The Ultimate Star Wars Experience - Day 2 - Just Chillin'

[RachaelC]

Monday 17th February

The late night meant that we did a bit better in the morning - up at 6:30am (thanks kids, that was practically a lie in!).

We'd planned a leisurely day as it was Presidents' Day so we knew the parks would be busy and we would be tired after the fireworks the previous night. The kids had breakfast in the hotel room as became our usual routine for the day.

Once we were all up and ready, we went down to get the bus to Disney Springs. Holly LOVES buses and was over the moon when the cast member at the bus stop gave her a card with information all about the bus on it along with a picture of Minnie Mouse - some people are easily pleased! We didn't have to wait long and we were on our way to DS.

We still managed to arrive just before the shops opened, so we looked at the giant Lego constructions for a bit and then ventured inside once the doors opened. Ethan was in his element and picked out a Minecraft set that he liked the look of. After a quick Google to see if it was cheaper there (it was - same price in USD as GBP) it was duly purchased.

We then carried on our mooching, with a trip to the Star Wars Trading Post and then onto the World of Disney via the Photopass location to get some snaps in.

We spent an age in World of Disney where both kids picked out some toys and I also picked up some Minnie ears and an autograph book for my niece who is off to DLP next month.

I then had the not-so-bright idea of going into Guest Services to see what it would cost to upgrade our tickets to annual passes as we're very fortunate to be going back in the summer. After waiting 40 mins they informed me that it would be $900, so I didn't have to think for too long before deciding just to buy Ultimate tickets again back in the UK! We were also having some problems with Memory Maker and unable to download photos so the lady there (who coincidentally was also from Surrey!) took a look at my account but couldn't see anything awry. So that was a bit of a frustrating exercise!

Back onto the bus (not too long to wait this time either) and we headed back to the hotel, getting off at Old Port Royale for some lunch before heading back to the room for a rest. Well, the boys rested, muggins here walked Holly around in her pram for 30 mins only for her to not even get close to sleeping!

I had managed to book a Fastpass for Na'vi River Journey at 4:30 that afternoon and also for Rivers of Light in the evening so we headed into Animal Kingdom, again thankfully not having to wait long for the bus.

We walked into Animal Kingdom and, oh my goodness, the place was HEAVING! And it was so hot! So we headed straight to Pandora to have a look around, but we still had about 45 mins until our Fastpass! We'd not been to Pandora before and I was blown away by the theming - it looked beautiful. We found the "instruments" and the children enjoyed playing with them while we waited out the time until our Fastpass.

Finally it was time and we whizzed through the queue (I really love Fastpasses) and were on the ride before we knew it. I was slightly underwhelmed with it really. The scenery was brilliant, but it did just feel like another boat ride. As had become habitual, Holly hid her face while we were on the ride!

Afterwards the tiredness, heat and crowds hit us, so we decided to abandon plans for Rivers of Light and headed straight back to the hotel! That's the beauty of being onsite though I guess, it doesn't seem too ridiculous to go into a theme park for just one ride.

We went for yet another meal at Old Port Royale and then were all tucked up in bed (again) at 8:30!

[Ivegottadream]

Sounds like a lovely day. Holly is in the right place if she loves buses 😂
We also were underwhelmed by na'vi but I remember enjoying about six minutes of cool air! How did you find the food at OPR?

[RachaelC]

Originally Posted by Ivegottadream

Sounds like a lovely day. Holly is in the right place if she loves buses 😂
We also were underwhelmed by na'vi but I remember enjoying about six minutes of cool air! How did you find the food at OPR?

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Yes - the cool air was much appreciated!

The food was pretty good really. I had a nice salad there on the first night, but also consumed far too many chicken tenders and fries. As Holly's only 2 she had to share our meals, so I had to mainly select things that I thought she would eat too! The burgers weren't up to much, but Rob enjoyed his BBQ pork roll thing-y.

[Th1nkT1nk]

What a lovely relaxed day. I love AK so much - in particular the whole theming of Pandora really does blow me away. For some unknown reason we didn’t go back to see Pandora during the evening on our last trip, so it is at the top of my ‘must do’ list for this year. It’s really great being onsite isn’t it?... when you’ve had enough it’s so easy to just get back.

[Jules32]

Another fab day AK is my absolute favourite we loved it so much have you ridden FOP yet ?

[smithlane]

Great day, it’s nice to have a chilled one not doing much. I love wandering around Disney Springs, I can’t believe how much they wanted to upgrade to an annual pass!
Isn’t Pandora beautiful? Even though I’d not seen the film it still blew me away

[scottishnellie]

Nice to have a more chilled day. Especially when you knew the parks were so busy.

[Joshie1]

“That's the beauty of being onsite though I guess, it doesn't seem too ridiculous to go into a theme park for just one ride.”

That struck a chord with me - it is very true and has helped me put my park planning into perspective.

Liked how you spent the day.