You Went to Florida and Didn't Ride *Insert Coaster Here*?! - UPDATE DAY 6/7- EPCOT/TYPHOON

[LiveForTheLaunch]

DAY 1- DISNEY SPRINGS/POOL

Back in January, I got it in my head that I wanted to take Zephyr to Disney for a mom and son trip, so I buckled down and worked both my jobs and was able to pay for the full trip by March. This is a bit of a brag because I was always very careless with money, but this was the first vacation I’ve ever gone on without having to use any credit cards or worry about finances, so that felt like a big thing to pat myself on the back for. Anyway, about a month and a half before we left for Florida, my stepdad asked if he could pay for my sister to come with us, so I was happy to entertain that idea even though I wasn’t sure she would actually agree to it, because it involved getting on a plane. Fast forward a bit and she was on the ten-hour train journey up to Montreal to visit me for about a week before we left for Florida; a little pre-vacation before the vacation, even though I still had to work for some of it. We got about two or three days of being able to show her around the city, and the days when I worked, she had some nephew time with Zephyr.

Day one of the Florida trip started out way too early, but I purposely booked the morning flight so that we would have the whole day to enjoy Disney Springs and the resort pool. We left the house just after three, had a bit of a struggle at the airport, (I may have overestimated by ability with pushing a stroller, and lugging two suitcases around without a cart, as well as a purse which might as well be the size of a third suitcase), weren’t able to get any breakfast due to being short on time, but eventually we were boarding. Because I booked my sister’s flight later than mine and Zephyr’s, we had two seats together and one separate, so I ended up sitting on my own in an emergency exit row much to my dismay, but she wanted the comfort of having someone with her for her first plane ride.

Got to Orlando about half an hour behind schedule, which was no big deal, and we quickly found the Sunshine Flyer bus boarding area. I was hogging all the trivia questions they were asking us while we waited, but pride and gloating are more important than giving kids a chance, right?

We got to the Pop Century Resort, and we were greeted with beautiful, sunny skies as well as an available room, which was nice considering it was still quite early.



We badly needed lunch, so we went to the restaurant area and had a bite to eat. In Florida fashion, we got back outside and it began to storm, so our time at the pool quickly came to a halt. So we went back to the room, got changed, went to the arcade, and then got on the shuttle to Disney Springs where we were hoping to get dinner at T-Rex.

We did a bit of shopping at World of Disney as well as some of the other shops where I got a Coco mug (YESSSS, finally Coco getting some love) and some other crap I didn’t need. We didn’t get into Gideon’s because of a four-hour virtual queue, but I’ll know better for next time. We did get into T-Rex though, but it had an hour long line, so what better way to kill time than getting a churro for an appetizer?





We got a table and sat… And waited… And waited some more. In fact, I feel like I might still be sitting there waiting for service if the couple next to us didn’t flag a waitress down and tell her we had been waiting so long. I’m a very patient person because they were busy and I was also a server, but it took them 40 actual minutes to even get us a drink. I was nice to them though, and it paid off because we got a nice chunk off the bill. Basically got my Coronarita for free, and then some! I had a delicious lemon chicken sandwich because my sister wouldn’t split an appetizer plate for four with me. How dare she?


When we got back to the hotel, we were pretty tired and it was dark out, so we decided to have an early night since we’d been up since 1:30 AM. My son thought otherwise though, so after some jumping on the bed and him requesting to watch American Idol (don’t even ask, I don’t understand it either), he finally fell asleep.

DAY 2- ANIMAL KINGDOM

I want to preface this by saying wow, Animal Kingdom really surpassed my expectations. I had been there twice before, once in 2001 and again in 2014, but this was the first time I’d gone there and realized it does hold up now as a full day park, not just a filler park, with plenty to do and beautiful scenery to boot.

I got up at 5 AM because I am always extra and need to make sure I get on the very first shuttle, which put me at the park an hour before the gates were even opening. We also had Genie+ which turned out to be a bit of a waste that day, but I couldn’t predict the crowds and I really didn’t want any of my days involving queueing with a three-year-old. That doesn’t sound like my idea of a good time. It was $85 CAD for the three of us, which is well worth it when the park is busy, but not so worth it when no queue got higher than 15 minutes the entire day with the exception of the attractions in Pandora.

