Disney: Day Six

Friday was our final day at Disney and we chose to spend it at Magic Kingdom because they had extra magic hour in the morning.  We had stayed at Magic Kingdom til closing the night before and by the time everyone showered and I packed up most of our stuff, it was pretty late when we finally fell asleep. Then we had to get up extra early to load up the car and check out and still get to the park before 7:30am. We were so tired!

Once we got in the park, we started off with Buzz Lightyear and then did Astro Orbiter.

Then we had to rush over to Be Our Guest restaurant because we had breakfast reservations.  My cold was so bad that I couldn't really taste the food, but it looked good and it was served on this cool domed tray.

After breakfast, we stayed with the Beauty and Beast theme and went to Enchanted Tales with Belle. Ellie and Jack both participated.  Jack was Maurice, Belle's father.  Ellie was a picture frame.

During the photo opportunity afterward, Belle tried to kiss Sam and he pulled away (since he really doesn't normally like people to touch him). But, he would not stop talking about her for the next few days. He was smitten.

We then did Swiss Family Robinson Tree House which was a lot of steps, but kind of neat.

Tom saw a photographer and wanted to get a picture. It was hot and I was cranky and didn't want to stop, but we did and it ended up being an awesome picture! Plus, Jack was wearing his Mickey ears that Ellie bought him. So adorable.

We had a fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain and a child swap pass for Splash Mountain so Tom took the kids on those rides while I tried to find a little shade and catch up on my social media.

After they finished riding, we went to Monster's Inc Laugh Floor which we thought was really cute and funny.
We had a child swap pass for Space Mountain from the previous day so I rode it with Ellie and Jack. Space Mountain was one of their favorite rides at Disney.
We also did the People Mover and Tomorrowland Speedway.  I loved People Mover because I was tired and it was relaxing and cool. Plus, you got an inside tour of Tomorrowland. When we did Tomorrowland Speedway, I was in the car with Jack and I let him steer while I pushed the pedal (he couldn't reach). Jack just kept jerking the wheel side to side. It was a bumpy ride to say the least.

At this point, we were so done with Disney and ready to go check in at our resort at Universal.

The Universal resort, Loews Royal Pacific, was much nicer than the Disney resort. The plan was for everyone to nap, but the kids were too hyper. I finally gave up and took them for a walk around the resort while Tom napped.

The kids bought Harry Potter lanyards in the little gift shop so they cpuld carry their own room keys, park pass, and express pass.

When Tom woke up, we decided to drive over to Disney Springs for dinner because we still had plenty of meals and snacks left on our meal plan.  We ate at Wolfgang Puck Express again since the food was so good the first night. It did not disappoint.

After dinner, we went in a few shops because we were trying to find a Baymax for Sam.  We didn't find one, but Jack decided to spend a little more of his souvenir money on a plush Stitch wrapped in a blanket (Tom's dad had given each of the kids $100 for birthday money that we saved for them to use for souvenirs).

We then drove back to the Universal resort and crashed.

Disney: Day Five

My original touring plans for Thursday had us doing Epcot in the morning, taking mid-afternoon nap, then doing Magic Kingdom in evening. This was actually my plan for all of the days: be at one park for rope drop in the morning, head back to the resort for naps, then go to a different park in the evening til close. And we did that most days, but we were really tired by Thursday so I decided we would sleep in and skip Epcot. I took the kids swimming at one of the smaller pools by our cabin that was adjacent to the laundry room so I could also do laundry. Then, we ate at the resort and headed over to Magic Kingdom.

We drove ourselves and took the ferry to Magic Kingdom. It had started raining again so I couldn't find a photographer to do our family picture on Main Street. I snapped one myself of the kids.

We started in Adventureland since we missed it the previous MK day. We rode the Jungle Cruise using Fast Pass and then went on Pirates of the Caribbean.

We then grabbed dinner at Columbia Harbor House (not a fan) and then headed over to see Mickey's PhilharMagic. Afterwards we took the kids on the Regal Carousel. You can just imagine how happy that made Sam.

 Then Jack saw It's a Small World and begged to go on it.  I had planned on skipping it because I remembered it as It's a Boring World from my trip to Disneyland in the 5th grade. But, we went on it and I was actually glad we did.  Jack and Sam loved it. Plus, it was super relaxing.

