"Have a snickers, mom"-Oct 2015 TR

[iupalum]

I loved reading all the TRs prior to my trip in October. So I'm going to attempt to do my own. Before any introductions and details, I'll explain the title. Apparently in the beginning of our week long adventure, I was stressed and being a bit testy. Whereupon my 9 year old son told me to "have a snickers...you're just not yourself." LOL Totally put everything into perspective for me and I relaxed and we had the best trip ever. Now onto the good stuff.....

Cast of characters: myself and DH

My 9 year old DS


14 month old DD



and my mom


When: October 24-31, 2015
Resort: Pop Century

Day 1: Saturday Oct. 24 Arrival Day
We drove from Concord,NC...it took approximately 9 hours. Not too bad and the kids were well behaved on the long trip. I had already completed online check in prior to the trip. It was very smooth and quick. We were in the 70's bldg, room 129. It was right around the corner from the bus stops and the main hall. Great location. The room was small and a bit cramped with 2 beds and a pack and play. But we were only in the room long enough to shower and sleep. So we weren't complaining. After we got settled in, we walked over to the food court. DH had the buffalo chicken flatbread and DS had pizza and mac and cheese. Both were okay. I had a chicken sandwich; it was disgusting. DS had an Elvis cupcake...interesting. And DH had the carrot cake, which mostly consisted of icing. Bu he said it was good. Let me add that we had free dining, upgraded to 1 snack, 1 CS, and 1 TS. However, due to the dates we chose, our dining plan did not start until Sunday. Having the dining plan was the best investment. We loved having our meals paid for and it was plenty of food for all of us. Later after dinner, we walked around Pop and across the bridge to Art of Animation. AoA was very cool. DH stated that next time we go, we'll get a room there. *This was cause for jubilee because it took 3 years to convince DH to make the trip to begin with to WDW. And here he was on the first night talking about next time. By 8 pm, my mom texted me to say her flight had landed (she flew in from Pittsburgh, PA) and I met her in the lobby. Her room was right beside of ours. She had packed some Halloween window clings for my DS to decorate with. He roomed with her. Here are a few photos:


More to follow later...

 

[oceanmarina]

Joining in !! Wow, 9 hours in the car, glad the kids were good. That's nice that DH already has his sights on a return trip

Looking forward to reading more! ~ Marina

 

[iupalum]

Sunday Oct 25
Animal Kingdom
ADRs at Tusker House and Rainforest Cafe
Fast passes for Dinosaur, Lion King, and Expedition Everest

Woke up bright and early to catch the bus. Only waited 5 minutes. We had an 8:15 am breakfast ADR at Tusker House. They gave us a pager and within 5 minutes we were called for our table. The decor inside was beautiful. Buffet was delicious. DD had fruit and yogurt. I had frittata, waffles, and donut holes. YUM and the jungle juice....the best drink ever! We even got our refillable mugs filled before we left. The characters came around shortly after we sat down. The interactions were awesome. My DS loved it. DD not so much. LOL She was happy to see them across the table with DS. And she would wave and smile at them. But if they walked near her, she panicked. Not scream and cry; but try to climb out of the high chair. Then they had a parade where the kids could join in and play instruments. This ADR gets a huge 2 thumbs up.

Afterwards, I checked the MDE app and saw that the safari only had a 5 min. wait so we headed over there. WOW, what a ride. The animals were very active and we had a great ride. In fact, there was a long delay at one point where we just sat. Turned out a giraffe was blocking the jeep in front of us. Then he moved back and stood in front of our jeep! My DS is a huge animal lover and he was over the moon with this attraction. Next we headed over to Dinosaur to use our first fp. Due to DD age and size we used rider swap a lot. So DS and DH rode first; then DS rode with me and my mom. DS said he loved it...even though after looking at ride photos he was discovered to be cowering in the ride vehicle. LOL FP seats for Festival of the Lion King were really cool. This show was breathtaking. No photos, youtube videos, or trip reports could have prepared me for the majestic pageantry I would witness. We loved it. Then we used our last fp over at everest. This ride was AWESOME! I'm a coaster enthusiast and this did not disappoint. All of the trails were super cool to see the different animals up close and in person. There was even a silverback gorilla who made his presence known...he stood up, gave a "war cry", and beat his chest at us. On one trail, we spotted Terk from Tarzan. There were only 2 families in line. So we jumped in and DS got the autograph and a few photos. We also did a Bug's Life, which was ok in my opinion. During our adventures in AK, DS also participated in the Wilderness Explorers program. As stated earlier, DS loves animals/dinosaurs/and facts...so this was his cup of tea. Finally to end the day we went to Rainforest Cafe for ADR. I had the flat iron steak with mashed potatoes and green beans. DS had hot dog and fries, DH had ribs, and my mom got taste of the islands, which included shrimp, tilapia, and scallops. DD didn't qualify for meal plan but still eats table food. So we had to pay out of pocket for her meals. She had grilled chicken and applesauce. For dessert we got VOLCANO! Everything, from decor to food to service, was excellent.

