We Only Had to Wait in Line Twice For This - An April 2024 runDisney TR *Updated 6/5 Summer Plans

[amazingact21]

Great race update and the photos of you both with Tinkerbell and Peter Pan were definitely worth lining up twice for.
The starting corrals look chaotic but your smile during the race photos make me think it’s worth the craziness. Looking forward to hearing about your other races and how you got some of the kinks you encountered in the 5k ironed out.

At least the Peter Pan and Wendy photo has a story behind it we won't soon forget.

Cute race pictures of you two despite all the craziness!

Thanks! I'm so glad there are Photopass photographers on the course to capture those moments.

Sounds like you got the 5K down pat now. Lots of trial and error.

I love the photos of the two of you together. I think it was worth waiting for the Wendy and Peter Pan photo.

Ready for the rest of your day.

If nothing else, we got a funny story out of the Peter Pan and Wendy photo.
I'm looking forward to recapping our meetup!

 

[amazingact21]

Billie and I like to split breakfast entrees too. The adult servings are massive!

I feel like a lot of the adult portions are too much for just me. Especially since there are so many snacks and treats I want to try throughout my vacation. Thank goodness Evie shares a lot of my food preferences and enjoys splitting dishes with me.

Don't worry, I took over Jamie's closet when he moved out as I needed space for all my Disney dresses. I might have a problem, lol. Oh then there are the pins, the bags and the Pandora charms. Yup definitely a problem.

Haha! But you have to have your Disney dresses! I don't think it would be a TR of yours if you didn't share pictures with your lovely outfits.
I'm starting to lose the battle with bags. I could reasonably say I didn't have too many, but I somehow blinked and now they take up an entire shelf in my closet. Oops!

Funny story about my coffee mugs. Every time the kids have friends over for the first time, they comment on the mugs. My favorite was one kid going, "Whoa! Your mom must drink A LOT of coffee."

Hooray for your first race of the weekend! Despite the fact you had to wait in line twice, your picture with Peter Pan and Wendy was worth it. It’s a great picture! Your other race pictures are fun, too.

But oof, a 2:00am wake up time sounds brutal!

The 2 a.m. wakeup is awful. I want to participate in a race weekend where I'm only doing one race, because I think the worst part is waking up that early over and over again. But when I'm taking in the cost of flights and resorts and time away, it makes more sense to do the challenge.

Fellow North Texan! Welcome to the area (or at least the state)! My 7yo is so into axolotls too! We just went to the Dallas World Aquarium last week to say howdy to the little guys. Are these animals newly discovered? I swear I had never heard of it til Big Little Miss started talking about them, and now my house is full of stuffed axolotls. Our Little Little Miss loved the penguins the best. Can't wait to read more of your runDisney adventure!

North Texas is warming its way into my heart! We first got here in August, when it was over 110 degrees every day, and I thought that was going to be the norm. But now that it's been a year, I've seen that the weather is actually quite nice for the rest of the year. Still getting used to the tornado season, though. That's a little intimidating.
But everyone has been so welcoming and friendly. And the food. My goodness! After years of British fare, I'm indulging in so much Tex Mex and barbecue.


YES! On the axolotl front. I had never heard of them until my son. How'd they gain such a following with kids?
There's a lot at the Dallas Aquarium! Did your little one bring home the black stuffed axolotl from there? Because mine sure did. Not sure if you've been to the Dallas Zoo, but they have a few, as well.

 

[vamassey1]

I'm looking forward to recapping our meetup!

Me too. Your recap will be way before mine.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Hey! I am joining in on another trip report and close to the beginning too. Look at me! I've been gone from the Dis for too long but finally came back to write a short report and catch up with friends.

There's too much to comment on so I'll just say that I'm caught up and looking forward to more.

 

[amazingact21]

Hey! I am joining in on another trip report and close to the beginning too. Look at me! I've been gone from the Dis for too long but finally came back to write a short report and catch up with friends.

There's too much to comment on so I'll just say that I'm caught up and looking forward to more.

It's so good to see you on the DIS again! I understand stepping away; I did too, for awhile. But there's something about reliving trips through the reports that can be so fun. It draws us back.

 

[amazingact21]

Summer Plans


I interrupt this April trip report to talk about our upcoming Disney plans.

Why?

Because our trips are coming up fast, and I can’t help but want to share the excitement with anyone and everyone!



It’s officially summer break at our house. The kids had their last day of school about a week ago:



It was a sprint to the finish line, but we all survived and have recovered. So far, there’s been lots of pool swimming, water slides with friends, barbecues with neighbors, and only three dozen, “I’m bored. What can I do?”



