11 Days of Fun for Disney First Timers

[polkadotsuitcase 12]

Wow, sounds like everything went beautifully your first day! Definitely got a great "first ride." Soarin' is like the ultimate Disney ride -- all the innovations, magic, and creativity all in one attraction.

Loving the photos, too! Can't wait for more...

[Lizzy Dorie 777 1]

Oh my gosh, your TR brings back so many happy memories from the first time we took our girls to Disney. They were 3 and 9. It doesn't matter whose children they are. The look of pure excitement in their eyes are the same for everyone. They still get excited to go everytime, but I will never forget their first trip. Love your report.

[okgirlie...Brandy 6]

Thank you all! Yes, we lucked out with Soarin. I still think it might be my most favorite ride of all. :)

I loved seeing the parks through my kids' eyes. I loved seeing Natalie's face light up as she saw a new character. That was the best and it made the whole trip perfect for me. Bryce, my son, was just happy. He can sometimes be a moody kid so it was nice to have him happy for such a long period of time.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Thank you all! Yes, we lucked out with Soarin. I still think it might be my most favorite ride of all. :)

I loved seeing the parks through my kids' eyes. I loved seeing Natalie's face light up as she saw a new character. That was the best and it made the whole trip perfect for me. Bryce, my son, was just happy. He can sometimes be a moody kid so it was nice to have him happy for such a long period of time.

Seeing the World through kids eyes is truly something special :heart:

[campingpixi 11]

sure is!

[okgirlie...Brandy 6]

Wednesday the 29th was suppose to be a rest day. I wanted to spend lots of down time at the fort.

Somehow that didn't happen, but it was okay because we had a great day.

The day started with breakfast reservations to Ohanas. My kids are huge Lilo and Stitch fans so they were very excited to get going. We left for the boat dock about an hour before our reservations. We should have left earlier.

We missed the boat to the Contemporary so we waited for the Magic Kingdom boat. Thankfully, it didn't take too long. But when we got to the monorail there was a bit of a delay and then an even bigger delay as we were leaving the tickets and transportation building. We made it to Ohanas about 1 minute before our reservation time.

I had heard to get there early so that maybe they could seat you early. We weren't early and they were very busy. We waited for 50 minutes to get a table. We were starving!

We ended up having a great time at Ohanas. My kids brought their stitch doll along so that made the character interaction with Lilo and Stitch even that much better. My daughter scratched Pluto behind his ears and got him to shake his leg. She loved that. :) The food was delicious, too! I loved that Hawaiian bread.

By the time we got back to the fort it was already afternoon and my son desperately wanted to go to Typhoon Lagoon so that he could swim with the sharks. He had looked it up on YouTube before we have left and it was all he could think about.

So instead staying at the fort we headed to Typhoon Lagoon. It was a nice day but cloudy.

We had just stepped into the wave pool when the skies opened up and it began to rain. No big deal-we are at a water park getting wet anyway. We decided that instead of spending time in the wave pool that we should probably go find the shark reef. As we were walking the rain got a bit heavier. My son and husband got in line for the sharks and then it began to thunder and lightening so we had to go take cover. It stormed for a long time. So long that many of the people eventually started to leave. We took cover near a counter service restaurant and eventually had lunch while we waited.

It got to the point where we didn't know if we should continue to wait or just leave so my husband got on his phone and looked at radar. We saw that if we waited another 20 minutes the storm would be mostly over. We waited it out and were rewarded for our patience. We were able to do the entire park with no lines. We hopped from one ride to the other until we did everything! My son got to swim with the sharks and was the happiest kid around. :)

By the time we got home it was already getting late. We ate a quick dinner and then made it to the campfire sing-along. We sat on the side with Dale. My kids loved it! We had plans to go back to sit on Chip's side but unfortunately we just never had time again.

After the sing-along we went to the beach to wait on the electrical parade and fireworks.

I love that picture of my kids sitting there on the beach with their mouse ears watching the fireworks. I wish we had a better camera because that picture would have been awesome with something more than a point and shoot.

