Popping bubbles
On the train
Fun at the animal kingdom
Lazy morning
We decided to sleep on late this morning. Were up at 7:23. Had a good breakfast and drove to animal kingdom. We are just hanging out for a while.
Spectro
Waiting on Spectro
The family
10% chance of rain
Autograph round ups
Here is all the characters we have met so far (in order of signatures in my daughter’s book):
Alice
White Rabbit
Peter Pan
Wendy
Fairy Godmother
Goofy
Jasmine
Aladdin
Minnie Mouse
Goofy
Donald Duck
Mickey Mouse
Rafiki
Meeko
Pluto
Goofy
Daisy
Stitch
Mickey
Pluto
Minnie Mouse
Donald Duck
Goofy
Jasmine
Donald Duck
A recap of Day 2 evening and Day 3 morning
Day 2 – Evening
We left the Magic Kingdom at 12:30 and took a boat to Wilderness Lodge. We went to Roaring Forks and got a snack and while we were eating, they came out and set up a cookie decorating center! So we all 4 got free cookies (yes free at Disney World!) and a cup of icing and sprinkles to decorate our cookie. Jacob even ended up with frosting in his ear! HAHAHA!
Then we stopped by the concierge desk and got the Hidden Mickey hunt clue sheet. We then tried to find them and ended up giving up after two. HAHA! At 3:00 we got on a bus to the Animal Kingdom.
We got to the Animal Kingdom and we were on our way in when we had a bit of Disney Magic. A nice woman with a double stroller on her way out offered to let us use it. We only had our single with us and it was such a blessing! So a huge thank you to Mrs. Lamb of the Lamb family! I appreciated the pixie dust.
We got there just as the parade was starting. Jacob’s whole face was lit up in a big grin as his favorite characters came by. The Animal Kingdom show is so exciting and fun! I highly suggest you try to catch it. It also isn’t nearly as crowded as the one in the Magic Kingdom!
After the parade ended we went to Camp Minnie Mickey to greet the characters. Within a 40 minute span, we met Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy (saw him twice!), Meeko and Rafiki! Not bad!
For dinner we ate at Pizzafari (so good!) and almost didn’t make it to The Lion King show in time! We got there right after it started but we still got a seat. It is my husband’s favorite thing in all of Disney World. He is a Lion King fanatic!
After it was over, we high tailed it to Dinoland to ride Triceratop Spin. We were on the ride when we noticed Pluto and Goofy greeting in the back of Dinoland. Jacob had been begging to see Pluto so we had to stop to do that. The line only took about 10 minutes which wasn’t bad. We also had enough time to ride Triceratop Spin one more time before the park closed at 7 pm.
On our way out, we stopped to watch Animal Kingdom’s goodbye show. Minnie, Goofy and Donald pulled up in a jeep and sang and danced with the crowd. Emily even got chosen to be in the show!! Woo hoo! It was a blast…. until I got pooped on by a bird. But even that was magical because it takes a lot of luck to get pooped on by a bird. First time in my life. I laughed so hard.
We came back to the hotel and let the kids play on the playground before it got dark. I met the nicest couple and we had a great chat about touring Disney World. We then took the kids swimming for a bit in the pool before we finished off the night with a huge bubble bath.
It was the best day we have EVER had at Disney. My husband and I didn’t bicker once, the kids didn’t have a single melt down. We all had these huge grins on our face all day long!
Recap: Animal Kingdom from 3:40 – 7 pm
Parade: 20 minutes
6 characters in Camp Minnie Mickey – 40 minutes
Pizzafari – 35 minutes
Lion King Show – 30 minutes
Tricera Top Spin – 2 minutes
Goofy and Pluto – 12 minutes
Tricera Top Spin – 2 minutes
Day 3 – Morning
We spent the morning at Epcot. There was a little hiccup with the buses and we ended up not getting to Epcot until 8:50 am. That does happen occasionally but hopefully that was the only time this trip. I sent Jason ahead of us to Fastpass Soarin and Test Track (note: neither me nor Jacob were interested in riding so he used 2 park tickets at each location.)
We waited for Daisy for about 10 minutes. She is one of the hardest characters to meet! She isn’t everywhere like the Fab Five. Then we went to meet Stitch. Unfortunately he had to go make a phone call before it was our turn, but I had the best time talking to the Cast Member. He was from a town about 45 minutes from me! But Stitch returned after about 5 minutes and he and the kids had a great time together!
