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Old 12-24-2014, 02:29 AM   #61
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Sounds like a great morning at Animal Kingdom and once again, I love how you were at the various places just in time for them to open - great planning!
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Old 12-24-2014, 09:20 AM   #62
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Your timing was perfect today - you really fit alot in! Bummer that Dillon just wasn't feeling EE Maybe next time
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Old 12-24-2014, 09:32 AM   #63
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Love the real time updates!
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Old 12-24-2014, 06:28 PM   #64
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Wednesday December 24th/Christmas Eve:
Magic Kingdom
The alarm was set for 5:30am. Magic Kingdom was set to open with 7am EMH hours and we hoped to catch a bus around 6:15am in order to get there in time for the opening show.
We left for the bus on time around 6:15am. But a few of the boys got ahead of us and went to the van. We came to a waiting bus, but it had to leave before I could get hold of the boys to remind them we were riding the bus today. I had been driving to all the other parks, but I still find it best to take the bus to Magic Kingdom.
The boys quickly made it to the bus stop and another bus came about fifteen minutes later.
We arrived at the Magic Kingdom at 6:45am. Most of us claimed a spot with a central location to get a good view of the opening show. Wesley and Madilyn squeezed as close to the entrance as possible.
When the show ended, Wesley texted he and Madilyn were the first in the park and sent me a pic with an unobstructed view of the castle to prove it . He asked if he and Madilyn could swing by for a spin on Peter Pan on the way to our pre-determined destination of Barnstormer. I knew they were probably way ahead of us, so I said sure.
The rest of us stopped for a few photo pass pictures on our way to Barnstormer. I actually wanted to take the train around the park to Barnstormer, but when we entered the park it was closed “due to the show”.
It was a long walk to Barnstormer, but not only was it a walk on- we were literally the only ones there. We had the entire coaster to ourselvesJ. Wesley and Madilyn approached the ride right as we finished up and they had a coaster to their self also.
We stopped for a bathroom break and to take a look at Casey Junior’s splash station which did have the water running this morning. This is a cute little area, but we had no desire to get wet.
We now hopped in line for Dumbo. I think Austin and Winston would have enjoyed a few minutes on the playground, but Wesley was leading the way and he wasn’t stopping . We enjoyed our ride on Dumbo as usual.
We were now off to ride Under the Sea. It was a walk on. The kids spotted Tea Cups with a short five minute wait, so we took a spin on that also.
We were making great timing, breezing through all the rides. So, we had some spare time before our upcoming fast pass for Tales with Belle at 9:10am.
We decided to head over to Adventure land. We had missed Adventure land on our previous MK day due to taking an unplanned mid-day break.
We got to Adventure land around five till 8am. Adventure land wasn’t opening till 8am and was roped off, so we took a seat on some benches to rest while we waited. At 8am on the dot Adventure land was open with only a few handfuls of people waiting at the rope drop.
We headed straight for Jungle Cruise (Jingle Cruise) and walked right on to a waiting bus. The Jingle Cruise theme is that the captain was in charge of decorating the parks for Christmas but lost many of the decorations in the jungle and needed us to help him find them. He had some fun jokes, but it was hard to hear him at times as we were seated near the back of the boat. We enjoyed our boat ride.
We now headed over to take a spin on Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride. Winston enjoyed having our carpet go up and down quickly.
We now walked over to Pirates of the Caribbean. It was 8:25am and the wait time was posted as five minutes. We walked right on. I really enjoy this ride.
We now stopped for another bathroom break before heading over to the Tiki Room. It was 8:45am and we had a five minute wait until next show. Wesley actually elected to skip out on this show. While we enjoyed the singing birds, Wesley took a quick splash on Splash Mountain where he said there was only a five minute wait. He also noted that BTMRR was temporarily closed for some reason.
It was now time four our Tales with Belle Fast Pass. The standby line was surprisingly short at twenty minutes! But it was still nice to breeze to the front with our fast passes. Winton really wanted to be part of the show. He did all the “auditions” but wasn’t chosen for any partsL. The CM then asked if anyone not chosen wanted a part- she would provide them with one. I encouraged Winston to go up, but he would not. We enjoyed it all the same though. Belle took pictures afterwards and Winston wouldn’t go for that either. Wesley did though.
