On Saturday, we started out our morning once again at the Magic Kingdom. I was super excited because late Friday night (when I should have been sleeping), I figured out how to get Fast Passes to The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train! Say what?! I will give you my super secret method at the end of the post. I was so excited to let Brooks know in the morning, and he was excited that I let him sleep until 7:00. On our way to the lobby, we met a man who was going to be running the marathon the next day. We told him how we were supposed to run the half, but it sold out. He was super nice, but was almost disappointed with himself that he wasn't running all the races (in which you get the "Doopey" medal.) I didn't even realize until Brooks later pointed out that both of his legs were prosthetic. We later saw trailers and vans for the military runners who were disabled. It was such a humbling experience, and I decided to (try) not complain about the walking 30,000 steps the previous day.
The only hiccup we ran into was the 1/2 marathon was on the street we needed to cross to get on the Monorail. We walked down until there was a little opening and a cop let us cross at the Grand Floridian. (This hotel is beautiful, BTW.) The line for the Monorail was crazy long, but we eventually got on (but we had to fold up the stroller and hold both of the boys.)
The only hiccup we ran into was the 1/2 marathon was on the street we needed to cross to get on the Monorail. We walked down until there was a little opening and a cop let us cross at the Grand Floridian. (This hotel is beautiful, BTW.) The line for the Monorail was crazy long, but we eventually got on (but we had to fold up the stroller and hold both of the boys.)
Mimi and Papa stayed back at the hotel (I think I scarred them the day before), and the rest of us headed to the Magic Kingdom. Since I knew that later we would ride the Seven Dwarfs roller coaster, we would see how Woody did on the Barnstormer roller coaster. Luckily, Gaines was actually tall enough to ride too! Both boys loved it, and Woody wanted to ride it again, so we did! Gaines looked terrified on it, but would laugh when it stopped and clapped. Woody laughed so hard on it, and it made me so happy that he liked it so much.
After that we rode Dumbo. Both boys really liked it as well.
Mimi and Papa then met up with us, and Brooks, Woody, and I went to ride the Seven Dwarfs roller coaster while Mimi, Papa, and Gaines rode the teacups. When we got to the roller coaster, it was temporarily closed for repairs! I was heart-broken, but they said as soon as it opened, then we could use our Fast Pass for it at any point in the day. We joined everyone on the teacups, which was a good thing because Gaines was having a panic attack that I had left and was yelling, "Momma!" at every blonde woman. Poor Mimi and Papa.
Next, we took Mimi and Papa on the Barnstormer. I rode with Mimi, which I decided after day 1 was my favorite person to ride with! We also rode Dumbo again.
After that, we hopped on the Tomorrowland Speedway. Gaines rode with me, Brooks rode with Mimi, and Papa rode with Woody. This ride was just okay. I felt like I just inhaled a bunch of fumes and fought with Gaines over who got to drive. Then we decided to ride the Haunted Mansion. I felt like my boys had been pretty brave with everything, although I am sure my in-laws thought I was insane for taking them on this. They rode with Woody and we rode with Gaines. Nobody cried, so a success!
We decided to give the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train another try. It was working, and Woody was (barely) tall enough! Mimi and Papa took Gaines on the People Mover. I was definitely the most excited to ride this...mostly because I was so proud that I had gotten Fast Passes for it. Brooks was the good parent who comforted Woody. He said at one point Woody made a scared sound, but he never cried and when we got off he said he liked it! He said he wanted to ride it again, but I didn't want to wait in line, and couldn't get Fast Passes for it for the next day.
For lunch, we had reservations at the Crystal Palace. This is a (surprise!) buffet-style restaurant where the Winnie the Pooh characters visit you. I wasn't sure if my boys even knew who these characters were, but they went crazy for them! The food (especially the variety of salads) was good too.
After lunch, we loaded on the bus to head to the Animal Kingdom.
Gaines feel asleep as soon as we got there. We walked to DinoLand and let Woody ride the TriceraTop Spin. It is similar to Aladdin/Dumbo. The Kali River Rapids were closed (which was fine by me- I didn't want to get wet....hahaha, spoiler, I got soaked later on), and the safari wait time was extremely long and no Fast Passes were available. Everyone's feet were hurting, so we stopped at The Tusker House(where we would later eat dinner) to relax for a bit since Woody had fallen asleep as well. It was probably my favorite part of the day (is that bad to say?) My boys were getting much needed rest, and it was nice to sit and chat.
