Part 1 of Day 5: Last Day in the Parks

I usually schedule our trips the same way every visit. Arrival day usually means dinner at Ohana's, followed by a non park day at Downtown Disney (now known as Disney Springs). The first park visit of the trip is usually Magic Kingdom (or sometimes Epcot) and we usually end our last day in the parks at Magic Kingdom and Epcot. So this trip was no different. I also try not to think too much about the fact that the vacation is about to end. Unlike my family I never grow tired of visiting Disney so I tend to pack it in on that last two days because I know the next trip may be a few years away. 

The last morning in the parks. Marc and Q started each day out by filling up their cups with coffee.

The Magical gates. 

Last Ferry Boat ride. But you sure can't beat the view! 

I don't know what's more exciting! Seeing the gates to Disney, the Train entrance or seeing the Castle! If you love Disney like I do then you know that feeling of "coming home". 

The architecture at Disney is just amazing! 

We had reservations that morning originally for Buzz Lightyear. But since we had a little bit of time on our hands before our 9:45 Fastpass we thought we would stop in and see if we could meet Tinkerbell for the first time.

I'm not sure if the CM's told Tinkerbell in advance that Q was celebrating her birthday but she got the best welcome ever! Sidenote: Why didn't anyone warn us she was soo chatty ?!!! LOL

Me explaining that this was our first time visiting her!!! 

We had the best interaction with her, and it would become a pattern for the rest of the day!

Don't you just love walking down Main Street? 

Time to head to Tomorrowland! 

The Purple Wall!!!

This was our first time on Buzz Lightyear since the updates to the Q area.

We had a blast!!!

And Q became a Galactic Hero for the first time. 

We finally got to ride the People Mover! I love this ride but the first day at MK the line was insane by the time we made our way around to it. 

Love the view of the castle from here! If you have never rode the People Mover at night you really should! The view is even better.

Since we were in the area and the wait wasn't too long we decided to try out the Monster's Inc Laugh Factory for the first time. I have to admit I wasn't sure what to expect but we really ended up enjoying it!!! 

Me trying to be cool at the Purple Wall. LOL Next week in Part 2 we wrap up our last day in the park with some amazing Character Meet and Greets and say goodbye to Epcot! 

Disney Tag Video

I realized that I have a few new videos on YouTube that I have not shared here on my blog!!! My oldest daughter Q and I answered some Disney questions last month and shared on my channel. 

Day 4: Part 2 Hollywood Studios (the dark side)

After exploring Epcot for the morning and eating lunch (and a bit of shopping) we decided to head over to Hollywood Studios to check out Star War's Launch Bay. 

I think we had just missed the storm troopers (is that what they are called?). I will be honest I am not a big Star Wars fan and the only reason we were heading to the Launch Bay was to see what all the fuss was about and maybe give Marc a chance to take photos with someone other then a princess. I personally could have missed meeting Kylo Ren (and to be really honest I had to look up the characters names before I started this blog post. That's how much "Not" a fan I am). LOL 

Caught a glimpse of some of the characters on our way there. Doc McStuffin's came along after my kids were grown, so I have never even seen a show. LOL 

I don't think my family was that impressed with the
dark side". LOL I didn't go near him at all. LOL 

And call me crazy, but the storm troopers are just a little too realistic for me. I imagine all kind of things when I see them coming (let's just say of I ever see something like this outside of Disney I am running for the hills LOL ).

They enjoyed meeting Chewbacca a lot more. LOL 

A few exhibits you can see on your way out! 

After leaving the parks we headed back to our room for a little bit of picture taking. Other then riding Toy Story Mania, Star Tours (which I actually like), seeing the characters, Frozen Sing A Long (which turned out to be one of my favorites), Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid there really was not a lot on our list of must do's at Hollywood Studios (especially since we missed The Great Movie Ride and Ellen's Great Adventure for the last time). Hollywood Studios doesn't quite take up a whole day for us. And as excited as I am to see the new Toy Story Land I don't think HS will ever become my favorite park to visit.

Photo's in our "Best Mom" and "Best Dad" T-shirts from Walmart. 

