Disney World Part 1: Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios
We had a fantastic time at Disney World! It was crazy busy, but we were able to do what we wanted to do and everyone had so much fun!
December 26, 2023, Tuesday
The airport was so stressful! The first American
Airlines line we came to, I went up and asked the guy and he said that was the
line everybody needed to stand in and if you wanted the self-serve kiosk go
straight if you wanted to go to the customer service you go right so we stood
in that line for a few minutes. Thank goodness he came by and clarified
what he said because that was actually the priority line which he never said so
I'm very grateful he came by and corrected his mistake, I told him he never
told me that and he kind of fumbled through his words and we took off. When we
found the main cabin line, it was ridiculous. They had a break in the line and
a long Disneyland maze for us to go through and then we had a pass by people
walking to get to the other section of the line. By the time we got our bags
tagged, we were standing there waiting and it was almost 9 AM. We knew they
were going to start boarding at 9:22 AM. I was watching a lady helping some
people and I thought I might go up to her and ask for her help. Michael said,
are our bags even going to make the flight? I didn't even know if we were going
to make the flight. So, I walked up to the counters and a guy had stepped out
from behind his counter and acted like he was taking a break or something. I
went right up to him and I said, sir can you please help us because there's six
of us traveling together and we're going to miss our flight. He asked how many
bags we had. I said, “Only two.” and he said he would help me after this lady
he was helping. He got everything scanned in and set aside but the belts
weren't working and they were having to cart off the luggage and I asked the
guy what were the chances that it was going to make the flight and he made it
pretty clear that there was very low chance but it would just go on the next
flight. So, there was nothing we could do. I turned around and motioned to the
kids that was time to go. Emily looked completely shocked that I was able to do
that. I was so grateful we all had pre-check and we sailed right through
security. We made it to our gate as they were calling group 4 and we were group
5.
As we were sitting on
the plane waiting to leave, I was trying to check the AirTags to see if
the checked bags were on the plane with us but it was inconclusive because
the app didn't even know where my purse was. Thankfully, the guy behind us
heard us talking and told us that if you go in the app you'll know if your bags
made it on the plane. We looked and sure enough, it said they were boarded and
loaded in Phoenix so that was an enormous relief and we thanked him
profusely. The flight was pretty uneventful which was great. I sat with
Daniel and Andrew, and Michael, Emily, and Jonny were across the aisle from us.
When we were sitting there waiting to takeoff, Nathaniel called me and told me
that there was a problem with their plane and their flight was rescheduled for
1:30 PM instead of 9:45 AM. That meant that they weren't going to get in until
late and we wouldn't be able to wait for them for dinner or opening gifts. I
had to call Dad and tell him and Debbie was pretty disappointed but there was
nothing we could do. I told Dad not to worry about coming to the airport
because we didn't need to get Nathaniel and Audrey yet. He went to the
Walmart in Oldsmar to get our big grocery order and brought it to Orlando. He
got it all unloaded and all the stuff put away before we even got there so that
was really nice. When we got off the plane, Daniel came with me to Enterprise
and everybody else went to baggage claim. Thankfully, they had a bigger vehicle
because the Dodge Durango they showed us was way too small. I upgraded to a
Ford expedition for an extra $30 per day and I think it's totally worth it
because it seats eight people and still has quite a bit of room in the back for
luggage so that was perfect for us. They also had a Suburban but it wasn't much
bigger and it was a lot more expensive. Anyway, they already had the bags
before we even left with the car so they just met us there and we got all
loaded and settled and got going. I called Dad on the way and we decided we
should just meet at the restaurant. We went straight to Cheddars Scratch
Kitchen. I wish I hadn't chosen that place because the service was so slow but
we had a nice meal even though the service took forever and nobody was
impressed with their food. It was so nice for the kids to get to see Debbie.
Dad
paid for dinner and then we all headed over to the condo. The kids were so
impressed with the condo. It's really nice. The only thing that's a bummer is
that they only gave us one towel per person but that's OK. I ended up
asking dad to bring some extra towels so we'll be OK. We got to the condo and
figured out where everybody was going to sleep. In this condo, the master
bedroom is downstairs which I actually prefer.
