Magic Kingdom, Sep 2017

On our second day of this trip, we decided to start our day at Magic Kingdom.  The park opened at 9, but we were able to score some breakfast reservations at Be Our Guest at 8:25.  This meant we were at the bus stop by 7:00 and in front of Magic Kingdom by 7:35.

When they opened the park we entered and stopped for our mandatory picture in front of the castle.

8:00

We headed straight to Be Our Guest, even though our reservation wasn't until 8:25.  We really expected to be told we had to wait until closer to our reservation time, but they didn't say anything about us being early and just directed us in.  We had used the order ahead option, to speed up the process even more.

I didn't take any pictures of our food this time, but we got the same items as last time, so if you're interested in what the breakfast meals look like, check out one of my previous posts here.  Looking back for the link, I think Littlecjc actually changed her menu item to an egg option, so sorry I didn't get a picture of that.  We always enjoy eating here, especially if we can get in before the park opens.  This way, when you're finished eating, you can exit the restaurant and you will notice a line forming across from Enchanted Tales with Belle for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.  They always send this line through the fastpass entrance just before the park opens.  So, before the park officially opened we were on attraction #1, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Littlecjc was so excited to be in the first car.  Patrick and I were excited that we got this ride in.  Since we hadn't originally planned on being in the park this early in the day, all the fastpasses for Seven Dwarfs were gone when we started searching for them.

9:00

 When we got off the ride, we thought about jumping in line to ride again, but it already seemed pretty long, so we decided to move on and ride attraction #2, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

With two rides in, we decided to beat the crowds to Fairytale Princess Hall.  First, we met Rapunzel, character #1 and then character #2, Tiana.

As soon as we exited this side, we entered again to meet the princesses on the other side; Elena, character #3 and Cinderella, character #4.

If you've read my past MK trip reports you can probably guess where we went next.  It seems like we've gotten a routine for the first hour the park is open.  I guess as long as it keeps working for us, we'll keep it up.  So where do we head next? Prince Charming Regal Carousel, attraction #3.

At this point, we head to It's a Small World, attraction #4.

Neither the carousel or It's a Small World are attractions most people would recommend doing during the first hour the park is open, but we enjoy not standing in line for them at all.  It's also nice to knock out most of Fantasyland first thing, since it always seems the most crowded area, regardless of time of day.

10:00

I'm pretty sure that at this time, we checked out the line to meet Peter Pan, but it was already pretty long so we decided to go ride the Haunted Mansion instead.  Although I failed on getting any photo proof to document our time, I'm confident enough that I'm counting The Haunted Mansion as attraction #5.  After our tour of the mansion, it was time to use our first fastpass at Peter Pan's Flight, attraction #6.  Although we had only eaten 2 hours ago, we couldn't resist stopping in at Gaston's Tavern when we decided to take a restroom break.  We also noticed only one family was in line to meet Gaston, so Littlecjc and I waited in line while Patrick went to the tavern to get drinks and macaroons.

We snacked while we waited for Gaston to come out, and our timing was perfect.  As soon as we finished our snack he appeared and we met Gaston, character #5.

Littlecjc has met Gaston a few times before, but for some reason she was a little shy this time and wanted me to stand with her.

11:00

We continued our path around the back side of Fantasyland and walked on Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid, attraction #7.

After traveling through Ariel's story, it was time for us to use our fastpass to meet her in person.  So, Ariel became character #6.

When our little mermaid immersion was completed, we headed into Storybook Circus.  Our first stop here was The Barnstormer, attraction #8.

Littlecjc was so excited because she asked the castmember if she could sit in the front and they obliged.

If you stop in at Barnstormer, you have to also visit Dumbo.  Even though the line did not require us to enter the play area, it was open and therefore Littlecjc wanted to spend some time exploring.  When we were able to persuade her to move on to the ride, Dumbo became attraction #9.

