Don't We Need More Ice Cream? - A F&G Trip Report - The End, Mini Epic Girls Trips West Coast Version 11/9

[pooh'smate]

Sorry about your kitty

 

[DnA2010]

And while we're at it, we picked up a fresh peach pie to take home, but they have many other good options. The place is called Polly's Pies, you know.

Wow those all look delish, I Love pie!

It's a neat idea for sure.

120 yikes!

The theming/colours really are lovely!

We saw these guys at DL- fun!

Dad and I went up to the counter, there was a good size line, but nothing unusual. As we were waiting, he asked, “Why am I just now, on the last day, finding out about this place?”

Umm because there are like a zillion restaurants at WDW lol!

We also had a Macaron with Raspberries and Lime cream,

Ohhh! I love raspberry but I extra love lime things!

This Bacon and cheese roll was for my breakfast.

I was going to ask was it yummy and did you heat it, but I learned later you didn't get a chance

I took a few of the indigestion pills that I keep in my “in-purse-pharmacy”

Like the magic golds ( I think they are gold) right

I figured that was the best solution for her crankies and she did end up coming back in a much better mood.

You know her oh so well!

it was a Hawaiian Sea Bass with a Miso Mero sauce and sounded really good, but it was so small a piece so I didn't dare ask for a bite.

That looks oh so good, but oh so tiny!

but he was already on top of it and had her entree ready for her as she sat down.

Nice work Mr. Server

Inside was the beignet and there was raspberry sorbet and some other tasty little morsels inside. Everyone totally loved it!

That looks rather odd, glad it was yummy!

Anyways, I had not had the opportunity to see the after dark bioluminescence at Pandora, so we specifically planned the early dinner to get there after dark.

I really gotta see Pandora!

there was a winery circuit within easy driving distance of their house. On a given afternoon you could visit as many as five different wineries who may pour anywhere from four to eight tastes of various wines, all for free! I would try to explain this concept to my mom and she just never got on board.

Back when wine tasting was free! Here now they waive the tasting fees once you buy a bottle...

Also the vehicles that were hanging from the skyway earlier that day were gone now. Interesting.

How odd!

Mickey bars and walking around the crowds who started trying to form a clump outside the booth and just passing them out like trading cards.

Yum! The "like trading cards" made me giggle- I can totally picture this!

not before Fran got another Mickey bar.

I probably would too! I love ice cream.

think it was about 2AM when my head finally hit the pillow.


Day 10


The alarm went off at 6AM,

That is NOT a lot of sleep!!

one of "the white things" aka little old lady cats passed away over the weekend of the EPIC West coast mini meet.

So very sorry

This is such a lovely picture xx

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I turned around a couple times during the ride to take pictures of animals we had passed and I noted them both glued to their phones, and this was at a point where there were giraffes, ankole cattle and all sorts of other animals!

Even the Animatronic lion was in his element.

Good to see he's back up and running. Well, not literally. You know what I mean.

Then it was time for EE. Me and my Dad rode while mom and Fran rested. As we pulled into the station I asked my Dad if he wanted to take Mom and Fran's bands and go again, and he gave me a firm “No”.

Fran wanted to go to WoD, but when we asked my Mom she gave an adamant “No.” so instead the three of us went back to the room. I'm not exactly sure what Fran did, but I plugged in the scooters and went to bed. I was pooped from all that walking!

Sounds like everyone is just about done!

I took the package over to the business center and they printed the label for me, put some Fragile stickers on it and had it on the way.

Fragile, huh? Must be Italian.

Thank goodness we had FP cause this was the standby wait.

Yeah...no thanks.

Dad and I went up to the counter, there was a good size line, but nothing unusual. As we were waiting, he asked, “Why am I just now, on the last day, finding out about this place?”

Well, if you make somebody else do the research...

I dunno? You coulda done your own homework...

Exactly!

Fran wanted to do more shopping.

Whoa! You gotta wait till I'm sitting down before you spring something like that on me.

I mean who wants to travel without applying their deodorant first. There are certainly some people

At some point before the bread arrived, she mouthed to me, “Can we have more than one opinion next time?” She had forgotten that we had looked over the menu and at that time, she had found things she could eat. But now she was unhappy. She didn’t say so, but those of you who've been married a long time know what I'm talking about when your spouse is peeved.

There's nothing we enjoy more than Monday Morning Quarterbacking.

I was still nibbling away at my food and forgot to take a picture of her ribs, but she liked them!

Oh, so she likes it now.

It was cool, and I'm glad that I got to see it, but now I'm good.

Yeah, sounds about right.

While the stuff was new, I wasn't really thrilled to be sitting there looking at stuff when I could be riding.

Amen to that!

The ride experience was surreal, I walked completely through the queue, the preshow room door was open as was the door out to the immediate ride queue. The preshow was running, but there were only two people standing there watching.

Wow. I've never seen it like that!

She really did need more Ice Cream!

I guess you're not going to miss that one!

I was really sad at the amount of food that we left in the fridge.

Actually I was ready to go home. Not that it wasn't fun, but I was feeling a lot like we were tour guides 24/7 and it was a little tiring.

Yeah, I get that. I wanted to go back with just my family and not any extended family who didn't know how to properly have fun at WDW.

We were served snacks and I think this made up my lunch ffor the day. What a sorry last picture for my Trip Report!

Breakfast of champions!

And so to end this TR on a sad note, but cute pictures, one of "the white things" aka little old lady cats passed away over the weekend of the EPIC West coast mini meet.

