Winging it with No Dinning Plan! A Feb. Trip Report

[SweetSerenity]

Those fries and onion rings look delicious! We look Flame Tree Barbecue, especially at night when it has cooled down and you can eat under the covered pavilion. What a lovely view!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Food Breakdown: Day Two

Today was a bit more dinning plan like, as we ate 2 counter service meals, and I totally could see us eating the same stuff on the meal plan. Most of the drinks I had today, wouldn't have been included and I def would have gotten them regardless, so this really don't count in this excersize. I think we would have burned (5) Counter Service Credits and (5) Snack Credits today!

I also find it interesting that we spent more today but that is probably due to the drinks from Thirsty River.

Thirsty River Drinks: $15.97
TriloBites: $8.51
Restaurantous Lunch: $24.99
Boneyard Graveyard Drink: $3.29
Mr. Kamal's: $5.64
Thirsty River Drinks (Round 2): $20.22
Pongo Pongo Drinks: $16.99
Flame Tree BBQ: $54.44
Total Cost: $149.25


The dinning plan would have cost us: $1,791.86

Travel Day: Food Total: $37.56
Day One: Food Total: $142.45
Day Two: Food Total: $149.25
Remaining Balance: $1,462.60

 

[iheartbelle87]

Loving all of the photos of AK at night !

You could almost not see what you were eating! But we had this as our view!

Amazing view!

how can you go wrong with plastic cheese and pulled pork!

This picture cracks me up! The man in the back row... And then Morgan is just looking straight ahead cool as a cucumber.

Ok now I'm literally lol'ing!!

 

[Tracy161]

Like SUPER DARK. You could almost not see what you were eating! But we had this as our view!

Gorgeous view!!! I'd like views like that for all my meals

These were really good! I mean how can you go wrong with plastic cheese and pulled pork!

You can't go wrong with that combo!

Our romantic evening... riding on a dinosaur... in a circle....

Great picture of you two, so there's that at least

I took this picture because I mean when do you EVER see that as the wait time!

Almost never!

This picture cracks me up! The man in the back row... And then Morgan is just looking straight ahead cool as a cucumber.

I love making "scared" faces on Dinosaur, but I can't tell if that guy is serious or not Love Morgan's "no big whoop" pose

were getting off the bus that night at 8:48pm!

What?! By how dark it was, I would have guessed WAY later!

 

[missangelalexis]

What a full day you guys had! You really took advantage of the low waits that night which is awesome!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Love, Love, Love AK at night!!! I can't believe you guys made it for 12 hours non-stop. Way to go--see you are totally ready for Disney NYE!!

 

[amazingact21]

Expedition Everest at night is one of my favorite Disney rides! It's such a different experience than in the daytime; I'm glad you were able to give it a try!

Oh my gosh, that ride photo from Dinosaur is hilarious. Morgan's straight face while everyone else is showing some kind of reaction had me laughing.

 

[vamassey1]

But we had this as our view!

Beautiful! The best thing about eating here is the views.

And basically told them to suck it up. (as any good mom does)

You go Mom! I do it too all the time.

I went with the Pulled Pork Loaded Fries. These were really good! I mean how can you go wrong with plastic cheese and pulled pork!

Now I want to try these. We ate here in February, Michelle and I split a pulled pork sandwich.

he girls got a second wind after eating dinner and now with the sun down, it was cool out.

A little food and rest was all they needed.

We used the bathroom in Dinoland, and decided to take another spin on the girls new favorite ride!

Again!

Our romantic evening... riding on a dinosaur... in a circle....

Of course . . . it's Disney.

We then went across the way and rode Primevil Whirl AGAIN!!!!!

Our ride photo. We LOVED riding it at night! It was so fun and really is almost a different ride at night. I loved it! It will now be a must do for us to ride at night.

I totally agree! I love it at night too. We had to work real hard to do this in May last year due to the rain.

This picture cracks me up! The man in the back row... And then Morgan is just looking straight ahead cool as a cucumber.

And AGAIN, a bus miracle, French Quarter was the first stop! I woke the girls up and we were back at the resort.

