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

[tbholc81]

At some point M asks to use the bathroom so we walk around to find one and go the back way out of Liberty Square.

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Then we run into Mary Poppins, there is no line cause she's pretty hidden. There isn't even a Photopass Photographer with her.

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I text Deb and she comes over for a picture. Mary Poppins is fair but strict with M and makes sure she is being a good listener etc... pretty funny actually. Mary Poppins is one of M's favorite movies, so this was a treat. Deb gets a picture too.



D is still snoozing so we walk around a little bit on our way to HM. Crowds have filled in but still not too bad, here is a picture from Adventureland.



We make our way to HM and I take with M for our FPs D is still sleeping. He of course wakes up while we are on the ride, so then Deb takes him on. I take M over to Philarmagic, cause we like to do this together.

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Up next O'Hana and the evening!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

You had some packed days!

I have considered going to Morimoto's but getting over to DS after a full day in the park always sounds like a lot of work.

 

[tbholc81]

You had some packed days!

I have considered going to Morimoto's but getting over to DS after a full day in the park always sounds like a lot of work.

Yea it was a lot of work to get over there. It's really a good thing we left early, but if your ADR is later there is a bus that begins running directly to DS from the park. We usually struggle to spend more than a few hours in AK (even when Pandora is open), so this worked out perfectly for us.

 

[tbholc81]

It's time for our favorite place to eat at WDW! I know it gets mixed reviews but we love 'Ohana. One thing we try to always do is get an early reservation, before it gets busy. So we all meet up after Philarmagic and make our way out of the park. We are out of the park at 3:03 and our ADR is at 3:50. To everybody's excitement (by that I mean the kids) we get to take the "Monomail" over. As we wait for it D is screaming "Where's the monomail?!" It is quick to show up we jump on and are at the Poly shortly after. Check in is easy, and the restaurant isn't open for dinner yet (they start seating at 3:30). So, why not let's relax with one of these...

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It was really, really good!

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They actually sit us early, and we have a nice view of the pool and MK, even though we aren't right next to the window. The food comes out promptly; the usual salad, bread, then noodles, wings, and dumplings with vegetables...

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It's all good stuff! Meat comes around shortly after (sorry no pictures) and everything is excellent! To finish it off the dessert!

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For some reason it looks small in that picture but it feed us all, Easily! I think our server noticed that M was being a little picky this meal and he brought her this for her own personal dessert...

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So she has one of those ANNNNND Ice Cream. We are done eating at 4:45 and stuffed. Not really in a hurry to get back to MK we decide to take the long way round. We start walking toward the GF. Grab some Way Finding Pictures on the way...

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Then we spot this nice strip of COMPLETELY EMPTY beach and decide to waste time letting the kids run around in the sand.



Good views and a quiet few minutes to relax! We digest for a few then decide to keep walking. When we get to the GF this is waiting near the Wedding Pavilion.



They let the kids pet the ponies, it was neat to see this there!

Up next back to MK and HEA!

 

[tbholc81]

We explored the GF for a few more minutes.



Such an awesome place, we actually have our next family Disney trip booked for there next April!

Anyway we head back to the MK, and it's a little crowded. We grab some pictures out front, where it wasn't crowded.

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It's nice not have anyone in the shot but us! Main Street was a different story obviously.

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We've done all the rides and meets we want to do this trip so we decide to let M try and to Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom. We've never done it before so it seems like a great way to spend the evening before HEA. We grab the cards and get going.

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We do this till around 8 (it was really super fun and M loved it!), then we pick a spot for HEA. We have always done this from a little further back on Main Street so tonight we want a spot in the hub where we can
see the projections better. We get a nice spot​

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We have to really hold our ground as it gets close to fireworks time. People are unbelievable with their willingness to push and then stand right in front of you, and then put their kids on the shoulders. We manage to keep people away from right in front of us.

The show is great, probably our favorite right now .

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After the show we decide to hit a few more rides. We haven't been to Tomorrowland almost at all this trip. We push our way over there and it's a 10 minutes wait for Buzz.



I'm awful at that one. Then we walk on to the People Mover.

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Ok it's super late by now and we are running on fumes. We head out of the park and grab a bus back to POFQ, as usual it was a shorter line and worked out for us (10 Minute wait). We are back in the room about 10:30 and fast asleep soon after. This was waiting for us!

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Tomorrow is our last park day, come on back and see what we do!

 

[Bama Mom]

I'm enjoying your trip report. I miss my kids being young at Disney. They just aren't into the "magic" like they were when they were younger.

 

[tbholc81]

I'm enjoying your trip report. I miss my kids being young at Disney. They just aren't into the "magic" like they were when they were younger.

Thanks for reading, our kids are a fun age right now. We have to squeeze in a few more trips before they get older!