It was now 10am and we were really hungry. We had FP’s for lunch at Be Our Guest that weren’t good till 10:40am. I decided to walk over and see if there was any way we could get in early. No such luck.
When I made our FP for BOG I knew the menu wasn’t exactly appealing to my kids, so I only ordered three meals. My plan was to split three meals inside of BOG and then get three meals to split outside of BOG to be sure the kids were filled up. Since we had time before our BOG FP and everyone was starving- we went to Pinocchio Village Haus and ordered three pepperoni flat breads. Two w/chocolate cake and one chocolate gelato…
Wesley ate a full pizza. The other four kids split a pizza (two and two). They split the desserts also. I only had a few bites of the gelato as I was really looking forward to the BOG food!
We actually ate pretty quickly and still had a bit of time before we could check in for our BOG FP. So, I used my wait times app and seen the Haunted Mansion line was at 25 minutes. We walked over and got in line. While we were in line I was worried I had made a mistake because if the wait time ended up being much over 25 minutes we could be pushing our FP time.
Thankfully the wait time listed was wrong, but in our favor. I timed it- it was a fifteen minute wait. I really enjoy this ride.
We now headed to check in for BOG. We were quickly taken back to the check in area. We had pre-ordered, so we were asked to select a table in no time. We were not given a rose as I’ve heard others mention- our magic bands served as our rose.
After choosing a table, a few of us headed for the restroom. My magic band was used to check us in, and I wasn’t sure how it all worked- so I left my magic band with the kids remaining at the table in case it was needed for the “cart” to find us .
When we returned from the restroom, we got our drinks. Shortly after that- our food arrived. I really enjoyed the French onion soup. The two oldest boys tried a little also. Dillon and I split the roast (Wesley ate a little also). Wesley and Madilyn split the turkey sandwich and fries. Dillon and Austin split the ham and cheese sandwich. Winston only ate fries. We had three cupcakes with our meal also. Dillon and I split the strawberry cupcake. Madilyn and Wesley split the cupcake with the gray stuff. Austin and Winston split the chocolate cupcake. We all enjoyed our meal. Winston was the only who wasn’t really into the food, but I’m sure he would have eaten it had we not had the pepperoni flatbreads earlier. Next time, I will just order everyone their own meal at BOG.
After lunch, we headed to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train where we had a FP. It was about 11:30am and the standby was listed at 110 minutes. Definitely glad for the FP! We all enjoyed our ride.
We had a little time before our Space Mountain FP. The line for the Tea Cups was just ten minutes, so we took one more spin on the tea cups before heading to Space Mountain.
We enjoyed our ride on Space Mountain. Wesley skipped out on it, saying he had a headache. He actually headed back to the resort while we rode. After our ride on Space Mountain- we all headed to the buses so we could call it a day.
We walked up to a waiting bus which is always niceJ. We were back to the resort in no time.
We relaxed in the room for a bit before heading down to the pool for a while. They have a plethora of pool side games going on almost non-stop which the kids really enjoy!
At about 5:30pm we headed to the food court for dinner. I got a chili cheese dog with coleslaw and banana bread. Dillon got the make your own salad with a brownie. Wesley got a burger with a brownie. Madilyn got chicken Parmesan with a brownie. Austin got chicken and fries with an ice cream sandwich. Winston got a chili cheese dog with a mickey bar. We all really enjoyed our dinner.
After dinner- Winston and I headed to the lobby to see Santa before heading back to the room. They have been passing out holiday cookies and lemonade in the lobby all day also.... Very festive
Also, when we returned from the parks our room was nice and clean but the boys room hadn’t been cleaned yet. I was worried it might have been an oversight because one would assume they would be cleaned back to back. But I didn’t call right away as I thought they may have some sort of system and just hadn’t made it around yet. Well, they still hadn’t come so Wesley called for some fresh towels. I gave him and Dillon the option of requesting a cleaning or just some towels. They just asked for towels and they were brought up right away. I’m sure they would’ve been glad to clean the room if asked- housekeeping has been doing an excellent job with the rooms and even left a few cute towel animals. I know their room was simply accidentally skipped today….