It was storming in the morning, which wasn’t an excellent start to the day and kind of ruined the mood a little bit, but we immediately headed to Pandora since Flight of Passage is not on the Genie+ list and gets long lines. I felt bad that we had to do child swap first thing in the morning when Zephyr was excited, but I didn’t want to miss out on the ride I had heard so much about. My sister, Winter, went first and while we waited, we walked onto Na’vi River Journey. I haven’t seen the Avatar movies (I’ll make it a point to watch them now), but this attraction didn’t blow me away. It’s fine, it meanders, it’s good for younger audiences, but it does just about nothing. It smells good inside though, so I guess I’ll give it a bonus point for that. Zephyr really liked Eywa at the end of it and decided it was in his top two attractions of the day.

Winter got off Flight of Passage, so it was my turn next. I knew what to expect of the ride, but it was excellent and lived up to every expectation I had of it. Some moments were truly breathtaking, particularly the part with the wave in the water.

We were all miserable and soaked, but we pressed on and ventured to Kilimanjaro Safaris. I always get excited for this attraction, mainly because it was one of the things I remember really standing out to me as a kid in 2001. It’s nice to see something animal-based where the animals seems to be treated well and don’t just sleep in a corner the entire time. They were very active both times we rode!

The zebras were very spiteful and just sat in the road for about 15 minutes, causing a massive backup of trucks.



Still trying our best to avoid the rain, we walked to It’s Tough to be a Bug, which is the busiest I have seen it, likely due to everyone having the same idea of avoiding the downpour. Zephyr didn’t like it at all, and removed his 3D glasses because it scared him.

Since the indoor attractions were clearly more popular because of the weather, I used the Genie+ for Festival of the Lion King, so we made our way back over to the Africa section and watched what I believe to be the best day time show at the Floridian Disney parks.

We saw a few friends on the way over to the show.


We all really enjoyed it, and all agreed that the Be Prepared bit with the flamethrower was the highlight.

The bad weather was finally clearing up and spirits were improving! Zephyr was very obsessed with watching the POV of Dinosaur on YouTube before we went on our trip, so he was begging to go there next. It’s not the most age-appropriate ride, but being a mom and an enthusiast, I’m not going to say no if my son decides he’s brave enough to go on something he’s tall enough for.

I always have so much fun on Dinosaur, but I don’t think Zephyr can say the same. He didn’t cry, but he was definitely not the biggest fan. It was a bit of a humbling experience for me as well, noticing that my body isn’t so good at handling itself in the dark with sudden movements. I’m noticing a bit of motion sickness on dark rides that never existed before, but nevertheless, I love me a good dark ride and will continue to ride them!

We saw two characters, Chip and Dale, which would be the first of many character meet and greets we would do throughout the week. We waited about ten minutes to see them, and then rode Triceratop spin, which was undoubtedly more age-appropriate than the previous ride.




We walked around for a little bit since we had a bit of time to kill before our lunch/dinner reservation, and since we were already soaked, we added insult to injury and road Kali River Rapids. People didn’t look like they were coming off too wet, but as usual, I got the worst of it and ended up completely drenched. For some reason, of all the rides at Disney, Zephyr enjoyed this one the least. He loves water, so I have no idea why, but toddler logic is a mysterious thing.



Next up was the character dining at Tusker House! Yes, it’s insanely overpriced, but we really enjoyed the food and Zephyr had such a fun time meeting all the characters and dancing around to the music (instead of eating his $50 meal, but what can you do). It was far better than most park food I’ve had, with a wide selection of ethnic delights.

My sister was the biggest Goofy fan throughout her childhood, so it was an exciting moment for her, too!

Winter didn’t get to do Na’vi earlier in the day, so we used our Genie+ to bypass quite a long line and get her on it. Pandora looked so much nicer in the sunshine!




I adore the Nemo show with all the cuteness and colours, so we headed over there for the last presentation of the day. We all really enjoyed it.

The second and last thing we had to child swap for the day was Everest, and I couldn’t wait to get back on it. I remembered really enjoying it in 2014 and also think it’s aesthetically a beautiful coaster. It didn’t disappoint me, and ended up being one of Winter’s favourite Disney attractions.

Zephyr really wanted to re-ride Kilimanjaro and I was definitely not opposed to that, so we headed back there and waited about ten minutes in the standby line. Definitely much better in the Florida sunshine versus a Florida storm.

We left the park around six, so we were there for a full 10.5 hours and never felt like we were bored or questioning what to do next. As I said, I think it really holds its own now as a full day park with some really solid attractions. Zephyr really enjoyed it, and I think it was Winter’s favourite Disney park at least aesthetically.

When we got back to the hotel, it was time for some Mickey ice cream and pool fun!

 

[JackFish]

The first time I went, I didn´t make It on Iron Gwazi, Or VC. So I feel you on this one.

