Hollywood Studios--Park #4

Hollywood Studios.  Our last new park of the week.  This was honestly the one I was least looking forward to, mainly because it doesn't seem to have quite as much for the kids, and I just don't know as much about it.

 There were the characters we didn't really know (but for some reason, Bug was determined to get his picture taken with Stitch.)

 Mixed in with some of the favorites.

 There were some awesome things--like the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area, which the kids absolultely loved.

 And a stunt show that even Peanut liked.  I actually couldn't believe he liked it with how loud it was, but I guess all the cars racing around was enough to keep his attention.  I think by this point, he'd also accepted that this was his new reality and just how life was going to be.  He seemed less shell-shocked and more resigned to a world of strange people, loud noises, dark buildings, and jerky rides.

 But a lot of the rides were just a little too much.  Daddy-o was the only one who actually liked the Tower of Terror.  Bean went on it with him, but said she'd never go again.  I wouldn't even go the first time--I'm not much for straight drops.

 Everyone but Bug (and Peanut) did go on the Rock'n'Roller Coaster, and it was fun, but by far, the favorite ride was Toy Story Mania, which unfortunately had such a long line, we only did it once.

 The boys and I got to watch ANOTHER parade while the brave part of the family did the Tower of Terror, and once again, there were some favorite characters like these guys, and then some that we weren't sure who they were.  We don't have cable, so we haven't seen a lot of the Disney channel shows.

That night, they did have a pretty impressive Christmas light display--the whole back part of the park was lit up, and the massive crowds of people were there to enjoy it.  It was by far the most crowded time for us all week, which we're grateful that it wasn't like that the whole time.  We went along with the crowds to see the lights, and get the Mickey pretzels we'd been promising the kids all day.

One Last Magic Kingdom

 Last day at the Magic Kingdom and we still had Tomorrow Land to explore as well as a couple others stops in the park.  The kids had fun on the rides (except Space Mountain--they weren't so impressed by that one).

 Then, we headed over to the new part of Fantasyland again to try out the Beauty and the Beast Castle lunch.  The dining room was amazing--they did such a fantastic job recreating the castle.

 And the food was pretty tasty as well--a big step up from the typical counter service.
deluxe sandwiches, quinoa salad, and gourmet cupcakes.

 Chip and Dale--very silly and had Bug laughing hysterically.

 Tom Sawyer's fort--Bean and Bug had to be talked into going over to the island, and then could barely be dragged away.

 This little Bug was in heaven shooting guns at the fort.  In spite of everything I've done to discourage the gun thing, it seems to be ingrained into this little boy.

 Pirate show with Jack Sparrow--a very impressive version.

 We called it a day a little early, which was hard since it was our last day, but we had fun plans for the evening as well.  A little boat ride from the harbor at our hotel over to Downtown Disney, and then we had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe.

 I've been so excited to take the kids here, and Bean and Bug did really enjoy it, but the thunderstorms every 15 minutes terrified Peanut, he hated the animals, and the food was the least interesting of all our sitdown meals that week.  But the atmosphere really was fun for the kids.

 And then we got to go to the Lego store.  I think this was almost as exciting as the whole Disneyworld trip for these kids.  They LOVE Legos and the lifesize models are amazing.

 Even Peanut had fun in the construction room.

This picture makes me laugh--even the Disney gift shops are just over the top.  But its all part of the fun.

Return to the Magic Kingdom

 Day 2 and we headed to a different part of the park.

 Time for one of our all-time favorites, Pirates of the Carribean.

 And the Swiss Family Treehouse,

 Waiting for the Dole Whips and the Tiki Room show,

 Peanut and I visited Tom Sawyer Island, where Peanut was only interested in picking up small items off the ground and throwing them in the water,

 while everyone else returned to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  Then, we attempted our first afternoon break from the park.  All the tips for managing small kids at the parks include heading back to your hotel for a nap and/or pool break.  Since this was the first night we were staying out for a parade and fireworks, we thought we'd try it.  But almost half of our 3.5 hour break was spent getting from one place to another.  And on the way back to the hotel, the wind picked up and the sun dissappeared, which meant swimming was no longer on the agenda.  Honestly, other than the fact that Peanut took his nap in his bed instead of on me, it felt like a big waste.  Another learning moment.

 When we got back to the park, we had another character meal--this time an early dinner at the Crystal Palace.  When we got the free dining plan, we realized that we could book a character meal every single day if we really wanted.  We didn't do that, but we did go ahead and book three of them throughout the week.

 This one was with Winnie the Pooh and friends.  The kids had fun meeting the Hundred Acre woods crowd, and we got smart and sat Peanut on the far side of the table so no one could get too close.

 Eyeore was a favorite.

 And the view of the castle from our table was pretty awesome.

 By the time we got out, people were already lining up for the parade.  It made for a long hour with the kids, who got really silly--I think 4 days of not enough sleep and tons of walking were really catching up with everyone by this point.  At least they mixed silliness in with the crying.

