Epcot & Hollywood Studios (Yes, Again!)

As I mentioned, we wanted to squeeze in one more Disney trip before our annual passes are blacked out for the summer, and we made that happen this past weekend. We're getting our money's worth over here, people!

We decided to make a full weekend trip of it this time, both to enjoy more Disney fun and to test out having the kids share a hotel room. When we travel, we have always booked two-bedroom suites to give the kids their own space and ensure better sleep for everyone. But, with the possibility of another summer road trip on the horizon, the idea of smaller hotel rooms is certainly appealing to the bank account. However, not if it means sleepless nights, am I right? So, we figured this was a good time for a trial run, because if it went terribly, the stakes weren't that high.

Anyway. We left early Saturday and drove down to Orlando to spend the morning at Epcot. We had such a nice time there during our little day trip, and there were a couple more things we wanted to see.

Back at Epcot!

Most of our morning was spent meeting characters, because that's really what the kids enjoy. I picked up a new Alice in Wonderland costume for Ellie at a consignment store the day before, and she was excited to wear it to visit Alice. She had also been asking to meet Mulan since our last visit, so we made sure to make that happen. As for E.J., he has really hit his character-meeting groove and was all about giving them big, sweet, E.J. hugs before turning around and saying "cheese" for a picture. These kids, man. Too much.

Ellie made sure to tell Alice that her name is Elizabeth Alice!

Big E.J. hug for King Louie!

Chip and Dale

Pluto licked E.J., and he loved when Ellie scratched behind his ears!

Group hug for Minnie!

E.J.'s favorite!

Mr. Smee

Mulan

After lunch, we rode the Nemo ride and hit Turtle Talk with Crush again, at Ellie's request. She was so excited to sit up front and told me she wanted to ask a question this time. Sure enough, when question time came, she waved her arm in the air and got chosen for the first question! Way to go, Ellie!

The boys on the Nemo ride

VIDEO: Ellie asks Crush a question!

By that time the afternoon was wearing on and we wanted to get checked in to our hotel, so we wrapped things up. Our plan was to check in to our hotel as soon as possible, put the kids down for late naps, then wake them up with just enough time to get out to Magic Kingdom for more fun. I booked FastPasses for us for the Dumbo ride, then the nighttime electrical parade, then we planned to stay for the fireworks and meet Mickey at the Town Square Theater (another FastPass) afterwards. We figured all that would keep us out until probably 11:30 p.m., which is crazy late for the kids, but we expected Ellie to be okay even if she didn't nap (which she rarely does anymore), and E.J. should be okay assuming he takes a good late nap.

The best laid plans, my friends. As it turned out, Ellie napped and E.J. didn't.

We had said if E.J. didn't nap we would just scrap our evening plans, but I had convinced Ellie to nap by telling her we could only go out for more fun in the evening if she did. I didn't have the heart to tell her that even though she did as I asked, we still weren't going. So we basically told E.J. to man up and out we went. 

But, we altered our plans. Instead of Magic Kingdom, where the fireworks didn't even start until 10:00 and we would have a much longer park exit time and commute home, we opted to go to Hollywood Studios for their evening fireworks show, set to Star Wars music. The timing for their show wasn't showing up on Disney's website, so Eric called Disney World to confirm that they were having fireworks that evening and at what time. We were told yes, fireworks would happen at Hollywood Studios at 9:45, so we scrapped Magic Kingdom (goodbye, well-timed FastPasses) in favor of that.

Back to Hollywood Studios!

Let me tell you what, folks. We are never again visiting Hollywood Studios during the day. All the stuff we did last time that we waited 30 minutes (or more) for before? ZERO WAIT TIME in the evening. The place was a ghost town. In one hour, we met Olaf (a new attraction!), Eric and I took turns riding the Star Tours ride, and we met both Chewbacca and Kylo Ren. It was glorious. And the kids loved it all!

So excited to see Olaf!

The kids and their favorite snowman

Snowman selfie!

Ellie just loved meeting Chewbacca!

So happy!

E.J. was a little spooked by Chewie, but Chewie did win him over with a little tickling at the very end!

This guy is much more E.J.'s style. Go figure.

Kylo Ren family photo

Ellie loved the Jawas again!

By then were about ready to go watch the fireworks, but lo and behold, everyone seemed to just be exiting the park. Nothing seemed fireworks-ready at all. We quickly learned that no, there would not be fireworks at Hollywood Studios after all, despite being told otherwise when we called. What a bummer! I'm not sure if we would have gone through with Magic Kingdom anyway had we known, but it was such a disappointment to have been wrongly counting on Hollywood Studios as a suitable substitute. Ah, well. We had a nice evening anyway!

