There's Always Too Much Sauce - A July 2022 TR *Updated 3/23

[luvpoohandcompany]

Yup I kept the boxes flattened inside one bigger box. I may be a wee bit nuts sometimes
I loved Lego as a kid and to be honest I probably built more of those sets than Matthew but I feel like some other kids could be enjoying them and our local recycling centre has a container where you can place toys/ baby goods that still have life in them and then if someone needs something they can come get it for free. They also collect good quality toys in the run up to Christmas and then give them to various children’s charities and shelters so that Santa arrives there too.
If I get a move on I reckon I’ll be done for Christmas 2023 . The fact that you can make more than one thing eg police car or helicopter, is what takes so long as I need to make sure all the bricks are there for the second item. If hate for some kid to be disappointed they didn’t have the right bricks.

 

[amazingact21]

Yup I kept the boxes flattened inside one bigger box.

They also collect good quality toys in the run up to Christmas and then give them to various children’s charities and shelters so that Santa arrives there too.

That's fantastic. I'm sure come time, I'm going to wish I kept the boxes, too.
And with all the LEGO back in their original box, it's going to make whomever receives it feel like they got a brand new kit! The work to put them all back for donation will definitely be appreciated.

 

[amazingact21]

July 11th Part 3:


Even though it was evening time in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, my family wasn’t ready to slow down. There was still a mountain we had to conquer!


Neither kid had ridden Expedition Everest before, and this was the coaster Evie talked the most about beforehand. For years, she’s seen ride POVs of “the ride that goes backwards” and for her, Everest was the biggest thrill she’d try.


It was time to see what both kids thought of the attraction.







I think Landon’s face summed up their reactions perfectly. Both said they had fun, but they also said it was on the threshold for intensity for them. Just a tad bit too much.

However, when we got off the attraction, Alex noticed the wait time was only five minutes, so he asked the kids if they wanted to go again. Evie was on the fence, and I told her I would sit out if she didn’t want to go again, but I think she was feeling a bit of FOMO.

If Big Brother can ride twice in a row, then so can I!


She did refuse to sit in the front row, though.





Man, I never feel the passage of time more than when I’m on a coaster. Ten years ago, Alex and I rode EE back to back 4 times in a row, and we walked off fine. This time, I felt every jerk and turn.

Thank goodness Landon and Evie were 100% done after the second go on Everest.

Landon got off saying, “It was still fun BUT I’M DONE.”


It’s pretty amazing to me that Landon understands his limits and respects them in regards to attractions. When it comes to play time at the park or shooting basketballs at the gym or stopping reading to go to bed, he always overdoes it. But roller coasters? He has hard boundaries.



All that adrenaline had worked up a sugar craving in my little family. The one bite each of the mousse from dinner had long since worn off, and Alex knew just the thing to get next.




The four of us split two soft serve ice creams. (The kids got the cup and Alex and I shared the cone.)



Yes, Walt Disney World is full of unique, creative snacks. Yes, we could hunt down soft serve ice cream back at home.

But man, did the ice cream sure hit the spot. Sharing a cone was just enough to satisfy our sweet tooth without feeling bogged down with sugar. And sometimes, a simple ice cream is just what you need.





With dessert taken care of, the kids knew it was time to start the bargaining phase of the evening.


We had a little less than an hour until park closing.

We had nothing else planned.

(Oh! I forgot to mention earlier in the day, we went and saw It’s Tough to be a Bug. So aside from Dinosaur and Triceratops Spin, we’d done literally every attraction in the park.)



The kids had already asked if we could come back to Animal Kingdom another day, and unfortunately it wasn’t going to work. Our last day – the spare day – was already promised to our in-laws, and we couldn’t change bookings we had.


So this was it.


And Landon knew what he wanted.

“Mom, can we please, please, PLEASE go ride Flight of Passage again?”



Alex smirked at me. He’s always up for adventure, especially if it’s at the end of the night and we’re trying to forget its closing time.


“Evie, are you really up for another coaster?”

“Yeah, yeah!”


Alex started laughing. “It looks like you’re outvoted, Mom.”


It wasn’t that I didn’t want to ride FOP again or wait in the long line, I was more weighing how smart of an idea it would be. You see, a month previous, I caught Covid and ended up bruising a bad rib I have. Right before the trip, I had to go to the doctor and get muscle relaxers, and the positioning of the ride vehicle in FOP was uncomfortable on the rib.

