in their memory books. And we had waited 20 minutes in the sun to be the first ones in line because we were so excited for this meet. The girls were still in their Merida dresses, so after a quick internal debate (yes, I realized I was being THAT mom), I decided to swing by the Guest Experience tent to see if there was any chance we could meet Merida again without a long wait. I knew it was a long shot because she doesn’t have a FP, but thought it was worth showing them the pictures to see what they said.
The Guest Experience CM was so nice. She was apologetic as she looked through the pictures and explained that she couldn’t leave her post to talk to Merida’s handler, but suggested I go show them the pictures and ask if they would let us jump in to meet her again. She thought if they saw the pictures, they would be understanding. She also, to my surprise, offered us any time FPs to meet other princesses this day and let me pick out a couple. That was much more than I expected!
We took her up on the suggestion, figuring the worst they could do was say no, but thankfully the handler looked at the pictures and agreed to let us back in. I did feel guilty for jumping the line this time but was grateful that we were able to get a picture we could use. We were super quick with these pictures and didn’t try to chat, thanked her again, and left. I was so happy when the pictures popped up and I saw these – it was still a weird angle, but these were pictures I could use (and still cherish)!
Our next stop was the Barnstormer. DD4 rode last year but DD2 was too short and was not happy about that. This year, when we talked about it in advance, both told me they did not want to ride. But I thought I would walk them by it to see how they reacted in person. DD4 still did not want to ride, but DD2 said that she would, so Pat, my dad and I took her. There was no wait, so we were on the ride by 7:44am.
DD2 was nervous but seemed excited.
I really couldn’t tell if she liked it! She was making “ummm” type noises but didn’t get upset. She said she didn’t really like it because it went too fast, but I was proud of her for giving it a try. After our ride, DD4 said she wanted to ride Dumbo again, but DD2 did not. There was still no line, so my MIL took DD4 for another quick spin.
After this ride, it was already time for our first outfit change of the day. We had a very important (and Brave!) princess to meet. Merida starts meeting at 8:30am and I wanted to be there early. We were changed and the first in line at 8:10am. It was already feeling pretty hot in the sun. No one else showed up until 8:23am, but the line grew pretty quickly after that.
Instead of taking us on stage for pictures, they had us in a shaded area (which I totally understand because Merida’s outfit looks HOT), but it made for a very awkward angle for pictures. Merida was nice, but it did seem like the heat was a bit rough on her. She told the girls that she liked their summer options (dresses), that she needed to get one like that herself for this kingdom… because it doesn’t get too toasty in Scotland, but it does here!
We thanked her and went onto our next activities. It took awhile for the pictures to show up on my app, but when they did, I was disappointed. They didn't get any pictures of the girls smiling/looking at the camera, and in the full family picture, you could not see most of DD2’s face – she was hidden behind an adult because of the weird angle. I felt like the photographer should have asked us to move so they could see everyone in the family shot, and most would normally try to get the girls' attention for a picture. There were also weird sun spots in some of the pictures. These are a few examples:
I debated what to do. I knew I was being picky. I wanted to let it go, but I had gotten these Merida dresses for the sole purpose of getting a decent photo with Merida to put in their memory books. And we had waited 20 minutes in the sun to be the first ones in line because we were so excited for this meet. The girls were still in their Merida dresses, so after a quick internal debate (yes, I realized I was being THAT mom), I decided to swing by the Guest Experience tent to see if there was any chance we could meet Merida again without a long wait. I knew it was a long shot because she doesn’t have a FP, but thought it was worth showing them the pictures to see what they said.
The Guest Experience CM was so nice. She was apologetic as she looked through the pictures and explained that she couldn’t leave her post to talk to Merida’s handler, but suggested I go show them the pictures and ask if they would let us jump in to meet her again. She thought if they saw the pictures, they would be understanding. She also, to my surprise, offered us any time FPs to meet other princesses this day and let me pick out a couple. That was much more than I expected!
We took her up on the suggestion, figuring the worst they could do was say no, but thankfully the handler looked at the pictures and agreed to let us back in. I did feel guilty for jumping the line this time but was grateful that we were able to get a picture we could use. We were super quick with these pictures and didn’t try to chat, thanked her again, and left. I was so happy when the pictures popped up and I saw these – it was still a weird angle, but these were pictures I could use (and still cherish)!
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jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
It's a Small World, Carousel, Belle
I am going to back up in time to before our second meet with Merida. After our first meet, we decided it was time for our first ride of the trip on It’s a Small World. This one is always a favorite, so we expected to be riding it multiple times each day. There was no line when we arrived at 8:40am and we were on a boat within 2 minutes.
I actually really like this ride (maybe the nostalgia factor?) and always like to look for things that I haven’t noticed or didn’t remember from previous trips.
My pictures are usually blurry, but I take about 100 pictures every time I ride. As I mentioned, most were blurry (and I am limited to 10 pictures per post), so I will spare you and just share one of my favorites.
I got to be on the farewell wall this trip, which DD4 thought was unfair because she wanted to see her name.
Up next was the carousel, which also had almost no line. We just needed to wait for the ride that was going to finish and then it would be our turn. It took slightly longer because someone on the ride already going was standing (maybe on a horse?), and the CM yelled several times for them to sit down. When they wouldn’t, the CM had to stop the ride, correct the person they had been shouting at, and then started it again.
We were on our carousel ride at 9:04am.
Up next was our FP for Enchanted Tales with Belle. The FP window started at 9:10am and we scanned in about 5-10 minutes later. DD4 asked me to take her picture while we waited in line. I loved that the girls were actually asking for pictures this trip.
The magic mirror becoming a door always amazes me. The girls were a little nervous because they thought the Beast would be in Belle’s castle and didn’t believe my story that he was not home right now. They warmed up more in the next room, where DD4 was chosen to be the “Sugar” shaker. The pepper was called the Pumpkin Spice this time around.
DD2 did not want a role. Pat got to be one of the knights.
My dad took DD2 up for a picture with Pat and DD4 at the end.
When it was time to get a picture with Belle and the Knights, DD4 ran up and photo bombed their picture. Everyone in the room was laughing at this.
This is always a cute show and fun for the girls to see one of their favorite princesses up close.
It was right after this show that I discovered the original Merida pictures on the app and we went to see her again. After that, it was time for another outfit change! Some of my favorite dresses of the trip are coming up next.
I am going to back up in time to before our second meet with Merida. After our first meet, we decided it was time for our first ride of the trip on It’s a Small World. This one is always a favorite, so we expected to be riding it multiple times each day. There was no line when we arrived at 8:40am and we were on a boat within 2 minutes.
I actually really like this ride (maybe the nostalgia factor?) and always like to look for things that I haven’t noticed or didn’t remember from previous trips.
My pictures are usually blurry, but I take about 100 pictures every time I ride. As I mentioned, most were blurry (and I am limited to 10 pictures per post), so I will spare you and just share one of my favorites.
I got to be on the farewell wall this trip, which DD4 thought was unfair because she wanted to see her name.
Up next was the carousel, which also had almost no line. We just needed to wait for the ride that was going to finish and then it would be our turn. It took slightly longer because someone on the ride already going was standing (maybe on a horse?), and the CM yelled several times for them to sit down. When they wouldn’t, the CM had to stop the ride, correct the person they had been shouting at, and then started it again.
