Tiki Family Trip Report 2012 Part 5 and Final Thoughts
Read Part 4 here.
Thursday, July 26:
Another early morning. I was up at 6:15 to finish packing, have breakfast, and call bell services to pick up the bags. We were out of room and at the bus stop by 8:20am. It took 30 minutes to get on a bus to the Studios – one came after about 20 min but since we were sitting at the back of the bus stop, everyone got on the bus before us. Next time I’ll be waiting right at the loading area during busy times! Once we got to the Studios, it took us 20 minutes to get through security and the gates. We gave up on getting to TSM, went to RnRC and got FPs, and tried to do Standby on Tower but right before we got there, a tour group (or two) joined the line. My husband thought we should check out TSM and see what the standby was, but it was at 40 minutes. So we went back to the Backlot Tour, which the girls had never seen, and Tim and I hadn’t done in about 10 years. The first special effects show was neat, except the lady didn’t ask for volunteers, and we couldn’t understand half of what she was saying. Don’t stand in the front row, you can’t hear a thing. The tram tour was okay. The best part of the tour was the villains costume exhibit at the end – Darth Vader, Queen of Hearts, and Alien to name a few. We walked through the Streets of NY to Star Tours, which had a 20 min posted wait, but the line moved quickly and we waited only 5 min. FP time at RnRC – wow, this must be the hottest line to wait in under that canopy. We were there for 10 min, I can’t imagine what it would be like in the standby. Next, over to Backlot Express for lunch, beating one tour group but encountering another inside. We had a pleasant lunch in a quiet corner – shared a turkey sandwich, chicken nuggets, and free ice water from the soda machines. After lunch we thought about doing Muppets but instead went through shops on the main street.
The plan was to catch the bus that serviced the monorail resorts, then take a monorail over to the MK. We were lucky to find the bus waiting for us. When we arrived at the Contemporary, I checked my cell phone and found out that our flight was delayed, from 6:50 till 10:45. (later I received 4 texts changing our departure time, finally settling on 9:05) Thanks to the Contemporary’s free wifi, we looked at the weather back home (thunderstorms) and our car rental agreement (possible late charge) while the girls watched Mickey cartoons on the lobby TV. We decided to play it by ear and be happy that we had 3 more hours of Disney! So we rode the monorail around the loop and happily went into the Magic Kingdom. We picked up new SotMK cards and got organized. On our way down Main Street we saw the Dapper Dans singing! They are one of my favorite groups. Back to Fantasyland with a pit stop in Liberty Square for ice cream and slushies (by this time it was HOT HOT HOT and very crowded in the park). The girls did the Fantasyland adventure, then we cut over to Tomorrowland for a second ride on Carousel of Progress (girls’ request – I almost fell asleep), TTA (my request again), and Monsters, Inc. Monsters was cute and funny, I have to say. They showed Julie on the screen with the heading “Just sat on a very little monster”. We swam through the crowds over to Adventureland for more SotMK – I got distracted by shopping (after years of looking, I finally have a Tiki Room shirt!). We met a great retired couple in Tortuga Tavern who helped us understand the SotMK game/trading and helped the kids expand their deck. They were very generous to the girls with extra cards and advice.
We did not get to finish the Adventureland mission, as it was finally time to leave for airport. A few tears were shed upon exit of the Magic Kingdom. We were all sad to see our vacation end. We took the final bus back to AKL, had dinner in the lounge, and got our bags into our rental car. As we were closing the trunk, Katie says, “Where’s Hippo?” Oh dear. Her favorite stuffed animal was missing, and I don’t remember packing him. So Tim went inside to the lost and found but no luck. We drive off without Hippo and a Katie in tears. It took her awhile to calm down. I think I was as upset as her, inside. But I also knew that chances were he was left in the room, under her bed covers, and that he would most likely be found by mousekeeping. But try explaining that to a 7 yr old.
We dropped off our rental car an hour late, but there was no extra charge (thanks, Alamo!). We had enough time to look in the Universal (love Harry Potter) and Disney store. Surprise, surprise, they had 3 Duffy outfits that I liked! So we had fun dressing Duffy in his new sorcerer, pirate, and bomber jacket outfits. Security went smoothly and we were on the plane before we knew it. Unfortunately, our first attempt to get to the runway was aborted. Storms in CT were keeping us in Florida. They pulled back to the gate and gave us the option of getting off the plane to stretch our legs. Perhaps 15 minutes later we were called back to the plane and we finally took off. The girls watched a movie and I tried to sleep, but holy cow, airplane seats must be the most uncomfortable thing to sleep in ever.
We landed in CT around 1am. My fantastic mother-in-law was there to pick us up. We were all tired but happy to be home.
Epilogue:
It took us a good two or three days to recover, but thankfully Tim and I are teachers. Having to visit in the summer is balanced by the fact that we can take our time during and after our vacations.
Hippo was found the next day and mailed to us. He is now happily back in his special spot on Katie’s pillow.
Final thoughts:
Weather/crowds: After years of summer trips, this one was unique in that the heat did not feel so oppressive (except for the last day). The rain helped to cut the heat and the crowds. Those first two park days were amazing, despite the rain. The last two park days were so crowded it makes me want to go to WDW any other time than summer.
Food: We ate a lot from the club lounge at AKL. It really did save us money on breakfast, dinner, and snacks. Our favorite meal had to be Jiko. The food was amazing. And Crystal Palace will always be on our must-do list.
Kids: For the last two years, Katie has been ‘difficult’ at times – she does not react well to heat and being tired and overstimulated. This year she turned a corner. She was so much better. We only had one morning where she was grumpy, and I planned it so we were at the resort that morning. Both kids had much more stamina this year. Katie has a new love – pin trading! I’m happy to share my hobby with her, and hope to get her into online pin trading during the year.
Schedule: We went into this with some flexibility in our plans. We knew what we wanted to the do the first day, but from there we had choices. It let us decide whether or not we wanted to stay at a park later in the evening if we knew we would be resting the next day. Having two ‘rest’ days worked great. Four park days worked fine for us. And only having two planned ADRs was freeing. I don’t think I could handle the pressure of the dining plan ever again, after doing this ‘unscheduled’ trip.
Up Next: I will be at the ICOT 15 event, staying at Pop Century with Mousefever. Hey Amy, did you make it to the end of my trip report? Tired yet? Next family trip: we’re hoping for late June next year, before my AP runs out. And who knows? Maybe I’ll sneak in a trip for my 40th birthday in April… but shh… don’t tell my husband… (or my kids for that matter)
Pictures! Click here!
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