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

DAY 3- MAGIC KINGDOM 1

Up at 5:30 AM for another early day, but one we were all definitely excited for! We got our Genie+, grabbed a quick bite to eat from the restaurant and got on the second bus (I was angry that we didn’t make the first one of course, but it turned out fine and the blueberry muffin was worth it). Since Seven Dwarves Mine Train isn’t included in the Genie+ and I didn’t want to pay $12 for the individual Lightning Lane, we headed that way first. Our first actual booking for the day was for Peter Pan’s Flight, I believe, and we also were able to get into the first group of the Tron virtual queue. We got on Seven Dwarves with about a fifteen-minute wait, which was much shorter than the 75 minutes originally predicted. Disney nailed it with this, and my sister loved it so much she was adamant about riding it again before our week was over. Zephyr didn’t love it except for the slower part inside (we sat in the back so it felt a bit more aggressive), and said his usual “you told me I only have to try everything once so I won’t go on again.” I was happy to get on it since I’d just missed it in 2014, and I’ll make sure to ride it during future visits!



Since we still had 45 minutes in our Tron window, we stopped on Dumbo’s Flying Elephants since it was a walk-on. Yes, more age appropriate, but less fun for mom.



It was time for some Tron goodness, so I rode first in order to give my sister an assessment of the ride before she went on it. She gets quite motion sick in the dark, so I was the test dummy, I guess. I got on very quickly, but when I got off I realized my fanny pack string got stuck in the locker (you open them from the opposite side you put your stuff in at the beginning) so I had to go find an employee to help me out. I didn’t love the ride to be honest, and my shoe was hanging on by one clamped toe the entire time. It was nothing more than fun, and I wouldn’t wait more than about twenty minutes for it in the future. It was also more tucked away than I expected, rather than the centrepiece of Tomorrowland as I had originally expected it to be. That being said, I do notice I’m starting to lean more heavily towards coasters that are more “fun” rather than intense, but it still didn’t really do anything for me.

When I got off, it was Winter’s turn to ride. It took her way longer to get on, and she also forgot her locker number which added to the wait. She’s blonde, so I guess she had a true blonde moment. She wasn’t blown away either, by any means.



It did feel kind of full circle for me when we were watching Tron, waiting for Winter to get off. I remember being Zephyr’s age being so in awe of the coasters that I was too small for, and now I get to do it with my kid!

Much to my very serious dismay, Zephyr wanted to ride the Mad Tea Cups. I have NEVER been a fan of spinning rides, even as a teenager when my body could handle much more than it can now. My sister didn’t want to ride, so I agreed to ride only if we didn’t have to spin the cup much. We only waited about five minutes, and it ended up not being too bad.



Since my sister sucked at getting a prompt booking on Genie+, we still had a bit to wait before Peter Pan so we got in line for the Winnie the Pooh meet and greet. The wait ended up being on the longer side at about half an hour, but they’re classic characters and were fun to meet. Tigger is underrated!



We went on Peter Pan next, which was great as always! Zephyr didn’t like it. No idea why, but he didn’t. It’s not worth an hour long wait, but I always make it a point to ride it every time I go to a Disney park that has it!



Fantasyland was busy and it was getting hot, so we chose food as our next option before going on another ride. We ate at the Pinocchio thing that shares a building with Small World, and I couldn’t be more basic with chicken fingers and fries.



It really hit me this time how less magical and more commercial Magic Kingdom feels than Disneyland’s main gate park. I don’t know if I’m seeing it through rose-coloured glasses, but California seemed to have so much more charm than Magic Kingdom. It’s still a great park, don’t get me wrong, it just feels as though it’s missing the spark that some of the other parks have.



After lunch, we had about 45 minutes to kill before our Small World booking, so we went to the Little Mermaid ride and waited in the half an hour queue, but in my opinion it’s worth it and one of the more underrated rides at Disney! We also waited another half an hour for Ariel, and then got a free slushie at the slushie stand which was pretty awesome. My camera takes very poor pictures in the dark, but I’ve had it for four years so cut me some slack.





Zephyr was really shy with Ariel, and as I would later find out, most of the princesses.





Small World was next, and I’m actually kind of sad because I used to love this ride but I think doing so many Disney parks in the span of a month in 2016 kind of made me dislike it or at least just have a neutral opinion on it. Regardless, it’s still a classic and the consensus of the group was that it was a great ride so it wasn’t the only time we rode it during our vacation!





Stopped for a quick photo opportunity at the castle, but more on the side to avoid crowds. We also watched a bit of the show at the castle, but it got very hot in the sun so we didn’t last long there.




Next was some air conditioning, or in other words, Laugh Floor. I wish they had a full Monsters Inc. ride like California does, but I doubt it will happen at this point.

