Review of Western’s Summer 2016 trip

All great things must come to an end, and the same goes for every Disney trip.  After the 20th trip for the Western clan (Tory, Michell, Tanner, and Morgan and a few less for Mason and Tinely) we are still learning.  We have gained a lot of knowledge, which has enabled me to share a lot on the blog, but the learning is never finished.  Just as Walt said “Disneyland will never be completed….”, the same holds true for knowledge on any subject.

Trip Details:

Arrival: 8:00 am Saturday June 4th

Departure: 11:00 am Friday June 10th

Accommodations: Hilton Grand Vacation Sea World

Parks visited: Saturday – Magic Kingdom; Sunday – Magic Kingdom; Monday – Animal Kingdom; Tuesday – Magic Kingdom; Wednesday – Epcot; Thursday – Hollywood Studios; Friday – Magic Kingdom

Exciting moments of the trip:

#1 – Mason was able to ride 7 Dwarf Mine Train for the first time (and 2nd, and 3rd).  This was the first time he was tall enough, but interestingly enough, I am not sure that he was measured.  Please do not take this as advice that you can take a youngster and they will not measure him/her, I think it was just ironic.  The fact that it happened 3 times is rather interesting.  The first time was completely understandable, as we were one of the first ones in the park, and on the ride.  As a result, we practically ran past the areas of the ride in which they check for measurement.  I am sure the cast members would not want to deal with the possibility of holding up the entire line to measure one kid, or pulling us out of the line to do so.  I have no idea how we got past measurement the next two times; or maybe I just do not remember if he was measured.

The funniest part of this experience come from Mason himself.

So… Mason, did you like the ride?

Mason: NO.

Mason, do you want to go again?  Mason: NO.

The next day – Mason, do you want to ride?

Mason: YES

Mason, did you like the ride this time?

Mason: NO

Do you want to ride again ?

Mason: YES

Mason, is the only reason you ride the ride is so that you can watch the video when we get home?

Mason: YES

#2 – Another exciting moment was Mason riding Kali River Rapids for the first time.  Every trip we have had, it is always an exciting moment when a child grows tall enough to ride a new ride.  This was Mason’s trip in that regard as he was able to ride two new rides for the first time.

#3 – We were able to meet Olaf on this trip for the first time.  Olaf just started doing meets about a month ago and we were excited to meet him.  I must say that he was slightly on the strange side.  Olaf met his guest, snapped a quick picture, then he moved aside as if he was going to leave.  He came back in to the middle of the room as we left the room for the next guest.  I am not sure that I understand this behavior at all.  None of the other characters act like this (except maybe Kylo Ren which is understandable as he is a villain).  Disney cast member/characters are trained extremely well.  I would want to imagine that this was on purpose and not just the experience with “this”Olaf, but I still cannot understand why Olaf would act this way.

#4 – Joy and Sadness were also just added to the character meeting list a month or so ago.  Although the line was quite long (we will discuss more later on this), it was quite neat to meet them for the first time.

#5 – Disney Springs was quite awesome.  Over the past couple years there has been a ton of changes, construction, and updates occurring at Disney Springs.  Most notable for any visitors was the lack of parking and the distance of the one parking lot (after it was completed).  It was great relief on this trip to see that much of the construction is complete and many of the new stores are open.  Both of the parking garages are now complete, and are very convenient to the shops and stores.  Since my family is a big fan of the Under Armor brand, it was fun to see their two story store in Disney Springs and take pictures with the Incredible Hulk, dressed up in Under Armor gear.  It was neat to see the newest shoes and golf collection in person.  Those items have not made it to the Marshall’s stores or the outlets yet (lol). The store is defiantly fun to look at, but you will not dare catch me their with a wallet.

#6 – Watching Morgan and Riley skip with Alice is always fun.  It was the third time that Morgan was able to do this, but it is definitely quite special since this is a special little treat we have seemed to find.  It really never gets old and it is a great experience to share with friends.

