A Last Hurrah Trip! We just didn't know it at the time. (A Pre-COVID Trip Report)

[MeghanEmily]

Phew! I had a lot of reading to do here! Namely, ALL of it.

This is my 11th Trip Report! I don't know how that is possible!

Wow! There should definitely be some kind of medal for this. That's A LOT of trip reporting!

as we knew that was the last trip for awhile. We just didn't realize HOW long.

Yep, I hear you. Our December 2019 trip was the same.

Everytime I do one of these intros, I realize how few pictures there of me by myself and the ones that are by myself, I seem to have an adult beverage in my hand...

As of today, I would say: Sanaa and Homecomin'
I still love BOMA and Skipper Canteen but Bread Service and Moonshine Mash take the win!

I couldn't agree more! I haven't done Homecomin' yet. (I'm very interested to, though I feel like the stuff I'd want to eat there the most would be the stuff that doesn't work with my dietary restrictions.) But your other favourites are also some of my big faves!

This is a great ride pic!

Morgan is now 12, going on 13 May 3rd! So, practically a teen!

Holy cow! Morgan is so grown up! Both the girls have grown so much since your earlier TRs.

This whole pandemic has really worked for her and her hermit lifestyle.

Morgan and I have this in common.

I always say that Gwen is our wild child. But I think she has mellowed a bit. (minus the desire for purple hair!)

And the purple hair is the part where I become more of a Gwen

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We made homemade waffles and put nutella and fresh fruit as a nod to one of our favorite snacks in MK.

Yum! Great idea!

One our Way!
By 3:11, we were on our way to the airport!

Woohoo! Another great family pic! (Well, like 85% of a family pic, just missing half an Ariella! )

As we were headed back, we got stopped at an intersection by a bunch of airport security and airport workers. And I got this pit in my stomach. They were asking everyone to stand still exactly where they were. I was seriously internally freaking out thinking it was some sort of bomb threat or something!

But THANKFULLY, it was a drill of some sort and 30 seconds later they let everyone go about there business.

Holy smokes! That would be scary for people who were actually paying attention. Why would they do that and make people freaked out? Glad it was nothing.

Gwen got the Marie night gown, Morgan got the Leopard Mickey Print Pj bottoms' and the other pair was for me! (yes... sometimes I buy myself tinker bell gifts!)

When you buy the gifts, you get to make the rules! Gifts for mom =

The last time we were here at French Quarter, the beignets were just square... I don't know about you, but they taste better in mickey shape!

100% Mickey just tastes better. For everything.

Day One: A Morning Fail

Uh oh, this doesn't sound good...

But we entered Hollywood Studios JUST after 8:00, like 8:02..
And all boarding groups were gone already. They already had a sandwich board out saying they were all gone.

Oh no! So close! (Glad that I know you managed to get a boarding group later, but that still stinks.)

Morgan & Me New Star Wars duds

I love Morgan's spirit jersey! Nathan loves The Mandalorian.

We made it to the World Showcase Entrance around 10:15.

You made good time!

And it took FOREVER!!!! If you have to wait on the side, it really ads along of time.

I do love Soarin, but I am not sure I will insist on B1 next trip.

Yeah, I hear you. It really does add a lot of extra time to your wait when you wait for B1. I always ask for the B section (though I don't actually care which row it is) because I find the sides make me motion sick when the screen gets distorted. But if I didn't have that issue I probably wouldn't wait either. Especially with kids.

These are so cute!

You guys did a great job with the drawing! I especially like Morgan's Mickey.

Painter Churros
But I do have this picture of 2 very happy girls. I will say, that I don't think these are the best churros. But I think the girls just love the presentation and all.

What a cool picture of the girls! And I get why the like the churros -- they look really cool.

XXXXX

A given for this dinner was Guacamole!
Guacamole
Which I was super happy came with the Chicharrones!

Yum! This looks soo good!

There was lots of folks getting breakfast. Which I just never got. We have always been eat in the room kind of family.

I wish I was also eat in the room kinda people, but my problem is that I really love breakfast. So I'd be like those crazy people all going for breakfast at the resort in the morning to make sure I get my Mickey waffles and bacon and whatnot. But Nathan would probably be fine either way and would be just as happy to eat in the room most days and only get breakfast out once or twice. I'm thinking next time we go we'll probably try to do more breakfast in the room though to save some time and money.

Andy in Mirror
No idea why Andy took this picture. I guess he had never noticed the makeup mirrors before?!?!

For some reason Andy reminded me of Buzz Lightyear in this picture! I think because the round mirror looks like a helmet a little

For some reason I never really noticed until this picture JUST how much Gwen looks like you, and how Morgan looks a lot like Andy but also a bit like both of you.

