Park Hoppin'

Park Day 2- The gang split up for half of the day. Our family of 5 and Mallory and Bob wanted to squeeze every last ounce out of our Disney trip and be sure to visit all 4 parks. So we decided to split this day in half- The first half at Hollywood Studios and the second at Epcot. We knew that the boys would be more interested in what Hollywood Studios had to offer than Epcot, but we wanted them to experience all of the parks. So we set off bright and early for a fun filled morning and jam packed day! 

Riding the bus to Hollywood Studios. Brooks insisted on bringing his Jake stuffed animal that he bought the day before with his souvenir money from Oma & Opa. He LOVES his Jakey! 

We got there at park opening again. The first hours of the day are always less crowded and so enjoyable. The Christmas decorations at all of the parks are so majestic and incredible! We got right in to the holiday spirit! 

As soon as we entered the park we knew right where we wanted to go- STARBUCKS! We needed the boost for sure day 2! After we got our caffeine fix we were ready to go! Next stop- Disney Junior! (And don't you just love the palm trees?! Hollywood Studios has such a cool vibe! And look at that street, pretty empty...we LOVED being in a more relaxed space!)

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

Jake and the Neverland Pirates

Time for the show! We used our first Fast Pass for the Disney Junior show which got us front row seats! Uncle Flobby's dream come true! Ha! 

It was a cute and fun and interactive show. 

It snowed on us! The show also included Doc McStuffins and Sophia the First. 

And it rained Gold Doubloons! 

After the show, we went out to meet Jake! The BIG boys were thrilled! (And as an aside- the double stroller was a God Send! I had read online that children up to 8 years of age would love to hop in a stroller from time to time during the long days at Disney. So we brought along ours and we did not regret it for one second. Brooks used it mostly, but from time to time Heath would hop in too. And we would even force Nolan to sit down in it while we were waiting here and there, just to take a load off his feet for a few minutes. Not only was it great to have for getting from point A to point B, but it was also great for storing all of the STUFF we needed to take with us each day! We packed ponchos and snacks and souvenirs and a towel and baggies and wipes and kleenex and bandaids and hand sanitizer and water bottles and the list goes on and on…and we had plenty of space for it all. I also read online to add something to your stroller to make it clearly recognizable in the stroller parking areas. This was a great tip. I just had hot pink sticky sided felt laying around the house, so I wrapped that and some blue pipe cleaners around the handle, and it made it so easy to spot in the Stroller Parking. This was also a great tip because often times you would park your stroller in one place and then the stroller parking attendants would move it to another location during your wait in the lines. So when you would come back out to find it, it wouldn't be exactly where you left it. Having a clear marking on our stroller made it much easier to spot in the rows and rows of strollers. And also- I was hesitant about bringing the double stroller because I thought it might be hard to maneuver through the parks, but it WAS NOT! We were so thankful to have it for the week! 

Getting Jake's autograph.

Cuties! 

Mallory and I had to get in on the Selfie action too! 

Brooks chose his 2nd souvenir of the trip in the Disney Junior store. He was seeing LOTS of kiddos with swords from Pirates of the Caribbean and Jake and the Neverland Pirates, so he had his heart set on buying a sword of his own. We found this fun Jake one that talks too. He had the best time slashing everyone and even some strangers as well…whoops! 

Next up was Honey I Shrunk the Kids play land! We made sure that the boys watched the movie before we went on our trip. 

It was super fun for the boys to run around and explore. 

Auntie with Anty! 

When we watched the movie at home, Nolan got all chocked up when Anty died. He has such a sweet heart. So it was fun to be able to climb on Anty- he's such a good friend in the movie! 

Then we had to split up. Brooks was too short to do the Star Wars ride, but this was something that Nolan and Heath were MOST excited about! So Bob and Mark took N & H to Star Tours and Mal & I took Brooks to Frozen. We used Fast Passes for both of these activities.

They LOVED this ride and experience! 

And we had a nice relaxing Frozen Sing-a-long...

"Elsa cute." - Brooks

"Me like Anna." -Brooks

And then it snowed on us again…which Brooks did not love so much, but I thought it was beautiful! 

Let it go! 

At Hollywood Studios we had the chance to meet so many characters without long lines...

Donald was fun! 