Then it was time for bed because we were going to the Magic Kingdom the next day and it was early morning hours day and we had every intentions of seeing Rapunzel and Flynn. Must get there early for that to happen!

[campingpixi 11]

Great pics & report.. I just love the pic with the kids & gator :)

[stefa70 205]

That's a great picture!!! How appropriate with the shipwreck in those dark gloomy skies.

Loving the report :heart:

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

It's great that your patience at the park paid off, lots of people won't stick it out through the rain!

[polkadotsuitcase 12]

Good call on waiting it out at TL! Glad Bryce got to swim with the sharks. And the characters interacting with the stuffed Stitch is adorable!

[itch 5]

Best TR this week !!!

I can't wait for the rest of the story, yeah I went Paul Harvey on you all !!

itch

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Brandy-

I am really enjoying your report.

I just love this photo!:

It was my favorite one in your report.

That bridge is one of my favorite things about Fort Wilderness.

And, I love the fact that it is right across from the 1500 loop.

As I said, that photo was my favorite one in this report . . .

until I saw this one!:

Does it get any better than that?

And, look at how burnt that marshmallow is!

Good times!

I'm looking forward to hearing much more.

I am truly amazed at how well you did with the planning of this trip!

TCD

[SCTigerCock 171]

Great report, can't wait for more :banana: :heart:

[kampfirekim 260]

I'm so impressed! A first timer and you already figured out the golden rule of water parks... Always wait the storm out! Good for you. So glad your little fella didn't miss out on swimming with the sharks!!!!! Anyway, I am loving your report!

[okgirlie...Brandy 6]

Great pics & report.. I just love the pic with the kids & gator :)

Aw Thanks!

That's a great picture!!! How appropriate with the shipwreck in those dark gloomy skies.

Loving the report :heart:

I thought it was quite appropriate that we have a huge storm at Typhoon Lagoon, too. I do love the sky in that picture.

It's great that your patience at the park paid off, lots of people won't stick it out through the rain!

Good call on waiting it out at TL! Glad Bryce got to swim with the sharks. And the characters interacting with the stuffed Stitch is adorable!

We almost didn't last but thank goodness for technology. We just kept watching the radar on the phone. My son is still talking about swimming with the sharks. We went to the Oklahoma Aquarium yesterday and he told everyone around him that would listen that he swam with sharks. :)

Brandy-

I am really enjoying your report.

I just love this photo!:

It was my favorite one in your report.

That bridge is one of my favorite things about Fort Wilderness.

And, I love the fact that it is right across from the 1500 loop.

As I said, that photo was my favorite one in this report . . .

until I saw this one!:

Does it get any better than that?

And, look at how burnt that marshmallow is!

Good times!

I'm looking forward to hearing much more.

I am truly amazed at how well you did with the planning of this trip!

TCD

I loved that bridge, too. I got up several mornings before my family and walked over to the bridge and took in the lovely views and then walked around the pool and came back to the pop up. So pretty.

Yes, my little Natalie loves her marshmallows burnt. We roast smores about 3 times a month at my parents' house using their outdoor fire pit so she knows just what she likes. I really wish we had made it over the campfire more than once. There is always next time, though.

Great report, can't wait for more :banana: :heart:

I'm so impressed! A first timer and you already figured out the golden rule of water parks... Always wait the storm out! Good for you. So glad your little fella didn't miss out on swimming with the sharks!!!!! Anyway, I am loving your report!

Thanks! I had read once that you should wait them out if you can. I am glad that stuck in my head.

[okgirlie...Brandy 6]

Best TR this week !!!

I can't wait for the rest of the story, yeah I went Paul Harvey on you all !!

itch

I don't know how I missed you. Wow, best TR of the week. There are so many wonderful reports on here. I appreciate that you think that. Oh gosh, Paul Harvey. When I lived in a small town in Arkansas I had to listen to him often.

