Dreams will come true! Hearts will soar! May 2016 TR *NEW 7/6 x2!*

[kastoney]

In the end, I valued sleep and well rested kids over seeing the fireworks twice. It hurt not to use those tickets but I really didn't think the boys were up to a late night in the parks after our flight and travel day.

Good choice and glad they extended the fireworks so you could see them later in the week. Curious to see what you thought of them

The boat came shortly after we got to the dock and we all found seats. We had an AWESOME captain/skipper named Stephen who pointed out all the landmarks and answered everyone's questions.

I love being able to take the boats at WL, one of my favorite things about it. Did he point out the old River Country? That's always my favorite to see as I have lots of childhood memories of it.

Fort Wilderness has a very different vibe than any other resort that I've visited. I think a stay here would be interesting and it's on our Disney bucket list now!

It's on ours too. Only thing that holds me back is the two bus systems. We've contemplated it a few times as their cabins look divine but adding in another $60/day for a golf cart takes it up to about the same price as a deluxe.

I have it noted that my favorites were the fried chicken, ribs, cornbread, and pea salad. Jim enjoyed the brisket as well. The boys all liked the fried chicken (or "friend" chicken as Jake called it) and rolls. And of course we all loved dessert! The boys opted for cookies and ice cream sundaes, I got strawberry shortcake and banana pudding, and Jim went for another helping of brisket and ribs.

Yum!!!! It all sounds so good. Think we are finally going to try breakfast at TE next trip

Our not so great daytime view turned into a really nice view of Wishes! I wish I would have been prepared and played the soundtrack on my phone but we just made due with watching the fireworks. The boys could actually see them from the top bunk so they just laid in bed and watched. I sat out on the balcony for the whole show, of course!

We had the same view and what is crap by day was certainly a pleasant surprise at night. Someone told us they played the wishes music over the hotel tv channel but we could never find it.

I stopped at Bell Services to pick up our rental stroller for the week and we were off to the bus stop! Now Deluxe bus stops were something quite different for us too. Instead of "lines" like at Pop or AOA, there are just benches and everyone just crowds around. This morning, we were the only ones waiting for a bus (it was 7:35 am) but we got to chat with a very nice College Program CM named Kristopher.

I'm still on the fence if I like the deluxe way to do it or not. It's usually fine but we've had two occasions where we didn't get on busses in favor of people who I knew got there after us.

We turned right and headed over and were the 2nd family in line at the new Character Spot.

I thought for sure you were headed to see the inside out crew. We waited 45 minutes to see them and had gotten in line right after 9

After the ride, we went straight for the "shark playground" as the boys call it. They had a great time running around, playing the games, and of course...posing for pictures in Bruce's mouth.

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Don't know what it is with this place, but Casey loves it too. I always try to get her to go upstairs and look around the aquarium but the shark is the only thing on her mind.

It was time for our Turtle Talk FP+ at this time. I'm just going to use this time to say just how useless I find FP+ on most shows. We were let into the same large open area as the regular standby guests so it always seems completely pointless to me. The boys looked around the queue area until the theater door/curtain opened.

We'll see how frozen changes the equation, but aside from Soarin and Test Track we've found you really don't need a fast pass for anything else at Epcot. Since you don;t have to pick 3 anymore we just did one on the last trip

 

[khertz]

All caught up!!

It sounds like a really nice travel day. Probably one of my favorite things about staying at WL a couple of years ago was that we were inside the MK "gates" so to speak! Bummer about the daytime view, but score on a Wishes view & the bunkbeds!!

I wish Roaring Fork would have been set up this way when we were there. So much easier with little kids! Back when we stayed there, you had to go around to whatever window you wanted food from, order and wait for them to cook it, then stand in line at the register to pay while your food got cold before you could go get a seat and start eating. Very inefficient!

The splash pad looks incredible!! Great way to settle in on travel day. And bonus nap for the kids and Mickey bar for you!