Things that did not go well and things we have learned from:

#1 – EPCOT!!!   Oh Epcot!   We have skipped Epcot the last few trips because we really just do not see the point in going there.  We decided to go back again because we really liked the idea of seeing the old Soarin’ for the last time, and getting to meet BayMax, Joy, and Sadness.  The problem with Epcot is that for any other family with kids, that is also the only reason they are there as well.  While there are 40 to 50 different attractions in the Magic Kingdom, there is only 5 things to do in Future World for the youngest kids.  Character Spot, Bay Max, Nemo, Inside Out Characters, and Spaceship Earth.  Now, we all know that 7 Dwarf Mine Train can get a 1.5 hour wait, but you could always go see Philharmgic with no wait at all. Or you can go visit the characters in the back with a 10 or 20 min wait on most days.   The problem with Epcot is that if you do not want to wait 1.5 hours for Inside Out, or Bay Max, the shortest wait we could find was 30 min for Nemo.  We have rode Nemo several times without a wait (and I would continue to do so), but I would never wait 30 min for that ride.   Then you add the fact that Test Track and Soarin also have 1.5 hour waits for the bigger kids. Oh Epcot, you drive me crazy.  Maybe the addition of Frozen can help spread the crowds.

#2 – Please Disney, make your park and magic hour times 180 days in advance, or at least 30/60 days in advance.  As all Disney fans know (and Disney newbies find out quickly), the 180 day mark is the day you have to schedule meals if you want any of your first picks, and 60/30 days is the time period to book fastpass+ if you are On Property/Off Property.  The problem is that you practically have to determine your park schedules really far in advance.  When Disney decides to change opening hours and magic hours a week or two before your trip, there is little you can do to change your plans in response.  This really caught us by surprise when every park we picked had morning Magic Hours on the days we were intending to go.

#3 – Stay away from Morning Magic Hours during busy times of year.  Do to #2 just above, our family was forced to try out morning magic hours at 3 of the 4 parks.  Since we do not stay on property, we are technically not eligible for morning magic hours.  Much to my surprise, the $1 billion dollar magic band project is not able to know if I am an on property guest.  Not that I would recommend anyone try to sneak in, but we were able to do it for the first, and possibly last time on this trip.  In my opinion, if there were 5,000 people during my trip that take my personal advice of being the first at the parks each day, I believe 4,500 went to the park with Magic Hours.  I can defiantly say that by 9 o clock, the parks were more crowded then what I typically see by 10am even on the most crowded days.  Either the parks were super duper busy, or my 5,000/4,500 analogy above is right on point.

#4 – Another first for us was to experience a tropical storm on our trip.  Tuesday night, a tropical storm rolled in and caused us to alter our plans.  Our original plans were to experience Animal Kingdom at night for the first time.  We were to ride the Safari at night with a Fastpass+ then watch the Jungle Book show.  Interestingly enough, the Tropical Storm practically missed us.  As the rest of Florida was getting pounded, we just received a little rain and a tiny bit of wind.  Every time I looked at the radar, it looked like Disney was in the eye of the storm.  Rain all over, and a little opening over Disney.  Our Fastpass+ were canceled, so it appears that the show did not happen that night; maybe me feel a little better about our decision not to go to the park that night.  I asked a few other guest for there opinions on the new Safari at night and the show.  It seems that the consensus is as follows:  The Safari is not really at night, because even at 9 pm during the sumner, there is daylight.  If you do go on a day that is overcast and it gets darker a little earlier, you are not able to see very much on the Safari.  The Jungle Book show was made because of the problems that they have experienced with the River Of Light show.  While the Jungle Book show is not terrible, it does not come close to what expectations are for the Rivers of Life show.   One thing that was mentioned is that Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids is awesome at night.  I was told that the park empties out as the last show starts each night.  After the show ends, they let everyone take one last ride on Expedition Everest.  The line tends to mover very quickly and it is very cool from what the others have told me.

