Disney Has the Best Chicken Nuggets Ever! - Update Dump - Finally Completed!

Love the kitten pic. Did you realize that you were going to become a goat herder during this trip?
 
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Obviously, since I shared the specific details of our plans for the day, it isn’t what really happened…

:rotfl:
Of course not!

Now all we needed to do was get in line and grab our rider swap passes.

Um…

Where’s mom?

And where’s DS?

I hope they’re together.

We scanned the area for a little bit.

We sent someone in to the restroom to see if they were in there.

Couldn’t find them. She wasn’t answering her phone.

We assumed that they must have just gone into the line without us while we were working out the rider swap logistics… In any case, DW was going to be sitting out in the Sunshine Seasons seating so she could watch for them. If we were going to ride, we needed to get in line because the crowd was really streaming in at this point!

Ultimately, yes, Mom and DS went into the line without everyone. And somehow they ended up getting on after the rest of us as we had to wait for them at the exit after we rode.

Oh. my. gosh. I don't know how you kept it together dealing with the stragglers all the time. I'd be a wreck!

To me, the disjointed video of jumping from one scene to another kind of ruined the illusion of flying more than any feet dangling over me ever did.

I agree that the transitions totally ruin the effect!

I was hoping that it would be close enough to not notice the bending effects.

It wasn’t.

I knew to expect some distortion and frankly it was even more pronounced than I expected.

The distortion is really terrible on the sides. I don't know how it compares to the old video since I never saw it, but it was really awful for the new one. When I first rode we were in the middle and I did great. I didn't get particularly motion sick and I enjoyed the ride a lot. We rode on the very end of one of the side rows on our last trip, and I almost tossed my cookies, the distortion was so bad and made me motion sick, etc.

DD wasn’t ready to leave the Imagination pavilion. She wanted to design a 5th or 9th Figment. Not really sure how many she was up to at that point. Everybody else was moving on so I had to pick her up and carry her screaming out of the building since she refused to come with us.

Oh no! 5 year olds are strong-willed.

There were places DW and I wanted to eat. But the kids wanted nuggets and fries.

Every time.

I love that there is such a variety of food options and they’ve really been getting some fantastic quick service places recently. There are some interesting things to try at a lot of restaurants. But would it kill you to put in a fryer to make nuggets and fries at those places too?

This is a good point. I was picky, and that's exactly what I wanted for every meal on vacation as a kid.

As we were eating, a family came and sat at 2 tables next to us. It was a mom and a dad and 4 kids. I know everybody has their reasons for doing what they do to save money and make a trip happen. But they unloaded soft sided cooler out of a backpack full of Capri suns, sandwiches, carrot sticks and some grapes. They were well prepared, but it had to have been a lot of work get all of that ready before heading to the parks and then someone had to carry it around all day… DW just looked at me and said Disney food may be expensive, but it’s good and we’re never going to pack food into Disney World like that.

I can't imagine doing this. It would be a big hassle, especially with kids. That said, when we went for our budget trip in May we absolutely brought sandwiches and a few snacks in our bookbag or my purse, and we ended up not having to buy at least one Disney meal every day because of it. On an extreme budget, it worked well to do a combination of this, and splitting meals, etc. I also expect that if I were a Florida resident and could drive to the parks from home that I'd pack meals, too. On a typical trip for us though...not gonna happen.
 


Juggling all the Disney snacks! Sorry to hear you weren't wowed by the zebra domes!
They were good, but not wowed is probably accurate. Just not something I'd go out of my way for.

Rough start to the morning but glad you bounced back!
::yes:: Certainly not according to plan, but we got through everything relatively well!

Glad you were able to change your FPs around with no problem. Times like that are when FP+ isn't so bad!
Right. I do like that part of it, but it goes back to the part I hate about being on my phone all the time.

I'm sure it's frustrating having to get the kids one thing when you want something else. At least in this scenario it worked out fairly easy.
::yes:: I think this was the only time we did that. The rest of the trip it was pretty much whatever the kids wanted.

Your Epcot morning sounds similar to the one we had in July. TT and Turtle Talk were both down. SE was down too at some point that morning. Our morning worked out well and it sounds like your's did too.
Were we there the same day??? I've had this type of difficulty the last couple of times I've been to EPCOT. Thankfully it worked out ok.

I hear ya about the chicken nuggets. My kids are picky eaters and it would make life easier if something similar to nuggets were at more QS locations. I usually just go wherever the kids and dh want to eat since they are all picky eaters. I'm not.
Yeah, most of the rest of the trip, it was pretty much us eating wherever the kids wanted to. We didn't get to do anything too adventurous.

Awe! Thanks :love:
Gotta give the readers what they want.

We had the same issue! I wonder if it’s the freezers at the resorts?
::yes:: I believe so. They were just in some smaller refrigerator looking thing.

:headache:

They did that when we were there too. We usually got to. Pass them with the stroller though.
That must be a regular thing then. I didn't see too many other strollers while I was there.

