One Day, Three Parks...A day packed full of food, fun & Flight of Passage

[dianachaney77]

Hi everyone! Welcome to my second TR!!! I love being able to relive our adventures and share them with anyone interested in following along!

I am Diana and this is my second time visiting DW. The first time we went to DW was last October to celebrate my 40th birthday. I am traveling with my DH, Casey, and our DS, Caleb. This was a quick, one-day trip, but worth every minute (and calorie).

I am thankful that both my DH and DS love Disney as much as I do. We hope to have many more trips to DW in our near future!

The Cast

Planning

After DH's retirement we moved from California to Jacksonville, Florida. We knew one of the first things we wanted to do was squeeze in a quick trip to Disney World. Since our trip last year, we have been dying to get back!

Initially, I was apprehensive about going in early August, but after some input from the boards I decided it was worth fighting the crowds and dealing with the heat.

We were limited on which days we could visit due to my husband’s new job and my son starting school so we decided to drive down on Friday, August 10th, spend Saturday in the parks and then head home on Sunday morning.

We decided not to stay on site this trip because I found a great deal at the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott - Orlando Lake Buena Vista and they offer a complimentary breakfast. We were pleasantly surprised by all the offerings and never left hungry. I love being able to save money on breakfast so I can spend it on other treats in the parks!

I ordered our park tickets from Shades of Green and they arrived in plenty of time to select our Fastpasses 30 days prior. We knew we would start the day in Epcot so I made the following FP selections:

9:40 AM – 10:40 AM Soarin’
11:35 AM – 12:35 PM Spaceship Earth
1:40 PM – 2:40 PM Living with the Land

I also made an ADR at 50’s PrimeTime Café at 4:15 pm. The plan was to leave Epcot around 3 pm and head to Hollywood Studios in plenty of time for our ADR. After dinner we didn’t make any solid plans and figured we would just play it by ear.

Once I had all the details dialed in we would begin our countdown. Lucky for us we had so much going on the time just flew by.

 

[dianachaney77]

Friday, August 10th

The day finally arrived and we were headed to Orlando!!! It took us about 2 hours and 40 minutes to get to Disney Springs. I was concerned traffic would be really bad because it was a Friday afternoon, but luckily there was very little traffic.

We were extremely hungry by the time we arrived and headed straight to D-Luxe Burger. The line was rather long, which I expected on a Friday evening. I decided to check the My Disney Experience app and see if I could place a mobile order, lucky for us I could! We placed our order and went to find a table.

The views from the outdoor patio where we were seated.

It didn’t take long before I received a text message to check in for a pager. I was surprised at how quickly our food arrived.
I ordered the Southern burger, DH ordered the EL Diablo burger and DS played it safe and went with the grilled cheese. The food was delicious!

It took a little longer for our S’mores Gelato Shake to arrive, but it was totally worth the wait. It was AMAZING!!!

After dinner we wandered around the shops in Disney Springs. Once our food settled I had a very important stop I had to make, Amorette’s Patisserie! I have been dreaming about trying the Mickey Mousse cake and it did not disappoint!!!

We stopped in a few more stores on our way out of DS before we headed back to the hotel. It was a relaxing evening with a fairly early bedtime so we would be well rested for the busy day ahead of us.

Next up three parks in one day - rope drop to close!!!!

 

[dianachaney77]

Saturday, August 11th

We woke up a little after 6, showered and then headed down for breakfast. Once we finished with breakfast we headed back up to the room to finish getting ready and pack up our park bag. I made sure everyone packed an extra set of clothes and shoes, just in case we got soaked. It is no fun walking around in wet clothes or shoes all day...learned this the hard way!

We were on the road and driving under this beautiful sign just before 8 am. Woohoo!!!

Our plan was to get to Epcot early so we could get on Test Track or Frozen Ever After prior to our first FP. But first a quick stop to get the family pic in front of the iconic Epcot Ball.

While we were waiting for the park to open we were entertained by the Jaminators. We were a few people back from the front so we were able to get a decent view of them. They helped distract me from the fact that it was already hot and humid out. I am so glad we had our necklace fans. Those were a lifesaver!!!

Once the rope dropped we headed straight to Test Track...along with the majority of the crowd. Since we were so close to the front we were inside the Design Studio and making our vehicle by 9:05 am.

Here is the vehicle he created.

Once we were off of TT we headed over to Frozen Ever After.

We didn’t get a chance to ride this in October so I was really excited to finally ride it. We only waited a few minutes before boarding our boat.

