March 28 – Animal Kingdom

In our original plan this day was supposed to be our rest/resort day. We had planned to skip AK for this trip because we wanted two days at MK.  

However, once the discount dropped for our dates of travel we couldn’t resist getting a 5 park day ticket.  When looking over the attractions for AK neither Caleb nor Alaina were overly excited about this park. To us, it was basically an upscale zoo…which is fine if you’re extremely into animals and nature trails. We only had a handful of things we wanted to accomplish so the plan was still for us to have a longer mid-day break. We were up and going by 7:30 and at the bus stop by 8:15ish. Since we planned to ride Kali River Rapids, we all dressed in clothes that would dry quickly and we wore sandals.

Once we arrived at the park we went straight back to the safari. We waited about 10 minutes.  The safari was fun. Because we did it first thing, the animals were pretty active. We were able to see most all of the animals.  When we finished our next step was to ride Expedition Everest. Once we got to the ride we saw the wait time was almost an hour so we decided to skip it.  We backtracked to Kali River Rapids. Thankfully we were dressed with the expectation of getting wet. Caleb and Hattie got out with just a minor splash. Alaina and Lydia weren’t as fortunate.  Alaina got soaked. Thankfully, it was warm enough to dry everyone’s clothes quickly.  After a quick restroom break we headed over to Dinoland.  We had planned to let the girls play in the Boneyard for a few minutes but due to the time we decided to skip this step. We rode the Triceratops Spin before heading over to Flame Tree BBQ for lunch.

Caleb got the rib platter. Alaina got a salad and some loaded BBQ fries. The girls got hotdogs.  Flame Tree only has outdoor seating, so we picked a spot we thought would be free from birds. We were wrong.  At one point Lydia needed to use the restroom, so Alaina and Hattie stayed with the table while Caleb found a bathroom. While they were gone a friendly bird started making its rounds for food scraps.  Hattie thought it would be fun to feed it, so she tossed some of her hotdog bun. This was a true test of bravery for Alaina – who hates birds.  She managed to keep calm long enough for Caleb and Lydia to come back and shoo it away.  Our last step for the morning was the Festival of the Lion King.  We walked down to the theater and grabbed a couple of dole whips to enjoy while we waited. We were some of the first people in line for the stand by entrance.   This wait was probably the most frustrating wait of the whole trip. Although we were first in the standby line, FP riders were seated first…which is fair. However, this made our wait even longer. When we were finally allowed to enter, we got really good seats.  We were in the lion/Simba section about halfway up. This might be a bit controversial, but we were not wowed by this show.  It was enjoyable, but we felt it didn’t live up to the hype everyone gave it. 

After the show it was time to head back to POR.  We took a few photo pass pictures on the way out.  We had to wait 10 minutes or so for the bus.  The girls had taken a brief nap in the stroller, so they were not wanting to take another nap at the resort.  Since this break was a little longer than our other days, Caleb took the girls to the pool for a swim. Alaina napped. The plan for the evening was simply to eat supper at Tusker House and watch Rivers of Light.  We didn’t think it was necessary to bring the stroller back into the park on this night.  Getting on the bus without having to fold up a stroller is a very free feeling.  We had a little time to kill when we arrived back at the park.  We walked over to watch the sea lions for a few minutes while we waited to check in to Tusker House.  A cast member was nearby giving information about the animals. Caleb and the girls really enjoyed listening to her.

We walked over to the check in desk for Tusker House and it was still a little early, so we waited in the market area. This is a really neat area. Lots to see and there seemed to always be some kind of entertainment happening.  When our reservation window finally opened we were able to check-in and go to the waiting area of the restaurant. Hattie was excited to greet the hostess with “Jambo.”  We waited another 10 minutes before the next hostess called our name.  Now, Hattie had been apprehensive about this meal most of the day because she knew there would be “masked” characters. When we walked in she immediately fell apart…even going as far as hiding under the table once we were seated. Caleb talked her in to sitting in her seat, but she still wasn’t happy.  The sweet hostess who seated us noticed Hattie’s anxiety. She came back to our table with a “glowing” Tinkerbell figurine for both girls. They LOVED these things.  Our actual server for the meal wasn’t as friendly as the hostess, nor was she as attentive.  As each character walked by Lydia got excited and asked them for their autograph. Daisy is Lydia’s favorite, so she was super excited about seeing her again. Donald and Goofy made their rounds. Donald even teased Daisy a little while they were near our table. Hattie decided she was fine being behind the camera, so she filmed Lydia and Alaina as they greeted each character. She would wave at them from a far. Tusker House is a buffet meal and it was really good. Caleb got some of the more exotic offerings. Alaina branched out a little bit, but was happy to see some traditional options. The girls didn’t eat much at this meal but that’s probably because of the excitement/dread of seeing the characters.