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that, Alison.

 

[tammy]

I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. Sounds like a wonderful trip. Thanks so much for sharing.

 

[afwdwfan]

Since no one really gave me any direction on the rest of the FP, I made them for my favorite rides.

As you should do!

The boat could only take one scooter, so Fran opted to take the trail, and she beat us by a substantial amount, in fact she was already in the restaurant securing a table as we were unloading from the boat.

Fran's got a hot rod!

Never mind the kids playing tag behind the pillar to our left.

Not many games are as classy as tag...

At some point before the bread arrived, she mouthed to me, “Can we have more than one opinion next time?” She had forgotten that we had looked over the menu and at that time, she had found things she could eat. But now she was unhappy. She didn’t say so, but those of you who've been married a long time know what I'm talking about when your spouse is peeved. Heck! If you know Fran you probably know what I'm talking about!

Let's face it, when do you get to do everything you want on a WDW trip? It's why we all keep coming back, right?

Good point!

It was cool, and I'm glad that I got to see it, but now I'm good.

Kind of how I feel about it too.

Free Mickey bars and all the rides you want just didn't entice my parents, they were more interested in this thing called sleep.

Well, as you mentioned there's the old saying If it's free it's for me. But I always say I can sleep when I'm not at Disney World. Both of those point toward free Mickey Bars and more rides!!!

Mickey bars secured we headed to SDD, which must have been everyone else's game plan because it had a 40 minute wait, which never let up as long as we were there. I wasn't willing to wait that long, even if it was ½ to ⅓ the wait it was during the day. I had already been on it twice, and it’s not like we were never coming back. I checked the app and ToT and RnRC were only 10 minute waits.

Oh, definitely a good call. I like SDD, but I wouldn't wait 40 minutes for it.

The ride experience was surreal, I walked completely through the queue, the preshow room door was open as was the door out to the immediate ride queue. The preshow was running, but there were only two people standing there watching. There was no line and I literally walked up to the front, there were a handful of people waiting for the front car and I decided that it wasn't worth it to me. I did decline the last car as my head just got too banged around when I rode that Saturday. In the end I got the second car.

Is this Heaven? I'd just walk right back on this ride all night long!!!!

She really did need more Ice Cream!

Doesn't everyone? Well, maybe aside from you with how you felt at dinner, but I'd eat as many Mickey Bars as I could get!

Back in the room, my Dad had also realized that we had his sweatshirt and he left this little “note” for us. My family is definitely odd.

All families are.

But are the knives intended as a threat?

Actually I was ready to go home. Not that it wasn't fun, but I was feeling a lot like we were tour guides 24/7 and it was a little tiring.

I can totally relate to that feeling... hate to end a trip feeling that way too.

We changed planes in Indianapolis and our gate where we got off the plane was right across from where we would be boarding.

What???? How on earth do you have a layover in Indy? I can never even find a direct flight from Indy to anywhere!

And so to end this TR on a sad note, but cute pictures, one of "the white things" aka little old lady cats passed away over the weekend of the EPIC West coast mini meet. So here's a few pictures. She came to us as a little kitten and had a long and fulfilling life.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[irene_dsc]

Wow - I finally got back to your TR, and it just ended! What timing!

Yeah, tour guiding is tiring. Tho I still would need someone to help me find stuff.

I'm with your dad on the French street food love. I generally love street food, but French street food is special. Although, Disney versions probably wouldn't live up to my memories. I know the crepe stand didn't.

Sorry to hear about your kitty. Rough way to end your trip.

 

[franandaj]

Of course. The cats need boxes.

We put empty ones around the house and call them cat traps.

Huh. I want Kusafari's…

So did you? How was it?

I don't think I've ever had peach pie. Sounds good.
And any pie place is in my book.
Maybe next time I'm down we can go.

They only have it for a couple months in the Summer, but they always have something good. Sure we can put it on the list!

So sorry to hear about your kitty. We came back from out DLR/D23 trip to a dead pet bird, and even worse - our "pet sitter" had neglected to feed the pets a couple days - so she had starved to death.

Oh my! That's awful!

(The kitties were OK.) We found out about this on the trip...but is still a rough homecoming. (BTW - that pet sitter will not be sitting our pets no more.)

Yeah. We had a cat locked in a garage once and the pet sitter didn't notice. He didnt come back either.

Thanks for sharing the skyliner picture - there's been a lot of conjecture over it, I'm so glad it's going on line soon. We are excited to ride it next month, and then likely we'll also use it in February as we have a dinner ADR at Topolino's @ Riviera.

I somehow doubt that it is scooter friendly so I doubt that we will be riding it.

Seemed like you had a very busy last day! Three different parks and one of them twice!

I didn't even realize we had done three different parks. For us that's amazing!

This sounds chillingly final.

No. Wait.
It would be hot.
This sounds toasty warmly final.

And in two more weeks I'll be taking my first tub of the trip!

Oh! I never would've thought of that

We've done it on quite a few trips....

Because she drives that scooter like she's in the Indianapolis 500?

This seems to have become a recurring theme.

Tons of people were having that problem with SDD. I wonder if they (Disney) finally got it resolved?

I hope so! I have a FP for my upcoming trip!

The spirit isn't really willing, 'cause the flesh is on the BBQ?

Is this a movie quote I'm not getting?

Really? I didn't know that. seems... inadequate.

Well they can take two scooters but there was already one on the boat.