Most of you are aware, but last fall my mom and mother in-law had health issues. Fortunately, we’re on the other side of the worst of it, but because of the circumstances, Alex and I agreed we should take the kids to Florida this summer to visit family for a few weeks.

We made plans right before our Springtime Surprise races and decided to squeeze a few more days out of our Annual Passes before they expire. I mean, when you have APs you want to use them as much as possible, right?

Originally, Alex and I had 3 nights booked at our old favorite, Shades of Green.



There was a FL resident 3 day ticket we were going to get for the kids, and we were going to spend 2.5 days in the parks.

The kids were never told about this plan, nor were any tickets purchased.

Which turned out to be a good thing.

Because after returning back from our trip, Alex became a project leader on an event, and the date for the event fell when we were supposed to be in Florida.


So it was back to the drawing board for us. With impossible to reschedule appointments later in the month, Alex and I couldn’t shift our return home any later. Meaning, we had to cut the Disney portion out.


Well, that was a bummer.


And totally unacceptable.


Be an hour away from the parks and do nothing?


No, no. That would not do.



I looked up the dates for the special events and saw that we could get MK After Hours tickets with an Annual Pass discount.

My family did the Villains After Hours Party in 2019.







And we had an amazing time. It was so much fun being in the park late at night with barely any crowds. It reminded Alex and I of the old days when Extra Magic Hours would last until 1 a.m. and allowed the park to feel empty.



Alex and I mulled the possibility over.

Then bought the tickets.

We’re doing After Hours!



But shh, we haven’t told the kids. It’s going to be a surprise.


What they do know is that we are going to visit Disney Springs that afternoon. Why? Because my husband is amazing.

I had been checking the dining app, trying to keep an eye out for a Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming reservation, but I wasn’t having any luck.

Not surprising, since we were a month out and the restaurant is popular.

Back in April, when Alex and I went with his siblings, his sister had struck up a conversation with the hostess and she gave my SIL a business card. Well, one evening while Alex and I were hanging out, my hubs decided, “What the heck, why don’t I just call Homecoming and see if I can get us a reservation over the phone?”



And friends.

It was not a problem at all!

The person on the other end of the phone asked what date and time, put us on hold for a few minutes, and WHAM. There we go.



We’re eating at Homecoming at 4:30 the night of the After Hours event.



I’m thrilled everything is working out, and I cannot wait for this day to arrive.

Alex will get to finally try the moonshine teas he’s heard so much about. I’ll try and grab one of these bad boys to help me stay alert throughout the night:




Then, we’ll drive over to the TTC and park. Hop on a monorail. If we have time to kill, Alex and I might stop by Tambu Lounge and grab a drink, but only if I don’t grab a coffee in Disney Springs.



We can get into the Magic Kingdom at 7 p.m. and there are a few attractions that aren’t open during the party that I want to get on. The Railroad and Carousel of Progress being the top two.

I’m not worried about watching Happily Ever After. I think it would be fun, though, to time it so we are on the PeopleMover or BTMRR.

Once the party kicks off, Alex and I want to make sure we do Jungle Cruise, Small World, the Carousel (of course) and Tron. I love that Tron has a standby queue during the event, and hopefully Evie will be tall enough to be comfortable in the vehicle now. She’s grown over 4 inches since our last visit!


And it goes without saying that we’ll enjoy lots of snacks. For some strange reason, I’m really looking forward to a Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar.




There’s just something about the idea of chowing down on one of these on a hot summer night, listening to my kids talk a mile a minute about rides, listening to the MK park loop, knowing we snuck in some extra Disney time that makes me happy.



Plus! I can’t wait to get a picture of the kids in front of the castle. It will be special.

Because in July…

I’ll be getting a similar shot. Only in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.



Yes, indeed.


Alex and I are finally, FINALLY taking the kids to Disneyland!!!

THE Disneyland.


It will be the first time for all of us. Alex and I were fully expecting to have to wait until 2025 to take this trip of a lifetime, but thanks to amazing military discounts, it became feasible.


Alex and I had planned to go to Disneyland after he returned from a deployment in 2015. But then I got pregnant with Evie. Then six weeks after she was born we found out we were moving to Europe.

So this trip has been a long time coming.

Alex has wanted to go to the California parks so incredibly much. I wish you all could see how excited he is to go. It’s been a joy for me to witness.



We will be staying at the one and only DISNEYLAND HOTEL.

Watching World of Color with a dessert party package.

And eating all the snacks.

I’ve heard so many great things about the food at Disneyland, that the thing I’m most looking forward to trying for myself.

I want a churro.

I want the giant pretzel from Pym’s Test Kitchen.