I totally feel you on keeping it an early night. It's just not worth the hassle of miserable tired kids sometimes. This last trip we took over Memorial Day weekend, we decided to skip nighttime stuff entirely because it was such a short trip and all of the nighttime entertainment was later than we are used to when we go at other times of the year. It wasn't worth ruining one of our early mornings that we enjoy to have a late night out.

Trail's End is a restaurant we were looking to book for breakfast when DH and I go by ourselves next month, but we ended up choosing Kona instead. Those desserts look delicious! I love that the kids already wanted to know what desserts they could have. That's my kind of thinking!

I'm glad the move wasn't a big deal. That would be one of my worries with a split stay.

Love Baymax! I wish we had been in Disney when he was meeting with Hiro, but we still love meeting Baymax anyway. DS got a real kick out of spending more time in the Seas pavilion this year too. He is really starting to love Epcot!

 

[hokieinpa]

Ha ha, I'm sure that Jake will love those pictures when he grows up! Love the aquarium picks - I was really surprised that DH wasn't impressed by them, I could watch for much longer than him. He is not cool at Disney - literally and figuratively!

Jake was way too fascinated by Baymax to bother to look at any old camera! The boys have a great in the aquarium. Too bad DH didn't get into the fun!

Good choice and glad they extended the fireworks so you could see them later in the week. Curious to see what you thought of them

I was happy with the alternative of an earlier night. And luckily it worked out that we got to see the fireworks later in the trip!

I love being able to take the boats at WL, one of my favorite things about it. Did he point out the old River Country? That's always my favorite to see as I have lots of childhood memories of it.

I found the boat transportation much more relaxing than either monorail or bus. No, we missed out on the River Country info but I did read about it later. Sounds like a fun place!

It's on ours too. Only thing that holds me back is the two bus systems. We've contemplated it a few times as their cabins look divine but adding in another $60/day for a golf cart takes it up to about the same price as a deluxe.

This is what's holding me back. I think the other solution is renting a car? Then I guess driving to the parks. But that does defeat the purpose of Disney transportation. The cabins look really nice and it seems like such a peaceful resort.

Yum!!!! It all sounds so good. Think we are finally going to try breakfast at TE next trip

TE was a really good, solid meal! Josh at easyWDW just did a review of breakfast and that looks great too!

We had the same view and what is crap by day was certainly a pleasant surprise at night. Someone told us they played the wishes music over the hotel tv channel but we could never find it.

I've heard that as well. I wonder if it's at all of the Deluxe resorts? I did love the fireworks view. It really helped make that daytime mess a little less painful!

I'm still on the fence if I like the deluxe way to do it or not. It's usually fine but we've had two occasions where we didn't get on busses in favor of people who I knew got there after us.

I'm with you. I like the shade and the benches, but hate the rush when the bus pulls up. The same thing happened to us quite a few times as well.

I thought for sure you were headed to see the inside out crew. We waited 45 minutes to see them and had gotten in line right after 9

Pretty much everyone else was headed to see Joy and Sadness! The CMs were actually shocked when we asked to be pointed to the Baymax line. Baymax was a priority for the boys for sure. They like Inside Out but weren't too interested in meeting the characters. Maybe a future trip if they are still around!

Don't know what it is with this place, but Casey loves it too. I always try to get her to go upstairs and look around the aquarium but the shark is the only thing on her mind.

I can see a little bit of appeal in that kids can run around a bit but there really isn't a ton to do. But it keeps them happy!

We'll see how frozen changes the equation, but aside from Soarin and Test Track we've found you really don't need a fast pass for anything else at Epcot. Since you don;t have to pick 3 anymore we just did one on the last trip

I think Epcot will be crazy with the Frozen ride. With the tier system in place, it will be hard to choose between Test Track, Frozen, and Soarin'. Luckily, with all boys we get out of the Frozen stuff. And it doesn't seem like Anna and Elsa will have a FP+ so that will be just as insane as before.

 

[hokieinpa]

All caught up!!

Yay! It's so hard to catch up after a trip.

It sounds like a really nice travel day. Probably one of my favorite things about staying at WL a couple of years ago was that we were inside the MK "gates" so to speak! Bummer about the daytime view, but score on a Wishes view & the bunkbeds!!