Gaines eventually woke up, so we took him to ride the TriceraTop Spin (he liked) and to see the Bug's Life show (he did not like...maybe too young for this.)
Then we met back up to eat dinner. The Tusker House is a...wait for it....buffet-style meal with characters. However, the food here is so good. It was probably my favorite meal of the trip. It is traditional dishes from Africa and Asia. I liked it because it was so different from what we had eaten, but if you have picky eaters (pretty sure Woody only ate blueberries)/don't like spicy food, it might not be the place for you.
While we were eating dinner, the bottom fell out...and rained...and rained....and rained. We ran to the entrance of the park for cover. I bought the boys some Safari Mickey Mouse dolls. They literally had not asked for anything, and I thought these would keep them somewhat happy under their poncho tents. It was pouring rain, and we had to wait under a tent for the bus. There was a man in a wheelchair with a service dog. Since he was staying at Shades of Green, I thought he was another disabled veteran. However, he told us that he was actually a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing. He was there watching a friend, who was a disabled veteran run the race, when the bombs went off. He, as well as two of his friends who were with him, lost their legs. The four of them were going to run the marathon together. Is that not incredible?!
Brooks and I had originally planned on putting the boys to sleep, letting the rain stop, and going back to the Magic Kingdom since it was open to 11:00 for Magic Hours. (We had adjoining rooms to Mimi and Papa.) However, both boys were so excited, and we couldn't get them to sleep. Gaines finally fell asleep around 9:00, but I don't think Woody passed out until close to 10:00. At first, I was majorly annoyed, because I am a four year old who wanted to go back to the park. Brooks had to gently remind me that this trip was for the boys, and I sucked it up and started dying laughing at how crazy Woody was acting. He is usually a pretty quiet kid, so hearing him sing and laugh made me so happy.
Thoughts: I planned which parks we went to based on where Jim had made reservations, but I loved how our schedule worked out. The last three days we did the Magic Kingdom in the morning (when it isn't as crowded), and then went to a less busy park after lunch. The Animal Kingdom is really neat, but I was glad we didn't spend a whole day there.
Favorite Rides: The Barnstormer, Dumbo, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Best Moment: The boys laughing on the Barnstormer- I was so proud how brave they were! Sitting and talking at the Animal Kingdom was a highlight for me//Also, meeting the two men who were running the marathon//Watching how excited and hyper Woody was before bed.
Fast Pass Tip: There are some things at Disney that are hard to get Fast Passes to ride/do. I wanted Brooks, Woody, and I to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but when I tried to register the three of us, none were avaiable. Instead I just registered one at a time. So first I just did Woody's and they had a pass from 10:30-11:30. Then I did Brooks and was able to get 10:40-11:40. Finally, I did mine and got one for 10:50-11:50. My plan was for us to all get on when our times overlapped- anywhere from 10:50-11:30. (In reality, since the ride was broken during those times, and we were able to use our Fast Pass whenever, the times didn't even matter!) I have to give credit to my mom for this. And she learned of this tip from a lady at church, and that is how my brother got to meet Elsa and Anna ;)
Dumbo!
Mimi and Papa then met up with us, and Brooks, Woody, and I went to ride the Seven Dwarfs roller coaster while Mimi, Papa, and Gaines rode the teacups. When we got to the roller coaster, it was temporarily closed for repairs! I was heart-broken, but they said as soon as it opened, then we could use our Fast Pass for it at any point in the day. We joined everyone on the teacups, which was a good thing because Gaines was having a panic attack that I had left and was yelling, "Momma!" at every blonde woman. Poor Mimi and Papa.
Next, we took Mimi and Papa on the Barnstormer. I rode with Mimi, which I decided after day 1 was my favorite person to ride with! We also rode Dumbo again.
After that, we hopped on the Tomorrowland Speedway. Gaines rode with me, Brooks rode with Mimi, and Papa rode with Woody. This ride was just okay. I felt like I just inhaled a bunch of fumes and fought with Gaines over who got to drive. Then we decided to ride the Haunted Mansion. I felt like my boys had been pretty brave with everything, although I am sure my in-laws thought I was insane for taking them on this. They rode with Woody and we rode with Gaines. Nobody cried, so a success!