Weird. They’ve gotta get better with this stuff. Quit rolling stuff out before it’s working.,
::yes:: I understand the need for it, but there has to be a better way. EPCOT, to me, seems like a disaster waiting to happen. I mean you can drive right up to where the massive crowd is waiting to go through the bag check and metal detectors. If somebody wanted to do something they wouldn't even have to get into the park.

Simple enough...
So it would seem...

I knew it! I hope they were too...
:headache:

Man, I hate that. Your there at the line, ready to go, and then some 20 people get there’s before you, for whatever reason.
::yes:: They really started streaming in.

Lol! Weird.
I know!

I’ve never ridden it...
Why not?

Poor guy! He’s at that right age now to know stuff about the rides. Bonding moment for you guys though.
Yeah, it was fine. He just really missed that golf ball part.

Wow, big miss with the kiddos, huh?
::yes::

Oh man, that’s tough. And it’s not like you can reasonably explain to him that if he’d put his shoes on he could cruise around a little.
Exactly! There's no reasoning with a 1 year old!

Oof. Thats hard with a two year old, I’m sure a five year old is way worse!
Pretty much the same, but a 5 year old is heavier, stronger, louder and knows more words to talk back.

::yes:: It helped us work around their "needs."

I agree 100% DH tried to tell me we should take food with us, I said fine, but he had to make it and carry the cooler, changed his mind real quick!
:rotfl2: Yeah, I mean you could really save a lot of money doing that. I can see it if you're a local on a day trip. That makes sense. I just don't want to deal with all that on vacation.
 
I would've preferred the after shot. After the kitten launched at the baby.
Actually, they have standoffs like that all the time. They're both extremely interested in one another. They follow each other around. But as soon as they approach within a couple of feet of the other, they take off running the other direction.

Way to go! :yay:

Wait... maybe we're not talking about the same thing.
:sad2:

Finally! Oh boy!
Just for you...

So glad I'm seldom on FB... :rolleyes:
Same here. I only do closed group pages really.

Just needed a bowl and spoon.
::yes:: Would have helped if I had a bowl or a spoon.

:faint: "Alright" he says.
I could have said they were nasty.

But they weren't.

The also weren't the greatest thing I've ever tasted. :rolleyes1

:sad2: I'm not sure if we can be friends anymore.
I didn't know we were friends before?

The best laid plans of mice and men...
:sad2:

Interesting even though you're not a fan, that you didn't FP TT and rope drop Soarin' (or vice versa)
Well, that's the tier FP system at work. Had to choose either TT, Soarin or Frozen. We had 2 little girls under the age of 10, so... :rolleyes1

Of course.
I mean what else would you expect?

Uh huh...
No problem, right?

Well, you said your friend indicated nothing was going on. Huh.
That's what he said. I trust him.

Then again, considering recent events in Las Vegas.... I'm not gonna worry if everyone has to go through.
::yes:: Although, as my friend and I also discussed, EPCOT security is pretty dangerous too. You could literally drive right up to the security checkpoint where hundreds of people are crammed in waiting to go through bag check and metal detectors. Probably the most dangerous place in the park.

Just you? But everyone else in the family had to? Weird.
This was one of the few times it wasn't the other way around.

That ride breaks down all. the. time.
::yes::

Oh, geez. How worried were you?
Not too worried. I assumed they were together and fine. I just didn't know where they were.

I like to ride it at least once a trip... but I can skip it and not be too worried about it.
Exactly.

Hmmm... I didn't notice that so much... but I was more concentrating on how the ride was obviously digitized and everything was leaning over and broken into chunks in some cases.
::yes:: Definitely noticeable.

Really!!
My experience was very different. Horrible on the side, fine in the middle.
We weren't right in the middle, slightly off center, but I would have thought we were close enough to center for it to not be so drastic.

That golf ball removal was unfortunate. I agree with DS.
::yes:: I liked that part of the original. It's like they've tried to replicate that a few times in the new one, but it just doesn't have the same effect and feels stale.

Too bad. The concept is good... the application? Not so much anymore.
::yes::

Of course! Cool place!
::yes::

Too bad. That's such a great one for the kids.
I know! DS was old enough that I thought he might actually want to ask a question.

Hey! Something went right!
The small victories!

Say what????
Shocker isn't it? Thank FP+...

Well that's good! It sounded like the entire morning was going to be a tough one.
::yes:: And that's why planning and knowing your options pays off.

Oops! I should withdraw the laughing emoji.
Yes. It wasn't a laughing matter... :rolleyes1

Sounds familiar. My DD ate nothing but mac n cheese the entire trip the first time I took her.
Ok, maybe chicken nuggets and fries isn't the only thing she wants to eat. Mac n cheese usually is a hit for her as well.

Not bad! I wonder if they have that option for adults?
Have you not seen all the scooters? I'm sure you could put a tray on those things.

We were lucky. Practically every place we went had mac n cheese on the kids menu.
Most do. Not all.

I wonder if maybe they were locals? Or at least the adults were? Then it would make more sense.
"I'll just whip up some lunch and then take the kids to Disney for the day."
That would make sense. I can totally see doing that if you're local and have an AP. Go to the park for an afternoon, take some lunch... inexpensive, fun day with the family. If I'm on vacation 900 miles from home though... nope.