The final character to stop by our table was Mickey. Of all of the character interactions we had on this trip, this one far surpassed them all.  He not only got Hattie to talk to him but before he left the table she hugged him!!  He told her in sign language that he loved her before he walked away.  Caleb and Alaina were blown away.  We were amazed at how much time he spent trying to make her comfortable. Seeing her become comfortable with him was worth every cent of that meal.  At this point of the meal our server had been by our table less than 3 times. Her inattentiveness was disappointing and the only time we would experience it on the trip.  It was expected for this meal to take a little longer because of the characters, but they had all been to our table…rather quickly too, so we were ready to go. However, we still had to wait for our check. During this wait, one of the managers stopped by our table to make sure Hattie was doing ok. He gave us a voucher for the girls to get a Mickey Ice Cream Bar at some point during the remainder of our trip.  No doubt that sweet hostess mentioned us to him.  I wish we could have given our gratuity to her instead of our server.  We waited a total of 15 or 20 minutes before getting our check. 

We had FP scheduled for Rivers of Light and because of our slower than normal meal, our check-in window was winding down. After exiting the restaurant we asked a cast member the quickest way to get to the ROL entrance. With no stroller to put the girls in, we were at the mercy of their walking speed.  The directions we got weren’t good directions. Alaina had a feeling about this, but trusted the advice anyway. We walked literally to the other side of the park. At the first ROL entrance we were told to keep walking for the FP entrance, so we walked some more.  We stopped a second time and were told the same thing. Finally, after making almost a complete circle we were at the FP entrance…after our check-in time. Thankfully, the cast member at the door allowed us in anyway. Again, we got excellent seats.  We all loved ROL.  Next to Wishes, it was our favorite night time show. 

 The FP entrance is directly in front of the entrance of Expedition Everest.  Alaina had made peace with the fact that we probably wouldn’t get to ride it on this trip due to the long wait time earlier in the day. We decided to walk over to see what the current wait time was.  It was only 10 minutes!  We all made our way to the line…but we were stopped so Lydia could be measured.  She was literally less than an inch too short.  She and Caleb hung out in the gift shop while Hattie and Alaina did the ride.  The ride was really a walk-on. Hattie and Alaina both loved it. We probably could have rode it again, but everyone was tired.  The girls begged to buy stuffed animals in the EE gift shop.  Hattie picked out a snow leopard. Lydia picked out a yeti. They finished off their gift cards, but they were very pleased with their purchases.  We posed for another picture before heading out of the park. We didn’t have to wait long for a bus and were back to the resort by 10:30. At this point we were averaging about 6 miles a day, so again it didn’t take long to fall asleep. 

Notes for the day:

It was confirmed AK isn’t our favorite park. The crowd level was predicted and actually was an 8.  The park didn’t feel overly crowded. We accomplished everything we wanted to do. We just are not in love with the theme. The things we wanted to do were very spread out, so it felt like a lot of walking for little return…we didn’t back track very much. We are still glad we were able to experience this park though. ROL was definitely worth seeing.

 The Festival of the Lion King was disappointing.  Everyone we spoke to about this park said this was a must see…and their favorite show in all of Disney World. We are big Lion King fans, so our expectation was probably set too high. It was enjoyable, but dated. Until it’s revamped, we probably won’t consider this a must see.  If we had a FP and our wait was cut in half, we might have enjoyed it a little more. 

Tusker House is one of the best character meals on property.  The food is good, but the character interaction is superb.  We were very impressed with our hostess and her genuine concern for Hattie’s happiness. This “magical moment” only fed our Disney addiction more.   Our only critique for the entire experience was our server. She wasn’t rude or anything, just not interested in checking on us.  She’s a great example of why I’m glad gratuity is not included on the dining plan. We were able to give the tip we felt she actually earned (we didn’t stiff her, we just didn’t go overboard).  She was the only server we had on the whole trip who didn’t look as though she was enjoying her job and wanting to give service to us.  