We decided to give the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train another try. It was working, and Woody was (barely) tall enough! Mimi and Papa took Gaines on the People Mover. I was definitely the most excited to ride this...mostly because I was so proud that I had gotten Fast Passes for it. Brooks was the good parent who comforted Woody. He said at one point Woody made a scared sound, but he never cried and when we got off he said he liked it! He said he wanted to ride it again, but I didn't want to wait in line, and couldn't get Fast Passes for it for the next day.
Me and my new mom friend just loving life
I was so excited. I am glad Brooks was the responsible parent.
The boys liked all of the parade and shows. We stopped to watch several of them throughout the weekend.
Despite his stink face, Woody really did like them.
I tried getting a picture at the front of the park. No one was having it.
Gaines feel asleep as soon as we got there. We walked to DinoLand and let Woody ride the TriceraTop Spin. It is similar to Aladdin/Dumbo. The Kali River Rapids were closed (which was fine by me- I didn't want to get wet....hahaha, spoiler, I got soaked later on), and the safari wait time was extremely long and no Fast Passes were available. Everyone's feet were hurting, so we stopped at The Tusker House(where we would later eat dinner) to relax for a bit since Woody had fallen asleep as well. It was probably my favorite part of the day (is that bad to say?) My boys were getting much needed rest, and it was nice to sit and chat.
Gaines eventually woke up, so we took him to ride the TriceraTop Spin (he liked) and to see the Bug's Life show (he did not like...maybe too young for this.)
Then we met back up to eat dinner. The Tusker House is a...wait for it....buffet-style meal with characters. However, the food here is so good. It was probably my favorite meal of the trip. It is traditional dishes from Africa and Asia. I liked it because it was so different from what we had eaten, but if you have picky eaters (pretty sure Woody only ate blueberries)/don't like spicy food, it might not be the place for you.
While we were eating dinner, the bottom fell out...and rained...and rained....and rained. We ran to the entrance of the park for cover. I bought the boys some Safari Mickey Mouse dolls. They literally had not asked for anything, and I thought these would keep them somewhat happy under their poncho tents. It was pouring rain, and we had to wait under a tent for the bus. There was a man in a wheelchair with a service dog. Since he was staying at Shades of Green, I thought he was another disabled veteran. However, he told us that he was actually a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing. He was there watching a friend, who was a disabled veteran run the race, when the bombs went off. He, as well as two of his friends who were with him, lost their legs. The four of them were going to run the marathon together. Is that not incredible?!
Brooks and I had originally planned on putting the boys to sleep, letting the rain stop, and going back to the Magic Kingdom since it was open to 11:00 for Magic Hours. (We had adjoining rooms to Mimi and Papa.) However, both boys were so excited, and we couldn't get them to sleep. Gaines finally fell asleep around 9:00, but I don't think Woody passed out until close to 10:00. At first, I was majorly annoyed, because I am a four year old who wanted to go back to the park. Brooks had to gently remind me that this trip was for the boys, and I sucked it up and started dying laughing at how crazy Woody was acting. He is usually a pretty quiet kid, so hearing him sing and laugh made me so happy.
Thoughts: I planned which parks we went to based on where Jim had made reservations, but I loved how our schedule worked out. The last three days we did the Magic Kingdom in the morning (when it isn't as crowded), and then went to a less busy park after lunch. The Animal Kingdom is really neat, but I was glad we didn't spend a whole day there.
Favorite Rides: The Barnstormer, Dumbo, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Best Moment: The boys laughing on the Barnstormer- I was so proud how brave they were! Sitting and talking at the Animal Kingdom was a highlight for me//Also, meeting the two men who were running the marathon//Watching how excited and hyper Woody was before bed.
Fast Pass Tip: There are some things at Disney that are hard to get Fast Passes to ride/do. I wanted Brooks, Woody, and I to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but when I tried to register the three of us, none were avaiable. Instead I just registered one at a time. So first I just did Woody's and they had a pass from 10:30-11:30. Then I did Brooks and was able to get 10:40-11:40. Finally, I did mine and got one for 10:50-11:50. My plan was for us to all get on when our times overlapped- anywhere from 10:50-11:30. (In reality, since the ride was broken during those times, and we were able to use our Fast Pass whenever, the times didn't even matter!) I have to give credit to my mom for this. And she learned of this tip from a lady at church, and that is how my brother got to meet Elsa and Anna ;)
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