Day 4 – morning
Since we had such a late evening (didn’t get to bed until midnight!), we didn’t set the wake up call and decided to sleep in. We were up at 7:23 am. We just don’t sleep late in the mornings! That is why Rope Drop works so great for us.
We got up and took our time getting ready and had a nice breakfast in cafeteria. We then went out to wait on the bus. We waited and waited and waited and finally said “the heck with this, we are going to try driving.” So we went back to the room to get the keys to the truck and headed to Animal Kingdom. And i’ll be darned if we didn’t beat the people we waited with for the bus!
The parking was a breeze. There is a cast member to direct you to your row and another one to direct you to your spot. The tram came right to the row we were loading and you are guaranteed a seat on the tram (they dont allow standing). So within 5 minutes of parking, we were in the parks! Woo hoo!
We went to Dinoland and let the kids ride Triceratop Spin. Then we played in the Boneyard for over an hour! The Boneyard is so nice and cool! They have 4 cast members walking around to make sure the kids aren’t getting into any danger. It’s so great!
We finally drug Jacob out of there and we met Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore. The line was about 20 minutes! But it was because the characters take a break every 10 minutes. The kids were very patient and it wasn’t really that bad.
After that we ate at Flame Tree Barbeque. I think that will likely be our last meal there. We really aren’t big barbeque eaters and it’s outside and birds peck your feet while you eat trying to get your crumbs. LOL! We definitely perfer Pizzafari.
After we ate, we headed back to the truck to go to Walmart.
Recap:
Animal Kingdom: 9:45 – 12:30
Triceratop Spin – 3 minute wait
Boneyard – played for an hour
Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore – 20 minutes
Flame Tree Barbeque – 30 minutes
Day 4 – evening
We left the Animal Kingdom and went to Walmart for some batteries. I didn’t pack enough. :( We also picked up a few new Disney shirts there. They have a huge, huge, huge department devoted to Disney. It’s awesome!!
We also went to Character Outlet across the street. Its Disney parks surplus and it was terrible. Everything was cheaply made and some of it was severely outdated. I found an MGM shirt! We won’t go there again.
Then we decided to drive to the Magic Kingdom. My husband has been begging to ride the Ferry Boat that goes from the Ticket and Transportation center. Again driving wasn’t bad at all! We hopped on the tram and then got right on the ferry. It was really a fun experience. Much better than standing on the bus holding our 40 pound 3 year old!
We got to the Magic Kingdom and took the train to Toontown. It’s not faster than walking, but the kids love to ride the train. Emily and Jason rode Barnstormer while Jacob and I went to Fastpass Peter Pan and browse the shops. We met up for dinner and got a window seat at Pinocchio Village Haus. You can watch the riders on It’s A Small World go by! It’s great!!
After we ate, we rode It’s A Small World. Jacob was in awe over the ride. He was all grins the entire time!
We then headed towards Adventureland and browsed a few shops on the way. Jason wants a new hat and has yet to find one that he likes.
We did the Swiss Family Treehouse which I didn’t like at all and will never do again. Blah! I hate heights. Then it was off to ride Aladdin’s Magic Carpets. Emily loves getting spit on by the camel!
Afterwards, we rode Pirates twice. This is the kids newest favorite ride. They absolutely love the drop in the ride. We have a blast trying to spot where Jack is hiding. It also has a great gift shop after the ride. We got Jacob a plate with Pirate Mickey, Goofy and Donald on it. He took it to bed with him!
We each got a Dole Whip as a snack before heading to Fantasyland for one quick ride on Peter Pan with our Fastpasses before heading back to the resort. It took us 35 minutes to leave Peter Pan, make it out of the park, onto the ferry, onto the tram and to our truck. Not too bad!
Recap:
Magic Kingdom – 4:10 pm – 8:30 pm
Train to Toontown – 2 min wait
Goofy’s Barnstormer – 10 min wait
Dinner at Pinocchio Village Haus – 45 minutes
It’s a Small World – 10 min wait
Swiss Family Treehouse – no wait
Aladdin’s Magic Carpets – 6 min wait
Pirates (twice)- 5 min wait and 0 minute wait
Peter Pan with fastpass – 2 min wait
Catch up:
Day 1 evening and Day 2 morning recap
I love having my car at the parks… you can get to the car and have a snack, a cold drink (all in a cooler in the truck) and change a shirt before hitting the next park… plus when you stay on site — you don’t have to pay parking :)
Buses are good.. but I think having a car full of snacks is better :)
HI-
I’m so glad you waited to meet Pooh and friends, those are some of my favorite photo ops.
I agree on the Character Warehouse, the one in Anaheim is very hit or miss. They have them occasionally here in the SF Bay Area for a few months at a time. I stopped going becuz they have the same old crap every time.