We then headed over to Seven Dwarves Mine Train which always has insane waits, but we had a fast pass.  Everyone had a blast on the ride.

At this point it was dark and we were heading over to get snacks when we were intercepted by the Electrical Parade.

After the parade, we lucked on a photographer setting up on Main Street and we were finally able to get our family castle picture.  I love it even though we are all sweaty and rained on.

We also lucked out with a great spot on the hump to watch the castle show, which was magical.  As soon as it ended, we headed out the gates and to the ferry.  We had an awesome view of the fireworks from the back of the ferry.  Perfect end to a perfect evening.

Disney: Day Four

Wednesday I woke up and immediately checked on Jack. It was the first night I hadn't had to wake up and give him medicine. He actually seemed to be improving! I was relieved because I had decided to take him to the Minute Clinic if he wasn't doing any better.

We were going to Hollywood Studios and I knew we had to be at the park an hour early to be able to get a spot for Jedi Training.  We decided to drive our own car and left with plenty of time to spare.  Right before we got to the park, Tom said, "Does everyone have their Magic Bands?" We all did...except for Jack. So, we had to turn around and drive all the way back.  We still got to the park before it opened, but they let people in early to sign up for Jedi training so the line was already insanely long.  I waited with Jack and Ellie in the sweltering heat and humidity for almost an hour and a half.  I wanted to be out of the park by 1:00 that day, but by the time I got to the front of the line, the earliest slot available was 2:10. Ugh.

Waiting in that line threw my touring plan completely off. Tom and Sam had gone off on their own and met some characters.

 Tom then took Sam on Star Tours, a ride we had a fast pass for later in the day. This is where we realized Sam had had a growth spurt in the past two weeks and was now 40"! He was tall enough to go on almost everything and he had no fear of anything! The possibilities were endless.

I met up with Tom just in time to make our fast pass for Toy Story...the ride that normally has the longest lines at Hollywood Studios.  It was fun. It reminded me a lot of Buzz Lightyear at Magic Kingdom.

Next we did Tower of Terror, a ride that Sam, even with his growth spurt, was still too short for. I went first with the older kids and grabbed a child swap pass. I LOVED this ride. I don't really enjoy roller coasters because I don't like to be jerked around. Tower of Terror was my kind of thrill. It was awesome. Ellie, my roller coaster junkie, hated it. Jack claimed to love it, but the pictures imply otherwise.  I convinced Tom to go right after I went.  Ellie passed, but Jack went with him. Tom was not a fan and it made him sick to his stomach. Oops. We are front right in both pictures.

I decided this would be a good time to grab lunch at Starring Rolls Cafe. Jack finally had his appetite back and actually ate his lunch. Poor Tom was still sick from the ride and could not really enjoy his.  The quick service meal plan comes with so much food (drink, entree, and dessert) that we found that we often were forcing ourselves to eat more or just throwing away a lot of food.

After lunch we had fast passes for Star Tours. Tom had already done it with Sam and didn't want to go again so I took all three kids. It was a little scary for a kid, I thought, but Sam just placed his hand on my leg and yelled out things at the screen. He loved it and so did the other two kids.

Finally, it was time to take the kids to Jedi Training. They had to be there at 1:40 to get trained for the training. The whole thing takes place outdoors and the heat was just overwhelming. It was around this time that I remembered that I had purchased a misting fan and it was in my park bag. Sure wish I had remembered that when we were in line for Jedi Training.  Anyway, I kept going over and misting Ellie and Jack and I had a few parents ask me to mist their kids. That's how hot it was.  Finally, the time  for the show arrived.  Jack seemed to take it very seriously. I thought he was a natural Jedi.  Ellie was smirking through a lot of it, but the pictures looked cool.

Both kids must have loved it, though, because they both chose light sabers as their Disney souvenir. After purchasing the sabers, we headed back to the resort for showers and naps.

We ended up going to Animal Kingdom much later than I had planned, but Animal Kingdom had just started doing late nights. It used to close earlier than any other park, but they added a nighttime show and now it stays open til 11.

We drove ourselves to the park and found it to be relatively empty. We parked up close and took the short walk into the park. We posed for pics, even though we weren't dressed themed and I had my glasses on, and then went to grab some dinner at Restaurantosaurus.