Wearing flip flops on this day was very smart for Alaina.  They actually gave her feet a “break.” 

Going without a stroller for the evening was a much needed break for us. However, both of the girls were tired of walking at the end of the night. Caleb ended up carrying Lydia part of the way to the bus stop.  If we hadn’t gone on the wild goose chase to find the FP entrance for ROL, the girls would have made it fine. We did a lot of extra walking that wasn’t planned thanks to those bad directions. 

March 27 – Magic Kingdom

Morning came early for us…but we didn’t have EMH, so we were able to sleep in a little.  It was obvious Lydia would be slow moving from this day forward. She’s not a morning person…and neither is Alaina. We headed out the door with no problems and were on our way to MK by 8:15ish.  Again, having a room near the West Depot was pretty awesome.  We were in the park not long after opening. Our first stop was Tomorrowland.  Astro Orbiter and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin were our first two attractions. The girls absolutely loved AO. Lydia wasn’t fan of BLSRS…and her ride picture made that very obvious.  We took a quick restroom break then Alaina took the girls to the PeopleMover. Caleb made his way to Space Mountain. The plan was for Caleb and Alaina to swap out since Lydia wasn’t tall enough to ride.  However, SM was down when Caleb got in line, so he joined Alaina and the girls on PM. This is one of our favorite rides in all of DW.  The views are awesome and you get to see a piece of the original EPCOT plans.  SM was still down when we got off the PM, so we decided to go on with our plans. We took the back way to Fantasyland…which should be nicknamed “smokers pathway.”  It was a good shortcut, but you have to endure the smoke.  We got in line for Barnstormer…which ended up being Caleb’s very first rollercoaster experience. We all loved it, but it’s very short.

Next we went over to Dumbo. We had heard about the play area inside the que where children could play while they waited. When the girls saw it, they begged and begged to play. Unfortunately, the play area isn’t open if the ride wait time is less than 20 minutes. We could have played, but we would have lost our place in line.  The girls whined about our decision not to play for the remainder of the wait. Fortunately, the line moved quickly and all was forgiven once we were up in the air flying with Dumbo.  From here we walked over to Under the Sea with Ariel.  We had roughly 40 minutes before our Be Our Guest lunch reservation. The wait time said 20 minutes, but it seemed a little longer…I don’t think it was, but Alaina was paranoid about checking in late for the BOG reservation.  The ride was awesome and we finished with plenty of time to spare.  Eating in the Beast’s castle was one of the things we were most excited about for our trip. We very wisely pre-ordered online. Once we checked in we were able to get through the line much faster.  Since this was our first time visiting, we weren’t 100% sure how seating worked.  We knew we didn’t want to dine in the West Wing, but the ballroom would have been our first choice.  A Cast Member who saw it was obviously our first time lead us back to the back room of the restaurant where the statue of Belle and Beast sits. It was a pretty room, but there was nothing extremely special about it.  Caleb had the Croque Monsieur. Alaina had the French dip sandwich. The girls had grilled cheese sandwiches and turkey noodle soup…which they wouldn’t touch. For dessert we had the Master’s Cupcake (we tried the grey stuff…it was delicious) and a strawberry cream cheese cupcake. Lunch was good, but not incredible. We actually preferred the strawberry cupcake over the grey stuff.

After lunch we posed for a few pictures in front of Beast Castle.  Again, Lydia was obviously not amused…but to be fair we were standing in direct sunlight and she had no sunglasses. We made our way to the front of the park. We caught a little of the dance party happening around the castle, but we didn’t linger. Like most mid-day rides, Lydia fell asleep on the bus ride back to the resort.  We all rested and caught our second wind. We headed back to MK. We had a FastPass for Enchanted Tales with Belle but we arrived a little bit early, so we caught Mickey’s Friendship Faire on the castle stage.  This was a cute show. Caleb was able to get some great pictures. We posed for a few pictures in front of the castle while we were there.

