Our first family trip.

[krist10]

Hi, I am Kristen. I am 28. I have been to Disney several times but this is my first trip since I was 18. My husband, Eddie is 32 and this was his and our 6 year old son Nick's first trips. This is my first attempt at a trip report although I have been lurking on the boards for awhile.

Planning my trip was a little crazy because every time I had a date something like a wedding came up but we finally settled on the last week of July. I booked in AllStarMovies but got a couplon code for Music so switched to it. We did not do the dining plan and only made a few reservations but I did stay up until midnight when my window opened to book fastpasses.

Travel Day
We live in Alabama and decided to drive. It took about 8 hours but we left super early but arrived to check in at about 2. We did the online checkin which was wonderful because we were able to go right to the room and open the door with our magic bands. We got everything unloaded and headed to downtown Disney. Downtown Nick decided to pin trade so we bought a lanyard and some mystry pins. We had a 7pm reservation at Rainforest but had not eaten all day so split a sandwich and mac and cheese and Earl of sandwich and it was the best sandwich of the trip. We walked around a little more ate at Rainforest then went back to the hotel to get ready for our first day in the park.

 

[krist10]

First Day in Magic Kingdom
We arrived about 30 minutes before opening and were able to get close enough to see the opening show. If you haven't made it to the opening show I highly recommend seeing it at least once. Nick wanted to meet Mickey first so we got in line. As soon as we got in line I realized that in all my planning I completely forgot about autographs. I jumped out of line hoping to buy a pen and autograph book before the line got longer but there system was down and I had to change registers twice but we were still able to meet Mickey with only a 15 minute wait. Nick had on a pirate shirt so Mickey kept making pirate sound and then did the hot dog dance with him.

We met Mickey a few times on the trip but the one in the theater is the most interactive and fun by far. After that we headed to tomorrow land and while waiting on the restroom stumbled upon the Stitch photo op.

We then rode Buzz Lightyear and Stitch as walkons. We had a Pirates League Reservation at 2. So I started our fast passes early. The first was BTMR. So we headed there but stopped by and rode the Magic Carpets. We then made it to BTMR which was Nick's non fair rollercoaster and he loved it. We went and got autographs with Aladdin and Jasmine. They were also a great character interaction and talked to Nick for about 10 minutes about the Genie and Raja. Then it was time for Splash Mountain fp. When we got off the ride it was raining so we stopped to buy ponchos. When we came out of the store the rain had stopped and some new friends were out for pictures. We were able to meet Woody and Jessie with almost no wait. Nick did not like Splash Mountain but had found a new love in meeting characters and we had been lucky in meeting them so far.

Then is was time for Space Mountain. After Nick hated Splash Mtn. I got really nervous but he loved it and said it was one of his favorite rides. Then it was time for Nick to become Jake. He loved the experience. We did wait almost an hour even though we had an appointment and Im not sure if we would do it again but am glad we did it on this trip.

While we were waiting I went and got fast passes for the Jungle Cruise because it had a 40 minute wait. After Pirates League we had burgers at Pecos Bills and did the Tiki Room then went on the Jungle Cruise. I picked up a fast pass for Laugh floor and we did that. We then just walked around and then took the walkway to the Contemporary for The Pirates and Pals Fireworks Cruise. We loved the fireworks cruise. It was an uncrowded way to see the fireworks the snacks were good and we were able to meet Captain Hook, Mr. Smee and Peter Pan. After that we decided to head back and get some rest for the next day.

 

[luckylady]

Sounds like a busy but great first day. Can't wait to read more.

 

[jillt2ph]

Can you tell us what kind of snacks they had for the P&P cruise? I am trying to decide if I want to do the Merry & Bright Dessert Party of the Pirates & Pals Cruise, so any info is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[krist10]

Can you tell us what kind of snacks they had for the P&P cruise? I am trying to decide if I want to do the Merry & Bright Dessert Party of the Pirates & Pals Cruise, so any info is appreciated. Thanks!

They had a sheet cake, cotton candy, popcorn and some chips and crackers. There was not a huge variety but everything was good. They also do trivia for a small prize and they make sure all the kids have a prize when they leave. Nick was really really into the characters so this was worth it because of the character experience. It is also a really neat view of the fireworks and you get to see the water pageant. I get stressed out in really crowded areas so sitting on main street to watch fireworks just doesn't work for me so this was a great way to experience them.

 

[krist10]

On Tuesday we headed to Hollywood Studios. Nick is huge into Starwars so our first goal was to get signed up for Jedi Training Academy. We arrived before rope drop and headed straight to sign ups. We were able to get the second show which was great because it started raining a little after lunch and I don't think they were able to do the afternoon shows. I would recommend going to the first and doing an early show if you have a chance especially in the summer because the weather may not be on your side. Since we didn't have a lot of time we walked onto The Great Movie Ride and then stopped to meet some friends.