The worse day at Disney is always better then a day at work.  It was not a memorable trip for me, but Disney is always fun.  Just being able to get away from the normal day to day and to experience a week with my kids is always great.  The end of one Disney trip always has me looking forward to our next.  For the first time that I can remember (a lot of first for the 20th trip right?) we do not have another Disney trip planned.  We have discussed the next trip, but there is a lot of uncertainty of when it will be.  There will be a lot of new things to look forward to, many of which occurred this weekend.  Please look for my next couple post about the new things at Disney for the summer and please share with friends.  Sharing is caring.

RIP -Lane Graves

The 2-year-old boy who witnesses said was pulled by an alligator into a lagoon near a Walt Disney World hotel has been found dead by the Orange County dive team, Sheriff Jerry Demings said at a Wednesday news conference.

The body of the boy, Lane Graves, was found intact about 1:45 p.m., not far from where the boy was grabbed Tuesday night, Demings said. His body had only a few puncture wounds, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

He likely drowned, Demings said.

“Of course, the autopsy has to confirm that, but there is likely no question in my mind that the child was drowned by the alligator,” Demings said.

Demings said the body was found in 6 feet of murky water perhaps 10 to 15 yards from where the boy was attacked.

My heart goes out to this family.  They were at the “most magical place on earth” where “dreams come true,” and they have experienced the worse nightmare that any family could ever imagine.  This is so sad.  I could never imagine that happening to one of my children.  To all MouseGuideToWalt readers, please keep this family in your prayers.

Tragedy at Disney World – 2nd tragedy this week for Orlando

The Orlando are has been in the news too often this past week.  Both of the incidents being recognized nationally are unfortunately very tragic.  The first incident was the night club shooting that has been displayed on every news channel.  The second incident occurred on Tuesday night at Disney World.

An alligator snatched a 2-year-old boy Tuesday night in a lagoon at a Disney hotel near Orlando as his father desperately tried to save him.
The child was on the edge of the lagoon when the alligator dragged him into the water, according to the boy’s family, said Florida Fish & Wildlife executive director Nick Wiley. Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the child was “wading … along the lake’s edge at the time that the alligator attacked.” Williamson said the boy was in less than a foot of water.

The family of four — the boy, his parents and his 4-year-old sister — was on vacation from Nebraska, Demings said. They arrived Sunday.

The parents watched as the alligator attacked the toddler at the Seven Seas Lagoon. The lagoon is connected to a series of canals which feed into large bodies of water. “The father actually went into the water to wrestle his son from the grips of the alligator,” he said. The father suffered minor scratches on his hand but was unsuccessful in getting his son back.The mother also went into the water, trying to find her child, he said.

“Everyone here at the Walt Disney Resort is devastated by this tragic accident,” said Jacquee Wahler, a vice president at Walt Disney World Resort. “Our thoughts are with the family. We are helping the family and doing everything we can to assist law enforcement.”

Jeff Corwin, a noted national animal expert, said he was surprised this happened so close to a highly regulated area but noted there are millions of alligators in Florida. Disney has many thousand acres. An alligator could make its way, undetected through some swamp and marsh into a lagoon near where people congregate.A gator that size would be unlikely to attack an adult, he said, but a child would be more vulnerable. When a gator bites down, his jaws snap closed, with thousands of pounds of force, Corwin said. “I can’t imagine the terror on these people’s minds trying to manage this,” he said.

As part of the attempt to find the young boy and answers, Wildlife officials pulled four alligators from a lagoon at Walt Disney World while searching

As of April, only one other major alligator attack has been reported this year, according to Florida Fish & Wildlife. That person survived the attack, but required medical care. In 2015, there were nine major unprovoked attacks with one fatality.

Final Day at Disney

Day 7 at Disney was a short day,  as a matter of fact, I am very confident that it was the shortest day ever. When we originally planned the trip (almost a year ago), we planned to have something in Houston on the 4th, and leave immediately after.  We were planning to stay at Disney until the 11th.  Since that time, we learned that our event in Houston was actually on the 11th.  Our new plan was to leave Disney on the 10th around midday and drive all the way back to Houston, for arrival before 5 am on the 11th.  Since we had done almost everything we wanted to at Magic Kingdom on the trip, we contemplated leaving first thing in the morning on the 10th, but the kids did not like the idea.  They wanted one more day in the park.  We decided that we would go for early magic hour, try to get first in the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train line, then see a few characters before leaving.