It was time to head to the other areas (in my opinion, far nicer areas) of the park for some of the classic bangers! My son wanted to go on the Flying Carpets, but we didn’t have a Genie+ booking for it and no way was I wasting one on a glorified Dumbo or waiting in a 45-minute standby line. Sorry, son! We had better rides to go on anyway, like Pirates of the Caribbean, which remains one of my absolute favourites! Winter loved it as well, but Zephyr didn’t because I didn’t tell him there was a drop inside.



I thought I was about to get a beer at the Tortuga Tavern, but I forgot they don’t serve unless you’re at a sit down restaurant, at least at Magic Kingdom. Sounds like false advertising to me! We did go in the store next to the ride though, where I got a fantastic Hector pin from the movie Coco, which would only last about half an hour before being lost, forcing me to spend another $15 on a new one.

Time for a little stop at the splash pad thing before moving on to Jungle Cruise! I think we actually also went to the Enchanted Tiki Room at some point, which is an attraction I’ve never loved but always make sure to do when I go to Disney parks.








We had some fun doing the hokey pokey on the way to our booking at Haunted Mansion. Well, I had fun doing the hokey pokey. Nobody else in my group wanted to participate.





I’ve still never been on the Liberty Belle, but it’s still pretty to look at.

Zephyr decided he was super scared of Haunted Mansion, but went on anyway after waiting through a multitude of breakdowns. Is there something wrong with this ride that causes it to stop every twelve seconds, or is it just from helping people load and unload on the moving platform? Either way, it was annoying and broke down four times while we were in line (once for a while, and the other times just for a few minutes). It also stopped for about ten minutes while we were on the ride.



I still love Haunted Mansion, and Zephyr and Winter felt the same. I was surprised when Zephyr asked to go on it again, but I didn’t want to wait in the hour long standby line so we decided to save the reride until Thursday.

It was time for Big Thunder Mountain, which was much more fun than I remembered. Zephyr was not a fan. He only liked the “slow parts,” which meant the lift hills.



After dinner at the Mexican Place, where we had tacos and nachos, we went to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. The Mexican Place is quite good and not poorly priced, so if anyone is looking for an a la carte fast food option that doesn’t suck, it’s right near Tortuga Tavern. I made the mistake of telling my son that we were going to defeat Zurg, so he was worried about what the outcome would be if we didn’t defeat Zurg, which made him not enjoy the ride. I had fun though, and obviously won against my sister.





Some castle photos before we secured ourselves a spot for the night show.

We got there about an hour before the show started, and about half an hour later Zephyr decided he wanted food, but of course everything in the area had about a hundred people in line. So I ran around Tomorrowland like an idiot trying to find something, but the only thing I could find was ice cream. Not the worst outcome, I guess. He ended up falling asleep halfway through the show, understandably, but me and Winter really enjoyed it. His most memorable moment of that evening was making a family in front of us burst out laughing with a loud fart. Little boys, I tell ya.



We were all really sad after the fireworks show because Zephyr had been carrying around a rock all day that we affectionately named The Rock Johnson, and it got lost. We were lamenting his loss until we got back to the hotel room and I ended up somehow finding it in my bra. He now has a place on a shelf in our house! Also yes, I know I’m scary without eyebrows.



After that, we went to bed. It was a long day and Hollywood Studios the next day would be no different.

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

DAY 4- HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

I was really excited for Hollywood Studios because I believe they have the best assortment of attractions and rides out of the four parks. We got up early as usual, and took the Skyliner to the park where we ended up having to wait half an hour for it to open. While everyone was discussing how they were going to run to Slinky Dog Dash, we decided it would be wiser to head to Rise of the Resistance since it’s not included in the Genie+.





Unfortunately, when we got to the ride it was closed, meaning we could either go to Smuggler’s Run or head to Slinky Dog Dash. I was irritated because I knew the line for Slinky Dog would be long, but it actually ended up not being too bad for getting in line slightly later than most people. We waited about fifteen minutes for it, and I have to say, I loved it. Nail on the head as far as a family coaster goes! Zephyr didn’t really like the first half of the ride, but he enjoyed the tamer second half.






I kept a close eye on the app to see if Rise of the Resistance was open, and we got lucky enough and caught it just as it did, meaning we had a short wait. I am not a Star Wars fan, and although I think the area is incredibly well done, it’s difficult for me to relate to having not seen many of the films, and I also hated the layout. I found it a bit hard to navigate, and signage wasn’t amazing either. Rise of the Resistance is probably one of Disney’s best attractions, and we were all pretty blown away by it! I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, and neither could my sister. Zephyr liked it, but also found it intense which is understandable.