Chocolate Covered Pineapple Spears
We took them outside and dug in. And OMG!!! These are soooo good!!! The pineapple was fresh and SUPER juicy. We shared the 2 spears and all gave them thumbs up!

This looks yum! I wonder if it's similar to the ones they sell in Epcot at the caramel place, though maybe without that caramel I guess. Nathan tried those on a recent trip and loooooved them.

And then we went into this room that we had never been in before. And I looked up...

I think this is one of the rooms where we did some of our wedding pictures. It was off to the side and I think the photographer said that they usually only used it when the line was a bit longer for the ride.

I have a love/hate relationship with AK. I love the feel of the park and it has some great rides and food. But it somehow always ends up being our meh day. I don't know why? Maybe because the park is so hot?

I love AK, but I do find that it usually feels the hottest to me of all the parks. I think it just kinda traps in the humidity or something, I don't know.

Giraffes
We got some good views of the elephants and giraffes. My favorite animals!

Mine too!

The girls enjoyed the churros. I think we let them eat them.. The strawberry sauce def had a kick to it. The girls didn’t like the strawberry because of that. But they were fine with the vanilla crema and just plain!

Those churros are soo good (I love that they're gluten free so I can also eat them!) But the strawberry sauce definitely has a kick to it so I'm not surprised they weren't a fan! I actually prefer to dip it in both sauces at once, because I find the vanilla helps to balance out the spiciness of the strawberry a little. But I don't know if that's a good recommendation for your girls since if they don't like it they could contaminate the vanilla with the spiciness and then they wouldn't have that one either! lol

Big Footie Ewok
Gwen found her dream Big Footie!!! A Big Footie Ewok!

Okay yeah, this is actually very cute. I see why you let Gwen get this one

The girls are not big into contiments and they both decided to try the mustard today.
Yum Mustard
It was a big NO from them both.

Ahahah their reaction to the mustard is hilarious! Gwen's face gets me! I totally get that though. Nathan makes fun of me because even as an adult I'm not a fan of a lot of condiments, and I'd still have to force myself to eat the mustard and would probably look a little like Gwen.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Phew! I had a lot of reading to do here! Namely, ALL of it.

Welcome!!! So glad you made it over here! I know how hard it is to catch up on all the reports when you have been gone for awhile.

couldn't agree more! I haven't done Homecomin' yet. (I'm very interested to, though I feel like the stuff I'd want to eat there the most would be the stuff that doesn't work with my dietary restrictions.) But your other favourites are also some of my big faves!

Yeah, I could see Homecomin not being a hit for you specifically. Seems very high in gluten. But you never know.

And the purple hair is the part where I become more of a Gwen

Gwen has given up on the purple hair for awhile. She said it was too much work.

Oh no! So close! (Glad that I know you managed to get a boarding group later, but that still stinks.)

That was really the only saving grace for that moment.

wish I was also eat in the room kinda people, but my problem is that I really love breakfast. So I'd be like those crazy people all going for breakfast at the resort in the morning to make sure I get my Mickey waffles and bacon and whatnot. But Nathan would probably be fine either way and would be just as happy to eat in the room most days and only get breakfast out once or twice. I'm thinking next time we go we'll probably try to do more breakfast in the room though to save some time and money.

I need to go and grab breakfast and bring it back to the room more next time. We did that alot when we stayed at Wilderness Lodge, since it was so easy to do there. But eating breakfast in the room is an easy way to save some $$$ for sure!

For some reason Andy reminded me of Buzz Lightyear in this picture! I think because the round mirror looks like a helmet a little

Ha!

For some reason I never really noticed until this picture JUST how much Gwen looks like you, and how Morgan looks a lot like Andy but also a bit like both of you.

This is what eveyone pretty much says! Gwen is looking more and more like me as she gets older as well. Morgan is def more 50/50 of me and Andy.

This looks yum! I wonder if it's similar to the ones they sell in Epcot at the caramel place, though maybe without that caramel I guess. Nathan tried those on a recent trip and loooooved them.

I think it is basically the same minus carmel. There is something about the fresh pineapple.

I think this is one of the rooms where we did some of our wedding pictures. It was off to the side and I think the photographer said that they usually only used it when the line was a bit longer for the ride.

Ohhhh! Do you have a picture? I am sure you shared it in your tr at some point. The lighting seems kind of dark in there for formal photos. But I can see how it would be some cool photos.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Gwen has given up on the purple hair for awhile. She said it was too much work.

I'm with her there! Upkeep on those bright colours is a pain.

Ohhhh! Do you have a picture? I am sure you shared it in your tr at some point. The lighting seems kind of dark in there for formal photos. But I can see how it would be some cool photos.

Yep, I do! I'm sure the photographer had to work some editing magic to make the light work, and she also had her own lights that she brought with her. It is a bit of a dark room for sure. Sorry these pictures are so big! haha

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Really Cool Pictures!!!!