Love the kitten pic.
Just sucking up to my readers.

Did you realize that you were going to become a goat herder during this trip?
:sad2:

know Right....and they were just alright. I just love those little bites of heaven.
Sorry... my tastes just aren't quite on par, I guess.

:lmao:Is it bad I think that's hilarious? I really don't want to see a child harmed but too funny.
Like I mentioned above, they're both extremely interested in one another and follow each other around. But they have this certain perimeter and once the other encroaches, they both take off running opposite directions. Probably should have got video instead of picture.

Now you can be my new best friend.
Sorry Andy! You're out, thumper's in!
Fair enough.

:rotfl:
Of course not!
Months of planning and it never works that way.

Oh. my. gosh. I don't know how you kept it together dealing with the stragglers all the time. I'd be a wreck!
Honestly, I don't know how I did either. I guess this is a big part of why I ended the trip feeling just a little exhausted and wasn't "feeling the magic."

I agree that the transitions totally ruin the effect!
::yes:: That has been my problem since the first time I ever rode it. I never thought it felt like flying just because it was one scene to another. Yes, I get that this is similar to Star Tours, but it is legit because you jump from one scene to the next after traveling at light speed. It's not, "hey look, orange trees under my feet... holy crap, did the trees just get swallowed by an ocean?"

The distortion is really terrible on the sides. I don't know how it compares to the old video since I never saw it, but it was really awful for the new one. When I first rode we were in the middle and I did great. I didn't get particularly motion sick and I enjoyed the ride a lot. We rode on the very end of one of the side rows on our last trip, and I almost tossed my cookies, the distortion was so bad and made me motion sick, etc.
Honestly, I never noticed it on the old one, but the Eiffel Tower looked like it was shaped almost like a C.

Oh no! 5 year olds are strong-willed.
You have no idea... :headache:

This is a good point. I was picky, and that's exactly what I wanted for every meal on vacation as a kid.
Kids... :sad2:

I can't imagine doing this. It would be a big hassle, especially with kids. That said, when we went for our budget trip in May we absolutely brought sandwiches and a few snacks in our bookbag or my purse, and we ended up not having to buy at least one Disney meal every day because of it. On an extreme budget, it worked well to do a combination of this, and splitting meals, etc. I also expect that if I were a Florida resident and could drive to the parks from home that I'd pack meals, too. On a typical trip for us though...not gonna happen.
Yeah, I think it would make sense in some cases. Definitely for a local out on a day trip. But for our family on vacation 900 miles from home... nope, not gonna do it.
 
You’re welcome.

Cuteness overload! Thank you.

As for the zebra domes… they were alright.

I have to agree with you. I tried them @ Boma in 2007 and thought the same thing. I am going to give them another try in February.

We ate a quick breakfast and were out the door on schedule this morning.

Another win!

I asked if TT was closed and they answered that it was. I did a quick U turn and told everybody we’re going to Soarin. I got some blank looks but kept walking. It was one of those moments where I just hoped they’d realize I know what I’m doing and don’t have time to explain

Bummer on TT being closed but you bounced back well.

Where’s mom?

Again?

Am I glad I rode it? Yes. Will I ride it again next time we go? Of course. But it’s just not a ride I’d stand in a 45 minute line for, let alone 2 hours.

I felt the same way. I wanted to see the new video and I'll ride it again, I just want put myself out to ride it.

Everybody seemed to scatter different directions looking at things

Same thing happens to us. Gathering everybody back up is hard.

He had just really started moving around and crawling a lot. So he wanted to get down and explore. Obviously, we didn’t want him crawling around on the floors or on the ground in middle of Disney World. He also was unwilling to wear shoes so getting down and walking while someone held his hand was even out of the question. This frustration of his that he couldn’t get down and have much freedom outside of our hotel room ended up being kind of an ongoing challenge for us over the course of the week.

Poor guy. I really feel his frustration.

We’d done all the rides in Future World West with a combined wait of maybe 10 minutes. Despite the rough start with security and TT being closed, we really did great that morning.

Another win! You're doing good.

Chicken nuggets and fries.

Of course. Where they tired of them by the end of the trip?

DW just looked at me and said Disney food may be expensive, but it’s good and we’re never going to pack food into Disney World like that.

First trip with kids we tried carrying drinks all day. I'll never do it again. I'm ok walking in with a drink and some snacks but that's it.
 
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Actually, they have standoffs like that all the time. They're both extremely interested in one another. They follow each other around. But as soon as they approach within a couple of feet of the other, they take off running the other direction.

:lmao:


:laughing:

Just for you...

I know!

Same here. I only do closed group pages really.

I hardly even do that.

::yes:: Would have helped if I had a bowl or a spoon.

Well... yeah. There's that.

I could have said they were nasty.

But they weren't.

The also weren't the greatest thing I've ever tasted. :rolleyes1

I like 'em. That's all that matters.... to me!

I didn't know we were friends before?

Ouch. Dude. That hurts.

