This Is The Part...

... where we try to see how many things we can still cram in to this vacation.

We're a little "off", partly because being sick has cost us some hours, partly because of that move we had to make in the middle of the night, and partly because Disney decided to close Blizzard Beach for refurbishment before it was originally scheduled.  We always plan well, but this has been the best planned trip to date with the worst actual following of the plan!

This morning, we went back to Hollywood Studios to catch a few of our favorites one more time.  I think I have enjoyed Hollywood Studios more on this trip than ever before, and I just about can't wait until the new Pixar and Star Wars additions!  We couldn't get back on Toy Story Mania (without waiting a really long time), but we did get fastpasses for another showing of the Frozen Sing Along, one more ride on Rockin' Roller Coaster, and Star Tours (which only Seth and Grace did again):

The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway...

"Snow" to end the Sing Along:

I have decided it is simply impossible

to get a flattering ride photo on

Rockin' Roller Coaster:

Posing outside of Star Tours:

And... you know... Don't forget the food...

Traditional Pizza Planet Picture:

 This kid has been waiting his entire life

for a giant Disney turkey leg... True Story:

We had hoped to spend the afternoon at Disney Quest, but now Phil is feeling sick, so instead we purchased more cold medicine at Walmart and spent some more time at the cabin.  No big deal.  Plenty of time left.

One of the hidden gems of Disney that we discovered on our last trip was the Chip and Dale campfire sing-along followed by the electric water pageant and fireworks viewed on the beach at Fort Wilderness.  As a kid, I remember seeing the electric water pageant from the monorail and loving it.  It's not really a major attraction or anything, but it is a fun little show.  We hauled hot dogs and more stuff for s'mores than any one family could actually consume down to the campfire and proceeded to have a tasty (if messy) dinner followed by the Hokey Pokey (wait, where did my teenagers go) and a trip to the beach.  I'm not sure there is anything more peaceful than just sitting at the seven seas lagoon, in the dark, watching the night light up.  The only complaint I have is that the speaker system was really quiet, so we couldn't hear the soundtrack for Hallow Wishes.

Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog:

Miah and I met Chip and Dale

I might have been kissed by a chipmunk

Electric Water Pageant:

Fireworks view from the beach:

Oh look!  Another hidden Mickey:

As it turns out, it was also a fabulous day for family selfies...

In Tatooine:

On the tram:

 And at the beach:

One more full day of magic coming our way...

L.

Pictures Taken Today: 199

Lights... Camera... Action...

Hollywood Studios has always been a difficult park for us to navigate.  On earlier Disney trips, we have tried to cram it into 1/2 a day, because it never seems like there is all that much we want to do there.  However, at this point it is definitely a full day park for us, and with the new additions that are coming to Pixar and Star Wars attractions, we might have to block off two days next time around.

Today we made it to five shows (Voyage of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Disney Junior, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along, and Fantasmic).  The Frozen sing-along was absolutely fantastic!  I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was hilarious and super fun, and I want to see it again before our trip is over.  Fantasmic was, of course, amazing as always.  We had a little bit of an adventure getting there, because Grace, Caleb, and I pushed our fastpasses for seating to the very last minute (OK, they had expired, but we still got in), because we really wanted to ride Rockin' Roller Coaster before the show.

Speaking of rides, this was the first time any of us had ever ridden Rockin' Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror.  I have to laugh a little bit, because these two attractions are always pegged as the very intense Disney rides, but I forget that Disney doesn't really do enormous thrills.  Seth described Tower of Terror best as "a gigantic frog hopper"...  Both rides were fun, just not terrifying.  We also had fastpasses for Toy Story Midway Mania.  We really love that one, but it is so impossible to ride it multiple times unless you want to stand in line for at least an hour, which makes me sad. 

Sadness can be OK, though, even good sometimes:

Phil had a chat that he needed to participate in for his doctoral program, so the kids and I spent some time wandering around the Streets of America and playing on the Honey I Shrunk the Kids set:

They follow rules like I do:

 I was way too excited about this,

particularly since my kids are clueless:

Beacuse every kid should have a picture of herself

sliding down a huge canister of film...

#obsolete

Our first character dining experience for this trip was at Hollywood and Vine, and it bordered on disastrous for a variety of reasons, but particularly because we had to split the reservation, and my "big kids" weren't particularly excited about meeting Handy Manny, Sofia, Doc, and Jake.  Well, let me revise that a little bit.  Grace sort of liked meeting Jake...

Because everyone's first kiss should be magical:

Miah and Ian had fun, although I will say this was the most rushed character meal greeting we have ever experienced.  It's free dining for us, this time around, but I would have been really disappointed had we paid the sticker price for this meal:

Our breakfast at Starring Rolls was pretty awesome, though.  Dinner would have been better had we realized that Pizza Planet was closing before the park.  Uh... oops.  We had PBJ and will have to try to catch Pizza Planet later in the trip...

We had one of the best character greetings ever with Mike and Sulley.  Miah was all geared up with her monster claws and roar, and she jumped right up in Sulley's face.  He stomped and jumped back at her, and she completely stood her ground, which cracked me up.  She was so fierce that Mike was afraid of her and ran off the set, but he eventually came back and sort of tiptoed around her.  There was a lot of laughter (yay for us, powering Monstropolis):

 I can't quite get my boys to understand

how appropriate it is to strike silly poses:

We also enjoyed meeting Buzz and Woody in Andy's Room, and I'm sure I may have mentioned this before, but this particular character greeting spot queue is simply the best ever.  Well done Disney:

Undoubtedly, the highlight of the day for Grace was riding the Star Tours simulator, twice, and building her very own lightsaber.  We have created something of a monster.  Just sayin'.  The variety of Star Wars t-shirts that we saw, today, was vast.  I need a Vader/Palpatine '16 shirt, but I still think ours are the best:

L.     

Pictures Taken Today: 262

P.S. I can't begin to tell you how many times this baby has said, "Mom, take a picture!"  The world is not ready for a second mini-me.  Heaven help us all:

 This is how much water she left for the "fishies":