The weather felt great and we were all feeling happy.  Ellie wanted to go on Expedition Everest again since there were no lines and then we headed over to Kilamanjaro Safaris for a nighttime safari.

 Our driver wasn't as personable or as knowledgeable as our driver on day one, but it was cool to do the safari in the dark.  There weren't near as many animals out, but the lions were much more noticeable.  After the safari, it was pretty dark and getting late, but the kids wanted to keep going so we went to Dinoland and Tom took the older two on Primeval Whirl while Sam and I went on Triceratop Spin...my third time to ride that with Sam for those of you counting at home.

By this time, it was getting close to closing time so we headed for the exit. We passed the Tree of Light right as they started the light show on it and it was AMAZING.  We stayed and watched and then beat the (minimal) crowds out of the park. It was a great night.

Disney: Day Three

Tuesday was Magic Kingdom day. The park opened at 9:00 so we were at the bus stop by 7:30. Jack was still running a fever so I dosed him up with Ibuprofen. I also had a bad cold so I drugged myself up as well.

 We were at the park for rope drop and headed straight to Buzz Lightyear. I thought this ride was a lot of fun for the whole family. Then we went to Space Mountain. Sam wasn't tall enough so Tom took the older two while Sam and I waited. Sam was furious about being left behind, but a cast member gave him a balloon and he quickly cheered up.

  Ellie and Jack LOVED Space Mountain and they wanted to use the child swap pass to go again right away, but I knew we needed to take advantage of the short lines during the first hour so we saved the pass for later and headed over to Winnie the Pooh. Tom went  to find a bathroom and I took the kids on the ride, but Sam was a nightmare in the line...just one tantrum after another. It was so embarrassing. He calmed down during the ride, but, of course, threw a huge fit about getting off.  Tom worked his magic with him and we headed over to Barnstormer. This was to be Sam's first Rollercoaster and I was a little apprehensive.  He rode with Tom and it didn't faze him a bit. We then hit up the Haunted Mansion. Again, Sam was not bothered a bit by any of it. We started to realize that Sam could handle anything.  Next we did Peter Pan because we had fast passes for it. The kids all liked it.

At this point we were hungry so we went to Pecos Bill Tall Tale Cafe to eat.  Jack still was not eating his food and, honestly, I was feeling kind of awful so I can't really say how good the food was. All I remember is that I was having to work really hard at being positive and happy.

After lunch, Tom really wanted to go to Tom Sawyer Island. It wasn't in my touring plan because I had read it was skippable, especially in the heat of the day, but I wanted to be flexible so we took the boat over. Let's just say it was unremarkable, but the squirrels were very friendly.  They might have been Sam's favorite part to the day.

Jack was begging to sleep at this point, but we still had fast passes for Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad so I urged him to hang on for two more rides. At this point in the trip, I still thought Sam was 38" and too short for Splash Mountain. I took Ellie and Jack on the ride and grabbed a child swap pass for later. Poor Jack, he lost his hat on the big drop and was so upset about it. I promised to buy him a new hat of his choosing.

We then headed over to our last ride, Big Thunder Mountain. Again, I took the two older kids and got a child swap pass. Jack had fun on the ride, but right after we got off, he was in tears and begging to go back to the resort to sleep. We decided to get Mickey bars for the kids on our way out of the park to cool the kids off. 
Jack took one bite and then said he was going to throw up.  I had big zip lock baggies in my bag so I gave him one which he promptly utilized. Poor Jack was in rough shape so we kicked Sam put of the stroller and put Jack in it.  I had purchased this elastic thing that went around my wrist and Sam's wrist, connecting us together so I wouldn't lose him since he won't hold hands.  I had to bribe him to wear it so I said I would get him a special treat. He misheard it as Christmas tree and kept asking for his Christmas tree the rest of the trip.  Honestly, we couldn't get back to the resort fast enough. My touring plans called for us to go back to the resort to nap and then go to Hollywood Studios in the evening.  With Jack being sick and everyone else so exhausted, I decided to forget about HS that evening.  Tom and the boys napped while Ellie and I went to the resort's store to look for a hat for Jack. Ellie insisted on buying Jack Mickey Mouse ears out of her own souvenir money. I thought that was very sweet (and out of character).  After the boys woke up, we grabbed dinner at our resort's food court and then spent the rest of the evening in our room.  The kids watched shows and played on their tablets while I organized the room, did laundry, rearranged suitcases, and packed the park bag for the next day. It was just the break we needed to rejuvenate us for the following day.