We made our way back to Fantasyland and checked in for our FP.  Hattie was given the role of the puppy/ottoman (I think). Lydia was the guardarobe.  The girls really enjoyed being part of the play. They each got to meet Belle. Lydia was very quick to point out she had Belle on her shirt. It was a very adorable moment. After meeting Belle we made our way over to the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train. It was time for our FP but the ride was temporarily down. The cast member told us it would be back up soon, so we waited probably 10 minutes and we were allowed to go through the line.  We all loved this ride and wished would could have ridden it again. Next we moved on to the carousel, which never disappoints. We decided to take a break for supper at Pinocchio Village Haus. We all had flat breads and they were delicious. Both girls cleaned their plates. After a quick restroom break we made our way to Winnie the Pooh. This was our final FP for the day, so Alaina searched to see if we find another FP.  We were able to get one for Tomorrowland Speedway. While we waited for the FP window to open, we rode the teacups.  We let the girls control our spinning and they had a lot of fun with that.  We still had a few minutes to kill before our FP so we sat down and people watched near TS. We didn’t get many moments to do this on this trip so it was nice to just sit and enjoy the atmosphere…well “enjoy” as much as you can with restless children. 

We walked over to TS and was thankfully able to bypass a very long line.  The girls enjoyed getting to somewhat “drive”, but this ride isn’t anything special. From here we walked over to the Carousel of Progress. This was a ride Caleb and Alaina really wanted to ride, but we weren’t sure if they girls would like it. In fact, we were actually going to skip it if we didn’t have the extra time to ride it. We had finished our touring plan for the day so we had plenty of time to ride.  While we waited, Caleb made friends with a couple behind us. They thought they were waiting in line for an actual carousel. Caleb had to explain what the ride was. When the doors opened we were able to get seats in the middle of the theater. Not only did Caleb and Alaina love the ride, the girls did too! Hattie sang the song for the rest of the evening. We were so glad we didn’t have to skip it.  We checked the wait time for Space Mountain again and it was over an hour.  No ride is worth that kind of wait, so we all made peace with the fact that SM probably wasn’t going to happen on this trip. We took another spin on the PeopleMover. Seeing the castle lit up this time around was absolutely beautiful. 

At this point it was roughly 8PM.  Wishes fireworks was scheduled for 9PM.  Because we wanted to get a good spot in front of the castle, we decided to make our way to the hub area. Alaina sent Caleb for a Frappuccino and some popcorn.  While he was on that mission he stopped for a couple of solo photo opportunities. The longer we stood there the more the crowd started to fill in.  45 minutes later Caleb was back with our snacks. He said he wouldn’t be doing that again…navigating the crowd wasn’t fun.  Wishes was magical. We all loved it.  Once Upon a Time was scheduled for 9:30PM so we decided to stick around.  The crowd cleared out some, so we were able to move closer to the castle. Since OUAT is a projection show, being near the castle was important. We all loved this show as well. After it was over we made our way (slowly) to the front gate. We probably arrived back to the resort by 10:45PM.  After some quick baths we settled in for the night and quickly fell asleep.  I believe this was the point in the trip where Lydia was supposed to get a turn sleeping on the Murphy bed, but since she’s prone to roll in her sleep we opted to keep her in the other queen bed. This worked out for the best.

Notes for the day:     

We probably won’t do Be Our Guest again for lunch.  The restaurant is a must do at least once, but the food is just ok. Nothing was bad, we just expected it to be better.  Also, we should have ordered more than just 2 cupcakes. The girls probably would have eaten one of their own.

We did some backtracking again on this day, but mainly because of the stroller. We didn’t feel like we were walking in circles like we did the day before…this is largely due to the way MK is laid out.  The predicted crowd level was 8 and that’s the level we actually saw.  It was crowded but it never felt too crowded. Definitely manageable with the right touring plan. 

The next time we set up camp for fireworks, we’ll have our snacks in hand.  It was very difficult for Caleb to find us once he was finally able to get the snacks we wanted. 

At this point of the trip Alaina’s feet were bothering her.  Blisters were starting to form.  Switching out athletic shoes and wear thicker socks would have helped this problem, but she didn’t let this stop her. 

