She's a big sister and an expedition leader: A party of 8 with a 9 month old September 2016 TR

[GrandCalifornian]

The villas building has a billiard table. It is a great place to hang out while waiting for the Magical Express. I am terrible at billiards but that doesn't stop me from playing. The BC and the WL are our two favorite resorts.

We enjoyed walking through the villas building and checking out the resort. Stopping at the Marketplace there for mug refills seems to work well for us, so we can take a brief mid day resort break even if it isn't our resort. We gave some thought to staying there next time, but we decided that we all love WL so much that we couldn't justify the extra cost.

It doesn't look like there were very many people there that night. Were you there at the beginning of Food & Wine?

Yeah, we were there for the start of Food and Wine, which worked out well so we could see Epcot with it and without it. I think this night was the second night it was open. It got a lot busier over the weekend.

That is cute. I can see why Marshall would like playing with Pumba and his grubs.

We are suckers for cute stuffed animals, and this one is really unique. In all our shopping we didn't see it anywhere else besides the WL mercantile, so we are glad we got it.

Loving your report

Thanks, we're glad you are following along. It takes us a while to get the updates together, but we enjoy having the trip documented to look back on. We should have an update from Saturday coming soon.

Just read the whole thing. You guys make me want to stay at Wilderness Lodge! The views from your room were so awesome.

We absolutely love WL! It was our first WDW resort, but it is just perfect for us. We have had a variety of different room views, but this was our favorite. Ironically it is the least expensive category room we have wound up with, so for now at least it is a great deal. We fear they will charge more for theme park view in the future.

Both kids are totally adorable and I love the name Marshall.

I love the way you guys travel with a big group since it seems to work quite nicely.

Glad you guys get to go back this year!

Thanks so much. We had a hard time coming up with a boy name we could agree on, and Marshall was Melissa's great great Grandfather's name, and her Dad's middle name, so it worked out well.

This was a first time for us traveling with this large of a group, but having the rough schedule and time (and flexibility) for people to do what they wanted made it work out well. Next year we will have another good sized group, and John, Brandy, and another family with two kids will be there for the trip, but we are each doing our own planning so that we all get to do what we want.

We sure can't wait to go back, and since we are going in August instead of September it feels like it is coming up really fast. We make our ADRs in less than 2 weeks!

Oh! - tip with the laundry - split the load into two dryers if it's not busy in there. Saves time. We go on short trips and still do laundry since it just seems to make things easier - and we live in a colder climate so summer clothes are not abundant in our closets .

That's a great idea with the dryers, since there was nobody else in there. Now that I know they aren't the fastest that's what I'll do next time. Doing one load in the middle of the trip worked out really well and it gave me something to do while I was up exploring the resort and taking pictures in the morning.

 

[Starwater]

Great TR! I love your complementary comments. And John and Brandy's matching backpacks!

Also, beautiful photos! Looking forward to your next update!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Great TR! I love your complementary comments. And John and Brandy's matching backpacks!

Also, beautiful photos! Looking forward to your next update!

Thanks! We're glad that you found the report and are enjoying it.
The backpacks were funny, one of them was from Disneyland and the other from Disney World, but they got them both on eBay before the trip because they were out of them at Disneyland. Once we got to WDW, they were in all the stores. Oh well.
Now we have another update ready to post, so here we go...

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I started Saturday by getting up at 7:30 and then taking Marshall with me for a walk at 8:00. We had arraned to meet everyone for breakfast together at Roaring Fork since we didn't have anything that we needed to rush to, and we pretty much had been doing breakfast on our own.


It was nice to have breakfast together, and we were able to get two tables together since it wasn't super crowded being after the early morning rush.

I really think we should plan a breakfast at Roarin Fork for our next trip. As much as I love breakfast in the room it was nice to have a table big enough for all of us and a high chair.

After breakfast we headed to the bus stop, with Grandma Nancy on her newly rented scooter.

She had done well making it this far in the trip, but with her two knee replacements and a week of Disney fun behind her, it was much nicer for her to not have to struggle to keep up. The rental company was great, and they brought it right to the hotel where she met them that morning.
We got to the bus stop at 9:58 and took the bus to MK leaving at 10:09. On the way a car ahead of us tried to get into the bus area, so we had to wait while they turned around, but we still got to MK by 10:16.

I would not recommend taking a car through the bus lanes at Disney. This guy didn't look like he was getting a friendly welcome.


Our first stop was the dump shop by Mickey Mouse, because Allie had decided she needed some Tsum Tsum. These little stackable plush characters are really cute, and Allie decided to get into collecting them. We had seen some there earlier in the trip that we couldn't find anywhere else, so we headed back to pick some up at the bargain price of $15 for three.

She collected about 15 or so of these during the trip. They are pretty darned cute. For Christmas we sprung for the Advent calendar full of them. She had a ball with that in December.


We continued on into the park and headed for a must-ride attraction that we hadn't visited yet: The People Mover.