When we got off the ride, Littlecjc noticed the photo op Dumbo placed between the two rides.  I think maybe it's always been too busy before for her to notice, but this time she was determined that she needed her picture taken in this Dumbo.

 12:00

Littlecjc had stated that she really wanted to see Snow White.  She's one of those characters whose meet and greet times are a little limited.  So, we decided to take the train around to the front of the park.  So, the Walt Disney World Railroad became attraction #10.

We made it in time for littlecjc to meet Snow White, character #7.

 I'm so glad we listened to this request, because she was absolutely adorable telling Snow White all about how she was in her favorite ride, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.  Since we were at the front of the park, we stopped in at the firehouse for a Sorcerer's Card.  We've never done this before, and I admit that we didn't do any of it besides the initial introduction.  Honestly, I'm still a little confused by this...game, I guess is what I should call it.  I really wanted to just start collecting the cards, but we already forgot again every other day.  However, Littlecjc continued to talk about our tutorial throughout the week so we might have to check it out another time.

1:00

Our next fastpasses were for Big Thunder Mountain, but we still had some time.  We decided to go ahead that way and take advantage of the restrooms back by Splash Mountain.  These are nice if you have little ones, because there is a small play area nearby, under the train station.  We used this space to let Littlecjc run around for a bit while Patrick and I took a little rest.

When it was time for us to use our fastpasses, we moved next door to Big Thunder Mountain, attraction #11.

This was the first time for Littlecjc to ride this one, and she loved it.  In fact, when we entered with the fastpass, we discovered that the standby line was actually really short so when Littlecjc asked to ride it again we made Big Thunder Mountain attraction #12.

2:00

We quickly crossed the parade route just before 2:00 and entered Pecos Bill for a late lunch.  This worked out nicely, because once Littlecjc and I told Patrick what we wanted to eat we claimed a seat next to the window and the parade route.  I obviously wouldn't recommend this to someone who's never seen the parade before, but for us it was perfect.  Littlecjc and I enjoyed watching everything pass.  Eating this late also had the benefit of not taking too long since the place was mostly empty.  By 2:30, we were done eating and using our next fastpass at Jungle Cruise, attraction #13.

It doesn't matter how many times we ride this, we always love it.  Littlecjc also loves the flying carpets nearby, so our next stop was The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, attraction #14.

3:00

Next up was our only mistake of the day.  We made way for Pirates and decided to stand in the standby line.  Now, I do know that a large group with wheelchairs entered at the same time as us and then backed out to go through the fastpass line.  I love seeing these groups in the park and never mind waiting for them.  However, I knew there had to be something else going on, because we literally did not move at all for such a long time.  We actually debated getting out of line, but we always hate doing that once we've committed to a line since your wasted time isn't rewarded at all when you do that.  So we waited it out and eventually made it to the front where we discovered that only one side was loading and launching boats.  That meant that not only did we wait on the large group, but also any and every fastpass that entered during our time in line.  By 3:45 we eventually made it on the ride making Pirates of the Caribbean attraction #15.

4:00

We had made plans to leave the park early today so that we could meet some friends for dinner at Disney Springs.  So, we picked up our final fastpass to meet Tinkerbell back at the front of the park.  Since we lost so much time at the Pirates ride, we made our way to the front of the park where we stopped for a picture of Main St with it's fall decorations.

We then used our fastpass to meet Tink.  For some reason, this seemed to take a really long time as well.  Even with our fastpass, we spent 30 mins at Town Square Theater.  I'm not sure what the hold up was here, because the line wasn't moving at all for a long time.  Both fastpass and standby were at a standstill for probably a good 15-20 mins.  Since this was the last thing we had planned in the park this day, we didn't mind waiting too much.  Eventually, we met Tinkerbell, character #8.

This was another really cute meet and greet, because Littlecjc didn't say much to Tink while Tinkerbell was trying to get her to talk, but as soon as her visit was coming to an end Littlecjc started opening up and kept talking.  I was impressed with how Tinkerbell still showed interest and took a little more time to listen to everything Littlecjc had to say.