I loved going under the MK gates to get to our resort! The view wasn't at all pretty during the day but those fireworks at night were worth it!

I wish Roaring Fork would have been set up this way when we were there. So much easier with little kids! Back when we stayed there, you had to go around to whatever window you wanted food from, order and wait for them to cook it, then stand in line at the register to pay while your food got cold before you could go get a seat and start eating. Very inefficient!

That's how Pop and AOA food courts are set up. I much preferred this way of ordering since we could all sit down together and relax until the food way ready!

The splash pad looks incredible!! Great way to settle in on travel day. And bonus nap for the kids and Mickey bar for you!

It was such a great place - plenty for all of them to do and safe enough that we didn't need to follow them around!

I totally feel you on keeping it an early night. It's just not worth the hassle of miserable tired kids sometimes. This last trip we took over Memorial Day weekend, we decided to skip nighttime stuff entirely because it was such a short trip and all of the nighttime entertainment was later than we are used to when we go at other times of the year. It wasn't worth ruining one of our early mornings that we enjoy to have a late night out.

I value happy kids way more than seeing nighttime stuff most of the time! Since this was a longer trip, we did catch some of the nighttime stuff but had to compensate with a long nap in the middle of the day.

Trail's End is a restaurant we were looking to book for breakfast when DH and I go by ourselves next month, but we ended up choosing Kona instead. Those desserts look delicious! I love that the kids already wanted to know what desserts they could have. That's my kind of thinking!

I think Josh at easyWDW just did a review of the Trail's End breakfast and I've heard good things about it! Those desserts by themselves were totally worth booking the meal. I loved that strawberry shortcake! I've got Kona brekfast booked for October and I'm excited to finally try Tonga Toast!

I'm glad the move wasn't a big deal. That would be one of my worries with a split stay.

I was worried about the whole luggage transfer process but it was no different than getting luggage from ME. Everything went so smoothly!

Love Baymax! I wish we had been in Disney when he was meeting with Hiro, but we still love meeting Baymax anyway. DS got a real kick out of spending more time in the Seas pavilion this year too. He is really starting to love Epcot!

I think seeing Hiro too would have been great for more interaction! And all the boys love Epcot too. Test Track definitely helps that too!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Baymax! Somehow I missed that they had a Baymax meet at Epcot. Very cool!

 

[dew4378]

Following along....I am enjoying reading about your trip. Seeing the pictures of your family makes me miss when my boys were small and we would visit. My boys are 18 and 14 now and not quite so cute or excited about a family vacation.

 

[ArielSRL]

Love the nighttime view from your room! And I'm glad it worked out so you could see the SW fireworks later in the week and get rest on your first night. After this trip I've decided to add a day onto the front of our trip next summer to do just that. It's just too rushed otherwise. I felt like I was playing catch up the whole trip since we didn't get time to get settled.

Great start to the parks! Glad you were able to get there so early. I had planned rope drop almost every day this trip but it never worked out (my dad does not follow the schedule). Next trip will be with the hubs and minus the folks so I am hoping it goes more smoothly.

Can I ask what's in your park bag? It seems like we brought so much into the parks this trip. I did have a diaper bag and won't need that next year as my youngest should be potty trained soon. We took a small cooler in but I'm thinking we could nix that and just get the free ice water from the parks. Then I had my park bag. I want to pair down what I take so riding the boat or bus is an option. I have 2 young boys so I figure if you guys can go with one, we should be able to! TIA!

 

[hokieinpa]

Baymax! Somehow I missed that they had a Baymax meet at Epcot. Very cool!

I think it was new after our November/December trips! It was a really fun meet since the boys are huge Big Hero 6 fans!

Following along....I am enjoying reading about your trip. Seeing the pictures of your family makes me miss when my boys were small and we would visit. My boys are 18 and 14 now and not quite so cute or excited about a family vacation.

Thanks for joining in! I'm really enjoying these trips with them while they are still young!

Love the nighttime view from your room! And I'm glad it worked out so you could see the SW fireworks later in the week and get rest on your first night. After this trip I've decided to add a day onto the front of our trip next summer to do just that. It's just too rushed otherwise. I felt like I was playing catch up the whole trip since we didn't get time to get settled.

