A Private, Romantic 30th Anniversary Trip- Just Ask My Friends! Last Afternoon: EP p. 37 9/19

Nobody tried to crowd us in, which was good, but I do remember there were some annoying people near us. I don’t remember exactly what it was but I think screaming was involved
Well, that's just Disney in general. If nobody tried to crowd you, I'd say it was about as good an experience as you can get.

I don’t really have much to say, except that I LOVED THIS SHOW!!! The combination of projections, fireworks and music were just awesome!
Awesome! I can't wait to see the current iteration in a couple of weeks!

We stopped into the Boardwalk bakery to get some treats. I had been telling Mark how much I love Mickey ice cream bars, but he didn’t believe me since I had not gotten one yet on the trip. So I was “forced” to purchase one to save face.
I can think of worse torture than being forced to have a Mickey ice cream bar. :rotfl:

We were originally going to watch just the higher fireworks from the bridge between the Beach Club and Boardwalk, but we had park hoppers, so why not pop into EPCOT and watch the entire show from there?
Awesome! Great way to end your evening. Back to back fireworks!
 
I don’t really have much to say, except that I LOVED THIS SHOW!!!
Yay!!! I have played with my August schedule SO much in order to see this show (because it's not overly convenient to squeeze it in given other nighttime things I have lined up for the week) but I can't not see it! And I'm so happy to hear reviews such as yours to confirm that going out of my way to get back to DHS for this is the right call! :thumbsup2

I was “forced” to purchase one to save face.
Ugh, don't you just hate it when that happens? :rotfl:

And although you have seen thousands of pictures of Illuminations, I know you will look.


It’s just what we do!
YES!!! It sure is just what we do! :goodvibes And your photos are beautiful ::yes::
 
Two firework shows in one night! Can't complain about that kind of ending to a day. That sounds like one of the best perks about staying at an Epcot resort; you can just hop from park to park and then head straight back to your room without worrying about the bus rush.

Too funny that you had to get an ice cream bar to prove a point. :rotfl2:
 
I fell behind on this trip report. It was hard to visit the DisBoards for a while, but I'm more up for it now.

The Hollywood Studios fireworks look great. I haven't seen them before. Maybe on our next short trip we can squeeze them in. pixiedust:
 


So sorry to be behind on replies and updating the report.

I had caught up on the Beach Club thread a few days ago, but now I'm several pages behind there again, as well.

I'm not working much this summer (just two days in August), but my boys' activities schedules are keeping me busy, plus Mark was home for several days last week, so I don't get much DIS time. I feel guilty because he is doing all sorts of fix-up things around the house and all I want to do is play on the computer!

:sad2:


We are huge Star Wars fans and have been following the movies since the first one premiered back in the 70's. I finally saw this show last month. I loved it. All those movie clips brought back tons of memories. :)

Ugh - when we stayed at POR last June it took the fourth bus until we could get back to our resort. We decided never to stay until closing time at DHS unless we were staying at an Epcot resort. :(

I saw the first Star Wars right when it opened, either that weekend or shortly thereafter. I wasn't overly impressed the first time I saw it, maybe it was the hype or I was too young, but in subsequent viewings and especially now sharing the house with boys, Star Wars is more important part of my life. I'm still not all that familiar with the middle 3 movies, the prequels, though.

The lineups for the resort buses at Hollywood Studios after it closed was frightening! That's the first time I have seen that.


:scared1:


Looks like you got a good spot to see the SW fireworks. You're right the show and fireworks are amazing!
One of the best perks of staying in the BW area is being able to walk home when the park closes! Bonus being able to walk to WS and catch Illuminations pixiedust:
Wow you did a lot in one day!

I was very happy with the spot we had for the show. One of the CMs recommended that we watch it from the side, I think near where the dessert party watches from because you don't have trees blocking the view, but I loved the straight on images on the theatre.

It was really cool seeing both shows.

Yes, we had a busy day. That's the way we like it!

::yes::


Those pictures of the Star Wars fireworks look amazing. If those pictures don't do it justice ... it must really be spectacular.

Illuminations is always a great way to end the night! I love that you guys decided to see it from inside the park instead of from the bridge. One of the many good things about park hoppers.

Also ... you spent a lot of time going between Hollywood Studios and Epcot that day!

It.Is.SOOOOO.Good!

Yes, watching Illuminations from the park was much better and really, no hassle.

We really did.

YC to HS (walk)
HS to EP (boat)
EP to HS (bus)
HS to EP (walk)

About the only mode of transportation we didn't take was the gondola, but that will have to wait until 2019, I believe!

:goodvibes


Awesome picture with Mark in front of the GMR!

Love the Star Wars show! It is a must do for me!

You did exactly what I did in January too. Star Wars then over to Epcot for Illuminations. Illuminations is my favorite show. You got some great photos of it too!

Aww, thanks!

Yes, the Star Wars fireworks show is a must-do.

I remember reading that you did that and thought- Been there, done that, too!

:thumbsup2


That's too bad La Hacienda was a disappointment. I hate when you're looking forward to a meal because it was so good last time and are let down. There are a few restaurants in Disney that we've had similar experiences.

