A Restful Spring Break? - A March/April 2024 Trip Report

[Stacybaeasm]

I did LL for the parade for the first time in April. I would have had the same issue finding the entrance if I didn't have friends who work in MK (who happened to be there that day as well.) They pointed it out to me. But, it IS good parade viewing.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

did LL for the parade for the first time in April. I would have had the same issue finding the entrance if I didn't have friends who work in MK (who happened to be there that day as well.) They pointed it out to me. But, it IS good parade viewing.

I think, they think the umbrellas help but they really don't.

the spot was ok. We got there late, like right before the parade and we ended up on the far right side, it was an ok spot. It was HOT standing there. Not sure we would do that again.

 

[vamassey1]

Back of the Boat! I hope you behaved yourself.

Andy was only able to get pepperoni egg rolls. Sad. He would have had to wait 15 minutes for some cheeseburger ones. We sat on the wall behind the castle and ate our snacks. It actually wasn’t a bad place to sit and eat quickly!

How frustrating! I got one of each last time and I think I like the cheeseburger better.

 

[Stasieki]

Oh my! Life has really been crazy (Abby graduated last Saturday ). I haven't really been on the boards since end of last year. So happy to find your report. Spent my afternoon at work catching up - haha. Looks like a great start. So sorry your months/year leading up to this have been so hard. I live in the south so feel like I can get fried green tomatoes anywhere. But of course I can't get amazing Philly cheesesteaks, pizza, etc. Glad you like some southern food! I love how you always do such a good job tailoring your trips to the needs of your whole family. My teens need more rest too, but I feel I have a hard time letting them rest -haha. Hoping Andy's back stays good so he can enjoy the rest of the trip.

 

[jrmint427]

Well, I had my first life is getting in the way moment. I knew it was gonna happen. But I was trying to keep a good pace for this report. And I still want to! Hopefully I will get back on track!

It always happens! But you always come back Hope the end of school festivities go well for your family!

At the end of the ride, there was a back up of boats, so it was time for him to go off script.... He started to point out the best rides in Disney….. Dumbo….. Magic Carpets… Tricertop Swirl…. He said they were all super unique rides. It was all in his delivery of the rides.

That took me a minute but is really funny. I love when you get new/different jokes.

Morgan requested a I Lava You Float

The best treat!!

 

[amazingact21]

Schools like to sprint to the end of the year, it feels like. My kids' last day was Thursday, and I feel like I've just now recovered. I hope you can hold out for these last few weeks and make it until summer break. Not much longer to go!

Sorry to hear the snacks were more of a pain than anticipated. I hate when that happens. You're trying to get something quick and easy and it turns into a whole ordeal.

I couldn't even begin to guess where the parade LL spot is. How annoying that you had to walk all over to find it. Were you at least able to sit and watch the parade after that?

 

[Jabroniville]

Nice stuff! I've done the LL for the parade as well. I was eager to get good shots, but I found that despite being in the "inner loop" ("inner loops" like Diamond Horseshoe, Liberty Square and others where the floats turn into you provide the best shots), the characters weren't as close as I'd hoped, particularly in any of the spinning sections of the primary float. I found it much easier to wait by Liberty Square or the like, then chase the parade down Main Street and watch the whole thing again as it enters the barn door.

 

[Jabroniville]

Nice EPCOT photos! I legit forgot that Remy's had two scooters right by the entrance, haha. I often skip the Canada pavilion entirely since there's no rides there and there's more interesting shops at the UK one, but I'm often struck when I see the SPECTACULAR waterfall setup they have in the back. Too bad so much of the pavilion is hidden from the regular walkways!

Did Remy really have more than an hour line? I usually don't do that one without LL or near the end of the day in the park. But I spoke to some guests around there who say they've had repeated trips but have never done it- often saying it was too busy or that the ride went down.

That’s a great collection of Photopass pictures, including several wonderful magic shots! I feel like the Photopass photographers are very feast or famine - they’re either excellent and you get a bunch of great shots or they’re lackluster and you get maybe one “meh” shot. I’m glad you got a good one!

I find the ones taking pics outside tend to be pretty good- stuff like "Spaceship Earth" and "The Castle at Night" usually turn out. But stuff with the characters can be hit or miss. I think the very first time I dealt with PhotoPass I wasn't ready for it as I hadn't read up on it, having given my phone to another CM instead, and so when I met Elsa for the first time he just took two pictures, one of which was blurry. And I think Elsa paid more attention to him than my phone, haha.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Life has really been crazy (Abby graduated last Saturday

Glad you are back on the boards! It's easy to have life get in the way! I saw the pictures of Abby!!! Congrats to her!!! So exciting as she starts the next step in her life!

love how you always do such a good job tailoring your trips to the needs of your whole family. My teens need more rest too, but I feel I have a hard time letting them rest

Thanks! I really try to make it a nice vacation for all of us. I am afraid I created monsters on this trip!