I loved our fireworks view. It was a really nice surprise after the not so great view during the day. It's nice having a day to ease into vacation. Traveling can be so exhausting! It's nice to swim or even visit Disney Springs for a bit and call it an early-ish night. I think it's a good plan!

Great start to the parks! Glad you were able to get there so early. I had planned rope drop almost every day this trip but it never worked out (my dad does not follow the schedule). Next trip will be with the hubs and minus the folks so I am hoping it goes more smoothly.

Luckily my parents are very schedule-oriented! Jim is the one who tends to be lagging behind! We made it to rope drop every day except one! It helped us to give the boys breakfast on the go. Cereal in baggies, granola bars, etc.

Can I ask what's in your park bag? It seems like we brought so much into the parks this trip. I did have a diaper bag and won't need that next year as my youngest should be potty trained soon. We took a small cooler in but I'm thinking we could nix that and just get the free ice water from the parks. Then I had my park bag. I want to pair down what I take so riding the boat or bus is an option. I have 2 young boys so I figure if you guys can go with one, we should be able to! TIA!

Ok, so I actually have 2 bags. One cross body bag with me and 1 bag that stays in the basket under the stroller.

Cross Body Bag:
wet wipes
tissues
mini first aid kit (bandaids, small tylenol
small wallet
small toys for in line or waiting for shows (trains, action figures)
pen
sharpie for autographs
notebook for TR notes
external charger
park map (I print one from easyWDW)


Stroller Bag:
changing pad
extra diapers
changes of clothes for all boys
snacks
autograph book
ziplocs for wet clothes
ponchos is rain is forecasted
rain cover for stroller (a poncho or one that came with our stroller rental)
glow sticks

We also bring our own water bottles to refill in the parks. Those stay in the stroller too.

I'm not sure we'll get it down to less to carry than that for a few years. Jake will be potty trained for our next trip but we'll still need everything else. Hope that helps!

 

[ArielSRL]

Thanks so much. I suppose when on the bus or boat, you keep a bag and your DH keeps a bag while the stroller is folded? What type of bag is the stroller bag...a backpack?

Glad you made so many rope drops. We did have some grab and go breakfasts but some that weren't. Next summer, I think I will only bring the grab n go type.

 

[hokieinpa]

Thanks so much. I suppose when on the bus or boat, you keep a bag and your DH keeps a bag while the stroller is folded? What type of bag is the stroller bag...a backpack?

It's actually just one of those reusable shopping bags. I get a character one from the Dollar Spot at Target before each trip. And yep, Jim usually takes the stroller and I take the bag on the bus. We keep it out until after bag check and then slide it under once security checks it.

Glad you made so many rope drops. We did have some grab and go breakfasts but some that weren't. Next summer, I think I will only bring the grab n go type.

Yes, it makes life easier if they can eat on the way to the bus/park!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Baymax!!!! I looooove him I hope he is still there in December so I can squish him with a hug

Is he the only one at the Character Spot these days?? No Mickey or anyone else? Joy and Sadness? Not sure how that works over there anymore!

 

[hokieinpa]

Baymax!!!! I looooove him I hope he is still there in December so I can squish him with a hug

I'm so sad we missed out on squeezing him! I hope they keep him around too!

Is he the only one at the Character Spot these days?? No Mickey or anyone else? Joy and Sadness? Not sure how that works over there anymore!

On one side is the normal Character Spot - Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie. You can still get a FP+ for that one. In the same walkway area, the "new" Character Spot is right across the breezeway. That has Joy and Sadness and Baymax. No FP+ line for those.

 

[hokieinpa]

Is that a Peanut Butter Sandwich Tree?

Next up in our Epcot morning was a visit to The Land pavilion. I was interested to see what it was like with Soarin' closed for refurbisment!

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The boys always see those Circle of Life signs as we walk to the escalator and BEG to see the movie. But from what I've heard, I'm not sure it would be quite what they imagine! We always promise "Maybe next time..." and quickly walk away.