We were on our carousel ride at 9:04am.
Up next was our FP for Enchanted Tales with Belle. The FP window started at 9:10am and we scanned in about 5-10 minutes later. DD4 asked me to take her picture while we waited in line. I loved that the girls were actually asking for pictures this trip.
The magic mirror becoming a door always amazes me. The girls were a little nervous because they thought the Beast would be in Belle’s castle and didn’t believe my story that he was not home right now. They warmed up more in the next room, where DD4 was chosen to be the “Sugar” shaker. The pepper was called the Pumpkin Spice this time around.
DD2 did not want a role. Pat got to be one of the knights.
My dad took DD2 up for a picture with Pat and DD4 at the end.
When it was time to get a picture with Belle and the Knights, DD4 ran up and photo bombed their picture. Everyone in the room was laughing at this.
This is always a cute show and fun for the girls to see one of their favorite princesses up close.
It was right after this show that I discovered the original Merida pictures on the app and we went to see her again. After that, it was time for another outfit change! Some of my favorite dresses of the trip are coming up next.
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Happy Birthday, Minnie & Mickey!
We ducked into Cosmic Ray’s to change in the restrooms. The girls loved their next dresses…
We had a 10:20am FP to meet Mickey and Minnie, and we tapped in just a few minutes early. It only took us 10 minutes to get through the line and finish this meet.
The girls were still unsure about the non-face characters. At least DD4 did not start yelling this time, but she had no interest in getting in a picture with the famous mice without her parents. DD2 looked nervous, but got her autographs and hugs, and posed for some pictures with Mickey and Minnie. This meet had a photo box rather than a Photo Pass photographer.
I hated the photo boxes. You have to wait close to 10 seconds between pictures and they do not come even close to matching the pictures you get from PhotoPass photographers. I had to crop myself out of the above (I was off to the side, taking pictures/videos). The CM handler offered to take pictures on my phone for our full group, they just did not come out very well either. Some blurry, and again, a weird angle because she was off to the side. We did get a few that were OK, but I didn’t get the pictures I really hoped to. Nothing can replace a human photographer who can catch that high-five with the characters or the right moment of a hug.
We also didn’t get these pictures for more than 24 hours, which another CM told us was a common problem with the boxes. I had to go to the PhotoPass store at MK the next day and look through all pictures around the time we had been there in order to have ours added to my photo account.
Apparently, Disney received enough complaints, because less than a week after our trip, they announced that real photographers would be replacing the photo boxes! I’m sad they weren’t back for our trip, but relieved that Disney listened to the feedback.
The end of this meet was funny, because DD4 remembered that this Mickey had sang Happy Birthday to the girls two years ago. TWO YEARS AGO. She quietly asked me to ask Mickey to sing to her again, since we were celebrating her birthday. I had to explain that this Mickey couldn’t sing, which led to all kinds of questions
This was her asking me:
We ducked into Cosmic Ray’s to change in the restrooms. The girls loved their next dresses…
We had a 10:20am FP to meet Mickey and Minnie, and we tapped in just a few minutes early. It only took us 10 minutes to get through the line and finish this meet.
The girls were still unsure about the non-face characters. At least DD4 did not start yelling this time, but she had no interest in getting in a picture with the famous mice without her parents. DD2 looked nervous, but got her autographs and hugs, and posed for some pictures with Mickey and Minnie. This meet had a photo box rather than a Photo Pass photographer.
I hated the photo boxes. You have to wait close to 10 seconds between pictures and they do not come even close to matching the pictures you get from PhotoPass photographers. I had to crop myself out of the above (I was off to the side, taking pictures/videos). The CM handler offered to take pictures on my phone for our full group, they just did not come out very well either. Some blurry, and again, a weird angle because she was off to the side. We did get a few that were OK, but I didn’t get the pictures I really hoped to. Nothing can replace a human photographer who can catch that high-five with the characters or the right moment of a hug.
We also didn’t get these pictures for more than 24 hours, which another CM told us was a common problem with the boxes. I had to go to the PhotoPass store at MK the next day and look through all pictures around the time we had been there in order to have ours added to my photo account.
Apparently, Disney received enough complaints, because less than a week after our trip, they announced that real photographers would be replacing the photo boxes! I’m sad they weren’t back for our trip, but relieved that Disney listened to the feedback.
The end of this meet was funny, because DD4 remembered that this Mickey had sang Happy Birthday to the girls two years ago. TWO YEARS AGO. She quietly asked me to ask Mickey to sing to her again, since we were celebrating her birthday. I had to explain that this Mickey couldn’t sing, which led to all kinds of questions
This was her asking me:
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Tinkerbell & Castle Pictures
We had any anytime FP to meet Tinkerbell, so we decided to jump in line next door after meeting Mickey & Minnie. Even with the FP, we waited 15 minutes before it was our turn with Tink. This was our first time meeting her, so I had never seen the queue. It was very pretty, with twinkling lights.
Tinkerbell told the girls that she also has a sister, Periwinkle. She asked the girls if they liked snow, and when they said yes, she told them she would ask Periwinkle to make it snow extra at our house this winter. This got big laughs from the adults, as we live in Texas and we only get snow about once every four years here. And what we call snow is not what most people would think of as real snow.
Tinkerbell also had the photo box instead of a photographer.
It was a fun meet and the girls enjoyed it, until the end. While we were waiting in line, DD4 had told me that she wanted a picture with just her and Tinkerbell. Well 20 minutes, I completely forgot, and as we were wrapping up, she tried whispering something to me. I could not hear her, and she wouldn’t repeat it any louder. We were holding up the next family at this point, so I told her she would need to tell me outside because it was the next people’s turn. She then started crying as we walked away. It turned out it was because we forgot to make sure she got her individual picture. I felt awful!
The next family was motioning us to come back, but I didn’t want to interrupt their time (especially because the box photo would have made this awkward with our pictures mixed together), so I appreciated the gesture, but told DD4 we would try to come back again for another picture. I still feel bad about this because we never made it back, despite plans to do so the next day.
My MIL made it up to her by buying a Tinkerbell ornament and Tinkerbell figurines in the gift shop, which cheered DD4 up right away.
After meeting Tinkerbell, we changed into our last dresses and t-shirts for the day (well, not including MNSSHP that evening). For those counting, this was the 4th dress of the day for the girls and it was not even noon yet. We took some pictures in front of the castle before heading to lunch.
We had any anytime FP to meet Tinkerbell, so we decided to jump in line next door after meeting Mickey & Minnie. Even with the FP, we waited 15 minutes before it was our turn with Tink. This was our first time meeting her, so I had never seen the queue. It was very pretty, with twinkling lights.
Tinkerbell told the girls that she also has a sister, Periwinkle. She asked the girls if they liked snow, and when they said yes, she told them she would ask Periwinkle to make it snow extra at our house this winter. This got big laughs from the adults, as we live in Texas and we only get snow about once every four years here. And what we call snow is not what most people would think of as real snow.
Tinkerbell also had the photo box instead of a photographer.