Bummer about the batteries : (
Last trip I forgot my battery charger and my camera died the 2nd to last day, I had to buy a disposable camera for that last day..terrible pics.
Sounds like you guys are having a WONDERFUL time at Disney! Thanks for sharing it with us:) Enjoy!!
I am another one for not liking Flame Tree BBQ….we didn’t like the sauce and the meat has alot of grisel. I am stunned at the people who say they just love their food……the last time we went there I stuck to the chicken and it was decent enough. We have the Pizzasafari on our list for our next trip…it gets a lot of good reveiws on the DIS boards so I was glad to hear that you like it as well.
You all look like you are having a blast. I am enjoying reading about your adventures. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so jealous of you folks who can drive there and have your car handy to make runs to the store. Just the Walmart trip would’ve been nice. :)
Such a newbie question, but what is rope drop?
You two make a nice looking couple!
I had no idea that they had SO much to do at Disney! I can’t wait to start planning a trip for our family! It looks like you are having such a fun time!
:)
We are going to Disney World this Fall and i have loved reading how you save and especially now your trip!!! Do you reccomend driving or flying…..wording if parking is a pain?
seems like your enjoying your self!!!
I am loving your stories about Disney. I am planning a short stay there this September. My kids and I have never been! I have 3 boys, 11,13,and 15 and they are super excited about going! I am not sure which park to take them to on this first trip…I can’t afford to take them to more than one park. We done the give a day get a day and that is about all I can handle this trip. Hope this one shows me where to go next year and I will start saving now!! Glad your having a great trip!
So glad you are having a great time! We love going to Walmart to get Disney stuff! A GREAT money saver tip! We felt the same way about the Character outlet! It was awful!!!
I LOVE reading your disney adventures!
Sounds like an awesome day!
Im so glad you are having fun but also cant wait for you to get home so I can follow you step by step to save up for our trip!
I’m not a big fan of Flame Tree. I prefer sitting in the cool and the the food at Flame Tree isn’t consistent.
You should try the other Disney Outlets! We have gotten some WONDERFUL items there.
Glenda
The pic. with winnie the pooh is beautiful. I hope u r having fun.
Awesome! I love reading up on what you and your family have been doing. Thanks for sharing this experience with us!
Fun times! I can’t wait to hear how you liked splash mountain!
Last year we tried driving to the parks and really liked it. We don’t drive to Magic Kingdom though. It’s great and it’s free because we you stay in a Disney resort. The main reason we love it though is because we don’t have to wait for the bus at night. Three years ago, we waited for over an hour for the bus one night. We were staying at Port Orleans, Riverside.
Can’t wait to see more pictures of your trip.
Another day i wish i was in shoes!!!
I think with a large family we would all hop in my van and drive over… my kids are loud and energetic in the morning… :)
Its great to have so many days there so you dont feel rushed or pressed to do everything in a day.
I am glad that you area enjoying your trip!
Kristen! You must invest in rechargeable batteries! I got three chargers and prob 6 packs of batteries at christmas time and they work great. Of course I used my coupons to get them so they were really affordable. We used to have a huge issue about batteries in my house cause everything takes them. Now, no problems at all. The kids (ages 6 & 3) know how to charge them and put them back into thier toys ect. They work great! I purchased energizer and duracell brands. So people say that they dont hold a charge very long but I havent noticed yet. They are still going strong. My son used them in his digital camera, leapster, other games, clickers,ect. Whatever takes bats in out house now has the rechargeable. Way less $$ and hassle. Just thought I might pass it along!
You have been an inspiration to me! I recently began a home business with the hopes of creating enough income to begin my own “Disney Fund”! Being a stay at home mom of three I hope to contribute to my family this way. We are a single income family and EVERY bit of my husbands income is used to stay above water so there is no extra to put aside. Thanks again for making this blog available to all of us and congrats on achieving your goal of making it to Disney!
Down to 24 days til my trip! I will have to see about the Walmart…sounds worth checking out!
Love the pirates ride, too! One of my faves =)
We drive to the parks each day from our resort..so much faster and easier (I think..esp w/a stroller and all)! Last trip we used the buses for the first day or so but after that we drove and liked it much better!
Sounds like ya’ll are having a blast! :)
We will be there in 36 days and can’t wait!!
Oh…and I LOVE that HUGE Disney section in the walmart there!! Much better prices for shirts and all too!
I hope my kids like Pirates too. My son is 10 but always has been afraid of a lot of rides. I’m hoping that if he tries something like Pirates with the little dip then he will realize that it is OK.
Good to know that Wally World has the Disney stuff there. I am enjoying your vacation with you from home. Thanks.
awesome times 100
I hate eating out doors too. The birds are down right annoying and all the tables are so hidden you can’t find your way around.