I have been very busy Sunday and yesterday so hopefully I can get things moving today. My goal is to get at least 2 days done, but I'd like to get 3. But I have my weekly lunchdate with my best girlfriends today and I probably should go grocery shopping. I still haven't been since we got home. My family is tired of hot dogs and sandwiches for dinner. Oops!

[okgirlie...Brandy 6]

Thursday, June 30th was Magic Kingdom day!

There was only one thing that my daughter wanted the most. That was to see Rapunzel and Flynn.

I knew that if we didn't want to wait in a very long line for hours then we had to get there early.

Magic Kingdom opened up at 8am. Could we get there? We are not morning people. In order to make it the Magic Kingdom we'd have to be on the first boat to the Contemporary at 6:45am. Wow, that's early. My kids don't even get up for school until 7:40.

But at 6:30am we were on our golf cart headed towards the marina!

We got to the Contemporary and headed up to the monorail where we were told there was a delay. We remembered the delay we had from the day before and asked if there was another way we could get to the Magic Kingdom. Yep, we had to walk.

We got there at 7:30am and I was at the front of the crowd on the right side! Woot!

See that's me with the backpack on!

I made friends with another guy who was trying to get to Rapunzel. Since I really didn't know where I was going and he did I decided to follow him. We took off after the countdown! It wasn't really a good idea to follow him. He took us through the castle and ended up going the long way through Fantasyland. But it doesn't matter we were still 7th and 8th in line! Yay!

And then the big wait began. The first meet and greet wasn't until 9:15 and it was only 8:05. We all made friends in line. My husband took the kids on Stitch and then met Alice and the White Rabbit. He also grabbed us some blueberry muffins. Yum!

Alice wasn't too happy with my husband. I had made some photo cards of each of the characters to autograph and I didn't include White Rabbit. She was upset that White Rabbit didn't have his own card. My husband doesn't like Alice too much now since she scolded him over it. Poor guy, it wasn't even his fault!

Before we knew it was time to meet Rapunzel and Flynn. Seeing Natalie's face when they came out was worth getting up super early, walking very fast to the line and waiting for an hour.

After that we spent the morning in Fantasyland. Peter Pan was loads of fun.

He asked the kid in front of us who he was and the kid replied Harry Potter. That made Peter laugh hysterically and the poor mom seemed horrified. lol

While I was waiting in line for Rapunzel my husband had gotten fast passes for Space Mountain so after Fantasyland we went over to Tomorrowland and rode Space Mountain. Everyone loved it so much that we grabbed fast passes again when we got off. :) I am so glad Bryce wasn't scared. He gets nervous on rides but he had a blast on it. My little dare devil, Natalie, rode with her hands up.

We ate a cream cheese pretzel from the Lunching Pad and I had high hopes for it, but I was disappointed. It was kind of stale and needed more cream cheese. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

As we were going to see Tiana, it began to rain and then it poured again. We were actually getting used to the rain and enjoyed it because it kept the temperatures nice and cool. We hid from the rain on the Christmas shop porch.

It didn't appear like it was going to stop anytime soon so I had Natalie lay back in her stroller and take a nap. She was exhausted! She ended up sleeping through the rain and lunch at Pecos Bills and didn't wake up until Bryce and I got out of Haunted Mansion.

We made our way through different rides and attractions until it was almost time for the electrical parade. We had fast passes for Big Thunder Mountain so we ran to do that and then found a spot for the parade. Again, I was surprised by how much my son enjoyed BTM and again Natalie rode with her hands up. :)

We watched the parade and then made our way to the front of the park. We wanted to beat the crowd out of the park. We had seen the fireworks the night before from the beach so no need to watch again, but we ended up stopping to watch the castle change colors. That was so neat. We still managed to make it out and to the boat before the fireworks had ended.

Bryce fell asleep on the boat. He's 9 but the size of an 11 or 12 year old. That made it very difficult to walk him from the boat to the golf cart.

We were starving so we decided to load up in the car and make a fast food run. Bryce woke up enough to tell me he was hungry so I bought him a taco. Poor guy was so tired he couldn't wake to eat it. I think that means he had a fantastic day!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great update, Brandy!