Michael opened his gift from Dad which was a video game and
he left for the airport to pick up Nathaniel and Audrey. The kids and I opened
gifts with Dad and Debbie. We talked a little bit and took a picture and by
then Debbie's back was hurting and she needed to go back to the hotel. It
probably would've been almost another hour to wait for Nathaniel and Audrey
so she couldn't wait and they went back to the hotel. The kids and I got
settled in and before we knew everybody was back. We had a family prayer and
then everybody went to bed.
December 27, Wednesday
We're spending our anniversary at the Magic
Kingdom. Dad didn’t go with us today. I got up at 5 AM and everybody was ready
by 6:30 AM and we walked out the door at about 6:45 AM. We made it to the park,
parked the car, and got on the ferry. The lines at the gates were pretty short.
Security was easy. Nathaniel and I got stopped but everybody else made it
through fine. Then we got on the ferry. The lines at the gates were short. The
lady had to give Audrey a card since her ticket wasn't attaching to her app
properly. We got a good picture and walked in.
There was no line at
guest services so I asked them for anniversary pins and they wrote 28 “ears” on
them. I told Audrey she should go into guest services and have them fix her
tickets so it will go in her app. She and Emily went in there and it was done
and fixed by the time I came out of the bathroom. We made it over to the
Tomorrowland rope drop area just in the nick of time. It was about a minute
later that they let us go. If you're a resort guest, you can go at 7 AM but the
rest of us had to wait till 8 AM. We went to Space Mountain and we waited about
half an hour in the line. It was super fun because the lights were on. I
normally don't like that ride but it was really fun today.
The waits for some of
Tomorrowland rides were already getting kind of long so we just went on the
People Mover.
Then we walked
through the Tron ride over to Barnstormer and rode that. We were going to go on
Ariel but the wait time was deceptive and we decided not to wait so we went to
Gaston's Tavern so I could get a gray stuff cupcake. We also got a couple
sandwiches and some huge cinnamon rolls for everyone to share.
We went to the Mad
Tea Party.
Space Mountain and
Barnstormer were both standby lines, but then we did Mad Hatter lightning lane,
Mickey's Philharmagic lightning lane, then Ariel lightning lane.
Tiny world picture by Cinderella's Castle
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
We had some extra time and went to the Shooting Arcade. Emily took some
pictures of the Tangled area and then we used our lightning lane for it's a
small world. Daniel wanted to ride it and I'm glad he said something because I
didn't realize he liked it so much.
After that, it was
time for lunch. Michael and I went to our lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table.
Nathaniel and Audrey went to Pecos Bill and the rest of the kids went to
Columbia Harbour House. It took forever at Cinderella's Royal Table. We got a
picture with Cinderella. We had been waiting about half an hour and I went to
ask when it's going to be our turn and thankfully it was finally our turn. I
didn't realize it was character dining. When we sat down, he told us it was a
90-minute experience. I didn't know what to do because I had already paid the
whole bill in advance and I figured it would be tough to get a refund so we
asked him to bring us the food more quickly and he did a good job. We were out
of there in less than an hour.
Shenanigans outside of the bathrooms
We met the kids at
the Jingle Cruise and had fun on that. Then we headed over to the Tron ride. The
Tron ride was amazing! Everything about that ride was so cool! The queue, the
lockers, ride mechanism, the ride itself. I loved it!
After that, it took
us a while to figure out what to do. Nathaniel and Audrey went to the Magic
Carpets of Aladdin and the rest of us went to Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor. After
Laugh Floor, we went back to the Shooting Arcade. Then we met up with Nathaniel
and Audrey at Big Thunder Mountain and rode it with our lightning lane. I
wanted to get a picture in front of the castle before dinner but it was raining
so we didn't get a chance. We didn’t expect the rain tonight.