Hope the end of school festivities go well for your family!

It feels like they are never ending!! I actually said to the girls this morning, look at this!!! There is NOTHING written on today's square! (as I look at the calander on the fridge)

That took me a minute but is really funny. I love when you get new/different jokes.

It was a slow build kind of humor for sure. But when teh boats get backed up is when you get some different jokes. they get to ad lib at the end.

My kids' last day was Thursday, and I feel like I've just now recovered. I hope you can hold out for these last few weeks and make it until summer break. Not much longer to go!

Yeah to summer break for your kids! Ugh, we have so much still to go. Gwen's not done will June 21st!

Were you at least able to sit and watch the parade after that?

I am going to do the parade post now, but kind of... Morgan ended up getting to sit but the rest of us had to stand. I wouldn't recommend the area.

he LL for the parade as well. I was eager to get good shots, but I found that despite being in the "inner loop" ("inner loops" like Diamond Horseshoe, Liberty Square and others where the floats turn into you provide the best shots), the characters weren't as close as I'd hoped, particularly in any of the spinning sections of the primary float. I found it much easier to wait by Liberty Square or the like, then chase the parade down Main Street and watch the whole thing again as it enters the b

I agree. We probably could of found just as good of a spot on our own and probably not as not.

I often skip the Canada pavilion entirely since there's no rides there and there's more interesting shops at the UK one

Poor Canada... They really did it dirty... There is no counter service, no ride, the shops are just ok.... It's truely beautiful but so skippable!

Did Remy really have more than an hour line?

It did!!! And it was soooo long of a wait. If it wasn't our first day, we probably would have not waitied.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Hi Everyone!

I hope everyone enjoyed a the long weekend! I feel like I need another day to recuperate!
Morgan marched in the parde in our town and a neighboring town. And speaking of which.... Up next is a ALOT of parade pictures!!! So buckle up!! Parade photos in coming!!!

Day Four - Second Park Day - The Easter Parade!!!!!

We finally got into the area around 11:48, so pretty close to when the parade was to start. It was already very full. We just found a spot behind a family with a stroller hoping we would see ok. with the stroller in front of us.

It was HOT in this area. I don’t really recommend this area to see the parade.

I grabbed a LL for Hollywood Studios for tonight while we waited. I believe I got a Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway LL first. They were already into the evening time, so I wanted to grab one of those before they ran out.

At 11:59 the Easter Parade Started!!!

Gwen and I were talking and so excited for the parade to start. Andy caught this video of the two of us unconsiously dancing in sync. I don't think we even knew what we were doing.

Happy Easter! Easter Parade

It thankfully ended up with a decent spot. The family with the kids let us get Morgan in front at the rope. And Gwen and I stood behind her, single file like.

Hippos on Parade
First were some dancing Hippos.

Easter Hippo
Look how fabulous she is!

Ostrig
And some dancing Ostrichs.

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She was cute as well. But I loved the Hippos.

Next up were the Dapper Dans.
Dapper Dans and Daisy's

Dapper Dans and Daisy's

Dapper Dans and Daisy's
Every time I see them, I think how miserable people must have been wearing all those clothes in the summer.

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny were next!
Mrs. Bunny

Mr. Bunny
We never took the girls to the mall for the bunny photos. So they don't love or hate the easter bunny. Some of those mall bunnies are scary!!! ha. This guy is very fashionable.

Mr. & Mrs. Bunny
And Mrs. Bunny is cute, of course!

Next came some flowers and butterflies.
Butterflies and Flowers

White Rabbit w/ Butterflies
The White Rabbit was mixed in with butterflies. I guess he got late and lost.

Butterflies and Flowers

Cluck
The barn float was also mixed in.

Flower
A lovely flower lady.

Dancing Chickens
The grand finale was some dancing chickens!

Dancing Chickens
The Chickens and the barn were fun but a weird ending to the parade.

Happy Easter
Even so, I was a fun little parade! And I am so glad we got to see it! I loved it!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day Four - Second Park Day - Festival Of Fantasy Parade!!!!

Once the parade was over, a few groups just left, so we had a front row for the Festival of Fantasy Parade!

There was a good 10 minutes before the rest of the parade came, and the poor family next to us had 4 kids and they were melting down! And they almost left RIGHT before the parade started. I told the mom that the parade would be here in like 2 minutes, so they stayed. We would have had more room without them but I felt so bad for the parents. One kid would start to cry and then start to calm down and then the next one would start. All I could think was, 4 kids is too many! ha.

Thankfully for the parents, the parade did start!
Cinderella%27s']https://flic.kr/p/2pLdq8g]Cinderella's Dress[/url]
I love this parade! I can't believe how long it has been around! But I still love it.

