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Thread: Mini Team Scoobydooby do Disney 2014!

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    Mini Team Scoobydooby do Disney 2014!

    Mini Team Scobbydooby Do Disney at Animal Kingdom Lodge

    Cast of Characters:
    Me, Scooby, 44, Disney addict, 8th trip.
    Freckles, 12 year old daughter, equally as addicted, 7th trip.

    Dates:
    May 22nd 31st 2014

    Accommodation and Transportation:
    Radisson Blu Hotel Manchester Airport (UK), Virgin Atlantic, Disneys Magical Express, Disney buses, Animal Kingdom Lodge standard view room.

    Previous Experience:
    Me: Offsite 1998 (where the addiction began)
    Both: POFQ (2007, 2008), POR (2010, 2011), Beach Club (2012), POR (2013)

    Back Story:
    My first visit to WDW was on my honey moon it was a dream come true and more fun than I imagined any holiday could be. The total escape was the thing that got me hooked though. I work in a demanding job. I welcome total escapism occasionally. An obsession was born. However, the realities of two small children in full time child care meant it was not until my children were 5 and 8 that we could visit again as a family. We have been returning as often finances allow ever since.

    This trip was not like all the others, planned a year in advance with a savings plan mapped out and maintained for a year with the long days painfully counted down. We were not visiting in 2014. DS (15) is Disneyd out and was adamant he didnt want to go again. Also my dad, who was already nursing chronic kidney failure developed rapid onset debilitating senile dementia in 2013 which left him and my mum housebound and in need of support. In between a full time job, two children and helping with his care at weekends we had decided a summer holiday in 2014 was not on the cards. I sent the boys skiing in February (DH used to be a ski instructor in another life pre children). DD, like me, understands that the concept of cold, snow and daily exercise do not a holiday equal, so she stayed home with me. In late January my dad had his fourth big mental deterioration and it was clear he was not going to live for very long. It was only a few days later that I had to break my mums heart by having him admitted to hospital. He was wasting away and dad, really, was nowhere to be seen. We spent an agonising number of weeks watching him slowly pass away. On 8th March his pain was finally ended and we said goodbye.

    I needed to escape. I am a pretty positive and strong person but I have never known mental or physical exhaustion like the last six months had exposed to me. DS was deep in exam season and was adamant he really didnt want a trip away, so before I had really thought about it, a month before dad finally passed on, I had sat at the PC and booked a trip for me and DD for 9 nights at WDW in May. Less than three months in the future. This involved Freckles taking two days off school but my frame of mind at the time was just that life is too short. I hadnt had a complete personality transplant which would have involved 5 days out of school for a normal 2 week trip and anyway, I didnt want to leave DS and DH for that long. When I logged on I was planning for as cheap as possible at a value resort. Freckles had been long taken with the idea of Art of Animation. By the time I was booked we were at the AKL thanks to a deal for 30% off accommodation. DD has always wanted to stay at this resort and DH feels it is too far away from everything and always refuses, so I decided to just let her have a dream come true. I was in that kind of mood at the time.. We bought 14 day UK passes for our 10 day trip, truth be told I was too lazy to work out if there was a cheaper deal to be had. I booked several ADRs having started with saying we would have none (!) and booked FPP as soon as they came out, including scoring Anna and Elsa FPP and hovering on line for two days for hours to secure Seven Dwarf Mine Train FPP for two days in the zoo that commenced the two days after they went live.

    I had several fun times with MDE. We had an account from our 2013 trip and when I booked this trip it created my DD twice, so that took some calls to correct. Then the app kept swapping my DD for random strangers at different times and a couple of times it lost all my reservations and/or FPP overnight, but they seemed to appear again the next day. By the time we travelled the app seemed to have settled down somewhat and we were all set to go. One great thing I found with the app was the ability to keep checking for ADRs very quickly. I could not originally get ADRs for either Cinderellas Royal Table or for Be our Guest, which were the two places DD really wanted to go to, but managed to score both by checking the app several times a day, which only took a few seconds each time (much quicker than getting on and off the PC).

    The Day Before Wednesday 21st May

    I went off to work and DD went off to school, neither of us really concentrating on what we needed to do for the day but off we went anyway. When I donned my Mickey Ears at 3.30pm my boss took pity on me and sent me home, so I left work somewhat early and at 4pm we were both back in the house with DS and DH waiting for a taxi to drive us to Manchester airport. DS said he was fine, really didnt want to be coming. I wasnt so sure by the look on his face. The airport is only just over an hour away from our home but I find I really need this night before to get my head out of work and into the right space for a holiday. We arrived at the Radisson Blu Hotel which is a fab place on site at the airport at 6.20pm and giggled our way up to the room.I think this cost 100 for the night. The round trip taxi was costing us 110 and I left a 20 tip on this outward journey. I really wasnt sure how either of us was going to cope with just each other for company for so long but so far so good, we were both excited with no boys telling us to calm down. I did say DD loves WDW as much as I do didnt I? It was fun to be with someone who absolutely gets it without reservation. We had a meal in the highly overpriced hotel restaurant (77 plus tip for a shared charcuterie appetiser, a pizza and a steak with two cokes and a large glass of white wine for me), then spent the rest of the evening watching part 1 of The Deathly Hallows on TV. DD was finally asleep by 11pm and I tossed and turned until 5.30am when I gave up and had a shower and waited for DD to awake for our big girls adventure!!!!!!!!!

    Day 1 Thursday 22nd May

    Excited about her trip as she may have been, Freckles is an absolute sleep monster who loves her bed very much indeed and it was 7.30am before I managed to drag her out of her slumber. Still, once she was awake she was excited and raring to go so we were checked out and walking through the glass tunnel between hotel reception and Terminal 2 at 8.30am. Between us we had two massive suitcases (with a spare on inside one of these), two cabin bags and my handbag. DD was just about able to manage one of the cases and as I kind of huffed and puffed and dragged my way along with the rest of the luggage I visualised that escalator at Orlando International Airport and wondered if we were going to have to give our bags up to the second bag drop area. I. Never. Waste. Time. On. Holiday. Doing. That. Hmmmm.

    We got through bag drop and security quickly, (had already done on-line check-in from my phone at the hotel the night before) and as we had splurged on Premium Economy seats we got the fast queue and were eating breakfast at Frankie and Bennys by 9am. This was 20.55 plus tip for two drinks, a cooked English breakfast and toast for me and maple syrup pancakes with a side of hash browns for Freckles. We shopped in duty free without the boys getting under our feet and consequently spent rather too much money on essential girls things and bought Freckles some sandwiches and snacks for the plane as she wont eat plane food. Before I had noticed the time go we were boarding our flight. I have only flown Premium Economy once before as flight prices even in economy from the UK to USA are already extortionate but this was better than I remembered it. Maybe it just felt that way with the bigger seat as I am so much fatter than the last time we did it. We had pre-booked seats at the back of the downstairs PE section which meant there was no-one to annoy if we put our seats all the way back and we were positioned to be off that aircraft in the first possible group of passengers.

    I wont bore you with the flight. It was long (8.5 hours) and dull, but really quite comfortable. We took off nearly on time with 453 other passengers and passed the 3,800 mile journey watching Saving Mr Banks and some TV programmes on the on demand flight entertainment. I wandered the plane quite a bit because I tend to suffer with swollen ankles and feet if I dont do this. The food I had was just okay, Freckles disdainfully asked the flight attendance to just not leave it with her (!!) and she survived with the packed lunch. They ploughed me with quite a lot of alcohol in PE to the point Freckles started to raise her eyebrows at me! We both got a couple of hours sleep and in what seemed like a quicker than usual time we were landing at Orlando International a little ahead of schedule at 2.45pm local time.

    Now it was time for Operation Beat Everyone Else. Freckles and I are always very focussed on getting off the flight as quickly as possible and racing to the front of the immigration line (essential as three UK flights always land just about simultaneously), but DS and DH are less skilled at this exercise. Actually, love them though I do, they are much better at faffing about. Well this time we were first to the door of the plane as PE are let off first and we were hustled to be at the front of this queue of people. We literally ran like insane, giggling mad women to the immigration lounge and found about a third of a flight in there ahead of us. Foiled! But lady luck was with us today and after 5 minutes in line we heard an immigration official asking for families who had travelled to Orlando in the last 12 months. Freckles shouted at the absolute top of her lungs thats us, thats us drawing rather too much attention to us (!), but anyway as a result we were hauled to the front of the line and told to proceed to the self-service immigration kiosks. Fab. Luck followed us to the luggage belt with our suitcases quite literally the second and fourth cases on the belt (more giggles and whooping) and then it was time.
    Time for the Escalator of Doom.