Tomorrow: Christmas Day
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Last edited by B.M.; 12-24-2014 at 07:04 PM..
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Old 12-24-2014, 06:32 PM   #65
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Quote:
Originally Posted by princetoaprincess View Post
It's always nice to get in a little early like you were able to do on the AK day. Take advantage of that chance to rest.
We definitely do best when we get some rest in...

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Sounds like a great morning at Animal Kingdom and once again, I love how you were at the various places just in time for them to open - great planning!
We really did have good timing this day!

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Originally Posted by lfredsbo View Post
Your timing was perfect today - you really fit alot in! Bummer that Dillon just wasn't feeling EE Maybe next time
Dillon is considering riding Everest our next Animal Kingdom day. I've told him I honestly don't care if he rides it or not- but that I think he should give it a try as it's really not much more intense than some of the coasters he *does* enjoy like BTMRR, SM, and 7D.... at least IMHO there isn't much added intensity...

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Love the real time updates!
Thanks!

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Love the live trip report!


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Thanks for following along everyone!!
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Old 12-25-2014, 02:50 AM   #66
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Once again, you packed a lot into your day - I love how you're showing people who haven't been during the Christmas season before that you can enjoy yourselves and do a lot, despite the inevitable crowds.
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Old 12-25-2014, 05:41 AM   #67
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I never would have thought you could get such an enormous amount done at MK of all places on Christmas Eve, and fit in two QS meals as well! Good going! Your kids must all be very good at not lollygagging around-- you make great time from ride to ride. I know it does help enormously that the parks open earlier during the holidays, but I think most of your success is due to the great planning you do and the fact that you know the parks well. Sorry Wesley didn't get picked for a part in Enchanted Tales.
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Old 12-25-2014, 08:49 PM   #68
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Once again, you packed a lot into your day - I love how you're showing people who haven't been during the Christmas season before that you can enjoy yourselves and do a lot, despite the inevitable crowds.
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Originally Posted by lauriep View Post
I never would have thought you could get such an enormous amount done at MK of all places on Christmas Eve, and fit in two QS meals as well! Good going! Your kids must all be very good at not lollygagging around-- you make great time from ride to ride. I know it does help enormously that the parks open earlier during the holidays, but I think most of your success is due to the great planning you do and the fact that you know the parks well. Sorry Wesley didn't get picked for a part in Enchanted Tales.

We really are able to get a lot done even during the busy holidays.... I think it truly helps to make a plan and stick with it.

Thanks for following along!
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My Previous TripsWDW/Pop Century June 2008-- WDW/AS Movies Thanksgiving 2009-- WDW/Pop Century March 2010-- DCL/Wonder to Alaska May 2011-- WDW/Vaca Home off property Christmas 2012-- WDW/AS Music Christmas 2014
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Old 12-25-2014, 08:50 PM   #69
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Christmas Day/ December 25th
Let me start off by back tracking. Yesterday/Christmas Eve we had spent the day in the Magic Kingdom. It was a short day for us, we left before 1pm. However, the park was open till 1am. Wesley had spent the evening hours trying to convince Dillon to go back to the MK with him. Dillon was not interested. Finally, at nearly 9pm (after I had posted my update for the day)- Wesley decided to go back to the parks by himself. I was completely fine with this. He is seventeen, 6’2, has a cell phone, and a great sense of direction. He kept in touch with me via text.
While he was waiting for a bus, it was sprinkling a little. Moments after he got on the bus, it down poured. (We even lost television service here in the room) Well, the rain went back to a sprinkle right as he got off the bus! He said he was able to ride several headliner attractions with little or no wait. He got back to the hotel around midnight having had a great time exploring the MK on his ownJ.
Fast forward to today/Christmas Day:
I had told all of the children that we were not waking up in the wee hours of the morning for Christmas this year. I felt we all needed some real sleep. It is not uncommon for us to be opening gifts as early as 3am in years past….
Well, I ended up getting up a little before 6am and getting in the shower.