Then we headed over to Epcot’s Character Spot. By now it was 9:20 and the line was about 15 minutes long. Had the hiccup with the buses not happened, we would of been here sooner. But oh well. It is air conditioned waiting!
We got to meet Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald and Goofy. Then when we went to exit, Jasmine was greeting off in the corner. Jacob would not talk to her! She spent at least 5 minutes with the kids trying to get their attention! Always remember to look for the extra character when you go to leave. (Last year it was Mary Poppins!)
After this, we went to do Living with the Seas with Nemo and Friends. Jacob loved the ride! He had so much fun looking for Nemo! But unfortunately he was in a sour mood afterward and so he and I ended up browsing the gift shop while Jason and Emily saw Turtle Talk with Crush.
After this, we headed to ride Soarin. We did a child swap and Jacob and I went to get a snack from Sunshine Seasons. While Emily and Jason were riding, Jen texted me to let me know she was in the parks. She came over to have a muffin with me. (If you haven’t already, you should check out her blog Coupons and Cakes!) We had a great chat! She and her husband just celebrated their first anniversary! Woo hoo!!
We then headed over to the other side of the parks so Emily and Jason could ride Test Track. You know both Test Track and Soarin have these long videos for you to watch. It really takes a long time. Blah.
Jacob and I went to play on the playground at Mission Space. (To get to this, you enter the gift shop and walk to the right. You can’t miss it.) But we didn’t play long because he was mr. grumpy. So we browsed the gift shop and he talked me into a $15 set of cars and a $6 set of suckers. (eye roll) I think he’s down to $61 for souvenirs. (each kid has $100 in birthday money they saved to spend)
By now it was 1 pm and time to head back to the resort. We got to our stop just as the bus was arriving! We had a great chat with another couple that was celebrating their 1st anniversary and my daughter decided to give them 2 of her mickey suckers. She decided! I didn’t even have to suggest it. What a sweet gesture for her to do!
We stopped by the resort gift shop on our way to eat and she got a $15 set of Peter Pan figurines (she’s also down to $61) and I bought myself a lanyard. I decided that since the kids aren’t really into pin trading, that I was going to wear the pins and do all the trading. It was $8 but it’s a big, nice, sturdy lanyard with Tinker Bell on it. So cute!
We ate lunch at the cafeteria and now the kids are napping and hubby is doing laundry. Woo hoo!
Recap:
Epcot – 8:50 am to 1 pm
These are our wait times:
Daisy meet and greet – 10 minutes
Stitch meet and greet – 7 minutes
Epcot Character Spot – 15 minutes
Jasmine – 1 minute
Living with the Sea/Turtle Talk with Crush – 5 minute wait for the show
Soarin (twice) / muffin with Jen – 1 hour total (5 minute wait with Fastpass each time)
Test Track – 5 minutes with fastpass
Playground at Mission Space – no wait
Catch up:
Here is the Day 1 morning recap.
Here is the Day 1 evening and Day 2 morning recap.
A recap of Day 1 evening and Day 2 morning
Day 1 – Evening
After napping at the hotel (well the kids and hubby fell asleep around 2:30 and I got them up at 4:30. I didn’t nap.), we headed over to Epcot. We got there around 5 pm. We stopped to take a few pictures in front of the ball and then we went to let the kids play in Innovations West. My daughter loves Great Piggybank Adventure. She and my husband played that while my son ran around and around and around this play house they have by the firetruck.
We had to literally drag them out of there to take them to Innovations East. Of course they had the time of their lives there like we knew they would. There is so much for the kids to do in both Innovations. They could probably spend the whole day there!
At 6:30 we left and went to Norway to eat. We ate at Kringla Bakeri og Cafe. We both had the Norwegian Club and the kids had PB&J, grapes, applesauce and a juice box. It was really good! We are trying to eat around the world on this trip.
Then we spent our time wandering around on our way to the exit. We found a very beautiful Princess and the Frog themed garden near Test Track. Emily loved it!
We got back to the hotel around 8 pm and we took the kids to play in the kiddie pool. They had so much fun and I got a great foot massage from the pop jets. LOL!!
I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow. It was so nice to get a good night sleep.
