The Unexpected Trip Day 2 – Back to ‘The Place where Dreams come True’

[Jezzerinos]

After such a long day travelling and a speedy check in, we all woke up at 4am (with Jake waking up around 1am for a bottle) apart from Joseph who was asleep until 5:30am.

Once we were up, Maria went straight into Disney holiday mode and got the bags and strollers ready for the day, including getting Jake’s bottles prepped. We had brought a handy little pot that divided into 3 sections from Home Bargains prior to the trip which allowed enough formula for 3 bottles which was extremely helpful throughout the holiday. Joseph was really excited for the day and was bouncing around the room and Jake must have also been looking forward to it as he was babbling away to us all.

All snuggled up!

Anyway, we all got ready and headed down for our first breakfast in the hotel and Maria went for our favourite cheese Danish, I had a Mickey waffle (mmmmm), Joseph and Jake had already their breakfast in the room but this was second breakfast so Joseph had some toast. Mum went for a cheese Danish so see what all the fuss was about and also had some cereal. We also picked up our refillable mugs while we were here so we could make the most of them.

We’ve missed these!

Breakfast satisfyingly consumed, we made a quick stop at the Concierge to check our Memory Maker was all linked to our fantastic MagicBands and went to the bus stop to enjoy our first day at the park, the Magic Kingdom. We were at the bus stop at 7:15 and at 7:30, the bus came. Our bus driver today was a very friendly chap by the name of Ray. Jake decided to take a quick power nap on the bus (20 minutes as that’s how long it took to get there).

I think he was happy!


Excited for the day ahead!

We got to the gates of the ‘Place Where Dreams come True’ just as Casey Junior had arrived with Mickey and the gang. We stood just after the Security check and before the gate to watch the opening ceremony. It was just as magical as it was 2 years ago but we were a little disappointed we missed the very beginning so we made sure we didn’t miss it again as we have never missed it before!

After the great opening to the day, we used our magic bands for the first time to gain entrance to the park. I was uber excited when the Mickey lit up (sad I know but I was every time I did it)! Joseph also got to use his and do the Mickey to Mickey.

We left the present and entered ‘the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy’ and headed to collect our celebratory pins. Mum was celebrating her birthday for the trip, Maria and I were celebrating being together for 13 years (and counting), Jake was celebrating his first visit and Joseph was celebrating with us! Our first visit after collecting our buttons for the day was to of course go and see the mouse that started it all. I had booked FastPass+’s to see him but the wait was only 5 minutes so we cancelled that fastpass for later (although that was a big mistake, I’ll tell you shortly).

So over to the Town Square Theatre to go and see Mickey for the first time. Just like our previous trip, we weren’t sure how Jake was going to react with the big cheese (being a 5ft mouse) but I was quietly confident it was going to be ok. So in we went and waited for about the 5 minutes. I was enjoying all the little details in the queue, like all the mail to be delivered and all the posters for the ‘up coming shows’. I think Mum was wondering what on earth I was doing nosing around the cupboard.

Our time had come and we were invited through to backstage at Mickey’s magic show. Boy, we were not disappointed in the slightest. Mickey was talking to all of the guests and it wasn’t long until he was talking to Joseph and Jake. He asked Joseph if he could walk in a line or if he could touch his nose. It was truly brilliant! Jake loved seeing Mickey and tried to grab his nose (but then also try to eat it). Mickey interacted with both of our little trouble makers and we enjoyed it a lot, it would not be the last time we would visit him here!

Not sure who’s happier, me or the boys!

We exited backstage and left to walk ‘right down the middle of Main Street USA’. It was a rather cloudy day and there was a slight chill in the air. We had our photo taken in front of Cinderella Castle...

... and asked Joseph what ride we should go on first. We were standing in the middle of the hub and Joseph said we should ride the Carrousel. Off we went through the castle and waited a minute to get on. Again, I had my nerd cap on (much like the whole trip) and was looking at all the little details on the attraction. Once it was our turn, Maria took a seat with Jake on a carriage while me and Joseph mounted onto a horse and Mum did the same.

A very simple, enjoyable ride and smooth considering how old it really is! Jake was having fun watching all the sights go past and Joseph was as happy as can be! After the gentle ride, our steed came to a halt and it was time to dismount.

