WDW 2018 - Days 3 and 4 (Magic Kingdom, again and again)

Sorry for the tardiness in the blog post - apparently there has been concern in the 204.  I'll try to be brief with today's two-day update.

Tuesday (Day 3) was spent at the Magic Kingdom.  We started the day off with breakfast at the Beauty and the Beast Castle.  Breakfast was really good, B was especially concerned who was going to eat the last muffins but gladly helped out when she was told she could.

After breakfast, we went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  T was very excited to see all the animals, recounting them all afterwards.  The kids especially liked the motorized parrot outside, in a cage - both discussing whether it was a real bird or a robot.

We then made our way to the main castle for a Mickey and Minnie friendship show, with Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Anna, Elsa, Olaf and Kristof.  The kids really enjoyed the music and dancing.

Then, we went for a ride on the carousel before going to Splash Mountain (where T waffled about three times whether or not he wanted to go on the ride, he eventially decided "yes, he would").  After Splash Mountain, we made our way to Country Bear Jamboree which is clearly T's favourite attraction.

We apparently also went on the carousel, says my photo album on my phone...

It was time for a snack of Dole Whip Floats for three adults and pretzels for the twinkies and AA.  We finished up just in time to watch the end of a parade in front of the castle before trying to exit the park, only to be trapped by the parade again near the entrance/exit.

We went back to the hotel for a quick nap for T and B - it was going to be a long night with the Holiday Party going until midnight (not that any of us expected to make it that long).

We elected to let the kids sleep a little longer, so instead of taking the bus to Magic Kingdom, we took a Minnie Van operated by the Lyft app.  Back at the park, we went for supper at Pecos Bill's Restaurant where everyone thoroughly enjoyed their Mexican food.

After supper, we went to take some pictures with Moana.  The line was extremely long but the twinkies made new some new friends from Fort Wayne TX which made passing the time easier.

Then, we scoped out a good spot and waited for the Christmas parade.  Everyone really enjoyed the parade, however T was a little bit upset with Chip who knocked Daddy's hat off ("that wasn't very funny" he said).

Once the parade was finished, we made our way across the park to go get some pictures with Santa Goofy.  While waiting in line, AA and B went for a quick ride on Barnstormer which happens to be B's favourite ride.

We next made our way to the front of the castle to watch the Christmas firework show before going back for some more character photos, this time with Scrooge McDuck and Donald.  B didn't make it to the end, but still got to partake in some pictures before we made our way back to the hotel and into our comfy beds.

Day 4 was a more relaxed start with breakfast at the Polynesian Resort with Lilo and Stitch.  We tried to get another Minnie Van but there were none available so took a gamble with catching a bus.  And the gamble paid off with our bus having to go to the Polynesian Resort after a drop off at Magic Kingdom which saved us about 20 mins and allowed us to make our reservation for 10:45.

Lola was very excited with breakfast because the chef gave her two boxes of gluten free cookies since she couldn't eat any waffles or cinnamon buns.  This was the happiest we have seen Lola on the trip - with a box of cookies for each hand.

Stitch waffles!

Lilo

Stitch

We took the tram back to Magic Kingdom and caught a bus back to the hotel for another nap. 

The nap was unsuccessful but the kids had some downtime to recharge their batteries a little.  Then, we made our way back to the Magic Kingdom for a ride on the Dwarf's Mine Train and pictures with Tinker Bell.  We also were able to sneak in a short ride on the carousel and DD got to play a little bit of the Sorcerer's game he got cards for earlier in the trip.  The kids really enjoyed playing the game too.

T was told he could wear the backpack and could connect the kid water bottles to the eyelets on the should straps

Playing the Sorcerer's game

One the Dwarf's Mine Train

After pictures with Tinker Bell, we hustled to the Contemporary Resort (right beside Magic Kingdom) for supper at Chef Mickey's.  The food was amazing and the character experience was also very good.  AA even got a stern "look" from Donald when he wasn't waving his napkin like everyone else in the restaurant.  He got the hint.

Getting scolded

The second happiest we've seen Lola - with a dessert platter

After supper, it was time to head back to the hotel for baths and bedtime.  The adults got to spend some time playing some games and enjoying their adult beverages.  Thinking about this now, MBMell didn't have any of her wine - she has a lot to drink of her two bottles in the next two nights.

B getting a quick story in

Tomorrow will be an earlier start but should also mean an earlier finish.

We hope everyone is staying warm with the cold weather we see is at home.  We can't complain about the +6*C it will feel like tomorrow morning when it is compared to a feels like -34*C...

Good night!

WDW 2018 - Day 2 (Hollywood Studios)

Day 2 was a better day.  The twinkies got dressed up in the Buzz Lightyear and Woody costumes in preparation for going to Toy Story Land:

We had a shorter wait at the bus stop but Lola was still getting worried that the bus would never arrive.