Recap:
Park time – 3 hours
Rides:
Innovations West – 1 hour
Innovations East – 30 minutes
Dinner in Norway – 45 minutes
Wandering around – 15 minutes
Day 2 – Morning
We got up at 6:15 am and got us and the kids ready for the day. Stopped by the cafeteria to eat breakfast and then boarded the buses to the Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom had evening magic hours that day, but we knew we could get in and get what we needed to get done and get out before it got too crowded.
We stood in the middle of the waiting area this time so Jacob could see the welcome show. When he saw Mickey he went crazy!! He was so excited. After it was over, we headed through the castle to Fantasyland. We rode Peter Pan and Pooh (we are on a mission to ride these both as many times as possible. They are the kids absolute favorites!) then we headed to Adventureland. We waited for about 5 minutes while Aladdin and Jasmine came out, rode Aladdin’s Magic Carpets (they will ride with guests, but you must be loading onto the ride when they come out and they just jump in an empty seat) and then it was our turn to meet them! This was our first time and Emily was so thrilled! Jacob just loves all the characters. He hugs them all.
While we were meeting them, my husband ran off to grab 2 Fastpasses to both Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I had no desire to ride either one, so they only needed 2 at each.
He made it back just as we said our goodbyes to Aladdin and Jasmine. We all got on the Magic Carpet ride and we rode it twice! Our only wait was for the ride cycle to finish and unload. It was awesome! Kids had so much fun and I am finally over my fear I have of these rides!! Yay!
We then went to ride Pirates again. It was about a 5 minute wait. They only had the left side open. We absolutely love this ride! The drop is sooooo fun.
By now it was 10:15 am, so we split up. Jason and Emily went to ride the mountains while Jacob and I headed towards Fantasyland. I think the time I wander around with him, might just be my favorite part of the trip. We stopped to see Frontier Donald and Jacob hugged him soooooo hard. Donald refused to use Jacob’s Mickey Pen and had to get a new pen from the Cast Member. HAHA! It was great!
Then we stopped by a man with a bell in Liberty Square who let Jacob ring it a few times. He got suck a kick out of this!!
Next we went to Fastpass Peter Pan. If you ever see them working on a Fastpass machine, head to that one to get your Fastpasses as soon as they finish with it. I did this, and the machine wasn’t working so he just printed us 4 Fastpasses for Peter Pan. That gave me a chance to go ahead and run over to Pooh and get our Fastpasses without having to wait. Woo hoo! We also got Fastpasses to Mickeys Philarmagic.
Jacob and I rode the Mad Tea Party again. We had to wait 5 minutes and the time passed quickly because he played a matching game on my phone. He loves loves loves this ride!
By now we were ready to meet up with Jason and Emily. We toured Mickey’s house and Minnie’s house before heading to Cosmic Ray’s for lunch. It was so nice to be in the A/C for a while!
Then we rode Pooh, saw Mickey’s Phillarmagic and rode Peter Pan one more time before we decided to leave Magic Kingdom for the day around 1:30.
Here’s a recap:
At the Magic Kingdom from 8:30 – 12:30. It is the morning of an Extra Magic Day. Park opened at 9 am.
Peter Pan – 3 minutes
Pooh – 3 minutes
Greet Aladdin and Jasmine – 5 minutes
Aladdin’s Magic Carpets – 2 minutes
Aladdin’s Magic Carpets – 2 minutes
Pirates – 5 minutes
Greet Frontier Donald (Kristin and Jacob) – 8 minutes
Splash Mountain – (Jason and Emily) – 3 minutes with Fastpass
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Jason and Emily) – 3 minutes with Fastpass
Mad Tea Party (Kristin and Jacob) – 5 minutes
Cosmic Rays – 30 minutes
Pooh – 3 minutes with Fastpass
Mickey’s Philharmagic – 5 minutes with Fastpass
Peter Pan – 3 minutes with Fastpass
Catch up:
Here is the Day 1 morning recap.
Met my first reader!
Just met up with Jen from Coupons and Cakes at Sunshine Seasons while Jason and Emily rode Soarin twice!! we had a great chat.
Epcot character spot
Epcot Day 3
Epcot day 3
The kiss goodnight
Lots to tell u but for now I will share the Front row seat photo we got of the goodbye show…….that Emily was in!
The Lion King
Animal Kingdom day 2
Breaking from the parks
We are at Wilderness Lodge. We took a boat over from the Magic Kingdom and stopped by Roaring Forks snacks. While we were sitting here, they brought out their free cookie corner!! So the four of us all decorated a cookie!! Yay for Disney Magic!!