When we woke up in our suite at Bay Lake Tower on Wednesday morning, we were ready for a "rest" day. We had spent three of the past four days in Disney parks, and really needed a day to recoup a bit before our final two park days. I've said it before, and I stand by it . . . full days at Disney parks are not for the faint!
Chris and I didn't really have anything planned for our rest day, but we decided after getting up and around that we'd go back to Disney Springs for a few hours. All the kids really wanted to visit the LEGO store, Brianna wanted to go back to World of Disney, and Bren wanted to spend some time at the Star Wars Trading Post. We were hopeful that if we could get to Disney Springs right when stores opened, we wouldn't have to wait in long lines.
On our way out of our hotel, I had to stop and take in the lakeside view a bit. So beautiful!
While we didn't get to Disney Springs as soon as stores opened, getting there earlier in the day than we had the week before proved to be very beneficial. There was no line at the LEGO Store, and we were able to walk right in!
Brenson, Brianna, Brecklyn, and Brooke
Brecklyn said, "Look! Santa is just my size!"
We enjoyed the LEGO Store and even purchased a few fun LEGO sets, but it wasn't the same with the play areas closed. I think the kids were a little disappointed as they have seen photos several times of Brianna and Brenson playing at the LEGO Store when we visited in 2013. They were also all acting just plain worn out. This was day 9 of vacation, and I think all the activity and being away from home had really caught up with them.
Chris and I decided that we needed to be back at our suite just after lunch so that everyone could have some rest time. We split up to speed things along, so I took Brianna and Brooke to World of Disney while he took Bren and Brecklyn to Star Wars Trading Post.
But first, I wanted to get some photos of Bri and Brooke with Princess Aurora!
Bri and Aurora
Brooke and Cinderella
My sweet girlies <3
There was no line to enter World of Disney, so we walked right in and made a few purchases.
Meanwhile, Chris had Brecklyn pose with a Winnie the Pooh scene on their way to Star Wars Trading Post.
And, he got a pic of Bren and Brecklyn with Buzz Lightyear!
We met back up pretty quickly and visited a few more stores together. The weather was perfect and Disney Springs wasn't too busy yet, so we wanted to take advantage of that!
Brenson, Brecklyn, Brianna, and Brooke
Part of the kids were whining and just wanted to sit down, so we took a short water break while Chris and Bren went into a store to purchase some patches he had seen the week before. Brooke was ready for a nap!
Bren was reluctant to take a photo with Mr. Potato Head, but I talked him into it :-).
We spent about 30 minutes just kind of moseying around and enjoying the beautiful morning and scenery.
Brenson and Brianna
We had planned to eat at Earl of Sandwich for lunch. It's one of my favorites, and somehow we hadn't eaten there yet on this trip! The kids were so worn out at this point that they just wanted to head back to our suite and rest. Chris and I decided we would place a mobile order with Earl of Sandwich and have it delivered to our suite instead of waiting in line to eat at Disney Springs. I was pretty sad to leave Disney Springs without Earl of Sandwich, but I knew that the kids weren't going to last much longer and it was better that way.
We returned to our suite at about 1:30pm, and everyone laid down for some rest. Brianna and Bren weren't too happy about this, and they were thrilled when Tia texted me to see if we wanted to come hang out with them. Terrance, Shenia, Gabe, and Tre had come to Orlando for the day, so Bren, Bri, and I went to meet up with all of them (Chris and the twins were already asleep!).
Shenia, Tia, Brianna, and I walked over to The Contemporary to visit and have a treat at the Contempo Cafe. Brianna was super impressed with this Cinderella cupcake!
Meanwhile, Gabe, Tre, Bren, Ross, Sadie, and Caroline headed to a basketball court nearby to shoot some hoops. I think Terrance stayed in the S family's suite to take a nap, haha. After the girls finished our treat, we made our way to the basketball courts to take Ross some fluids and sugar (he has T1D and was struggling with low blood sugar). When we got to the ball court, Tre said to me, "Look at your son. Why he like that?" Haha . . . I guess Tre wasn't impressed that Bren had hiked his pant legs up to play ball!