It was a fun meet and the girls enjoyed it, until the end. While we were waiting in line, DD4 had told me that she wanted a picture with just her and Tinkerbell. Well 20 minutes, I completely forgot, and as we were wrapping up, she tried whispering something to me. I could not hear her, and she wouldn’t repeat it any louder. We were holding up the next family at this point, so I told her she would need to tell me outside because it was the next people’s turn. She then started crying as we walked away. It turned out it was because we forgot to make sure she got her individual picture. I felt awful!
The next family was motioning us to come back, but I didn’t want to interrupt their time (especially because the box photo would have made this awkward with our pictures mixed together), so I appreciated the gesture, but told DD4 we would try to come back again for another picture. I still feel bad about this because we never made it back, despite plans to do so the next day.
My MIL made it up to her by buying a Tinkerbell ornament and Tinkerbell figurines in the gift shop, which cheered DD4 up right away.
After meeting Tinkerbell, we changed into our last dresses and t-shirts for the day (well, not including MNSSHP that evening). For those counting, this was the 4th dress of the day for the girls and it was not even noon yet. We took some pictures in front of the castle before heading to lunch.
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Columbia Harbour House & Big Thunder Mountain
We were hungry for lunch at this point and made it to Columbia Harbour House around 11:25am. My mom found a table while we put our order in. This is another place where we could have (and should have) done mobile ordering, but it was difficult to do that and make so many requested substitutions on the app with a large group. My dad put in an order for him and my mom first, and then we ordered the rest of the food, including some of the same items that my mom and dad had ordered. The food for my order came out quickly, but it was more than 10 minutes later before my parents’ food came out. My dad’s and an order for a nearby family seemed to have been skipped over and we had to flag down CMs behind the counter.
I love the Lighthouse Sandwich here – hummus with tomato and broccoli slaw. The broccoli slaw is so good. I substituted the chips for mac n’ cheese because the mac n’ cheese is also very good here, and if I hadn’t done this, I would have stolen some from my daughters.
I got the girls an Uncrustables (which they didn’t touch, despite asking for it) and a side of mac n’ cheese. For $3, the side of mac n’ cheese is a great choice for picky kids.
My MIL and mom ordered the Tuna Sandwich.
Pat and my dad ordered the grilled salmon.
I think everyone liked their food here. CHH is one of our favorite quick service options at MK.
Our 3rd FP was for Big Thunder Mountain at 11:40am. DD4 said she did not want to ride this year, so my parents agreed to stay with the girls at the restaurant while they finished eating, and the rest of us would run off to ride BTM then meet them afterwards. We got to the ride at 12:10pm and the standby line was only 20 minutes. I knew we were getting lucky this day, as the crowd levels were so low. It still felt very busy and crowded, but it was easy to walk around and we enjoyed overall very short wait times.
We waited about 8 minutes in the FP line.
We all commented that we couldn’t believe DD4 rode this the year before!
I love glimpsing landmarks from rides!
I wanted to pick up a FP for Haunted Mansion after this, but nothing was popping up for me. Needing a FP for 6 was a bit more challenging. I settled for a later FP for Buzz. It was almost 12:30pm by the time we were off the ride, and my parents and the girls were waiting for us near Splash Mountain. We had 1.5 hours before the parade, so we decided to squeeze in one more ride before searching for a spot along the parade route.
We were hungry for lunch at this point and made it to Columbia Harbour House around 11:25am. My mom found a table while we put our order in. This is another place where we could have (and should have) done mobile ordering, but it was difficult to do that and make so many requested substitutions on the app with a large group. My dad put in an order for him and my mom first, and then we ordered the rest of the food, including some of the same items that my mom and dad had ordered. The food for my order came out quickly, but it was more than 10 minutes later before my parents’ food came out. My dad’s and an order for a nearby family seemed to have been skipped over and we had to flag down CMs behind the counter.
I love the Lighthouse Sandwich here – hummus with tomato and broccoli slaw. The broccoli slaw is so good. I substituted the chips for mac n’ cheese because the mac n’ cheese is also very good here, and if I hadn’t done this, I would have stolen some from my daughters.
I got the girls an Uncrustables (which they didn’t touch, despite asking for it) and a side of mac n’ cheese. For $3, the side of mac n’ cheese is a great choice for picky kids.
My MIL and mom ordered the Tuna Sandwich.
Pat and my dad ordered the grilled salmon.
I think everyone liked their food here. CHH is one of our favorite quick service options at MK.
Our 3rd FP was for Big Thunder Mountain at 11:40am. DD4 said she did not want to ride this year, so my parents agreed to stay with the girls at the restaurant while they finished eating, and the rest of us would run off to ride BTM then meet them afterwards. We got to the ride at 12:10pm and the standby line was only 20 minutes. I knew we were getting lucky this day, as the crowd levels were so low. It still felt very busy and crowded, but it was easy to walk around and we enjoyed overall very short wait times.
We waited about 8 minutes in the FP line.
We all commented that we couldn’t believe DD4 rode this the year before!
I love glimpsing landmarks from rides!
I wanted to pick up a FP for Haunted Mansion after this, but nothing was popping up for me. Needing a FP for 6 was a bit more challenging. I settled for a later FP for Buzz. It was almost 12:30pm by the time we were off the ride, and my parents and the girls were waiting for us near Splash Mountain. We had 1.5 hours before the parade, so we decided to squeeze in one more ride before searching for a spot along the parade route.
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Haunted Mansion
We had 1.5 hours before the 2:00pm parade, so we decided to wait in the long line at Haunted Mansion. Anything over 30 minutes is long for us with the girls, and the stand-by line was 35 minutes. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t so hot at this point! This was the first time we got out the hand-held fan I had brought, which ended up being a wonderful purchase.
It turned out to be fine that the line was so long because after about 10 minutes, DD4 really needed to go to the bathroom. I hate being those people who look like they are cutting the line, but we still had 20+ minutes to wait so I took DD4 to the CHH bathroom. I said something to the CM at the entrance of the line and she said it would be fine for us to re-join our group. Coming back, I said, “Excuse me, we’re just trying to catch up with our family” about a million times.
DD4 had fun playing with the instruments and other “games” in line.
DD4 got nervous when we got into the stretching room. This part is the worst because it gets her riled up and she’s scared before we even get on the ride. But I guess that is the intent of that room? I read later (thanks @TheOneWithTheTriplets!) that we could have asked to skip this room, and I most definitely would have done that. But instead, I picked up DD4, told her to close her eyes, and to not open them until I told her she could. It’s the part where the lights go out that really scares her, so at least with her eyes closed, she didn’t “see” that happen, and at least she didn't start screaming this time (like last year).
We were on the ride by 1:11pm. I tried to make it less scary by telling her we would find things to laugh at, and that maybe Vampirina would be here since there were bats painted on the walkway. I don’t think she was buying it. She did very well though, and while on the ride, told me she didn’t like it, but once off, told everyone else that she loved it. But she said she didn’t want to ride it again until “next year” – haha! Now I know she expects a Disney trip every year.
Our pictures on this ride made the Memory Maker so worth it. I did not know they took our picture here, so I’m wondering how Pat and his mom knew to pose – or if they weren’t posing
And saving the best for last… I look legit worried. No idea what was going through my head at this point. I think I knew the ghosts in the mirrors were coming and was trying to tell DD4 that they weren’t real so she wouldn’t be scared.