    I looked Freckles in eye. We looked at the escalator. Shall we just put them on the second baggage belt love? I asked. We can do some shopping. I saw her consider this (Freckles does like to shop.), but she seemed to change her mind mid spending spree plan. We can do this mum she said, and like an unexpected Hercules took control of a suitcase and a cabin bag and her skinny frame wobbled somewhat unsteadily up to the escalator, eyes ahead, focussed on her mission. I stood behind ready to issue the instruction to start pulling the case and before I could lose too many years off my life she was off and marching to the monorail and grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

    After this tremendous luck and excellent effort on the part of my DD it was somewhat unfortunate that we then waited 30 minutes for the Magical Express bus to arrive to take us to Animal Kingdom Lodge and even more unfortunate that we then sat waiting on it for another 30 minutes before it moved. But Hakuna matata. DD was beyond excited and talked, and talked and talked and before I really noticed we were passing under the Walt Disney World sign where we both cheered on an otherwise silent bus, and we were then shortly pulling into Pop Century, the Art of Animation and finally Animal Kingdom Lodge, where we arrived at 5pm, 2 hours and 15 minutes after landing. I tipped the ME driver $15 for helping with our cases and we dragged our haul into the foyer at AKL at which point I suddenly realised that DD had, finally, stopped talking, and was just looking open mouthed at the lobby. She eventually turned to look at me and simply said, I love you mum.

    Happy days.

    I had done on-line check-in for the first time ever and our request for a room near the main reception was honoured with a fourth floor room (4117) just steps away from the main reception area. Pink and yellow, named Magic Bands issued we were soon in our standard room with a pretty lame view of the front of the hotel. Oh well. Starving we made off to explore the hotel and find the fast food place, The Mara, where we had a hot dog (me) and pizza (Freckles) and bought a couple of refillable mugs. Freckles was desperate to swim in the pool but by this time it was 7pm (midnight to us) and we had a very early start planned the next day so we settled by going and looking at some animals which was really exciting and unpacking, before finally hitting he hay at 9.30pm (2.30am to our bodies!!)

    Let the adventure begin.

    Day 2 Friday 23rd May

    By an absolute stroke of lucky coincidence this trip had coincided with the 24 hour event at MK so we were out in the dark at 5am waiting at the bus stop of AKL. It had been somewhat of an effort to wake Freckles but once up she was up she was somewhere beyond excited and hopping from one foot to the other, talking to with some friendly young American women about her plans for the day while she waited for the bus. One of them claimed to adore her English accent. Lucky that really, because Freckles really can talk!!!!!!

    The bus arrived at 5.20am and was pulling into MK at 5.40am, squashing my DHs tales of doom about how we would be enduring horribly long bus rides all week. We walked through to the front of MK and were met by a sea of humanity. The whole of the world seemed to be here. Still, we were as high as kites and happy and managed to find a pretty good spot to view the opening ceremony, which was only marginally spoilt by a very large woman deciding to watch the show through her i-pad which she held in front of my line of vision.

    I am a big fan of Touring Plans and had planned personalised touring plans for all our park days this trip, using their advice about what times to get fast pass plusses for certain rides. I dont know how this new system works so decided to trust in the algorithms. Today, it had suggested we get FPP for 6am (Belle), 7am (Space Mountain) and 9.40am (Big Thunder Mountain). Well, that went fairly immediately pear shaped. We arrived at Belle to be told they needed to have a full audience and that wasnt expected to happen until nearer to 7am. So off we went to the Little Mermaid ride where, on walking past, we realised they were soft testing the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction. Exciting!!!!!! We went and had a look at the line but this was already full of at least 1,000 people so we decided to wait until official opening day when we have FPP booked. Inside the Little Mermaid we raced on our own through the empty queue to the front of the line where Freckles told the Cast member allocating the clam mobiles that the 7DMT was open and wasnt that just incredible! The Cast Member looked at her somewhat scornfully and said, no its not. Er, yes it is, she said, I just saw it, I am so excited I might get to ride it today! Have you ridden it? Is it good? Will I love it? Has it got a big drop (gabble, gabble gabble..) The Cast Member just repeated that it wasnt open today and displayed about as much Disney magic as a Saturday boy employee at Alton Towers. So we gave up and explored under the sea with the Little Mermaid and friends. Half way around Freckles grinned at me and gave me a massive kiss on the cheek. More happy days. As we were killing time before Belle we went around again and once again Freckles tried to engage the Cast Member in excited conversation about the unexpected opening of the Mine Train. He still wouldnt have it! I would like to have seen his smug face when he got let out later in the day and found out she was right.

    We arrived at Belle about 6.40am and it was boiling hot already with the beginnings of blue cloudless skies, much hotter than I had expected for May. We did indeed have to wait until 7am for the show so the FPP was completely redundant. We never got to see this last year as the boys just werent interested so Freckles and I had been keen to experience this show. It may well be aimed at the littler kids contingent but that didnt stop us participating as the Tea Cup (Freckles) and something else (me I cant remember)! Freckles had a blast and was pleased to receive a commemorative bookmark and still at age 12 grinned from ear to ear when meeting a Disney princess. I remembered to treasure these childlike moments this trip, as I am sure before we come again she will have hit the teenage years and these moments may be lost forever in quite the same way. For now though, she was happy to be a young girl, enjoying the magic and believing all the dreams.

    After Belle we proceeded to Space Mountain, (the FPP was not needed), Prince Charmings Carousel (another ride the boys wont do), followed by the Mad Tea Party twice, (Freckles only, I cant do spinning), Astro Orbitor, Space Mountain twice more, Buzz, Stitch, Pirates, Big Thunder Mountain and Splash. We didnt hit a line anywhere until we got to Splash Mountain and that was no longer than 15 minutes. By the time we got off Splash it was near the end of our time to use our BTM FPP which we did use and did need a bit more by this point. It is safe to say that me and my DD were in heaven. I could almost physically feel the stress of the last year lifting and realised it was a long time since I have laughed out loud. Freckles was in need of a Mickey Ice-Cream treat after all those rides, so we stopped and people watched for a while and just enjoyed been together on this special day at the Magic Kingdom. I did feel very lucky. Lots of adults were dressed up today which was fun to see as this is not normally allowed. The most interesting costume of the day was a lady who must have been 80 in a tiny Tinkerbelle costume. Still not sure if she should have been saluted or if it was just too wrong

    Refreshed and ready to go again we took a trip on the Haunted Mansion where Freckles spent the whole ride discussing how mad she had been to be afraid of this when she was younger, thus missing the entire ride really I decided after this we ought to try and get another FPP so we spent at least 15 frustrating minutes trying to locate one of the booths, which are not particularly easy to find. We eventually found one surrounded by Cast Members helping people out and picked up a FPP for Big Thunder Mountain for 12.15pm because really there wasnt much good stuff left and anyway, this is my favourite ride.

    I then did the very gallant thing of sitting and staking out a spot on a baking hot Main Street USA for the new Festival of Fantasy parade from 11.30am 12pm while Freckles shopped in the air-conditioned row of shops behind me, coming out every few minutes to tell me she was okay, but there were many things she needed to buy! Now; parades are things my boys can take or leave, so all too often we leave them. For me, this is what Disney is all about and what they do best and I was really excited to be seeing a new parade. I had not let myself watch anything on the internet before we arrived because I wanted it to see it for the first time for real. So for me, this was exciting. Disney certainly did not disappoint me on this occasion. This is such a colourful parade and so full of life and joy that I am sure I just beamed from ear to ear all the way through. It was certainly worth baking away and saving a great spot for. Freckles enjoyed it just as much as me and was especially awed by the Malificent dragon, but equally was keen to drag me into the shops as soon as it had finished as her spending money was by now burning a hole in her pocket and there was a T-Shirt she simple could not live without.

    By the time she had bagged her T-Shirt Freckles was starting to hit the wall, with the time change and two days of not enough sleep catching up with her. Truth be told I was pretty tired too. We always knew we would never manage the full 24 hours here on the day after our flight but we were flagging sooner than I expected. Still, we had 40 minutes until our traditional first day lunch at Crystal Palace, so we power walked to BTM to use our FPP (which perked us up a bit how could it not) and then power walked back to Crystal Palace arriving just a few minutes before our ADR and were happily seated fairly immediately. I really enjoy this buffet (Freckles doesnt really eat much so the food is neither here nor there to her at many places really), but she still loves the characters and got just as much pleasure hugging them and getting their autographs as when she was 5. Another mental note to self to savour all these moments was made. The meal here cost $70.82 and I left a 20% tip. Quite an expense when you own a daughter who eats like a flea! Our waiter was unmemorable but did their job just fine. The hours air conditioning was bliss but we both agreed after lunch that the pool was calling so we made our way to buses, stopping first to pick up a giant plush Mickey that Freckles really, really, really needed. I have no idea how we were getting that bad boy home on the plane.

