TR | Tent Camping (21 days)

[ilovedisneymm]

I wasn't going for funny, but I'm glad it is making your day!

We set up all our FP at the 60 day mark. I set up almost all our FP for MK with daily Mine Train and Rail Road FP and a few A&E meet in greets (back ups) and either Peter Pan, Pirates or Buzz as the third choice. We were going to do MK for 5 days and I knew I could always pick up every ride in every park with the exception of MK (Mine Train & A&E) and I'm not disappointed with how I set them up. I played it safe and had insurance! IF and I mean IF the mobile website and ap worked as good as it did from my home then I would have not had so many delay issues with it. Same as last year, once inside the Disney bubble no matter what device I use from my site or in the parks, it lags and delays and it is frustrating. It took me 35 minutes several mornings to change my selections from one park to the other. I don't like the entire FP system for a slew of reasons and I don't think you really want to hear all my reasons why I don't like it and all the times it went wrong cause you will end up thinking I'm a crazy lady (which is slightly true)!

I will also say this, You wanna know how you save 2 billion dollars? Make Disney lovers happy again about going into the parks? And get CM back to saying things like "good morning princess" instead of "two sides, scan your bands, two sides"......?????

You give 3 paper FPs to each party member times the amount of days in the parks and limit that to 3 a day with a date stamp. Simple. Cheap and everyone has 3 fast passes per day to use at their choice and on their time. How wonderfully perfect that would be. Oh, lose your paper fast pass? Well then your SOL buddy!

The bands are sold as some sort of magical band that brings joy and happiness to your time in the parks and allows you to not have to wait in line. What they really want to do is track your every movement in the parks, get you spending more money than you think, and redistribute the crowds. There plans are working perfectly! Every ride is now busier than ever before. Jungle Cruise had a line of 40, 50 and even 60 minutes at one point. We use to walk on to everything in the past two years and this is now not the case. MK was really bad after 11 no matter if it was a Saturday or a Tuesday. We were at MK on days projected to be a 1 & 2 and that was not the case at all.

Your whole TR is hysterical, but this one made me spit coffee. My staff thought I was dying.

And I see you are a fan of the new FP+. Curious though, was it the last minute, having to use the app that was the issue or the whole system? In concept, it seems like it should be great. I know others on here have said it was pretty good, but I think many of them did their planning and selection before arrival and only used the app to maker a change here or there.

The 3 dish pans were a flashback to Boy Scout days and Grace's sticker book was very reminiscent of my DS losing his autograph book at DHS when he was about the same age. Some how (a lot of Pixie dust, I think) someone turned it in to Lost and Found and I remembered enough of the specifics to make it identifiable from the other 10,000 lost autograph books. We had it back the next morning. Also after much drama and tears.

Keep up the TR. It makes my day.

j

 

[coastalhh]

Love the report. You mentioned taking a disney car service the the magic kingdom for your BBB appointment. Was it through disney or a third party? We are often trying to make top drop and the buses often do not run early enough to see the opening show. Would be easier to do a car service for us at least 1 day. How much extra was it?

And did you get the go into the park early for those pictures with the appointment? I would LOVE to get a picture without the crowd behind us. What a great pic

 

[ilovedisneymm]

I called Fort Wilderness and asked what was the best for our 8 am appt with the 9 am opening. They asked what our site was and said a driver will pick us up. It didn't cost a thing I did tip our driver well cause he was so nice!!! Now we have also stayed there 3 years in a row so I'm sure that was looked at.

I made my BBB appointment at the 180 mark from our trip! We were also there during what is suppose to be the slowest two weeks of the year. In that photo there are 4 people photoshopped out and also the crane behind that castle that I removed as well. We were the very first ones in the park but there are 3/4 photographers standing around and also other cast members. You can't tell cause years of photoshop and lightroom abilities help! The bright sun on the castle is something I didn't have any control over.

Love the report. You mentioned taking a disney car service the the magic kingdom for your BBB appointment. Was it through disney or a third party? We are often trying to make top drop and the buses often do not run early enough to see the opening show. Would be easier to do a car service for us at least 1 day. How much extra was it?

And did you get the go into the park early for those pictures with the appointment? I would LOVE to get a picture without the crowd behind us. What a great pic

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Day 8 | Thursday

Lets go to MK and make EMH rope drop!

We had FP for Mine Train, RR & Pirates!