I want the tomato soup and grilled cheese from Jolly Holiday Café.

I want all the food from Tiana’s Palace.

I want it all!



There’s also Monsters Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue!

A dark ride centered around my favorite Pixar film. I’ve been dying to see this for myself for years.


Alex is most looking forward to seeing a new Disney park. He wants to see the place Walt helped create, witness the history for himself. He loves the idea of getting new experiences at new places. He already dreams about the day he can see Tokyo Disney, and I’m sure once we go to DL it’ll only become worse.


And Evie?

She is impatiently waiting to get to Avengers Campus.

A few months ago, we began introducing the kids to the Marvel movies, and from the first Iron Man, my daughter was hooked. We’re only up to Captain America: Winter Soldier, but Evie has already decided she’s a superhero fan. She’s watched Thor and the first Avengers 3 times, and she mentions almost every day that she can’t wait to ride Mission Breakout.

Her favorite characters, so far, are Loki and Hawkeye, and she wants to plan her outfit around when we’ll be in the campus.


Mind you, this won’t be our first time visiting an Avengers Campus.

We were fortunate enough to go to Disneyland Paris in 2022 and explore theirs.






We ended up spending half a day in the area, and that was without the kids knowing anything Marvel. So I suspect this will be where the kids will want to congregate in July.


The good news is that we have 3 full days plus our arrival day to spend in the parks. I’m looking forward to having a lot of time to explore and really soak up the two locations. We plan on doing Early Entry and our tickets came with Genie Plus, so hopefully we’ll utilize those to their maximum potential.

If anyone has any tips or must do’s or food recommendations, I’d love to hear them! Disneyland is a whole new world for us, and I know there’s only so much research I can do to help beforehand.


All right, I hope I didn’t lose anyone with my summer plans. I promise, next update I’ll get back to the race weekend. Thanks for letting me share my anticipation, though! It’s going to be a fun summer.

 

[MickeyReeds]

Joining in! Looking forward to reading another one of your trip reports!

 

[vamassey1]

What a fabulous summer!

I'm so jealous, a Magic Kingdom afterhours party, Disneyland and California Adventure. You're also staying at the Disneyland Hotel. You're going to have so much fun. I can't wait to read that trip report too.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Wow exciting summer plans! I grew up in California and visited Disneyland often, back before there was a Downtown Disney or DCA. So many great times! The last time we went was back in 2015 for the 60th anniversary Diamond Celebration and I will say that one of my favorite things ever was Cars Land at dusk as all the lights are coming on. Riding Radiator Springs Racers as the sun was just going down (still not sure how we timed this so perfectly) on a hot summer Anaheim day is one of my all time favorite memories.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Wow Alicia your plans sound amazing! You are going to have so much fun!
It sounds wonderful to visit family and both DL And WDW after hours. Love the throwback photos to the Villains party. The kids look so small

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I am right there with Evie on my favorite Marvel characters, although I imagine it is for different reasons than your young daughter. Let's just be really honest, I would watch Tom Hiddleson read a phone book.

 

[piglet1979]

That is so exciting. I am like your husband. I really want to go to DL. DH not so much. I will get him there. I have a whole trip planned, in my head, now for years. Getting to Cali is tough so I want to do it all in a 2 week trip.

 

[PAsFab5]

Summer Plans


I interrupt this April trip report to talk about our upcoming Disney plans.

Why?

Because our trips are coming up fast, and I can’t help but want to share the excitement with anyone and everyone!



It’s officially summer break at our house. The kids had their last day of school about a week ago:
View attachment 866117


It was a sprint to the finish line, but we all survived and have recovered. So far, there’s been lots of pool swimming, water slides with friends, barbecues with neighbors, and only three dozen, “I’m bored. What can I do?”



Most of you are aware, but last fall my mom and mother in-law had health issues. Fortunately, we’re on the other side of the worst of it, but because of the circumstances, Alex and I agreed we should take the kids to Florida this summer to visit family for a few weeks.

We made plans right before our Springtime Surprise races and decided to squeeze a few more days out of our Annual Passes before they expire. I mean, when you have APs you want to use them as much as possible, right?

Originally, Alex and I had 3 nights booked at our old favorite, Shades of Green.

View attachment 866119

There was a FL resident 3 day ticket we were going to get for the kids, and we were going to spend 2.5 days in the parks.

The kids were never told about this plan, nor were any tickets purchased.

Which turned out to be a good thing.

Because after returning back from our trip, Alex became a project leader on an event, and the date for the event fell when we were supposed to be in Florida.