I remember all your photos being amazing. But these are def ones you wouldn't have thought about when you say you had pictures taken in Disney. I am going to show Gwen them later! (when I am done working of course)

 

[MeghanEmily]

Really Cool Pictures!!!!

I remember all your photos being amazing. But these are def ones you wouldn't have thought about when you say you had pictures taken in Disney. I am going to show Gwen them later! (when I am done working of course)

Thanks! Yeah the ones at the castle were more iconic for sure, but the ones we took at the Little Mermaid ride and around that area I think are actually my favourites, even though it doesn't really look like "classic" Disney.

 

[suse66]

My fingers are crossed for you! As people who are so used to going so often, it's just terrible having to wait this out, isn't it?! The earliest I think I could possibly go at this point is March. I'm starting a new job next month (YAY!), but won't have vacation built up until then

Congratulations on the new job! So exciting! I just came back from a trip with my oldest son. It was fun but I think I would want a more "Disney" Disney before I go again. We might do a quick trip before Christmas but realistically I think I am looking at March as well.

Indian-style Bread Service

Choice of Five Breads and with all Nine Accompaniments - Traditional Naan, Garlic-Ginger Naan, Spiced Naan, Onion Kulcha, or Paneer Paratha. Accompaniments - Cucumber Raita, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Mango Chutney, Tomato-Date Jam, Tamarind Chutney, Coriander Chutney, Garlic Pickle, Red Chile Sambal, or Spicy Jalapeño-Lime Pickle

I dream about this! It's so good! Warm bread and all the dips. I love trying different combinations.

We decided to also just order 2 other appatizers instead of main meals.

I love Sanaa so much and you ordered just the way I would have. I had Sanaa booked for lunch on our August trip but ended up cancelling it as my fussy 21 year old didn't want to go.

 

[Stasieki]

Was going to go back and quote but I’m on my phone and being lazy. Lol. Regarding cheer trip and not able to get in then restaurants. I think I’ve convinced DH to go on a family trip next year. Looking at either our fall break (first of October) or Christmas. So excited to get to finally plan a family trip. I’m going back to all hour restaurant recommendations.

I was in that awful line behind you in an Uber. Such a stressful morning. I wish I took notes but I think our BG was 95. We were on sunset Blvd trying. And you must have seen me at Starbucks cause we waited in that long Starbucks line too right after. Ha.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I had Sanaa booked for lunch on our August trip but ended up cancelling it as my fussy 21 year old didn't want to go.

I know how that is! We haven't been to Tiffins yet because the kids menu just never looks like anything the girls would eat.

And you must have seen me at Starbucks cause we waited in that long Starbucks line too right after. Ha.

It was very busy in there, and really reminded us why we usually just avoid the Stabucks on these trips.

. Looking at either our fall break (first of October) or Christmas. So excited to get to finally plan a family trip. I’m going back to all hour restaurant recommendations.

YEAH!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Happy Friday Everyone!!!!

I feel like i need to get this trip report in high gear! I am dragging this along!! I am going to try and step it up. Partly because I have to admit... I think I am missing some details here and there. There are parts of these days that I am really not sure what we did! oops!

Day Five: Wandering Around Hollywood Studios

After watching Indiana Jones we headed into Toy Story Land. Our sliky dog fastpass was opening up. But first we decided to hop on Alien Swirling Sauciers.

Ready to ride Aliens

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Gwen and I rode together.

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And Andy and Morgan.

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Andy and I had deuling photos shoots.

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After our spin with some Aliens, we headed to Slinky to use our fastpass.
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With little wait we were ready to ride!
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Slinky was great as always! So fun!

If I remember correctly, Toy Storyland was pretty crowded, so we headed out of the area. I text @Stasieki to see where they were. And we were able to sync up!

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We chatted a bit which was super nice. We were both waiting for our boarding groups to be called. So we def talked about that a bit. It was a nice little visit and we parted ways.

We headedt o Muppet 3D Vision. We hadn't done this in many trips and we have done it the last couple times, and now Gwen says it's one of her favorites now.

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I am pretty sure I noticed this and told Gwen to look under the mat. And she was amazed! ha.

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It is a really fun show. Is it a MUST do... meh. But it's def an enjoyable.

We checked out the muppets shop after. I started to not feel well about here. I think the heat was getting to me or something. Not sure.

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But I took a couple pics in the store and then headed out to find a rest room with Gwen.

Andy and Morgan found some stuff to buy. Well, maybe just Morgan. I think Andy was looking at the gallaxy's edge merch that they still had there. And Morgan found a pin set.

Gwen and I used the bathroom somewhere and meet up with Andy and Morgan outside.
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We headed into the Christmas shop back there as well. And Gwen discovered what she claims is the most amazing thing...