After about and hour of "exploring" the resort and taking photos for my All Star Sports review, we noticed the sky getting cloudy so we headed back to the car and out of the "bubble" to do a last bit of shopping at Walmart to get souvenirs for a few special people in our life.

I thought this hat was cute on Marc but we never ended up buying it. 

Saw a beautiful rainbow on our way back to the resorts. I think after we did our shopping we chilled the rest of the evening. Disney bounding here and there (and everywhere) can wear a sister out! Stay tuned next week for our last official day in the parks.

Day 4 : Part 1 Morning at Epcot

Hubby started every morning (and most nights) with a cup of coffee at the All Star Sports resort before heading to the parks. I can honestly say he took full advantage of our free resort mugs. LOL 

The goal that morning was to hit Epcot at opening and head straight for Test Tracks. We had missed out on this on our last trip and since we had a fastpass for Frozen and had been able to hit many of the other rides we wanted to see at Epcot the day before, this would give us the opportunity to take our time walking through World Showcase later that day. We ended up not even using our fastpass for Space Ship Earth or Figment because we had a chance to see it the night before.

We didn't make it in at the front of the line, but did make it in ahead of the crowds. 

This would also be the first time we would see the changes to the inside of Test Tracks since the refurbishment. I wasn't sure if I would miss the old set up, but surprisingly I really liked the new design, especially the interactive bits while you wait to get on the actual ride. This is one of the many things that Disney does well.

I was glad to see that you can still try out the latest cars once you have finished the ride. This has always been a highlight for my family. I don't think we have ever rode Test Tracks and then not stopped and taking a picture in each of our favorite of the cars on display. LOL 

My daughter checked the Disney app and saw a small window of opportunity to see Joy and Sadness without a long wait and since we had never actually met them before we though this would be the perfect time to do so.

Me trying to explain why I have never seen the movie. LOL 

The line to see Baymax was crazy long so we skipped it. 

After the character meet and greet we headed towards the Land Pavilion to ride Living With The Land. 

Love this saying!!! 

I know its not at the top of the must see attractions for people heading to Disney but I have fond memories of this ride because we rode it the first time we went to Disney and my godparents were with us as well as my mom. My godfather is no longer here on earth with us but every time we ride this ride I think of him.

Epcot is my family's favorite park for so many reasons. But especially because of World Showcase. For one it reminds me of my second favorite park (Busch Gardens) which I grew up going to every summer here in my home state of VA. When we go I always feel as if I really am in another country. I just get to experience them all in one day. Also it has some of the best shops around and its become a tradition for me to purchase at least one item from one of the countries to take back home to remember each trip. One of my favorite souvenirs still is a blanket I got many years ago from Mexico. I can't explain it if you have never been. It just makes me very happy. We usually make our way around stopping to check out the various shops and to see all the details of the various buildings.

The Mexican Pavilion

China

Germany (my youngest daughters birth place).

Italy (Marc and I try to take a photo in front of the fountain every year.)

I love the architecture of this place!!! 

Another must do for my family is the Turkey legs! And we usually stop here in Epcot at the Fife and Drum Tavern to get them.

A small tip for those who stop here. This was the first year thanks to a CM that we found out we could eat our food inside (in the air conditioning) at the restaurant on the left side of the American Pavilion which made for a more enjoyable meal. And there were plenty of seats to choose from!

After a quick lunch we kept moving around the world showcase making our way past Canada. 

United Kingdom (another favorite of mine). 

At some point during the day our daughter once again received some Disney Magic when she stopped at one of the Food stands to get a treat and was surprised when the server gave it to her for free to commemorate her birthday. 

We eventually had to backtrack to make our 1 PM Fastpass for Frozen. I had seen enough videos that I kind of knew what to expect so I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. Its crazy how popular this ride is, considering the fact that I recall a time when it was just the ride in Norway and you could literally just walk on anytime you went! I will tell you a secret....I kind of miss the old ride, especially the part where the boat goes backwards and you could see the ride from the outside. Also the drop seemed more intense on the old ride. Or maybe that is just me lol. Stay tuned for the second half of our day as we explore the dark side of Hollywood Studios and later that evening take a look around the All Star Sports Resort.