I was a little worried another round of jostling and pushing would mess the rib up again.


“You brought your meds with you, right?” Alex read my mind.

“Yes.”


“Soooo?”


The kids looked so excited.


“You guys realize the wait is going to be over an hour long. If we do this, you can’t complain, can’t tell us you’re tired of standing, can’t say you want to leave after a few minutes. Do you two think you can handle that?”



They both agreed that they could. Landon even whipped out their notebooks and pens packed in his backpack and proclaimed, “We’ll draw while we wait!”


How could I say no?






The wait really was over an hour, and the kids were champions the entire time. In fact, it was at this point in the trip that I realized Landon hadn’t complained about ANYTHING. Never once did he say his feet hurt, talk about how hot it was, how long the lines were.

He was the perfect theme park companion.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, phased him. Rain or shine, hot or cold, busy or empty, he was game for everything.



The positive to going through the standby line was that we got to see the normal queue.





And my rib? While it twinged, I made sure to keep the back restraint loose and that helped tremendously.

Do I recommend riding FOP and EE with a recovering rib injury? No. It was probably a foolish decision, but I also felt less guilty because I’d gotten doctor’s clearance and it was 6 + weeks since the trauma.



After leaving FOP (we were at the theater at the top, that was new for us) it was completely dark and the park was closed.

And I was beat!





Approximately ten hours in the park can really take it out of you.

The kids, on the other hand, were devastated to leave. They drug their feet walking to the front of the park, wishing they could stay longer.

“Landon, the way you’re acting, I have to ask….is Animal Kingdom now your favorite park???”


“It might be.”


YESSSS.


My job was done.

I’d successfully brought both kids over to the side of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Sorry, Alex. You can have your World Showcase and Guardians and festivals. The rest of us will be over at the Tree of Life, watching Feathered Friends in Flight and eating Simba cupcakes.





It really was amazing how sad we all were to leave the park.


Goodnight, Animal Kingdom!





Hello, long walk from the tram to the car.





Tomorrow would be a rest day for us, with lots of pool time and naps. In addition, Alex and I needed to make a trip to another theme park and address the still lingering ticket fiasco problem.


We were a little stressed about the problem.





Up Next…The Only Way to Celebrate is with Donuts

 

[vamassey1]

Man, I never feel the passage of time more than when I’m on a coaster. Ten years ago, Alex and I rode EE back to back 4 times in a row, and we walked off fine. This time, I felt every jerk and turn.

I agree with this. Wait until you're over 50, not only do I feel everything more acutely I also get motion sickness faster.

It’s pretty amazing to me that Landon understands his limits and respects them in regards to attractions. When it comes to play time at the park or shooting basketballs at the gym or stopping reading to go to bed, he always overdoes it. But roller coasters? He has hard boundaries.

This is so good. Kudos to Landon.

Yes, Walt Disney World is full of unique, creative snacks. Yes, we could hunt down soft serve ice cream back at home.

But man, did the ice cream sure hit the spot. Sharing a cone was just enough to satisfy our sweet tooth without feeling bogged down with sugar. And sometimes, a simple ice cream is just what you need.

Soft serve ice-cream is DH's favorite snack and it's not so easy to find at every park either.

Love this photo!

The wait really was over an hour, and the kids were champions the entire time. In fact, it was at this point in the trip that I realized Landon hadn’t complained about ANYTHING. Never once did he say his feet hurt, talk about how hot it was, how long the lines were.

He was the perfect theme park companion.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, phased him. Rain or shine, hot or cold, busy or empty, he was game for everything.

Landon really is the perfect park companion. It amazed me how well John Paul did this last trip. No rides fazed him at all but his feet did get tired.

“Landon, the way you’re acting, I have to ask….is Animal Kingdom now your favorite park???”


“It might be.”


YESSSS.


My job was done.

Success!

Tomorrow would be a rest day for us, with lots of pool time and naps. In addition, Alex and I needed to make a trip to another theme park and address the still lingering ticket fiasco problem.

Having a rest day is just the thing after a 10 hour park day. I hope the ticket issue is resolved without too much mess.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

What a day!!!!
Fabulous fun. fantastic photos and some pretty amazing kids who handled it all brilliantly!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We didn’t arrive at the park until around ten o’clock.