We were able to walk on Dumbo, Barn Stormer (3 times), Little Mermaid & Peter Pan & Pooh & RR & Buzz & Space Mountain. Grace's first time on Space and loved it. Little Daniel tried it out and didn't love it as much as sis. All done before 11 am & then we got to meet Merida & get pirated up!

Early early at the dock at FW. Grainy but it is what it is with an iphone.



Waiting for the boat to take us to Contemporary.



At Contemporary doc.



Daddy & Daughter showing their Disney Side!



Meeting Princess Merida with no pants!



ARGHH!



Next year, if we go back into the parks I think I might bring my big girl camera and take some real photographs. I did bring my camera the day of the BBB appointment but for the rest of the time, I just used my iphone. I took these with the iphone but they turned out pretty decent so I enhanced them a little bit.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

Great picture of Gaston's. Where do you live in Central IL? I am in Springfield.​

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Still on Day 8 | Thursday

Back to the Fort around 1ish and MK was getting packed!

When we arrived back at the Fort our son was sneaking chocolate out of the tent and trying to blaim a squirrel for eating it all and ransacking the kitchen tent. Hubby is yelling at him to get out of the kitchen tent and stay away from the candy and little Daniel is just yelling, "guys get in here, a squirrel has been here" over and over. We didn't believe him. Finally, I went into the tent and sure enough a squirrel got in. Little bleep ate my TENT!



And trashed it! Bleeper!



He ate our grapes, chewed a hole through the cashews canister (naturally he would want nuts) and ate a bunch of chocolate!!!

Looked around the outside of the tent and little shiny chocolate wrappers everywhere (you know the cute little hershey valentine kisses) yeah, he ate them.

They are jumping from the tree to the electrical box and then up to the tent. The squirrel population is out of control at the Fort and those bleepers stalk you with their beady little freaky eyes! They tant you and hide behind the trees and watch.your.every.move.

Seriously! The rest of the afternoon they circled us and formed a posy.

It is now time to take matters into our own hands and do something about these squirrels.

Duct Tape! The solution to everything.





I will tell you that I named a few patches and after the duct tape, that bleeping posy of squirrels moved along down the loop to find another vulnerable family.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Right between Decatur & Champaign! Small world

Great picture of Gaston's. Where do you live in Central IL? I am in Springfield.​

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Day 9 | Friday

Another FORT DAY!

Need to stick around and keep an eye on those bleepers.

Did some laundry & washed dishes and clean up the site a bit. Kids got some scooters from Santa (with Disney in mind) and brought them down to loop with. They are getting good and can now balance themselves. I'm thinking this summer the Grace can probably take her training wheels off and little Daniel is not far behind. By now they know every kid on the loop and are having a real real good time!

Me & Big Daniel are having an adult beverage and watching the squirrels.

It's a great day!!!

So lets go looping and then to the water hole!

And do this...



And this...



And the chicken dance

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Day 10 | Saturday

Back to AK to devote a full day of sticker collecting. 10 day tickets for four = $1440 divided by 10 = $144. Today is the day where I spend $144 on 7 stickers!

We drove to AK this time and we stopped by the Animal Kingdom Lodge before heading into the park. The AK lodge is beautiful!

So now we are almost to AK and someone is getting pretty excited!!!



Badge Collecting!



One Amazing Father, right here folks!



We did the Safari & Everest again and also caught the Lion King show. We saw this two years back but last year it was getting a make over. Great show! Great day! No FP+ stress mess!

And someone got promoted to SENIOR WILDERNESS EXPLORER GIRL! whoot! whoot!



Thank God! I can rest now :0) $144 on stickers, I mean badges well spent!

She completed her goal and we treated her to ice cream to celebrate

Now let's get back to the FORT.

We finally caught the sing along with cowboy Anthony & Chip n Dale.





Menu & pricing at the Chuck Wagon.



We managed to watch a little bit of the Little Mermaid but it was cool and we were all tired. Yet another night of missing the fireworks & parade.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Day 11 | Sunday

Went to downtown Disney for the very first time.

Here is a picture of the most undisney like thing you ever did see...hehe.



Went to check out the Lego store & World of Disney. The kids had A BLAST in the Lego store and we walked out with a few arm loads. Grace is a Master Builder and loves her Legos. We got her the Lego Friends Ranch & Sky Mall for xmas, both 1200 pieces. She did the Ranch in one day, started on it at 8am and finishing it up at 11pm that same night. Nothing could tear her away from finishing that set. Little Daniel lurks behind the corners waiting to steal pieces and then watch her go crazy when she can't find a piece.



Had lunch at Dinosaur and what a fun place to eat lunch that is.