    We only had to wait 10 minutes for a bus but being new to the resort we made a mistake and got off at the first stop, which turned out to be Kidani Village, not Jambo House. Wow, the front of this resort is gorgeous with all those lanterns in the concrete work. Really pretty and just made me smile. We took the walk over to Jambo which was not long but in the heat with our back pack and massive Mickey did finish me off for an hour and I had a nap, while Freckles watched Maleficent clips on U-Tube. Somewhat refreshed we decided (well, Freckles decided), that she wanted to go to the pool at Kidani Village not the one at Jambo, so we took that hot trip between resorts again. After only 10 minutes here Freckles declared this pool to be lame, (I kind of agree, although for younger children the splash playground area looks great), so for the third time in not a very long time we walked back to Jambo House to use the pool there. We did some miles today!!!! On the way to the pool at Jambo House we stopped off to explore the gift shop which is a really nice one and has lots of items quite specific to the look and feel of AKL. Freckles somehow managed to persuade me to buy her a pool robe, goggles and a new cap en route to the pool. Still not sure how that happened! Anyway, once at the Jambo pool we finally settled in for a relaxing evening of swimming and sunbathing and we stayed there for a few hours. Freckles hovered hopefully around some children of a similar age but no-one invited her to play and she was unusually shy, so she just had to make do with her old mum for company Im afraid. We had another meal at The Mara, (chicken nuggets and fries for Freckles, although she never ate the fries, and humus with vege sticks and a fruit cup for me) and I also bought Freckles a pool noodle to play with given she hadnt managed to find a real person to play with. We had another explore of the resort and animal watched for a while and I do believe at one point I may just have slipped in a cocktail while my daughter splashed in the pool Baths preceded a happy retreat to our very comfy beds in our lovely room, which felt really spacious and luxurious for just the two of us. Freckles was asleep by 11pm, me sometime later.

    During the day I sent my son, (who I was guilty about leaving at home and missing), 12 text messages. By the time I went to sleep I was still to receive a reply.

    Day 3 Saturday 24th May

    The previous night I had not slept well but did better after our busy day at the MK, but I was still up and sitting on the balcony at 5.30am where I stayed until nearly 7am. Not looking at any animals of course, but I did see quite a few people wearily making their way back from the MK 24 hour event which was kind of fun. It was clearly going to be another very hot day. Freckles slept like a log as usual and I woke her up at 7am. We were on a bus to Epcot at 8am having waited 10 minutes for it to arrive and we pulled into Epcot 10 minutes later. The reason I know all these times is because I was enjoying recording them to make a point to DH when we got back home!!! It was a bit of a trial waiting in the baking sun for 40 minutes for the park to open but we were rewarded for our patience and rope drop attitude by been on the first Soarin flight of the day. I love this ride and the screen seemed a little clearer than it did last summer, less spots on it. Again I was using a personalised Touring Plan from the Touring Plans website and it served us very well this morning. I had FPP for Test Track, Spaceship Earth and Nemo, all of which had long lines by the time we got to them. It was very noticeable at Epcot that FPP has had a real impact on how lines work for different attractions. I have never in all my trips seen lines like I did on this day for either Spaceship Earth or Nemo.

    So the order our plan directed us in was as follows, and the whole thing worked like a dream and we did not stand in line at all, although there were long lines at all the attractions. Soarin, Living with the Land, Ellen (because the boys wont ride this we like it!), Test Track with FPP where we built a faintly ridiculous orange vehicle that again the boys would not have liked, Nemo (FPP), the tanks in The Seas, and then Spaceship Earth (FPP). At the end of Spaceship Earth we immediately got another FPP for the character spot for that minute and by passed a 45 minutes line to meet with Mickey and friends and on exiting picked up a FPP for Maelstrom for later on in the afternoon. Planned into this touring plan was an hour long shopping break in between Test Track and Nemo at the big shop in Epcot which is something we could never get away with with our boys in tow. I am remodelling my lounge room at home and wanted a lot of photograph frames and DD also had a list. After an hours shopping which we thoroughly enjoyed we were quite a bit cash lighter but had all our purchases packed to be shipped back to the resort. The main things we purchased were; 8 photograph frames, a fancy Mickey Mouse pen for DH for fathers day, several fridge magnets as obviously I havent already got loads of these (!), some birthday gifts for Freckles BFF, several key rings, an i-phone case for DH and a ruck sack for DD to use for school.

    After Spaceship Earth it was about 1.30pm and although we had a 5pm ADR we were starving having eaten nothing at all so far today apart from a cereal bar each on the bus. Here we made a fundamental error of judgement and went to the Rose and Crown for fish and chips. Freckles ate more than she usually eats in a week and I also downed a whole portion of fish and chips and an excellent pint of ice cold cider. I drew some stares from a young woman who clearly disapproved of me sitting there with a child drinking a pint. I just smiled my way through it. It was really good and we lucked out getting a table inside in the air conditioning, but it was perilously close to our ADR time at the Garden Grill. Filled up and energised we followed our feast by exploring Canada and the UK where I bought DH some of his favourite maple syrup and also a Helly Henson T-Shirt and DS a Rolling Stones T that I could probably have got for half the price at home. It was guilt driven. He still wasnt texting me. After these two pavilions we crossed the front of World Showcase to shop for Duffy Bear clothes in what used to be the shop to get such things. However, there was no Duffy merchandise left, that seems to be a thing of the past? So having saved some money we shopped in Mexico buying ceramic gifts for both the grandmas and also rode the Three Callebros with no real line, moving onto Norway where we by passed at 50 minute queue to ride Maelstrom with our FPP which for some reason is one of my favourite attractions. We wandered over to China in the boiling afternoon heat and I could feel Freckles starting to flag again. We took a Friendship Boat over to Future World (which in all my trips I have never done before) and Freckles wanted to go back to the big shop so she could have some personalised Mouse ears made for her. After the ears it was time for our ADR at the Garden Grill. I should have just cancelled and lost the $20 reservation fee because we were not hungry. Usually we love this meal but today is was a fail. Neither of us were even peckish (our fault of course), but tried to force some food down, the restaurant was not rotating and as we were sat right at the front our view was lousy. Freckles still enjoyed the characters and after the waitress worried about why we were not eating I explained what we had done and asked her to just not bother bringing us desert as we werent going to eat it. So, this $80 meal with 20% tip was a very expensive mistake which I will not be making again.

    By now it was around 6.30pm. It had been our plan to stay at Epcot all day and to watch Illuminations as this was to be our only day here. There were no FPP left for anything decent (indeed, the FPP for Test Track and Soarin had all gone by 11am, long before we had got through our first three), it was still 95 degrees, there were long lines for all the attractions and Freckles had some quite nasty blisters appearing. I certainly didnt want to shop again as we had already got through around $600 in the shops today, so with some regret I decided a happy child was worth more than my only chance this trip to watch Illuminations and we headed back to our resort on a bus we again didnt have to wait too long for.

    The air conditioned bus ride sorted us out a bit and back at the resort we picked up our swimming things and by 7.45pm we were both in the pool cooling down and having some fun. I didnt actually spend long in the pool but Freckles was really good and amused herself for a good two hours, again not finding a friend to play with though. It was 11.30pm by the time we hit the hay after showers but I am pretty sure we were both asleep within seconds of our heads hitting the pillow. So far we had been having a really lovely time together and I was relishing this special girls only time. I was missing my DS and his refusal to answer my texts had caused me some angst, but apart from that all was good.

    We enjoyed all the attractions we visited at Epcot today and had a blast particularly in Test Track and the Touring Plans guys did a great job supporting a personalised touring plan which meant despite the long lines at the park we queued for nothing all day. That said, the effect of FPP has not, in my view, been a good one at Epcot and on reflection will completely change how we attack this park on future trips. The tiering of FPP selections means that even with hitting rope drop it is seemingly impossible to have multiple turns on Test Track or Soarin unless you are prepared to wait in a long line which I am not. I think in future this will be a park we hit over two mornings and a few evenings for World Showcase combined with meals and Illuminations. It is not somewhere I would care to spend a full day in the heat with the impact of FPP creating long lines for attractions that previously did not have them.

    Day 4 Sunday 25th May

    Today I had anticipated we would be ready for a bit of a lie in, but I was still up and sitting on our balcony watching the world go by at 7am. Much as I was enjoying my daughters company, she does talk non-stop when awake so these early morning balcony moments were well received and a nice time for some quiet and reflection on the last few months. I must confess, it would have been much lovelier on these early mornings to be watching giraffe and the like, but the cost was so much higher than a standard room that I am glad I didnt actually pay for a savannah view. I think on reflection this beautiful resort would be great place to have a couple of days with a savannah view at the end of a trip, where the focus of the stay could be about the resort and the animal viewing. The table service restaurants here and at Kidani also look really good, but were not on the cards for us as Freckles not only eats very little but is also a very fussy eater.

    Freckles slept until 9am so it was a good job I hadnt planned another rope drop. As we had an early tea time ADR for Be Our Guest and plans to do the evening shows at Magic Kingdom we had decided to spend the morning at Downtown Disney. More shopping!!! This was an example though of where the new FPP system has its benefits as it meant we were guaranteed three good rides at least, even though we were not arriving until the late afternoon.