Shameful, I know.

It's hard to rope drop day after day. I feel like Animal Kingdom is a good one to not rope drop.

We had a spectacular tram narrator for our journey to the front of the park, who recommended we write our parking spot number on our favorite child. Or perhaps our least favorite child.

Ha! I love those CMs making a boring tram ride fun.

Does the casual park visitor know that this is an attraction in and of itself?!

Probably not! You really have to stop and check it out.

Until a bird jumped on our table, made off with a barbecue packet, and almost nabbed my onion ring.

I’ve seen some bold animals at the theme parks, but I’ve never seen a bird try and take food while a human is still at the table.

That was one fearless feathered friend.

A bird once swooped down and grabbed an entire waffle off of Morgan's tray!!!! We also had a squirrel try and steal french fries from our table while we were swimming. We had covered them up and put a tray and a bag on top if it to protect it. And the squrriel was literally trying to figure out how to get to them. no shame!

Don’t let this smile fool you. Evie is the worst when it comes to making a decision. Even if it’s as simple as “how do you want your hair today?” Or “which shorts are you wearing to basketball practice?”

Ugh!!! I have pictures of Gwen crying in Toys r Us about using her gift card something and just crying and crying about not knowing what to do about making a decision. I feel your pain. She still does it with clothes.... Teenage clothing is stressful now.

I mentioned this in my 2019 Trip Report, but it bares repeating: BLIND TOY BAGS FOR KIDS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA.

I know!

If Wishables could be gone by the time the kids return to Disney, that would be fantastic.

I think they are done with Wishables, They switched to somthing else and they aren't as cute.

Disney height restrictions are a thing of the past for us now! (Evie hit 1.2 meters at DLP which is just under 48 inches, so I imagine the next time we go she’ll be tall enough for RNRC.)

It's a nice world to be in! No more rider swap!

Alex and I explained to him that the wait time was extraordinary, and if he wanted to ride again, we would have to wait a really long time for it.

“I don’t care. I’ll wait however long I have to. It was amazing!”

Love it!

I mention these guys only because Alex and I ended up seeing them EVERYWHERE. Has this ever happened to you? You briefly talk with a fellow park goer and then for the next week you run into them? It was wild.

I feel like this happens alot, you kind of end up in the same pattern of which park to go to.

I don’t know what happened, but the noodle bowl I ordered came with SO. MUCH. SAUCE.

We had this problem as well! It was fine but it wasn't as good as I rememberd it.

I think Landon’s face summed up their reactions perfectly. Both said they had fun, but they also said it was on the threshold for intensity for them. Just a tad bit too much.

Ha! it is pretty intense!

She did refuse to sit in the front row, though

Fair.

“You brought your meds with you, right?” Alex read my mind.

“Yes.”


“Soooo?”


The kids looked so excited.

You know you are in trouble when they know exactly what your thinking and what the solution could be... ha!

 

[afwdwfan]

Stores have cool air.

And cool air beats being outside in the 1 o’clock Florida sunshine in July.

So, sure kids, let’s go shop.

Well, I guess that logic wins out.

At least Disney hasn’t tried to “clean up” the looks in Animal Kingdom yet. No white walls and open spaces here. It’s all color and patterns and wood.

Yeah... not a fan of Creations Shop. I mean it is still as big as Mouse Gear, more open even so that part isn't bad. But man, it's sterile. And all those windows? I had to put sunglasses on in the store.

Don’t let this smile fool you. Evie is the worst when it comes to making a decision. Even if it’s as simple as “how do you want your hair today?” Or “which shorts are you wearing to basketball practice?”

You have my sympathy. I can completely relate to this.

Disney height restrictions are a thing of the past for us now! (Evie hit 1.2 meters at DLP which is just under 48 inches, so I imagine the next time we go she’ll be tall enough for RNRC.)

That's awesome!!! I mean, maybe a little less awesome that they're growing up so fast, but great that you get to experience all the rides with them now!

Alex was trying to be polite and not jump into their conversation to help, but when they referred to Rise as the “Star Wars Rebel Ride” he had to help them out.

I've got to admit, I'll refer to things by the wrong names all the time... usually just to be a smart... butt though.