See???? Indy 500!

Either that or the boat is slow and makes multiple stops.

Also the same type of person who says "Don't worry. We'll make a reservation when we get there."
(That's my dad.)

Yup. And this is part of what I meant about being the tour guide.

mmm... that sounds good.

I may like to try it sometime, but there are so many other things to eat, I may never get there...

Or he dropped it on the floor and was too embarrassed to pick it up so just kicked it under the table.
You should ask him.

I think I'll pass...

Ew...

But you know it happens!

Oh dear. Sorry about that.

Yeah, I'm starting to watch it a little more about dairy based desserts. Unless it's late at night and I can just go to bed in a food coma.

Um... Someone is none too pleased with the dining arrangements!

Yeah...

We love you Fran!

You do know her!

But the good news is that I bet it's fully charged by now!!


No? Not so good?

Well yes, it was fully charged!

Sure! She got to zoom around Disney running over the unwary and un-swift

I think she enjoyed that.

Huh! That does sound... a bit odd. But it worked out!

Yeah, it turned out to be pretty good.

That's good service.
I would've tipped more too.

That thing looks... weird.
But it sounds like it was good.

We were a little bit confused, the server had to clue us in how to eat it.

Never and...
Yes.

Yes.
I recommend it over ROL.
Now that I find boring.

Yes. That's what we did last time. We chose poorly.

It definitely loses its luster after the first time.

(See what I did there?)

Sleep? what is that?

Actually something I plan on catching up on when we go there. Not too much, but these last couple months have been sort of crazy. I'm looking forward to slowing down for the Disney part, cause the band part is going to be hard work.

Holy crap! It's a Mickey Bar extravaganza!

I get that. I think I'd be tempted to ride it just to see the standby queue, though.

Someday the hype will die down. Maybe when RotR opens.

I've never seen that!

It probably only happens at these special events.

But of course. We all do.

Well, except me.

Well... neither do I, actually.

Well it's a plastic box about 1 meter long and half a meter wide, I'm sure you've seen similar ones at Home Depot. We've got a ton of stuff in there like my large coffee mug, an oven safe stove top pot, a butter dish, a set of knives, measuring cups, napkins, baggies of multiple sizes, trash bags, pepper grinder, salt, my special pillow, and a bunch of other stuff. There's no way a big bottle of juice is going to fit in there. As it is I have to sit on the thing to get the zip ties (they give you a set each trip) on it to close.

I totally get that too.
I need my alone time to recharge. When you're a tour guide, you don't get that time.

And everyone looks to you for what's next. It gets tiring.

Slated for end of September now.

So we'll be there after it opens.

Holy crap!

Well, between retrieving the car, LA rush hour traffic, and needing a few groceries, it all takes time...

And now I'm reminded that my parking lot of forever is gone or seriously reduced in size. I need a new plan for two weeks from now.

Oh, gee. I'm sorry to hear that Alison.

Thanks. Unfortunately it was time.

 

[skier_pete]

Too lazy to quote - but yes the Skyliner will be scooter friendly, at least at the Epcot, CBR transfer and DHS stations. I am not sure how it will be handled at the Riviera station - but at all the other stations there are two loops where the gondolas detach. The main loop the gondolas slow to a slow walking speed, which is slow enough for people and strollers to enter. The second loop will take gondolas off and will bring them to a complete stop. The seats on one side even flip up, so they can load an ECV onto a gondola. Now, it's only one ECV per gondola, but I would bet the line for ECVs will generally be fairly short so they will be able to get you on pretty quick. Observers say they are pull off about every 12th gondola to the ECV/Wheelchair loop. Even with the stop to transfer at CBR it may be a quicker route to get from DHS to Epcot than the boats, especially if there are other ECVs in front of you in line at the boats!

 

[franandaj]

So sorry about your white kitty!

Thanks.

Sorry about your kitty

Thanks.

Wow those all look delish, I Love pie!

Polly's does a good pie!

It's a neat idea for sure.

And I just saw that Pete posted that they will be ECV friendly. So one day on our trip I'll walk to the Int'l Gateway and we can take it somewhere.

120 yikes!

Yeah, I'm not waiting in THAT line!

The theming/colours really are lovely!

I thought the area was pretty cute.

We saw these guys at DL- fun!

I wonder if they'll still be marching around with Batuu open now.

Umm because there are like a zillion restaurants at WDW lol!

Yeah, and I certainly wasn't going to try and educate them about every QS place in addition to all the TS places I thought they would like.

Ohhh! I love raspberry but I extra love lime things!

This was quite good, nice tang with a sweetness to it still.

I was going to ask was it yummy and did you heat it, but I learned later you didn't get a chance

I think it would have been better if I had warmed it and maybe put some butter on top.

Like the magic golds ( I think they are gold) right

Those are in there too....there are five little compartments on one side, and one large compartment on the other side. I keep the big side full of Pepcid Complete pills, that's what I took.

You know her oh so well!

That looks oh so good, but oh so tiny!

It turns out that it was the perfect portion for them. Just enough to sate them, but not enough to be too full for dessert.

Nice work Mr. Server

That looks rather odd, glad it was yummy!

Yeah, we were all perplexed as to how to eat it.

really gotta see Pandora!

It is pretty cool, but after you've seen it a couple times, it's OK.

Back when wine tasting was free! Here now they waive the tasting fees once you buy a bottle...

I haven't been in so long, I'm not sure how it works, but I remember the last time there was a nominal fee.