    Today was another boiling hot cloudless day and we found ourselves sweltering at the bus stop at 10.25am. A bus arrived almost immediately but this was the one journey where I would have to concede my husband was right. It took us a full 40 minutes until we finally got off the bus at DTD and I was pretty much losing the will to live by the time we finally got there. On disembarking from the bus I could immediately see this place is a bit of a mess at the moment. There are many construction walls in place and it feels all out of sorts and undone. Hopefully the changes will have been worth all the disruption. Learning from our mistake of yesterday and knowing we had a 4.30pm ADR we went for an early lunch at 11.30am at Wolfgang Puck Express where we both enjoyed the most excellent pizzas and a long chat about who our favourite One Direction person is This really is a great quick service location, which also has waiter service so I tipped 15%. The cost of our meal was $32.38 which I though was decent value for the quality we received. I shall definitely eat here again.

    As part of our vacation package we had received a free $100 gift voucher which could only be collected from the World of Disney, so this is where we went after lunch. I had decided to give this voucher to Freckles as a treat as it was free money, so she was thrilled to once again be shopping. Her purchases took us through World of Disney (a purse), Little Miss Match where we had a 20% money off voucher as well (PJs, a T-Shirt and socks), TrenD (another T-shirt) and Baisin, where we also had a 10% money off voucher (Mickey soap and bath salts). I spent my time watching her shop and texting DS and was eventually rewarded with a reply. It was only a two worder, Im fine, but made me feel a bit better!

    Another murderously long bus trip followed where you seem to just go around a big circle at DTD and a water park for 20 minutes before you go anywhere at all. Essentially you are back where you started nearly at DTD. Irritating. We were back in the room very briefly to drop off our purchases then back on a bus to MK where we arrived at about 2.45pm. We had a look up on the Main Street Station and were lucky to be able to squeeze in the front of the railing to watch the 3pm Festival of Fantasy Parade again. Wow what a view to see a parade! Looking at the top of the floats at eye level is just spectacular. The only reason we managed to do this was because someone who had been holding a space with a two chairs (who we were stood behind) oddly decided to leave 5 minutes before the parade, freeing up a great space. Again Lady Luck was smiling at us. We missed our Haunted Mansion FPP to watch the parade again but it was absolutely worth it. Freckles chattered away about what she was seeing and beamed for much of the parade. Another of those moments not to forget. As we had missed our FPP window we decided to take the train over to Toon Town where we had a goggle at the yummy treats at Big Top Treats but only shared one chocolate marshmallow treat as it would soon be our tea time. We noticed that soft openings for the 7DMT were still happening but as there was a 70 minute wait to ride we passed again still waiting for our FPP on official opening day.

    So at last it was time for our much sought after BoG reservation. We have eaten here once before and for me, it is all about the theming. I really do think that Disney have excelled themselves with this restaurant, it is like walking into a word that is magical, beautiful and unreal. We were seated on timeish at 4.40pm in the main hall on a little table for two, next to a mum and her young son who arrived about 15 minutes after us. Actually this little guy must have felt as though he was there on his own as his mum spent her entire time on her phone, not interacting with him or speaking to him at all. More of that later. We started by sharing the kids fruit bowl and an adult French onion soup which is the best French onion soup I have ever eaten anywhere. For entrees Freckles had the kids steak and I ordered the lamb, well done. I was at pains to explain that I really do only like lamb well done although I understand that is not how most restaurants cook it. Here it all went a bit wrong. I am not one for making a fuss on holiday, I tend to let everything apart from the really big deals slide over me, but when my lamb arrived it was very rare. Raw in fact. Still bleeding. I poked it about the plate for a minute before I had to concede I couldnt eat it, so I called the waiter and politely asked if it could be cooked a little bit more. I hate doing things like this. Well, it was a good 20 minutes before my meal reappeared and when it did it came out with the chef who was at pains to check if it was now okay. I am English with our traditional reserve. This was mortifying and I just wanted to crawl under my chair with shame at having made a fuss, even a polite one Freckles thought the whole thing was most amusing and made fun of me for the rest of the meal! She had enjoyed her well done steak and spent the time waiting for my lamb to re-appear chatting and chatting and chatting away.. When deserts came around Freckles chose The Grey Stuff, which frankly did not look delicious but actually was, and I chose chocolate cake which was very yummy. While we waited for desert a drama unfolded at the table next to us. The family had had to wait for longer than was acceptable for their meal really and they were still on their starters when we were eating desert. The mum had continued to eat while holding only her fork and continuing to text with her other hand. The little boy spilled his soup on his naked legs and burnt himself. This woman went berserk, calling for the manager, ranting and raving about his burn and generally making a scene that made my own little complaint pale into insignificance. Now. All I will say about this incident is if you dont parent your child; dont be surprised if they make a mistake Again though Freckles thought this whole drama was hysterical and spent the rest of the evening occasionally mimicking the woman and replaying the event while we wandered the Magic Kingdom!!!!

    Following our eventful meal at BoG we made the most of the new FPP possibilities by walking onto Peter Pan at 6.30pm while others endured a 50 minute line. We wandered over to the Jungle Cruise for our next FPP but at this point the humidity finally won out and heavens opened to a torrential Florida storm. The rain bounced off the pavement like bullets and Jungle Cruise was closed. After hiding in a shop for 10 minutes by which pint it was clear it was not stopping raining, we bought rain ponchos and ran through the puddles (which also made Freckles scream with laughter) to the Tikki Birds. It was still pouring down when we were done here so more mad running through puddles found us at the Hall of Presidents, where we had a nice rest. I actually find this show quite fascinating on several levels and Freckles also enjoys it much more than either of the boys.

    We then bought an expensive towel as it was just barely drizzling by this point and at 8.15pm grabbed a great parade viewing spot in the central hub and sat it out on the towel for 45 minutes until 9pm. Two minutes before show time it started to rain again and announcement came on that the parade was cancelled. Bummer we were not doing very well with evening entertainment so far this trip. While sitting and waiting for the parade I had received an e mail from Disney saying we could use our FPP that had been cancelled for Jungle Cruise on one of several rides, which surprisingly included Space Mountain. So after a fun showing of Philharmagic, another of my absolute favourites, we went over to Space where I asked Freckles if she wanted us to ride together or if she wanted two turns. She is a thrill junkie and unsurprisingly chose to ride twice alone! I got myself a hot tea to drink and sat it out at the entrance where she stopped briefly to blow me a kiss in between rides. She had been adopted in the FPP line by a nice young American couple so hadnt been without company. They sat and chatted with me while Freckles took her second ride and said some nice things about her, which is always nice to hear if you are a parent.

    These two rides on Space did mean that we were too late to get a decent spot to watch Wishes, but we watched it from near Tomorrowland and didnt have a bad view really of many of the fireworks. We caught some of the projection show on the castle from the main hub before wandering back to the bus stop where again we only had a short wait. I had to stand on the bus ride home and Freckles slept all the way and dropped straight into bed when we got back to the room. I had an hour on the balcony with a glass or two of wine and texted some friends and thought about what a lovely time we were having together. I even got another text from DS. Smiley face.

    Day 5 Monday 26th May

    Today was another early start for Freckles second favourite park, Animal Kingdom, which had early entry at 7am. I was up at 5am after only 5 hours sleep and dragged my DD out of bed and got her to the bus stop at 6.30am. That said we were both full of beans today and raring to go! We waited a while and arrived at AK just slightly before the 7am rope drop having endured some really ignorant people in line for the bus at AKL. They arrived last as a group of about 12 to a large already waiting crowd and got on first. Lovely manners. One of the youngsters of the group, perhaps about aged 10, sat next to Freckles on the bus and proceeded to have a major temper tantrum about having a grey Magic Band, shouting at his mother who was sitting opposite and doing nothing. At one point he confronted Freckles; Wouldnt you be mad if you had a grey magic band? Freckles said nothing for a moment then looked him squarely in the eye. If I were behaving like you, she said, I wouldnt have a magic band at all.. The bus stopped and I gratefully escaped dragging my DD behind me before this could escalate any further.

    Now, what I have not mentioned yet is that I really dont like thrill rides very much. Spinning I cannot do at all. It leaves me having to lie down in a darkened room. Freckles, she has the constitution of an Ox and could ride the scariest coasters all day. Last year at Sea World we had Express Passes and she did 8 trips on Manta in a loop Her brother gave up after 5. I had promised that as it was just the two of us for this trip I would ride everything that didnt spin at least once. So there we were, walking into the non-existent line at EE. At the front of the ride I felt sick. I felt mean. But I couldnt get on. Freckles was fine and said she would ride alone and even asked the Cast Member if she could sit at the front on her own! After this she went around twice more on her own saying she was having a blast and didnt mind and seemed to have a ball riding it with no wait. The second time she asked to sit at the back and made friends with a single rider and they rode together once more. This was quite funny to watch as her new friend was a 20 something male coaster junkie who was having his first trip to AK! After this we power walked to Primeval Hurl where again Freckles rode alone, twice this time without getting off. Despite our full bus from AKL the park was deserted. After the Hurl we wandered over to Dinosaur where there was literally no one else to be seen and rode together twice, again without even leaving the ride vehicle which he had completely to ourselves. We made the most of this and got two good ride photos with just the two of us in the vehicle. It was now time for our first FPP of the day back at Everest where again Freckles rode alone, twice, using my Magic band for her second trip. By the time we had done all this it was still only 8.40am!