At the park, we made the long walk from the relocated bus stop to the gate.  We hurried our way through security so that we could make it to the restaurant for our reservation for breakfast.  Today's characters weren't as big of a hit as yesterday, except for Goofy which T was very into:

Vampira

Sophia

No caption necessary

Caption necessary - Goofy's re-styling

Mmm, Bloody Mary's

After breakfast, we watched a parade of Storm Troopers down Hollywood Street before we made our way to a Frozen sing-along which Lola and MBM were very excited for.

Then it was time to go to Toy Story Land for some rides.

T wasn't sure he wanted to go on Slinky Dog Dash (roller coaster) so he and DD killed time at other rides/attractions while the rest of the crew waited in the 75 mins line for the ride.  It was worth it - B was super excited after the ride and had to tell her mom to "keep it down" (not her voice, her vomit).

After the ride, we found DD and T where B was grinning from ear-to-ear with excitement still from the ride.  This convinced T that maybe he should go on the ride, thinking that his Dad would "help him be brave".  And it worked - DD figured that T got to his limit on the ride but did not go over which was a big WIN.

After the roller coaster, it was time for a small snack before we went and did more rides/attractions.
 

Good thing the referee stepped in to stop this skirmish

When the doors opened after Ariel's Under the Sea experience, we were ushered out into a torrential down pour.  Luckily there was enough of an overhang from the nearby buildings that we could be sheltered from the rain.  At the same time, there was another parade which ended up going right pass us all and offered up some good pictures:

It was then time for supper before DD, MBM and kiddos went back to the hotel for baths while AA and Lola stayed at the park for one more ride.  After the ride, we grabbed some quick snacks (popcorn and a cupcake for MBMell) and then hurried to the bus in another rain shower.

Now, we are all kicking back with our feet up, relaxing before we call it a night.  Tomorrow is going to be an earlier start with breakfast reservations before 9am - AA is hoping to get into the park early to get some good, uncluttered photos of the Magic Kingdom.

WDW 2018 - Day 1 (Magic Kingdom)

Our direct flight from Winnipeg to Orlando yesterday went off without a hitch.  The flight was on time and the kids were really good.  We had to make a small detour around some storms in the South East but otherwise the flight was routine.

We got to the hotel close to 11pm.  The kids were tired, although they wouldn't admit it as they didn't have a nap.  Once in bed, the adults ate some food (DD ordered some pizza and wings) and then went off to bed.

When two phones and a laptop just aren't enough to make a decision about ordering food

This morning started off with a small breakfast in the room while everyone was getting ready for the day.  We then made our way to the bus station where we waited for what seems like forever for a bus going to Magic Kingdom to arrive.  We finally boarded the bus and made the short 15 mins trek to the park so we could get to our first event for the day - breakfast (for some, lunch for others the twinkies reminded us).

Breakfast was delicious (as all buffets tend to be at Disney).  T wasn't a huge fan of Tigger but was more receptive to Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore.  B was delightful and charming as ever.

After breakfast/lunch, we made our way out into the Magic Kingdom for some rides.  We started with Barn Stormer:

Then made our way to a visit with Belle:

Afterwards it was off to see Cinderella and Elena. T was playing shy with Elena and even more shy with Cinderella.  B played into the shyness so MBMell and Lola had to fill in with Cinderella.

After seeing some princesses, the gang made their way to find a spot for the Parade.  AA and DD went and got everyone a snack (Dole Whip!) and nearly lost the majority of the snacks for the ladies (and T) due to the heat that was melting the Dole Whip at a rapid pace (the crowds didn't help).

Everyone finished their snack with a few minutes to spare before the parade started:

Once everyone's favourite Disney character was through the parade and the street opened up again, we made our way to Jungle Cruise which was set up extra special for the Christmas season with each boat having a Reindeer name:

After our cruise, we made our way to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for another roller coaster ride.  T was a little nervous but was still able to pick out the animals along the ride.

Then, it was a jaunt across the park to visit some more characters.  T and B played shy again until AA and Lola were able to convince them that Goofy wasn't all that scary.  Then the ladies had to convince them that Donald was an ok guy as well.

It was at this point that the crew split up.  DD and AA went to Disney Springs to experience some VR while MBM and Lola kept the kiddos at the park, going to visit more characters (Daisy and Minnie), then ride Dumbo, the Little Mermaid ride and it's a small world before going for supper.

Apparently the guys were way more successful with supper at The Polite Pig (at Disney Springs) than those at Magic Kingdom - apparently it took more than 40 mins for everyone to get their meal which was so long that Disney refunded all the meals back.  That didn't help with kids' moods...

Luckily AA and DD arrived back at the hotel at the same time as the Magic Kingdom gang and were able to hop on the bus to make the remaining 3 mins journey with everyone.  Once back at the room, MBM and Lola packed up and made their way to do the same VR experience and AA and DD a few hours ago.  This left AA and DD to get the kids to bed which ended up being a challenge for DD, but he eventually succeeded.

With the kids in bed, it was time for a few rounds of cribbage before the ladies returned and then everyone got ready for bed.

Tomorrow will be another long day.  We have already talked about some fundamental changes that should improve the outcome for the day (different shoes for B, bringing the stroller, different restaurant choice for supper). 

Goodnight!