Yum! The "like trading cards" made me giggle- I can totally picture this!

I tried to use words that would illustrate just how strange it seemed.

I probably would too! I love ice cream.

I love ice cream, it just doesn't love me.

That is NOT a lot of sleep!!

No, I am used to far more than that at home.

So very sorry

Thanks. Then again it was time.

This is such a lovely picture xx

Thank you. She was very cute!

 

[franandaj]

Good to see he's back up and running. Well, not literally. You know what I mean.

Yeah, I think he was down for refurb on either your or my last trip. I remember having that discussion.

Sounds like everyone is just about done!

Yeah, I think we all were feeling it quite a bit.

Fragile, huh? Must be Italian.

Yeah...no thanks.

Well, if you make somebody else do the research...

I was so impressed with him finding Todd English's Bluezoo in his own....

Exactly!

But he obviously didn't go much farther than that.

Whoa! You gotta wait till I'm sitting down before you spring something like that on me.

There's nothing we enjoy more than Monday Morning Quarterbacking

Yup.

Oh, so she likes it now.

She did agree in the end that the food was excellent. There just weren't a ton of choices that appealed to her. I believe when we looked at the menu before making the reservation, her words were, "I can find something to eat there."

Yeah, sounds about right.

Seems to be the consensus.

Amen to that!

I wasn't there to shop....and I was fading fast after a long day.

Wow. I've never seen it like that!

And I may never see that again!

I guess you're not going to miss that one!

No, pretty much not.

Yeah, I get that. I wanted to go back with just my family and not any extended family who didn't know how to properly have fun at WDW.

I'm looking forward to taking it pretty easy on this upcoming trip...

Breakfast of champions!

It worked for me.

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that, Alison.

Thanks, but she did have a long and steak filled life.

I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. Sounds like a wonderful trip. Thanks so much for sharing.

Thanks. It was a nice trip.

As you should do!

As we say, "Silence is compliance"

Fran's got a hot rod!

Seems like that's the consensus.....

Not many games are as classy as tag...

I feel like you have experience with this....

Good point!

Kind of how I feel about it too.

Another consensus.....

Well, as you mentioned there's the old saying If it's free it's for me. But I always say I can sleep when I'm not at Disney World. Both of those point toward free Mickey Bars and more rides!!!

I'd heard so many reports from people who went to these Moonlight Magic events and got all sorts of free snacks, and such while riding tons of rides, so I had to check it out for myself!

Oh, definitely a good call. I like SDD, but I wouldn't wait 40 minutes for it.

There's not a lot that I would wait 40 minutes for.

Is this Heaven? I'd just walk right back on this ride all night long!!!!

If I wasn't stupid tired, I would have gone on it a few more times.

Doesn't everyone? Well, maybe aside from you with how you felt at dinner, but I'd eat as many Mickey Bars as I could get!

I could have also had a non dairy bar option, but I was pretty full after we ate the hamburger.

All families are.

But are the knives intended as a threat?

I never thought of it that way!

I can totally relate to that feeling... hate to end a trip feeling that way too.

Looking forward to doing a chill trip in a couple weeks.

What???? How on earth do you have a layover in Indy? I can never even find a direct flight from Indy to anywhere!

I don't know how it came up. Normally they offer Dallas, Denver, or some other place in the middle of the country.

Sorry for your loss.

Thanks. I really think it was time.

 

[franandaj]

Wow - I finally got back to your TR, and it just ended! What timing!

But I've got plenty of Bonus features to post!

Yeah, tour guiding is tiring. Tho I still would need someone to help me find stuff.

I just keep reading TRs and I find plenty of things I want to do!

I'm with your dad on the French street food love. I generally love street food, but French street food is special. Although, Disney versions probably wouldn't live up to my memories. I know the crepe stand didn't.

I don't think I ever ended up having any street food in Paris. We ended up doing mostly sit down on my trips. One of them I stayed at a friend's house, so I did get the family experience with wine and cheese though.

Sorry to hear about your kitty. Rough way to end your trip.

Actually the trip ended six months ago, almost to the day. She passed just a couple weeks ago.

Too lazy to quote - but yes the Skyliner will be scooter friendly, at least at the Epcot, CBR transfer and DHS stations. I am not sure how it will be handled at the Riviera station - but at all the other stations there are two loops where the gondolas detach. The main loop the gondolas slow to a slow walking speed, which is slow enough for people and strollers to enter. The second loop will take gondolas off and will bring them to a complete stop. The seats on one side even flip up, so they can load an ECV onto a gondola. Now, it's only one ECV per gondola, but I would bet the line for ECVs will generally be fairly short so they will be able to get you on pretty quick.

This is good to know. Perhaps on one of our trips to DHS, I'll leave my scooter in the room and walk to the International Gateway so we can ride on a Gondola together.

Observers say they are pull off about every 12th gondola to the ECV/Wheelchair loop. Even with the stop to transfer at CBR it may be a quicker route to get from DHS to Epcot than the boats, especially if there are other ECVs in front of you in line at the boats!

That sounds like a pretty fair trade. Now I'm looking forward to trying this!

 

[franandaj]

Before we get on to more bonus features, I’m gonna do a nickel version of a PTR. In a couple weeks, we will be back at WDW.