    We left the rides for a while to walk the Maharaja Jungle Trek. This was disappointing and we may just have spied the back of a tigers head at one point. We followed this by walking the Pangani Forest Trail which was much better where we saw a lot of gorillas although I have to say I dont really like to see them in captivity like this at all. One of them looked really angry. I kind of agreed with his mood, stuck behind the glass with lots of sweaty humans pressing their noses up against it to peer at him. He showed us all his bum. Point made I think! The surprise of the day was the amount of time Freckles spent looking at all the little bugs and beasties in cages on the trail, she must have spent a good half hour in these rooms, reading the information and watching those nasty little critters.

    After our animal viewings it was time for our second FPP of the day on the safari. I was really glad to have it as the line was a 60 minute wait. The queue here was a mess. It was really hard to work out where to go to enter the FPP line and it was all somewhat chaotic. It was also boiling hot and made me bad tempered. Now, I have always read that you should take the safari early in the day when the animals are lively and we have never had a ride late morning before. What can I say, dont believe everything you read, this was the best safari we have ever had and we saw masses of animals, including the magnificent male lion who was standing on his rock. Freckles was sat by the window and got some really excellent shots just using my i-phone. Our guide spoke so fast I could not understand single word he said. He was speaking in gibberish to me! After our safari we spent quite some time watching the little monkeys and exploring some of the more hidden paths, before going to Tusker House for our ADR. We were seated on time and when we went to look at the food Freckles just gave me a lopsided grin and said, You do realise it will cake for lunch for me today, my taste buds dont do exotic? I just sighed and left her to it. Not worth a row. She did actually have a bit of salad. And a lot of cake I had a very nice glass of wine to help me not to say anything about her terrible eating habits. The character interaction here was efficient more than great fun but for me, the food was delicious. The cost of this meal was $85 plus a 20% tip. I was a pig and didnt really want to move after we were finished! By this time it was 1.45pm and we had a 2.30pm FPP for Nemo. After some consultation we decided we were too hot and bothered to wait for this show and we had done everything else we had planned so we did a little shopping, a track suit for Freckles and few gift items for my son (we do like to shop!) and wandered back to the bus where we arrived a little after 2.30pm and both fell immediately to sleep.

    It rained during the afternoon and remained somewhat overcast for the rest of the evening which we spent together in the pool and having dinner again at The Mara. I had an absolutely delicious Falafel Pitta and Freckles had a BLT hot dog and fries (without the BLT or the fries!). It was an early night with lights out at 10am as we had another early start at DHS the following day.

    I think today we were both starting to miss the boys and I am sure Freckles would have had more fun on the thrill rides with her DB. But neither of us admitted it.

    Day 6 Tuesday 27th May

    Today promised to be another monumentally boiling hot day and we were at the front of the line at DHS at 8am, sweating it out waiting for the 9am opening. Given the boredom factor and the lack of company I conceded to technology today and downloaded Instagram onto my i-phone for Freckles who then quite happily spent 45 minutes catching up with all the terribly important things she had missed on Instagram for the last several days. I had promised I would ride both Rock n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror and was determined not to let my daughter down after yesterday, so I spent the time waiting for the park to open getting my head in the right space to tackle them.

    We had another personalised Touring Plan today which had told us when to get FPP and overall it worked pretty well, as they had done at all the other parks apart from the 6am opening day at MK. We headed over to RnR when the park opened but for some reason they did no open the ride until 9.10am which was a pain and lost us some valuable time first thing. We missed out the Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow to compensate for this. Touring Plans had the park as a 4 crowd level today. No way was this a 4, the place was mobbed by 10am. I rode RnR with my eyes closed using the technique that works best for me, counting out loud until the ride stops. This makes Freckles laugh her head off! Thats fine, mission accomplished, I had ridden with her as promised. We followed this ride by the reduced audience participation Backlot Tour (this attraction is old now) and the refurbished Muppets which is Freckles absolutely favourite attraction of all time. It just makes her roar with laughter?! Then our plan really got pretty messed up. It was time for our FPP at Tower of Terror but due to a mechanical failure they only had one lift operating so we still waited 35 minutes in line. Three men jumped the rope to get in the FPP line and I enjoyed watching them be embarrassed at the second Mickey head stop when they couldnt get in as it would not light up for them. Freckles had another one of her moments when this happened and told the Cast Member they pushed in. They looked at her pretty murderously. She just swung her ponytail and gave them a snotty look.. I hated every second of the 6 or 7 drops on Tower of Terror but I did it. The photo we bought is pretty funny; I look by far the most terrified rider. Freckles was looking at the camera with both her thumbs up!

    After this torment we ate pizza and salad for lunch outside and then used our FPP for Toy Story Mania and for Star Tours, just getting to TSM at the end of our window. A great ride as always and Freckles was delighted to finally beat my score . We were already in our window for Star Tours when we finished this attraction, where we saw yet another terrible example of line jumping. A young man climbed into the FPP area to join his family just before you enter the ride vehicle. Given they count you in and he didnt have any 3D glasses he was clearly not going to be able to ride. It was already chaotic with an Italian football group of about 2 million little boys and not very many grown-ups in the area having a great if somewhat chaotic time and making a load of noise, which is how this guy managed to slip by unnoticed. Sure enough, we get in the ride vehicle and one of the little guys has no seat, but Mr Line jumper with no glasses does. I saw another woman tell the cast member what had happened and he was asked to leave. Quite right but wasted a lot of time for everyone else. This was a fun trip with all those little footballers who whooped their way through the attraction before leaving noisily in a mass of matching florescent shirts.

    By this point the wait at RnR and ToT had lost us so much time off our touring plan that we had to skip the planned showing of Indianna Jones and went and stood in line for Little Mermaid. This threatened to be a 30 minute wait but we were the last two guests to slip into the next show so in the end was only 10, which was a blessing what with the temperature tipping 98 degrees today. We both really love this show and it put us in a happy, girls mood, as this is another thing the boys can both live without. We then did a little browsing in the shops on our way to Beauty and Beast where we purposefully arrived early to secure decent seats but took some nice cold drinks with us to pass the time. The boys will not wait for this show so we always get terrible seats and I was happy to be making the most of doing what we liked to do without making concessions all the time. Seemingly there was also much work to be done on Instagram now the UK population of 12 year olds were also up and about This show made me smile as ever, I do love a bit of live singing and drama and we were both happy to rest our feet. Freckles suffered with many blisters this trip, but to be fair she just kept popping them, covering them up and soldiering on.

    After the show Freckles declared she was a girl in need of thrills. We spent 25 minutes in the RnR single rider line having picked up two more FPP for Tower of Terror, although I didnt ride that with her and she got two turns by swapping the Magic Bands around again, and then we went back on plan to ride the great Movie Ride. The wait was posted at 30 minutes which I am not doing for this attraction (TP has said the line would be 15 minutes long) so we mooched around One Mans Dream instead for the best part of an hour until our ADR at Mama Melroses which we had as part of the Fantasmic dining package. Freckles surprised me at her level of interest in One Mans Dream and asked about a gazillion questions that I could not answer. Our meal was good if somewhat huge; we both only managed half of what we ordered. The Fantasmic package includes an appetiser, entre and dessert which was way too much food really. For some reason I stopped writing down what the meals cost on this day so I cant tell you what we paid. After our yummy dinner we just managed to make the final showing of American Idol for the day where we enjoyed the air conditioning and felt the UK contestant who came second was really the best performer. There was a lady singing who said her occupation was a domestic engineer. Turns out she was a housewife with no kids. This made me chuckle! We still had some time to kill before Fantasmic but were both determined not to miss a third evenings entertainment so we went and watched Mulch, Sweat and Shears for a while where Freckles enjoyed watching some toddlers dancing more than she enjoyed the show on stage. She really loves younger children. We arrived at Fantasmic at 8.30pm with some nice cold drinks and were pleased to see we still got to use the central seating area so had a great view about a third of the way back. We sat and baked, did the wave, drank our drinks and enjoyed the show as ever.

    We immediately made our way through the sea of people soup back to the buses after Fantasmic as we were both completely shattered. Including queuing at the start of the day we had done 13 hours at DHS today in the absolutely baking heat and we were both asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows back in our room.

    Day 7 Wednesday 28th May

    Having been largely ignored by my DS all trip, I was rudely awakened by my phone going off at 3.45am with DS asking what time his dad should be at work, as he was still asleep in bed at home and DS felt sure he was late. Like I can deal with this in the middle of the night from Florida?! Anyway, deal with it I did and crashed back asleep wondering if my boys really were actually surviving without us

    It was with some very considerable difficulty that I dragged myself into the shower at 5.30am and with even more difficulty that I dragged Freckles out of bed and to the bus stop for 6.50am. Luckily a bus arrived almost immediately and took just me and Freckles to Magic Kingdom. No-one else was there! We arrived at the front of the park at 7.15am and got in the front of the breakfast line for our 8am ADR at Cinderellas Royal Table. Our plan was to be out and at the front of the queue ahead of the front of the park crowds for the grand official opening of the 7DMT at 9am that day.