Where ever Bri is, that's where C wants to be, too!
Finally got my fix, whoo-hooo!
I ate my food on our balcony so I could enjoy the view!
Around 4:00pm, I went down the hall to retrieve Brianna and Brenson so they could eat and start getting ready for bible study that evening. Tre and Bren were having a great time, so he joined us back at our suite for a while. He and Bren were being pretty wild and ended up getting chips and food all over the place, but it was kind of nice for Bren to have another guy to hang out with. He spends a lot of time being the only boy!
We left our suite about 5:40pm to drive to Lakeland for bible study that evening. It had only taken us about 45 minutes to make the same drive on Sunday morning, but Shenia had warned us to leave twice as much time because of traffic. She wasn't wrong! We made it on time, and had a nice evening seeing many of the people we had met on Sunday. We were truly encouraged and uplifted by being able to meet with brothers and sisters in Christ, and we certainly think of that as one of the highlights of this trip!
While we had been at Disney Springs that morning, I had purchased two Christmas ornaments and left them there to be personalized. After bible study, we had to go back to Disney Springs to pick up my ornaments. It was only a short detour, but we didn't end up getting back to our suite until after 10:00pm! My kids aren't used to being up past their bedtime, so we all fell into bed once we got back!
Thursday was our day to spend at Hollywood Studios, and Chris and I had both set our alarm for 5:45am. The park didn't open until 9:00am, but he and Bren really wanted to ride the new Star Wars ride (Rise of the Resistance). The only way to ride this ride was to get a spot in the virtual queue that opened at 6:00am. We both started trying to get in on our phones at 5:58am, but the queue was full within seconds of it opening! I had read that it was difficult to get into the queue (and Ross hadn't been able to get in when they went to HS earlier in the week), but I was still disappointed for the guys.
We let the kiddos sleep in until 8:00am, then got everyone up to get ready to go. We walked into Hollywood Studios just after 9:00am (once again, no lines to get in!), and spent about 20 minutes walking around and taking in the park. This was the park I knew the least about - we had only spent one afternoon here in 2013 - so we wanted to just explore and take it all in for a bit.
Daddy and Brecklyn
Unsure of where we wanted to begin our day, we finally headed over to Toy Story Land and got in line for Toy Story Mania. The lines were long, but we were so impressed with the theming in Toy Story Land that we we thankful for the opportunity to be able to really see it all while moving through the queue.
Brecklyn, Brenson, Brooke, and Brianna
Bren and Bri love to play Uno, so this display impressed them!
I thought this giant box of chalk was fun, and the lights strung all across Toy Story Land just added to the fun atmosphere.
One really fun thing about this queue is that is kept changing as we made our way through it.
This entire section of the queue had giant sized board games, as you can see in the photo below. The Etch-A-Sketch was on point!
It took us around 40 minutes to make our way through the queue, but we all enjoyed it so much that we didn't care. Finally, it was time to ride the ride!
Daddy and Brooke
Brecklyn and Momma
None of us really knew what to expect with Toy Story Mania, but we all ended up loving it! We had so much fun on the ride, and I was so glad that we began our day on something we all thought was so great. Really, we were all super impressed with the theming in Toy Story Land altogether. The attention to detail was amazing!
Barrel of monkeys!
Family pic in Toy Story Land!
I loved the Tinker Toy lights and the feeling of being in Andy's backyard. In the photo below, the Slinky Dog Dash rollercoaster is behind us and that's where we decided to go next!
The wait for Slinky Dog Dash was 60 minutes, but we decided to wait and hoped that it would move fast. Our wait did end up being at least 60 minutes, but that gave us plenty of time to enjoy more of Toy Story Land, take photos, eat some snacks, and even take bathroom breaks in shifts.
This giant Woody scared us to death the first time he started talking, lol!
Brianna and Brenson
Getting closer . . .