So it was back to the drawing board for us. With impossible to reschedule appointments later in the month, Alex and I couldn’t shift our return home any later. Meaning, we had to cut the Disney portion out.


Well, that was a bummer.


And totally unacceptable.


Be an hour away from the parks and do nothing?


No, no. That would not do.



I looked up the dates for the special events and saw that we could get MK After Hours tickets with an Annual Pass discount.

My family did the Villains After Hours Party in 2019.

View attachment 866122


View attachment 866123


And we had an amazing time. It was so much fun being in the park late at night with barely any crowds. It reminded Alex and I of the old days when Extra Magic Hours would last until 1 a.m. and allowed the park to feel empty.



Alex and I mulled the possibility over.

Then bought the tickets.

We’re doing After Hours!



But shh, we haven’t told the kids. It’s going to be a surprise.


What they do know is that we are going to visit Disney Springs that afternoon. Why? Because my husband is amazing.

I had been checking the dining app, trying to keep an eye out for a Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming reservation, but I wasn’t having any luck.

Not surprising, since we were a month out and the restaurant is popular.

Back in April, when Alex and I went with his siblings, his sister had struck up a conversation with the hostess and she gave my SIL a business card. Well, one evening while Alex and I were hanging out, my hubs decided, “What the heck, why don’t I just call Homecoming and see if I can get us a reservation over the phone?”



And friends.

It was not a problem at all!

The person on the other end of the phone asked what date and time, put us on hold for a few minutes, and WHAM. There we go.

View attachment 866125

We’re eating at Homecoming at 4:30 the night of the After Hours event.



I’m thrilled everything is working out, and I cannot wait for this day to arrive.

Alex will get to finally try the moonshine teas he’s heard so much about. I’ll try and grab one of these bad boys to help me stay alert throughout the night:
View attachment 866126



Then, we’ll drive over to the TTC and park. Hop on a monorail. If we have time to kill, Alex and I might stop by Tambu Lounge and grab a drink, but only if I don’t grab a coffee in Disney Springs.



We can get into the Magic Kingdom at 7 p.m. and there are a few attractions that aren’t open during the party that I want to get on. The Railroad and Carousel of Progress being the top two.

I’m not worried about watching Happily Ever After. I think it would be fun, though, to time it so we are on the PeopleMover or BTMRR.

Once the party kicks off, Alex and I want to make sure we do Jungle Cruise, Small World, the Carousel (of course) and Tron. I love that Tron has a standby queue during the event, and hopefully Evie will be tall enough to be comfortable in the vehicle now. She’s grown over 4 inches since our last visit!


And it goes without saying that we’ll enjoy lots of snacks. For some strange reason, I’m really looking forward to a Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar.

View attachment 866127


There’s just something about the idea of chowing down on one of these on a hot summer night, listening to my kids talk a mile a minute about rides, listening to the MK park loop, knowing we snuck in some extra Disney time that makes me happy.



Plus! I can’t wait to get a picture of the kids in front of the castle. It will be special.

Because in July…

I’ll be getting a similar shot. Only in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.



Yes, indeed.


Alex and I are finally, FINALLY taking the kids to Disneyland!!!

THE Disneyland.


It will be the first time for all of us. Alex and I were fully expecting to have to wait until 2025 to take this trip of a lifetime, but thanks to amazing military discounts, it became feasible.


Alex and I had planned to go to Disneyland after he returned from a deployment in 2015. But then I got pregnant with Evie. Then six weeks after she was born we found out we were moving to Europe.

So this trip has been a long time coming.

Alex has wanted to go to the California parks so incredibly much. I wish you all could see how excited he is to go. It’s been a joy for me to witness.



We will be staying at the one and only DISNEYLAND HOTEL.

Watching World of Color with a dessert party package.

And eating all the snacks.

I’ve heard so many great things about the food at Disneyland, that the thing I’m most looking forward to trying for myself.

I want a churro.

I want the giant pretzel from Pym’s Test Kitchen.

I want the tomato soup and grilled cheese from Jolly Holiday Café.

I want all the food from Tiana’s Palace.

I want it all!



There’s also Monsters Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue!

A dark ride centered around my favorite Pixar film. I’ve been dying to see this for myself for years.


Alex is most looking forward to seeing a new Disney park. He wants to see the place Walt helped create, witness the history for himself. He loves the idea of getting new experiences at new places. He already dreams about the day he can see Tokyo Disney, and I’m sure once we go to DL it’ll only become worse.


And Evie?

She is impatiently waiting to get to Avengers Campus.