At last! He sleeps!

And, guess what else? THE KIDS SLEPT IN THE SAME ROOM. Now, it did not exactly happen under normal circumstances, because their bedtime was 2.5 hours later than normal after a very full Disney day, so they were pretty spent. But they both went to sleep with no issues and slept in until 8:20 a.m., when the woke up and started playing with/talking to each other! So, yay! It has happened! That makes our future road trip life so much easier.

Coming up next: Our first visit to Animal Kingdom!

To see all of our pictures from this visit to Epcot, click here. For Hollywood Studios, click here.

Disney Annual Passholders Go To Epcot

So I mentioned at the end of my last post that our super-fun race/Disney weekend in April inspired us to do something crazy. In fact, it inspired a couple of crazy things.

First, we came home from the weekend with the 10k behind us, and I knew I needed to sign up for another race to keep myself moving. In a momentary loss of sanity, I signed up for the Disney Half Marathon in January. What! A half marathon!!!! I never thought I'd see the day! But, I really feel that having my first major race be a 10k was helpful to me - I knew I couldn't just get up and do it; I had to actually train for it. So, I was afraid that if I signed up for another 5k or 10k, I wouldn't take it seriously because I knew I could do it. Apparently I thrive on the fear of failure, folks. So Eric and I both signed up for the Disney Half Marathon, and the kids are signed up for their respective races for that weekend, too. We're doing all this again (except longer!) in 2017!

And that is what inspired the next crazy thing: we became Disney Annual Passholders. We had never really considered it before, because 1) it's expensive and 2) with Eric's next career move still being so up in the air, we could possibly be leaving the state at any time. So it didn't seem wise.

But, this year Disney raised the prices of the Florida resident tickets we usually get for three or four days at the parks, and adjusted the prices of annual passes in our favor. When we realized we'd be back for another three or four days in January (regardless of where we are living at the time), we realized that the cost of those tickets plus what we already paid last month nearly added up to the cost of annual passes. For just a little more, we could also get free parking, discounts and a few extra days here and there at the parks. Knowing that we could put the ticket costs we already paid towards the annual passes, it just seemed to be the smart way to go!

Apparently, if you want to upgrade previously purchased/used tickets to annual passes, you have to do so in person. So, when Eric had a Friday off school at the end of last month, we took the opportunity to drive down to Orlando to do just that. And of course, we wouldn't just drive down and back, right? We decided to put our passes to use right away and spent the day at Epcot!

Epcot!

The kids were very excited to have another day at Disney so soon.

Happy E.J.!

Pretty Ellie

The Flower & Garden festival was underway, and there were lots of cool topiaries to be seen.

Impressive greenery!

Our first stop was France in the World Showcase, to meet Belle (in the blue dress!).

The kids and Belle

Then, we wanted to head back to "Headquarters" to meet Joy and Sadness from Inside Out. On the way, however, we stumbled upon a spot with five characters to meet: Baloo (Jungle Book), Goofy, Rafiki (Lion King), Eeyore and Mickey. So, we had to make a stop!

Man, these kids love character encounters.

After that, we made it to Headquarters but had a pretty lengthy wait. For the most part the kids did okay with it. When we finally made it up to meet Joy and Sadness, they were so cute! Ellie was just thrilled (she wore her "Joy dress" for the occasion and everything). They danced with Joy (Sadness did a very sad slow turn herself) and waved quietly at Sadness. It was very sweet.

Ellie with all the memories on the walls (as we waited in line)

Fun with Sadness and Joy

The happiest baby in the world gets hugged by Joy herself

Cheese!

By then we were pretty hungry for lunch, we went back out to the World Showcase for a pizza lunch in Italy. Afterwards, we caught a flag show out in the courtyard.

Pizza time!

E.J. was so excited, he asked to take a picture with his pizza: "Mama! Pizza! Picture! Pizza! Picture!"

Italy really brings out the blue in her eyes, doesn't it? Perhaps we should go to the real Italy...

The flag show performers, and my three favorite Italians!

From there, we continued around the World Showcase...

We had to stop for a photo in Japan for Aunt Heather!

...and ended up in Morocco, where we met Aladdin and Jasmine. Ellie was so excited to meet Jasmine (and immediately put on her Jasmine pajamas when we got home that night), but in the moment, she was so shy!