We were off the ride at 1:20pm and ready to start looking for a spot to watch the parade.
Since we still had 40 minutes to wait for the parade, I was hoping to find a somewhat shaded spot in Frontierland. We found a spot with a sliver of shade, so I left the stroller and other adults there while I went to look for a better option.
As I walked along the road, it was clear that all the shade had already been claimed. I got hopeful when I saw a patch that looked unclaimed, but an adult several feet down told me they were holding the entire area. It seemed like a lot of ground for two people to be “holding” but I decided not to argue and kept moving. I walked all the way to the start of the parade route and found no better spot, so I went back to join my family.
We were just outside of the Country Bears. The sun kept moving over the building and our patch of shade was getting smaller and smaller. Not ideal, but it was better than no shade. Lesson learned, 40 minutes isn't early enough if you want some shade on a hot day!
We took turns running to the restroom and my dad went off to find us some treats. He brought back two vanilla soft serves and I think a pineapple upside-down cake topped with Dole Whip. Both were very good, but I preferred the vanilla. I was trying to help the girls and eat as fast as possible, as it was melting and dripping so fast. I accidentally dropped some of the melted ice cream onto DD2’s hair. I had sticky fingers and was so focused on feeding the girls/eating the ice cream quickly, I did not get any pictures. Thankfully, my mom got one.
This was minutes before the parade started – we finished eating just in time!
We had 1.5 hours before the 2:00pm parade, so we decided to wait in the long line at Haunted Mansion. Anything over 30 minutes is long for us with the girls, and the stand-by line was 35 minutes. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t so hot at this point! This was the first time we got out the hand-held fan I had brought, which ended up being a wonderful purchase.
It turned out to be fine that the line was so long because after about 10 minutes, DD4 really needed to go to the bathroom. I hate being those people who look like they are cutting the line, but we still had 20+ minutes to wait so I took DD4 to the CHH bathroom. I said something to the CM at the entrance of the line and she said it would be fine for us to re-join our group. Coming back, I said, “Excuse me, we’re just trying to catch up with our family” about a million times.
DD4 had fun playing with the instruments and other “games” in line.
DD4 got nervous when we got into the stretching room. This part is the worst because it gets her riled up and she’s scared before we even get on the ride. But I guess that is the intent of that room? I read later (thanks @TheOneWithTheTriplets!) that we could have asked to skip this room, and I most definitely would have done that. But instead, I picked up DD4, told her to close her eyes, and to not open them until I told her she could. It’s the part where the lights go out that really scares her, so at least with her eyes closed, she didn’t “see” that happen, and at least she didn't start screaming this time (like last year).
We were on the ride by 1:11pm. I tried to make it less scary by telling her we would find things to laugh at, and that maybe Vampirina would be here since there were bats painted on the walkway. I don’t think she was buying it. She did very well though, and while on the ride, told me she didn’t like it, but once off, told everyone else that she loved it. But she said she didn’t want to ride it again until “next year” – haha! Now I know she expects a Disney trip every year.
Our pictures on this ride made the Memory Maker so worth it. I did not know they took our picture here, so I’m wondering how Pat and his mom knew to pose – or if they weren’t posing
And saving the best for last… I look legit worried. No idea what was going through my head at this point. I think I knew the ghosts in the mirrors were coming and was trying to tell DD4 that they weren’t real so she wouldn’t be scared.
We were off the ride at 1:20pm and ready to start looking for a spot to watch the parade.
Since we still had 40 minutes to wait for the parade, I was hoping to find a somewhat shaded spot in Frontierland. We found a spot with a sliver of shade, so I left the stroller and other adults there while I went to look for a better option.
As I walked along the road, it was clear that all the shade had already been claimed. I got hopeful when I saw a patch that looked unclaimed, but an adult several feet down told me they were holding the entire area. It seemed like a lot of ground for two people to be “holding” but I decided not to argue and kept moving. I walked all the way to the start of the parade route and found no better spot, so I went back to join my family.
We were just outside of the Country Bears. The sun kept moving over the building and our patch of shade was getting smaller and smaller. Not ideal, but it was better than no shade. Lesson learned, 40 minutes isn't early enough if you want some shade on a hot day!
We took turns running to the restroom and my dad went off to find us some treats. He brought back two vanilla soft serves and I think a pineapple upside-down cake topped with Dole Whip. Both were very good, but I preferred the vanilla. I was trying to help the girls and eat as fast as possible, as it was melting and dripping so fast. I accidentally dropped some of the melted ice cream onto DD2’s hair. I had sticky fingers and was so focused on feeding the girls/eating the ice cream quickly, I did not get any pictures. Thankfully, my mom got one.
This was minutes before the parade started – we finished eating just in time!
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Festival of Fantasy Parade
I just love this parade. I could watch it every day (if it weren’t so hot out). The girls really seemed to love it this year too. Every time a new character came by, they would shout their name at the top of their lungs. In unison. It got them quite a bit of attention from the characters (they were loud!) and a couple nearby kept commenting on how cute they were. They knew every character.
“Hi Belle! Hi Belle!” They said this about a million times at the start of the parade!
They caught Anna and Elsa’s attention with their yelling. Both waved hello and Anna blew kisses.
I took a lot of video rather than pictures for this parade. I love hearing the girls’ voices in the background and seeing them wave at all their favorite characters.
I think this might have been the same Merida we had met in the morning.
This was the first time we got to see the fire-breathing Maleficent dragon in action. It was broken each day of our trip last year. It was so amazing to watch, and you could feel the heat from its fire.
I was so caught up in watching the fairy godmothers from Sleeping Beauty glide around, that I didn’t even notice Prince Phillip approaching us! He said, “Did you hear that song? Well that voice sounded like it came from a dream! Must go find that voice…” and he was off.
DD4 called out to Snow White and was rewarded with an air kiss from her too.
It was a really fun parade to watch, made even better by seeing how excited the girls were the whole time.
As soon as the parade passed by, we headed straight for Buzz's ride… but forgot that the parade still needed to go through Main Street, so we got stuck, unable to cross to Tomorrowland. We enjoyed watching the parade a second time here, but we were thankful it didn’t take too long to go by, as there was no shade out here.
I just love this parade. I could watch it every day (if it weren’t so hot out). The girls really seemed to love it this year too. Every time a new character came by, they would shout their name at the top of their lungs. In unison. It got them quite a bit of attention from the characters (they were loud!) and a couple nearby kept commenting on how cute they were. They knew every character.
“Hi Belle! Hi Belle!” They said this about a million times at the start of the parade!
They caught Anna and Elsa’s attention with their yelling. Both waved hello and Anna blew kisses.
I took a lot of video rather than pictures for this parade. I love hearing the girls’ voices in the background and seeing them wave at all their favorite characters.
I think this might have been the same Merida we had met in the morning.
This was the first time we got to see the fire-breathing Maleficent dragon in action. It was broken each day of our trip last year. It was so amazing to watch, and you could feel the heat from its fire.
I was so caught up in watching the fairy godmothers from Sleeping Beauty glide around, that I didn’t even notice Prince Phillip approaching us! He said, “Did you hear that song? Well that voice sounded like it came from a dream! Must go find that voice…” and he was off.
DD4 called out to Snow White and was rewarded with an air kiss from her too.