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Christmas Stitch! The CM informed Gwen that Stitch is wearing different costumes around the park. And she of course was super excitied about trying to find the other ones.

This is where things gets a little hazy for me. I know we were basically just killing time before our boarding group was to be called. If we had an earlier group, we def would have headed out to Disney Springs for an early dinner. But we had to wait a bit more.

So, this picture was taken at 2:30.
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So, we seemed to head into Dok Undars. Def Andy's favorite store!

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We also wandered around the shops outside.
IMG_1171 by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Morgan ended up getting a Boba Fett string doll. She wanted to get it to use as a model for her sketches.

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Somewhere along the way, I decided I needed a Surly Salacc drink.
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When I was getting my drink, I turned around and I found Ray hiding right next to Morgan and Gwen from some storm troupers.

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I went to buy a drink and turned back around and saw Ray hiding right next to Morgan and Gwen.

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I couldn't snap a photo fast enough. This was 2:50.

I have a few photos of the falcon and then the next thing I have is us going into the que for Rise at 3:55.

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Soooo, I am really not sure what we did for that hour! But I think we stayed in Galaxys Edge and just waited.


Up next finishing out our day! will we get on Rise? Where will we end up eating dinner.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day Five: Surviving the Resistance

Like I said in the last post, our boarding group was finally called at 3:55!
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We were VERY happy to be heading in finally.

At this point in time, Rise was still having all kinds of issues. And I think why we were called so late, was because it had already broken down once that day.

And well... it broken down again!!! We were moving along fairly well, slow but moving and then we just stopped. Eventually a CM came down the line with a basket handing out snacks!

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My weird Disney loving children actually got a HUGE kick out of getting free snacks in line. This was taken around 4:40.

Chewy actually came down the line as well! He got to a couple families in front of us and turned around, unfortantly. But it was actually a good sign, as the rumor in line was that the ride was getting ready to run again.

At 5:10 we were finally in the first room.
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I love the transport that you take.

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And pretty happy to be in this room again!
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Rise was amazing as always! And we were happy that we got to ride. And the delay with it breaking down wasn't ideal but it wasn't too bad.

After we rode, we decided to hit Toy Story Mania. I feel like I must have been able to grab a fast pass at some point. It was very busy.

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Mr. Potato Head was actually working!
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We were getting on the ride at 5:45.

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I believe these are Gwen & Andy's scrores.

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And mine & Morgan's. And Morgan was the winner this round!!!! She was super proud.

After that, it was time to leave! We were hungry!

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It was about 6:30 when we left the park. We decided to go to Disney Springs to something quick. We grabbed an uber to make it quick getting there.

And the driver dropped us off at the drop off location by Cirque Du Soliel. And we had never been over there.

Which was actually kind of nice. We saw all the stores on that side that we never saw. But we were keeping hangry and just flat out tired. It was a long day!

So, my pictures are pretty much non-existant. We argued a bit on where to eat, but ended up spliting up. The girls ordered pizza from Blaze Pizza. I think Andy ran ahead and got food for me and Andy and met back at Blaze.

I think Andy and I tried to get ribs from Morimoto but I think they didn't have them. So, we ended up with bao buns and something else? I am not even sure what it was. I think we didn't even care. I will say that we have tried to get the ribs from the walk up window a couple times, and have yet to be successful. ;(

What saved the night for me and Andy?

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After we ate our food, I headed toward the Cookie Dough Truck for the girls, as I bribed them to Disney Springs with that for dessert. Andy went over to Homecoming and got us drinks!

I am sure Andy's is moonshine and mine was the watermelon mash. Our favs.

One the way out, Morgan realizied she forgot her backpack! So, we ran back, and thankfully her bag was just where she left it.

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We headed back to the cookie dough truck and it was DARK!!!! There was no lighting in the area. And I was struggling to see the menu. And there was a live band in the area as well and they were LOUD!!! So, trying to give an order from my short self to the tall food truck wasn't the easiest! But we ordered and got our treats. I have no idea what they picked... cookie dough...

Ha! Best trip reporter ever!

With Cookie Dough and drinks in hand at 8:10. We headed to the bus stop. We lucked out at basically walked right onto a bus. I think Andy and I had to guzzle the last of our drinks, as no drinks on the bus! But we were glad to be heading back to the hotel.
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Look at Morgan in this pic! We were exhausted! We were up at 6:30 and hadn't planned on being at the park quiet so long.

Up Next? Back to the Magic Kingdom!

 

[MeghanEmily]

I have to admit... I think I am missing some details here and there. There are parts of these days that I am really not sure what we did! oops!

I totally understand! My last trips were 20 and 24 months ago, and I don't remember a blessed thing beyond what I have in my photos and notes! No worries, we'll never know the difference if you make things up

Andy and I had deuling photos shoots.