We stupidly used the Genie+ for Smuggler’s Run even though it had a ten minute standby wait. Either way, the ride was good but it was disadvantaged because we had just been on Rise of the Resistance. Still, a great ride! Zephyr hated it though.


Had some character fun next with Olaf and Pluto!




Winter was miserable because she didn't have her morning coffee, so I took Zephyr to get a grilled cheese in Toy Story Land while she waited in line for a coffee. By the time we ordered and ate, she was just coming back with her coffee. We rode Toy Story Mania next!


I won, but it was a close call! Zephyr really enjoyed this attraction and I still think it's as fun as ever.

I knew the line for Woody and Jesse was obscene, but I also knew Zephyr wanted to meet them pretty badly so we bit the bullet and waited for them, which was probably our longest wait of the day, if not at all of Disney. We waited nearly an hour.



I had a craving for a refreshing beer, so...


Unfortunately I had to chug it because it wasn't allowed in the line to meet Sully! Monsters Inc is one of my favourite Pixar films only second to Coco, so I enjoyed this character meet and greet.

Runaway Railway was probably the attraction Zephyr was most looking forward to, and it was finally time for our Genie+ booking. We all really loved it, and I think it was such a perfect addition to Hollywood Studios.


At the Beauty and the Beast show, which Zephyr was SOO looking forward to, he took a big snooze. Kid looks just like me when he's asleep!


He woke up after the show, and we went to the Tower of Terror. I saw he was becoming hesistant to ride, even though he had been obsessed with the POV on YouTube. We got in line, and he seemed to be taking it okay until we got up to the elevator. Oh well, too late kid, we're riding! My sister didn't ride it though, and I think it was the only thing at Disney she refused to go on.


Yeah, Zephyr didn't like it. As soon as the ride started I kind of felt bad for taking him on it, but I thought it was as fun as ever even though I had nail marks in my arm and couldn't hear much other than, "AHHHH MOM IS IT SCARY?!?!?!?!" the entire time. Oops! Parenting fail.

I chose a more age appropriate ride next, but the heat was kind of getting to us a little bit so we sat down for a snack and another beer before riding the Swirling Saucers, which were fun.


Indiana Jones was up next, where I had to leave the show halfway through because I almost peed my pants. I don't like that show and feel like it needs to be replaced, but it seems to still have decent popularity.


After some shopping and food, we went to Star Tours which is now obviously overshadowed by Rise and Smuggler's Run.Fantasmic was having technical difficulties, but after a half an hour delay, the show began. It's my favourite show at Disney. RIP to the California Fantasmic dragon that was incinerated the next day.


We took the Skyliner back with a very, very tired toddler and then went to bed pretty much right away. Awesome day at Hollywood Studios and probably my favourite day of the trip. It has such a great selection of rides, shows, and characters!

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

DAY 5- MAGIC KINGDOM (AGAIN)

I planned for two days at Magic Kingdom just in case we couldn’t get everything done the first day, which it turned out we didn’t. We got most stuff done, but there were some things we wanted to re-ride, the Festival of Fantasy parade, and then a few attractions and characters we missed as well. I didn’t bother getting Genie+ for this day simply because we planned on it being more laid back, and the stuff we wanted to do weren’t really the heavy hitters apart from a few things, so the queues would be minimal anyway. We grabbed a quick breakfast and headed off to the park, where we got there just as the gates were being opened for the resort guests. Perfect timing, which was great because none of us felt like waiting. Our day started off in Tomorrowland at the Tomorrowland Speedway, which Zephyr was very much looking forward to riding. My sister drove the car like she drives a real car; slow and nervous.




Barnstormer was next, which was a walk-on since everyone was basically still in line for Seven Dwarves Mine Train. I was surprised because Zephyr hasn’t taken a liking to many roller coasters yet, but this one he enjoyed!



We missed Winnie the Pooh on the Tuesday, so that was the next thing we hit. It’s still an extremely cute ride and one that I always look forward to riding. I kind of planned this stupidly because all the people getting off Seven Dwarves go right there, so the line ended up being about 20 minutes but it went by pretty fast. I never noticed all the little (germ-filled, I’m sure) toys and entertaining things they have for kids in the line until this time.



Winter really wanted to re-ride Seven Dwarves, which I would not have been opposed to but Zephyr didn’t really want to, so we decided to go meet the princesses while she got another lap. The standby line said close to an hour just for two of the princesses, so we were prepared for a long wait, but it ended up being ten minutes per side, meaning it was only about 20 minutes total to meet all four princesses. I had no idea who one of the princesses was, and thought it was Mulan gone glam, but it was Elena of Avalor or something like that. Wrong princess, wrong ethnicity. Fail. Cinderella was the favourite, and Zephyr was very concerned as to whether or not she had found her shoe.