Good job on getting to MK for rope drop and on meeting Rapunzel and Flynn.

I have heard that Flynn is getting the boot pretty soon, and the meet and greet will continue with just Rapunzel.

As I'm sure you experienced, this is bad, because Flynn adds a lot to the event. Your kids are lucky that they got to experience this before it gets pared down.

You guys had a long day in the MK from rope drop to the fireworks, no wonder the kids were pooped!

Don't worry about taking too long to post your report. Take your time. Work on it little by little. Don't rush. You are doing great.

TCD

[okgirlie...Brandy 6]

Great update, Brandy!

Good job on getting to MK for rope drop and on meeting Rapunzel and Flynn.

I have heard that Flynn is getting the boot pretty soon, and the meet and greet will continue with just Rapunzel.

As I'm sure you experienced, this is bad, because Flynn adds a lot to the event. Your kids are lucky that they got to experience this before it gets pared down.

You guys had a long day in the MK from rope drop to the fireworks, no wonder the kids were pooped!

Don't worry about taking too long to post your report. Take your time. Work on it little by little. Don't rush. You are doing great.

TCD

Yes, my friend texted me on the 28th telling me to make sure we saw Rapunzel and Flynn because Flynn's last day was going to be July 3. I am not sure if that's an accurate date or not, but I am sure glad we saw them both. You are right. Flynn does add so much to the meet and greet. He made it enjoyable for my son. Bryce asked him what was in the satchel and he showed Bryce the crown. Flynn also told Bryce he could pick up one at the castle.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Yes, my friend texted me on the 28th telling me to make sure we saw Rapunzel and Flynn because Flynn's last day was going to be July 3. I am not sure if that's an accurate date or not, but I am sure glad we saw them both. You are right. Flynn does add so much to the meet and greet. He made it enjoyable for my son. Bryce asked him what was in the satchel and he showed Bryce the crown. Flynn also told Bryce he could pick up one at the castle.

That's funny! When my girls met Flynn, they were able to talk him into showing them what was in his satchel. Then, he asked that they show him what was in theirs (he was calling their purses satchels). I have learned the hard way never to go through a lady's purse, but since Flynn is just a hooligan, he obviously doesn't know this. He proceeded to take their sunglasses and cell phones, and handed them to the castmembers on duty, who put them on and posed for photos. The girls had a blast interacting with him.

TCD

[H in SC 85]

First ever Disney vacation!!! Wow you have really captured the magic of Disney. Glad ya'll had such a wonderful trip.

Thanks for posting such a great TR. Isn’t the Fort the best.

[anolefan 8]

I love this photo!

Great report!

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

What a wonderful report! Keep it coming! I'm sooooooooo sad that Flynn is getting axed :'(

[okgirlie...Brandy 6]

That's funny! When my girls met Flynn, they were able to talk him into showing them what was in his satchel. Then, he asked that they show him what was in theirs (he was calling their purses satchels). I have learned the hard way never to go through a lady's purse, but since Flynn is just a hooligan, he obviously doesn't know this. He proceeded to take their sunglasses and cell phones, and handed them to the castmembers on duty, who put them on and posed for photos. The girls had a blast interacting with him.

TCD

How fun for your daughters! We had good interaction like that with Eric and Ariel on our 2nd MK day. I'll write about that later. :) It's really too bad that he is going away or already gone. He makes it all that much better.

First ever Disney vacation!!! Wow you have really captured the magic of Disney. Glad ya'll had such a wonderful trip.

Thanks for posting such a great TR. Isn’t the Fort the best.

Thank you! I tried hard to make it great for all four of us. I think I succeeded!

I love this photo!

Great report!

Thank you. I also have video of my daughter dancing to the music while the fireworks were going off. It was such a magical experience. :)

What a wonderful report! Keep it coming! I'm sooooooooo sad that Flynn is getting axed

Thank you and me too. He's awesome!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Isn't it great to watch your kids dreams come true? I'm loving this trip report :banana: