STONEKINGS DO DISNEY | 2019 EDITION, THE FULL RECAP OF DAYS 3 AND 4

I’ve got a total case of the Mondays, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to share the second half of our trip to Disney World. ++Missed the first two days recap?? You can see that post HERE++

Day 3

Friday at Animal Kingdom was the perfect mid-vacation destination… the sun was out, the weather was GORGEOUS [mid 70s hallelujah!] and our crew was ready to head back to Animal Kingdom. We wanted to get to AK right when it opened to see what rides/attractions we could get knocked out before our first FastPasses, but apparently everyone else had that same idea so we stuck to It’s Tough to Be a Bug 3D Show, then hit up Navi River Journey in the new Pandora World [absolutely incredible and a must-see], DINOSAUR [we LOVED this one!!], and then had another character meal for lunch at Tusker House. This was another fav for all of us, as the food and atmosphere were great and the girls got to add Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto to their autograph pillows… afterwards, we headed to the afternoon showing of Festival of the Lion King, which is another amazing show that we always enjoy!

Lilly Weekender Leggings | Girls Mai Leggings | Gold Natives | Minnie Applique Raglans | Hollywood Tank

We spent the rest of the afternoon getting faces painted, playing game in Donald’s Dino-Land and of course partaking in the Spiked Dole Whips at Tamu Tamu–because us adults needed treats, too!! And then the girls and Jeff took a ride [or dip shall we say] on the Kali River Rapids… I was just so sad to have to stay dry and watch the stroller, hahahaha!!

That afternoon, we headed back to the Polynesian for a bit of R&R before dinner at our favorite place, Ohana… seriously, if there is ONE restaurant you book while at Disney, this is my #1 recommendation–it’s perfect for EVERYONE, especially large groups, the atmosphere is gorgeous with a direct view of the night time Magic Kingdom fireworks and the BEST food!!!!

That night, we also had a special visitor when Carson lost her 2nd tooth after dinner… I had heard Disney does a little something fun when you have that happen so I called the concierge and they brought up a secret tooth fairy box for her to store her new treasure–again they think of everything!!

Smocked Minnie Shirt and Ruffled Pant Sets

DAY 4

Our last day came all too quickly and we headed back to Magic Kingdom for our final rendezvous! We made sure we set the alarm clocks so we could get there super early AKA before the park opened… another win for the convenience of the monorail system, too!! We walked right into the park and headed to the Adventureland gate so we could get in line and then run like crazy to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for the third and final time, per the girls request! Such a smart move, too–we literally walked right onto the ride without waiting and then onto our next destinations.

After that, we were able to tackle a few more typically packed rides before the crowds got there, so we did the Haunted Mansion and the Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel before heading to our first FastPass of the day, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. When you see that wait time of 180 minutes, you’ll be SUPER thankful you get to skip that line my friends… I promise! Then we walked to the back of the park for Journey of the Little Mermaid, followed by lunch at our favorite quick-service, Be Our Guest [P.S. yes they have mimosas and beer] and the food is great for a fast meal!

Ruffled Mickey Sweatshirts | Striped Ruffled Leggings 

This time, we used one of our FastPasses for Belle’s Enchanted Tales and I am SO glad we did it… this interactive show features Belle and the audience gets to participate, too… so fun for your little ones that love Beauty and the Beast and a nice break for us adults to sit down and rest a bit–hahaha!

After that, we did some safari exploring in the Jungle Cruise ride, hopped onto Aladdin’s Magic Carpets, and then Jeff and the girls got crazy and rode the Mad Hatter Tea Party AKA the spinning tea cups that almost made me sick last time we did them. Once we had completed our initial three FastPasses, we hopped onto the app and were able to get another ride in at Dumbo, the Barnstormer, and then we headed to Main Street for plenty of souvenir shopping, sweet treats and goodies before leaving the park!

That evening, we had reservations at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian Resort. Perfect for us, it’s just one monorail stop down from the Polynesian Resort so it was a super quick trip to get to dinner to see Cinderella, Prince Charming, the Stepmother and the Stepsisters… another really good character dining experience and food was REALLY good [P.S. I hear the breakfast is even better!!]. Needless to say, we were beyond exhausted by this point so we watched the fireworks back at the hotel and called it an early night… Disney will do that to you ;).

Finally, it was time to say farewell to the happiest place on Earth… we left with SO many magical memories, a few [ok LOADS] of souvenirs, full bellies and happy happy hearts–there is truly nothing better and the quality time we had right before the girls went back to school was beyond incredible. Until next time Disney!!

Fuzzy Minnie Sweatshirts | Black Ruffled Leggings

look who surprised us at the airport… I think Mimi missed us 😉

BEFORE WE WRAP IT UP, HERE ARE A FEW MORE TIPS AND TRICKS FOR DISNEY:

1. When you stay at a resort with the monorail and are traveling to the Magic Kingdom or Epcot, they have a security stand before you board the monorail so you get to bypass that at the parks… just another convenience worth noting to cut down on the wait times!
2. I’ve mentioned this before but it’s worth saying again… if you are visiting Disney World for 4+ days, I HIGHLY recommend taking 2 days to tackle Magic Kingdom–seriously, it’s JAM PACKED with so many rides, attractions, character meet and greets, fun restaurants and dining experiences, etc… it truly takes two days to be able to do everything you’re going to want to see and do.
3. Brig you best walking shoes… over the course of 4 days at Disney, we walked more than 28 miles = LIKE WHOA. You’re going to want to come stocked with your favorite sneakers, socks, and casual [but you can still be cute] ensembles!!
4. If you’re using the Dining Plan [and I highly recommend that you do], be sure to ask the person checking you out how many snack credits you have… we always have a ton left over and you can use them at a few places on Main Street for candy, ice cream, cotton candy, etc before you leave so you’re not missing out and wasting those food credits!
5. When shopping for souvenirs, be sure to ask the checkout person to send the bags to your hotel room… if you’re staying at a Disney resort and you have at least 1 more full day at your resort, they will transfer them there for you so you don’t have to bother carrying them around with you at the parks.

As always, I hope these travel recaps helped… I love sharing the Stoneking adventures and vacations with you and I cannot wait for our next family trip to Charleston for Spring Break!!