[Jezzerinos]

I noticed that the wait time to meet Cinderella and Aurora was only 5 minutes so we asked Joseph if he would like to meet them and he said yes. We got in the line but forgot the boys pen for the autograph books. I went back to get it but could not find it anywhere so I nipped into Sir Mickey’s to get one. I rejoined everyone back in the queue and took some photo’s of the fantastically themed queue. A couple of minutes went by and we were told it was time to meet the princesses. We were escorted to a room with Cinderella one side and Aurora the other.

It was our turn and as we approached a glowing Cinderella, Joseph went a bit shy but Jake on the other hand leaned as far over to her as possible! She was very nice to the young prince’s and gave her signature along with a photograph.

We said farewell to her and made our way across the room to Aurora. Again, Jake was smitten and got as close as he could to her. She really interacted with them, Jake more so due to him locking his eyes on her for the duration of the meet and greet! We had her autograph and said yet another farewell and were out of there into Sir Mickey’s for a picture with a princess Minnie.

There is such great detail in this little shop, with Willie the giant opening the roof of the shop to peer in and Mickey on the beanstalk. Love it and the Imagineers did a great job once more.

We exited and I thought it would be a good idea to head into New Fantasyland as of course, this was new to us. We got the boys in their strollers and headed through the castle perimeter into the enchanted forest of New Fantasyland. We walked past Mourice’s cottage where Enchanted Tales with Belle was, past Beast’s castle where we would be dining at Be Our Guest, past Gaston’s which looked brilliant from the outside...

...and then came across Under The Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid is one of Maria’s favourite Disney films of all time so I suggested we take a ride as the wait was only 5 minutes. So that is exactly what we did.

The strollers were parked up and we headed into unknown territory. As soon as you enter the queue, you can smell the salty sea air around you and the whole queue is filled with starfish and whosits and whatsits galore. Lots of rocks form the queue as you wind down into a cavern and through to under Prince Eric’s castle. I did look for the hidden Nautilus as a reference to the attraction that once was located here, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea but alas, I could not find it.

Through the queue and you will find some playful crabs that interact with you which is a great way to pass the time if the line is long. Mum didn’t quite get the hang of taking your time and whizzed past all of these little details to get on the attraction. We made our way to board our clam. Mum got in a clam of her own as Maria and I fitted in with the boys. The whole experience was brilliant. Jake loved it so much that he fell asleep while Maria was singing all of the songs to him! The animatronics are fantastic and the Ursula one was particularly impressive. A classic dark ride for all to enjoy. I highly recommend going in just for the queue!

We exited and headed to the strollers, Joseph said that he was cold so we changed him into his jeans. Next we headed over to the Barnstormer as we had a FP+ for that so Joseph would be riding the last rollercoaster he experienced 2 years ago. We arrived at the FP+ entrance and the Mickey to Mickey didn’t work. It wasn’t showing up but the nice CM let us in as it said on my app that we had one. I was a bit puzzled by this but little did I know what had happened. Now, you know I said that cancelling the FP+ for meeting Mickey was a bit of a mistake…… well, when I cancelled it, I didn’t realise I had pushed the wrong button and inadvertently cancelled all our FP+’s for the whole day! Oops! Not to worry, we would head to a FP+ service station to make new ones shortly.

Anyhoo, we made our way up to the loading bay to board the Great Goofini’s plane. Joseph sat with me again and Maria was just in front. For a kids rollercoaster, this can give some G-Force! It was a great coaster and Joseph liked it.

Once we got off, we headed over to the FP+ service centre to add new FP+’s that I had mistakenly cancelled. We managed to get FP’s for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Haunted Mansion (YAY) and Pirates of the Caribbean. Result!

We thanked the very helpful CM and decided to meet the Great Goofini, The Amazing Donaldo, Daisy Fortuna and Minnie Magnifique. Great interactions all round and the backdrop for each character is great with each themed to the persona of each character. Clever and brilliant! Daisy was empty and as we walked in, she came and met us, took Joseph by the hand and guided us to her location! It was really quiet! Jake tried once again to eat Minnie’s nose but to no avail (yet)!

After an enjoyable meet and Greet, our next stop was somewhere we had never been before (partially because it hadn’t been built yet) and arguably the most popular restaurant in the Magic Kingdom, Be Our Guest. We had booked our FP+ 45ish days before we left for our lunch here and already chosen our meals. We wondered over to the mountain range with Beast’s castle at the top and I checked us in. The CM said we could head straight in which was a result. We waved goodbye to the HUGE queue outside and walked straight in to pay for our food! The lobby of this place is amazing with such great detail and the knights talking to each other as you walk past.