The timing worked out perfect, and as soon as we were done meeting the Princesses, Winter was getting off the mine train. Minnie was kind of the last piece of the puzzle in terms of people we really wanted to meet, so we headed over to where Barnstormer was to see her and Daisy (again). They were opening at ten, and we got there just before ten so had a very minimal wait. We also indulged in a delicious chocolate covered Rice Krispie!




Zephyr wanted to go on Small World again, so we did just that. It was only about 15 minutes in the standby line. I didn't take many photos since I'd already taken some on the Tuesday, but pretty much everyone here knows what that ride is about anyway. We also went back to Haunted Mansion, which annoyingly had a 45 minute wait (I guess that's not too bad, but I'm a line snob). Of course as soon as we were headed into the building, Zephyr decided nature was calling and we had to run out of line and find a washroom. The lady let us back in though.



It was quite a warm day, so we went back to the little water feature near the Jungle Cruise to get cooled off. I probably could have saved myself thousands and gone to a splash pad near home which Zephyr would have liked equally as much as Disney (not really, but he does love water)! As we were walking to get lunch, we saw Jack Sparrow heading somewhere, so we chased him down for my sister who really wanted to meet him. Jungle Canteen was full and wasn’t accepting reservations at the time, so we went back to the Mexican place we had gone to two days prior, for some nachos and tacos, before heading to yet another splash pad in the circus area of the park.





I was excited for the Festival of Fantasy parade, so we got a spot about 45 minutes before it started and enjoyed some ice cream, that my son so lovingly decided to wipe all over my leg in a moment of misbehaviour. I was very disappointed with the parade, which was clearly a watered-down version of what it once was. I thought maybe it was just my imagination that they had less floats than before, but they had a total of five and when I looked in my photos from previous trips, there were way more. Very disappointing, especially since I hyped it up. There were a few laughs though. I have a snow globe at home where Jiminy Cricket’s head popped off. I kept the head to repair it with glue, but he became a bit of a running joke in our house. When we saw Jiminy Cricket in the parade, my son was stunned and was like, “JIMINY CRICKET! AND HE HAS A BODY?!” I also tried a dole whip which was kind of disappointing; I think the one mixed with the vanilla would have been better.







We did a little bit of shopping afterwards (which is sometimes horrible with a 19-year-old) and then headed back to the resort for some pool time and some adult beverage time for me. We sat around for a while Zephyr played in the kid pool, had some long island iced tea, and then took a walk around the resort. It was nice to relax for a bit after such a busy week!

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

DAY 6 AND 7- EPCOT/TYPHOON LAGOON/HOME

I’m always pretty excited to go to Epcot only because I think the older I get, the more I enjoy it. I’d still love to go there and just enjoy the food and beverages, but alas, I don’t think a toddler would like to walk around with a tipsy and bloated mother all day, so we did a bit of rides and a bit of food/drink. Thank goodness this park has improved since I was eight years old, because let me tell you, that park was not a good first impression of the Walt Disney World Resort, especially when Spaceship Earth was the first thing I went on.

Anyways, we woke up earlier as usual and I could tell the lack of sleep was catching up to my sister because she got more miserable in the mornings as the week progressed. Not my fault she wanted to stay up until midnight every night talking to one of her ten boyfriends while I enjoyed my adequate rest! We took the Skyliner and arrived at an entrance I didn’t even know existed, which really threw me off, so I just decided I would follow the crowd and see where it took me. Lo and behold, it took us to the Ratatouille ride, which I shamefully didn’t even know existed here until a few weeks ago.


(Peep the awesome Madame Leota shirt)

As we were in line, the ride broke down (typical of what I remember it doing in Paris, multiple times). We decided to wait it out since the Genie+ service was already showing that Ratatouille was booked up until 6 PM, and the park hadn’t even opened to non-resort guests yet. The line began moving and I thought we were on our way to board until we discovered we were being brought to an exit and told to come back later. I saw employees telling people with Genie+ bookings to scan their cards and try again when it reopened, so that put the idea in my head to just lie and say I forgot to scan my card but that I had a booking earlier in the day. I’m usually a pretty honest person, but the white lie worked to our advantage later on. Either way, I deleted my Test Track Genie+ and put in a Rataouille one just in case, which was mistake number one. My son was very sad about Ratatouille closing down, and can we all just appreciate the precious wallpaper in the queue?!