Now we are finally off to Hollywood Studios! YES! A new park. Finally.

We arrived around 1ish and had FP for Toy Story, Tower of Terror and something else.

Grace & Daddy did R&R and had a blast so then I did it with Grace with a rider switch and wow that is fun!!! Little Daniel got a light sword while he waited and terrorized everyone within 10 feet from us. T of T ate my phone and I thought it was gone for ever.

We also did Art of Animation for the first time and it is totally worth doing if you have a child that is into art. The kids couldn't stop talking about it and we ended up buying a few drawing books for the homeschool room.

Another great day, another exhausting day, another day we missed the fireworks and water parade. I think we had TE to go and it was wrong again (this is now 3/4 times wrong).

Still a great day!

 

[Teamubr]

You really have to stop posting so much today. I'm not getting anything done at work. Granted, it is Friday and my boss is out of town, but still.

Thanks for even more great pics. The squirrel antics are legendary, but I'm sure you were aware. And don't think of it as $144 for 7 stickers. Think of it as priceless treasured memories you will keep for decades... Ok, years... Ok, weeks...

We actually have a funny saying about the prices of things at Disney that we use back home. Is that item "regular" price or "Disney" price. All part of the entertainment budget.

j

 

[ilovedisneymm]

I know! I know but I can't stop now. I HAVE TO FINISH IT! At least you are reading it, I feel like crickets today here.

I'm just kidding about the stickers, she really wanted to finish that book and I have to admire her for having a goal and striving to finish it

You do have sticker shock coming out of the Disney bubble. I like that, regular or disney priced!

You really have to stop posting so much today. I'm not getting anything done at work. Granted, it is Friday and my boss is out of town, but still.

Thanks for even more great pics. The squirrel antics are legendary, but I'm sure you were aware. And don't think of it as $144 for 7 stickers. Think of it as priceless treasured memories you will keep for decades... Ok, years... Ok, weeks...

We actually have a funny saying about the prices of things at Disney that we use back home. Is that item "regular" price or "Disney" price. All part of the entertainment budget.

j

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Day 12 | Monday

I got no clue what happened on this day.

Oh yeah, we slept in until 6:30 today, a record for this trip. Cool this day and not a day to swim even in the heated pool.

Kids played with their new Legos and I did some mouse keeping.



Then we ate at TE lunch and that is something we will never do again. NO NO NO. Breakfast yes, Dinner yes, Lunch NO.

After that the kids played and we rocked in the rockers and the wind was really picking up. White caps on Bay Lake! We chatted with a lovely couple that was down from PA that had been there for six weeks and discussed the squirrel problems at the Fort and our government.

It was starting to cool down and by now after 4 so we took the cart down to the pony rides before they closed.

Grilled out and crashed early, again. I have no idea why we can't make it past 8pm...

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Day 13 | Tuesday

Magic Kingdom (again)

Rope Drop! Get in, ride ride ride, get out!

We stopped our day around 11 ish and had a great lunch in Beast Castle. What a satisfying meal for such a decent Disney price.

Back to the Fort so the kids could play Legos some more.

Now we had this crazy idea to go back to MK to see the Electrical Parade and catch the Fireworks, after all it is two weeks in and we still haven't done this yet!!! So the boat is late, no big boat, why? I don't know. MSEP start in 90 minutes and we are at the dock and no boat. Still no boat. Little boat finally comes and says they are going to WL and then to Contemporary. Great! This is where I want to turn back cause I know we are not going to get a good spot for the parade but the kids are excited so we press on. We get on the small boat to go to WL and just as the small boat takes off, wouldn't you know it....the big boat comes....the one that the little boat driver said wasn't coming......BLEEP! So we go to WL and then switch boats to MK.