We paid for our food and were told we could sit anywhere we wanted so we picked a table in the Ballroom next to the huge windows. It is a brilliant place to dine here! When we went in (10:45am-ish), the restaurant was fairly empty but soon began to fill. The details in each of the rooms was superb. The Ballroom looks like it was taken straight from the film, the West Wing was dark and creepy with the fire burning in the fireplace and the rose glistening next to the balcony and the Portrait Gallery has some fine artwork of scenes from the film which look like they would cost a small fortune (and probably do).

Anyway, we sat at our table and waited for around 5 minutes and our lunch was wheeled in on a fantastic little trolley cart, covered by glass. There must be a RFID detector in the bands and table as the waitress came straight to our table without knowing who we were, genius! Me and Mum went for the roast beef and horseradish baguette with fries, Maria had the kids roast pork and vegetables and Joseph had the pasta with marinara sauce. For desserts, I had the Masters cupcake, Maria had the strawberry shortcake cupcake and Mum had the lemon cupcake.

Yummy food!

All I can say about this meal is WOW! The food is incredible! The roast beef was done perfectly and tasted soooooo good. Maria said the roast pork was brilliant and Joseph really enjoyed his pasta (like he wouldn’t)! We were all really, really impressed and wished we could have booked another lunch here! The whole experience is like nothing we had ever experienced before! Truly brilliant and I highly recommend anyone going to try and eat here.

After gushing on how good the meal was and enjoying our surroundings, we headed out of one of our favourite lunches we had on the whole trip and walked over to our first of the newly booked FP+’s of the day, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Maria sat this one out as Jake had fallen asleep so Joseph, Mum and I put Mickey to Mickey and walked on within 5 minutes. Joseph just like last time enjoyed this attraction and bounced out. I enjoyed looking for the hidden references to the ride that used to occupy this space, Mr Toad’s Wild Ride.

After mum had a look around the Pooh shop (being a big Pooh fan), we walked out and headed to our next FP+, Pirates of the Caribbean, one of Joseph’s favourite attractions ever!

Walking back through Cinderella’s castle and enjoying the views, we headed through the Adventureland portal and were instantly submerged in jungle foliage and decor. I love the transitions you encounter as you leave the hub and enter each land. Walking past Aloha Isle, the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse and the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, we arrived at Caribbean Plaza and parked the strollers up to head into Castillo del Morro to find the scurvy swabs that lay within. Maria stayed off again as Jake was still asleep so it would be just the 3 of us again. We walked in and Joseph was having fun looking at all of the guns and cannons that were in the queue area as we got to the loading dock.

We set off into Davy Jones’ locker and I noticed the new effect they had added since our last trip which was rather spooky. As you enter the locker, they have added some water that bubbles and a mermaid shimmers past you which is a really great addition and again, spooky! There is also the remains of a mermaid with the other pirate bones which, again, is a great addition. All of us enjoyed our voyage and we exited through the gift shop. Joseph had seen some Pirate loot that he wanted but we would be coming back so he could have a proper look later on. Jake had woken up and Maria fed him while we were sailing.

Our last FP+ took us into a Victorian house set on the Hudson river and had some interesting inhabitants. Yes, we headed over to Liberty Square and parked one stroller up and headed into The Haunted Mansion (my favourite attraction on property).

I LOVE THIS PLACE!

Mum sat this one out with Jake as had fallen asleep again so Maria joined me and Joseph on this one. Joseph liked this last time and I was hoping he would once more. We swiftly entered the Portrait Gallery (the Stretching Room) and I had picked Joseph up 1. so he could see and 2. so he didn’t get trampled in the dark and gloomy corridors.

The Ghost Host introduced us the paintings of some of their ‘guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state’. Listening to his spirit swirling around the room and then rising to the ceiling is tremendous and I could talk about this attraction for hours on end………….but I won’t. Joseph was not fazed by any of the ghost host’s antics and we were escorted through to the loading area. Joseph decided to knock on wood, by that I mean knock on the wooden wall to see if anyone was on the other side and then would look at me as though to say ‘there’s nobody there’. We entered our Doom Buggy and were taken through the mansions creepy corridors and then out into the graveyard for the big finale.