Great bus karma! Not often this happens.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Almost never!

Right! I think most of the time, even if it is no wait they put some sort of time up.

I love making "scared" faces on Dinosaur, but I can't tell if that guy is serious or not Love Morgan's "no big whoop" pose

He has to be really surprised.

What?! By how dark it was, I would have guessed WAY later!

It was really dark out. Maybe because it was February, but it was dark!

What a full day you guys had! You really took advantage of the low waits that night which is awesome!

I am really not sure how we survived the day!

I can't believe you guys made it for 12 hours non-stop. Way to go--see you are totally ready for Disney NYE!!

I really don't know how we made it. The evening was not planned that way for sure! It wasn't as busy as NYE for sure!

Expedition Everest at night is one of my favorite Disney rides

I think you were the first to talk about how fun it was to ride it at night. If I remember correctly....

Again!

I know right! Most people skip the ride all together and we rode it 3 times! Just wait, we repeat a ride the next day a couple times.

Great bus karma! Not often this happens.

I was VERY thankfully.

 

[missjackiemcg]

It wasn't as busy as NYE for sure!

Well, that's true, but at least you know you can make it that long!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day Three: Magic Kingdom - Changes before the day even Begins!

Today we were headed to Magic Kingdom today! After our marathon day yesterday, I knew we had to make some modifications to our plans.

Original Plans for today:
Park Hours: 8:00 - 12:00
Fast Passes:
Talking Mickey 10:20 - 11:20
7DMT 3:35 - 4:35
Meet Cinerella & Elena: 7:00 - 7:30
Lunch Reservation: The Plaza @ 11:20
Special Reservation: Bibbity Boppity Boutique @ 6:00


So, I was very much looking for finally trying The Plaza for lunch, so our choices were to

A) Cancel Talking Mickey Fast Pass and just head to the park in time for our Lunch Reservation and stay into the evening.
or
B) Cancel 7DMT, head into the park early, go back tot he room and rest for awhile. Then come back for some evening fun.

Now, I really wanted to meet Talking Mickey since it was rumored to be going away and we had never done it. So, as much as it pained us... we decided to cancel our fast 7DMT fast pass. I just knew there was no way we would make it to BBB at 6:00 if we stayed all day. Plus, I wanted them to enjoy there do's for awhile after.

So, our new plan for the day:
Park Hours: 8:00 - 12:00
Fast Passes:
Talking Mickey: 10:20 - 11:20
Meet Cinderella & Elena: 7:00 - 7:30
Enchanted Tales with Belle: 8:45 - 9:45
Lunch Reservations: The Plaza @ 11:20 w/ us leaving DIRECTLY after lunch to rest at the hotel
Special Reservation: Bibbity Boppity Boutique @ 6:00

We also, decided to play it by ear as to what time the girls woke up. They thankfully woke up around 7:00 am. Which is a good extra hour of sleep for them but not too bad for trying to still get to MK before 9:00 opening for everyone.

The girls woke up and checked out what Tinkerbell left them today. And Gwen was SUPER excitied! The girls have never done BBB, they never asked and I just let it go. On our September trip she asked if she could do it. And I said that maybe on the next trip. So, between trips I called to do it this time. And of course they only had late in the day times. So, I decided to just take what we could get.


I decided to go with dresses more fancy than princess-y since they were a bit older. And the wrappings have some fancy jewelry. We have a store here in South Jersey called Charming Charlie, and they have jewelry of all kinds and prices. And I just happened to go when they were doing clearance sale. So I got the girls each a necklace and bracelet for SUPER cheap! And the dresses I got on sale on clearance from Gap. I think they were "Christmas" dresses that they were trying to unload.


The girls checking out the goods.


Gwen was pleased with my choice!


Morgan had been on the fence about doing BBB or not. And since she knew about this trip, I was able to talk to her about it. She finally decided to do it. Which I am glad she did, I was afraid she would have felt left out when Gwen was doing it. And they do have an age limit on it. And I think we was dangerously close to it. I think seeing the jewelry she was happy she decided to do it.