We had decided the night before to attend the Protestant Christmas Day Service at the Contemporary Resort. The service was to start at 9am and last one hour.
Since we were still up pretty early, I decided we could just leave at 7am and eat at the Contemporary Resort food court- just to try something a little different.
Dillon and I had their breakfast burritos. Wesley and Austin had their bounty platters which was a little different than the ones at AS Music. Winston had French toast and bacon. Madilyn had a cinnamon roll. Everyone enjoyed their breakfast except Austin who ended up going back for a cinnamon roll of his own. While we did enjoy it, overall we prefer our AS Music food court better.
We still had about thirty minutes before the service would begin. We wondered around the resort. There was a mass service prior to the protestant service and it was maxed out to the gills. The protestant service was not packed, but not empty either. We really enjoyed the service and I’m glad we went.
Afterwards we went back to the MK where we took a bus back to our resort. Once back at the resort- we opened our gifts. By this time the kids were busting at the seams to open their gifts. We didn’t have a ton to open as “Disney” was our big gift this year- but they enjoyed their gifts all the same.
We hung out around the room afterwards enjoying our gifts.
Noonish Wesley and Dillon wanted to go to the food court with lunch. After the left for the food court I realized we only had a few hours till we would be leaving for our Hoop Dee Doo Dinner! I quickly sent them a text telling them to share a meal. I also tried calling both of them. But apparently they didn’t get the message in time.
Dillon said he had a chili cheese dog meal with a brownie. Wesley said he had chicken parmesan with a brownie. I hope they are able to build their appetites back up before dinner!
No one else was hungry at that point, so I was thinking we would skip lunch and have a good appetite for Hoop Dee Doo Dinner. But about 1:30pm the two little boys were starving.
I got them a chicken nugget and fry meal to split. I also got a taco salad meal to split with the boys and Madilyn. Despite sharing the meals, it was plenty of food and I was worried we wouldn’t be hungry for our dinner.
At 2:30pm we headed for our dinner. We took a bus to the Magic Kingdom. We then took a boat to Fort Wilderness. We had to wait a good while for a boat. We ended up checking in for HDDR just shy of our 4pm reservation.
I thought I had category 3, but apparently I had category 1. We ended up sitting so close to the stage we could touch it without stretching. We really, really enjoyed this show and the food was as good as ever! This is really a great place for dinner!
We now headed back to the bus. Once again we had a very long wait. We then took a bus back to the hotel. It was a lot of traveling.
Once back to the hotel we started getting ready for bed and just relaxing.
Tomorrow: Down Town Disney
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My Previous TripsWDW/Pop Century June 2008-- WDW/AS Movies Thanksgiving 2009-- WDW/Pop Century March 2010-- DCL/Wonder to Alaska May 2011-- WDW/Vaca Home off property Christmas 2012-- WDW/AS Music Christmas 2014
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Old 12-25-2014, 10:02 PM   #70
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Boy, you certainly got quite a lot done at both AK and MK by getting up early! Nice, relaxing Christmas Day as well! What a great Christmas surprise to be category 1 for HDDR!
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Old 12-25-2014, 11:12 PM   #71
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Just found your TR and have finished reading it. You guys really have packed a lot into each day. Sorry about all of the rain. Even though you are on the quick service dining plan your kid seem to be getting quite a lot of food. The rest periods are working out for you. We never seem to get the rest we should when we are there.
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Old 12-26-2014, 02:49 AM   #72
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What a great Christmas Day you had - and I love how you didn't even go to the parks that day and you still had a wonderful time!
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Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
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My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
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Old 12-26-2014, 08:36 AM   #73
shazza
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I have enjoyed your Road Trip reports, and am glad I found this one. It's interesting to see how much you are getting done during a busy time. I'm also enjoying the description of the day's activities and the food choices. The QS Plan is working out well for you, and I've always thought it is the dining plan that makes the most sense when traveling with kids.

(We are in South Florida and had quite a rain / lightning storm on Christmas Eve. Glad the rain didn't ruin Wesley's Solo tour of the MK.)
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Old 12-26-2014, 11:19 AM   #74
pamcarey
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Sounds like a great trip so far! You really are accomplishing a lot! Getting to the parks early makes all the difference.