Disney: Day Two

Staying on Disney property meant we had access to extra magic hour at a park of Disney's choosing. On our first day, we were able to go to Animal Kingdom at 8:00 instead of 9:00. The weather report had issued warning for a tropical storm and my weather app said "squall" but I decided to stick with my plan to do AK because I had read the park is great in the rain and the animals are more active.

We woke up at 6:00 (5:00 Texas time) and were at the bus stop by 7:15. Bus after bus pulled up...all for different parks. The animal kingdom crowd was getting restless and surly so finally a bus driver radioed in and got us a bus to AK. We got to AK right at rope drop and headed straight for Expedition Everest per my carefully crafted touring plan. Got there and the ride was temporarily closed. So, we headed to the opposite end of the park and hopped on Kilimanjaro Safaris. The safari was fantastic. We had a great driver who was really funny and knowledgeable.  I was so surprised how close the animals came to our vehicle.  We had to stop several times when the road was blocked by one animal or another. It was gray and drizzly, but no heavy rain. Perfect park weather.

After the safari, we went to the character spot because Sam had recently become obsessed with Mickey Mouse. While waiting in line, Jack started crying and complaining his head hurt. I felt his forehead and he was burning up. I swear I checked his forehead and asked him how he felt when he first woke up and he was fine. Even though I had packed medicine for every possible illness, they were all still back at the resort. So I sent Tom to the closest store in the park to purchase an $8 bottle of ibuprofen. He returned before we saw Mickey and Minnie and we quickly dosed Jack up while the other parents in line inched away from us.

After our little photo opportunity, we went to Dinoland and rode Triceratop Spin. Tom was itching to do a real roller coaster at this point so he took Ellie and Jack on Dinosaur while Sam and I took another turn on Triceratop. Ellie found the dinosaurs to be too realistic and terrifying. Jack and Tom enjoyed it, though. Look at the poor girl in front of Tom in the pic below. I hate to admit it, but Tom and I laugh every time we look at her.

At this point, we were ready to eat so we grabbed some food at Flame Tree Barbeque. We found a table by the water where we could watch people going on Expedition Everest and listen to their screams.

After finishing our meal, we headed over to Expedition Everest and saw the wait time was under 15 minutes so Tom took the kids on it while Sam and I hung out watching the ride. The kids loved it so much and wanted to do it again right away so we used our child swap pass and this time I went on it with them.


After Expedition Everest, poor Jack was begging to go back to the resort so he could nap. The timing was perfect because the skies opened up right after we got to our room.

After Tom and the kids napped, we headed out to Epcot once again taking our chances with Disney Transportation. It was raining pretty hard so we all wore ponchos. Epcot was not crowded at all due to the rain, which was pretty nice. We had fast passes for Test Track, Seas with Nemo, and Character Spot.

We did Seas with Nemo and Turtle Talk With Crush first. Crush chose Ellie talk to. He asked her if she was a fast swimmer and she said, "Yes, I'm on a swim team!" He told her he was fast, too, and showed her just how fast he was (not very).  I thought it was cute and was so impressed with the program and how it could answer the kids.

After Turtle Talk, we rode Living with the Land. It was a little boring and was a slightly heavy-handed on the agenda, but the kids seemed to like the boat ride.  We got off the ride and walked over to Sunshine Seasons for dinner.  Jack still was not eating and I had what was quickly turning into a full-blown cold, but everyone still was enjoying themselves.

After eating, we did Character Spot. Epcot had the best Character Spot...so many characters and since I had purchased the Memory Maker package, I was more than happy to take advantage of all photo opportunities.

Due to the weather, Test Track and Spaceship Earth were closed. We did Mission Space instead. Sam wasn't tall enough so he played in the little indoor playground near the ride. He loved that place. The kids loved that ride and made me go on it again with child swap pass. Sam was more an happy to stay in the little playground and we ended up having to drag him away kicking and screaming when it was time to leave (this was a reoccurring theme on our trip).  I originally planned on staying for Illuminations, but since Jack was sick I decided to leave right as the fireworks started.

We got back to the resort, showered, dressed the kids in their clothes for the next day, and went to sleep. I felt like it was a successful first day at the parks...even if we didn't follow my touring plans exactly.