I hadn't read much about this ride, but it didn't look too scary from what I could see. Thankfully, I didn't know better and decided to join my family for the adventure.
Brecklyn and Brenson liked the Army men in the queue
Brecklyn ready to ride!
I thought posing with a giant Ticonderoga pencil was appropriate for this homeschool mom :-).
Brooke was excited!
When it was finally our turn to ride, we ended up being at the end of the "slinky dog". Bri and Bren rode together,
Daddy and Brooke rode together,
and Momma and Brecklyn were together in the very back of the coaster.
Brecklyn loved this ride. She was screaming, laughing, raising her hands, and just living her best life. I, on the other hand, was trying to keep from losing my stomach. It was way more intense than I expected, and I was so glad when it was over. The contrast of the pic of us before (above) and after (below) is hilarious to me!
The photos taken while we were on the ride are pretty great, too!
When we got off the ride, both Brooke and I had to take a minute to get our feet under us. Brooke said, "Mom, I almost puked on that ride!" Me too, sister, me too!
I will say, although Slinky Dog Dash was a bit traumatic for a few of us, it's probably the ride we have talked about more than any other since we've been home. It was the twins' very first "real" rollercoaster experience and the first in a long time for me. Brooke brings it up constantly . . . I'm not sure if it was that memorable or just that scary, haha!
Right beside Slinky Dog Dash is Alien Swirling Saucers. Even though going on a spinning ride was about the last thing I was interested in doing after Slinky Dog, it made the most sense for us so I went along with it! Thankfully, the queue was about 30 minutes long and that gave my tummy time to settle a bit.
Brecklyn, Brianna, Brooke, and Brenson in the queue for Alien Swirling Saucers
Brenson loved finding Hidden Mickeys and wanted his photo with this one!
Brianna, Brooke, and Daddy ready to swirl!
Momma, Brecklyn, and Brenson . . . ready or not . . . 😁
This ride is like the Teacups with a twist. Each car spins, larger circles of three cars spin, and the whole ride spins simultaneously. However, the Swirling Saucers have a little surprise when they whip and change directions!
Earlier that morning (when I should have been sleeping), I made a mobile order for us for lunch at Woody's Lunchbox. At the time I made the order, I had no idea we'd be spending our morning in Toy Story Land, but it worked out perfectly. Sadly, there were only standing tables open (so no chance to rest our weary feet), but the food was delicious! I had read that the homemade poptarts are the best in the park, so I made sure to have several of those included in our order. They weren't my favorite, but the kids thought they were fantastic!
After lunch and a little mask break, the kids wanted to ride Toy Story Mania again. The queue was short, so we decided to go for it!
Being serenaded by Mr. Potato Head while in the queue!
Bri and Bren rode together again,
Brecklyn rode with Daddy,
and even though I don't have any photo evidence, Brooke and Momma rode together. In the middle of the ride, Brooke shouted, "Mom! My glasses flew off!" Sure enough, during one of the "whip spins" of the ride, her glasses had flown off her face and landed outside of our car. Just after this happened, the ride stopped for about 2 minutes, and I'm pretty sure someone was collecting Brooke's glasses so they didn't damage the ride. Never a dull moment with that girl!
Once we finished Toy Story Mania again, we were ready to finally move on to a different area of the park. Before we did though, I insisted that we stop at a photo pass and have some family pics taken.
Loved our morning in Toy Story Land!
Haha . . . the photographer had us pose like this!
And, we had to do the signature Buzz Lightyear pose. Because of course!
I always think these photos where they add something are fun.
As we were walking from Toy Story Land to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, we tried to get Bren and Chris a boarding pass on the Rise of the Resistance ride again. The virtual queue only opens twice a day (at 6:00am and 2:00pm), and sadly we missed it both times. Thankfully, Chris and Bren weren't too disappointed as they knew we still had plenty to see and experience.
The contrast between Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is almost impossible to describe. You literally feel like you are walking into another world when you enter Galaxy's Edge, and although Star Wars doesn't interest me, I'm glad I at least walked through Galaxy's Edge.