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June 2016
My Countdown Counting down to: Returning to WDW!
Watching DD's marching band in the Magic Kingdom!
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My Previous TripsMarch 1989 - offsite; April/May 2002 - Coronado Springs; March 2003 - All Star Movies; May 2003 - offsite; July 2003 - Port Orleans Riverside; April/May 2006 - Port Orleans Riverside; September 2007 - All Star Sports; August/September 2008 - All Star Movies and Pop Century; June 2009 - Pop Century; August 2010 - All Star Sports & Disney Wonder; June 2011 - All Star Music; April 2012 - Disney Fantasy; April 2013 - Port Orleans French Quarter; August 2015 - Disneyland offsite; April 2017 - Coronado Springs; December 2017 - Old Key West
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Old 12-27-2014, 05:49 PM   #75
B.M.
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Friday December 26th/ Down Town Disney
First let me say, this marks the half-way point of our trip. We arrived last Friday and have been here one full week now. We leave next Friday and have exactly one week left.
This morning no alarm was set, but we were up by 7am all the same. About 7:30am- we headed to the food court for breakfast. Austin just wanted a side of bacon. I tried to get it as a snack credit but was told I could not. I hesitantly agreed to pay for it OOP. I know in years past you could get a side of bacon for a snack. Well, Wesley got a bounty platter. Madilyn got a pastry of some sort, I can’t remember what. Dillon got an omelet with potatoes. Winston got chocolate chip pancakes with bacon. Now here is the odd part- I got biscuits and gravy and that COULD be used for a snack credit! So, biscuits and gravy which cost about $4 count for a snack, but $2.50 bacon does not…. very odd. Wesley found a listing somewhere- he told me bacon, sausage, and potatoes could not be used for a snack. But biscuits w/gravy, oatmeal, and grits could be used for a snack. Given we have a ton of credits remaining- both snack and otherwise I’m going to be more careful from now on to only get things that qualify for the DP because with that many remaining credits, it’s silly for me to buying things OOP.
After breakfast, we returned to the rooms to put up our mugs and use the bathroom.
We now headed for the buses to get a ride to Down Town Disney. I had originally planned to drive. But Wesley seen on the T.V. that they were strongly encouraging guests to take the buses due to construction and limited parking- so, we took the bus. It was a very long wait for the DTD bus, over thirty minutes. We watched four AK buses come and go with no one to get on them. Finally, our bus came.
It was about a twenty minute ride to DTD. I had seen online the night before that DTD would open at 8:30am. It was nearing 9am when we got there. Turns out- the shops don’t open till 10amL. This was a disappointment.
We wandered around an empty DTD and found some photo ops. The Lego store ended up opening about a half hour early- so we spent a bit of time in there.
Next, we went to see about Flights of Wonder. Madilyn and I really wanted to ride. It was 9:56am when we approached the Flights of Wonder counter and asked the cost. I was very delighted when he answered those flights before 10am were just $10! We had awesome timing at just five till 10!
Wesley, Winston, and Austin did not want to ride. So, I purchased three tickets for Madilyn, Dillon, and me. The ride was enjoyable, but generally speaking- I’d really like to take an untethered ride someday. As for the three that were “scared” to ride- I told them it was nothing compared to parasailing (which two of them have done and enjoyed) so I’m not sure what their concerns were as none of the three are afraid of heights….
I had read that Disney Quest didn’t open till 11:30am, but since we were right by it- we walked over to confirm the hours. 11:30am was correct. We now headed back towards the shops that should now all be open.
Two of the kids had gotten phones for Christmas yesterday. Wesley’s was simply an upgrade and Austin’s was new/this was his first phone. I had bought them each a case, but accidentally got cases for the wrong model of phone. (*I will return those cases when I get back home)
So, we were on the hunt for some phone cases. All of the Disney cases are not true protective cases unfortunately. Despite doing quite a bit of looking and consulting with a few different CM’s- we decided Austin would need to wait and get a true protective (life proof preferably) case once we get back home.