I've heard the Star Wars fireworks are great. Unfortunately, we didn't stay long enough in January to see them. That's great that you were able to enjoy two fireworks shows in one night!

I guess the upside of the disappointing meal is that Mark said he doesn't feel compelled to go there again soon, so we can try something else. It has been a couple of decades since we have dined at a previous favorite, Marrakesh, so I would like to return there.

Loved seeing both shows.

:cheer2:


It must have been an early SW show to be able to get over to Epcot. I've only see the SW show when it starts at 9 or 9:30 (can't remember which)

I think Star Wars fireworks were at 8 pm, ended around 8:20?

:chewy:

Awesome that you got to see both sets of fireworks in one night!

The funny thing is, fireworks have never been a priority for my family. But on this trip with just Mark, we saw them every night, sometimes two displays!

Sunday, arrival- Illuminations
Monday- Wishes from the Top of the World lounge
Tuesday- Hallowishes at the party
Wednesday- Star Wars/Illuminations
Thursday- Hallowishes from the Pirates and Pals cruise


party:
 
Well, that's just Disney in general. If nobody tried to crowd you, I'd say it was about as good an experience as you can get.

I'm not complaining! We liked our spot for the Star Wars fireworks.

Awesome! I can't wait to see the current iteration in a couple of weeks!

Can't wait to hear what you think!


I can think of worse torture than being forced to have a Mickey ice cream bar. :rotfl:

I took one for the team!

:mickeybar


Awesome! Great way to end your evening. Back to back fireworks!

I'm not gonna lie. It was SPECTACULAR!!!

:dogdance:
 
Yay!!! I have played with my August schedule SO much in order to see this show (because it's not overly convenient to squeeze it in given other nighttime things I have lined up for the week) but I can't not see it! And I'm so happy to hear reviews such as yours to confirm that going out of my way to get back to DHS for this is the right call! :thumbsup2

Yes, definitely worth the effort to see the show!


Ugh, don't you just hate it when that happens? :rotfl:

Yes, I would like to say no Mickey Bars were harmed in the this situation, but that would be a lie!


YES!!! It sure is just what we do! :goodvibes And your photos are beautiful ::yes::

Yup! Pictures, pictures, pictures!

Thanks!

I was pretty happy with my Illuminations pictures on this trip.

::yes::
 


Two firework shows in one night! Can't complain about that kind of ending to a day. That sounds like one of the best perks about staying at an Epcot resort; you can just hop from park to park and then head straight back to your room without worrying about the bus rush.

Too funny that you had to get an ice cream bar to prove a point. :rotfl2:

It was so easy-peasy to do both shows. The location of the Yacht & Beach Club is awesome for reasons just like this one.

I double dog dare you to get a Mickey Bar! Yeah, I'll bite.

::yes::


I fell behind on this trip report. It was hard to visit the DisBoards for a while, but I'm more up for it now.

The Hollywood Studios fireworks look great. I haven't seen them before. Maybe on our next short trip we can squeeze them in. pixiedust:


It really was hard to read and post for awhile. I still have twinges of sadness when I think about my past girls trips. Very bittersweet memories of those times.

Oooh, Oooh! Maybe the perfect thing to do after Via with Teena!

:cool2:
 
Thursday October 20

Frozen in Time:


This morning was Early Extra Magic Hours at EPCOT. No, really!


I love the walk from the Yacht & Beach Club, through the International Gateway and then strolling through an uncrowded UK and Canada on the way to Future World


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This Food & Wine booth is going to be mobbed later!


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Originally, our plans for this day were EPCOT in the morning, resort break, then Animal Kingdom in the late afternoon/early evening. There were rumors that Rivers of Light might be doing a soft opening that week and we have never been to Animal Kingdom after dark, so when our reservation windows opened, we booked Yak & Yeti for dinner and FP for Dinosaur, Safari and Everest.

But earlier in the week, we swapped out Yak & Yeti dinner for a fantastic lunch while we were there, and since we did all of our must-do attractions, we changed out our evening plans to dinner at Boma followed by the Pirates & Pals fireworks cruise to see Hallowishes.

I don’t have the exact times, but we switched out our Fast Passes to Space Ship Earth, Living with the Land and Test Track. We had not been on Frozen Ever After yet. The earliest we could get a FP for it was on Friday afternoon, the following day, at 2:15 pm, before our 4:30 departure on the Tragical Depress.

So where did we head as soon as EPCOT opened?

Soarin’!

We had a 10 minute standby wait.

Not bad.

Love the new version!


Since we were still within the resort-guest only Extra Magic Hour time, we decided to check out Frozen.


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The standby was 45 minutes, but we decided to wait. While we were in line, I took the opportunity to snap lots of photos in the refurbished area. We were moving slowly and I had plenty of time to set up my shots and wait until there were no people.


Today I was traveling with my big girl camera, my point & shoot and my phone, which also has an excellent camera.


Unfortunately, I didn’t notice until I had taken a whole mess of pictures that I had a funky setting and all of my pictures have a bluish tint. I tried playing around a little bit to enhance the pictures, but I haven’t made much improvement.