We were headed downstairs to the only other attraction operating...Living with the Land! The wait was listed at 5 minutes and we waited even less than that! We even got the front row of our boat, which was very exciting to the boys.

The boys love the beginning when we move through different biomes. I never noticed this crocodile (alligator?) hanging out by the water before!

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A visit to the farm

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and we were off!

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This is a cinnamon tree, apparently?

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Rice and pretty orchids.

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Next, I pointed out this Peanut Butter Tree. Again, who knew? But a quick Google search tells me the tree bears a fruit that is very similar to peanut butter in both flavor and scent. Cool, right?

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Nate had been pretty relaxed, just looking around at this point. But when he heard the words "Peanut Butter" he perked right up. Peanut Butter is just about his favorite thing in the entire world and he asked "Is that a Peanut Butter Sandwich Tree?" Poor guy probably thought he was going to see his favorite sandwich right there for the picking.

We moved on from the Peanut Butter Sandwich tree and saw this banana tree.

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And found a Hidden Mickey in the room with the fish tanks!

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We moved back out into the greenhouse area and found cotton

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and this crazy "Monkey Puzzle Tree". It was so strange looking that I needed a picture!

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Tomatoes for my Colin, who eats them by the quart in the summer!

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My neighbor is really into hydroponic gardening so I grabbed these shots for her!

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And some flowers to close out our boat ride!

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I always seem to forget how much I really enjoy Living the the Land. It is a nice, relaxing ride but I find it fascinating to look at all of the different plants and gardening methods. And surprisingly, the boys never get bored or antsy during the ride!

We swung by the Soarin' entrance, just for a peek.

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It was very strange to see it this way - no CMs, no crowd of kids and parents in that big open area, no crazy FP+ line.

We were all pretty hungry at this point so we scooted over to Sunshine Seasons for lunch. I have in in my notes that I got the Kids Salmon and green beans (yummy and the perfect size!), Nate had the Kids Pizza Panini, Colin and Jake had Uncrustables (adventurous, right?), and Jim got Mongolian Beef. We all enjoyed our food, of course. Sunshine Seasons is one of my favorite quick service spots!

It was time to say goodbye to The Land and head out for more Epcot adventures!

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https://flic.kr/p/HocvyH


Next up

Let me see your smolder!

 

[hokieinpa]

Let me see your smolder!


After lunch at Sunshine Seasons, we had some time before our FP+ at Test Track opened up so I suggested we head over to ride Figment and let the boys play the games at the end for a bit. We were just parking the stroller when is spotted something out of the corner of my eye...

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Do you see what I see? Rapunzel and Flynn Rider! And with a short line! We were in! I grabbed the autograph book and we waited less than 10 minutes. Then the boys were up!

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This is Colin telling Rapuznel "We have your movie at home! It's called Tangled! I like your hair!" Such a charmer.

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We took care of the autographs first, of course.

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And then it was time to practice our smolders. Well, Jake's smolder consisted of sticking his tongue out. This was just too much for Rapunzel to handle!

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She admitted that it got her to her, just a little.

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We decided that there needed to be an "all boys" smolder session so Rapunzel stood with me to watch. I got this one on video!

Goodbye hugs all around and we were done! The entire experience took 15 minutes from line to meet, so this was a great little surprise! The boys love Flynn (and Rapunzel, if you can get them to admit it) so they were very excited.


Next up

I like everything but the skunk smell

 

[ArielSRL]

Glad you got Living with the Land with such a short wait. Was The Land pavilion deserted?? Or was Sunshine Seasons as packed as usual?

Great interaction with Rapunzel and Flynn! So awesome! I love Tangled!

 

[OneTimePoet]

Can't wait to read more about your trip! Ours is in less than 30 days, and I'm reading trip reports to pass the time!

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[Leshaface]

Wow 7 pages already!? Ugh i'm so behind. But i'm watching it now and will be back to catch up tomorrow!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Rapunzel and Flynn! What a lucky catch. I had no idea they appeared in Epcot now.

 

[cajunfan]

That meet and greet was ADORABLE!!!!