March 26 – Hollywood Studios

Our first park day had finally arrived! Everyone was bright eyed and bushy tailed. Today was HS’s Extra Magic Hour morning so the plan was for us to leave the resort shortly after 7AM. Caleb made the trek to get himself and Alaina coffee and the girls some sweet tea in our resort mugs. When he returned it was time to head to the bus stop.  POR has 4 different bus stop locations.  When I put in a room request, I asked for a building basically halfway between a bus stop and the main building.  Our actual room assignment was not in the area I requested. I wasn’t sure I was happy with the change at first, but the location ended up being a good one.  We were about 2 minutes away from the West Depot…which happens to be the first pick up and drop off location for POR. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus and it was always nice to be one of the first families to get off when we returned each day. Our only complaint with our room was the fact it was on the 2^nd floor.  Handling a massive double stroller up and down stairs wasn’t fun for Caleb, but he survived.

We caught the bus to HS. The girls made friends basically every bus ride. They were very sociable.  When we were about 5 minutes away from the park, Hattie spilled her resort mug in the floor.  Caleb and Alaina cleaned it up the best they could. The very nice bus driver said she would finish after we got off. This was the last day we took our resort mugs with us to the park…there’s a reason the buses say no food or drink. We arrived at the gate just before park opening.  Everyone scanned their magicbands and selected their finger for fingerprint recognition. We had trouble getting Lydia’s finger to scan almost every time we entered the parks because her fingers were so small.  We were thankful for patient cast members.   

Because this was an EMH morning, the place looked packed. We walked into the park and took a couple pictures in front of the Chinese Theater. Our first stop of the morning was for Alaina to ride Aerosmith’s Rockin Rollercoster. This was the ride she was most excited about riding. We chose to do rider swap so Caleb could ride it later.  The line moved fairly quickly, but there were a lot of people in line.  Alaina LOVED the ride. In total, it took about 45 minutes from the time we walked through the gates to the end of the ride.  The girls were getting restless, so we decided Caleb would come back later to use his rider swap fast pass. Our next ride was Toy Story Midway Mania. The posted wait time was at 50 minutes, I think. We only waited about 25 minutes.  While we were in line, Lydia’s glasses broke.  We didn’t have a way to repair them, so she went without them for the rest of the trip. Hattie refused to wear hers for most of the trip since Lydia didn’t have to wear hers.  After this ride we went over to the Great Movie Ride. This was probably the longest wait we had for the whole trip. I think we waited about 45 minutes total, but it was worth it…especially since the ride is closed now.  The girls loved the Wizard of Oz scene. Our next stop was our fast pass for the Frozen Sing-Along show.  We had some time to kill so the girls got to experience their first Mickey ice cream bar. They made a big mess, but they loved them.  When it was time for us to check in for the fast pass, Alaina realized the wrong time had been added to the touring plan. We had actually missed our fast past. Again, a very nice cast member was understanding and allowed us to enter the fast pass entrance anyway.  We had to wait a few minutes before entering the theater. Once we were allowed in we were able to get seats directly in the middle…perfect seats!  This show was hands down the best show we saw on the trip. The “historians” kept Caleb and Alaina rolling.  The girls sang every word and thoroughly enjoyed the snow at the end.

After Frozen we walked over to the Star Wars Launch Bay.  Hattie was freaked out by the people in costume so she and Alaina went shopping in the nearby gift shop. Because we have a Disney Chase Visa, Caleb and Lydia got a fast past to meet Kylo Ren. Lydia was not a fan.  While Hattie and Alaina were shopping, Hattie found a Doc McStuffins doll that she just had to have.  Alaina said no because Hattie had spent a lot of her souvenir money the night before at DS.  Instead, they bought Nolan a baby Goofy toy and Sam a baby Mickey toy.  We met back up to find something for lunch.  We decided on the ABC Commissary.  We were lucky to find a table outside the restaurant…again there were people everywhere.  Lunch was good. The girls had chicken nuggets and fries. Alaina had a cheese burger. Caleb had the rib combo. Other than Caleb throwing everything away while Alaina took the girls to the bathroom, we had a good experience there. Hattie continued to whine about the Doc McStuffins doll for the remainder of the afternoon.  Alaina offered to watch the girls while Caleb rode Rockin Rollercoaster, but he declined. On the way out of the park Donald and Daisy were doing a meet and greet at the park entrance. Daisy is one of Lydia’s favorite characters. The line was pretty short, so we decided to wait. Hattie had a come apart. She insisted to stay in the stroller. She absolutely had no intention of meeting Daisy and had no shame in admitting it. Caleb, Alaina and Lydia met Daisy while Hattie was faced the other direction in the stroller. This was to be the pattern for every masked character meet and greet.