Evening

After Tinkerbell, we left the park and headed back to the hotel for a short break before we met our friends at Disney Springs.  On this occasion, we enjoyed a dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express and then walked around the shops with a little play break at the Lego Store.

It was great getting to catch up with our friends and have a relaxing evening on property.

Hollywood Studios, Arrival, Magic Kingdom, Sep 2017

When we first decided to go to Disney over Labor Day weekend for the Halloween party, it was only going to be for Friday through Sunday.  However, we get so excited when our trips get close, that Patrick always starts looking at his work schedule to see if he can get off a little earlier and on the road to vacation sooner.  On this particular trip, we ended up leaving home Tuesday around noon.  By the time we stopped Tuesday evening, we only had 4 more hours to go.  If you've read any of my previous trip reports, you know we always try to open the park.  Patrick decided that this trip shouldn't be any different, so we got up at 4:30 on Wednesday morning and headed straight to Hollywood Studios.

9:00

We arrived in the parking lot just before 9:00 and by 9:05 we were on Sunset Blvd.

 Even though we made great time, we knew we wouldn't be at the park before the opening rush, so we had decided to make way first to the Hollywood Tower of Terror.  Littlecjc backed up against the height chart and we all cheered as her head brushed the 40" marker.  She was so excited to finally be tall enough, and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror became attraction #1.  She took it all in and as the elevator dropped, her little legs shook violently while she gripped our hands for dear life.  When the ride came to an end and started to back away from the drop track, she asked if that was the end.  When we said that it was, she exaggerated each word of "That. was. CRAZY."

We took our time in the gift shop when we got off the ride and bought Littlecjc a new pin to commemorate her first time on this big kid ride.  As we walked past the ride entrance to get our stroller back, Littlecjc begged us to ride it again.  We were a little surprised, but eagerly obliged making attraction #2 Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.  This second ride must have been a little more intense, because she decided afterward that she didn't want to ride it again.

10:00

Since lines weren't too bad this day, we crossed the park and decided to wait out the standby line for Star Tours, attraction #3.

I think Littlecjc enjoyed this ride, but wasn't overly impressed.  After our galactic tour, we walked past the red carpet meet and greet and noticed that the line wasn't very long.  So, we met Minnie, character #1, and Sorcerer Mickey, character #2.

By the time we finished visiting with Minnie and Mickey, Littlecjc was begging to ride Toy Story Mania.  We had fastpasses for this later in the day, but Littlecjc decided she was willing to wait in line to ride Toy Story Mania, attraction #4.  While on the ride, as we were moving towards the third or fourth screen, our vehicle came to an abrupt stop and all the lights came on.  We were instantly informed to remain in our seats and that a castmember would be along shortly to get us out.   When they did arrive, it was a little funny as we got out of our vehicle and then stood in the formed line to move 10ft to the next vehicle until we had made the full circuit and reached the emergency exit.  Although Littlecjc was upset, I found it very interesting.  We were able to spot so many more details since this ride is usually dark.  One of the castmembers even pointed out a hidden Mickey that will always stand out to me now, but which I never would have noticed while moving past it in the dark.

Anytime you are escorted off a ride, you are given a fastpass so that you are able to come back.  So, as we left the ride, two castmembers were there to scan a new fastpass onto our magic bands.  

11:00

We decided to try to cheer up Littlecjc with some pizza from PizzaRizzo's.  While here, we realized that our extra fastpasses never showed up in our app.  We were a little upset obviously, but we did already have fastpasses for the ride a little later and we figured that was why it never showed up.  (Remember this logic, as we will come back to it later.)

12:00

After lunch, we made our way to the Disney Jr. land area.  First, Littlecjc wanted to meet Jake, character #3.

Lines were thankfully very short at this time, and within 6 minutes, we were meeting character #4, Sofia the First.

Again, we quickly moved on to Littlecjc's next pick, Doc McStuffins, caracter #5.