Well, that's the tier FP system at work. Had to choose either TT, Soarin or Frozen. We had 2 little girls under the age of 10, so... :rolleyes1

Oh, I get that. But I thought you'd FP one and rope drop the other. It sounded like that wasn't planned.

::yes:: Although, as my friend and I also discussed, EPCOT security is pretty dangerous too. You could literally drive right up to the security checkpoint where hundreds of people are crammed in waiting to go through bag check and metal detectors. Probably the most dangerous place in the park.

Ugh. You had to say that.
I'm thinking concrete blocks are going to be installed soonest.

Not too worried. I assumed they were together and fine. I just didn't know where they were.

Ah.

We weren't right in the middle, slightly off center, but I would have thought we were close enough to center for it to not be so drastic.

Really. That's... disappointing.

::yes:: And that's why planning and knowing your options pays off.

::yes::

Have you not seen all the scooters? I'm sure you could put a tray on those things.

But... who's gonna steer? While I eat?

That would make sense. I can totally see doing that if you're local and have an AP. Go to the park for an afternoon, take some lunch... inexpensive, fun day with the family. If I'm on vacation 900 miles from home though... nope.

Me neither.
 
Ouch. Dude. That hurts.
Well, if you wanted to unfriend me over a dessert, I had to strike back... :rotfl2:

I like 'em. That's all that matters.... to me!
:thumbsup2

Oh, I get that. But I thought you'd FP one and rope drop the other. It sounded like that wasn't planned.
2 years ago, that's exactly what I'd have done. But my logic this time was that you have to pick between TT, Soarin and Frozen. You pretty much have to FP Frozen. Like it isn't even an option. So we were stuck doing TT and Soarin standby. TT tends to build a line fast and with the group we had, single rider really wasn't an option. Based on wait times I'd monitored in the weeks leading up to the trip, I thought we might have a chance at catching Soarin with a shorter line at some point in the day with the third theater in action, or if not, we had a free morning that was intended to go back to EPCOT at RD to hit anything we missed.

Ugh. You had to say that.
I'm thinking concrete blocks are going to be installed soonest.
They need to do something. I think part of the problem is that unlike MK, they have bus and parking lot guests crowding through the same checkpoint. I know that isn't the only park to do that, but their security area is far more cramped than AK and DHS and obviously, closer to the parking lot. Kind of makes the monorail look like an even better way to go to EPCOT.

Really. That's... disappointing.
::yes::

But... who's gonna steer? While I eat?
Have you seen some of these people drive those things? Steering is clearly optional or just doesn't work on most of them anyway. Just make sure you can hit the horn while you eat. :thumbsup2
 
Cuteness overload! Thank you.
Gotta please the readers

I have to agree with you. I tried them @ Boma in 2007 and thought the same thing. I am going to give them another try in February.
Yeah, if I went there, I'd grab some off the buffet. It wasn't that I didn't like them, but I'm not sure I'd pay cash or use a snack credit for them when there are other options I prefer.

Another win!
We'll take any we can get!

Bummer on TT being closed but you bounced back well.
::yes:: At least we made it to Soarin so we could knock it out.

And not the last time.

I felt the same way. I wanted to see the new video and I'll ride it again, I just want put myself out to ride it.
Yeah, I mean it is hard to pass on riding Soarin, but I've seen a lot of people say it is the best ride in Disney World or at the very least one of the best and I've just never felt that way about it. And the new video didn't really do much to help it, in my eyes.

Same thing happens to us. Gathering everybody back up is hard.
::yes::

Poor guy. I really feel his frustration.
::yes::

Another win! You're doing good.
Not too bad...

Of course. Where they tired of them by the end of the trip?
Never!

First trip with kids we tried carrying drinks all day. I'll never do it again. I'm ok walking in with a drink and some snacks but that's it.
We took drinks for each of the kids everyday, and that wasn't too big of a deal. With a little one we carried a backpack anyway, so there were drink holders on it. But really, we had clips on the stroller and hung them on the handle most of the time. It is much easier to pack things around when you have a stroller to haul all your crap.
 
Well, if you wanted to unfriend me over a dessert, I had to strike back... :rotfl2:

::yes::

:laughing:

2 years ago, that's exactly what I'd have done. But my logic this time was that you have to pick between TT, Soarin and Frozen. You pretty much have to FP Frozen. Like it isn't even an option. So we were stuck doing TT and Soarin standby.

Ah. I won't FP Frozen again. Well... maybe years from now if it's still insane and I think "Gee. Haven't seen that in ages."

TT tends to build a line fast and with the group we had, single rider really wasn't an option. Based on wait times I'd monitored in the weeks leading up to the trip, I thought we might have a chance at catching Soarin with a shorter line at some point in the day with the third theater in action, or if not, we had a free morning that was intended to go back to EPCOT at RD to hit anything we missed.

Makes sense.

They need to do something. I think part of the problem is that unlike MK, they have bus and parking lot guests crowding through the same checkpoint. I know that isn't the only park to do that, but their security area is far more cramped than AK and DHS and obviously, closer to the parking lot. Kind of makes the monorail look like an even better way to go to EPCOT.