It was time to head back to the resort for a nap. While Alaina and the girls rested, Caleb explored the resort. We headed back to HS in time to see the 4:30PM showing of the Beauty and the Beast show.  We sat on the bleachers on the outside of the theater. We were pretty far away from the stage.  The show was ok…but it definitely needs an update.  At the very beginning some guy affiliated with the show did a special presentation for a dad and daughter…it was extremely cheesy. We decided this show was a one-time thing for us until it’s updated.  After a quick restroom break we walked back over to the Launch Bay area to buy that stinkin doll for Hattie. She was thrilled. Lydia picked out a Doc McStuffins play set while were there.  With new toys in hand, we walked over to Walt Disney Presents – One Man’s Dream.  This was one of the highlights of the trip for Caleb and Alaina because we enjoy Disney history. The girls loved seeing all the models. Belle’s yellow dress from the new live action Beauty and the Beast was on display here.  Instead of showing the film “One Man’s Dream” they were showing a sneak peak for “Beauty and the Beast.”  There was a wait for the next showing so we didn’t watch it.  It was almost time for our Star Tours fast pass so we headed that way. We watched Muppet Vision while we waited. Alaina and the girls really enjoyed this show. Caleb thought it was really dated…it was, but still enjoyable.  We checked in at Star Tours.  As luck would have it, Lydia was chosen as the Rebel spy! She was not at all amused. In fact, she cried and swore she would never ride that ride again. Hattie on the other than hand loved it.  ST is Caleb’s favorite ride at Disney. 

It was finally time for our anticipated supper at the Sci Fyi Drive In.  We all enjoyed this meal. The girls loved all the movie clips that played while we ate.  The girls had chicken nuggets. Alaina had a pasta dish and Caleb had a burger. We left extremely full.  After supper we checked in for our fast pass at TSMM. The girls again loved this ride.  After we finished, we took a few pictures. We saw some green army men and posed with them.  We waited in line to meet Buzz and Woody for a little while. The girls met another new friend in line.  After wasting about 20 minutes in line, we bailed. We decided we had better find our place for the Star Wars Firework Spectacular.  We were able to find a really good spot.  We really enjoyed the show, but it was a little underwhelming for Caleb.  At this point it’s about 9:30PM and time for us to make our way through the mass of people to exit the park.  The ride home was uneventful.  After baths we all got to bed quickly. It was probably close to 11:00PM. 

Notes for the day:

Doing a park with EMH in the morning was probably not the best decision for our very first park day.  It was a little intimidating walking in with the crowd. Caleb and Alaina both immediately had fears the whole week would be this way. It wasn’t.  When we figured out what we were doing, the rest of the trip went much smoother. The actual crowd level for the day was actually higher than predicted (7 predicted, actual 8). It took us a little bit to get oriented. This was also the only day we did rider swap…which ended up being a waste. We should have chosen a park with normal hours for our first day. I don’t think it would have been as crowded in one of the other parks.  Also, there isn’t a ton to do in HS so the crowds seemed worse than they actually were. We should have pushed this park to another day after we hit our groove. 

Alaina should have allowed Hattie to buy the doll she wanted when she first saw it.  This lead to a half day of whining.  This was the only day we had this issue.

We did a lot of backtracking on this day.  This was mostly due to the fact of having a stroller and not knowing the park layout very well.  Our plan for the next visit eliminates a lot of backtracking. 

Hattie is not into meeting characters. No amount of preparation could change her mind in the moment. She is all about face characters, but masked characters freak her out.  Today’s Daisy interaction was a good indication of Hattie’s behavior for the rest of the week. Lydia loves all characters.  