Gwen of course decided she needed to try on her outfit.

After they got all of the excitement out of there system, we rushed to get ready and head out of the room. We some how managed to get out of the room at 7:45!



And because of the time we left, we were greeted at the bus stop with this sight!

Not sure how long we waited for a bus, but I have us getting to this view at 8:30.

And I remember there being a VERY long line to get to that point in Security. Morgan and Gwen were not very patient this morning and Andy and I were already glad that we had changed our plans.

We got through the tapstiles fairly quickly and we headed towards Tomorrowland (Surprise!). Since it wasn't 9:00 yet, we scanned our bands again with the CM at the bridge. One couple totally cut in front of us, which of course mad Morgan angry. (And me too) But she got over it quickly. (and me too)

We headed towards Space Mountain but the posted sign said 30 minutes already and the line was outside the building. (probably because they were scanning everyones bands before going in) We decided to get out of line regardless and headed over to Buzz as there was no line and we hadn't gone on that yet.


I tried to grab a few photos as we walked though.







I do have to say, I hate this ride! I have no idea where I am shooting. So, I played for a bit and then just tried to get a photo of the girls.





Here is proof that I wasn't really playing...

Because well, here is Andy & My scores...


And the girls scores


Everyone had fun on the ride, even if we all basically suck at it..

We got a picture with Zurg and then headed out for some more fun!


Our next stop ended up being a multiple ride stop! Where would we go next?!?!

 

[Tracy161]

What great Tinkerbell gifts the girls woke up to! I can't wait to hear how they liked BBB

OMG I have no idea what I'm doing on Buzz either and don't really understand the appeal, to be honest. It's still fun and cute, but I don't ride it to with a goal of having a good score in mind Although somehow in January I managed to totally max out and I have NO IDEA HOW!

 

[MeghanEmily]

I feel like it got dark fast! And I feel like Animal Kingdom as a whole needs better lighting! There are spots all over that just seem so dark!

I'd never really thought about it before, but you're right. Animal Kingdom is super dark at night and not very well-lit.

I went with the Pulled Pork Loaded Fries. These were really good! I mean how can you go wrong with plastic cheese and pulled pork!

Yumm!!

Our romantic evening... riding on a dinosaur... in a circle....

This picture cracks me up! The man in the back row... And then Morgan is just looking straight ahead cool as a cucumber.

Hahah this is a great picture!

We got to the bus stop and there was a LONG line of people. Andy and I thought for sure we would need to wait for at least the 2nd if not 3rd bus to get on. But we just told the girls to be prepared to wait. And then... the bus gods happened... One bus showed up just as we were getting in line. And I thought ok, at least one bus will fill up and leave. But THEN ANTOHER bus came and pulled up right in front of the other bus! They loaded the 1st bus with the folks in the front and then directed everyone to the second bus that pulled in 2nd. AND we managed to get on that bus. We had to stand but I didn't care! We waited only as long as it took for everyone to walk onto the buses. It was a Disney Bus Miracle!

No way! That's much better than it could have been with such a long line.

The girls asked to walk back to the room with there shoes off. I said they could. (This became a tradition from the late nights)

Fortunately, Disney is usually very clean! I love this. Sometimes you're just too tired for shoes.

. One couple totally cut in front of us, which of course mad Morgan angry. (And me too) But she got over it quickly. (and me too)

I hate this, too. Like Morgan, I have a strong sense of justice!

I love the outfits the girls got for BBB! Can't wait to see pictures!

 

[vamassey1]

Now, I really wanted to meet Talking Mickey since it was rumored to be going away and we had never done it. So, as much as it pained us... we decided to cancel our fast 7DMT fast pass. I just knew there was no way we would make it to BBB at 6:00 if we stayed all day. Plus, I wanted them to enjoy there do's for awhile after.

That's a real hard choice. I think you made the right one.

The girls woke up and checked out what Tinkerbell left them today. And Gwen was SUPER excitied!

Tinkerbell is awfully good to the girls!