We arrived just as the parade was starting and we were 3 rows of people back and the kids are tired and cranky and people are packed in. But the park closes in an hour so why the heck is it so busy?? Everyone seems to be there. The parade is over and we decide to go over and do buzz or something and then catch the fireworks. Well it took a good 15 minutes to get from the start of main street to Casey's corner, I can't believe this. TODAY IS A 10 well it is like a 3 according to EWDW but I'm calling it a 10 and people are rude and I'm about to check the next person who bumps my kid, I have had it. Someone is getting it. And then someone checked my kid and then I lost it and then Disney added another file on me. I know I have a file. I have to. I left out most of our "incidents" cause I want a happy Trip Report not a "Oh my, she is crazy, report"...hahahaha! So I can't stand all the people and grab Daniel and tell him we are out of here, turn around now! The sidewalk is clear by Casey's Corner and hubby takes the double stroller and makes a b-line for the opening. There is a trash can and next to that trash can is 4 Disney park bags and a good 2 foot and then a 30 year old something man sitting on the curb waiting for the fireworks. Hubby asks the guy to slide over a few inches so we could get the stroller through, he looks at hubby and shakes his head no and doesn't move. Hubby asks again, we need to get through, please move and you can have your spot right back we just want to get through. The man shakes his head no again. So hubby takes the double stroller with the kids in and goes over his bags and that wheel is coming for his head, so he moves and we get through and can't get the heck out of there fast enough. Whew! I get back to the boat and read the times guide to find out that MK had EMH that night and HS & AK are closed. Ahhh, I see why it was crazy there now. Never going to make that mistake again.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Day 14 | Wednesday

Hollywood Studios

Lost and Found found my phone! So we drive to Lost and Found pick up the phone and head over to HS.

We have FP for Toy Story, Frozen and Star Wars.

We did Star Wars first off and then the Little Mermaid show and then Disney Jr show then off to TS. I fell down the last flight of stairs at TS and bent both of my ankles backwards. I went down hard and I have never injured my ankles prior to this. Not good! Hubby carries me out through the ride and CMS get a wheel chair for me. I asked for ice and the next thing I know HS 911 shows up with a stretcher. I freak out cause I'm not going in a stretcher and all I wanted was ice. They wrapped my ankles and by this point I can't feel my feet I send the kids and hubby to ride the ride so I can get ahold of myself and try to figure out if my ankles are broke or what. We took a break and had some ice cream and then hubby pushed me in the wheel chair to the Frozen sing along. We had front row and I felt humiliated but the kids loved it. Grace & Daniel had the best seat in the house and she was singing so loud Elsa made eye contact with her and smiled. This make her day and I now feel slightly better cause she is so happy. I still can't feel my ankles and I want to cry. We had plans to make Fantasmic but I can't take it anymore and need to rest. Guest Relations gives us an extra day in the park on them and a handful of paper FPs and wheel chair rental credit. Daniel pushed me to the van and helps me get ready for bed, tends to the kids and we all crash.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Day 15 | Thursday

Thankfully it was scheduled to be a Fort Day.

I did nothing but milk my injuries and Daniel handled the kids. We did have a nice sit down TE dinner and they have Strawberry Shortcake now on the menu. It is good! Could use more strawberry juice but still very good.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Day 16 | Friday

Magic Kindgom and what was to be our last park day.

We had to take the big boat and missed the opening ceremony to MK. That's ok, we had seen it three times this trip and it was ok. I was walking/limping and doing ok for the first 15 minutes and then needed to get a wheel chair. Hubby pushed me in the chair and I pushed the double stroller. We had train thing going on and when people saw us coming they stepped aside. We were "that family".

We did get to see the new day parade and what a parade it is. Best one I have ever seen!

Splash Mountain opened up and we have never been on that before. Every year it is still down by the time we leave and wasn't scheduled to be up and running until Sunday. Daniel took the kids on it and I watched in my chair from the bridge.

 

[Goofy14sure]

Loving the report! Sorry you got hurt tho.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Day 17 | Saturday (a bonus day)

I'm better today, not walking, not in a wheel chair, somewhere in between. I really wanted to go on Splash Mountain so I hobbled along and WHAT A CUTE RIDE! I'm so glad we got to do that together as a family I really wanted to get a good spot for the Festival of Fantasy parade and it was worth waiting for this spot. I got there at 2 pm in the FP lane for a parade that didn't come down Main Street until 3:20 but I was still really sore and I didn't want to do anything else. Daniel took the kids for ice cream and they played little street games while I waited in line.

This spot was the very best spot. Each and every princess make eye contact and waved at Grace & Daniel and she cried for like the 12th time and it was magical!













They gave us park hopper so we went over to "the scene of the crime" and we went on Toy Story and I managed to not fall this time

Finished out the parks with Fantasmic and all is well.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Day 18 | Sunday

Coco Beach at Sunrise. So peaceful and we were the only ones there. Just the way I like things Somethings in life are worth getting up at 4am to make at this was most certainly one of those moments.

We stopped in at the Denny's for a late breakfast early lunch and had a bit of a sticker stock going on once the bill came A pleasant one.

We got back around 1pm and took our first nap of the trip. Rain came in just as we were settling down and it was the most perfect sound to hear!