 

[tbholc81]

Day 7 EPCOT:​

Today is our last park day in what is starting to seem like a long trip. After the late night and lonnnnng day yesterday we slept in, till 8:45. Which was nice. Our original plan for the day was to rope drop EPCOT and spend the day there. Well that didn't happen and M is dying to go in the pool again. So we revamp our plans.

FPs today are:
10:00am Character Spot
11:40am Pixar Shorts
1:40pm Frozen Ever After

We have a 5:00pm reservation at Via Napoli! (which is my favorite)

So after we get up we decide to head to breakfast at POFQ and then hit the pool quickly for the kids. All in all we figure we'll miss our first FP at the Character Spot which is no big deal for us. We take it easier on Breakfast this time. M and I split a French Toast order and we only get three beignets. Then we are back to take a dip in the pool at POR.

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We our on our way to the bus stop at 11:10 and we are on a bus by 11:30. We get to the park 10 minutes later. We grab some Photos and Magic shots on the way in.

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It is HOT! Whoa. Not sure if it feels more humid today or something, but I noticed right away. Maybe I'm just tired from a long week. After those pictures we made our way to the Pixar Shorts, and check out Bambi on the way.

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The shorts were fun, we had never done those before. It wasn't a terrible use of our tier 2 FP. We decide to hit up Figment while we were over there. Plus we are right next to the meet for our Disney Visa and it's not open yet. Kids enjoyed it and we spent a few minutes messing around in the "lab" afterward.

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From there we head to the Disney Visa meet. We have done this every trip and have yet to meet anyone other than Minnie and Pluto. Oh well, it's still a great meet with a short line. It definitely feels more personal.


From there we decide to walk around the World Showcase and enjoy the Flower and Garden Festival. We decide to skip Soarin this trip. I really have not been very impressed since it became "Soarin Around the Word" and it kills me that they refurbed everything and if you sit to the side everything is curved and weird looking. Seems like a pretty obvious and careless error which ruins the experience for me. I hope they fix it at some point. D falls asleep as we grabbed some snacks.

We get the Sugar Cane Shrimp,

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The Lamb-chop,

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Deb gets a salad,

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The food is pretty good, it will hold us over to dinner for sure. From there we head to our next FP, on our way we decide to grab some Margaritas in Mexico. Deb gets a Avacado one, mine is lime.

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The drink was a BAD idea for me. I am dragging for the rest of the day for sure. Oh well, it did taste good!

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[tbholc81]

When we get to Frozen D is still sleeping so just M and Deb go on. I guess this was surprising for M, hillarious face though!

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D wakes up when they are on the ride then we continue around the World Showcase. We get the kids some food in China at the Lotus Cafe. Nothing fancy, M likes the Sweet and Sour Chicken but just plain.

D loves the Lion King so we grab this picture.

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Then it's time for a cool off treat for them so they get some shaved ice in Japan! It's a hit!

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From there we backtrack to Norway for some reason. I can't remember the reasoning behind this, but M throws on her Anna outfit to meet Anna and Elsa. Sign is marked 10 minutes, but we get in the house and we are one of two families in there. So essentially we walk right in.

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There is some spinning!

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As always Anna is very awkward and silly while Elsa is more serious and shares her magic.

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D remains steadfast in his refusal to meet princesses this trip.

M then gets some magic shots outside.

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From there we trek back to Italy for Via Napoli. Like I said, I have no idea why we decided to go from FEA to Japan, then back to Norway, and then back to Italy Just getting our steps in I guess. Oh well.

Up Next Dinner!

 

[tbholc81]

Via Napoli is my favorite place to eat at WDW. I know a lot of people aren't fans of the pizza but I love it! It's always and ADR for us, we haven't done a trip without eating there. ADR for 5:10 and we are sat right on time. The bonus is the kids love the spaghetti and meatballs. We got some drinks to start, I can't remember what this was but Deb took a picture.

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I got a beer. Kids get there food quickly and Deb and I split a pizza. Pepperoni on my half and Carciofi for Deb which is a white pizza with artichoke, fontina, mozzarella and truffle oil.

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Always a messy meal for him. It takes us about an hour to eat and get back out. We are undecided what to do for a while. We love illuminations but I'm exhausted (that margarita is coming back to get me!) We head over to the play area for a little near the entrance to The World Showcase.

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That was a good use of killing time, from there we head over to the Nemo area, Deb and the kids go on the ride and then we hang out to watch the Manatees for a few. Then it's starting to get dark so we go to Mouse Gears, do some shopping for the kids. M spends some of her money and D picks out a Simba stuffed animal. We walked out to see the Cars stuff next to Test Track. Then Deb talks me into staying for Illuminations. We figure that this show will change soon, and Deb wants to make sure she gets to see it! We head over to find a spot, and grab some ice creams!

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So FPs left for the good viewing so we do the best we can. Love that show, but it does need an update, especially when compared to the other shows. We hoof it out of there grab a quick bus and are back in our room at 9:40. Everybody to bed and sounds sleep within minutes.