I was already having anxiety about how the day was going, which became worse when my sister decided she needed to wait in the 15 minute line for a coffee. I figured by the time the coffee was purchased, between that wait and the wasted time in line for Ratatouille, the park would be open to the non-resort guests and we’d have large lines to wait in. We couldn't do anything major at that point because we couldn't book anything more on Genie+ and our Cosmic Rewind booking was coming up, so we hopped in line for Nemo which was a walk on.



We took a few minutes to appreciate the sea life before having to rush over to Guardians.



My sister wasn’t feeling great, likely due to a mixture of heat and a lack of sleep, as well as the crap we were eating all week. We did child swap, but I rode first just so I could let her know how intense the ride was, or wasn’t. It says something about a ride when the pre-show is better than the actual coaster itself, but it was a decent addition to Epcot despite the fact I don’t think I’d be bummed out if I didn’t get a booking on it whenever I venture back to Disney. While Winter was riding, I took Zephyr on the tame side of Mission: Space, which still ended up making me very nauseas. He quite enjoyed it even though I feel like he couldn’t see anything on the screen, even with his booster seat. The timing worked out well, because once we were done the ride and a little cool off in the splash pad, Winter was done the ride, which she wasn’t incredibly impressed by.








We wanted to go to Soarin’ next, so we used our Genie+ and had a little bit left to wait, which meant we had time to visit the ever so exciting Butterfly Landing. I actually like butterfly houses, but this one was slightly underwhelming. Once we were done with the three second butterfly tour, we headed to Soarin’ where my kid decided again, conveniently, that he had to take a poo right as we were about to go on the ride. We eventually got on, and he loved it! I now have to recreate Soarin’ on the playground swings every trip to the park.




Soarin' used to be one of my favourites, but Disney outdid their own ride with Flight of Passage, and now Soarin' seems a bit underwhelming. It's still very enjoyable though!
For some reason, when I booked my Genie+ on Soarin’, it erased my Ratatouille booking. So at this point, we lost Ratatouille and Test Track, two of the most major rides in the park. To say I was irritated was an understatement, but we explained to the cast member what happened and she let us into the Genie+ line… Only for it to break, again! I had one happy child on my hands, who I could only calm down with the promise of sweet food, so off to the Creperie we went. We ate our crepes next to a bin, because we're classy. The food was honestly delicious, but the lack of seating was a drag.


France was next on the agenda, and it was getting steamy out so we beat the heat by going to the Beauty and the Beast sing-a-long, where I think I might have been the only one singing, much to the embarrassment of my sister.






After France, we took time to walk around the World Showcase, which I hated as a kid, but love now. I had a booking at a restaurant for later on in the day, but next time I am going to splurge on food from each country even though I’d end up bloated and miserable. The lines for everything in the park, including the food, was getting ridiculous at this point though. We hit up a store in the Japan section, saw Morocco, Italy, and Germany, including the Alpine music show or whatever it’s called, and then took a little break for a snack and an adult beverage somewhere around Africa. We had Tajin pineapples, and I indulged in a lavender gin drink, which was honestly delicious even with the leaves my kid threw it it (to be fair it had flowers in it and I think he thought he was adding to the garnish).






We were still hungry so we moved our dinner reservation slightly earlier. We had about a half an hour to wait, so I went into the Mexican area where, much to my pleasure, they had a lot of things dedicated to Coco. I wanted one of the Alebrijes so bad, but couldn't justify spending $100 on one.



Hacienda San Angel wasn’t really anything fancy, and it was kind of the consolation prize for not being able to get into the one that’s inside the pyramid thing, but the food was really good. I spent $17 USD on an avocado drink that I still can’t decide if I liked or hated. It was interesting, to say the least. I got two appetizers, my sister got a stuffed pepper, and my son had a quesadilla. I loved the feta sauce on whatever thing I got, but the other dish wasn’t that great. My sister said the pepper she had lives in her head rent free, so it must have been good.





Somewhere along the course of the day we did get on Ratatouille, and it was a hit with our group. As I said, we just ended up lying and saying we forgot to scan our cards when it broke down earlier in the day so she let us on no problem.

After dinner, we met Anna and Elsa (who looked kind of ratchet, like a girl I might have seen after a night out downtown or something). In a stark contrast to the lines in 2014, we only waited 15 minutes. Anna was the real MVP anyways.