Now this really wasn’t a planned trip to WDW, it’s just kind of a bonus. Those of you who have been following my TRs know that we play in a concert band. You may also recall that there is a National Band Organization which holds conferences each year. In the past few years, we have traveled to Kansas City, MO, Palm Springs, CA, and Ft. Lauderdale, FL to name a few. The 2017 conference in Houston was cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey. The concert venue was flooded only one week before the conference was scheduled and the city was in such disarray there was no way the host band wanted to subject guests to that mayhem. Next year we will be in Portland, OR and the rumor is that this year we will vote to give Houston another chance at the conference in 2021. But you really don’t care about all that...So here’s what I’m getting to, guess where the 2019 conference is located?

You guessed it. Orlando.

Because the group is a non-profit 501c3 organization all expenses related to the conference are tax deductible. Items such as airfare, car rental, meals, hotel rooms at the conference, can all be written off as charitable expenses. So we are already flying to MCO, why not take a side trip for a little fun and R&R? The Conference starts on a Thursday, and we are flying in the Saturday beforehand. We’re not going to go all crazy doing things like rope drop and tiring ourselves out this trip at Disney. We are just going to take it easy and relax because the end of the trip is going to be quite taxing. As usual, Fran and I are among the only people from our home band (Los Angeles) in attendance, so we get signed up to do the “business” part of the trip in addition to the concertizing. That means 9AM Delegates meetings to hear about and vote on the goings on in the overall organization, In addition to the 8-9 hours of rehearsals to prepare for the concert. But enough about the dull and boring parts, let’s get to the itinerary in a nutshell!

Saturday 7PM: Arrive at MCO, have dinner at Chili’s or Macaroni Grill, DME to Beach Club Villas. Unpack, take a tub, go to bed.

Sunday: Sleep in because our body time clocks will be three hours behind. FP for RnRC, Lunch @ 1:15 at Prime Time, Star Tours after lunch, then Oga’s Cantina @ 4:10PM. Once we’re done there (which will be before 5PM since they only let you stay 45 minutes), we’ll head back to the room to drop off our souvenir mugs. Yes, I know Fran and if there are any left in stock, she’ll be buying them. Then we’ll catch a bus from the BCV to MK, and hop on the monorail to the Poly for more mugs at Trader Sam’s.

Monday: Today we’ll have a little bit of an earlier start. We’ll need to be at the bus stop by 9AM, for a MK bus. Again hop on the monorail, this time to the GF for Strawberry soup breakfast! I made us FP in the afternoon for Test Track, Mission Space and Spaceship Earth, so hopefully Fran will be up for using some of them. If nothing else we'll need to stock up on our stash from Karamel Kuche. Who knows maybe we'll hit a kiosk or two. For dinner we have an ADR at Jaleo in Disney Springs. I’ve heard good things about it too. We will also meet former DISer Scott and his partner Vinny for that meal.

Tuesday: This is our Halloween party day so the morning is going to be quite leisurely. Maybe we'll do some kiosks when they open, we don’t have to be to MK until about 1 or 1:30 PM, so maybe we'll get to the bus stop about 12:30ish or take the Monorail. We have FP for HM and 7DMT before our late lunch/early dinner at Tony's. If Fran doesn't want to ride the Mine Train, the specialty merchandise will be open so she can go fight that while I ride twice. After our meal, I plan on getting in line for the Dwarves. I've got a tablet with a game so I won't mind the wait. When they come out at 7PM, I'll be right at the front of the line and free to do whatever else we want. I want pictures, mostly cool pictures! The candy lines, parades and fireworks are my lowest priorities, I want magic shots!

Wednesday: Because we will have had a late night the evening before, I’m not even planning on getting up remotely early. I’ll probably sit in bed watching TV, playing Mahjong, before taking a nice bath. We actually have nothing scheduled until 5:00PM which is the Frozen Sing Along, then at 6:30PM we have a Slinky Dog Dash FP, followed by a 7PM reservation at Oga’s Cantina. The afternoon will be our only opportunity to check out the F&W kiosks in detail, so we’ll fill up our bellies there before heading over to DHS for the evening activities. After the Cantina, I suspect Fran will want to check out Ample Creamery, as if we won’t have already hit that a few times!

Thursday: This is our last Disney day. Hopefully we will have mostly packed up the day before and will be all ready to go. We’ll check our bags with the bellmen around 9AM, before heading over to Ale & Compass for some hearty breakfast. We’ll have a shuttle pick us up around 12:00 to take us to our next Destination, the Doubletree Hotel Downtown. All the conference events besides the final concert take place here. Our band (there are two because so many people sign up for these events) rehearses from 3-5:30PM. We have free time after that to get some dinner. There are three restaurants in proximity to the hotel which sound good.

Friday: We have a Delegates meeting from 9-11AM followed by presentations and workshops until 1PM. At least lunch is included. The other groups rehearse this afternoon, so we can take a nap! Our band rehearses from 5:15-7:15. So dinner will probably be after that.

Saturday: Our band rehearses from 9-11AM, and we are DONE after that! Pam and her Mom are planning on coming out and we are going to a fun and new location. I have to save some surprises for the TR!

Sunday: We start off with another Delegates meeting from 9-11AM, and then after that we get transported to the concert venue. There is a Tech Rehearsal from 12:00-3:30PM, but I'm sure we will only be involved for about an hour. There are two Concert bands and one Jazz band, so all of us will need time on the stage. The concert starts at 4PM and lasts about two hours or so. After the concert it will be time to get some much needed dinner!