We have a store here in South Jersey called Charming Charlie,

We have this too. I love it but get overwhelmed sometimes, there is just so much too see.

Morgan had been on the fence about doing BBB or not. And since she knew about this trip, I was able to talk to her about it. She finally decided to do it. Which I am glad she did, I was afraid she would have felt left out when Gwen was doing it. And they do have an age limit on it. And I think we was dangerously close to it. I think seeing the jewelry she was happy she decided to do it.

This is a hard one. Danielle would never ask to go but would look longingly at other girls who did it. We planned a surprise trip Mardi Gras 2010 when she was 10. I made the reservation for her and her cousin. She did feel a little out of place but overall really enjoyed it. I'm glad we did it. I hope Morgan enjoyed it too.

Gwen of course decided she needed to try on her outfit.

She is rocking her outfit!

I tried to grab a few photos as we walked though.

You got some really great pictures here.

We got a picture with Zurg and then headed out for some more fun!

Cute! I really hate that they added the extra bars. The girls really liked being able to get in the cage with Zurg.

 

[iheartbelle87]

Gwen of course decided she needed to try on her outfit.

haha she is so cute!! The girls dresses were so cute!

I do have to say, I hate this ride! I have no idea where I am shooting. So, I played for a bit and then just tried to get a photo of the girls.

I also hate this ride but its bc I got 'stuck' on it for a good 15 min once (which is actually a long time when the same music just keeps playing over and over and over...)

 

[missangelalexis]

The dresses you got the girls are so pretty! And I love Charming Charlie!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I love Charming Charlie's!!!! They have SUCH cute stuff, and I really like that you can find just about any color.

Gwen posing in her dress LOL She is TOO much!!!

Definitely a good call taking it slow in the a.m. rather than going full force again.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Because well, here is Andy & My scores...

You still did better than me! I really really suck at it! Last weekend I barely hit 10,000 points.

 

[ariane37]

Morgan loves it! And I am pretty sure we will never see her again!

The walls are awesome!!!

and grabbed myself a Mo'Hara Margarita! YUM!!!! I

Last week was the first time since Pandora opened that I didn't get one of these, and when I realized it I was sad

We stopped and no one was moving. I was starting to wonder if the ride was going down. We were waiting at a part where you could see the regular line through some glass, and I was really surprised at how many families were in that line with small kids! That is a LONG wait for little kids! Finally we started moving again and we got into a prep room around 5:30. (Not bad considering what other people were waiting)

We rode FOP 3x in March and each time, got stopped right before going into the first room. For anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes, it was nuts. We had FP's every time but once, it took us over an hour from the time we got in line until we got out!

You could almost not see what you were eating! But we had this as our view!

That is definitely a pretty view

I would say overall, Flame Tree BBQ was just ok

I agree. We've only eaten there once, a couple years ago. Tried it because so many love it. The only thing we thought was great was the jalapeno cornbread, which I hear they've gotten rid of or are getting rid of? However the fries sound delicious so I may have to try them!

We LOVED riding it at night! It was so fun and really is almost a different ride at night. I loved it! It will now be a must do for us to ride at night.

YES! Once we did EE at night we realized how different and fun it is! Now mine and Ricky's favorite time to ride it.

One bus showed up just as we were getting in line. And I thought ok, at least one bus will fill up and leave. But THEN ANTOHER bus came and pulled up right in front of the other bus!

Gwen of course decided she needed to try on her outfit.

OMG not only are the dresses adorable but I love Gwen in this picture lol

 

[amazingact21]

I prefer the dresses you got the girls over the standard princess ones! I know my daughter, personally, would be much more likely to wear a nice dress like that once she got home whereas a costume would remain untouched. (As evidenced by her 3 costumes she has currently sitting at the bottom of her toy chest...)
I miss Charming Charlie, such a great store for inexpensive costume jewelry!

I don't get the love for Buzz. The version here in Disneyland Paris has the removable guns, which helps but I still think it's inferior to Toy Story Mania. But I'm sure the girls had fun riding together and trying to aim the lasers and that's all that matters.