I really enjoy the relaxed pace of the people mover. Marshall seemed to enjoy it as well.




Then we did something new for us, the Monsters Inc laugh floor. We used our super fastpasses we got from guest services and had a pretty short wait. The show was fun, and they used one of John's jokes and Grandpa Jim was picked to play Mike Wazowski.


After that we decided to try something else new to us,the Carousel of Progress. It was cute, a nice coolplace to hang out, and Allie seemed to enjoy it.


It has a great retro Disney vibe and the AC was glorious.

Then we headed down Main Street and shopped just a bit as we headed to the buses.


Our destination of choice was Animal Kingdom, where we wanted to explore the park for a second time, which we didn't get to do last trip. we were on a bus by 12:49.


As we arrived to AK at 1:08 after a quick ride. Allie enjoyed waling alongside Grandma in her scooter:


Our first destination was lunch at Flame Tree. We hadn't been here in a few years, but remembered the ribs and nice seating area that make it a unique QS location. We got a table down by the water and enjoyed lots of great food.

I literally stalked the table. It's difficult finding tables large enough for a group our size. It worked out perfect though and lunch didn't disappoint.


Across the water we could see our next destination, Expedition Everest which we had leftover baby swap passes for.


Grandma and Grandpa went to see It's Tough to be a Bug, and John, Brandy, us, and the kids headed for Everest. Brandy and I waited in the dump shop with the kids while Melissa and John rode it. There we found a perfect shirt for this trip:


Unfortunately they didn't have it in our sizes, but at least we got a TR title out of it.
If they have it next trip in our sizes I think we need to be twins.

Check back in the next update to see what else we did at AK and whether we were able to visit AKL without any strange complications (like the fire evacuation last trip...) Spoiler alert: it's always an adventure at AKL.

 

[ArielSRL]

A little real life update: We feel super bad that we haven't been doing updates as often as we'd like.

Totally understandable! And obviously, I'm behind in reading!

We do however have enough time to plan for our next Disney trip! We have purchased airfare so we are for sure headed back. Stay tuned for more info on how that all happened.

Intrigued!

Allie went with Melissa to get a picture with Daisy.

I absolutely love her top! Ariel is one of my faves!

I eyed some of the Food and Wine Dooneys but couldn't decide on a bag I really liked.

Eek....I'm going to be so tempted on this trip. I got my first for my bday in October. I love it!

We got to Teppan Edo right at 12:30

I have always wanted to try it but have never booked.

We still had a full afternoon planned, as we finally make it to our fourth park, Hollywood Studios. Read about that in our next update.

Looking forward to it (though I think you posted it already...lol).

 

[ArielSRL]

We discussed staying at Beach Club for a future trip since John and Brandy liked it.

My goal for next next trip (bc next trip in June is WL) is Beach Club or Boardwalk.

We hadn't ever ridden Tower of Terror at WDW

That and BTMRR are my fave rides at Disney.

checked out Cape May Cafe

Breakfast here was one of our faves from this past June.

Food and Wine is so neat

I've been once but I'd like to go back for my bday (Oct 29).

He needed a Figment. He still plays with him.

I love the photo of him sleeping! And Figment is awesome. My DH loves Figment!

We got on a bus at 10:27 and it left full at 10:29. We arrived back at WL at 10:38,

Very quick! How was it getting on the bus with the stroller and all your bags and the kids? I think I mentioned we wil drive to most parks but we will take the bus to MK. We'll gave a rented city mini double, our bags, and the boys. Hopefully it won't be too cumbersome.

 

[ArielSRL]

Oh! - tip with the laundry - split the load into two dryers if it's not busy in there. Saves time. We go on short trips and still do laundry since it just seems to make things easier - and we live in a colder climate so summer clothes are not abundant in our closets .

Omg...thank you for this tip! I don't have enough bottoms (I wear skorts and bc we go in June, I wear 2 sets of clothes per day) so I have to wash. Last year we were in a 1 bedroom with washer/dryer so laundry wasn't a huge deal, but this time we will be in a studio so I'll be doing it in the laundry room. I'll have to try this trick!

 

[ArielSRL]

She had done well making it this far in the trip, but with her two knee replacements and a week of Disney fun behind her, it was much nicer for her to not have to struggle to keep up. The rental company was great, and they brought it right to the hotel where she met them that morning.

My mom has had knee surgery so the last few trips she has rented one, as well. It works out great!

The People Mover.

Great ride!

the Carousel of Progress

Another good one!

Our first destination was lunch at Flame Tree. We hadn't been here in a few years, but remembered the ribs and nice seating area that make it a unique QS location. We got a table down by the water and enjoyed lots of great food.

We will be going this one in June. I think I've eaten here before but it's been over 10 years. I'll have to check out the seating by the water.

There we found a perfect shirt for this trip

Nice!