True. World is getting scarier by the minute.

Have you seen some of these people drive those things? Steering is clearly optional or just doesn't work on most of them anyway. Just make sure you can hit the horn while you eat. :thumbsup2

Must install foot switch. Can't honk horn while eating corn on the cob.
 
Fair warning… this update is light on pictures. So here’s a baby with a kitten.

Awww, so cute!

As for the zebra domes… they were alright. I didn’t hate them, but there are just other things I’d rather get as snacks.

That's kind of how I feel about them. I wouldn't go out of my way to get them, but if someone put them in front of me I might eat one or two.

Obviously, since I shared the specific details of our plans for the day, it isn’t what really happened…

Of course not.

Right?

Security turned out to be a nightmare.

This is not making me feel good about our upcoming trip....

Where’s mom?

And where’s DS?

You should have just titled the trip "Where's Mom?"

Ultimately, yes, Mom and DS went into the line without everyone. And somehow they ended up getting on after the rest of us as we had to wait for them at the exit after we rode.

Interesting how that works with the three different theaters.

Probably not the popular opinion, but I’ve always just felt kind of “meh” about it. To me, the disjointed video of jumping from one scene to another kind of ruined the illusion of flying more than any feet dangling over me ever did.

That's what you mean when you were talking about the transitions annoying you.

I knew to expect some distortion and frankly it was even more pronounced than I expected.

I always rode in the middle so I had to "try" and get a seat on the edge to understand what people were talking about. Now even when I'm in the top middle I still see some amount of distortion.

Am I glad I rode it? Yes. Will I ride it again next time we go? Of course. But it’s just not a ride I’d stand in a 45 minute line for, let alone 2 hours.

Exactly. It's not even on my "ride often list" anymore. Now I just do it when people are in town. Then again with Guardians, that's usually my top ride.

DD also wasn’t a fan. She’d been very adventurous wanting to ride everything to this point and enjoying things more than I expected. But on Soarin, she asked me about halfway through if we could get off. She didn’t freak out and cry or anything, but she just didn’t like it at all.

:eek: I can't imagine what would happen if someone actually needed to get off the ride!

As for the rest of our group, DS had ridden it before. He loved the original version, and especially loved the golf ball scene and as we were headed toward Soarin’ he was telling everybody about that part. I tried to tell him that I didn’t think we’d see the golf ball this time, but he was sure I was wrong. He was really bummed that it was gone. I mean to the point that when he got off, he didn’t want to ride again with the rider swap.

That's pretty severely bummed!

Mom and I took Niece, LG, DD and DS on Living with the Land while everyone else went on Soarin. I don’t recall much from our ride other than trying to keep LG from diving into the water. He just wasn’t in the mood to sit still so it made for a long ride.

I can understand that.

Turtle Talk was closed that morning so we didn’t get to see it. Once everyone had seen enough fish, dolphins and walruses, we headed back out into the bright blazing sun.

That's a bummer, the kids were definitely the right age for that show. I'm sure they would have enjoyed it.

We moved the group on toward the Imagination pavilion and it turned out the idea of rolling our FP back from the Seas turned out to be a good one. The queue was lined up outside the door for the standby line at Imagination so we tapped our band and walked past all those suckers.

:eek: I don't think I've ever seen a line for that one! But then again we only travel at non-peak times.

DD wasn’t ready to leave the Imagination pavilion. She wanted to design a 5th or 9th Figment. Not really sure how many she was up to at that point. Everybody else was moving on so I had to pick her up and carry her screaming out of the building since she refused to come with us.

I bet that was fun. Not.

I’d take DS and DD in the stroller and go to Electric Umbrella and then meet the rest of them there. It worked out fine. We grabbed nuggets and fries and with the tray on the stroller they could eat their lunch while I walked towards Mexico.

What service! They get to eat and roll all at the same time.

I love that there is such a variety of food options and they’ve really been getting some fantastic quick service places recently. There are some interesting things to try at a lot of restaurants. But would it kill you to put in a fryer to make nuggets and fries at those places too?

I can understand why they don't want to serve nuggets and fries everywhere, but then again, they should have a core "kid's menu" that is available at all QS places and add a few extras which are geared to the regional menus. That way almost everyone could be happy.

As we were eating, a family came and sat at 2 tables next to us. It was a mom and a dad and 4 kids. I know everybody has their reasons for doing what they do to save money and make a trip happen. But they unloaded soft sided cooler out of a backpack full of Capri suns, sandwiches, carrot sticks and some grapes. They were well prepared, but it had to have been a lot of work get all of that ready before heading to the parks and then someone had to carry it around all day… DW just looked at me and said Disney food may be expensive, but it’s good and we’re never going to pack food into Disney World like that.

You never know why people do that, they could have had special dietary needs (Kosher, gluten free, picky kids). For me, most of the fun is eating at Disney restaurants, sometimes more that than the rides! Like just the other day, we drove out there and just got a bread bowl full of soup, a couple margaritas, some ice cream desserts and turned around and came back home.
 