At this point, we moved inside the Star Wars Launch Bay and stood in a short line to meet Chewbacca, character #6.

This meet and greet is always fun, because we never know what to expect from Littlecjc.  The first time she met Chewy, she loved him and called him a big dog.  Since then, though, she's always been a little more cautious.  On this particular day, Chewy really wanted a hug from her, but she was putting up a fight against this.

We ended up with some cute pictures regardless, so I was okay with this.

Chewy even got his hug from her. 

 Before leaving the launch bay, we took advantage of our Disney Visa credit card special meet and greet.  Every time we have done this, we have always met Kylo Ren, character #7, and always without a line.

 1:00

We knew we'd be back for BB8 later, but by now, we needed to make our way back to Toy Story Mania to use our fastpasses, which made Toy Story Mania attraction #5.

At this point, we were excited to see that Star Lord and Baby Groot were still meeting at One Man's Dream.  For some reason, I thought that this meet and greet was such a limited affair that it had already left.  I was never so happy to be mistaken.  We eagerly met Star Lord and Baby Groot, characters #8 & 9.

Baby Groot was so adorable stating his one line over and over and dancing around.

2:00

Littlecjc reminded us that we still hadn't met BB8, so we headed back to the Launch Bay to meet BB8, character #10.

We were feeling pretty accomplished for everything that we got done in this park and thought we'd head to the hotel to check-in.  Before actually leaving, though, we made our way back to Toy Story Mania.  Remember those fastpasses that never showed up in our app?  Well, their was either a big delay or else the system was smart enough to not give us the free fastpass until we had used the one we already had.  Either way, the fastpass was now there, so we took advantage of it before leaving the park which made Toy Story Mania attraction #6.

3:00-5:00

With a quick stop in at the Trolley Car Cafe, also known as Starbucks, we made our way to the All-Star Movie Resort.  We had completed our online check-in, so we were able to head straight to our room.

Littlecjc was excited to use her band to open the door.  For this trip, we were in the Mighty Ducks area, which happens to be the furthest buildings from the lobby and food court.  However, these buildings are very close to the bus stops at All-Star Music, so it kind of evens out.

We had hoped that Littlecjc would take a nap, but of course she had no interest in that idea.  We knew we wanted to go to Magic Kingdom that evening to see the new Happily Ever After fireworks since they were only shown on certain days during our trip due to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween parties.  Before heading out, we decided to grab some food from the hotel food court.  Patrick was very excited to try the Reuben Burger.  

It was pretty good, and big enough for Patrick and I to split.  I don't remember what kid's meal Littlecjc picked, but between the the two meals, we were all stuffed by the time we walked over the the bus stop at the music resort to head to Magic Kingdom.

6:00

As soon as we entered the park, we could tell that it was going to be a very busy evening.  Littlecjc was very eager to ride something, but almost all fastpasses were already gone.  We decided to head to one of those classic rides that almost never has a line, that my kid loves.  We rode Mad Tea Party, attraction #7.

7:00

With this ride done, and long lines all around the park, we headed to another classic attraction that usually doesn't have too long of lines.  Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, attraction #8

We really enjoy this very simple ride.  When we got off the PeopleMover, we decided to ride Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.  I think that we had fastpasses for this ride, but it still took us a while to actually get on the ride vehicles since the fastpass line tends to get backed-up here a lot.  Either way, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin became attraction #9.

8:00

We decided we really needed to find a spot to watch the fireworks at this time.  

For some reason, the park seemed extremely crowded to me this evening.  We enjoyed the new show and Littlecjc made it to the very end before falling asleep.

Although the park had extra magic hours until 11 this evening, with a sleeping child and the large crowds, we decided to call it a day and head back to the hotel.  Not to mention, that we had gotten up at 4:00 in the morning.  It was such a great day, considering we were originally planning on spending the day in the car.  We may have only ridden 9 rides, but we met 10 characters and had a lot of fun.