The part where it goes backwards was a nice surprise for my DH and DS. I had known about this from reading other TR’s, but I kept this bit of info to myself. Even though our DS is not a fan of Frozen, he really liked the ride and said he would go on it again. My DH didn’t know that this was an actual ride, he thought it was a Frozen show. I am sure he was quite relieved that it was a ride! LOL

It was a nearing 10 am and we decided it was a great time to grab a snack. We stopped and grabbed some lefse and school bread to share. It was just as good as we had remembered.

I stopped real quick to grab this photo.

We started to make our way to Soarin’ for our first FP of the day but decided to hop on Journey into Imagination first. This was an interesting ride, but not something we feel the need to ride again.

Now we were on our way to Soarin’. We asked to be seated in the front middle row (our favorite spot) and the CM gladly obliged. As always, we enjoyed Soarin’ Around the World.

Stopped real quick to grab this photo. By this time DS was getting really annoyed with taking pictures.

We decided that we wanted to find something more substantial to eat so we started walking around the world. It was barely 11 am and realized several of the restaurants weren’t open until 11:30 so we just kept walking. We ended up in Morocco at the Tangeriene Café. I read in a few TR’s that the Shawarma Chicken and Lamb platter was delicious and plentiful so that sounded perfect for us. We split the platter between the three of us and really enjoyed it. I wish I had remembered to take a picture.

It was very warm and humid at this point so we stopped at Oasis Slushies for an ice-cold beverage. DH and I ordered Sultan’s Colada to share which is Rum, Pineapple, Coconut Juice and Almond Liqueur. It was really good and I would definitely order it again.

DS needed something cool too so we stopped at Kabuki Café so he could get the Rainbow Kakigori. As soon as we got his shaved ice the skies opened up on us. We quickly donned our ponchos and headed for cover. We sat and relaxed while patiently waiting for the storm to move on.

Once the rain slowed down we headed to Spaceship Earth for our second FP of the day. I ended up making a quick stop in Germany for a Caramel S’more. I put this in our bag to save for later. I guess several people decided to go on SE to escape the downpour so the line was a bit hectic to navigate but once in the FP line it wasn’t long before we were on the ride.

When we got off of the ride I started to worry that my Caramel S’more might melt in our bag so I decided it was best if we stopped to eat it. I just couldn’t take the chance of it turning into a melty mess. LOL!

(Back Story: In October I decided the You Are Here mugs from all the parks would be my main souvenirs from the trip. Sadly, Epcot was the last mug I needed and when I went to Starbucks to buy it they no longer had them. Fast forward to May of this year and my girlfriend confirmed they had them again. I could only hope they would still have them in August.)

After we finished up our sweet treat we ran into Starbucks and it was my lucky day…there was the mug I was missing! I was so happy!!! I now had the last mug I needed to complete my set.

There was a short wait on The Seas with Nemo & Friends so we headed that way.

After the ride we walked around the aquarium and of course went over to check out the manatees. We were only able to see one this time.

We still had a little bit of time before our third FP of the day so we decided to grab something to share from Sunshine Seasons. We had an ahi tuna and noodle dish (not sure of the proper name) which was really good!!!

After our little snack we got on Living with the Land. This is always a great ride to rest your legs and cool off.

It was a little after 2:30 at this point and we decided to head out of Epcot and make our way to Hollywood Studios.

 

[dianachaney77]

When I left off we were heading over to Hollywood Studios.

There was a very short wait for Star Tours so DH and DS headed over there while I stopped to enjoy one of my favorite beers, Schofferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen.

Once they met back up with me we still had some time before our ADR. We walked through a couple of the stores until it was time to check-in at 50's PrimeTime Cafe.

We only waited a few minutes before we were seated.

We ate here back in October and really enjoyed the atmosphere and the food. We all ordered our own meal and didn’t have room for dessert so it was my mission this time to not eat too much so we could try Dad’s Favorite Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layered Cake. DH and I split the Sampling of Mom’s Favorite Recipes. I love meatloaf and DH isn’t a fan so I ate the meatloaf, he ate the fried chicken and we split the pot roast. It was all very good and the perfect amount so we could also enjoy dessert. We ordered the cake al a mode and it was delicious!

I don’t know why I am so bad about taking food pictures for my TR’s. I keep saying I will get better about this and here we are…no pics of our dinner or dessert.

After dinner we headed to Toy Story Land.

We went on Toy Story Midway Mania first as it had the shortest wait of the three rides. After TSMM we checked the time for Alien Swirling Saucers and it was down to 45 minutes so we decided to go ahead and get in line.

I thought this ride was really cute. I love the Aliens!