It was a really fun parade to watch, made even better by seeing how excited the girls were the whole time.
As soon as the parade passed by, we headed straight for Buzz's ride… but forgot that the parade still needed to go through Main Street, so we got stuck, unable to cross to Tomorrowland. We enjoyed watching the parade a second time here, but we were thankful it didn’t take too long to go by, as there was no shade out here.
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Buzz Lightyear, Monsters Inc, Popsicles, Teacups, Little Mermaid
I don’t remember what time I made the Buzz Lightyear FP for, but it looks like we were in line around 2:38pm and only waited about 5 minutes.
I rode with DD4 and will let you guess who was on each side.
Pat scored over 150k (or so he says - where's the photo evidence?) and was rubbing it in my face because I beat him on this ride last year.
My parents rode with DD2 and said she kept saying, “I saved the day!”
While we were in line for Buzz, I had snagged a FP for Monsters Inc. Laugh Room right afterwards. We left one A/C building and went right into another. I loved this show when we saw it for the first time last year, but I quickly realized that improv can be hard and dependent on the audience, and this round wasn’t quite as funny. The monsters always make up a song about a state that someone is from, and this monster kind of messed up quickly and the song turned into, “La La La!” They also ask a kid what he or she wants to be when they grow up, and this kid wanted to be an MLB player, which just wasn’t as funny as last year when the kid said he wanted to be a mosquito. But it was still an enjoyable show, and even better – we were sitting down in A/C!
After the show, it was almost 3:30pm, which meant it was time for us to find more A/C to sit in for awhile. This was a pattern on our trip - when it got too hot, we needed to just sit in A/C. DD4 had been asking for a popsicle. We sat in Cosmic Rays and drank some water while Pat went off to find popsicles. Almost as soon as he left, DD4 fell asleep. I texted him to skip the popsicle for now, but he didn’t see my text in time. I debated waking DD4. I decided to nudge her and ask if she wanted the popsicle, and she absolutely did. She woke up quickly!
DD2 fell asleep before Pat was back, and she was fully out, so he ate her popsicle. They were strawberry lemonade Frozen bars and were very good. I picked up a FP for Under the Sea while we sat. We hung out for about 30 minutes and then decided to brave the heat again.
DD2 woke up as we were leaving, and when we passed the Teacups on our way to Under the Sea, the girls announced that they really wanted to go for a spin. I have no interest in ever riding the Teacups again (I get too dizzy), so I was relieved when Pat, his mom, and I think my mom, offered to go with them.
We made it to Under the Sea around 4:15pm and waited less than 5 minutes. DD4 always wanted to ride with me on dark rides, and DD2 wanted to be with her grandpa, so this worked out well. DD4 and I were so excited to be in our clamshells!
She was very concerned that we might actually be going under the sea… as in under water. She was very nervous until she saw for herself that it was just pretend. We got stopped for at least 4 minutes at the scene where Ariel and Prince Eric almost kiss.
After this ride it was about 4:30pm, and it was time to say goodbye to the girls and my parents. They were heading to Disney Springs for dinner at Rainforest Café, and Pat, his mom and I had a 5:00pm ADR for Jungle Navigation, followed by MNSSHP. I felt bad leaving the girls because DD2 was not feeling great at this point. She was complaining that her stomach hurt. But they were looking forward to time with their grandparents and she seemed okay.
Unfortunately, it was not a relaxing meal for my parents. I heard later that my mom spent a lot of time in the bathroom with DD2 and ended up having to take her food to go. I am very grateful that they watched the girls so we could enjoy an evening at MNSSHP.
I don’t remember what time I made the Buzz Lightyear FP for, but it looks like we were in line around 2:38pm and only waited about 5 minutes.
I rode with DD4 and will let you guess who was on each side.
Pat scored over 150k (or so he says - where's the photo evidence?) and was rubbing it in my face because I beat him on this ride last year.
My parents rode with DD2 and said she kept saying, “I saved the day!”
While we were in line for Buzz, I had snagged a FP for Monsters Inc. Laugh Room right afterwards. We left one A/C building and went right into another. I loved this show when we saw it for the first time last year, but I quickly realized that improv can be hard and dependent on the audience, and this round wasn’t quite as funny. The monsters always make up a song about a state that someone is from, and this monster kind of messed up quickly and the song turned into, “La La La!” They also ask a kid what he or she wants to be when they grow up, and this kid wanted to be an MLB player, which just wasn’t as funny as last year when the kid said he wanted to be a mosquito. But it was still an enjoyable show, and even better – we were sitting down in A/C!
After the show, it was almost 3:30pm, which meant it was time for us to find more A/C to sit in for awhile. This was a pattern on our trip - when it got too hot, we needed to just sit in A/C. DD4 had been asking for a popsicle. We sat in Cosmic Rays and drank some water while Pat went off to find popsicles. Almost as soon as he left, DD4 fell asleep. I texted him to skip the popsicle for now, but he didn’t see my text in time. I debated waking DD4. I decided to nudge her and ask if she wanted the popsicle, and she absolutely did. She woke up quickly!
DD2 fell asleep before Pat was back, and she was fully out, so he ate her popsicle. They were strawberry lemonade Frozen bars and were very good. I picked up a FP for Under the Sea while we sat. We hung out for about 30 minutes and then decided to brave the heat again.
DD2 woke up as we were leaving, and when we passed the Teacups on our way to Under the Sea, the girls announced that they really wanted to go for a spin. I have no interest in ever riding the Teacups again (I get too dizzy), so I was relieved when Pat, his mom, and I think my mom, offered to go with them.
We made it to Under the Sea around 4:15pm and waited less than 5 minutes. DD4 always wanted to ride with me on dark rides, and DD2 wanted to be with her grandpa, so this worked out well. DD4 and I were so excited to be in our clamshells!
She was very concerned that we might actually be going under the sea… as in under water. She was very nervous until she saw for herself that it was just pretend. We got stopped for at least 4 minutes at the scene where Ariel and Prince Eric almost kiss.
After this ride it was about 4:30pm, and it was time to say goodbye to the girls and my parents. They were heading to Disney Springs for dinner at Rainforest Café, and Pat, his mom and I had a 5:00pm ADR for Jungle Navigation, followed by MNSSHP. I felt bad leaving the girls because DD2 was not feeling great at this point. She was complaining that her stomach hurt. But they were looking forward to time with their grandparents and she seemed okay.
Unfortunately, it was not a relaxing meal for my parents. I heard later that my mom spent a lot of time in the bathroom with DD2 and ended up having to take her food to go. I am very grateful that they watched the girls so we could enjoy an evening at MNSSHP.
StarWarsMomofGirls!
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2015
So cute! I love when the giraffes get super close.We got close to one of the young giraffes. I love how close they will get to the trucks!
Sounds like a great end to the night!
The boat to MK is literally the reason we want to stay there again. It's so peaceful.
Great photo and great view! Look at that sunrise.Look at that happy Daddy Mouse!
It does for me too!
too cuteWhen it was time to get a picture with Belle and the Knights, DD4 ran up and photo bombed their picture. Everyone in the room was laughing at this.
I think this is underrated. But I get how it doesn't apeal to people with no kids.