Hah! This was cute

How have I never noticed this sign, and more hilariously that it says "Not for use in water" at the bottom?? Also, is that why Wheezy broke his sqeaker in Toy Story 2, I wonder? Did they put him in water and he wasn't supposed to? Such an interesting little detail.

We headedt o Muppet 3D Vision. We hadn't done this in many trips and we have done it the last couple times, and now Gwen says it's one of her favorites now.

I love that! It's definitely showing its age, but still a great funny little classic, and I love that your girls appreciate those kinds of attractions as well.

We checked out the muppets shop after. I started to not feel well about here. I think the heat was getting to me or something. Not sure.

Sorry you weren't feeling well. The heat really gets me, too, and even just the long days can be hard on you. I hope it didn't last too long.

Morgan ended up getting a Boba Fett string doll. She wanted to get it to use as a model for her sketches.

That's cool! Morgan seems like a pretty creative person.

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My weird Disney loving children actually got a HUGE kick out of getting free snacks in line. This was taken around 4:40.

It's the little things! Though it's good that they were doing some things like snacks and bringing in Chewie to keep everyone happy with that kind of an unexpected wait.

One the way out, Morgan realizied she forgot her backpack! So, we ran back, and thankfully her bag was just where she left it.

Oh no! So glad it was there and she got it back quickly! I've done this as an adult on one of our trips, and it makes your stomach drop.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Hello Everyone!!!! Happy Saturday! It is rainy here and we are just vegging because of it. So, I wanted to get the next day going!

Day Five: Magic Kingdom

Today was back to Magic Kingdom. Being our last trip on our Annual Passes, I went light on the dinning reservations. And we didn't have anything planned for the ay.

I headed down to quick service to get a real coffee instead of the room coffee.

I of course snapped a few pictures on the way.
Water Fountain

Walk to get Coffee

Garden
I was trying to soak in the last of the time we had here. Tomorrow we were switching resorts! I just got a coffee and headed back to the room.

Gwen was up when I got back to the room. And of course she checked out what Tink left.
Gwen finding Tinkerbell
Today was stickers with a note from Tinkerbell to spread some magic and give some stickers out today. Gwen loved this idea!

And as a side note, not sure why but this picture makes Gwen look so young! She has matured so much since then! oye!

We headed out and were at bag check at Magic Kingdom around 9:30.
Magic Kingdom

The park opened at 9, I think, so of course, the line was really long.

Andy offered to wait in security and let us all go through the no bag line and head straight to Space Mountain. So, he took all of our bags and waited.

We hightailed it in while Andy waited in line. And were in line by 9:36
Starport

And ready to ride by 10:01
Space Mountain

Ready to Ride

Carpet Exit of Space Mountain
We were done by 10:07. Andy got through security and grabbed a coffee at Jofferies by Space Mountian. I think this maybe our new routine, since Andy doesn't want to ride Space any more.

We checked out the dump shop of course... And Gwen purchased another Space Mountain Wishable. She wanted the space dog. She mushed a BUNCH to get "the right one" Andy meet up with us in there as well.

We headed to Peter Pan to use our first fastpass of the day.
Peter Pan - Tiger Lily
Peter Pan was great as always. I think I gave up for the most part on trying to get good photos on the ride. It is too dark and goes too fast.

Next we decided to do Mickey's Philharmagic!
Posters in Philharmagic

While we were waiting to get into the room, and Gwen found a little group of girls to give stickers too!
Gwen giving out stickers
These little ladies were SUPER excitied to get stickers. It was pretty cute.

Mickey's Philharmonic
Does anyone wonder where the gold frame goes when the screen expands? I always try to see but I never can tell.

Donald Butt
This is literally Gwen's favorite part of the show!

After this, it was time to use our 2nd fast pass, so we headed to 7DMT next.
7DMT

Dopey

It was about 11:15 when we were done riding 7DMT. I suggested we get some lunch not before the big lunch rush. So, we headed to collect some food.

Gwen pulling Sword
We of course, stopped real quick for Gwen to try and pull the sword out. But unfortantly she was unsuccessful.

Andy and I split up. I went to the egg roll cart and Andy and the girls went to Sleepy Hallow. We met up at a table in the Sleepy Hallow seating area.

Lunch!
Look at the glorious spread!!! YUM!!!

I got an order of the pepperoni egg rolls and an order of the cheeseburger egg rolls. Andy loves the cheeseburger egg rolls. I think I liked the pepperoni ones better. But it was PACKED with pepperoni!

The Chicken Waffle Sandwich was also on my list to try. I honestly don't remember if we liked it or not. I think that means we didn't HATE it.... But I think the egg rolls were the start of lunch. We all ate some of all of them I think. And we were all happy and ready to hit some more fun things!