 

[MummyButterfly]

Found your TR tonight and read it all! Our last trip was Sept 2015, and Hubby and I only took the youngest with us. She was 7 months old and people thought we were crazy, but we loved it!

(I had taken four of the older ones in Sept 2014, without Hubby...while pregnant... So the 2015 trip was for him!)

I love the amazing pictures and can't wait to read the rest!

 

[Wood Nymph]

I really think we should plan a breakfast at Roarin Fork for our next trip. As much as I love breakfast in the room it was nice to have a table big enough for all of us and a high chair.

We used to eat breakfast in our room when we traveled with our kids. It was just so much easier that way, especially with five people sharing one bathroom. It would have taken us too long to all get ready first before going down to eat. But if you aren't in a hurry then it is much nicer to eat in the restaurant.

After breakfast we headed to the bus stop, with Grandma Nancy on her newly rented scooter.

Was it hard to talk her into renting a scooter? Did she like using it? The scooters are getting more compact and seem easy to use.

Then we did something new for us, the Monsters Inc laugh floor. We used our super fastpasses we got from guest services and had a pretty short wait. The show was fun, and they used one of John's jokes and Grandpa Jim was picked to play Mike Wazowski.

That must have been fun to have your father picked for the show. I had gotten picked once for a numbers guessing game. It was fun.

After that we decided to try something else new to us,the Carousel of Progress. It was cute, a nice coolplace to hang out, and Allie seemed to enjoy it.

This show is a great place to cool off, warm up, or kill some time. We had a couple of bad experiences in a row where the ride broke and we were stuck in it for while before they let us out. After that happened twice we gave up on it for awhile. It isn't something you need to see too often. But it is definitely worth checking out.

Across the water we could see our next destination, Expedition Everest which we had leftover baby swap passes for.

That is a reat view. It looks like you could watch the Rivers of Light show from there. Now they just need to open that show. Maybe it will be ready by your August trip.

Spoiler alert: it's always an adventure at AKL.

I remember your fire story. I hope you don't get stuck there again. We are going there for dinner at Boma next month. It will be our first time eating there. I've heard good things so I hope we like it. I'm not very adventurous when it comes to new foods.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Totally understandable! And obviously, I'm behind in reading!

That's OK, eventually we'll have the whole thing written and posted. In the mean time, we're glad there was something you enjoyed reading when you got a chance.

I absolutely love her top! Ariel is one of my faves!

That top was one of the earlier dresses that Melissa made for our second trip. It was neat that she was able to get use out of it one more year.

Eek....I'm going to be so tempted on this trip. I got my first for my bday in October. I love it!

Disney Dooneys are a slippery slope. They make such nice souvenirs...

My goal for next next trip (bc next trip in June is WL) is Beach Club or Boardwalk.

We gave a lot of thought to it, and would love to stay at an Epcot resort sometime, but for us we just can't justify spending more for it than our beloved WL would cost. It just fits us so well.

That and BTMRR are my fave rides at Disney.

We have ridden Tower of Terror a lot at California Adventure, and generally do enjoy it. The Elevator theme fits in so well with Melissa's family. We often don't choose to wait for rides at WDW that are similar to ours at home though. There's just so much else to do at WDW!

Breakfast here was one of our faves from this past June.

Cape May is on our list, it just hasn't made it to the top yet. We don't usually do many breakfast ADRs, but it sounds like a good one.

Very quick! How was it getting on the bus with the stroller and all your bags and the kids? I think I mentioned we wil drive to most parks but we will take the bus to MK. We'll gave a rented city mini double, our bags, and the boys. Hopefully it won't be too cumbersome.

We generally did well lugging the stroller, kids, and stuff on the buses. The City Mini makes riding the bus a lot nicer than many other strollers, and this year having the double wasn't much harder to deal with than a single. Usually one of us takes the kids and our main backpack and the other carries the stroller and whatever other bags we have. It can get tight if the bus is crowded, but it all works out well. We are thinking we'll probably take the double again this year. As a matter of fact I think Allie told us we were taking it.

My mom has had knee surgery so the last few trips she has rented one, as well. It works out great!

Yeah, she didn't want to do it, but after being there a week she found it made it so much more enjoyable and she was able to keep up and stay with us for more stuff. It was nice.

We will be going this one in June. I think I've eaten here before but it's been over 10 years. I'll have to check out the seating by the water.

We love the "hidden" dining area to the side of Flame Tree. It looks small from the food counter, but extends down toward the water and is a nice place to eat. The food is yummy too.

Found your TR tonight and read it all! Our last trip was Sept 2015, and Hubby and I only took the youngest with us. She was 7 months old and people thought we were crazy, but we loved it!

(I had taken four of the older ones in Sept 2014, without Hubby...while pregnant... So the 2015 trip was for him!)

I love the amazing pictures and can't wait to read the rest!

Welcome! We are glad that you found the report and are enjoying it. It should be done before too long, we just have another couple of days to write about, but by then we'll be in full planning mode for our upcoming trip, which this year will be in August.