I mention these guys only because Alex and I ended up seeing them EVERYWHERE. Has this ever happened to you? You briefly talk with a fellow park goer and then for the next week you run into them? It was wild.

And you'll kind of keep an eye open looking for the people who you KNOW will be there at the same time and never see them once.

Did she love it as much this time around?

Absolutely!

It still ranks Number 1 on her list of Disney Treats.

I'm glad it lived up to her memory and expectations!

Give this girl Via Napoli pizza

Speaking of which... when I was there on 1/1, they didn't have the pepperoni pizza anymore. I'm not even a big pepperoni pizza fan, aside from theirs. The way they were cooked just crispy at the edges and juicy in the middle was part of the perfection of Via Napoli that I loved and I actually always got that there. Was kind of disappointed, but can't really go wrong with any of their pizzas.

Man, I never feel the passage of time more than when I’m on a coaster. Ten years ago, Alex and I rode EE back to back 4 times in a row, and we walked off fine. This time, I felt every jerk and turn.

Getting old stinks.

It’s pretty amazing to me that Landon understands his limits and respects them in regards to attractions. When it comes to play time at the park or shooting basketballs at the gym or stopping reading to go to bed, he always overdoes it. But roller coasters? He has hard boundaries.

He might just be more mature than I am in some ways.

But man, did the ice cream sure hit the spot. Sharing a cone was just enough to satisfy our sweet tooth without feeling bogged down with sugar. And sometimes, a simple ice cream is just what you need.

Gotta appreciate the basics as well.

He was the perfect theme park companion.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, phased him. Rain or shine, hot or cold, busy or empty, he was game for everything.

That's fantastic!!!

The positive to going through the standby line was that we got to see the normal queue.

That would be nice. I've always wanted to see it, but not bad enough to wait in a 2 hour line.

And my rib? While it twinged, I made sure to keep the back restraint loose and that helped tremendously.

Do I recommend riding FOP and EE with a recovering rib injury? No. It was probably a foolish decision, but I also felt less guilty because I’d gotten doctor’s clearance and it was 6 + weeks since the trauma.

I'm glad that you didn't cause yourself pain that would haunt you the rest of the trip!

“Landon, the way you’re acting, I have to ask….is Animal Kingdom now your favorite park???”


“It might be.”


YESSSS.


My job was done.

Just leaves more room for me in the other 3.

Honestly, I say AK is my least favorite Disney park, but I still love it. I just love the others a little bit more, primarily because of nostalgia. I was entering my jr year of HS when I visited AK for the first time, just a few months after it opened. And it was a skeleton of what it is now.

 

[rdkeim]

What a great day in AK! You covered a lot of ground and closed the place down. Not sure if AK is my favorite park but I do love it. I think it has the best theming of all the parks. No complaints from your DS - that's a big milestone! It's nice your next day was a rest day - perfect. Hope the ticket situation is easily fixed.

 

[piglet1979]

It sounds like you had a great. Now if I can only get my family to like AK. I am not a fan of all the rides as a few make me sick but I love zoo's and the animals. I haven't been able to get any of the to walk the trails yet. Maybe when we go this year.

If I remember from your other trip reports, you have stayed at the Swan and Dolphin. We are staying at the Swan this trip. It is the first trip not technically being on property. What did you think of it? This not being able to use a Magic Band and have everything together is giving me anxiety. So is figuring out how to get our tickets. We booked the room and tickets through Disney.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I've just finished reading your trip report all the way through. I can't believe how much the kids have grown. I've been reading since the beginning when Landon was just a baby. They are so sweet and I look forward to reading the rest of your trip report.

 

[amazingact21]

not only do I feel everything more acutely I also get motion sickness faster.

I used to never get motion sick on rides, but something changed after having kids. I remember the first attraction I rode after I had Landon was Test Track. It was first thing in the morning, I was well rested, and I got off going, "Whoa, where did THIS come from?"

Soft serve ice-cream is DH's favorite snack

Sometimes, the simplicity of a good ol' fashioned ice cream cone can't be beat.

Landon really is the perfect park companion. It amazed me how well John Paul did this last trip. No rides fazed him at all but his feet did get tired.

Give it a few more years, and I'm sure he'll be right up there with Landon. We'll struggle to keep up with them.

What a day!!!!
Fabulous fun. fantastic photos and some pretty amazing kids who handled it all brilliantly!