Tomorrowland Speedway
I checked in for our
dinner reservation at the Plaza Restaurant. I had a reservation for four under
my account for 7:15 PM and another one under Michael's account for four people
at 7:20 PM. I had gone by earlier to ask if they could combine them and they
said they couldn't do that until closer to our reservation and you can't check
in until 20 minutes before so I did that and they said they would do their
best. Well, they didn't do their best. I could see that they had a table for
six right next to a table for two that they easily could've sat us at but they gave
it to another family of six. When I questioned her about it she tried to tell
me oh no, that's a table for six, but they very easily could've been pushed
together for our family. I was pretty upset but there was nothing I could do
about it. Michael and I sat with Nathaniel and Audrey and the others were at a
nearby table, but not close enough to talk to each other. The food was pretty
good. I loved my pot roast stack and we even got some onion rings for
appetizers. We also got a lot of malts. It was nice to see the fireworks while
we sat there eating dinner.
After that, it was
time to start going to all of our lightning lanes. We went to Pirates. We got
stuck kind of towards the beginning for about 10 minutes.
After that, we used
our lightning lane for Haunted Mansion. It was right about that time that it
started raining so I put on my poncho after we got off that ride.
Next, we were
supposed to go to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but while we were waiting in the
Haunted Mansion ride, I had received a notification that they turned that one
into a multiple experience lightning lane because Snow White was closed. I
didn't know why they did that before our reserved time but whatever. Once we
got off the ride, it was about 10 PM or so. Since Seven Dwarfs was closed, and
nobody cared about walking all the way over to Buzz Lightyear, we decided it
was time to go. It was raining and we were all exhausted. We stopped in front
of the castle and took our own picture and then stopped at the confectionery
and I bought a couple cookies and then we went to guest services to get a
refund for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
That was pretty easy to do; she immediately said that she
could refund the money so that's nice. The monorail line looked super long but
we promised Andrew we would ride it at least once so we got in the line and it
actually moved pretty quickly. I was bummed that we didn't get to go through
the Contemporary Resort but I guess you only get to do that on the way in not
on the way out (we ended up going on the Monorail on Friday after Epcot and so
we got to go through the Contemporary Resort). We got to the car easily and
Michael drove us to the condo with Andrew navigating. I'd had Emily navigate this
morning so I could do what I needed to on the phone to reserve our passes and
things. We were able to make it home from Magic Kingdom to the condo in less
than an hour so that was good. We were all exhausted but we had a prayer and
everybody went to bed. Dad was already asleep at the condo. He came back in the
late afternoon and went to Disney Springs to validate his Florida resident
Disney ticket. He said that went pretty smoothly. I also had him bring us some
towels because they only gave us one per person. I think I finally went to bed
at 1 AM.
December 28, Thursday
It's been a full day at Hollywood Studios but we
didn't have a great start. We left a little later than we intended. The first
bummer of the day was that at 8:30 AM while we were driving into the park, I
tried to get the individual lightning lane for Rise of the Resistance and it
was already sold out. I tried to get it as early as I could and they were
already gone, which means the resort guests hogged them all. I got stopped
again at security. By the time I got done, they were all almost at the gate.
Luckily, I caught up to them and we all got in just fine. I had already booked
the lightning lane for Slinky Dog Dash at 7 AM and we had to wait until 10:30
AM to get another one because you have to wait until two hours after opening
which is 8:30 AM. By the time we got in through the gate, it was 8:38 AM. The first
place we went to was Rock 'n Roller coaster. We had decided we would
either rope drop that or Tower of Terror. We barely got into the Rock 'n'
Roller Coaster line when it broke down and they told us to get out of line. Then
we decided to go to Tower of Terror. I really didn't want to go but I decided
to get in line with everybody. Dad found a dry spot on a table that was covered
on the corner by the Hollywood Hotel Tower of Terror. We gave him mine and
Michael's coats and got in line. I wasn't feeling well and after waiting about
half an hour I decided to go back and sit with Dad. I don't like riding it
anyway. While we waited, I got three orders of Mickey waffles at Hollywood
Scoops so everybody could have some when they got off the ride. We figured out
the ride line was moving so slowly because it was only running at half capacity
but they got it fixed and running faster.