 The Mainstreet Electrical Parade was worth it, though.  Even Peanut was interested in all the lights and music.

 And the castle looked so pretty and was a great backdrop for the fireworks.

 Main Street at night felt very Christmasy.

End of the night and we were still smiling!  It was pretty intermitent, but we kept reminding the kids that we were coming back for one more day, so anything we'd missed we would hit the next day.

I'm actually really glad that we weren't there at a time when the parks have long hours.  8 p.m. was plenty late enough for us--I can't imagine doing a midnight closing until our kids are much older.

Animal Kingdom

 Next up was Animal Kingdom.  Just a little note about one of the things we really struggled with on this trip:  Everything I'd read said to try to get there before the parks opened so you could be some of the first people in, to grab fastpasses for one ride and then get on one of the most popular rides.  Well, our kids happen to be some of the SLOWEST people I have ever met when it comes to getting ready for the day.  It's the same thing at our house every morning, so I don't know why I would have ever expected anything different.  In fact, that is probably my biggest take away for this vacation--know your kids.  Because however they are at home, they will be the same, only moreso.  Disney is bigger than life.

But back to our mornings, we don't really get to sleep in, ever, so it wasn't that we had to be up really early, and the parks weren't usually opening until 9 on the days we were going, so we didn't have to catch a bus until 8:15 or so, but we fought the kids for over an hour every single morning to get dressed, eat a yogurt, and brush their teeth.  I think 15 minutes should be plenty for that, but even being generous, they shouldn't have had any problems getting up at 7 and being ready to go.  But Animal Kingdom was the first day that we made it in time for rope drop.  (And it wasn't without some tears along the way.) 

 But once we were in the park, it was a pretty fun day.  This was one of our favorites atmosphere-wise--they did a great job creating the park.  And we had one of our favorite meals that day--the character breakfast at Tusker House, with the gang in safari gear.

 The kids absolutely loved getting all the characters' autographs (and it's a lot faster than waiting in four lines, plus you get to eat at the same time!  And the food here was so good.  And once again, they went out of their way to make sure I had plenty to eat--including a big plate of the roasted chicken that was for lunch which was starting in just a little while.)

The characters came by each table and spent a minute signing their books and then getting pictures. Peanut even warmed up to it all a little.  He cried the first time Daisy walked by and patted his head, but by the end of the meal, he even looked at her when she smiled and waved his way.  Big progress!

 We also had fun on the safari ride.  You really do get pretty close to the animals.  And even Peanut loved that ride.  He actually was pretty happy on the outdoor things, just not any of the inside stuff.

 Daddy-o had fun with the drums they had set up in Africa.

 So did this little guy.

 Dinoland was another favorite that day.  Although the main ride in that area was a little scary for Bug, but he loves dinosaurs so much that he went on it a second time with Daddy-o when we swapped.

 Probably my favorite part of the day was the Lion King show.  It was amazing!  I haven't seen the broadway show, so I have no idea how they compare, but this tribute to the Lion King was very well done (much more entertaining than the Finding Nemo one, although the kids loved that, too.)

 And there was a parade--this was just the first of 4 parades we would see this week.  I'm paraded out now, but it was pretty fun.

 Expedition Everest--this was actually the first ride that we went on that day.  The lines were so short that Daddy-o and the kids pretty much walked on, but it probably wasn't the smartest way to start the day.  Bug came off absolutely terrified and Bean wasn't much happier.  I did talk Bean in to coming back with me for the rider swap, but then Daddy-o went 2 more times by himself because the kids were done, and I hit it up later in the day again.  The single rider option meant no lines all day, which worked great for us and it really was a very fun ride.

It's hard to see, but that is actually Daddy-o and Bug in the very front of the car.  I was able to catch them like this on a couple different rides, usually because I could hear Daddy-o yelling before the cars even came into view.

This was supposed to be our early night since it closed at 5, but we are incapable of leaving anything before its really over and it was after 6 before we caught the bus back to our hotel.  By this point, we were realizing that we probably should have scheduled a day off from the parks completely because after 3 days of non-stop fun, we were getting pretty worn out.  Notes for another time.

Epcot

 Epcot was one of the parks I was most looking forward to visiting, and it was not a dissappointment.  Where else can you see a street play in England, have a snack in France, shop in Morocco, and have dinner by a volcano in Mexico. all in one day?  Favorites of the day: 

Seeing different Santas from around the world

 Romeo and Edna--a little Shakespeare adaptation

 Morocco--one of our favorite stops.

 Bean, learning to dance

 Beautiful tile work

 Gorgeous marketplace,

View of the ball from China

 Neil Patrick Harris was hosting the Candlelight Processional this week

 Aztec calendar

The Mexican village, all indoors, where the restaurant was located.  San Angel Inn was the closest thing to the atmostphere at the Blue Bayou at Disneyland, and since we've always wanted to eat there, we thought we'd give it a try.  It was pretty fun, and great food.