 

[iupalum]

quick note/question...i'm trying to attach pics to my report, and it's not working. i click the upload file button, but then it tells me the file is too large. the pics are saved on my computer. how else do i do this? TIA

 

[iupalum]

Finally got the hang of getting pictures ready to post. LOL So here we go (and from now I'll insert them within my entries):
Here are some shots from our resort and from our walk over to AoA

 

[iupalum]

And here are the photos from the wonderful day we experienced in Animal Kingdom.

 

[iupalum]

 

[iupalum]

 

[iupalum]

Monday October 26th was our Epcot day. We only waited about 10 minutes for the bus.

Once we got there Test Track only had a 20 minutes wait so we used rider swap for it. We all loved it!!! We used our fast passes on Crush, Nemo, and Soarin. Really wasn't a need for it on Crush or Nemo; but we didn't know what else to use them on. Crush's technology was cool to witness. Nemo was ok. The aquarium was really neat.

Soarin was enjoyable. On our way to lunch, we saw Chip and Dale come out. So we waited in a short line to meet them.

We ate lunch at Sunshine Seasons. I had a turkey sandwich and strawberry shortcake. It was good. Afterwards we began our trip around the world. We started in Mexico, then China, Norway, and Germany. I had created a passport for DS to get signed/stamped. He also participated in the Agent P interactive missions. These were really cool and he really got into them.

We only make it 1/2 way through the world, though. Dinner was at the Biergarten. We had an awesome time. The buffet was delicious and we loved the entertainment.

Then we found a spot for Illuminations. This was very cool.

Had a great day; just wish we could have explored more of the World and try out the food and wine booths.

 

[iupalum]

Tuesday October 27 Hollywood Studios


Star Tours had no wait when we got there! We used rider swap...in fact we came back and used rider swap several times! LOL We loved this ride, rode it at least 6 times, and each time was a different scenario.


Then we rode Toy Story with fast pass. This was a lot of fun; even though my mom kicked my butt! LOL Upon exiting, we saw that the wait time to meet Buzz and Woody was 20 minutes so we jumped in line. The interactive displays they had helped keep DD entertained while waiting. Some pixie dust that occurred while in line...there was a foreign couple in front of us and just as they were ready to meet the characters, I noticed their click sharpie quit working. DS offered them ours to use. After their visit, they returned the sharpie and also gave DS a Disney Tokyo button.


Next we saw the Indiana Jones stunt show and then Lights Camera Action. They were pretty neat to see the special effects. It began drizzling a bit so we had to break out the ponchos. We went for lunch at the Backlot Express. I had a turkey and cheese with a strawberry parfait. It was really good. Next we checked out the Muppet 3D ride and the great movie ride. Finally we had a dinner ADR at 50's Primetime Cafe. The atmosphere was really cool. I had a chicken caesar salad with apple crisp. Delicious!


Some bummers to the day...Dinner took so long that we missed Fantasmic. Never got the chance to ride Rock and Roller Coaster...it was down earlier in the day and then we it started back up, the wait times were too long and trying to get a fast pass didn't fit into our schedule. Overall, this was the one park I could have done without. The only things that made it fun and worthwhile were Toy Story and Star Tours.