Up next, more fun in Magic Kingdom.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Today was stickers with a note from Tinkerbell to spread some magic and give some stickers out today. Gwen loved this idea!

That's such a good idea! Love that Gwen was so onboard to share the magic

These little ladies were SUPER excitied to get stickers. It was pretty cute.

That's awesome! Sometimes it's the little things!

Lunch!
Look at the glorious spread!!! YUM!!!

Yum!! Nothing like a good spread of delicious Disney eats!

 

[Stasieki]

Happy Friday Everyone!!!!


Day Five: Wandering Around Hollywood Studios


f I remember correctly, Toy Storyland was pretty crowded, so we headed out of the area. I text @Stasieki to see where they were. And we were able to sync up!

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We chatted a bit which was super nice. We were both waiting for our boarding groups to be called. So we def talked about that a bit. It was a nice little visit and we parted ways.



Up next finishing out our day! will we get on Rise? Where will we end up eating dinner.

Here is the picture one of our cheerleaders took of all of us! I recall we were just eating lunch at 2:00. This was the day we were flying out. We needed to catch magical express for our flight home at around 7:00 I believe. We got BG 95 I think, just after yours. As the day was going on, and the ride was stopping, I was seeing our hopes of riding diminishing. I recall we were texting as you were inside stuck - we were waiting right outside. I struck up a conversation with CM Cathy and told her our predicament. I recall she let us go when they called the BG right before ours and even let us go the "fast" line. I have us in the preshow at 5:48 based on pictures. We literally got off and booked it to the busses. Got to the resort with 2 minutes to spare. Was quite the adventure. Meeting you all was the highlight of my day!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day Five: Afternoon finding our own Fun

After we finished our lunch and talked about what to do next. It was pretty busy, so we decided to hit some less popular items.

Sooooo, up first of course was Swiss Family Tree House.
Swiss Family Tree House
It was only 11:35 when we got here. So, it was still early but busy!

Swiss Family Tree House - Water Wheel

View from Top
The view up here is worth the trek!

Swiss Family Tree House - Steering Wheel
Gwen always asked how they got the steering wheel off of the boat. Literally EVERY time.

Swiss Family Tree House - Dinning Room

We do enjoy going through the tree house. It's not a must do. But it's always fun.

After our trek up and down, we decided we needed dessert! And where better to get that than Aloha Isle!

Upside Down Cake with Dole Whip

Morgan decided on a Dole Whip Pineapple Upside Down Cake

And Gwen & I decided to share the Cherry Pistachio Float with no Pistachio. So, it was just Cherry Dole whip with the Frozen Hot Chocolate.

This was SOOOO good! I love cherry and this hit the spot.

We took our treats and headed into to watch some singing birds!
Tiki Room - Water Que

This has become one of our favorite things to do in the afternoon!
Tiki Room - The Girls

The birds were as clicky as possible and it was amazing as well.

We decided after that we decided to do the Pirate Adventure. I think all of the rides had long waits. And we liked it before.
Pirate Map

Pirate Map - Stop #1
I don't think you can do this anymore but it might be for the best, as we got about half way through and the one stop didn't work!

Pirate Map - Stop #2
We thought about going back to the main area and telling them about it not working but it was just too crowded. And we were getting tired.

Instead, we just went and used our Haunted Mansion Fast Passes. I took zero pictures! But you guys all know what it looks like.

After our ride with some ghosts, we went into the Philharmagic gift shop for some reason... No idea why...
Donald
But I have photographic evidence... So.... we must have.

I think at this point we decided to make our way our of the park and swim!

Gwen wanted to ride on the Caroseul. Andy and Gwen
Caroseul - Me & Gwen

We of course, shopped our way out of the park. Although, I don't think we got anything major. Morgan picked out a Pen that looked like a paint brush. But that was it.

We got back to the hotel and headed to the pool.
Pool

Up next dinner!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day Five: Disney Springs (Again)

We swam for an hour or so, but we headed out earlier than last time, to make sure we didn't get hangry.

Me & Gwen on Bus to Dinner
So, around 5:30 we were on a bus over to Disney Springs. This was DEF the way to go! We were at Polite pig with a drink at 6:03! A thousand times better than the boat the other day.

Moscow Mule
I ordered a Moscow Mule. this was good and I appriciated that it came in a cooper cup.

Gwen's Dinner
Gwen ordered the kids mac and cheese. We subed waffle fries for the applesauce pouch. I had heard great things about the mac and cheese. But I honestly don't remember if it was good or not. Pretty sure Gwen ate all of it.

Mac and Cheese
served with Carrot Sticks, Lil' Ranch Dipper and Apple Juice

Gwen eating her dinner
Gwen also got an iced tea.