Of course TT was closed on your Epcot morning. Sorry you had to change your plans on the fly, but at least you were wise enough to change course and still make it on a headliner before the crowds arrived. But my goodness, you weren't kidding about losing your mom! I would have been so stressed not knowing where some of my party members were.

I'll let the zebra dome opinion slide... Maybe you got a bad batch. (That's happened to me before.)

I think the original version of Soarin' was much more toddler-friendly. For some reason, I think the new scenes frighten kids of a certain age.

They were well prepared, but it had to have been a lot of work get all of that ready before heading to the parks and then someone had to carry it around all day… DW just looked at me and said Disney food may be expensive, but it’s good and we’re never going to pack food into Disney World like that.

Okay, so I just had to say, before I moved to Europe I would have totally had this same thought process. And don't get me wrong, when I'm in Disney I am all about eating at the restaurants. There's no packing a lunch for me.
But, I can totally see where this family is coming from. Pretty much whenever we go anywhere, we pack a lunch now. It's basic fare, sandwiches, fruit, carrots, crackers, and waters but we do it so much it's become habit. It's kind of the unwritten rule of thumb over here. You go to a park or a festival or anything, you pack a lunch especially for the kids. And in Disneyland Paris, you'd be amazed at how common this trend is. The majority of people we encountered during lunchtime were sitting on the ground with lunchboxes.
I invested in a good backpack about a year ago, and I really don't notice the water bottles or the food I'm lugging around. So maybe these people were just in the same habit I'm used to? I don't know, just playing devil's advocate.

Glad you enjoyed your nachos while the kids got their nuggets and fries.
 
I've been subscribed forever, but finally got a chance to catch up today! Sorry for being a sucky DIS follower. lol

The Chef Mickey's meal would have pissed me off, honestly. It's not that hard to get good service at a buffet. I mean, I'm already serving myself the food, how difficult is it to keep the drinks refilled and clear the plates when that's all you have to do?! And it's a lot of money to spend for the character interaction only to have Pluto ditch y'all and not come back, despite telling the handlers several times that you haven't seen him. Especially after a long travel day! :faint: Man I'm getting upset just replying to this and it wasn't even my meal!!! :rotfl:

The security issue is a problem too. I'm glad they didn't give you a hard time about doing it a different way, considering how it went down the first time. The Magic band situation sounds exactly like something that would happen between DH and DS. It's hard to not get really frustrated and expect our DS to "know better" and I sometimes have to remind myself he's just a kid still! Things like that happen, but I'm glad it didn't damper your day and that a Star Wars MB made up for it.

It seems really logistically-nightmarish to keep track of such a large group in the parks! I can see how that could present a lot of challenges. When we went on our big group trip last year for Mardi Gras, I remember thinking how disappointed I was that we didn't spend more time all together as a group, but it was probably better that we didn't because I'm too Type A at WDW. lol
 
zero.
God willing, it will remain so.

Just wait until you are taking the grandkids......sorry, had to go there.

As for the zebra domes… they were alright.

I heard the thud from @pkondz fainting all the way in CA. I'm not a fan at all. I was so excited to try them on our first trip and was really let down and have not tried them again. I don't really recall - perhaps they have a coffee flavor that I didn't care for.

This might actually work out!

Ha! When does that actually happen?

I knew to expect some distortion and frankly it was even more pronounced than I expected.

I think it really stinks that there is any distortion - especially for over 2/3 of the theater. I prefer the Soarin' over CA version. On our last ride before the switch - a guy handed my husband a golf ball right after that scene as my hubby reached for the ball each time. It was cute.

We got outside and fought a 5 year old tantrum for a few minutes

Sorry you had to deal with this.

DW just looked at me and said Disney food may be expensive, but it’s good and we’re never going to pack food into Disney World like that.

Just gave me a flashback to my childhood. Everytime we went to Disneyland (or any theme park for that matter) we had a packed lunch and ate at the picnic tables. :charac2: Ugh. Yes, we were locals/day trippers to many parks, however, we never once ate at the park. (yes, I realize I sound like a spoiled brat :rotfl:) This is back in the day when the food was really bad....but for a kid, I just wanted to eat in the park - felt like I was missing out. I'm not bitter or anything. :laughing: I vowed that I would NEVER do that or force my kids to do that. Now many many years later, I still don't pack anything for a day trip, however, I can totally see bringing in a few snacks to have on hand for hubs and I if on vacation - can only eat so much park food (don't have to worry about the kid aspect).
 
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Man, your little boy is beyond cute! He makes that cat look not as cute.

As for the zebra domes… they were alright.
I have to agree, we have had Zebra Domes at Boma and I find them just ok.

I knew to expect some distortion and frankly it was even more pronounced than I expected.
The bending is VERY unfortunate. It really takes you out of the all inclusive feeling. We never saw the original version but still love it.

I tried to tell him that I didn’t think we’d see the golf ball this time, but he was sure I was wrong. He was really bummed that it was gone. I mean to the point that when he got off, he didn’t want to ride again with the rider swap.
Wait! What!?! They took Spaceship Earth out of it?!!? Oh no! That was my DD's favorite part! And I remember hearing that the filming over Disney was the most $$$ part?!?!