Monday: Our plane doesn't leave until 4:35PM which gives us plenty of time to check out of the hotel and catch our shuttle to MCO. We will have more than enough time to get some lunch since Southwest doesn't have actual meal service. We change planes in Las Vegas and have a 2 hour layover. Maybe we’ll get lucky and win some money.

So that’s our plans for the next trip. Mostly I want to arrive at the conference well rested and ready to play. The last couple months have been tough with vacancies and such. I mentioned in the last update that we refinanced one of our buildings and got some cash out. Meet Pascal, we picked him up over Labor Day weekend.



What color? Well sometimes brown, but depending on the light maybe purple, like a chameleon. The great thing about this van is that we can lift the scooter into the back and just let it ride there, no need for the scooter lift on the back of the car.

We also put in an offer (and it was accepted) on a contract of 100 points at Bay Lake Tower, so now we’re only 12 points away from the 1000 point club!




So let's back track a little bit here. Before we went to Batuu, for the previews in May, we hung around at Disneyland waiting for our time to enter. Upon arrival we went to the Disneyana store. It's a must on Fran's list, most of the time we don't buy anything, but not today. Normally I am the one who is putting the kabash on new purchases, but I walked into the gallery and knew that we were in trouble immediately. I rushed to find Fran, and told her so. As soon as she saw this picture, she knew we had to have it as well.

We still need to find a place on the wall for this, but I really love it!



While they were packing up/ringing up my purchase, Fran took a spin around the gallery and spied this one. The artist was there. He told her if she bought it now (as opposed to when we came back to pick up my picture), that he would autograph the picture. Sold!




Now that we had blown the budget (before even stepping foot in Galaxy's Edge) it was time for lunch. Where else would we rather dine than the Plaza Inn? Winner winner chicken dinner!



After lunch we picked up our wristbands. It was about 3:30 and we couldn't get into Galaxy's Edge untill 5PM, so we rode the Mark Twain while waiting for our time to enter.



















If you’ve been to the bonus features on my past TR you’ve already read about my trips to Galaxy’s Edge during the Previews. However we were also there on the last day before the Preview period ended. I believe that was the time that we went again with Jenny, Michael and their daughter. We picked up our wristbands right at 12 noon.



We almost headed directly to the line up point. First we stopped at the Bengal Barbeque for a little sustenance since we knew that the food offerings inside Galaxy’s Edge were subpar.





Then we headed over to the queue area. We sent Michael and daughter ahead so that they could participate in the “running of the bulls” to get to the Cantina line. Fran, Jenny and I just kind of sauntered in leisurely fashion. After Michael secured the Cantina reservation, we rode Smuggler’s Run, I got the Engineer spot. I think I have since decided that is my most favorite spot. It has the least amount of pressure.



We looked around at the shops for a bit, and pretty soon it was our turn in the Cantina. These were our little cards that showed we had checked in and were waiting for a table spot instead of a standing spot. I think the cards for a standing spot were a different color.



We perused the menu while we waited, and made up our minds of what we wanted to eat and drink.



We got the Batuu bites again. They're OK, but it's good to have something to offset the alcohol.



I tried the Outer Rim, and the Dagobeh Slug Slinger. The Outer Rim was the one with the foam. It was pretty good, but then foam was a little weird, I think I liked it better than the other drink.



Fran got more souvenir mugs before they all sold out. The beer flight.



And she got a Yub Nub. I think Disney purposely made the most desirable drink a "souvenir mug only". Lots of people have indicated that this is the only one that appeals to them, but don't want to spend 50 bucks on a drink.



Drinks in hand we were a happy bunch.



After the ride and our trip to the Cantina, honestly there just isn't that much to do in SWGE, unless you want to drop a couple hundred dollars on a light saber or a Droid.

But that wasn't the end for our mug acquisition that day. It was barely 5PM and the evening was still young, so we headed off to Trader Sam's. I had a Tangaroa Cooler which was very good for a drink made with Gin



while Fran had a Piranha Pool



For our second round I had the a Safari Swizzle.



She had the shipwreck on the rocks.



I ordered the Pupu platter for my meal (from right front, clockwise, panko crusted green beans, chicken wings, gyoza, edamame). This Is always a winner for me. You get your protein and veggies, and breaded and fried almost always makes your veggies better!



She ordered the Angus 1/2 lb Hawaiian Cheeseburger

with Grilled Pineapple, Applewood-smoked Bacon, Havarti Cheese, Butter Lettuce, Tomato, Onions, and Sweet-and-Spicy Spread, served with Fries



And thus wrapped up our Disney Travels for the month of June.

 

[irene_dsc]

But I've got plenty of Bonus features to post!

Cool! And now that I'm a bit more caught up, maybe it won't take me as long to get back!

I just keep reading TRs and I find plenty of things I want to do!

Oh, I didn't mean needing help figuring out *what* to do (tho I do also keep learning more from TRs, too). I meant, I need help navigating when I'm there!

I don't think I ever ended up having any street food in Paris.

I was a broke college student when I was there, so I pretty much lived on street food.

 

[Flossbolna]

I might have to have a Shipwreck in the Rocks soon...

 

[DnA2010]

then Oga’s Cantina @ 4:10PM

I wonder if there will be any differences

If nothing else we'll need to stock up on our stash from Karamel Kuche.

Oh man you are going to tempt me with pictures I'm sure- the marshmallow wheel and dark salt caramel I think are the ones that look the most yumm for me

When they come out at 7PM, I'll be right at the front of the line and free to do whatever else we want. I want pictures, mostly cool pictures! The candy lines, parades and fireworks are my lowest priorities, I want magic shots!