We all had some
waffles and then we had to figure out what to do because we didn't have any
lightning lanes to use. We waited until 10:30 AM and then we got a lightning
lane for Star Tours. It was for 10:45 AM so that worked great because then we
could scan in and I could get another one. We were going to get one for Rock
'n' Roller Coaster but the ones for Smuggler’s Run seemed to be running out
because those times were later so that's what we chose and realized later we
should've done it differently. After Star Tours, we went to Indiana Jones. We
had actually tried to go to that before Star Tours but they told us that you
really need to get there half an hour ahead so we were able to get in the line
for the noon show and that worked out great. Our seats were terrible and way on
the side but it was still fun.
They said they
couldn't seat us together but they got us very close to each other but it ended
up being basically the same table so that was nice. We all enjoyed our
food and the decor of the restaurant was so cool. They had little TVs playing
old sitcoms and things. The wait staff was in character and I was surprised
when waitress who was clearing tables was a little bit rude to us and the kids
told me she was just in character so that was pretty funny. Apparently,
the salmon was good and my variety plate was excellent. We got a lot of
dessert, too. It was nice to sit and relax and talk and they even had a
bathroom inside the restaurant.
Once we were done,
Emily was pretty excited that Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway wait was only
60 minutes so that’s where we went next. I don't think it even took an hour.
Dad was having so
much fun today. I was really grateful to everybody because nobody complained
about the debacle with the Genie Plus lightning lanes and we all just made the
best out of it. It was a shame that I couldn’t sign up for a lightning lane but
there was nothing anybody cared about that was left. Emily and I tried to
convince everybody to do the Frozen sing-along thing but nobody wanted to do
that. I did sign up for the lightning lane but we never used it. At that point,
we all separated to use the multiple experience lightning lane. Daniel and I
wanted to go to Toy Story Midway Mania and everybody else wanted to go to Rock 'n'
Roller coaster. Emily had a hard time deciding which one she wanted to do but
she finally decided to do the roller coaster.
Daniel and I had fun
on Toy Story. He was worried that I would beat him but he actually won.
Nathaniel and Audrey
went to Star Tours and we met up with everybody else and got Num Num Cookies. I
was a little disappointed in mine because it wasn't as good as normal but it
was still pretty good. It didn't look the same and I'm wondering if maybe they
overcooked it. We sat there and relaxed and ate for a little while.
Emily and Jonny went
to the Sci-Fi dine in theater restaurant and so did Nathaniel and Audrey. I had
two reservations for two each. I couldn't get us all in at the same table
because of the way the seating was. The rest of us went to Backlot Express.
Dad got a Cuban sandwich and Michael and the boys got burgers but apparently
the burgers weren't very good. I didn't really want anything from there and I
was full from my cookie.
We met up with
everybody at the Sci-Fi restaurant and then we headed over to Galaxy’s Edge to
ride Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run. The people in line behind us were
so loud they gave me a headache but luckily we didn't have to go on the ride
with them. There were some single riders that joined in with us.
After that, Emily
discovered that the wait for Rise of the Resistance was only 70 minutes and she
really wanted to get in the line so she went with Jonny and Andrew and then Audrey
and Nathaniel joined them. The rest of us headed to Fantasmic, the light
show on the water. Dad really wanted to see fireworks (there were a few in the
show) and I know Michael likes the shows as well. Daniel also came with us. I
actually ordered a couple sandwiches at Woody's Lunchbox and then caught up
with them. I knew Andrew really wanted that grilled cheese brisket sandwich so
I got him one so I could bring it to the condo. They had to stand in a big long
line on Sunset Boulevard waiting to go into Fantasmic. I thought it was
supposed to start at 9 PM but they didn't even let us walk in until then. It
was a really cool show.
By the time we all met up, it was 10 PM. We got one more
quick picture and headed to the cars and everybody drove back to the condo.
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