Taking Marshall at that age worked out great. We are slightly worried about him this year as more of a mobile toddler, but we'll make adjustments and it should be great.

Thanks so much for your compliments and for following along.

We used to eat breakfast in our room when we traveled with our kids. It was just so much easier that way, especially with five people sharing one bathroom. It would have taken us too long to all get ready first before going down to eat. But if you aren't in a hurry then it is much nicer to eat in the restaurant.

Yeah, grabbing food from RF and taking it to the room fits well in our normal morning routine, but it was nice to meet everyone down there and enjoy the meal a bit more. We really do like Roaring Fork, so eating down there is fun.

Was it hard to talk her into renting a scooter? Did she like using it? The scooters are getting more compact and seem easy to use.

We had talked about a scooter before the trip, but she really didn't want to get one. She was concerned about the buses and waiting and it not being convenient. After a week she was worn out and willing to give it a try, so while we were on the boat from Epcot to HS she started calling places and found one with next day availability. It was really quite compact, and didn't take too much work to get used to. It wound up being one of the best choices of the trip for her.

This show is a great place to cool off, warm up, or kill some time. We had a couple of bad experiences in a row where the ride broke and we were stuck in it for while before they let us out. After that happened twice we gave up on it for awhile. It isn't something you need to see too often. But it is definitely worth checking out.

I can see how being trapped there would cause you to skip it. Any extra time in there might just be too much...

That is a neat view. It looks like you could watch the Rivers of Light show from there. Now they just need to open that show. Maybe it will be ready by your August trip.

Yeah, we are hoping to catch that show, but we said that last year. It will be crazy if they miss the opening by two of OUR trips. We'll see. As much as we enjoy the World of Color water show at CA Adventure we are looking forward to it.

I remember your fire story. I hope you don't get stuck there again. We are going there for dinner at Boma next month. It will be our first time eating there. I've heard good things so I hope we like it. I'm not very adventurous when it comes to new foods.

Our reason for going to AKL was dinner at Boma, which we'll cover in the next update. It is a great buffet for anyone, no matter how adventurous you choose to be. They have a lot of different foods, so you can try something a little more exotic (we found we really like Bobotie) but you can fill up on more traditional food as well. They also have a great selection of desserts.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

When we left off, we were over at Expedition Everest using up leftover baby swap passes. At lunch we had gone online and gotten fastpasses for the Finding Nemo show at 3:30, so we headed that way to meet up with Grandma and Grandpa. We walked over the bridge and into Dinoland for the first time of the trip, where we shopped in the AC. It always seems to be hot when we're at AK, and especially Dinoland so it was nice to shop in the cool for a bit.

Dinoland has got to be the single hottest place at WDW. It seems like it's always sweltering over there. Allie picked out six more Tsum Tsums and then we headed over to the AC at Finding Nemo


We hung out for a while and chatted with a very nice security guard about the scooter. He recommended taking it in to the show, and told us where the good stroller parking was. Unfortunately another CM told us we couldn't park the stroller there, so we quietly avoided the CM debate and put it elsewhere. Grandma did decide to take the scooter in because we were slightly worried about rain, and she wound up getting to stay in it since there was plenty of room. Grandpa Jim and Allie went to sit down closer to the front while the rest of us stayed in the seats by the aisle with Grandma.


We enjoyed the show, and felt it was the perfect way to spend some time on a hot afternoon. After it was over we did some shopping on the way out of the park.


We were looking for a stroller fan that we had seen before, and when we asked the CM said they only had them at MK. We had seen them there earlier in the trip, but it wasn't a big deal so we headed for the buses.

Yes! the stroller fan, I need to order two before our next trip. I've heard these are useless but Marshall would have appreciated any air movement having to spend so much time in the stroller. Unfortunately they aren't sold on Disney property anymore.

We got to the bus stop at 5:08 and waited for an AKL bus. We always seem to underestimate the time it takes to get to AKL, so we wanted to leave plenty of time before our 6:00 dinner reservation. We had a long wait for a bus, since it didn't come until 5:22 and then had to do a driver swap so we didn't leave until 5:28.


Then we got to Kidani at 5:36, and finally Jambo at 5:40.


This is one of our negatives about AKL for us. The transportation time to AKL is still quite a bit longer than to WL from MK. Having to take buses to all parks is one thing, but the longer trip to/from the closest park is a bit of a bummer.

We still think AKL is beautiful, and would totally stay there given the right situation. (All of us but John had agreed to switch this trip to AKL when we weren't able to initially get free dining at WL, but we stuck with it and finally all got Free Dining at WL). It was fun to show off the resort a bit in the time we had before dinner.


I love the lobbies of this resort and it's just breathtaking to walk in. The animals outside are the icing on the cake. I too wish transportation wasn't such a pain from here though. I think if we ever did a no parks trip this is where I'd want to stay.