How did the day actually go?  Not exactly as planned!!  We arrived early for magic hours.  By 7:20, there were already large crowds of people waiting for the opening show.  The good news for us is that many wait in front of the train station to see the show.  We go around all those people and get behind the others that are waiting to rush into the park and be first on the Mine Train.  At park opening, Tanner and his friend managed to be the 3rd and forth person in the Mine Train line.  The others in line were nice enough to let us move up to the front to join them.   This is where the plans ended.   Upon arriving at the Mine Train, they immediately announced that the ride was down, and they had no idea when it would be fixed.  While we waited in line, Michell took the youngest two on Winnie the Pooh.  While waiting in line, there was a diaper blow out.  I got a phone call to get out of line to help with the disaster.  Michell and the kids had to start over in the Pooh line, while I was able to return to the front of the Mine Train.  After 30 minutes, we gave up on the Mine Train.  I went over to help Michell and found out that Mason was more interested in playing with the bumble bees in the Pooh line and they were not actually in line.  Everyone was passing them up.  30 minutes into our day and we had done nothing.  We checked lines for many of the rides, and they were all growing pretty rapidly (that would be at 8:30 on a magic hour day, wow.)

We went to take a picture with Chip and Dale, then decided to let the kids do some pin trading and check out the gift shops.  Although the kids rarely desire souvenirs anymore, they each wanted a small souvenir on this trip.

It was definitely not a glamorous day, and I definitely wish we would have not gone to the park on the last day, but the trip was still a great one (as are all Disney trips.)  We left the park at 10:00 and packed up our car and left the resort at 11.  Arrived in Houston at 3:30am Saturday morning after taking a short stop pin New Orleans with family.  After arriving in Houston, we had a few things to take care of before finally getting to bed at 5:15, only to wake again at 5:45 for my 6:30 check in for my event in Houston.  Definitely a crazy day (or two), but for those that know the Westerns well, it is quite normal for us.

Last day of pin trading :

Stay tuned in the next couple of days for some more reviews from the trip.

Day 6 – Hollywood Studios

I was looking forward to today, as Hollywood is one of my favorite parks.  Although many are questioning whether it is a half day park, with all the recent closures;  I still cannot manage to get it all done.  As a matter of fact, today we were unable to fit in Disney Jr, and Disney Jr. characters as well as Frozen and journey of the Little Mermaid.

For the second consecutive trip, my wife decided to make a planned schedule.  With the uniqueness of Hollywood Studios with so many shows, planning a day with a schedule worked pretty well.  We arrived at the park at 7:30 and we were a little surprised at how large the lines were to get in.  Also, we were surprised to find out that they were randomly scanning magic bands to see if we were staying on property for the early magic hour.  We went to magic hour at Animal Kingdom early in the week and did not encounter this.  One lady asked Michell before we got there and turned Michell away.  When we went back, we were very careful which line we were in and where we walked to get there.  To be completely honest, I am really surprised that the scan to get into the park is not able to determine where your reservation is.

Once we were let in the park,  we immediately went to Toy Story Mania, and rode the ride.  We then went over to Jedi Training to sign up the kids.  While waiting for Jedi Training sign up, my wife and Melissa rode Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster through the single rider line and traded off the little ones to get parent swaps for later.  After signing up for Jedi Training we met Olaf, rode Star Tours twice, rode Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, met Kylo Ren, met Chuwbacca, Rode Tower of Terror, before taking a short lunch break.   On return from lunch we saw Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and got his autograph, saw Beauty and the Beast, rode Rock ‘n’ roller Coaster two more times, met Woody and Buzz, and rode Toy Story Mania once more with a fast pass.  The kids then participated in Jedi Training before capping the night off with Fantasmic.

Even with all the scheduling and planning, we were still not able to see the Frozen show.  When we arrived after our toy story fastpass, we were too late for them to allow us in.  Part of the reason we were late was because we were waiting for characterpalooza, but the characters did not come out due to weather.  We were also unable to attend Voyage of the Little Mermaid because the line was a little long and we decided it was better to take a lunch break.