 

[iupalum]

Wednesday October 28 Magic Kingdom

We had an 8:15 ADR at Crystal Palace. Best thing we could have done...not only was it a wonderful experience, it got us into the park early before the crowds. The buffet was delicious, the decor beautiful, and the characters lovely. They very quickly made their way to our table but spent such a sweet time with DS.

 

[iupalum]

Afterwards we had time for pics of the castle with not many people in the park. And as cliche as it sounds, yes I did get misty-eyed when I saw the castle.

Next we had fast passes for 7DMT. Great idea...when we got there, the wait was already up to 70 minutes and the park had just opened! Cute ride.

Next we had fast passes for BTMRR; we also used rider swap. This was awesome! DS loved it. Although it started raining pretty hard. Because of the rain, we did not ride Splash...we figured we were wet enough. LOL Next we went to Tomorrowland and rode Space Mtn. DH and DS loved this ride; me not so much. I like to see where I'm going. Then we separated and DH took DS to ride Stitch; while my mom and I took DD to Dumbo. There wasn't much of a wait so we skipped the inside play area. DD loved it. DH wasn't so crazy about his ride. LOL

We then did jungle cruise and the tiki room. DD is a huge fan of music and dancing so she was clapping and bouncing along to the singing birds. We were all feeling pretty soggy so we took a break and went back to our resort room to dry out. Upon return to MK, we rode the speedway (which was boring in our opinions) and buzz's light spin. I saw that Anastasia and Drizella were coming out. I decided to see if face characters were better for DD. We only waited about 10 minutes and when it was our turn, DD ran right up to them.

Later DS wanted to ride Space again. So he and DH took another turn; while DD was excited to join the Incredible dance party. We had dinner at Cosmic Rays. Very good choice. Finally we found a spot on the sidewalk right in front of the castle to get ready for the electric parade. It was awesome!!!!!!!!

 

[iupalum]

Thursday October 29 Disney Springs and MNSSHP
We decided to take it easy today. We slept in after our late night. Caught the bus around 9 am. Walked around the stores, being sure to stop at DS's fave...the Lego store.

We checked out the Christmas shop and the World of Disney. We had a lunch ADR at T-Rex for 11:30 am. We were seated in the Ice Cave. DS LOVES dinosaurs and was not disappointed in this place. I had a stuffed chicken and it was delicious.

 

[iupalum]

We returned to the resort to get ready for the party. DS selected our characters: DS was Hook, DH was Peter Pan, I was Wendy, and DD was Tink. We had fast passes for Peter Pan, Pooh, and Under the Sea.

We also visited Enchanted Tales with Belle.

Had dinner at Pinocchio Haus; very good. DS did some trick or treating; the lines were extremely long and he wasn't really interested in it. We rode Big Thunder again (twice); really cool to do so in the dark. Then we found a spot on Main Street for the parade.

 

[iupalum]

DS was beyond excited that Jack Sparrow tipped his hat to him; a fellow pirate.

We moved up to the front of the park to watch Celebrate the Magic and Hallowishes. Both were awesome. And more pixie dust...right before fireworks I was taking DD for a stroller ride to calm her down/pass the time/put her to sleep. A cast member approached us and asked "would it be all right for princess to have a balloon?" and she lovingly tied a glowing mickey balloon to DD's stroller.

 

[iupalum]

Friday October 30th Typhoon Lagoon
As part of getting free dining, we chose the water park and more option. We slept in again and went to the water park around 9. We found some chairs under a canopy in the kiddie section. Then DS and DH went off to ride. They had a blast. My mom and I stayed with DD. She could splash around in the standing water but was too small for the slides. We did all ride the lazy river; where DD ended up taking her nap. I did get to ride Crush and Gush with DS; that was pretty cool. We walked over to AoA food court for dinner. That was really good. Finally we headed back and took a dip in the Pop pool. We were sad for our adventure to be coming to an end. But because of all the awesome advice I got from the boards, it was very magical and enjoyable. And I can't wait for our next trip.

 

[sahm2two]

Joining in! We are planning a trip for October of this year, so I'm enjoying finding TRs for the same time last year!

 

[iupalum]

Joining in! We are planning a trip for October of this year, so I'm enjoying finding TRs for the same time last year!

It was a great time to visit. Not too crowded; gorgeous weather. Definitely would go again in October.