I agree, it would be a nice place to stay and feels like you are truly somewhere else, far from Florida.

We continued the tour by going downstairs and stopping at Mara for mug refills, adding another resort to our count for the trip. Then we went and checked in to Boma for our dinner reservation.


As usual, our reservation was for 8, 2 of which were kids. After a short wait they led us to a table for 6. They said we could squeeze the kids in somewhere, but it was already tight. We explained that we had a reservation for 8, and that we wanted the extra space. The guy seating us didn't know what to do, but went back to the desk and talked to a manager and then told us we would have to wait if we wanted a bigger table. We agreed, because we didn't want to eat with both kids on our laps. Finally they were able to seat us at 6:30, and we got a table with enough room for everybody.

It's pretty ridiculous that they couldn't figure out our reservation. We have 8 people, we need 8 seats.

When we got to the food, it was worth the wait. My favorite that I had been looking forward to for three years was the Ancho BBQ ribs, and they were great.


We also enjoyed the huge variety that this buffet offers. There was somewhat exotic African food (like Bobotie, which we found we enjoy) and a lot of more normal favorites, sometimes with a bit of a flavor twist (like the ancho ribs). Allie was most excited by the fact we bought her a light up ice cube for her drink.


The dessert selection was great too, and we tried a little of everything. My favorite here was the unlimited supply of Zebra Domes, which are unique chocolate treats defined by The Disney Food Blog as: "An Amarula Cream Liquor mousse is enrobed in panna cotta-esque white chocolate and drizzled with chocolate and chocolate shavings. The whole thing sits atop a thin cake base." I say Yumm.

Marshall has now claimed the icecube as his, it's currently sitting on my desk. We need like 6 more next time we go . The food at Boma is amazing, there is something for everyone. Unlimited Zebra Domes are dangerous though.

Unfortunately Melissa didn't get to enjoy a peaceful dinner as Marshall got fussy and she took him outside the restaurant a couple of times.

Yeah Marsh and I spent quite a bit of time outside, he was tired and fussy and really wanted no part of dinner.

After dinner we went upstairs and checked out the AKL gift shop, which also has lots of unique items. Allie spent quite a while looking around, trying on masks, and putting on a drum performance.


Finally we waddled down to the bus stop to catch a bus back to MK. On the way Melissa noticed that she couldn't find her phone. At the bus stop she dug through the bag and still couldn't find it. We used Find My Friends from my phone, and it appeared that it was still in the main AKL building. I left everyone at the bus stop and ran back up the hill to the lobby and downstairs to Boma, where we had seen the phone last. I asked at the counter and nobody had turned it in, but one of the servers overheard me asking and said that another server had it. After a short wait they located the phone and gave it to me. Very relieved, I ran back upstairs and down to the bus stop, getting there just as the MK bus left.

I don't know how the phone got left in the restaurant but with all of the commotion leaving the table and all it doesn't shock me that it happened. There always has to be some crisis when we are at AKL.

Fortunately the next bus came only a few minutes later at 8:46, and we arrived at the MK stop at 9:06 after a brief wait for a stop assignment. At this point Melissa and the kids were pretty tired and about done with the day, so we decided to head back to the resort.


It's true, I was exhausted, even Allie was done and dragging.

Then we walked to the WL bus stop and got on a bus at 9:16 then arrived at the Lodge at 9:23. When we got upstairs, we saw that housekeeping had arranged the stuffed animals with the TV remote, which was cute.


A more sane person would have called it a night at that point, as Grandma Nancy, John, Brandy, Melissa, and the kids did, but I knew there was a late Main Street Electrical Parade so I decided to hop on a boat back to MK to see it and Grandpa Jim went with me.

When we got there we had time to kill so we walked to the Pirates of the Carribean dump shop because we had heard they had the stroller fans. The CM there said they had been sold out for some time, so we ended our search and found a nice spot to watch the parade on Main Street. It was neat to have a nice view of the castle in the background.








It was nice to catch the parade one last time before it moved from WDW back to DL. We still haven't seen it at home yet, but we will soon.

We got on the boat back to WL at 11:35, it left at 11:38, and we arrived at WL at 11:50. I stopped by Roaring Fork for the last mug fill of the day, then went upstairs and fell asleep very quickly.

Check back for our next update as we start our last full day at WDW, and kick it off by booking the return trip...

 

[OrangeJuice]

We've just started planing on our Sept 2017 trip so my wife and I read your trip report to get a sense of what September in the park feels like. We've really enjoyed reading along so far and can't wait for the next update.

 

[Wood Nymph]

This is one of our negatives about AKL for us. The transportation time to AKL is still quite a bit longer than to WL from MK. Having to take buses to all parks is one thing, but the longer trip to/from the closest park is a bit of a bummer.

I noticed that the bus between AKL and AK park isn't very quick. When we go to Boma next month we'll most likely take a cab from the WL. I want to have plenty of time to explore AKL and then enjoy our meal at Boma. So we're not going to try to go to a park afterwards.