E.J. in Morocco

Cute kids

Visiting with Jasmine and Aladdin

Group shot!

Our last planned stop was Turtle Talk with Crush, so we headed out that way. Ellie sat down in front for the show and both kids enjoyed it! They also liked all the aquariums in the building, and totally loved the "Bruce the Shark" photo op.

Family photo with Nemo, his dad and Dory

Turtle talking with Crush

Wimps.

By that time, the day was getting on and we had to head back to Jacksonville. Both kids passed out immediately in the car, so I'll take that as a good sign that they enjoyed their day!

Yes!

So, our little spur-of-the-moment day trip was a big success! We're planning another overnight Disney trip for this weekend, but then the Disney stuff will die down (I can hear you all sighing, "finally") because the passes we got are blacked out for the summer. So, this weekend's trip will likely be our last until the fall, depending on where we are by that point!

If you want to see the rest of our Epcot pictures, click here to see the full set!

Disney Day 3: Epcot

On the third day of our Disney vacation (Saturday), we decided to skip the alarm clock and just wake up whenever. We had that day earmarked for Epcot, and we weren't in any real rush. Of course, we do have a toddler, so we're not exactly talking about a noon sleep-in, here. We were still up and at 'em and en route to the park roughly around park opening time.

Oh hey, in case I forget to mention it, the weather was disgusting. Again.

More rain! More cold! More gray skies!

First things first, we decided to knock out some more character meet-and-greets. So, upon entering the park we went straight to the Epcot Character Spot where we got to meet Mickey, Minnie and Goofy with no wait. Seriously, no wait at all. We knew it wouldn't be bad when we rolled up and there were only three strollers parked out front! Ha! With no crowd, the characters all spent a great amount of time with Ellie - Minnie, in particular. She loved Ellie and Ellie loved her. They spent a good bit of time playing, being silly, dancing and hugging. We could hardly pull Ellie away.

Kisses for Mickey!

Family with Mickey

Dancing with Goofy

MINNIE!

Silly Minnie wanted to wear Ellie's hat!

LOVING IT.

As we left the Character Spot, we also ran into Chip and Dale.

Ellie and the chipmunks

From there we decided to hit a ride: Spaceship Earth, which I thought was neat.

At the beginning of the ride, they take your picture to incorporate into a little "movie" at the end. Please pardon Eric's apparently Goofy ears and my Ellie-face growth on my right cheek.

Then it was over to use our FastPass+ selections for the Finding Nemo ride and Turtle Talk with Crush. I especially enjoyed the Turtle Talk, in which Crush from Finding Nemo answers audience questions. He's animated, but actually carries on an ad lib conversation. It was really cool and he was funny, though Ellie got pretty wiggly by the end.

Ellie and Eric are off to find Nemo!

Crush! Duuuuude!

After that, we debated what to do. I really wanted to walk around and see all the countries, but we knew we were fast approaching lunch/nap time and weren't sure we'd have enough time to make it all the way around the lake. (We wanted to make sure to get a jump start on the lunch/nap process, because we had to be back at the park for an early dinner reservation that evening.) The weather was getting nastier (yay, heavy rain!), but we weren't sure we were quite ready to pack it in. We ended up walking over to Norway, where Anna and Elsa (the princesses from Frozen) were doing meet-and-greets. We had no real expectations of seeing them, as we had heard the lines were always super long, but we thought, hey. Maybe the rain scared people off? But no. No, it did not. When we showed up, the line was over three hours long. In the rain. No, thanks! We'll happily just snap pictures from afar through the open doorway and count our blessings that our kid is still too young to really care, thanks very much.

Sneaking a peek at the Frozen princesses

With that, we left the park for the morning. We decided to stop at Downtown Disney for lunch on our way back to the resort, which ended up turning into a comedy of errors: trouble finding any lunch options for Ellie (ultimately we just fed her back at the hotel room), miscommunication over snack choices, Ellie meltdowns, pouring rain, a big cup of pop spilled all over my arm. It was definitely the low point of the trip, but ultimately we ended up back at our hotel with (sub-par) lunch for Eric and me, which we ate while Ellie enjoyed room-made food as she watched a little TV. Then, nap time.

Poor Ellie had some trouble falling asleep, much to our dismay. She ultimately did doze off right as we were about to give up hope and get her up to just go back to the park early. So, we let her snooze a bit before waking her and getting her dressed. Better she slept somewhat, I suppose, but she had to still be tired. But, we had dinner with the princesses to get to!

When we arrived back at the park, we had a brief respite from the constant rain...