[Jezzerinos]

Joseph and I enjoyed it as always but Maria wasn’t that fussed by it. She doesn’t get why I like it so much but there is a certain whimsy about this spooky attraction and how simple some of the effects are that make it a great attraction. Mum also doesn’t get it but would learn more about it on our tour we would be going on in a couple of days time.

It was now time for us to head out of the Magic Kingdom and make our way to Downtown Disney as we had an ADR for the Rainforest Café. So we made our way out of Liberty Square, down Main Street USA and out of the gates. What I like about leaving the parks is that there is a CM saying goodbye (not that you can like leaving the parks, I’d stay there day and night if I could).

So, we exited the park and got to the bus station but weren’t sure which resort to go to as there was not a direct bus from here to Downtown Disney. I thought that it would be a good idea to get the bus to Saratoga Springs resort and get the boat from there. So, we went to find the bus stop and around 10 minutes later, we were on our way. The journey didn’t take too long and we got off shortly after. We had a look at the resort map and had no idea where to go for the bus and around a minute later, the Downtown Disney bus came along so we hopped on that and 5 minutes later, we were at this familiar spot………

We were a bit early for our ADR so we let Joseph have a little play in the fountains while we fed Jake. He was loving it! Running around and getting wet. He even got Nanna to run through the fountains with him. I had to have a go as well and just after Joseph and I had run through unscathed, we ran back through them and a fountain shot water right up my shorts, lets just say it was a bit chilly in the nether regions!

Just chillin!

After changing Joseph’s clothes, Maria and I decided it was time to check in at the Rainforest Café for dinner. While the ladies parked up the stroller I went to the desk and a couple of minutes later, it was time for our safari! We were quickly seated and our orders were taken. We had a little play with the cameras….

….. and looked at what we had taken on them throughout the day. Our dinner was served. Maria and I had the Steak and Shrimp, Mum had the Hickory Chicken (with leftover chicken heading my way) and Joseph had the pasta in marinara. It was a very enjoyable meal with the occasional shout of ‘VOLCANOOOOOO!’ could be heard around the restaurant. Today would not be the day to conquer the VOLCANOOOO as we were too stuffed from our delicious meal. We paid the waitress and decided to call it a day as we were beginning to flag. Back to the bus stop and on to a bus that arrived not long after.

Back at the hotel and mum thought it was a good idea to just check where the laundry facilities were so she could do a bit for us. It was located not far from our hotel room which was good. We got back to the room and chilled out! Maria started to pack the bags and strollers for the next day while I got the boys washed and ready for bed. Mum washed Jake’s bottles while all the hubbub was going on which really helped out. The boys were all set for bed and while Jake had his bottle on me, we put on the familiar bedtime story on from our previous trip, Duffy the Disney Bear.

Both boys loved this story and it helped them relax before going off to sleep. Maria and I had our wash and were straight to bed after. Mum wasn’t a huge fan of the Duffy story so put something on her iPod and nodded off. The time was about 8pm!

It had been a long day but we all enjoyed every single minute. A lot of the things we did was completely new to mum so it was nice for her to experience it all with the boys. She really enjoyed the Be Our Guest restaurant, as we did! The next day would be our return to Africa!

[joanna23]

An action filled first day! Love the boys with the characters, Jake can't take his eyes off them. Magical memories.

[sheluk]

Your boys are so cute- it must be so magical (and different!) sharing it with them. Can't wait to read more!

[pumpkin]

Great day. Thanks for sharing xx

[Yorkie Girl]

What a lovely day! Looking forward to reading the next day too

[Jezzerinos]

Originally Posted by Yorkie Girl

What a lovely day! Looking forward to reading the next day too

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Thank you very much. I'll try and get the next day up asap!

Originally Posted by pumpkin

Great day. Thanks for sharing xx

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It was a really nice day and we were so pleased that Jake loved the characters. We weren't sure how that one was going to go but he loved them!

Originally Posted by sheluk

Your boys are so cute- it must be so magical (and different!) sharing it with them. Can't wait to read more!

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It was certainly a different experience to the last trip and then the trip before that! Taking little ones is a completely different experience to going on our own, both ways are brilliant though.

Originally Posted by joanna23

An action filled first day! Love the boys with the characters, Jake can't take his eyes off them. Magical memories.

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It was a busy one but the boys loved it. Jake certainly had a thing for the princesses! So many memories and we were only on our first day!

[rens]

Great day

Love the pics of your boys with the princesses and characters- very cute!

[Antigua08]

Great day! Love the Aurora picture, little Jake looks completely mesmerised by her