Anna And Elsa by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Belle & the Beast

I always love the Tangled float. The roughians are just so fun!
Wanted Sign by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Flynn
Intrestingly, the spot we were in, was a curve and for the Easter Parade, the photos weren't too bad, but the big floats for the festival of fantasy parade were kind of hard to take photos of. Watching was fine. But if you are looking for great photos, this isn't the place to stand.

Ariel
See, this photo is super awkward!

Ariel

Next came Peter Pan and his float.
Tinkerbell

Peter Pan by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Hook

Mr. Smee!
Poor Mr. Smee all by himself.... He gets no respect!

Behind the Scenes
Me and Gwen enjoying the parade.

Ahh!! here comes the best part!!!
Prince Phillip
The first time we saw this parade, Morgan was SOOOO excited to see Prince Phillip. And then instanly scared to death of the thorn people!

Thorns

Dragon
This dragon is literally the best part of the parade. I am so glad they fixed him up after his "incident"

Fire
I was able to get a nice shot of the dragon breathing fire!!!

Dragon
I mean look at the detail on this guy!!!!

Behind the Scenes
Andy loves the behind the scenes shots!

Malificent Tail
Malifcent is pretty amazing to see!

7 Dwarfs
Next came the 7 Dwarfs, which Gwen always comments on why they needed to combine 2 together.

Alice!
I took this photo because this woman was so excitied to see Alice. It was so cute how excited she was and her husband looked so happy for her.

Mickey

Donald

Swinging Girls
Gwen always says she wants to be one of these girls one day!

Parade Selfie

Goofy

After the parade is over, we just followed the parade down Main Street. There just wasn’t room to get onto the sidewalk.
Following the parade out of the park

And once we did no one was moving so we hopped back on main street.

We finally exited the park around 12:30.
Leaving the park

It was nice seeing the parade but we were all hot and ready to chill for a bit.
Bus Back to the room

----------------------------------------------Up next.... Resting, Refueling, and More Fun!! --------------------------------------------------
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[Stacybaeasm]

The Maleficent dragon is my favorite!! She was the best part of doing the Princess Half Marathon...getting to run past her backstage. She was a photo op but I was too worried about my time to stop so I just took a picture as I ran past.

My trick for leaving after a parade...work your way over to Caseys and jump into the stores. Just walk through the stores all the way down Main Street. Not only is it usually faster (unless you stop to shop) but it is also air conditioned!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I got so many updates behind, but all caught up now!! I have tried to see that darn Easter parade on three different trips, and something always gets in the way--the last thing being COVID cancelling the whole darn trip! I love the pictures, but bummer that that the debutantes in their ball gowns haven't returned. I always wanted to see them, but did finally get to meet Mr. & Mrs. Easter Bunny last year. I may have cried a little.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

My trick for leaving after a parade...work your way over to Caseys and jump into the stores. Just walk through the stores all the way down Main Street. Not only is it usually faster (unless you stop to shop) but it is also air conditioned!

That is what we usually do! I think we were too tired to even think about it. I mean it was fine. Slow but fine, we weren't being pushed around or anything.

but bummer that that the debutantes in their ball gowns haven't returned.

I didn't even know we were missing something!!! I guess it was good that I didn't know!

 

[vamassey1]

The Easter Parade is so bright and cheerful.

You were up close and personal, but oh so hot. Thanks for sharing the info on the LL spot.

We still love the parade too. Maleficent is the best part.

 

[Jabroniville]

Nice! And yeah, I'm glad someone else sees my point about the LL position for the parade. The only time I did that, I was rather disappointed. I think that part of Main Street being SUCH a tight loop also means that the floats swing by you at a strange angle and at fast speeds, meaning you can miss people entirely and yeah, the pictures come out a bit funny.

My trademark trick now is to watch the parade in Frontierland/Liberty Square for good views, then follow the parade down to Main Street and slide past the crowds (apparently people go through the Emporium to do this, which is probably a better idea that trying to slide past all the slow-moving dads) and watch the whole parade from the beginning right before they hit the barn door for backstage. This is probably unfeasible with even a semi-large family, though.

I love the idea of the Ariel float, but the IMMENSE height of it means you're always taking pictures right up at her and you'll never get a close-up, haha. The "spinning" floats are a great way to give everyone a view and so the characters don't have to run about the float with precise timing to be able to be seen by everyone, but I find if you're at the wrong angle you can miss them (one time the Frozen/Tiana section wasn't working right and it spun super slowly, so we missed Anna/Elsa ENTIRELY and I had to run up ahead to get a better shot).

Nice shots of the characters- I find myself always trying to take pictures while also looking up to view the parade "in person" and not through a screen, meaning that a TON of my pictures have heads cut off because I wasn't angling the camera exactly right, lol.