But on Soarin, she asked me about halfway through if we could get off. She didn’t freak out and cry or anything, but she just didn’t like it at all.
I was afraid this was going to be my oldest's issue. But she seems to like it. Some of these rides are hard to gauge how the kids will do.

The queue was lined up outside the door for the standby line at Imagination so we tapped our band and walked past all those suckers
I have done this many times! Def the best part of MDE.

I love that there is such a variety of food options and they’ve really been getting some fantastic quick service places recently. There are some interesting things to try at a lot of restaurants. But would it kill you to put in a fryer to make nuggets and fries at those places too?
I agree! World Showcase is really the worst at this. My girls are ok eaters... But having just one generic kid option would be good!!!!

DW just looked at me and said Disney food may be expensive, but it’s good and we’re never going to pack food into Disney World like that.
This is exactly my thinking! I am on vacation too! But it is nice that Disney allows you to. I think it is one of those things that I think REALLY makes them stand out. Most don't want to bother but if you want to or HAVE to, you have the option.
 
Hope you don't mind me jumping right on in here...

You’re welcome.

Oh, thank you!

After the kids were in bed, I still wanted that ice cream that I didn’t get before HEA

Okay, so I started on the very last update, but then realized how out of the loop I was with the abbreviations :-)sad2:) and went back to the update before.

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Good grief. LG! Oh my word, he is beyond gorgeous. :cutie:

but he was starting to get restless by the end of the ride

Me too kid, me too.

This folks, was my life for the week. I won’t get into every case where this happened, but it felt like I was herding squirrels.

Our next WDW trip is coming up in January and we'll have 3 more people than usual. I'm positive this is what will be happening with me.


DD is so brave, good for her! Calvin needs to take some tips from her please.


Done.:faint:


Seriously, what's up with these good lookin' kids of yours?! They definitely got your DW's looks ;)

But our skipper made sure to ask us all to say hi to her new friend.

Hyena!

Oh the cheese is strong with this one!

Just before our trip, LG, DS and I all three were prescribed antibiotics for various ailments. I had been fighting a sinus infection for about 2 weeks, DS had strep and LG had something in between.

Yuck, and in the middle of Summer? That's the worst.

Everybody else got back and BiL started trying to talk DD out of riding. He told her she’d be too scared because it is so dark. Honestly, we were afraid she’d freak out. I wasn’t crazy about taking her on it, but she wanted to go and I wasn’t going to tell her no. The CM measured her and she was just barely tall enough. We were walking in and I explained that she had to sit by herself. She said she wanted me to sit behind her and hold on to her. She never hesitated to hop in and ride. She screamed the whole time. I thought the ride was turning out to be a disaster, but apparently it was happy screams because as soon as we got off she said she wanted to do it again!

WHAT?! Dude. Such a daredevil!

I asked her about 3 times where she was just to be sure I heard right and then said a few four letter words.

:rotfl::lmao:

As for the show.

Well...

Sorry.

I liked Wishes.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...r-the-revolving-fastpass-10-3.3626968/page-10
To me, HEA was just their way to make us forget about the fact that there’s no parade. So in my eyes, it is the replacement for MSEP and Wishes all in one. It’s a good show, the projections and fireworks are great.

But it just didn’t do much for me.

And now I know what HEA is.

Aw man. I streamed the first showing and LOVED IT. I was never 'connected' to Wishes, if that makes sense. I had seen it once, maybe twice with Dan B.C., and then I think once with Cal? For me, I'm beyond excited to experience HEA (<---look at me, using it for the first time! :hyper:) because the boys have been watching it at home a lot lately. And I personally love that they used Hunchback (such a cool/dark movie!) along with Baymax and Wreck it Ralph, and the "You'll be in my Heart" scene? :eek: :faint: and Dan is a major fan of Aladdin so seeing those projections in real time, will be fantastic! I know people were super upset with the change and I could totally understand why. Wishes has been around for what, 15 years? A lot of emotional connections to that. Basically, for me, I'm excited that i'll be able to have that connection with HEA that I didn't have with Wishes since I was so late to the game.


We didn’t buy any more after that though.

Totally agree with you. Once and done treat.

Obviously, since I shared the specific details of our plans for the day, it isn’t what really happened…

Haha of course.

He had just really started moving around and crawling a lot. So he wanted to get down and explore. Obviously, we didn’t want him crawling around on the floors or on the ground in middle of Disney World. He also was unwilling to wear shoes so getting down and walking while someone held his hand was even out of the question. This frustration of his that he couldn’t get down and have much freedom outside of our hotel room ended up being kind of an ongoing challenge for us over the course of the week.

Yes! When we took Calvin right when he turned 1, he was crawling (didn't start walking until 17 months!) but it was tough cause he wanted to move around and we wanted him to be able to stretch but couldn't until we were back in our room.

DW just looked at me and said Disney food may be expensive, but it’s good and we’re never going to pack food into Disney World like that.