    We were let into the park at 7.40am and were the very first on Main Street where I got some super cool shots of Freckles with absolutely no-one else around. There were about 50 people in the breakfast line behind us but not sure where they all went to for a few minutes because we did have Main Street to ourselves. Arriving first in the line for Cindys meant that DD was made Honorary Princess of the Day, for which she got a sticker, a table mat and was announced to everyone else in the dining room. Too old at 12? No way  freckles loved every minute of this and it may just have made the fact that she ate one pastry and some scrambled egg worth the cost of the meal.. I had the French toast which was absolutely scrumptious and a pile of fruit as DD didnt want to share. Boy was I stuffed by 8.40am that morning! I did quietly cancel further ADRs at Boma and Akershsus after this. It was costing a small fortune for DD to eat like a flea.

    Our plan of attack was always to be on the Mine Train first, this was really the main purpose of the early ADR inside the park, so we ate pretty fast and as soon as the last Princess had visited us we were out of there and found we were to be held at a rope, which we were at the front of, opposite Prince Charmings Regal Carousel. There were just a handful of breakfast people here, maybe 15 or so, and the cast member assured us we would be walked to either Anna and Elsa or the Mine Train but would certainly beat the crowds at the front of the park. And he reported it was very crowded there.. Well pah. They held us behind that rope until 9.01am and walked us painfully slowly towards our destinations. As we turned the corner to the Mine Train it was clear the front of the park had been let in somewhat early and there was a mad race going on while people sped towards the entrance of the ride. Freckles was incandescently angry!!!!!!! Still, she was angry whilst walking fast and we joined the mass of bodies and got into line, waiting only 10 minutes to finally experience this ride. We didnt have too much time to look at the interactive queue as it was a constantly moving line, but these elements looked pretty cool. The first thing I noticed as a girl who is three stone overweight, is that the seats have a ridge between the two spaces. Anyone who is really big is not going to fit their butts in these! I didnt notice a test seat on the way in. Now I was neither over nor under whelmed by this attraction. It is definitely pitched at the family market so the coaster elements are really very mild, and after all the hype I really barely noticed the car swinging from side to side. It was a really fun ride though and the animatronics were cool to look at. Its a shame the track isnt longer. As we had a FPP for 9.20am we got straight back in line after our first go and asked to sit at the back this time. This really enhances the ride; it is way more fun at the back. This time we took in a few more of the details and by two turns on this new attraction that we had both waited so long for we were both in giddy and good moods.

    However; Freckles plan for today had been characters all the way, and we had two more FPP for Cinderella and Anna and Elsa. It was absolutely scorching hot again and after the Mine Train Freckles declared she could not stand to wait in outside lines for characters all day. She was clearly very, very, tired. As our Anna and Elsa FP were not until 1.30pm this essentially meant we now had over three hours to kill. It was at this point I was eternally grateful that one, I know the park well and two, I have a daughter who enjoys all the attractions, not just the thrilling ones. In a new plan I swapped the Cindy FPP for one on the Speedway and then walked us over to the People Mover where we sat for two full turns around the track, just taking in the sights and enjoying been here together. After this gentle ride we went and watched the Carousel of Progress which of course had no line as ever, and still needs a new final scene adding as ever! It was then time for our Speedway FPP and Freckles did enjoy this daft attraction where she rode her own car for the first time. After this Freckles claimed to be hungry, which was majorly irritating given all the food she had not eaten at Cinderellas Royal Table a couple of hours before. I decided to let it go and we went and watched Sonny Eclipse in Cosmic Rays where DD had some fries and I had a coke. After this snack we waited 15 minutes to go in the Laugh Floor, which Freckles absolutely loves. She roared with laughter all the way through and once we came out wanted to go straight back into the next show, which is exactly what we did. I then agreed to Freckles waiting 15 minutes to ride the Tea Cups after which time it was finally time for out coveted turn with the great Anna and Elsa. The stand by line at 1.30pm when we arrived was 100 minutes and there people standing in this line with their little girls in princess dressing in the 95 degree sun. Now, how others choose to parent their kids is really none of my business, but this really is the definition of madness as far as I am concerned. Just say no folks. Just say no..

    Once inside the blessedly air conditioned attraction there were two families only ahead of us and one who came in right behind us. The princesses made a great deal of fuss of all the little girls and spent plenty of time with them all. I have no idea what it is about them that has captivated everyone so much, but all the girls in there, including Freckles, were absolutely over awed. Poor Rapunzel. Every kid in there walked straight past her and had to be reminded to go back and say hello!!!!! Mission accomplished we left the park, shopping just a little on our way out for Vinylmation figures for Freckles, arriving back at AKL by about 3pm. Freckles immediately fell into a deep, deep sleep and I set to packing our rather large collection of shopping into one of the three suitcases and sorting out all of our dirty laundry into another. This was followed by a solitary hour on the balcony where I contemplated we could probably have gone home tomorrow. We were having a wonderful time together, but we had pretty much done everything now and I really was missing my son, who was remaining largely uncommunicative.

    Freckles did not wake until 6pm, after which we went and ate at The Mara again. I had cancelled our ADR at Akershus and she didnt make a fuss. After a nice dinner we went to the pool where Freckles got in alone while I went to the bar. A cocktail was calling my name. After 15 minutes when she hadnt reappeared I started to panic. I was just really starting to get distressed when she appeared at my side, beaming from ear to ear. Ive made two friends mum! And that was it for the next 4 hours. I saw her to check in with me occasionally but she happily abandoned me for the company of other children, which was not surprising having only had an adult for company for a full week by this point. I spent a very relaxing 4 hours reading, writing up my trip notes, sipping a couple of cocktails and generally enjoying doing nothing. Freckles and her new friends were the last out of the pool when it was closed at 11pm (I never saw their parents) and after having a shower it was midnight before her happy little head finally hit the pillow.

    Day 8 - Thursday 29th May

    Today we had three early FPP at AK but I had no intention of waking Freckles after her late night so I changed them for three much later in the day and let her sleep. Easy to do off my i-phone and another plus for the new FPP system. This was a good thing as today she hit the wall, not even stirring until 10.30am and then only grumpily! I had bought us some breakfast from the food court the night before so we had a leisurely breakfast in the room before finally getting the bus to AK, arriving around 12.30pm.

    Our first FPP was for Dinosaur at 12pm so we went straight there and stood in a 15 minute line. The FPP lines seem to be longer during the middle of the day than legacy FP seemed to be. Or am I just impatient? By the time we got off our Safari FPP was open so we trekked over in the boiling midday heat to find they have sorted out the queue area for FPP which was now much easier to find and navigate. This was another 15 minute wait but followed by another really great safari. Today we did not see the lion but we saw a tonne of white rhino. The zebra were scare today as well. Our driver was a woman and much better than our driver earlier in the week. I could at least understand what she was saying! I have no doubt both drivers gave an almost identical spiel, but their impact was totally different. After the safari we waited in a 10 minute line to see Baloo the Bear and King Louis which we followed by some samosas (me) and ice-cream (Freckles) as a snack. This took us to our Everest FPP time and again Freckles used them both by swapping out our magic bands. We picked up a 5pm FPP for the Nemo show after Everest before wandering around with the map for an age trying to find one of the Wilderness Explorers stations. We never found it and eventually gave up as it was so hot and went to watch Tough to be Bug instead with a short line. I like this, it makes me smile.

    After TTBAB we wandered over to Nemo, where the FPP was weird. We had been told to arrive at 4.30pm, which we did, and the whole theatre seemed to open with no special area for FPP guests. There was however a surge of guests at 4.45pm so I am assuming they dont let the regular line in until 15 minutes after the FPP has opened. I love this show and we had great seats. I just find it very, very moving. I would pay to get into AK just to see this show; it always makes me cry.. In a good way though! After Nemo we were hungry so went for yet more of Freckles favourite food, Pizza, at Pizzafari. The place was strangely empty, it was really very odd been in there with only 3 other diners. Not sure what that was about. The pizza was okay. Not special, but okay. By the time we had finished our dinner it was 6.30pm and threatening to rain but on my MDE app Everest was only showing a 5 minute wait so we hiked back over there in a rapidly emptying park. There was no-one at Everest apart from about 20 people who were riding in a loop. Freckles joined them and managed to get three rides in just walking straight through the line each time up until park closing at 7pm. She was having a blast!!!