When we got to the food, it was worth the wait. My favorite that I had been looking forward to for three years was the Ancho BBQ ribs, and they were great.

I haven't heard about these ribs. Are they spicy hot?

I've heard mixed reviews about Zebra Domes. There seems to be a love/hate thing going on with them. I might try one just out of curiosity.

At the bus stop she dug through the bag and still couldn't find it. We used Find My Friends from my phone, and it appeared that it was still in the main AKL building.

Find My Phone is a nice feature. I'm glad the phone was safely inside the restaurant.

Fortunately the next bus came only a few minutes later at 8:46, and we arrived at the MK stop at 9:06 after a brief wait for a stop assignment.

That was nice of them to wait for you. I might have been inclined to hop on the next bus and wait for you back at the WL. Melissan and the Allie look really tired.

I knew there was a late Main Street Electrical Parade so I decided to hop on a boat back to MK to see it and Grandpa Jim went with me.

Did you know that you would be seeing MSEP for the last time? I don't remember when they announced that it was going to be moved to Disneyland.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We've just started planing on our Sept 2017 trip so my wife and I read your trip report to get a sense of what September in the park feels like. We've really enjoyed reading along so far and can't wait for the next update.

Welcome, and congratulations on planning your trip.

We fell in love with going in September. Our last four trips were in mid September and we absolutely loved it. We did move next year's trip to August, but only to avoid having to take Allie out of school. We've been in June too, and the crowd differences were definitely noticeable. It's not like there's nobody there in September, especially at peak times of the day, but the nice part is that there are at least some times where it feels like nobody is around. In September it likely will rain, but it's Florida, that's to be expected. We have had rain every trip and never had any major issues with it. We have been fortunate enough to avoid any Hurricanes, but Disney handles them well.

We're glad that you're enjoying the report and feel free to ask any questions that you might have.

I noticed that the bus between AKL and AK park isn't very quick. When we go to Boma next month we'll most likely take a cab from the WL. I want to have plenty of time to explore AKL and then enjoy our meal at Boma. So we're not going to try to go to a park afterwards.

That sounds good, and using a cab will eliminate any issues. We had a marathon trip back to WL from AKL a few years ago that took over an hour by bus since we just missed park close at MK and had to connect at DTD. That's one of few times where we would have much preferred to avoid WDW transportation.

I haven't heard about these ribs. Are they spicy hot?

No, they aren't very spicy, just a really unique flavor. I think they tend to have them on Saturday nights, but they probably do at other times as well. They're definitely worth a try.

I've heard mixed reviews about Zebra Domes. There seems to be a love/hate thing going on with them. I might try one just out of curiosity.

If you're at Boma, you definitely should grab one to try it. The only problem is you might be stopping by Mara for a box of them to take with you. Or you might not enjoy them, but that's ok, then you have plenty of other dessert choices to sample as well.

Find My Phone is a nice feature. I'm glad the phone was safely inside the restaurant.

That was nice of them to wait for you. I might have been inclined to hop on the next bus and wait for you back at the WL. Melissa and the Allie look really tired.

Yeah, they appreciated me running back in to look for it, so hanging out at the bus stop wasn't bad, and the next bus came quickly and wasn't as full.

Did you know that you would be seeing MSEP for the last time? I don't remember when they announced that it was going to be moved to Disneyland.

We did know that they'd be moving the parade, which contributed to me wanting to see it one more time. I'm glad I did it, and still am looking forward to seeing it at DL.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

On our last full day of the trip, Marshall woke us up at 6:30, so I got up and ready. Allie even woke up before 7, so I ran down to grab breakfast. Outside our door we were greeted with the dreaded door tag.


We got two waffle meals and a crossiant sandwich using QS credits, and got rice crispy treats instead of the drinks since they'd be easier to pack for home. Allie enjoyed eating in bed.


The room definitely needed some work and a lot of packign up before we'd be ready to leave.


Before we considered leaving though we had one call to make. I called and booked the bounceback for 2017.


We had such a great time and Brandy and John wanted to come back too, so we jumped on the free dining offer. They called as well, and we were texting back and forth while on the room phones with Disney. Unfortunately we had to book Courtyard View in order to get the bounce back, but we went ahead and booked.

(Flash forward to a few months ago, when after calling periodiacally I found that they had opened up Standard view for the bounce back, so we were able to switch and we saved over $700 on each room vs COurtyard View) This also means we'll have a chance at getting the same view we had this time, which was our favorite yet at WL. Grandma and Grnadpa decided not to book the bounce back since going back to back years is hard, but they are excited for us anyway.

Paul was beside himself until we were able to get the view downgrade.

I just really wanted to stay at WL again, and $700 extra made it less obtainable. With the Standard View and free dining, we're super excited to be going this year. We did decide to move our dates up into August so that Allie wouldn't have to miss school, so we'll see how much worse the crowds are. We sure have loved September, but this will be something different.