YES! A lot of work for sure. They probably do save a lot though. But heck, i'm on vacation too! I'll cook breakfast (not doing that this trip though, yay me!) but that's as far as i'll go.
 
As for the zebra domes… they were alright. I didn’t hate them, but there are just other things I’d rather get as snacks. I think I had one, and DW had one. I put the other 2 in the refrigerator and ate them another day. We didn’t buy any more after that though.
I feel the same, don't get the hype. Love that you had to brag to your Facebook group :thumbsup2

As we approached the walkway between Mouse Gear and Electric Umbrella, I saw CMs… Well, MS was closed for refurb so this had to be bad news for TT. I asked if TT was closed and they answered that it was. I did a quick U turn and told everybody we’re going to Soarin. I got some blank looks but kept walking. It was one of those moments where I just hoped they’d realize I know what I’m doing and don’t have time to explain.
Great job diverting and having a plan right away. Quite impressed you got everyone to just go with the flow too, that's hard in such a large group.

Um…

Where’s mom?

And where’s DS?

I hope they’re together.
Oh no:sad2:, I hope they're together too.

As for the ride, well, Soarin has never been my favorite. It’s something I ride every trip, sure. But I don’t think I’d ever be devastated if I missed it. Probably not the popular opinion, but I’ve always just felt kind of “meh” about it. To me, the disjointed video of jumping from one scene to another kind of ruined the illusion of flying more than any feet dangling over me ever did. I was hoping that the new video might make those transitions feel a little more fluid, but it didn’t. Also, we were on the end of the section just left of the middle seat, yet still as close to the middle as we could be in that section. I was hoping that it would be close enough to not notice the bending effects.

It wasn’t.

I knew to expect some distortion and frankly it was even more pronounced than I expected.

Am I glad I rode it? Yes. Will I ride it again next time we go? Of course. But it’s just not a ride I’d stand in a 45 minute line for, let alone 2 hours.
I feel like the distortion is so much worse on this version, it's terrible. It's a nice ride, but not deserving of the crazy hype it gets.

He had just really started moving around and crawling a lot. So he wanted to get down and explore. Obviously, we didn’t want him crawling around on the floors or on the ground in middle of Disney World. He also was unwilling to wear shoes so getting down and walking while someone held his hand was even out of the question. This frustration of his that he couldn’t get down and have much freedom outside of our hotel room ended up being kind of an ongoing challenge for us over the course of the week.
Oh I so understand your frustration. Youngest DS was like that for our trip in 2015 and it made it incredibly frustrating.

We got outside and fought a 5 year old tantrum for a few minutes until we could get her into the stroller and calmed down enough to tell us what she wanted for lunch. She was mad, but at the same time we were trying to find some common ground. She wasn’t going to get to do what she wanted, but I was willing to let her determine what we’d get for lunch.
Literally been in your shoes in that same spot. While I appreciate the after ride activities, it always ends up in a tantrum here and at SE.

I love that there is such a variety of food options and they’ve really been getting some fantastic quick service places recently. There are some interesting things to try at a lot of restaurants. But would it kill you to put in a fryer to make nuggets and fries at those places too?
Yes, it would kill them, because that costs money and still revenue from abysmal places like Electric Umbrella :rotfl2:

As we were eating, a family came and sat at 2 tables next to us. It was a mom and a dad and 4 kids. I know everybody has their reasons for doing what they do to save money and make a trip happen. But they unloaded soft sided cooler out of a backpack full of Capri suns, sandwiches, carrot sticks and some grapes. They were well prepared, but it had to have been a lot of work get all of that ready before heading to the parks and then someone had to carry it around all day… DW just looked at me and said Disney food may be expensive, but it’s good and we’re never going to pack food into Disney World like that.
While, I get what you're saying, but since becoming a TA, I quickly have realized how much little things like food can make or break an ability to take the trip. It makes me feel bad that it's take a trip and skimp on things like food and souvenirs or no trip at all. My mentality has always been I would rather do it right or not at all, but not everyone feels that way. Also, some people are just super cheap:rotfl:. My brother and sister in law could have afforded the food, yet stayed off site and brought all their own food, to each his own I guess :confused3
 
Wow, your mom really just kept disappearing. Is there going to be a "where's mom?" story from every day of the trip?

Seriously, how hard is it to pick a FP and stick to it? What is that, four changes in one update? Five? I think I lost count at some point. I know that I like lots and lots of FP ... but that's multiple FP, not just changing 1 or 2 constantly.

I kinda get why the restaurants in World Showcase don't have chicken nuggets ... they're not really native food of certain countries. I think it would be great if they had a food court type place somewhere in Epcot which had the regular staples and a few sample dishes from each country. That way you could get the chicken nuggets and the nachos without having to go to multiple locations. But I know that ain't happening.
(Also ... we bring our own lunch and snacks to the park. No soft-sided cooler, but we usually have sandwiches and a bunch of snacks, usually in a backpack (occasionally we just stuff it in our purses). And we take turns carrying the backpack. Plus, there are only two of us, so it's probably easier. Security usually looks at us like we're nuts, though.)
 

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