Then it was time to line up for Jedi Academy. Nick absolutely loved this. It does take a good bit of time but we had plenty of time to do everything we wanted in HS.

 

[krist10]

After that we had a pirate friend to meet.

Then we walked onto the Little Mermaid which I love and it was starting to rain so we were able to get dry for a bit. Then it was time for lunch. I made reservations for Hollywood and Vine under the Fantasmic! package. The food was ok for a character buffet but I booked this solely for the character interaction and I was not impressed. It is set up more like a dance party and the individual character interaction was rushed and it takes a long time to see all the characters because they see a small section then stop and dance.

I would not choose to do this one again but maybe with a younger child who wants to see the characters but not have a lot of individual interaction. After lunch we stopped by to say hey to.........

And then went to the streets of America to see some more friends

After that it was time to start our fast passes. We did ToT which I was scared Nick would hate but he loved it. We then slowly walked around and did some pin trading. We also stopped to play on the Honey I shrunk the kids movie set. Then it was time for Toy story which was one of Nick's top picks. Then it was time for Star tours. After that we spent a lot of time in the star wars shop and built a light saber and 2 droids. These are great souvenirs for little boys because they can make them how they like. We walked around a little more did some pin trading and then went to Sci-fi for dinner. The food was ok nothing special. I don't even remember what we ordered. It was so dark though which is a different experience. I thought that it would be ok but it was really strange eating in the dark. I would probably eat here again but would prepare myself for that, we also had to wait about 40 minutes past our reservation time so we were so hungry when it was time to eat. After dinner we rode star tours one more time and then decided just to head back because Nick was tired and just wanted to go to the arcade. I was sad about missing Fantasmic as it is my favorite but knew the key to a good trip was following my child's cues and not forcing him to stay out late.

 

[krist10]

Been a while, but hopefully will get this finished up soon. Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday. On Wednesday we went back to the Magic Kingdom. I had not checked park opening and just assumed it was the same time as Monday so when we arrived what I though was an hour early the gates were opening. Today's plan was Fantasyland but Nick wanted to ride Buzz Lightyear and Space Mountain again, so we headed to tomorrow land first. We walked onto Buzz and waited about 5 minutes for Space Mountain. On the way Nick wanted to ride Tomorrow land Speedway. So he and Eddie did that while I made a couple calls and had a snack. I like that you can sit in the Grandstand and watch. It's not really a ride I wanted to ride alone but it was nice to still be able to see them. On the way into Fantasyland Nick said he needed to stop for a restroom break and when we stopped we noticed a line, when I asked the castmember she said it was Gaston and the line was about to close. We were so happy to get in this line at just the right time, as with many times this trip we had alot of luck happening upon characters.

Gaston was absolutely awesome. Nick talked to him for about 15 minutes and when he told him that he saw his bow and arrow in the gift shop, Gaston insisted that Nick see his real bow and arrow and took him into Gaston's tavern. This was by far the coolest character interaction and made Nick's day.

After that we rode barnstormer and Dumbo. While we were waiting for Dumbo I started looking for somewhere for lunch and found a 2pm opening at BOG which was right between fastpasses. I was unable to book online but when I called got the reservation. I was so excited to be able to go in the castle. After Dumbo, we rode Its a small world and then our Peter Pan fast pass. Peter pan wait time was over an hour so I was really glad we did a fast pass. We also did the Little Mermaid which was only about a 5 minute wait and was so pretty. It was the first time I had ridden it and I loved it. Then it was time for Be OUr Guest. The line seemed really long but we were in and out within 45 minutes so everything ran very smoothly. I had the Crouque Monsieur and loved it, it was just the right amount of salty. Eddie had the prime roast sandwich and said it was also great. Nick had the macaroni and also liked it. BOG was a little more expensive than other counter service but the quality of the food was higher and the atmosphere was definitely worth it. After that we had to rush to make our Ana and Elsa Fastpass. Elsa is very formal and Ana is a lot of fun and excitement. Nick loved Ana but was not impressed with Elsa.

Next was 7D mine train. Next time I will definitely plan better so that we can ride this one more than once. It was one of Nick's favorites but the standby was always way to long to wait. After that we went the circus to see this guy:

Then we did some souvenir shopping, bought a couple new pins and did some trading. We then went to ride Winnie the Pooh. THis was about a 30 minute wait and I think the longest line we waited in this trip. We then walked around a bit and did some pin trading and headed to CHef Mickey's. I think next time we will try this one for breakfast instead. After dinner we went back and rode the train and the Magic Carpets and BTMR. We then did a little more shopping and bought some popcorn as a snack on the way back to the hotel.