    I felt sure we were going to get drowned walking out of the park but the skies seemed to clear and we lucked out getting straight on a bus to the Magic Kingdom. It was really irritating not been able to get any FPP in advance of arriving at the park, then even more irritating to be told by a Cast Member that there were FPP booths at City Hall. There are not. Indeed the nearest ones are over at Buzz. We decided to get some drinks and go and sit it out at Main Street station for an hour and a bit and just wait for the parade. Dull but after the great view we got for the Festival of Fantasy Parade earlier in the week we wanted to try the same thing for the evening parade. Freckles happily amused herself with Instagram again as several of her friends were on line and I sat and dozed while listening to the gentle sounds of Main Street USA waft into my consciousness. It was a bit surreal really as the sun went down and all the lights went on around me. Right before the parade started I moved to put our rubbish in the bin and my space was immediately taken by a woman and her child. I was in no mood after staking out my spot for 75 minutes, especially as she could see what I was doing, so I politely moved her on.. Our patience was rewarded when the parade began. It started right in front of us so no hanging around and the view from up there was just as great as it had been for the day time parade. Both of us really enjoyed this and Freckles again happily chattered away throughout, asking many more questions I could not answer and giving me her view of the world. The characters on top of the floats are pretty much on eye level with guests on the Main Street station and DD was convinced they were waving just to her which made her happy.

    We got back to the buses quickly from this spot after the parade and were back at AKL by 9.40pm. I then spent a fruitless hour trying to book tickets on line at the DTD cinema for Malificent for the next day but the app was having none of it. I think it was because I didnt have a US post code. In the end I gave up and went to bed, but DD was very disappointed.

    Day 9 Friday 30th May

    Today would have been an ideal day to go to a water park to finish off our trip, but due to the opening of 7DMT we had ended up with another FPP for the new ride on this day which kind of tied us to MK. I knew we would be a MK a lot as it is Freckles favourite park, but we had been there even more than I anticipated! Our FPP did not kick in until midday so I allowed Freckles to have a very late sleep while I did more packing and we didnt arrive at MK until half an hour into our BTT FPP window. We walked all the way to the back of the park for one last trip on the wild train ride and then decided to watch County Bear Jamboree for old times sake as there wasnt a line. On our way back down to the front of the park we had a leather bracelet engraved for DDs BFF and got to Tonys for our 1.30pm ADR just on time. Tonys was a new restaurant for us and it started well, with us sharing and enjoying the zucchini fingers and dipping sauce. After this things went downhill for me. Freckles ordered chicken parmesan, one of the foods she really does enjoy, although it was so huge she only ate about a third of it. I decided to try Italian sausage and spaghetti. Now, I am not a fussy eater but I really hated this. It actually made my throat do that thing where it constricts and you cant swallow. I was embarrassed sending a nearly full plate of food back to the kitchen but was at pains to explain it was me and not the food. This of course made Freckles giggle like a mad woman watching me squirm again for the second time this trip in a restaurant. The strangest things amuse her! We shared a chocolate cake for desert which was particularly yum and I also had a coffee to calm my nerves. The meal was $85 with a 20% tip.
    Lunch finally over it was time for our third ride on the 7DMT and this time we asked to sit at the front. The ride was not as good as sitting at the back but it is always cool to have no-one in front of you. Knowing our trip was coming to an end we enjoyed our last ride on the Mine Train and giggled our way through the park to New Fantasyland, where we had a Le Frous brew in the girl souvenir mug, to make a set with the boy version we already have at home. We spent quite some time salivating over the very expensive Beauty and the Beast art, all well out of my price range, before heading over to our third FPP on the Jungle Cruise. Freckles claimed not to be able to recall this attraction at all from previous trips which meant it was essential she talked and asked many, many, questions all the way around Our skipper was a woman and not very funny. Oh well. You cant win em all I suppose. On disembarking Jungle Cruise we walked into a set of FPP booths so we decided to see what was immediately available. Lucky for us there was a set of two FPP for Splash Mountain starting in 10 minutes so off we raced to hopefully get soaked and cool us down!

    And that was finally that for our park experiences for this visit. We had one last shopping splurge where I purchased a gorgeous Mad Hatters Tea Pot, two matching tea cups and a set of Mad Hatter decorative plates and Freckles had a couple more Vinylmations. We took one last look down Main Street USA, my favourite street in the world, and waved it a melancholy goodbye as we were not sure when we would be returning. It looked as though the heavens were about to open and they did, but just a few seconds after we got on a bus back to AKL and it had stopped to a faint drizzle before we disembarked at our resort so that was lucky. On the bus I gave my seat up for a toddler which I noticed on this trip not enough people do in my opinion. Freckles made friends with the same sort of aged girl sitting next to her and they spent the journey exchanging compliments (it was too funny) Hey I love your glasses Thanks, I love your trainers Oh thanks I think your bag is really cool Youre accent is so cool But yours is cooler(!); and so it continued. I exchanged some amused looks with the other girls mum.

    Once back at the resort we rested up a bit in the room before undertaking some serious animal spotting around the resort, relaxing at one point on the rocking chairs appointed for this activity, just taking it all in and enjoying some of our last moments together this trip. It certainly had been a very special time for us indeed, making memories I will treasure forever. We stopped by the front desk and negotiated a late checkout at 1pm before eating dinner at The Mara one last time. Then we took the weeks washing to the laundry and settled into the pool for one last time. Freckles also spent about $20 in the arcade. Our laundry was not finished until nearly midnight and I have a great photo pf Freckles in her swimming robe slumped in the chairs, fast asleep outside the laundry room!

    This was a very late night for both of us, but particularly me as I was up until 2am packing. Still, we had nothing to do the next day apart from wait for ME to take us back to the airport and we were not been picked up until 2.30pm. I fell into bed, happy but ready to go home.

    Day 10 Saturday 31st May

    I did not wake up until 10am and allowed Freckles to sleep until nearly midday while I sat out on the balcony reflecting with a cup of tea after finishing up our last bits of packing. At 12.30pm I called Bell Services to collect our luggage for us and we hung out in the room until the very last minute at 1pm. We left the room and got some lunch again at The Mara and spent our last hour before ME arrived watching the animals on the safari. ME arrived right on time and stopped at Pop and Art of Animation on the way back to the airport. I paid a guy with a trolley $20 to take our luggage with us to the airline check in desk as we now had three large suitcases and two carry-on bags as well as a person sized plush Mickey Mouse.. I think I may have overpaid, he was very pleased with me! I had not been able to do on-line check in the night before for some reason and the seats I had pre-allocated us back in the UK were gone by the time we checked in. Not to worry, our new seats were in the bubble and on the back row, so that was fine with me. Its nice and quiet up there for a night flight.

    We had one last splurge in the Universal shop where I bought Freckles and her Grandma a Thing 1 and Thing 2 T-Shirt each which will amuse me when I can get them wearing them at the same time! We also bought several boxes of pretzels for friends and work colleagues. We had a quick meal in the food court before heading through security. They usually make Freckles cry here but we managed to get through in about half an hour on this occasion without incident. A wander around the duty free shop resulted in a few more purchases and I just had time for a cup of tea before we were called to board our flight which left bang on time and arrived back home right on time too. I wont bore you with the flight. It was boring and long. The PE alcohol helped me sleep for several hours though! Freckles was passed out for at least 4 hours of the flight too, so all in all not too torturous as these things go. We watched a great documentary about backing singers who have never quite made it to the big time. Very interesting and passed a good hour or so before we landed.

    Back in Blighty it was a frustrating Sunday morning at Manchester International Airport where we waited an absolute eternity for the luggage to come off the plane. There were no baggage trolleys anywhere to be seen and no staff either which meant we very nearly killed ourselves dragging all our luggage to the spot where we were to meet our taxi driver. He was of course waiting as the luggage had been so late to arrive. The drive home was fine and Freckles slept all the way. I was delighted to get back in through my front door where my DS was waiting for me and happy I was home.

    This was an unexpected trip and a very magical visit indeed. I hope you enjoyed sharing our very special adventure with us x

    Ps - DS has had a change of heart about Disney, so we are booked to go again (yippee!!!) in summer 2015, where we will be enjoying 5 days Universal staying Club Level at the Hard Rock Hotel before moving onto Old Key West in a one bedroom villa with the dining plan for a fortnight. Better start saving up again.
     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

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  3. #2

    A few i phone snaps of our trip.



















     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

  4. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Modesto, CA

    Loved reading all the Disney details. What a wonderful trip. So sorry to hear about your Dad. We planned our 2010 trip while Darren's Dad was dying from cancer. It was such a positive distraction during a stressful time.

    While you were on this trip DD and I were in NYC. I totally related to your feelings about leaving DS behind. My savior was that DS's favorite cousin in the world was visiting that weekend from Idaho. He doesn't even know I am gone when his dear cousin is around. I was able to enjoy NYC guilt free.

    We will have to try Wolfgang Puck's Express. Also thrilled with your comments regarding the french onion soup at BOG. DH's favorite soup ever. He cannot wait to give it a go now.

    I too do not like ToT at all. Dropping multiple times at random sequence is my idea of a miserable time. However, I will go on it once during our December trip to please DS and DD. After that, I never plan to ride it again!!!

    Thank you for taking the time to write out a full report. It was a joy to read.