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Jungle Navigation
We checked in right at 5:00pm for our dinner reservation at Jungle Navigation and were sat just 5 minutes later. I really love the skippers and their corny jokes here. This has become a must-do restaurant for us on every trip.
This was our third time eating here, but our first time being sat in the main dining room. We sat in the S.E.A room on our first two trips. It was fun to observe new details in the Mess Hall.
We started with drinks. I ordered the Raats Original Chenin Blanc, which I really liked. Pat ordered the Kungaloosh Spiced Excursion Ale. I usually don’t prefer beer, but wished I had ordered that. It’s a beer that is made exclusively for WDW. I stole a few sips and was disappointed when he ordered an IPA for round two rather than another one of these. I thought about ordering a second drink myself but didn’t want to drink that much since we still have 7 hours ahead of us for the Halloween Party. Pat’s mom ordered a Michelob.
We had a great experience, but our food was not as good on this trip as on previous trips. I still love the place and will be back, but the food was not the same.
I always get the Curried Vegetable Crew Stew, which is loved by the crew, especially Stu. It comes with tofu and vegetables served over coconut rice.
When I’ve had it before, they brought out the sauce in a separate container and poured it over the tofu in front of me. This one came out already prepared, which was my first clue that it was different. In the past it was a curry sauce, but this one was a little spicier and less creamy. It was good, but not amazing like the previous two years. I asked our server if he knew if the recipe had changed, and he said it had. He said Disney is always making changes and trying to make improvements. I wouldn't call this an improvement!
The bread had also changed – it used to be naan but I liked this thinner bread. The rice was really good. A quick google search tells me that they changed the price of this dish from $24 to $18 back in March 2019. I wish they had kept the same sauce!
Pat’s mom ordered the “A Lot of Steak” salad.
She said the salad was good, but the steak was terrible. It was super tough, too tough to eat. Pat confirmed – and said he thought the meat might actually have been bad. We didn’t complain to the server, but she didn’t touch the steak.
Pat ordered the “Tastes Like Chicken” fried chicken.
He said it was good, but not great. He gave it a 6/10.
Thankfully, dessert was just as good as we remembered. We ordered the Coconut Bar with Pineapple-Basil Compote and Vanilla Cream. I love this coconut bar!
Even though the food wasn't as good this time around, I'm sure we'll be back. The service was great and it's a fun experience. Our total was $105 before tip.
We finished our meal around 6:20pm and decided it was time to go on rides before the party officially started at 7:00pm. However, as soon as we stepped out of the restaurant, it was obvious that the crowds had multiplied several times while we were eating, and ride times reflected that. We headed to Tortuga’s Tavern to pick up our party wrist bands while deciding where to go first.
We checked in right at 5:00pm for our dinner reservation at Jungle Navigation and were sat just 5 minutes later. I really love the skippers and their corny jokes here. This has become a must-do restaurant for us on every trip.
This was our third time eating here, but our first time being sat in the main dining room. We sat in the S.E.A room on our first two trips. It was fun to observe new details in the Mess Hall.
We started with drinks. I ordered the Raats Original Chenin Blanc, which I really liked. Pat ordered the Kungaloosh Spiced Excursion Ale. I usually don’t prefer beer, but wished I had ordered that. It’s a beer that is made exclusively for WDW. I stole a few sips and was disappointed when he ordered an IPA for round two rather than another one of these. I thought about ordering a second drink myself but didn’t want to drink that much since we still have 7 hours ahead of us for the Halloween Party. Pat’s mom ordered a Michelob.
We had a great experience, but our food was not as good on this trip as on previous trips. I still love the place and will be back, but the food was not the same.
I always get the Curried Vegetable Crew Stew, which is loved by the crew, especially Stu. It comes with tofu and vegetables served over coconut rice.
When I’ve had it before, they brought out the sauce in a separate container and poured it over the tofu in front of me. This one came out already prepared, which was my first clue that it was different. In the past it was a curry sauce, but this one was a little spicier and less creamy. It was good, but not amazing like the previous two years. I asked our server if he knew if the recipe had changed, and he said it had. He said Disney is always making changes and trying to make improvements. I wouldn't call this an improvement!
The bread had also changed – it used to be naan but I liked this thinner bread. The rice was really good. A quick google search tells me that they changed the price of this dish from $24 to $18 back in March 2019. I wish they had kept the same sauce!
Pat’s mom ordered the “A Lot of Steak” salad.
She said the salad was good, but the steak was terrible. It was super tough, too tough to eat. Pat confirmed – and said he thought the meat might actually have been bad. We didn’t complain to the server, but she didn’t touch the steak.
Pat ordered the “Tastes Like Chicken” fried chicken.
He said it was good, but not great. He gave it a 6/10.
Thankfully, dessert was just as good as we remembered. We ordered the Coconut Bar with Pineapple-Basil Compote and Vanilla Cream. I love this coconut bar!
Even though the food wasn't as good this time around, I'm sure we'll be back. The service was great and it's a fun experience. Our total was $105 before tip.
We finished our meal around 6:20pm and decided it was time to go on rides before the party officially started at 7:00pm. However, as soon as we stepped out of the restaurant, it was obvious that the crowds had multiplied several times while we were eating, and ride times reflected that. We headed to Tortuga’s Tavern to pick up our party wrist bands while deciding where to go first.
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party - Part 1
While we were wrapping up dinner, the app said 7DMT had less than a 30-minute wait. But by the time we had our MNSSHP wrist bands, the wait time had jumped to nearly an hour. Pirates had a 15-minute wait posted, so we decided to start there. We really wanted to see the live pirates that come out for the ride during the party. They didn’t have the live pirates when we attended the party two years ago. We hoped that if the line moved slowly and the live pirates came out early, we might get to see them this time around. That didn't happen. The line was exactly 15 minutes and we were on a boat by 6:40pm.
I hate the flash for the picture here so much. The flash is so bright that I see spots and don't see clearly again until near the end of the ride.
The scene at the end with the dog holding the key is my favorite.
We still wanted to see the live pirates on this ride, so at 6:53pm, we jumped in line again. The posted time was now 25 minutes, so we knew they would be in place by the time we got to the front again. The line did not move at all for about 5-10 minutes, so they must have shut things down while they were getting the pirates in place. It moved pretty quickly after that, we waited about 19 minutes.
My favorite live pirate was the one in the line. He was down below in the “prison” and was asking people if we had the key to get him out. I told him I was pretty sure I saw a dog with it and he asked me to find the dog for him. It was a quick exchange, but I enjoyed this and thought the other pirates would also have banter with the guests – that was not the case. There were only a couple of pirates actually on the ride, maybe 3 or 4? None of them interacted with guests as we floated by. I saw this as a missed opportunity. Two of them, a male and a female, were going back and forth about churros – we must have missed the beginning of their riff, because it made no sense to me. But I can check this experience off my list now.
I was smarter the second time around and avoided making eye contact with the skeleton who takes your picture. There was a quick trick-or-treat spot in the gift shop as we were exiting the ride, so we picked up a few chocolate coins.
We decided to go for 7DMT next. We did not have a FP or plans to ride this on any other MK day (the girls didn't want to ride it this year), so I really wanted to make it a priority for the party. You can see the crowds that were building as we made our way in that direction at 7:30pm.