This was probably our most productive park day, and the kids handled it like champs. I'll admit, taking them to WDW is a lot easier now that they're older. As adorable as their little toothless smiles at Mickey Mouse were, I'm grateful not to be in the "walking circles around the sidewalk to let a toddler fall asleep in a stroller" stage anymore.

 

[amazingact21]

A bird once swooped down and grabbed an entire waffle off of Morgan's tray!!!! We also had a squirrel try and steal french fries from our table while we were swimming. We had covered them up and put a tray and a bag on top if it to protect it. And the squrriel was literally trying to figure out how to get to them. no shame!

Oh my gosh!! And people wonder why they're strongly urged not to feed the wildlife. Because they get too bold!
Squirells, though, they are on a different level of aggressive. Have you seen the squirell maze videos? It's ridiculous the lengths those critters will go to for some food.

Ugh!!! I have pictures of Gwen crying in Toys r Us about using her gift card something and just crying and crying about not knowing what to do about making a decision. I feel your pain. She still does it with clothes.... Teenage clothing is stressful now.

Noooo. I can only imagine your pain.
Evie's always been assertive in what types of clothes she likes. She has hard preferences on colors and pants. To the point it's almost exhausting. She hates jeans, hates them with a passion, and refuses to wear shorts that are shorter than bike shorts. Which is fine, I support her wearing what she's comfortable in, but she's soooo tall and thin for her age that even regular bike shorts in her size are too short for her taste. She actually wears her brother's old shorts.
I can only hope that this is the one area of her life she's decisive about.

I think they are done with Wishables, They switched to somthing else and they aren't as cute.

Thank goodness!

Speaking of which... when I was there on 1/1, they didn't have the pepperoni pizza anymore. I'm not even a big pepperoni pizza fan, aside from theirs. The way they were cooked just crispy at the edges and juicy in the middle was part of the perfection of Via Napoli that I loved and I actually always got that there. Was kind of disappointed, but can't really go wrong with any of their pizzas.

WHAT?!?!
Oh noooooo!
That's the only thing Alex likes from Via Napoli. It's going to be really hard to convince him to go back again now.


Speaking of your trip, how was it?!

I've always wanted to see it, but not bad enough to wait in a 2 hour line.

Agreed. The things we do for our kids...

Honestly, I say AK is my least favorite Disney park, but I still love it.

Pretty sure you and Alex would get along great. He's right there with you on the DAK feelings. He says all the time he could skip the park on a trip and be perfectly fine.

 

[amazingact21]

What a great day in AK! You covered a lot of ground and closed the place down.

It was a really busy park day.

It's nice your next day was a rest day - perfect.

I'm not sure we would have done as much in DAK if we knew we had to back to a park the next day. Knowing we would have time to rest really allowed us to stay as late as we wanted.

Now if I can only get my family to like AK. I am not a fan of all the rides as a few make me sick but I love zoo's and the animals. I haven't been able to get any of the to walk the trails yet. Maybe when we go this year.

Animal Kingdom is a park people either love or hate, and usually there's one of each in a family. It's funny how it works like that.

We are staying at the Swan this trip. It is the first trip not technically being on property. What did you think of it? This not being able to use a Magic Band and have everything together is giving me anxiety.

I really liked the Swan. I thought it was clean, spacious, the beds were comfortable, and the shower had good water pressure. However, we were only there for 2 nights, so take everything with a grain of salt.
We never used the buses or pools, nor never tried to get to DAK or MK from the Swan, so I can't speak for how easy it is. Getting to Epcot or DHS was really simple though, and if those are parks you'll be going to a lot then the Swan is really good.

We bought our tickets from Shades and uploaded them to our MDE app. While we couldn't use our MagicBands to open our room door, we still wore them on our park days to get into the parks and use Lightning Lanes.

 

[amazingact21]

I've just finished reading your trip report all the way through. I can't believe how much the kids have grown. I've been reading since the beginning when Landon was just a baby. They are so sweet and I look forward to reading the rest of your trip report.

The kids are growing up so fast! It's hard to believe Landon's the same kid I was toting around Disney as a little baby. It's been a joy to be able to take them back to WDW throughout their lives and see how much they've changed and grown between each visit. Soon, I'll blink and they won't even want to hang out with their old mom in the parks anymore.