  5. #4
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
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    Drexel Hill, PA

    Great report Scoobydooby. I appreciate the info about the fast pass locations. I think it's cool that you and your daughter were able to have an awesome trip together,


  6. #5

    Always fun to read your reports Scoobydooby. Nice snaps too.

    Cheers Larry.

    Check out my Disney Blog - Photographing Disney, Mainly Photos but some of the old Larry Humour/Humor - http://www.photographingdisney.blogspot.com

  7. #6

    Wonderful report. Thanks so much for sharing.
    So sorry about your Dad. But the memories you have and made on this trip are priceless.
    Ellen


  8. #7

    Congratulations on riding the Tower of Terror with your daughter! Great trip report and photos.

    Michael and Kellis August 2016 Trip with 25 Friends and family
    http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?234828
    Common Walt Disney World Wild Birds http://bochnik.com/disneybirds/disneybirds.htm
    Our other Disney Trips (including our Disneymoon): Kelli and Mike's Adventures http://www.bochnik.com/

  9. #8

    Thank you all for reading. Here are some food pics. I know everyone likes those!!!!

    Garden Grill.




    Rose and Crown Pub


    Tusker House






    Cinderella's Royal Table




     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

  10. #9

    Food continued....

    Tony's








    Mama Melroses









     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

  11. #10

    Snacks














     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

  12. #11

    Great photos! Looks like some yummy in the tummy!

    If you can dream it, you can do it. ~ Walt Disney ~
    1982 Off-site, BC 9/01, ASMo 1/04, ASMu 8-9/08, POFQ 4/09, BC/POR 7/10, AKL and Wyndham Grand Resort at Bonnet Creek 7&8/12, CS 11/12, Disney Dream 3/13, POR and BW 12/13-1/14, Pop Century 7/14, Fort Wilderness 8/15, POR/AoA (MNSSHP and Food and Wine Festival 10/15), Fort Wilderness 7/16, Off-site 12/16, Off-site 12/17, Off-site 12/18 and Disney Magic, 7/19 Off-site DL/DCA

  13. #12
    Registered User ericles's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Maryland's Eastern Shore

    I really enjoyed your trip report Scooby - it sounds like a fun time was had by both of you!


  14. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by mickeymom5 View Post
    Great photos! Looks like some yummy in the tummy!
    Yep. I didn't get any thinner!!!
     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

  15. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by ericles View Post
    I really enjoyed your trip report Scooby - it sounds like a fun time was had by both of you!
    Thanks for reading. Yes we had a wonderful time thanks. Great memories.
     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

  16. #15

    Great Trip report and Pictures scoobydooby! Thanks for sharing! Looks like a great and magical trip!

    Offsite 77, FW 80, Offsite 88, Offsite 90, Offsite 92, Offsite 97, CSR 04, POR 06, CR 08, POR 09, Offsite 09, Poly 10, POR 11, Offsite 11, Offsite 12, VWL 12, Poly 13, SSR 13, OffSite 13, OKW 14, CBR 15, DL 17, PCR 17, DL 18, Offsite 19
    Chris

  17. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by CBFETT View Post
    Great Trip report and Pictures scoobydooby! Thanks for sharing! Looks like a great and magical trip!
    Thanks for taking the time to read it
     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

  18. #17

    Fabulous report, loved every word! I sure hope the boys at home found some way to amuse themselves but it seems like a girl's trip is just what the doctor ordered! You managed to cram in a lot of attractions so I applaud you Commando Mom and Daughter. The photos look wonderful (love the magic bands one!) and the food makes me so hungry and missing WDW delish restaurants.

    The phone app is the only thing that sort of makes the trip bearable with the crowds! Who knows what will happen once everyone has figured it out. Just like regular FPs - people who adapted early benefited a lot but once everyone has it somewhat figured out it starts to be a frustrating system.

    Lucky you with CP and BoG ADRs! One day I'll get in there!!!! Hahahah! I really hope that mom in BoG didn't turn around a sue Disney. I'm so tired of seeing parents scream and yell and blame instead of being more attentive. Had she been focused on him would he of spilled his soup? Maybe? Or maybe she would of noticed he was being a little careless. Besides, why would you want your child's memories to be of you on the phone. Ugh! /rant - stepping off my soapbox

    Glad to see your girl is still happy being a girl. Kids grow up far too fast today and I'm hoping to keep my precious babes young as possible. I also think the magic of Disney helps a bit too!

    Just a few notes below:

    Quote Originally Posted by scoobydooby View Post
    She eventually turned to look at me and simply said, I love you mum.
    Oh so lovely! This made me tear a bit - it's something I hope to hear one day and I can imagine how wonderful it sounded.

    Quote Originally Posted by scoobydooby View Post
    which was only marginally spoilt by a very large woman deciding to watch the show through her i-pad which she held in front of my line of vision.
    Does anyone else find this just weird? I mean - an iPhone I get, it's small and the size of many cameras, but an iPad??? It's not like the quality is any better and it's so obnoxious. Also - it's huge! I feel like mine would break in the first few hours from fumbling around in my bag.

    Quote Originally Posted by scoobydooby View Post
    I drew some stares from a young woman who clearly disapproved of me sitting there with a child drinking a pint.
    Florida has such an odd division of people. I see teetotalers on one side, lushes on the other, and then the rest of us who just enjoy a nice glass once in awhile. Disneyland is different in that you can't drink in that park and I rarely see intoxicated people at DCA but I believe that is because they have all hunkered down at the bars.

    Quote Originally Posted by scoobydooby View Post
    If I were behaving like you, she said, I wouldnt have a magic band at all.
    Huzzah! Way to go Freckles! And way to go scoobydooby for raising a child who is grateful!

  19. #18

    I loved your report! You girls sound as if you had a wonderful time. I enjoyed reading this so much that I read most of it after going to the eye doctor and having my eyes dilated, painful but worth it.

    WDW 2008 off-site, WDW 2010 Polynesian (Club), WDW Polynesian Dec 15-21 2011 (Club), WDW WL Nov 20-Nov 27 2014

  20. #19
    Registered User Silvercat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Birmingham, UK

    Wonderful report, my friend! Really enjoyed reading it, your style of writing is such that I felt I was there with you!

    Yikes to the cost of the food though - we have had free dining for the last few visits, and I guess I forgot just how expensive Disney meals can be! You should have taken my son instead, as a teenager he could eat an entire restaurant in one sitting and would have been better value for money! (Although he wouldn't have looked anywhere NEAR as cute as your lovely Freckles does!)

    Thank you for taking the time to write the report, it really was fun to read. Glad to see your DS has had a change of heart and you are planning for next year now.

    Silvercat

    (Enjoy reading trip reports? Why not try my books, "Tiggerific Travels" - all 4 books available now as e-books)

  21. #20

    Thanks for reading LoveCats, Tater and Silvercat.

    LoveCats. You are going to have such fun at WDW with your children. I found aged 5 to 8 the absolute magic years. Wish I could do them again. Enjoy

     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

  22. #21

    Loved the photos of the Fish and Chips, yummm. Isn't it great that they include the fake newspaper insert. They probably don't know that the "Health and Safety Wombles" banned actual newspaper years ago in the UK.

    Check out my Disney Blog - Photographing Disney, Mainly Photos but some of the old Larry Humour/Humor - http://www.photographingdisney.blogspot.com

  23. #22
    At home in the hills candles71's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    foresthill Ca

    I loved reading your report, Thank you for taking the time to post it. As the mother of a 12 year old....... I suggest a youtube search of Disney Dudez or IM5. (Same people but start with Disney Dudez, there are 3 videos that will make you laugh. ) My girls and their friends and cousins, who all love 1D, love IM5 as well.


  24. #23

    Thanks Candles. We'll check that out

     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

  25. #24

    Scooby I just finished reading your post and wanted to let you know that the Fastpass booths are at City Hall at the Magic Kingdom. You have to go inside City Hall and they are on your right and left up against the window. BTW, I see you mention you are going to Old Key West next summer. Have you ever been to OKW? Were you able to get UK discounts? OKW is my families favorite resort. I was there in April and will be going back with my parents this November. Thank you for writing. Looking forward to your trip report next year. Also I hope your son had a reason why he did not text you back. Take care.


  26. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by disneyokw1 View Post
    Scooby I just finished reading your post and wanted to let you know that the Fastpass booths are at City Hall at the Magic Kingdom. You have to go inside City Hall and they are on your right and left up against the window. BTW, I see you mention you are going to Old Key West next summer. Have you ever been to OKW? Were you able to get UK discounts? OKW is my families favorite resort. I was there in April and will be going back with my parents this November. Thank you for writing. Looking forward to your trip report next year. Also I hope your son had a reason why he did not text you back. Take care.
    Ha ha yes. My son's reason is he is a teenage boy!!!! This will be our first time at OKW we are looking forward to the space of a one bed villa. We managed to get 30% off with free regular dining plan. Still costing me a fortune though!! Thanks for reading.
     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

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