Look, ma! No umbrellas!

...but it didn't last long. We had enough time before our reservation for a quick meet-and-greet with Donald Duck in Mexico, but as we waited in line, the rain picked up again and they ushered us all inside. Donald was very sweet with Ellie, though - mimicking her "sleeping" and acting totally beside himself when she gave him a kiss.

Shhhh, Ellie and Donald are sleeping!

Kisses from Ellie!

He's totally enamored with Ellie, but can you blame him?

Even with our reservations, we had a little bit of time to wait (outside) at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. We huddled under our umbrella and kept Ellie calm by singing (much to our neighbors' dismay, I'm sure). Then finally, it was our turn!

Waiting in the rain

Time to eat!

First things first, when you enter the restaurant, you have your photo taken with Belle. They give you a nice big copy of this photo for free. Ellie was feeling shy, so we used the opportunity for a family photo.

Photo op!

Then, it's off to your seats. Unfortunately, our seats were kind of lousy - we were stuck at a table in a far corner, away from the main dining hall. So, when they did the little Princess Parade with all the princesses and children in attendance, we were kind of off the beaten path. Ellie and I still joined in, though!

You can see my white sweater and Ellie's red polka dot dress in front of Snow White! Ellie made it about halfway through the parade on her own before she got a little overwhelmed and asked to be carried.

Then it was time to eat. They had a buffet for salad/starters, and then you ordered your entree off the menu. Eric and I both had a salmon dish, which was quite tasty. We also ordered pizza (again) for Ellie.

Dinner!

As you eat, the princesses come around and say hello. This was slightly awkward because, well, we were eating. In particular, our toddler was eating pizza, which meant she was covered in sauce. There was no time for hand/face wiping for each princess, so she just had to be messy. Toddlers! Am I right?

Also, for the most part, Ellie was kind of weird about the whole thing. She would get really excited about each princess when she saw her at the next table, but as soon as said princess came over to us, Ellie would clam right up. The princesses were all very nice, however, and were very sweet to Ellie. They posed for pictures and signed our autograph mat.

"Hey, guys! Guys, look! Snow White is RIGHT OVER THERE! HOW COOL!"

"Sorry, don't know you, don't care. Keep it moving. I've got lots of work to do smearing pizza sauce all over myself."

"Wait, didn't I just meet you yesterday?"

More impressed by a bowl of strawberries than Ariel, apparently

Cinderella was lucky enough to receive an adoring gaze!

If we're being honest, her favorite part of the whole Storybook Princess Dining experience was probably the straw in her cup. TODDLERS.

At least she had fun?

After the princesses made their rounds, we were served a dessert platter and then wrapped things up.

If memory serves, this was a chocolate mousse cake, some sort of apple cake (tasty) and a rice pudding with strawberry sauce.

When we left, we noticed there was hardly any wait for the Maelstrom ride, so we decided to check that out. Ellie was excited to ride the boat before we got going, but then the ride itself was a bit scary for her. Oops.

"Ellie ride boat!"

Then, we went back to Mexico to ride the Donald Duck boat ride. Poor Ellie was starting to appear pretty tired.

Fiesta!

Cuddling with her daddy on the Donald Duck ride

Ellie caught her second wind, however, when we decided to make a quick lap around the lake to check out all the countries. Eric and I enjoyed looking at all the different structures (although we didn't really have time to explore them), and tossed around the idea of ditching Ellie one of these days and going back just the two of us to really check it out (I'm quite intrigued by the "eat your way around the countries" idea).

The American Experience

Japan

France

As for Ellie, she had a blast running from country to country, although her favorite part by far was the polka music in Germany. The polka rhythm got her, you might say. She danced like it was all she was born to do. We polka-ed till we dropped, right there in the dark in front of Germany.

POLKA!

Dancing with Daddy

We briefly debated sticking around for the laser/fireworks show that evening, but we figured it would be too late for our sleepy kid. So, we stopped for a few more pictures but started to make our way out.

Fancy!

At the end of a fun day at Epcot!

Watching the dancing fountains

Pretty

Happy girl!

And that was our day at Epcot! We stopped for our last quick-service meal back at the resort before heading back to the room and getting our tired little Minnie to bed. We needed to rest up for our last day at Magic Kingdom!

I think we thoroughly wore her out!

Up next: FINALLY a sunny day! Perfect weather for one more day at Magic Kingdom, including lunch with our friends from the Hundred Acre Wood!

And again: If you'd like to see more pictures from our day at Epcot, you can see them here.