 

[piglet1979]

I really liked the Swan. I thought it was clean, spacious, the beds were comfortable, and the shower had good water pressure. However, we were only there for 2 nights, so take everything with a grain of salt.
We never used the buses or pools, nor never tried to get to DAK or MK from the Swan, so I can't speak for how easy it is. Getting to Epcot or DHS was really simple though, and if those are parks you'll be going to a lot then the Swan is really good.

We bought our tickets from Shades and uploaded them to our MDE app. While we couldn't use our MagicBands to open our room door, we still wore them on our park days to get into the parks and use Lightning Lanes.

Thank you. I am not sure why I am so nervous about this but I guess because it is something new. This does help though

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Have you seen the squirell maze videos? It's ridiculous the lengths those critters will go to for some food.

We have! Have you watched the Mark Rober ones? They are the best.

he hates jeans, hates them with a passion,

Both of my girls hate Jeans. Covid kind of killed jeans a little in general. but both girls hav elong since refused to wear them

 

[amazingact21]

Thank you. I am not sure why I am so nervous about this but I guess because it is something new.

Well, Disney is complicated when you know what you're doing, so when you throw something new into the mix, it can be really unnerving.
I'm sure you know it, but you can add your Swan reservation to your MDE app, and I think that helps with using Extra Magic Hours.

Have you watched the Mark Rober ones? They are the best.

Yes! He has a 3.0 maze I still need to watch, but he's great. I made my parents watch his videos.

 

[amazingact21]

July 12th:


This morning of the trip was glorious, if for no other reason than the fact that Alex and I didn’t have to set an alarm for 6:55 a.m. Skipping Genie Plus is worth considering if only for the fact that you have to wake up early to make your first selection.

It’s cruel, Disney!



Alex and I needed to run to Publix and get some more eggs and fruit for the AirBnB, and while we were there we got some Pub subs for lunch. While there is nothing extraordinary about these subs, I like to get them occasionally for the nostalgia factor. I used to live in Central Florida, and my high school was right behind a Publix supermarket. Freshman year, my friends and I would sometimes stop in after school and buy a sub before walking across the street to the beach.

Eating a Pub sub nowadays takes me back…

(I wonder if Evie’s going to eat bangers and mash, which is her favorite go-to meal at pubs, and think back to her time in England. I hope so.)



Shortly after lunchtime, Alex’s mom and brother came over to the house to visit.

That was one great perk to having a rental home this trip. We were able to host and have plenty of room for people to sit around and hang out.



After a while, Alex and I left the kids to swim in the pool and chow down on watermelon with their Mimi, so Alex, his brother, and I could run over to Universal Studios.


We had a ticket situation to deal with.


In case you have forgotten, friends, or perhaps are just now tuning in, let me regale you with my family’s colossal mistake.



We left our tickets at home.


Yep.

Tucked away safe and sound in our house, thousands of miles away, across the Atlantic Ocean, were our paper tickets.


Brilliant move.


Before the trip, Alex had uploaded the barcode to the Universal App, and when we pulled the page up, it showed a number but whether that number would be enough to get us new tickets issued was the question.


The three of us made our way over to CityWalk, went through the process of bag check and strolling past the shops, until we made it to a ticket window.


We had to wait forever for an available Team Member, because there was a long line and it seemed everyone had trouble. Eventually, it was our turn, though, and we presented our problem to the poor TM stuck helping us.


At first glance, it wasn’t pretty.


You see, usually when one buys a special Military ticket, they are given a piece of paper with a barcode and a number written on it. That is the paper needed to “redeem” our actual tickets.


And that number on the paper, the one Alex uploaded to the Universal app, was sort of like a placeholder number. Like, a reservation number but not the confirmation number, if that makes sense.


For a few minutes there, it looked like there was nothing the Team Member could do. Alex was even going to so far as saying he could call Shades and see if they could reprint the tickets we bought.


The TM entered the number in our app into several different systems and finally something pulled up. She was able to see our transaction!


Hooray!


She had to manually go in and enter all four numbers into a new page to get our tickets printed and ready to go, but thankfully she was a good sport about it. She never grew impatient and worked all the angles she could until she came up with a solution.

Alex and I were so appreciative of her time and effort to work the problem out.