March 25 – Travel Day and WDW Arrival

We were up and on our way by 7AM.  There was a Dunkin Doughnuts close to our exit, so we decided to get breakfast there.  In the chaos of getting everyone’s food distributed I think we were honked at by a car or two in the parking lot. We decided it was a good time to fill up on gas too since there was a nice travel station nearby.  The rest of our travel was uneventful. Traffic wasn’t bad at all. We stopped regularly for the girls to stretch their legs and use the bathroom. We drove right to our resort without any issues. It was disappointing not to go under the official WDW sign…we were rerouted to another lane due to construction. We got to POR about 3:00PM.  We parked and went inside the hotel lobby.  We had rented a double stroller from Kingdom Strollers for roughly $100 for the week. They had delivered the stroller and it was waiting for us when we arrived.  It was very clean and fairly easy to collapse. It wasn’t as easy to navigate, but I doubt there is a double stroller out there that doesn’t feel like you’re driving a small bus. We hadn’t received a text confirming our room was ready so we decided to explore the resort a little. 

We walked around Magnolia Bend and checked out the pool. POR is a beautiful resort. We went back to the lobby and waited for our room text. I believe we got our resort mugs while we were waiting as well.  When the text finally came, a person from bell services led us by golf cart to our designated parking lot.  After parking we unloaded the car and bell services brought up our luggage. This was a huge timesaver.  Our room was located in Alligator Bayou. We were either in building 35 or 39. It was really close to the West Bus Depot and about a 10 minute walk to the main building.  We had two queen beds and 1 child size Murphy bed.  The bathroom had double sinks.  We over packed for this trip, so by the time we had all the luggage and stroller in the room, the room was full.  

The plan for the evening was to let the girls swim for a little while then we would get ready for our first dining reservation – Boatwright’s…which is the TS restaurant for the resort.  After dinner, we were supposed to go by boat to Disney Springs.  The girls enjoyed playing in the kiddie pool.  Life jackets are available for free and the girls weirdly liked wearing them.  After they played for a while we headed back to the room to change clothes.  We walked back to the main building to Boatwright’s.  We had a 6:30PM reservation. We were seated almost immediately.  Caleb ordered the jambalaya. Alaina ordered Shrimp and Gritts. We had cornbread as an appetizer. Everything was delicious. The girls had cheese pizza and French fries.  Hattie ate most of her dinner there, but Lydia fell asleep almost immediately after we sat down. We took her dinner and our desserts to go.

We were ready to head to DS…but the line for the boat was extremely long. This should have been a warning to us that DS was going to be super crowded on this Saturday night. We opt to take the bus instead. Thank goodness for bus lanes…otherwise we would not have been able get anywhere quickly.  There were people everywhere. We knew coming for Spring Break would mean lots of people…tonight this was the reality. Our goal was to go to the Disney store and the Lego store.  We headed to World of Disney first. The store was crowded, but manageable.  The girls picked out pink princess Mickey Mouse hats and Minnie and Daisy Roadster toys.  We moved on to the Lego Store. It was a madhouse. There were people everywhere and it was hard to look at anything. The girls picked out a small kit each and we got out of there.  After the rush of the Lego store, we all sat down to rest for a minute. Caleb, Alaina and Hattie ate their desserts from Boatwright’s. Lydia ate her supper, then finished her dessert. We people watched and took a couple pictures. Alaina really wanted to look around more, but there were just too many people for that to be enjoyable.  We decided to try and take a boat back to POR since we didn’t get the opportunity on the way.  This resulted to the only argument Caleb and Alaina had until the end of the trip. Alaina knew the way to go but Caleb was leading…which resulted in a lot of extra walking and backtracking. We never did find the boat dock, so we gave in and went to the bus stop. As if we hadn’t rushed around enough for the night, Hattie decided that she needed to use the bathroom not long before our bus arrived. Alaina rushed her to the nearest bathroom and they were able to get back in time to catch the bus. A very nice Cast Member who was helping keep the lines in order told us he would have held the bus until we got back had it arrived while we were gone. We were able to see some fireworks on the way back to the resort. The girls were in awe. They had no idea what all was in store for them for the next week. When we got back to the room we quickly got everyone ready for bed. I think we were all asleep by 10:30PM.  

Notes for the day:  DS on a Saturday night was a bad idea. It was way too crowded for us and not really enjoyable for a 6 and 4 year old. Hindsight, we should have abandoned the DS plan when we saw the line for the boats. The girls would have enjoyed the pool more.  This was really our only complaint for the day.