I bet you will get some fun ones!

Fran will want to check out Ample Creamery,

I like a lot of Fran's decisions :nod:

I have to save some surprises for the TR!

Ohhhhh!

Looks purple to me in this picture

we’re only 12 points away from the 1000 point club!

soo close!

That seems very perfect indeed for you two!

Yumm! Can't wait for this!

The Outer Rim was the one with the foam. It was pretty good, but then foam was a little weird, I think I liked it better than the other drink.

It does look very unique

most desirable drink a "souvenir mug only". Lots of people have indicated that this is the only one that appeals to them, but don't want to spend 50 bucks on a drink.

The mug looks very cool, I don't even want to think about the cost in Canadian dollars...gullpp

I had a Tangaroa Cooler which was very good for a drink made with Gin

This one looks right up my alley!

Pupu platter

Nothing like a good Pupu platter!

 

[afwdwfan]

ou guessed it. Orlando.

Because the group is a non-profit 501c3 organization all expenses related to the conference are tax deductible. Items such as airfare, car rental, meals, hotel rooms at the conference, can all be written off as charitable expenses.

Sounds like a winner!!

So we are already flying to MCO, why not take a side trip for a little fun and R&R?

Was there even any question?

Oga’s Cantina @ 4:10PM. Once we’re done there (which will be before 5PM since they only let you stay 45 minutes), we’ll head back to the room to drop off our souvenir mugs. Yes, I know Fran and if there are any left in stock, she’ll be buying them. Then we’ll catch a bus from the BCV to MK, and hop on the monorail to the Poly for more mugs at Trader Sam’s.

So how big is the extra empty suitcase that you're taking for Fran to fill with souvenir mugs?

So that’s our plans for the next trip. Mostly I want to arrive at the conference well rested and ready to play.

Looks like a great plan... getting plenty done, but still not running yourselves ragged.

The artist was there. He told her if she bought it now (as opposed to when we came back to pick up my picture), that he would autograph the picture. Sold!

Awesome!

And she got a Yub Nub. I think Disney purposely made the most desirable drink a "souvenir mug only". Lots of people have indicated that this is the only one that appeals to them, but don't want to spend 50 bucks on a drink.

Maybe if free refills are included...

ou get your protein and veggies, and breaded and fried almost always makes your veggies better!

Breaded and fried fixes a lot of things!

 

[franandaj]

Cool! And now that I'm a bit more caught up, maybe it won't take me as long to get back!

Well the TRs will always be here, that is unless I reach my maximum number of images. PB is now limiting people to 25,000 images.

Oh, I didn't mean needing help figuring out *what* to do (tho I do also keep learning more from TRs, too). I meant, I need help navigating when I'm there!

Ah, OK I guess I can understand that. We seem.to keep going to a lot of the same places and stay at the same places, so we're slightly in a rut, but we do try new things too.

I was a broke college student when I was there, so I pretty much lived on street food.

I've always been afraid of street food. It could be that growing up in CA we have such strict health department laws, I sort of assimilated their fears.

I might have to have a Shipwreck in the Rocks soon...

We should go there the first night! Either that or Friday afternoon.

 

[franandaj]

I wonder if there will be any differences

That's what we are wondering as well.

Oh man you are going to tempt me with pictures I'm sure- the marshmallow wheel and dark salt caramel I think are the ones that look the most yumm for me

There will definitely be some of those!

I bet you will get some fun ones!

I hope so!

I like a lot of Fran's decisions

A lot of people do!

Looks purple to me in this picture

In the sun it looks purple. In the dark it looks brown.

soo close!

We'll see. We still have to pass ROFR.

That seems very perfect indeed for you two!

I would like to get it on the wall so we could see it daily!

Yumm! Can't wait for this!

We must dine there! I may do it in November as well.

It does look very unique

I gotta start thinking about what drinks I want when we are there, less than a week now!

The mug looks very cool, I don't even want to think about the cost in Canadian dollars...gullpp

I haven't been paying attention to the exchange rate. When I used to travel to Canada it was like the land of 30% discounts.

This one looks right up my alley!

We'll have to visit there as well!

Nothing like a good Pupu platter

 

[franandaj]

Sounds like a winner!!

Was there even any question?

The question was how many days.

So how big is the extra empty suitcase that you're taking for Fran to fill with souvenir mugs?

We're going to pack a box. There's packing tape in the Owner's Lockers, and I just send the label to the business center and they ship it home for us!

Looks like a great plan... getting plenty done, but still not running yourselves ragged.

I hope so, cause the last part may make us ragged.

Awesome!

Maybe if free refills are included...

Breaded and fried fixes a lot of things!

 

[franandaj]

In July the closest we got to a Disney park was having dinner at Tortilla Jo's in DTD and then sampling the new Salt and Straw Ice cream shop, but I have no photographic evidence of this, so you'll have to take my word on it.


August


It had been over a month since our last visit to Batuu and I was definitely looking forward to spending more time there. Galaxy's Edge opened to the public officially in the last week of June. Disney expected overwhelming numbers of people to be clamoring to get in. They set up an intricate system of boarding groups which included a virtual queue to get into the land once it had reached capacity. Also they limited reservations at the Cantina and Build a Light Saber workshop, to same day reservations only, but at least they dropped the long queues, and running to get a reservation.