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I really loved the theming in the queue inside the building. I thought the artifacts in the rooms were really interesting and I liked the scenery.

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Thoughts on the ride?

Mark has not watched the movie Frozen, I have seen it once. I thought the scenery on the ride was spectacular, so colorful and beautiful. The animatronics were some of the best I have seen. I loved the special effects and the songs. I thought it was really well done.

Mark- “Meh”




Hey, look! Is that Justin Trudeau in the front row?


His reaction to the ride resulted in a change in our plans for the following day.



Continued in Next Post


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Continued from Previous Post


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Ahhh… looks like I noticed the setting on my camera and fixed it.


The park was now open and we decided to hit the third headliner to complete the trinity.


But first, we stopped for a couple of Photopass pictures. No disputes with other families about whose turn it was this time.

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Now, onto Test Track:


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It was now time for our Spaceship Earth Fast Pass. Actually, past time. We were 20 minutes late!


When the CM asked us what our excuse was, I couldn’t think of a clever answer quick enough. So I just said we were stuck waiting for Frozen. He didn’t seem to like that answer, but let us through anyway.

I just took a couple of pictures on the ride, but they are horribly blurry, so I am not going to post them.

The personalized pictures in “This is your future” was not working at the end of the ride.


When we exited, there was a couple taking pictures of each other. They saw me with a camera around my neck and another camera in my hand and asked if I would take a couple of pictures of them. (Not to mention the camera on the phone in my pocket)

“Of course!”


We had a Fast Pass for Living with the Land:


And of course, that means pictures!


My pictures in the first part before getting to the greenhouse never turn out great. Maybe I’ll try on my next trip using my DSLR camera


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Ahh… This is better


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We still have a Fast Pass for Test Track to use, but first..


Next up: Lunch Around the World
 
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Thursday October 20


Thoughts on the ride?

Mark has not watched the movie Frozen, I have seen it once. I thought the scenery on the ride was spectacular, so colorful and beautiful. The animatronics were some of the best I have seen. I loved the special effects and the songs. I thought it was really well done.

Mark- “Meh”




Hey, look! Is that Justin Trudeau in the front row?

We were at Epcot AM EMH on 10/20 as well! Did the opposite of what you did. We hit FEA right at rope drop merging with the crowds coming from Future World and used up our FP+ for Soarin after that! I'm not sure about Justin Trudeau, but the guy behind him was preparing for the worst!
 
It definitely pays to take advantage of EMH.
We love the new Soarin and I agree the animatronics on Frozen are incredible.
All your pictures are great as always.
We were able to get an 8:00am breakfast at GG for our November trip. Hoping to ride Soarin right after with little wait.
Looking forward to your next update.
 
Early EMH is a great way to do any park. Great pictures around World Showcase!

I can see mark being meh about Frozen. It's nice but could be so much more.
 
Sounds like a productive morning at Epcot! I like the new Frozen ride, but hate that it's tiered with Soarin' AND Test Track!
 
You made really good use of EMH!

I kinda like the blueish tint on the pictures. It makes them unique.
 
Frozen is a cute ride. I like it better than the Pandora river ride. I think that is meh.
I like the new Soarin so much more than the old.
I have a silly question- When you stay on property, can you book 3 FP in one park, then 3 more in another in advance?
 
The Star Wars fireworks look amazing. I will have to convince my wife and daughter to stay to see them in December. LOL
 
I have a silly question- When you stay on property, can you book 3 FP in one park, then 3 more in another in advance?

I'll get back to the rest of the replies later, but the answer to this is no.

You also can't split your advanced FP between parks- 2 in MK and 1 in EP on the same day. That's still true, right?

But once your arrival window has passed for your latest FP, then you can make another- 1 more- FP either in the same park or another, for whatever is available.

I am assuming the answer is yes, but, say you only book 1 FP in a park, like Soarin from 9 am to 10 am. At 9 am on the day you are there, can you book a FP elsewhere, like Pirates at MK?

:goodvibes
 
I'll get back to the rest of the replies later, but the answer to this is no.

You also can't split your advanced FP between parks- 2 in MK and 1 in EP on the same day. That's still true, right?

But once your arrival window has passed for your latest FP, then you can make another- 1 more- FP either in the same park or another, for whatever is available.

I am assuming the answer is yes, but, say you only book 1 FP in a park, like Soarin from 9 am to 10 am. At 9 am on the day you are there, can you book a FP elsewhere, like Pirates at MK?

:goodvibes
Ok. That's what it's like for us too. That's right after you use your last one you can book another in different park. Yesterday we were at EP in the morning and I got a 2nd and 3rd FP at MK for the afternoon.
I just thought it might be different it you're on property- which I'm glad it's not. :thumbsup2
I guess I was confused when I read your post about FP at EP and 3 more at AK for the afternoon.
Sorry for hijacking your TR
 
You had a very productive morning in Epcot. I love when that happens.

I read so many negative reviews of the Frozen ride that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

I like the fall decor in Living with the Land.

Hope you're enjoying your summer!
 

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