Bren was in his element!
Both Daddy and Bren really loved this area of the park.
The girls and I were glad we were able to see it, but we had no interest in hanging around for long. Because of this, we decided to split up for the afternoon. I snapped this photo of the girls before asking a cast member to direct us back to earth!
While we were making our way out of Galaxy's Edge, Bren and Chris continued to enjoy the sites.
Meanwhile, the girls and I found our way to Grand Avenue where we stopped for a snack and drink break.
From there, we headed over to Muppet Vision.
Sadly, it wasn't worth it. I was very thankful to be able to sit down in a comfortable seat for a while, though!
The set was so pretty!
Brecklyn
Brooke
Once the show started, Brecklyn was ALL smiles!
Elsa was beautiful!
Each time another member of the cast appeared on stage, the girls would get SO excited!
However, the best moment was when at the climax of one of the songs, the ceiling opened up and snow started falling from the sky. It was a truly magical moment!
As soon as we exited the Frozen show, we met up with Chris and Bren just in time to see a parade coming down Sunset Boulevard.
Sully!
Army men from Toy Story
Jessie!
After the parade, we found a few pin trading spots for the big kids. Then, we had a photopass photographer take a few family pics for us.
This one with Olaf is too cute!
So pretty!
At this point in the day (around 4:30pm), I was feeling very overstimulated. I didn't feel this way that the other parks, but for some reason Hollywood Studios was just a little much for me. The music, lights, crowds, etc had me feeling like I was ready to bolt! Because of this, I found a quiet spot off of Sunset Boulevard to have a snack with Brooke and Brecklyn while Chris took Brianna and Bren to more shops for pin trading. Unknown to me, we were sitting right where the parades begin. A cast member came by and told me it was our lucky day because a parade would be starting very soon, but I wasn't sure I agreed. I really just wanted some quiet, lol!
However, the kids were thrilled to be right where the cars for the parade were entering the street. That made up for the loud music and chaos brought closer to us by the parade :-).
Santa!
The parade cars and participants were entering the street through the gate you can sort-of see in this pic.
After the parade concluded, Chris and I agreed we were DONE for the day. We were tired, overstimulated, and just ready to rest back in our hotel. Before we left the park, though, I wanted a few more photopass pics of us on Sunset Boulevard. I'm so glad we got these pics, as they are some of my favorite from the day!
Photos truly do not capture how large and beautiful this tree was!
Of course, the kids had to use the bathroom as soon as we finished taking photos, so we walked the the nearest restroom. On our way there, Chris and I tried to recreate a photo we have from our 2013 trip.
We also decided to stop by a few more places that had pin trading on our way out of the park. Although I found the pin trading to be a little annoying at times like this, I am thankful the big kids enjoyed it so much. It was great for them to have something special just for them. We were out of the park and back at our vehicle by 6:45pm.
From our hotel, we could see the monorail, and of course we had watched it run through The Contemporary when we had gone over there to eat. The kids were fascinated with it, and kept asking when we were going to ride it. We arrived back at Bay Lake Tower around 7:00pm this day, and Chris and I decided that if we were going to ride the monorail, this was our opportunity. Instead of going back to our room upon arriving at Bay Lake Tower, we walked over to The Contemporary and caught a ride on the monorail!
Because of COVID restrictions, the monorail was not running its full route. However, this ended up working out perfectly for us because we didn't want to spend a ton of time on it! We rode to The Grand Floridian, Magic Kingdom, then back to The Contemporary. It was so pretty to see everything at night (and decorated for Christmas!).
Once we got back to our suite, Chris helped the kids with showers and bedtime while I walked back over to The Contemporary to grab food for Chris and me at the Contempo Cafe. We hadn't really eaten a meal since lunch - although we'd had plenty of snacks - and we were both craving real food. We got salads and chicken noodle soup. They both hit the spot! The kids were already asleep by the time we were enjoying our late supper, but as soon as we finished we also hit the bed for a solid night's sleep before our final day in the parks.
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