We were in line for 7DMT at 7:35pm. The posted time said 50 minutes, but Touring Plans estimated 31 minutes. We ended up waiting 34 minutes, which the Disney app updated to say shortly after we got in line. The people behind us were also talking about the TP estimate as we got closer to the front of the line and it was nice to know I wasn’t the only one tracking the accuracy of expected wait times.
We had a FP for this ride when we rode it previously, so this was our first time going through the stand-by queue. There were some entertaining things to play with, but Pat and his mom were teasing me about all the germs that were probably on these gems, so I never actually touched them (and this was pre-covid).
There is one game in the line where you have to turn the barrels in circles fast enough so they will each reveal a dwarf on the ceiling. What I didn’t know, but people around us seemed to, was that if you got all the dwarfs to appear at the same time, it unlocked a Snow White projection in the center. We were all cheering on the people spinning the barrels, and they unlocked Snow White!
We enjoyed this ride!
It was about 8:15pm when we got off the ride. We wanted to line up for the parade by 8:45pm, so this didn’t leave us much time for another activity. The rides all had such long lines at this point. The trick or treating lines were even longer – there was no way we were going to wait more than a few minutes for candy, so we never did trick or treating after the Pirates chocolate. We settled on getting in line for the lantern picture outside of Haunted Mansion. It was a long line but we thought we would be done in less than 30 minutes.
While we were wrapping up dinner, the app said 7DMT had less than a 30-minute wait. But by the time we had our MNSSHP wrist bands, the wait time had jumped to nearly an hour. Pirates had a 15-minute wait posted, so we decided to start there. We really wanted to see the live pirates that come out for the ride during the party. They didn’t have the live pirates when we attended the party two years ago. We hoped that if the line moved slowly and the live pirates came out early, we might get to see them this time around. That didn't happen. The line was exactly 15 minutes and we were on a boat by 6:40pm.
I hate the flash for the picture here so much. The flash is so bright that I see spots and don't see clearly again until near the end of the ride.
The scene at the end with the dog holding the key is my favorite.
We still wanted to see the live pirates on this ride, so at 6:53pm, we jumped in line again. The posted time was now 25 minutes, so we knew they would be in place by the time we got to the front again. The line did not move at all for about 5-10 minutes, so they must have shut things down while they were getting the pirates in place. It moved pretty quickly after that, we waited about 19 minutes.
My favorite live pirate was the one in the line. He was down below in the “prison” and was asking people if we had the key to get him out. I told him I was pretty sure I saw a dog with it and he asked me to find the dog for him. It was a quick exchange, but I enjoyed this and thought the other pirates would also have banter with the guests – that was not the case. There were only a couple of pirates actually on the ride, maybe 3 or 4? None of them interacted with guests as we floated by. I saw this as a missed opportunity. Two of them, a male and a female, were going back and forth about churros – we must have missed the beginning of their riff, because it made no sense to me. But I can check this experience off my list now.
I was smarter the second time around and avoided making eye contact with the skeleton who takes your picture. There was a quick trick-or-treat spot in the gift shop as we were exiting the ride, so we picked up a few chocolate coins.
We decided to go for 7DMT next. We did not have a FP or plans to ride this on any other MK day (the girls didn't want to ride it this year), so I really wanted to make it a priority for the party. You can see the crowds that were building as we made our way in that direction at 7:30pm.
We were in line for 7DMT at 7:35pm. The posted time said 50 minutes, but Touring Plans estimated 31 minutes. We ended up waiting 34 minutes, which the Disney app updated to say shortly after we got in line. The people behind us were also talking about the TP estimate as we got closer to the front of the line and it was nice to know I wasn’t the only one tracking the accuracy of expected wait times.
We had a FP for this ride when we rode it previously, so this was our first time going through the stand-by queue. There were some entertaining things to play with, but Pat and his mom were teasing me about all the germs that were probably on these gems, so I never actually touched them (and this was pre-covid).
There is one game in the line where you have to turn the barrels in circles fast enough so they will each reveal a dwarf on the ceiling. What I didn’t know, but people around us seemed to, was that if you got all the dwarfs to appear at the same time, it unlocked a Snow White projection in the center. We were all cheering on the people spinning the barrels, and they unlocked Snow White!
We enjoyed this ride!
It was about 8:15pm when we got off the ride. We wanted to line up for the parade by 8:45pm, so this didn’t leave us much time for another activity. The rides all had such long lines at this point. The trick or treating lines were even longer – there was no way we were going to wait more than a few minutes for candy, so we never did trick or treating after the Pirates chocolate. We settled on getting in line for the lantern picture outside of Haunted Mansion. It was a long line but we thought we would be done in less than 30 minutes.
StarWarsMomofGirls!
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2015
We have gravitated to the apps mostly when we go. But we love Skipper Canteen as well.
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
I would stay again just for the boat access too!
Yes, not sure I'd be as into it without the kids (probably less fun to watch other people's kids on parade), but it's such a fun show for them.
I'll keep that in mind next time! I'd go for the drinks and dessert alone.
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party - Part 2
We waited 20-25 minutes for the Haunted Mansion lantern picture. We spent our time in line discussing how we should pose. Scared? Surprised? This turned out to be unnecessary because the photographer helped to direct us. They had it down to a science.
“Look at the sign!”
“Look like you’re searching for something and look off here!”
“Look surprised/scared!”
“Smile!”
We did a group picture and then each did individual pictures.
The line for Haunted Mansion was so long that we almost missed the next magic shot opportunity. There were no props for this one and no line, so when we realized this, we jumped right in. The photographer had us sit on a chair and gave us instructions for the pictures but did not tell us what it was for or what the picture would be. I was pleasantly surprised to see we got these pictures, as I’ve seen others with them!
It was about 8:45pm when we finished these pictures, so it was time to find a spot for the parade, which was starting at 9:15pm.
We waited 20-25 minutes for the Haunted Mansion lantern picture. We spent our time in line discussing how we should pose. Scared? Surprised? This turned out to be unnecessary because the photographer helped to direct us. They had it down to a science.
“Look at the sign!”
“Look like you’re searching for something and look off here!”
“Look surprised/scared!”
“Smile!”
We did a group picture and then each did individual pictures.
The line for Haunted Mansion was so long that we almost missed the next magic shot opportunity. There were no props for this one and no line, so when we realized this, we jumped right in. The photographer had us sit on a chair and gave us instructions for the pictures but did not tell us what it was for or what the picture would be. I was pleasantly surprised to see we got these pictures, as I’ve seen others with them!
It was about 8:45pm when we finished these pictures, so it was time to find a spot for the parade, which was starting at 9:15pm.
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party - Part 3 – Boo to You Parade
The Boo to You Parade was what I was most looking forward to at the Halloween party. We really enjoyed it two years ago and it’s one of the few things you can’t do during normal park hours.
We easily found a spot in Frontierland, and as our legs were hurting, sat down along with a lot of other people around us. The people next to us had a stroller facing sideways to save more space, and their daughter kept pushing it into me, back and forth. There were also two kids sitting behind us, and one kept hitting me with a toy. I joked with Pat and his mom that maybe they were doing this to try to get us to move.
We stood up once the parade started, though you can see across the way that some people continued sitting during the parade. I figured the kids behind us could squeeze in next to us once we were standing.