 

[Chief Powhatan]

Great trip report Tim - thanks for sharing it!

 

[RedK]

Your kids' personalities sparkle out of their photos. It looks like you had a great trip. And I'm with you - I love the Via Napoli pizza!

 

[tbholc81]

Great trip report Tim - thanks for sharing it!

Thanks for reading!

 

[tbholc81]

Your kids' personalities sparkle out of their photos. It looks like you had a great trip. And I'm with you - I love the Via Napoli pizza!

Thanks! We had a really fun trip. Next post will be the inevitable and sad last day.

 

[tbholc81]

Day 8- Heading Home​

The sad last day and the last couple posts of this trip report. Which is good, in a way, because I was determined to finish this before my next trip, which is in 12 short days!

We slept in after the busy day yesterday, and grabbed some breakfast. This time just at POR. M has wanted and asked about something special for her hair and we had brought a headband from the Poly when we were there a few days ago. Well it broke, so we told her she could get her hair wrapped at POR one day. Today is our last opportunity, and that's our plan. Everything packed we told the kids we couldn't do the pool but we could go to the playground. So we started there and then M went with Deb for the hair warp. Well that took FOREVER. D loved the playground so it was no big deal he ran around for the entire 2 hours.

The hair wrap was a SUCCESS, expensive, but what else is new.

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Our MDE to the airport wasn't till afternoon so we ate and took our time. Finally it's that time to load up and go.

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Someone is NOT HAPPY...

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The playground really did this guy in, but he is attached to his new Simba....

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The airport is uneventful and since MDE left like 4 hours before our flight we were in our terminal for what felt like forever. Flight home was uneventful though, and he was still still cozy with Simba.

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After gathering our car and driving back to our in laws we got the dog and spent the night. We got up early in Sunday and quickly stopped at my parents for breakfast. Then was the loooooong trek back to northern VT. All in all we made good time and everybody was happy (well sort of) to be home, in rainy and cool VT.

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[tbholc81]

Wrapping up this report and saying thanks for reading! This was a great trip for us and the kids. We had a great time and got to experience lots of new things. This being our 3 trip in two years allowed us to try some rides or see shows that we have never thought about doing before. The highlight of the trip for me was the Pirates and Pals cruise. I had read some really good reviews, and it lived up to the hype. It's a definite cost as an up charge event but we found it to be worth the money. The crowds were as we were hoping they would be, and no days were unmanageable by any means.

We left some of the regular popular attractions off our list this time, we didn't bother with Soarin (I'm not as impressed with it after the refurb anyway), Test Track, Space Mountain, and a few others that are the must do rides. Again, having been a few times recently we didn't feel like we had to do al the usual stuff and it was fun to challenge ourselves to do different things. This was also the most time we have spent in DS since it was redone.

Lastly we were very impressed with POR! We will definitely stay there or POFQ again. Our last two family vacations consisted of staying at mostly deluxes (Poly, Bay Lake, and BC), and I was no sure about staying at a moderate. Last time we tried a Moderate was one night CSR as a split stay with the Beach Club. CSR left a lot to be desired from the condition of the room, layout, bus service, and overall layout. This was a great experience and I have nothing but good things to say about the Port Orleans Resorts.

As I mentioned before our next trip is in ony 12 Days! This time it's just me and Deb celebrating our 10th Anniversary!

Till the next report thanks for reading!

The END​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I really have not been very impressed since it became "Soarin Around the Word" and it kills me that they refurbed everything and if you sit to the side everything is curved and weird looking. Seems like a pretty obvious and careless error which ruins the experience for me. I hope they fix it at some point. D falls asleep as we grabbed some snacks.

Me too! We skip it alot now. I also feel like it isn't as impressive after being on FOP.

From there we trek back to Italy for Via Napoli. Like I said, I have no idea why we decided to go from FEA to Japan, then back to Norway, and then back to Italy Just getting our steps in I guess. Oh well.

It always makes sense when you are there.

Pepperoni on my half and Carciofi for Deb which is a white pizza with artichoke, fontina, mozzarella and truffle oil.

That looks really good! I wish this was the pizza you could get at Tony's Town Square! EPCOT just has so many good options, I have a hard time picking Via Napoli. I do love it.

We left some of the regular popular attractions off our list this time, we didn't bother with Soarin (I'm not as impressed with it after the refurb anyway), Test Track, Space Mountain, and a few others that are the must do rides. Again, having been a few times recently we didn't feel like we had to do al the usual stuff and it was fun to challenge ourselves to do different things. This was also the most time we have spent in DS since it was redone.

We did a trip in Sept and Feb and it was nice that in Feb we didn't feel like we needed to do everything, we also felt ok to try some new things and ride some rides a couple times in a row. It was a nice change.

As I mentioned before our next trip is in ony 12 Days! This time it's just me and Deb celebrating our 10th Anniversary!

Congrats on 10 years! Enjoy your adults only trip!