I’d say, start to finish, it took almost an hour to sort out.

Which, might I say, was a long time in the Florida afternoon at Universal’s ticket window. If you’ve ever been to them before, you know that the amount of shade you’re in depends on the time of day and which window you’re at.



But! No complaints from me. We just avoided a major roadblock and were in the clear. I wanted to laugh from the adrenaline and stress. What a mess we made…



For a few seconds after getting our tickets, Alex and I debated waltzing into the parks, just because we could.

Universal had an amazing military ticket deal, where we paid one price and got admission until December 31st. There were no blockout dates (there are this year) and the price was less than a 2-day park to park ticket package.


Really, it is one of the best military promotional packages I’ve seen in a very long time for the Florida theme parks. If my family lived closer, we would absolutely get the deal again and focus on Universal over Disney for that year. (Foreshadowing??? Nah, while the possible list is slightly smaller, we’re still waiting to find out where we’re going.)



Knowing Mimi was back at the house entertaining the kids, Alex and I were wise and skipped going into Universal. It was tempting, though!


Instead, we decided to get a sugar rush.





I love donuts, and the price of Voodoo is reasonable for theme park food.



We bought a dozen to take home:





Because we knew we’d have lots of guests in and out of the house soon, this left plenty for people to snack on.

But naturally, Alex and I had to try one out before going home. For quality control, of course. Couldn’t serve bad food to our company.



We both ate a peanut butter chocolate donut, and oh my gosh it was delicious! It must have been fresh, because it was super soft and gooey, practically dissolved in my mouth.

The following day, I enjoyed the coconut cake donut with a cup of coffee, and I really liked that one too. Highly recommend both of them.



Back at the house, we spent some time sitting around the living room, chatting with Alex’s mom and brother, using the break from the parks to rest. I am a big fan of taking a down day after three busy park days. That’s my number to keeping a good balance of not going too hard but not wasting vacation time.



For dinner this night, the group of us went to a hibachi restaurant in Kissimmee. It was a chain, I can’t remember which one, but it was delicious. The servings were massive, we all ended up taking leftovers home, and the kids loved watching the show. All in all, it was a wonderful time with family.



In the past, I have planned down days, but we end up doing so much that it’s not really “resting.” But this time, I felt like we were successful in saving our energy.


Some Gideon’s cookies for dessert, and I felt like we were ready to go to bed and hit another park day, hard. And we needed to be, because the time had come for us to FINALLY go to the Magic Kingdom.

Only 5 days into the trip.




Up Next: A Break in our Normal Programing to Discuss My April Trip

 

[piglet1979]

Well, Disney is complicated when you know what you're doing, so when you throw something new into the mix, it can be really unnerving.
I'm sure you know it, but you can add your Swan reservation to your MDE app, and I think that helps with using Extra Magic Hours.

You are so right.

We booked the room through Disney so it was in MDE pretty quickly. We did have to et special tickets (they are just holder tickets) to be able to reserve the parks. I am not 100% how we get our tickets but I am sure it is either at check in or we will stop at a customer service place to get them.

Your break day sounds awesome. We usually do a break in the middle of the week but we usually end up at Disney Springs for part of it. This trip there will be no break day. We are only going 6 nights and the kids will be going with band. They are marching in the parade on Easter Sunday. They only have 5 days since they're taking busses. We are approaching this trip with the mindset of midday breaks and only trying to get on rides that are new maybe a few nostalgic ones. We have to do It's a Small World. Thankfully we fly back on a Thursday and I don't have to go back to work until Monday. We will need that break.

 

[vamassey1]

Alex and I needed to run to Publix and get some more eggs and fruit for the AirBnB, and while we were there we got some Pub subs for lunch.

Publix is Danielle's go to grocery store.

That was one great perk to having a rental home this trip. We were able to host and have plenty of room for people to sit around and hang out.

That's a great perk with so much family nearby.

The TM entered the number in our app into several different systems and finally something pulled up. She was able to see our transaction!

So happy it worked out.

We bought a dozen to take home:

Wise decision.

. I am a big fan of taking a down day after three busy park days. That’s my number to keeping a good balance of not going too hard but not wasting vacation time.

We're going to try a break on our April trip at DH's request.

Up Next: A Break in our Normal Programing to Discuss My April Trip

Looking forward to this.