However, by noon on the first day they hardly needed the boarding groups. By the end of the week, social media posts were reporting record low level crowds. Pretty soon Disney was offering incentives like, AP holders can bring a friend for only $99 for a park hopper.

Then near the end of July, they expanded reservations for the Cantina and Light Saber Workshop to 14 days in advance of your visit. We were well with 14 days of our next visit, so I hopped on the app and scored a reservation for our party at 3:45 on the day of our next visit. Jenny was slammed at work so she also asked if I would make a light saber building reservation for her son, which I got for 3PM.

This next visit had been planned since March of earlier this year when Jill had come out for F&W. We bought into the hype and wanted to wait a sufficient amount of time from the general opening so that the crowds would subside. Turns out, we didn't need to wait so long, but Jill had already purchased airline tickets for the first weekend in August, so we stuck with the plan.

She flew in Saturday morning, and while I would have loved to spend the day with Jenny and Jill, having a vacancy, and what I thought was two more coming up, I had work to do in the daytime. We did meet up for dinner at SuperMex and it was super good! The next day the two of them went out to the park in the morning to ride all the Fantasyland dark rides. Again we met up for dinner, this time at a waterfront location so that we could watch the sun set over the ocean while dining.

Then it was time for the big day. We started off by riding Soarin'. Fran got stuck at the bag check, where we switched scooters, you see my scooter bag had a tear and she had bought this industrial strength tape that she was prepared to fix the bag with. Well they wouldn’t let her in the park with the tape and security was telling her to take it back to the room. She was objecting on principle and asked to see the lead. She was going to argue it out with them and needed my bag with the tear to prove her point. The rest of us just wanted to get on with riding rides!

So we went to Soarin’ which was still over California at the time. In the queue I noticed that something wasn't right with Fran's scooter it wasn't staying in gear and sort of slipping into free fall mode, but I was able to make it work and didn't think too much of it.

Next we rode Guardians and got, We got the funk



Fran met up with us at the end of Guardians and we switched back our scooters. I’m not sure how she solved her problem and I don’t think I want to know.

Then went on to RSR.



We wanted to ride Incredicoaster, but it was down so we did TSMM instead.



By then the Incredicoaster was open, but some of us were hungry and others wanted to ride Grizzly. Jill got corn dogs at the Palace for Fran and herself,



Margaret and I got something from the Paradise Garden Grill. Mine is the Beef Kefta, Margaret got the Beef Kebab.





The group riding Grizzly showed up looking like drowned rats. They ordered and scarfed down their lunch and we headed out of the park having done most of what we wanted in DCA. There wasn't a lot of time as we wanted to ride the Falcon both before and after our Cantina experience, so we had to pick one ride. Either Hyperspace Mountain or Splash Mountain. Jenny and her family chose the west one while the rest of us conquered the Empire.



We all met back up in Batuu, and by this point Fran's scooter was starting to have issues. It kept stopping and beeping, but I didn’t pay attention to how many beeps it made (troubleshooting). We traded scooters at that point and headed towards a charging location in Batuu near the marketplace.



We plugged in her scooter and waited for Jenny and Co to join us. Fran wanted to try the popcorn and we got a bag, but it wasn’t all that great and we didn’t even finish it or come close to it.

Jenny’s son was making a lightsaber, and I had signed him up for the experience cause she was slammed the day reservations opened so I went over to the workshop with them and got things all squared away before I came back to Fran who wanted assistance.

We got the scooter all unplugged and decided to head to Smuggler’s Run where we all rode.



There was this cool little bird nest made from wires on the ship.



I tried my hand again at Pilot and completely sucked. By this time our reservation for the Cantina opened so we stopped in and got a drink.









I think I got a Jedi Mind Trick...



And a Bespin Fizz



Leonard got a Blue Bantha, it was Blue Milk served chilled with Bantha-inspired Vanilla-Butter Sugar Cookie



Margaret got a Cliff Dweller (it was the Souvenir Porg mug drink) and did not like (it has coconut in it) so Leonard opted to finish it for her.





We rode Smuggler’s one last time. No one was at the chess table.



Then Fran and Margaret wanted to go shopping. I found another plug and sat with Leonard and chit chatted. I don’t know what happened to Jenny, Michael and Jill. I had to "nurse" the scooter the whole way out of Galaxy's Edge. It kept stopping and beeping. We have since taken it to the shop and haven't been able to replicate the problem, so before we take it out in public again, I have to ride it all around the neighborhood and try to get it to malfunction. Until then, it is grounded in the garage.

Eventually we all met back up to get some drinks and snacks.



By this time I was ready for a real drink, so I got my Belvedere Gibson up.



We ordered a round of these potato rolls for the table.



They come with this cheese sauce, the combination is absolutely delicious!



Leonard ordered the fancy schmancy cheeseburger on the menu, which he shared with Fran and I. It was very delicious, but way too much food! Splitting it between Fran and myself we would have had a hard time to finish it, which is probably why this was the first time we had ever tried it.



I ordered the Heirloom Tomato Salad, which was quite good (for the first time having it). I’ve had it a few more times since then.



Fran got the Chilled Fruit Soup, which had watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon.



I don’t know what this was now, but it’s some kind of chocolate cake with Ice Cream and stuff.



I got the Peach Upside Down Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream. It was good, but not "OMG I have to come back and eat this" good.



I’m going to wrap it up here, although the day was not over. We watched the MSEP and the fireworks, but I’m going to save that for the next update, since I did the same thing (different events during the day though), just two weeks later.