I figure as long as we're in Disney we'll be happy, crowds or no. And it will be nice not to have to deal with homework on the trip. That was a pain to work through.

After taking our time getting everyone up and ready (and some time spent excitedly talking about the 2017 trip) we headed down to the bus stop.




Grandma Nancy still had her scooter, so we took the bus to MK. We got on the bus at 10:23 and arrived at 10:32, which was longer than average but still a quick trip.

On the way into the park Grandma Nancy's fingerprint wasn't read correctly, so she had to answer the verification question of "What park did you visit day before yesterday?"


After eight days of WDW, often with multiple parks, it was harder to come up with than you'd think, but she got it right and was allowed in.

We all had at least one time where the fingerprint scanner didn't read I think. They are able to handle it quickly though and no one had too much trouble.

We headed to Fantasyland, where the first stop was the Pinocchio pottys and then Small World.


It had been closed earlier in the trip, but the refurbishment finished up and we were able to ride one of Allie's favorites.




Marshall conked out and slept on our trip around Small World. He did well sleeping on the go this trip.

After the song was firmly implated in our heads we walked over to Perer Pan and got on quickly using another set of Guest Services passes from our wait earlier in the trip. These were super nice, since by now the Peter Pan line had gotten quite long.

Thank goodness for those magical fastpasses. There is no way I'd wait in that line for Peter Pan but Allie really enjoyed it.

After that we decided to try Columbia Harbor House for some lunch. Surprisingly, we had never been here before, but we really enjoyed the food and definitely will be back. We ate upstairs and had enough room for the whole group, and a nice view.


Columbia Harbor house was so good. I had heard it was but we just hadn't gotten around to trying it. I really enjoyed the food though and the upstairs seating was nice and cool and quiet.

While we ate we talked about what we all still wanted to do during our last visit to MK for the trip. We decided that a divide and conquor approach would be best, with Allie and me heading to Tom Sawyer's Island, Grandma, Grandpa, John and Brandy riding Haunted Mansion and Pirates, and Melissa shopping with Marshall. It worked out great, and everyone got their activities in.

And I didn't have to lug a sleeping baby around the hot island.

Allie loves the island, and I do too since it is bigger and more fun than ours at Disnelyand.






We all met back up in the Emporium on Main Street, where Melissa chatted with one of the characters. She was very funny.


We had a great conversation and she decided that I would make a good Main Street Character. I'm not so sure, I can be pretty snarky and the Florida humidity plays hell with my hair.

Yeah, but if you did that then I could go drive a boat somewhere...

Allie chose three more Tsum Tsums to buy, and then we headed out of the park.


We decided to take the big ferry boat to the TTC to add another mode of transportation. We got on the boat at 1:54, and to the TTC at 2:07.


Then we made the hot climb up the ramp to the Epcot monorail and got on it at 2:14. It wasn't as slick as taking the express monorail, but was fun.


Read about our Epcot afternoon and evening in the next update...

 

[Wood Nymph]

I just really wanted to stay at WL again, and $700 extra made it less obtainable. With the Standard View and free dining, we're super excited to be going this year. We did decide to move our dates up into August so that Allie wouldn't have to miss school, so we'll see how much worse the crowds are. We sure have loved September, but this will be something different.

That was really great to be able to switch to a standard view room. That trip will be coming up before you know it. I would think that the standard view rooms would still include the former woods view in August. I hope they have the Hidden Springs pool open for your trip. It looks like it will be really nice with the zero entry.

After that we decided to try Columbia Harbor House for some lunch. Surprisingly, we had never been here before, but we really enjoyed the food and definitely will be back. We ate upstairs and had enough room for the whole group, and a nice view.

We haven't eaten there lately but used to eat here all the time. It was a good place to get something besides a burger. But we discovered Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch and that has taken its place.

It looks like it was a really hot day.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

That was really great to be able to switch to a standard view room. That trip will be coming up before you know it. I would think that the standard view rooms would still include the former woods view in August. I hope they have the Hidden Springs pool open for your trip. It looks like it will be really nice with the zero entry.

We haven't eaten there lately but used to eat here all the time. It was a good place to get something besides a burger. But we discovered Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch and that has taken its place.

It looks like it was a really hot day.

Yes, we are hoping for the same room location, but we're convinced there isn't a bad room at WL. We're not sure if the new Villas pool will be open, but we'll be happy to have Geyser Point and hopefully Roaring Fork.

We like Liberty Tree for lunch and loved Be Our Guest for QS lunch, but CHH was great and Melissa is looking forward to it. It is nice not to need an ADR for a QS lunch.

It was warm but still nice. We'll see how it is in August. It is coming right up.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We hopped on the green monorail (my favorite) at 2:14 and got to Epcot quickly and didn't have a line at security. We headed straight for the Seas, which we hadn't visited yet this trip.


