Sunday, August 18, 2013

Disney 2013, Day 3: 4 Parks in One Day!! Made It….Barely!!

WE DID IT!!!  Hannah and Mommy visited all 4 parks in 1 day.  Wheee!!!  Normally I do not purchase Park Hoppers for us but as we’re on the tail end of our Annual Passes we currently have the option of hopping between parks on the same day.  A few months back I asked Hannah if she would like to have a day during this year’s visit and we would visit all 4 parks.  She was all over it and our ‘CRAZY DAY’ was born!  Hannah was in on the planning and together we decided what we’d like to do.  Some things worked out perfectly and other plans had to be changed due to ride wait times or the availability of activities.  The crowds are bigger this week than we’re normally used to (6-8’s/10 on touringplans.com) but they are more manageable that I thought they might be.  Yes, there are things we have chosen to skip due to the wait time but so far it’s always when we’ve been attempting a 2nd or 3rd visit to a particular ride.

Mode of transportation number one:  bus!

Park number 1 was Disney’s Hollywood Studios!  8:55am  (Yes!  Our pink MagicBands have arrived!  More about that in another post.)IMG_0117

The original plan was to ride the ‘Pop Pop Ride’ but even at 9:00am when the park officially opened the line was already out the door and the wait time was showing 65 mins.  Really?!  Wow!  We quickly changed up our plans and headed to our breakfast reservation.    Our Free Dining plan had kicked in this morning so character meals and more have begun.  Yay!

On the way to Disney’s Play ‘n Dine we stopped for an autograph and visit with Stitch.IMG_0119

Breakfast was a delicious buffet while some of Hannah’s favourite Disney Junior friends popped by.IMG_0128

JuneIMG_0123

Handy MannyIMG_0129

Secret Agent OsoIMG_0126

and Jake.IMG_0131

This is so sweet!  Jake was visiting with Hannah when it was time to do their dace so he took her .

After breakfast we hopped on our 2nd mode of transportation for the day – boat and enjoyed a leisurely ride to Epcot arriving there around 11am.IMG_0134

Epcot was the park where I had chosen to book our FastPass+ (FP+) reservations for the day so we were all set to experience 3 great attractions within a short amount of time.  Booking the FastPass+ reservations weeks ago allows us to arrive at the park mid-day and still enjoy the headliner rides with NO wait!  Wheee!!!  Lurvin’ the MagicBands that will be rolling out to all SOON!!!  Right now they’re just in test phase but we’re super excited to be part of that testing and have been able to provide some helpful feedback.

Park number 2:  Epcot!  11:00amIMG_0154

After riding the Figment ride our first FP+ reservation was for the new character spot.  The good part of the renovated location is that it’s less visible and therefore less busy but it also only has 3 characters now rather than 5.  Oh well…we enjoyed those who were there!

MickeyIMG_0136

PlutoIMG_0139

and Minnie.IMG_0143

Next was a ride on ‘Ellen’s Universe of Energy’ then…Test Track!!  Hannah was tall enough for this ride last year but it was closed for refurbishment so this was the first time she had an opportunity to ride it and she was SO excited!  Measuring up to see if she’s tall enough.  Last year she was barely above the yellow bar and this year she’s towering above it by a couple of inches…or more!IMG_0145

Next time we’re going to have to ask to sit in the front row.  LOL!IMG_0148

It’s safe to say Test Track was a hit and the good thing is that we have FP+ reservations 2 other days this week!  Yay!

Our final ride is probably Mommy’s favourite ride at WDW, tied with Toy Story Mania.  Soarin’!  Amazing!IMG_0150

Goofy was greeting visitors as they entered and exited the park so since he is Hannah’s favourite character it was easy to stop for a visit and to say ‘hi!’IMG_0151

It was time to travel to Magic Kingdom (MK) which also meant it was time for transportation number 3:  Monorail.IMG_0158

Park number 3:  Magic Kingdom!  4:45pmIMG_0161

By this point it was almost 5pm as we’d enjoyed a number of rides and lunch when we were at Epcot.  We decided to try and ride Goofy’s Roller Coaster so took the train from the park entrance to Fantasyland.