Overall, the day went great.  We were able to do a lot of things in a really crowded park, despite sprinkles and showers most of the day.  Hollywood Studios is definately one of my favorite parks, despite the bad rap it gets for having most of the attractions removed for the upcoming Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land.

Day 6 Pin Trading –

Day 5 – Epcot

Epcot has always been my least favorite park, and today was confirmation that Epcot is still my least favorite.  There are only a few attractions in the park and the rides that they do have,  there is quite a line.  In 6 hours today, we were only able to complete 6 attractions.  As a comparison, we were able to take part in 25 attractions on one of our Magic Kingdom days.

The day started off with our only breakfast from the trip at Ohana.  Breakfast was wonderful and the kids had a lot of fun.  As a result of having breakfast in the morning, we were off to a late start at Epcot.  Although we arrived at Epcot ten minutes before opening time, the park was opened early.  By the time we got to Test Track, the wait time was already 45 minutes.  After Test Track, we waited in line for Baymax which was also quite long for a character meet.  We finished with Baymax just in time for our first fastpass at Soarin’.  After riding Soarin’ twice, we waited in line for Sadness and Joy from inside out.  The wait here took us all the way until 11:45, which was time for our Spaceship Earth Fastpass.  We rode Spaceship Earth and then did the Visa card member meet and greet, which was Minnie and Pluto.  We finished the day at Epcot with two final rides on Test Track, using our parent swap passes at 3:00pm.

After our day was complete at Epcot, we stopped by Hollywood Studios for Characterpalooza, but the characters did not come out for the 4:35 meet time.  We ended the day back at the resort with a night time swim to rest up for our big day tomorrow at Hollywood Studios.

 

 

Day 4 – Magic Kingdom

With terrible weather predicted, things did not look good for Monday.   As bad as it looked, Monday morning went really well with very little rain fall at all.  The over cast sky also made for a little bit of a cooler day, until the sun poked through in the early afternoon.  The morning started with us arriving at the parking lot for 8, and in front of the castle by 8:25.  We were also able to be the first family on the Mine Train, and Mason was able to ride for the very first time .

 

Our morning at Magic Kingdom included 2 rides on the Dwarf Mine Train, 2 rides on Winnie the Pooh, Alice and the Mad Hatter meet, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Mickey’s Philharmagic, Woody and Jessie meet, 2 rides in Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Splash Mountain before taking a break at 2 pm.

We returned to the park about 7pm to ride the Jungle Cruise, followed by 2 more rides on the Mine Train, 2 rides on Buzz Lightyear, a little time at the Incredibles Dance Party, then we ended the night watching wishes while riding on Astro Orbiter.

When we asked Mason if he liked the Mine Train, his answer is clearly no , but when we asked him if I liked watching his video of the Mine Train, he wanted to go again.  The little guy watches the video over and over again.

As with all other days of the trip (as well as the last two trips), some extensive pin trading occurred.  Here are the pics we traded for today.

Disney Day 3 – Animal Kingdom

Day 3 started off real early.  We arrived at Animal Kingdom at about 7:20 for our day to begin.  Since it was a Early Magic Hour day, we were not sure if we were allowed in since we do not stay on property, but fortunately, we found out that it does not really matter.  Despite the technology in the magic bands, they do not show any restrictions to entry based on whether or not you stay on property or outside the property.

They began taking the first visitors into the park slightly before 8.  As we entered, we went straight to the Kilimanjaro Safari ride and were done by about 8:20.  One thing that was unique on this safari is that I was able to capture the lions growling at each other, something I have never seen before.

After the safari, everyone went to the Kali River Rapids ride.  We let Mason check his hight to see if he was able to ride for the first time.  At 38″, Mason was just shy of the required height.  We walked away from the ride to let Mason change into his cowboy boots, then returned to let him try again.  Mason was able to just make it by the skin of his teeth.  Luckily I was able to capture the very end of his first ride on video.