However, Wesley already had a Mickey back only case for his previous phone and had never had any trouble with it. He really wanted to continue having a Disney phone so we were very excited to see that you can create your own phone case inside the Co Op store in the D Tech section. He chose a picture with the castle and fireworks going off over it and had his name printed on the case as well. It looks really nice! I would love to have a Disney case as well, but I have a full protective case on my phone and plan to keep it that way. I wish you could get Disney designs on the life proof cases!!
We also went into the Christmas shop where I purchased an ornament to remember our trip.
We spent a decent bit of time in Goofy’s Candy Store where we each picked a snack. I got peanut butter fudge. Madilyn and Austin each got cookies and cream fudge. Winston got an m&m covered marshmallow. Dillon got some sort of covered marshmallow also. Wesley elected to not get anything.
Wesley did get two different types of Mickey head rice Krispy treats for his girlfriend. And Madilyn got Mickey head rice Krispy treat to give to her BFF that is spending Christmas recovering from back surgery.
While we sat at a table to enjoy our snacks- Wesley wanted to see if he could find this macaroni hot dog he remembered having when he was here with the band a few years back. He was convinced he could get it with a snack credit. I told him I didn’t mind him getting it, but I was certain it would be a meal not a snack credit. Well, what do you know- he was able to get a hotdog as a snack credit! He said it was really good. I didn’t even see it.
By this point Disney Quest was about to open. Wesley and Dillon went inside DQ using two of the free admission coupons that came with our package.
Wesley texted me that it was very, very hot in there. And while the lines weren’t long, there were lines to several of the games.
While they were in Disney Quest- the rest of us spent some time at the T-Rex store and Austin and Winston played paleontologist in the Dino Dig area for quite some time.
We were now ready for some lunch. I’ve always heard great things about Wolf Gang Puck Express and decided to give it a go. This was a wonderful meal and I can’t believe I was able to use the quick service dining plan to get it! I ordered the bacon wrapped meatloaf with mashed potatoes and crème Brule- it was soooo good! Winston ordered a pepperoni pizza. The pizza was HUGE. He had a brownie for dessert which he didn’t exactly love. Austin and Madilyn both ordered chicken tenders and fries w/chocolate gelato for dessert. They both enjoyed their meals immensely.
We ordered our food, but a waiter brings it out to you and checks in on you several times. I quickly realized I had no cash for a tip and this waiter was doing such a great job…. Thankfully I had been texting back and forth with Wesley and he and Dillon were pretty much done with Disney Quest. So, while we were finishing up eating they made their way towards us. Thankfully Wesley had his wallet on him so I borrowed some of his cash for the tipJ.
Wesley and Dillon had eaten lunch inside of Disney Quest- Wesley had chicken and fries/Dillon had a chicken Caesar salad. They both said it was good, but after seeing what we had- they are considering going to DTD on our next break day just to eat there.
We now headed back to the resort. We walked up to a waiting All Star Resort bus and had about a twenty minute ride back to the hotel.
Once back to the resort I touched based with my sister who is now en route to DisneyJ. Unfortunately her GPS is not cooperating, so I’ve been trying to look up some route info for her online. Thankfully 75 south is a straight shot so there really isn’t much navigational needs- but it’s nice I can keep in touch with her and give her distances and such while she’s driving.
Everyone but Dillon wanted to swim for a bit. We did some laundry while at the pool also.
We ate dinner at the food court around 5:30pm (I think). I had a burger- it was good. Madilyn and Dillon had chicken parmesan. I really can’t remember what the others had- I’m sure at least a few of them had chicken nuggets.
At 9pm everyone went to sleep. I told my sister to call me when she drove under the WDW gates. I got her call just before 11pm. Madilyn and I got up and went to meet them outside at the check in area. We stayed up with them to show them around a little bit and get their car unloaded. It was about midnight when Madilyn and I got back in the bed.
Tomorrow: Epcot
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My Previous TripsWDW/Pop Century June 2008-- WDW/AS Movies Thanksgiving 2009-- WDW/Pop Century March 2010-- DCL/Wonder to Alaska May 2011-- WDW/Vaca Home off property Christmas 2012-- WDW/AS Music Christmas 2014
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