Once again due to long lines and our tight time frame to reach Animal Kingdom before it closed at 7, it required us to change on the fly.  Hannah was happy to skip Goofy for today and trade it for a ride on The Mad Tea Party Ride.IMG_0169

You can tell by these pics that it’s a normal hot August week in Orlando with daily thunderstorms that pour buckets of rain within minutes.  We’re just used to keeping hydrated with the free glasses of ice water that are available for at the asking and whatever else is needed.  You can tell how hot it is when Mommy offered to buy Hannah a Disney Mister Fan.  She had asked for one a couple of times and I quickly realized it would be a wise investment.IMG_0165

Transportation to Animal Kingdom was monorail and then bus.  Still so much energy!!IMG_0170

Park number 4:  Animal Kingdom (AK)  6:35pm

Phew….we made it although it was tight!  unfortunately by the time we entered AK everything was shutting down and the characters were on their way home to sleep for the night.  We made our way into the park to have our picture taken IMG_0177and then since we wanted to say we accomplished something in the park – we bought a snack!  Mmmm…Mickey Bar!IMG_0180

I have to laugh at how rough we look like by this time of the day!  We’d been rained on more than once, endured almost 100o temps with 100% humidity and walked more steps that I want to know.

But….we’d had a BLAST together and can now add ‘4 Parks in 1 Day’ to our list of Disney accomplishments!!  Wheee!!!

When we arrived back at our resort we were excited to see Nana, Tor, Josh and Daniel and know that they had arrived safely!  Yay!!  We’ll be spending time together each day this coming week while also spending lots of Mommy and Hannah time alone too.  This is an important part of our trips and yet we both love having family and friends here too (Hi Auntie Norma!!) that we can visit with.  All together there are 15 of us here this week and more family arriving Sunday!  (C’mon Bridget…we’re waiting for you!)

I’m sure you can understand why this was the beautiful little face that I was soon gazing at!IMG_0208

The big question is….when will we be brave enough to try a bi-coastal trip? 

The Ultimate Disney Day:  Six Parks, Two Coasts!!!

You know it’s only a matter of time when it comes to Hannah and I and our Disney adventures!!!

Tomorrow:  Disney’s Hollywood Studios as a family of 6!

8 comments:

  1. Wow, what a day! You know you are a true Disney enthusiast when you try to tackle four parks in one day. Having been to Disney three times now, I can honestly say I have ZERO desire to try and do all four parks in a day :-). I completely agree that Soarin' is THE best ride in all of Disney World. LOVE it!!!! After our last trip to Disney, I can also say we probably will not go back. The first two times were absolutely amazing, but now I think the girls are at an age where we magic of Disney World is not necessarily gone, but it is definitely different. I'm intrigued by the pink magic bands!!!

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  2. I was waiting for your blog post to see if you two survived your crazy day! glad you did :) the kids are loving your posts :) we received our luggage tags yesterday & the excitement is building :) enjoy the rest of your trip!

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  3. K. and I have LOVED watching/reading this post. She was especially excited to see June and Oso! I think we may just have to rebook that dining option as a result! LOL!
    Keep posting!!

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  4. We did 3 parks in 1 day & thought we were awesome! Ha! Nice work! I'm really interested in the Disney Cruise & to see how that goes! Hannah will be so excited, I bet! Isn't 4 the best?! Marin told me the other day, "You do know that Mickey isn't a real mouse, don't you?" I thought I was going to start crying right there until he said, "He's magic instead." Ahhh, the magic lives on!

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  5. Bags are getting packed! Won't be long now!!
    Bridge

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  6. WOW!! I am so impressed that you got to all four parks! You gals are rock stars!

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