We rode the Nemo ride, but for some reason with the mood Allie was in it scared her, so we had to deal with a crying kid on the dark scarry ride, it just wasn't Marshall, who was totally fine with it.

It was definately an odd freak out but we were about due for one of those from her anyway.

I think Allie was just in a bit of a mood, because she didn't want to do Turtle Talk either, so I stayed with her while everyone else watched it. We watched the dolphins and Manatees and she got to chill for a bit.




After the Seas we still had some time before dinner, so we popped over to the Character Spot for some pictures with the kids.




On the way back we went and got Melissa a new shirt because Marshall had puked on hers.

The joys of travelling with an infant. I recommend packing a spare shirt, however I probably woudn't have gotten this shirt that I love had he not puked on me so..., thanks Marsh!


The line for Character spot was short and quick, and then we made it to The Land at 4:40 and met back up with everybody so that we could ride Soarin. While some of the group had ridden it earlier in the trip it was my first time with the new video, and I was excited. We did baby swap and Melissa waited with Marshall.


After we got off, it was time for our dinner reservation at Garden Grill.

The food here is so good. It is simple food but I think that is what is so refreshing about it. We definatley like to eat at Disney and it's not always the healthiest but here it tends to be fairly light and healthy while still being delicious.

We were seated quickly at about 5:25. Mickey came right away and the food was great.


The waiter brought extra dressing and ketchup after we questioned the seemingly dry salad. The sausage was a big hit with everybody, but everything was very good, probably even better than the year before. John and Brandy enjoyed it so much they said it was on the "must repeat" list, and we're good with that. It is neat to have such good food coupled with getting to see Mickey.


I was sad they discontinued the fish from the menu however, our waiter said that they just ended up with too much waste because people weren't eating it. I with instead of completely discontinuing it that you could request it if you liked. I really enjoyed the fish the last time we ate here.

After dinner we rode Soarin again with Melissa's pass. I rode with her and Brandy while John and Grandpa Jim waited with the kids and Grandm Nancy headed for the hotel. Allie was really great playing with the younger kids in the waiting area. We left The Land at 7:45 and then Grandpa Jim, Allie, and I headed to Spaceship Earth because she really wanted to ride it again. On the way out I snapped a nice pic of the monorail that is now my desktop at work.


Everyone else headed towards World Showcase, and we agreed we'd meet them there after Allie's ride.

Marshall was snoozing so Brandy, John, and I wandered around World Showcase. John and I had a hankering for icecream so the end goal was icecream in France.


After Spaceship Earth we headed to meet up with everyone in France, then continued on with our lap of World Showcase. We got pretzels and Cokes in Germany, and the CM gave me a pretzel since I was talkign about how it is my favorite and we wadn't gotten one yet. Grandpa Jim was able to get two pretzels and a drink using a quick service credit, which seemed like a decent deal for them since they had extra credits.

About this time Illuminations started. We were all tired and didn't really want to see it again so we kept moving around the lagoon.


There wasn't a whole lot else to do though since shops started closing up since it was a 9:00 close night. On our way out we did stop back by the art store where Larry Dotson was again signing his work and Grandpa Jim bought us a castle print for our house.


We got to the bus stop at 9:43 and a bus was there loading a ECV, but there were three rows of people waiting. The bus filled up at 9:46, but another arrived at 9:48. It left at 9:50 with only two people standing on the bus and the bus stop completely empty. We then arrived back at WL at 10:02. We stopped by the arcade and played for a bit, and John and I had a ball playing air hockey.


We swung by Roaring Fork for a mug refill on our way up to the rooms.

We started packing up the room and heard some really loud thunder. Then it started pouring down rain. At about 11:00 the rain had lightened up and the HalloWishwes fireworks started and we got video of them from our balcony.




It is super hard to focus on packing to go home when there are fireworks outside. We were super duper excited about having just booked our bounce back trip though and were discussing all of the possibilities for the following year. I think I'm going to trim what we bring even more this trip because lordy we had a lot of crap to pack home.

We then finished packing a couple of bags, got one last refill before midnight, and went to sleep.

Check back in our next update for our last morning of the trip which included a Whispering Canyon Breakfast and then more resort fun.

 

[Wood Nymph]

It is super hard to focus on packing to go home when there are fireworks outside. We were super duper excited about having just booked our bounce back trip though and were discussing all of the possibilities for the following year. I think I'm going to trim what we bring even more this trip because lordy we had a lot of crap to pack home.

We then finished packing a couple of bags, got one last refill before midnight, and went to sleep.

Check back in our next update for our last morning of the trip which included a Whispering Canyon Breakfast and then more resort fun.

You had such a gorgeous fireworks view that it must have been really hard to leave that. I'm really hoping that we get a view like that.

Marshall must be walking (running) around now. Hopefully, you won't need as much "stuff" next trip.

Did you post your return dates, yet?