A few months ago, we began introducing the kids to the Marvel movies, and from the first Iron Man, my daughter was hooked. We’re only up to Captain America: Winter Soldier, but Evie has already decided she’s a superhero fan. She’s watched Thor and the first Avengers 3 times, and she mentions almost every day that she can’t wait to ride Mission Breakout.

Her favorite characters, so far, are Loki and Hawkeye, and she wants to plan her outfit around when we’ll be in the campus.


Mind you, this won’t be our first time visiting an Avengers Campus.

We were fortunate enough to go to Disneyland Paris in 2022 and explore theirs.

View attachment 866129

View attachment 866131


We ended up spending half a day in the area, and that was without the kids knowing anything Marvel. So I suspect this will be where the kids will want to congregate in July.


The good news is that we have 3 full days plus our arrival day to spend in the parks. I’m looking forward to having a lot of time to explore and really soak up the two locations. We plan on doing Early Entry and our tickets came with Genie Plus, so hopefully we’ll utilize those to their maximum potential.

If anyone has any tips or must do’s or food recommendations, I’d love to hear them! Disneyland is a whole new world for us, and I know there’s only so much research I can do to help beforehand.


All right, I hope I didn’t lose anyone with my summer plans. I promise, next update I’ll get back to the race weekend. Thanks for letting me share my anticipation, though! It’s going to be a fun summer.

I am SO excited for these plans and they aren’t even mine!!!

 

[suse66]

Alex and I mulled the possibility over.

Then bought the tickets.

We’re doing After Hours!

That is a great idea! You'll have all the fun of Magic Kingdom plus snacks!

But shh, we haven’t told the kids. It’s going to be a surprise.


What they do know is that we are going to visit Disney Springs that afternoon. Why? Because my husband is amazing.

What an awesome surprise for Evie and Landon!

Well, one evening while Alex and I were hanging out, my hubs decided, “What the heck, why don’t I just call Homecoming and see if I can get us a reservation over the phone?”



And friends.

It was not a problem at all!

Yay!!

Alex will get to finally try the moonshine teas he’s heard so much about. I’ll try and grab one of these bad boys to help me stay alert throughout the night:

Yum! I need to try one of these. The only thing I worry about is the sweetness evel as I can't do really sweet drinks.

We can get into the Magic Kingdom at 7 p.m. and there are a few attractions that aren’t open during the party that I want to get on. The Railroad and Carousel of Progress being the top two.

Love that the Railroad and CoP are in your top two! I would have those in my list as well.

Alex and I are finally, FINALLY taking the kids to Disneyland!!!

THE Disneyland.

So, so exciting!!!!

We will be staying at the one and only DISNEYLAND HOTEL.

Watching World of Color with a dessert party package.

And eating all the snacks.

I’ve heard so many great things about the food at Disneyland, that the thing I’m most looking forward to trying for myself.

I want a churro.

I want the giant pretzel from Pym’s Test Kitchen.

I want the tomato soup and grilled cheese from Jolly Holiday Café.

I want all the food from Tiana’s Palace.

I want it all!

So many yummy options!

Alex is most looking forward to seeing a new Disney park. He wants to see the place Walt helped create, witness the history for himself. He loves the idea of getting new experiences at new places. He already dreams about the day he can see Tokyo Disney, and I’m sure once we go to DL it’ll only become worse.

I feel exactly the same as Alex. Bill promised me we could add Disneyland prior to our Aulani trip next summer. I can't wait!

All right, I hope I didn’t lose anyone with my summer plans. I promise, next update I’ll get back to the race weekend. Thanks for letting me share my anticipation, though! It’s going to be a fun summer.

Your summer will be fabulous!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Your summer plans sound fabulous!

It’s a bummer you couldn’t do several days at Disney World as you originally planned, but dinner at Homecomin’ and After Hours at MK sounds wonderful. Late nights at MK are the best!

And hooray… Disneyland! I’d love our girls to be a little older but I’d LOVE to go to Disneyland! Many people seem to say DCA is their favorite domestic Disney park… I’ll be interested in what you and Alex think about it!

I gave myself a crash course in Disneyland to help a friend plan a day there (she’s there tomorrow!) so I feel like I know more than I used to. I also recommended the Disneyland Hotel to her - it seems like the perfect choice with young kids (those pools look amazing!). And you’ll accomplish a ton with Genie+ (seemingly a must- and great-to-have at Disneyland) and love the extras you booked, too.

I highly recommend you check out @ambula603 ’s recent trip report on the Disneyland boards (her family also stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and loved the Marvel campus as well) and also check Disney Tourist Blog for additional tips and tricks. Tom Bricker and his wife live near Disneyland and have a ton of recommendations for food, ride order, and general tips for exploring those parks. Have SO MUCH FUN!