The remainder of the day included two rides on Dinosaur, a ride on Triceratop spin, A bug’s Life show, Festival of the Lion King, Nemo the Musical, and two rides on Expedition Everest.  The rain caught us on the way out of the park and we were unable to get many pictures for the day.  We hoped to return to see the new nightime activities at Animal Kingdom, but Tropical Storm Colin had other plans.

Disney Springs

With our night time return to Animal Kingdom washed away, we decided to spend the evening at Disney Springs.  We were able to see the new stores that were just recently opened as well as the new parking garage that was complete.  The area looks so much cleaner with most of the major construction complete now.  The new shopping area is really nice and the new garage is really convenient as well.  Of course we had to have our favorite Ghiardelli desert while hanging out at the Disney Springs.

 

Pin Trading : Here are today’s pins that were traded 

Disney Day 2 – Magic Kingdom

Day 2 for the Western, and the first day for the Rickards was at Magic Kingdom with an 8 am park opening.  As I have always said to my Mouse Guide to Walt readers, so much can be done in the first hour.  Today we did a total of 25 attractions/Characters and 6 of the 25 were in the first hour.  Before 9 o’clock, we were able to complete the following: 7 dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan, Anna and Elsa, Cinderella and Repunzel.   For the remainder of the morning we were able to so/see Dumbo, Barnstormer twice, Minnie and Daisy, Goofy and Donald, Tomorrowland speedway twice, Space Mountain, and  Mickey Mouse.  We took a mod day break at about 2 PM and came back to our room to rest.

After our break, we returned at 6:00 PM and did Buzz Light year, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion,It’s a Small World, Under the Sea, Tea Cups, Main Street Electrical Parade, Tinkerbelle meet, and Wishes.

 

We had a very productive day, and everyone had an awesome and fun day. With the crowds that are expected this week, I was really surprised to find crowds much smaller than I expected.  The park felt very empty in the morning, and although the lines started to increase, the crowd walking around the park still seemed a little small for June.

We ended the day with 6 absolutely exhausted kids.  The two youngest were sleeping during witches and the two girls ended up taking a nap on the street on Main Street.

As always, Tanner had a great time pin trading

 

Summer 2016 – Day 1

The trip started as most usually do, we left New Orleans just shy of 10 PM to make the trek to the magical land.  I drove 10 PM to 6 AM.  Michell provided me a little rest from 6 am – 7 am, but I eventually I regained control of the drivers seat, and completed the drive.  We arrived at 8:22, which was about 15 min late late for park opening.  By the time we traveled to the transportation and ticket center, then Magic Kingdom, the park was already opened.  It appears as though they may have opened the park at about 8:45 (a great reason to always be early.)

In the first 45 minutes, we were able to ride Buzz Light Year, skip with Alice (see video below), ride the Teacups, visit with Peter Pan, and ride Its a Small World.  We also attempted to ride Space Mountain and Peter Pan, but both rides had maintenance issues.  At 9:45, some of the rides began to develop larger lines.  We headed to the Frontier Trading post to do some pin trading while we waited for our fastpass+ times.  Next we rode Splash Mountain two times with a rider swap, then did the same for Big Thunder Mountain.   Finally we ended the day in the nice, air conditioned waiting area for Dumbo before heading out the park at about 1:00 PM.

Tea Cups with Mom

Zurge

999,999 – Galactic Hero

Personalized message from It’s a Small World

Boarding the Monorail. Let the Magic Begin

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Galactic Hero

Getting ready for the Tea Cups

Pin Trading Day 1

Visit with Peter Pan

After the over night drive, the heat, and lack of a good meal, we were all quite worn out.  We decided that we all needed a good rest to start the day off fresh tomorrow with a 8:00 am opening at Magic Kingdom.  We grabbed two Pizza Hut pizzas on the way back to check into the Hilton Grand Vacation.  Check here for more information about our home away from home.  We then went to get groceries for the week and to prepare for a good dinner.  A short swim, followed by spaghetti and meat balls to get us ready for a fun filled day tomorrow.

Love having a full kitchen and dining room

Love our huge tub

This bed is calling my name