But their most favorite of all was Pluto!!! He loved that Heath had a Pluto hat on and played with his ears and even signed it too! 

Our next ride was a favorite for Mallory and Nolan from the entire trip! 

Toy Story Midway Mania was super fun! It was like a moving video game. 

You aimed and shot at all sorts of fun carnival type games. 

And you wore 3D glasses! Super fun! 

We met Green Army Man outside of this ride. 

Next, Auntie took the boys shopping and Bob, Mark, and I rode The Tower of Terror! That is one fun ride! I have great memories of riding it with my friends in Middle School and it was just as fun today! It's so neat how Disney really brings out the kid in everyone! 

While we were on the ride, Auntie bought each boy a fun Disney snack...

Jake Skellington cake pop! 

Mickey Mouse Rice Krispie Treat

And a Mickey cookie! 

Nolan and Heath also bought their souvenir of the day- they made their own droids in the Star Wars Land. 

And then it was time to move on to Epcot! Here is our next "Leaving the Park" pic! We left mid to late afternoon. I could have stayed at Hollywood Studios all day…loved that park! There were a few more rides that we didn't get to do there- but it was time to meet up with the fam at Epcot for the rest of the day and evening. 

Meanwhile over at Epcot…the other half of our family was exploring Big Kid rides! Ha! 

They did Captain EO, Test Track (which was a definite FAV), Living with the Land, a Lumber Jack show, and a few others. 

And then they ate and drank around the world! 

They had a nice relaxing, kid free, day! My Mom & Dad actually went back to the resort to rest a bit before our late night, but we were all ready to be back together soon.

We made it to Epcot! The boys thought the big "golf ball" was so cool! 

Epcot has a special meet and greet with the characters if you are a Disney Visa card holder. You get a private meeting with them. It was pretty neat and they give you a free 5x7 photo as well- perfect for my Christmas card! I really wanted a fun Christmas card photo this year from the very best part of our year- DISNEY WORLD! 

I would definitely recommend opening up a Disney Visa card as soon as you decide to plan a trip to Disney World.We charged everything we bought on it for about 6 months. Then you get a certain percentage back in Disney Dollars to spend on your trip. We also got a $200 Disney gift card just for signing up and spending $500 on it in the first month. So we ended up having a few hundred dollars to spend on souvenirs and such while at Disney World- just from doing our normal shopping over the past months. That was definitely nice for our family of 5 to have some FUN MONEY while there! 

Goofy was super silly with Captain Brooks! 

The Finding Nemo Ride! 

On to the next thing- Living with the Land with my squash buckling cutie! 

Taking a break! 

Then we took a boat ride over to The World Showcase…just as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful ride! 

We met up with the family between Germany and Italy! 

My Uncle John and Kate live in Florida and drove up to spend some time with us in Epcot that day. We had drinks in Germany and then dinner again in Italy. The rest of the group went to a fancy smancy Italian restaurant, but we knew that after a long day, that would not be a good choice for our boys. So we grabbed quick pizza and then walked the World Showcase while they ate. 

Playing drums in Africa.

Checking out all the fun stuff in Asia! 

Mark and I grabbed AMAZING food in South Korea! 

Seriously the BEST lettuce wraps I've ever had! We enjoyed taking a seat and taking in all the sights and sounds. It was SUPER busy there that night because it was The Epcot Food & Wine Festival and everyone comes to Epcot for the night life. So this was the first time that we felt like we had a hard time getting around. The paths were packed…so we just had to take it slowly. 

Cheesing in Australia! 

Some of the most fun characters we met were Tigger and Pooh in The United Kingdom! 

They were in a private room area and really took time to have fun with the boys. 

N & H don't even really know Winnie the Pooh all that well, but had so much fun with them! 

They were quite adorable! 

My Mom met Mary Poppins in the U.K. earlier in the day too. This was her favorite character that she met! 

Watching the fountains! 

My Dad, Mom, her brother John, and his girlfriend Kate. It was nice visiting with them. 

My Uncle John bought the boys this blinking Christmas light necklace! To say they LOVE it would be an understatement! 

Being silly in front of the ball! 

And then we were out! At about 9 o'clock. That was one long day for the boys- 12 hours of park fun. But they were such troopers! We had a blast and made the most of every second we had at both parks.