We were going back and forth on whether we wanted to get in line for Slinky Dog Dash or head over to Animal Kingdom for Flight of Passage. The wait for SDD was just over two hours at this point so we decided to head to AK.

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a great day so far! If you only have one day in the parks you definitely have to make the most of it and you seem to be doing just that!

 

[Eve & Wall-e]

That Mickey Mousse Cake looks delicious! I want to try the lefse at Norway next time. I'm enjoying reading your trip report. Looking forward to the rest of your day.

 

[dianachaney77]

Sounds like a great day so far! If you only have one day in the parks you definitely have to make the most of it and you seem to be doing just that!

It really was a great day! We definitely left that evening feeling like we made the most of it!!!

 

[dianachaney77]

That Mickey Mousse Cake looks delicious! I want to try the lefse at Norway next time. I'm enjoying reading your trip report. Looking forward to the rest of your day.

That cake IS delicious!!! You have to try it the next time you are there. We enjoyed the Lefse as well. It is so hard to only be in the parks for one day, there were so many other things I would have loved to try/eat! I guess I will just have to make up for it when we go in October.

 

[dianachaney77]

When I last left off we had decided to head over to Animal Kingdom.

Feeling pretty good about our decision at this point!

I just love this tree!!!

When we entered the park the wait for FoP was just over an hour while the wait for Kilimanjaro Safari was only 20 minutes. I really wanted to go on the Safari in the evening since we went in the morning back in October. I thought we might see some different animals out at this time and I thought it would be cool at dusk.

We entered the line and within minutes were almost to the boarding area. Something ended up happening and several vehicles passed by without stopping to board anyone. I was getting a little worried, but after four or five vehicles passed by they started boarding like normal. Not sure what that was all about...

And off we go onto our adventure...

Giraffes! My favorite!!!

As we were stopped at one point I looked to the left and saw this rhino coming out of the bushes. The photo from my phone isn't the best, but he was only 8 feet from our vehicle!!! The driver let us grab a few photos but then started driving, he said they can only see about six feet in front of them and we wouldn't want to be sitting there when he gets within six feet. LOL!

And we were finally able to see the lion with two lionesses.

Between the rhino and the lion we agreed it was definitely worth going on, that is until we got over to FoP and saw the wait was up to 150 minutes.

We quickly realized we should have went on FoP first. We debated skipping it all together, but DS really wanted to go on this ride again so we got in line.

It's so pretty in the evening.

From the time we entered the line to the time we got on the ride was around 1 hour and 45 minutes. That ended up being way better than 150 minutes!

By the time we were off the ride the park was closed so we leisurely made our way out of the park. On the drive back we reflected on our day and were extremely happy that we were able to do as much as we did and visit three of the four parks. Overall it was a successful day and we can’t wait to go back!!!

Thanks for reading along!

 

[Eve & Wall-e]

My favorite attraction at AK is the safari ride. Glad you had a good time.

 

[dianachaney77]

My favorite attraction at AK is the safari ride. Glad you had a good time.

Thank you!!!

 

[pattyw]

Wow! You guys did so much in one day!! I like your pictures!
I'm just starting to remember to take pictures of our meals!

I enjoyed reading about your trip!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a great evening at AK doing the safari and FoP! What a great Disney day!

 

[dianachaney77]

Wow! You guys did so much in one day!! I like your pictures!
I'm just starting to remember to take pictures of our meals!

I enjoyed reading about your trip!

I am glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading along!
I am definitely going to take more food pics when we go again in October.

 

[dianachaney77]

Sounds like a great evening at AK doing the safari and FoP! What a great Disney day!

In my opinion any day at Disney is a great day!!!
32 more days until we will be there again!!!

 

[mesgram]

Sounds like a really fun day. I hope you have fun on your next trip!!

 

[thumper*]

Loved your TR Thanks for taking the time to write it up and share. Thank Your husband for his service to our country as an Army brat I appreciate his and your families sacrifices.





QUOTE="dianachaney77, post: 59751499, member: 172341"]

[/QUOTE] I was excite dwhen I saw the LIon standing on our last Safari but this pic is awesome it appears that you got him mid roar. Look forward to hopefully reading more TR's from you now that you live that close.

 

[lucas]

Great report! I love seeing all your pictures.

 

[dianachaney77]

Sounds like a really fun day. I hope you have fun on your next trip!!

Thank you!!!

 

[dianachaney77]

Loved your TR Thanks for taking the time to write it up and share. Thank Your husband for his service to our country as an Army brat I appreciate his and your families sacrifices.

Thanks for reading along! I will pass on your gratitude to my husband. As you very well know military families and their servicemembers make a lot of sacrifices, but we wouldn't have it any other way!