Morgan's Dinner
Morgan went with the pulled pork sandwich again. And she picked the sweet potato tots. Her and Andy really liked those!
Southern Pig
Pulled Pork, Fennel-apple Slaw, tangy Mustard BBQ and Duke's Mayo served with a Pickle Spear

Sweet Potato Tots
with Parmesan Cheese

Andy & Ariella's Dinner
Andy went with the short rib entree. It came with coleslaw and a corn muffin. And we got waffle fries as well. He liked this, but def not the best thing they have here.

Andy & Ariella's Dinner - Part 2
I went with the Chicken Sandwich and got the cauliflower as a side.
Fried Chicken
Sweet and Smoky BBQ, Duke's Mayo, Pickles and Cole Slaw served with Pickle Spear

BBQ Cauliflower
Paprika Sour Cream and Candied Pepitas

The cauliflower was good but I def perferred the waffle fries. I mean they are fries....

We had a great dinner and were done in half an hour. Just what we needed! Deliscous and quick!

After we were full, I took the girls over to the World of Disney and Andy stopped at our favorite place for our favorite drinks.
Adult Beverages to-go

Andy grabbed us each a drink and I requested a piece of hummingbird cake since we didn't get to eat there this trip.

Me and the ladies shopped at bit.
Gwen Shopping
NO!!!! She didn't get this!!! She "just wanted to hold it" Ha!

I think all I ended up getting was a water bottle I was looking for and some candy to take home.

The girls decided on the painter cans with the colored Sorcer Mickey’s in them. They were basically blind bags in cans. And the girls loved them.
Sooooo, plush #6 for Gwen! A small one but still a plush. They were small, probably 12" tall.

With our purchases, the girls were excitied to get back to the room to open up there cans.

Andy and I both drank just enough to make sure the bottles wouldn’t leak. Then tucked the bottles onto the side pockets of his backpack. Totally breaking the rules! Just call us rule breakers!

But we walked up to the bus stop and a bus pulled right up, we got on all alone and left shortly after!

We were back at the hotel in 7:30.
Back at the hotel

It was basically the evening we wanted a couple nights ago!

Andy and the girls headed back to the room, But I stopped in the gift shop to buy a mug. I wanted a mug from French Quarter. I had been trying to collect one from all of the hotels we had stayed at.

I also bought BB8 Rice Krispee Treat and 2 Valentine’s Day Heart Rice Krispee Treats. Knowing this was our last trip for awhile, I wanted to stock up. If only I knew how long it was going to be, I might have bought more! Ha!

We were switching hotels tomorrow, so we had to pack everything up this night. Drank our moonshines, and ate cake while packing! Both helped to with the packing!

Up next moving hotels!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Happy Saturday Everyone!

We are trying to stretch out the last weekend or two of our pool. Since it's our first summer with it, we aren't sure how long we can keep the water warm. Andy is SUPER sad about having to close it up for the summer. He REALLY has enjoyed having the pool! I mean we all have, but Andy def loves it the most.

I am going to forge on with this trip report. I fear that most folks are less intrested since it is so old but I feel weird just stopping. So, I am going to just plug along. So, if you are still following along, I appriciate it!

Day Six: Back to Magic Kingdom!

Today we were checking out of French Quarter and moving over to Yacht Club! A split stay has been a great way for us to get some deluxe time and keep the overall hotel cost down. We do love some of the moderates as well. And as long as Disney still provides the service of transferring your luggage, we will probably continue to do so.

So, we woke up, got ready and packed up any last minute items to bring our luggage out to the front.

Day Six Cheat Sheet
They general plan for the day....

Looks like the girls were up at 7AM and checking out what Tinkerbell left for them.
Day Six Tinkerbell Gift
Snack Shirts!!!! These were some of my favorites. And I am pretty sure I got mine and Morgan's on sale after Christmas...

Gwen checking out Tink Gift
We mnaged to pack everything up and drop off our bags fairly quickly. (pretty sure I had MOST things packed up last night, powered by my moonshine and hummingbird cake!

My next picture is at 9:04 and we were already through security and on Main Street!
Daper Dans
2 hours from waking up and being in PJs to being on Main Street is pretty impressive! Pretty sure we just took the bus to the park after drop the bags off.

Looks like we headed to Space Mountain.... again.... I was getting kind of annoyed by always having to go to Space first. I hate starting our day off split up.
Space Mountain
Call me crazy, but I like us being all together. Even when the girls were little, we mostly skipped the whole rider swap thing. We just did the things we could do together.

Anyway, Andy went and got a nitro coffee from Jofferys while he waited for us. Looks like we made it back to Space around 9:20... (apparently 2 hours to get dressed, pack up all our stuff, drop off at the front of the park, catch a bus to MK can all be done that fast.... BUT we somehow need 15 minutes to walk from Main Street to Tomorrowland )

Space Mountain
Space was fun as always!