This was the first time we got to see the headless horseman, as it was raining when we attended MNSSHP two years ago, so it wasn’t out that night. It’s a very cool start to the parade!
According to my time stamps, there were 11 minutes between the headless horseman passing by (he came by 4 minutes before the parade was supposed to start) and the actual start of the parade.
I took more video than pictures, but some of my favorites were the pirates with the flags, the grave diggers (who make sparks on the ground with their shovels), the dancing ghosts, and the Toy Story float, which I didn’t remember from two years ago, and of course, the villains at the end.
It was nearly 9:40pm when the parade wrapped up, and fireworks were going to start at 10:15pm. With 35 minutes to spare, we didn’t think we had enough time to meet a character or go on a ride if we wanted to get a decent spot for fireworks, so we headed to Main Street.
The Boo to You Parade was what I was most looking forward to at the Halloween party. We really enjoyed it two years ago and it’s one of the few things you can’t do during normal park hours.
We easily found a spot in Frontierland, and as our legs were hurting, sat down along with a lot of other people around us. The people next to us had a stroller facing sideways to save more space, and their daughter kept pushing it into me, back and forth. There were also two kids sitting behind us, and one kept hitting me with a toy. I joked with Pat and his mom that maybe they were doing this to try to get us to move.
We stood up once the parade started, though you can see across the way that some people continued sitting during the parade. I figured the kids behind us could squeeze in next to us once we were standing.
This was the first time we got to see the headless horseman, as it was raining when we attended MNSSHP two years ago, so it wasn’t out that night. It’s a very cool start to the parade!
According to my time stamps, there were 11 minutes between the headless horseman passing by (he came by 4 minutes before the parade was supposed to start) and the actual start of the parade.
I took more video than pictures, but some of my favorites were the pirates with the flags, the grave diggers (who make sparks on the ground with their shovels), the dancing ghosts, and the Toy Story float, which I didn’t remember from two years ago, and of course, the villains at the end.
It was nearly 9:40pm when the parade wrapped up, and fireworks were going to start at 10:15pm. With 35 minutes to spare, we didn’t think we had enough time to meet a character or go on a ride if we wanted to get a decent spot for fireworks, so we headed to Main Street.
jrmint427
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2013
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party - Part 4 – Fireworks and Space Mountain
Main Street was already crowded from the parade. I wanted a position close to Casey’s, and ended up finding a spot on the curb, right behind a trash can, to sit. This was perfect, because we got to sit for awhile before the show started (we were going on 15 hours at this point), and I realized that no one could stand right in front of us if we had a trash can in front of us, which ended up being a great strategy.
The fireworks started right on time at 10:15pm. These were even better than the show two years ago. We all found it hard to decide whether to watch the projections on the castle, which were amazing, or the fireworks themselves. It made for a really great show. Fireworks always make me so happy (especially at Disney).
As soon as the show ended, we made our way toward Tomorrowland. Space Mountain was the only other ride we didn’t have planned for other days at the park, and I was excited to ride it in pitch black. It's also one of my favorite rides at MK. Pat did not want to ride (he says this ride hurts him), but his mom agreed to go with me.
The line was out the door when we got there, but it said the stand-by wait time was only 15 minutes. We knew that couldn’t be true but hoped the wait wouldn’t be too much longer. We agreed this would be our last activity before leaving for the night. We ended up waiting 23 minutes, which was not too bad. We moved quickly once we were inside the building.
Riding in the dark was awesome – I think they might have updated the sounds too, or maybe I just noticed them more – but it sounded like things were flying at our heads. I loved this!
It was about 11:10pm when we were off the ride, and we decided to head toward the exit. We could have squeezed in another ride or a character, but we were all exhausted.
We stopped for a quick picture with a pumpkin on our way out.
I remembered there was a fun magic shot outside the park as we were leaving. I was glad we stopped for these!
We were on the boat back to our resort just before 11:30pm and back to our room by 11:45pm. I was thankful the girls decided to sleep in my parents' room this night, so we could crawl into our beds and get some uninterrupted sleep. We had just spent 16 hours at Magic Kingdom!
In the almost 6 hours we spent at the Halloween party, we accomplished 4 rides, 3 magic shot pictures, the parade and the fireworks. I know this isn’t too bad, but we didn’t go trick or treating and we didn’t get to meet any characters. The special Halloween parade and fireworks were cool (and yes, the magic shots), but I don’t feel the need to go back for a Halloween party any time soon, unless they put a smaller cap on tickets sold. The crowds more than tripled for the party, while we had enjoyed a fairly quiet park during the day. I’m not convinced that it’s worth the price, and we accomplished so much more during regular park hours. That said, we still had a great time.
Steps: 25,409
Miles: 10.23
Predicted Crowd Level: 3
Actual Crowd Level: 1
Main Street was already crowded from the parade. I wanted a position close to Casey’s, and ended up finding a spot on the curb, right behind a trash can, to sit. This was perfect, because we got to sit for awhile before the show started (we were going on 15 hours at this point), and I realized that no one could stand right in front of us if we had a trash can in front of us, which ended up being a great strategy.
The fireworks started right on time at 10:15pm. These were even better than the show two years ago. We all found it hard to decide whether to watch the projections on the castle, which were amazing, or the fireworks themselves. It made for a really great show. Fireworks always make me so happy (especially at Disney).
As soon as the show ended, we made our way toward Tomorrowland. Space Mountain was the only other ride we didn’t have planned for other days at the park, and I was excited to ride it in pitch black. It's also one of my favorite rides at MK. Pat did not want to ride (he says this ride hurts him), but his mom agreed to go with me.
The line was out the door when we got there, but it said the stand-by wait time was only 15 minutes. We knew that couldn’t be true but hoped the wait wouldn’t be too much longer. We agreed this would be our last activity before leaving for the night. We ended up waiting 23 minutes, which was not too bad. We moved quickly once we were inside the building.
Riding in the dark was awesome – I think they might have updated the sounds too, or maybe I just noticed them more – but it sounded like things were flying at our heads. I loved this!
It was about 11:10pm when we were off the ride, and we decided to head toward the exit. We could have squeezed in another ride or a character, but we were all exhausted.
We stopped for a quick picture with a pumpkin on our way out.
I remembered there was a fun magic shot outside the park as we were leaving. I was glad we stopped for these!
We were on the boat back to our resort just before 11:30pm and back to our room by 11:45pm. I was thankful the girls decided to sleep in my parents' room this night, so we could crawl into our beds and get some uninterrupted sleep. We had just spent 16 hours at Magic Kingdom!
In the almost 6 hours we spent at the Halloween party, we accomplished 4 rides, 3 magic shot pictures, the parade and the fireworks. I know this isn’t too bad, but we didn’t go trick or treating and we didn’t get to meet any characters. The special Halloween parade and fireworks were cool (and yes, the magic shots), but I don’t feel the need to go back for a Halloween party any time soon, unless they put a smaller cap on tickets sold. The crowds more than tripled for the party, while we had enjoyed a fairly quiet park during the day. I’m not convinced that it’s worth the price, and we accomplished so much more during regular park hours. That said, we still had a great time.
Steps: 25,409
Miles: 10.23
Predicted Crowd Level: 3
Actual Crowd Level: 1
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