I believe we went on Journey Into the Imagination next, and decided we were just going to skip Test Track completely. I was kind of sad because I like that ride, but I don’t think Zephyr would have liked it at all, and my sister doesn’t really enjoy launches. Basically, I was being a snob and didn’t want to wait in a 120-minute standby line. Journey Into the Imagination is still as weird and cringey as ever, but I ride it every time I go because there's never a line. We also had time to kill before Frozen Ever After, which was going to be our last ride of the day because we were all hot and tired. Much to our pleasant surprise, Joy was there at the exit! Poor gal was getting no love, even though she's from one of the most underrated Pixar films!



Frozen Ever After was next, and it was great! I purposely didn't watch many POVs from the stuff that was added since I last went to the park in 2014, and I'm glad I didn't because it pleasantly surprised me.



Our day at Epcot ended up turning out good, but surprisingly it was the day that required the most planning. I kind of underestimated how much planning it would take with Genie+, which screwed us out of a ride on Test Track, but we got on everything else so I left feeling happy. We could have gone on it, but the pool was beckoning! I will know better for next time. The park is improving, despite still having an identity crisis!

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

DAY 7- TYPHOON LAGOON

The TLR version is: I hate water parks, my eye brows rubbed off my face, it was boiling hot, and I got stung by a bee.

We woke up and had to deal with putting our luggage in the luggage storage, which was perfect timing because we just got ahead of a group of 40 (FOURTY ACTUAL PEOPLE). Since there is no direct shuttle to the water park, I went to the front desk to ask when the shuttle to Disney Springs started, and she told me 10 AM, which made me anxious because we knew we'd have limited time at the water park anyway and I wanted to make sure I got a chair. It was Saturday and I hadn't been to Typhoon Lagoon in literally 22 years, so I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of crowds. We had breakfast then made the decision to take an Uber to the park. When I told Zephyr we'd be leaving that day, he wasn't too happy.

As we were having breakfast, I realized that we couldn’t take a normal Uber because Zephyr still requires a car seat. Much to my dismay, the upcharge on this made the Uber ride go from $8 to $24, which is absolutely obscene but I paid it anyway because I can’t be at a park past opening time. We got there, probably too early, but secured ourselves a seat in the kiddie area. We didn’t really need to get there as early as we did, but again, I didn’t know how busy it’d be. Turns out there are tons of chairs and a lot of them remained available throughout the day. Annoyingly though, half the slides were shut which I actually don’t think is acceptable at all, especially on a Saturday when the other major water park is closed for renovations and it was the week after one of their busiest times of year.



The area is too large for adults to just sit and let toddlers play, which was kind of annoying for times I wanted to relax, but the kiddie area is actually awesome despite this. I was playing in the area with the metal cannons, and as soon as I touched the top of the cannon, my middle finger swelled up like a balloon. First I thought the metal might have been hot from the sun, but it turned out to be a sting.







I really wanted some time to just relax and enjoy the last of the Floridian sunshine, so we hopped into the lazy river for an entire five seconds before my screaming child had me get out. He doesn’t like deep water, so we went to the bigger kiddie slides near the wave pool instead which… He also didn’t like. I guess he’s hard to please! I didn’t step anywhere near the wave pool because I remembered almost drowning in it back in 2001, and my swimming honestly has probably just become worse since then.




I didn't take many more pictures throughout the day since phones and water don't mix and all that good stuff. We spent most of our day in the kiddie area, and I enjoyed a couple of adult beverages while he also played in the sand. We went on one water slide, Gangplank Falls, which was absolutely horrible. I might as well have just dumped a massive bucket of water on my head and kissed my eye brows goodbye. The line was also too long for what the experience was.

I'm just not a fan of water parks at all, but Zephyr loved it which was the main purpose. It did end up being an expensive day with $65 USD tickets, beer, and an Uber, but it is what it is. Disney isn't really for the budget-conscious, anyway.

We left the park around 3:30 and took the bus back to the airport. The terminal was terrible! All I wanted to do at that point was sit in a restaurant and eat food, but instead our only options were a line for Burger King which had about 40 people waiting in it, $12 soup, or a 60 minute queue for the one sit down restaurant. I got in the wait list for the restaurant but it just wasn't moving so we got soup instead and ate on the floor like peasants. I should have just waited for the restaurant because our flight was delayed over an hour due to storms in the area and late inbound aircraft. My allergies were really acting up at this point, too, and everyone was getting really tired.

When we got on the plane, Zephyr was invited to the cockpit and got to make the "thank you for flying with Spirit" announcement, which I thought was so cool especially considering nobody knew I was a pilot! Z slept the entire flight and it was so cool going around all the storm cells!






My dad picked us up at the Detroit Metro Airport (still the best airport ever. Orlando, take note) and we got in bed around 2:30 in the morning!