Space Mountain Ride Photo

M & G testing Tron
We met Andy outside after, and the girls wanted to try out the Tron Bikes. They were super excitied about this.

Andy requested that we get the annual picture in Rapunzel area this morning, so we headed that way.

As we headed that way, the girls asked to get a Cheshire Cat Tail on the way. As we walked up, we saw Alice meeting folks and there was only 1 person in line! So, Gwen and I hopped in line.

Someone tried to get in line after us, and the CM told them the line was closed. This made Gwen practically giddy that we were the last ones!

Gwen and Alice
Alice was great and Gwen LOVED meeting her! I sadly now don't remember what we talked to her about but I do remember Gwen LOVED the whole interaction.

Andy and Morgan had hopped in line to get the treats while we talked with Alice.

Cheshire Cat Tails
They didn't wait long, and we didn't wait long for Alice either! Win Win!

We continued on towards the Rapunzel bathrooms.

If you are new to my trip reports, we have a tradition of getting a photo of the girls in front of the Rapunzel bathrooms. It's a little weird but it's one of my favorite things. Our very first trip, the girls just danced and danced and danced in the area. If you want to see them dancing and believing they were in the ACTUAL rapunzel courtyard click here:

While they were dancing around, Andy just happened to take a photo of them here. And then the next trip, it was actually Morgan's idea to recreate the picture. And a tradition was born!

Annual Picture

Annual Picture

Annual Picture Mosaic
I mean look at them over the years!!!! They were so tiny they were below the poster!!!! I can't wait to take there picture again in February! I am really afraid to see how much they have grown!

I snapped some pics around the area while Andy was getting the photo.
IMG_1359
I love this area and strangely would be heart broken if they changed the area. I know it's bathrooms... but so many memories!

IMG_1359

IMG_1359

With the photo checked off and Andy happy with the photos, we moved on to more rides!

At 10:15, we headed into the Haunted Mansion Que.
Haunted Mansion Busts
We were on a mission to find the ring on the ground in the que. We sadly failed. I think after I found out that it was temporarily covered over. But it "might" be out for you to find again? I will have to find out before we go again.

Stretching Room
I love Haunted Mansion. And I think we have "forced" Gwen to ride enough that it was grown on her.

After Haunted Mansion, we backed tracked a little and hit It's a Small World.
Small World Selfie

France
This will alwasy be a family favorite! Gwen called it "The Dolly Ride". If you enjoyed watching Morgan and Gwen in tehre little selfes, here is the video of Gwen on our second trip and singing with MUCH gusto on the ride.

I used to always take here to ride Small World while Andy and Morgan rode Haunted Mansion. One of the few times we split up on trips!

France Can Can Girls

After our ride with the dolly's... we headed to use our first fast pass.

We were on Pirates around 11.
Pirates

Pirates
Pirates was great as always.

After our ride with Pirates, we headed to get some lunch. Early lunch worked out well for us yesterday, so we decided to repeat that. But today we decided to go to Columbia Harbor House.

I think I was going to try and mobile order but when we got over there, there was NO ONE inside. So, we just went up to the counter and ordered our food.

IMG_1389
Morgan went with the Chicken Pot Pie. This doesn't seem to be on the official menu right now. But Morgan loved it! I didn't get any, so I am not sure if it was actually good or not.

IMG_1389
Gwen went with the kids mac and cheese. Shocking, I know! She liked it but said it wasn't her favorite. That the mac and cheese in AK was better.

IMG_1389
Andy and I decided to split 2 things.
Grilled Shrimp Skewer
Served with Rice and Green Beans

and the
Fish & Shrimp Platter
Combination of Fried Shrimp and Battered Fish served with Hushpuppies and choice of Side

Both were good. Were they they best seafood we have ever had. Nope. But it hit the spot. And getting one grilled and one fried helped balance out the greesy-ness.

We always find a table upstairs. And I think this is the day I made us sit at a small table right by the window. The food here isn't as good as it used to be but I love the seating area up there. It's usually quiet and usually not hard to find a table.

With full bellies, we headed out to ride some more rides!

 

[Isabelle12345]

I love the pictures of the girls over the years!
It just makes you realize how much they have grown… it’s nice to have that frame of reference!
Plus, they are lucky to have been so many times already!

PS I still love reading pre-Covid trip reports, so I am happy to keep following if you are still willing to write it!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Oh Ariella, the pictures of the girls are just priceless and precious. What a wonderful tradition to have.
I love how Gwen called IASW the dolly ride, so true for a little one!
Andi and I had a boat all to ourselves this last trip and because it was so low crowds the boats was moving nice and slow. I actually quite enjoyed it!
I love those egg rolls yum!

 

[SEAGULL59]

Love the pics of the girls growing up at the Rapunzel bathroom! The years surely go fast with our kiddos