"I'm Gonna Need You to Hold My Eye." - A Feb. 2020 21st Bday TR! *COMPLETE 6/5*

[TheLittleKatie]

Sounds like fun! All outdoor rides are more fun in the dark in my opinion

I always wondered about people hanging out in the park during after hours events, I wonder if people ever just hang out on the hub grass all night and watch the shows it's probably a good thing that they check so much!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

What a great way to end your night! It's funny I don't know if I've ever actually ridden Dumbo at night. I know I've done Astro Orbitor at night, one of the only times I did it, and that was pretty cool but not Dumbo. It really has such a lovely view of the park albeit not as great as when it was right in the center of Fantasyland.

Nothing compares to BTMRR last row at the end of the night. It becomes the best of the three mountains in the park with that. Even Splash can't compete.

That is interesting that even the shops were checking. I've never been to nor have I worked an After Hours event minus all the stuff we did for Media and cast and AP previews but they had quite the queue and check-in point you had to go through sooo I'm not sure why they are so strict. They aren't even that strict during MNSSHP or MVMCP I do believe.

I honestly only ride Dumbo at night. I've done Astro Orbiter at night, too, which is a lot of fun because I love Tomorrowland at night. But Dumbo just hits differently.

BTMRR is my favorite of the mountains anyway, but it's so much better at the end of the night!

I did wonder if it was because it was so late. VAH had been going on for almost 45 minutes, so it may have been a last ditch effort to get everyone out, but I'm not sure.

Back seat of Big Thunder- what a way to end the night. I also love the views from Splash and have been fortunate enough to ride during Wishes so the castle illuminated by the fireworks was especially beautiful. I can't wait to hear more about your trip! I can't think of a better way to celebrate turning 21.

We used to watch Wishes from BTMRR, and I always loved it!

Sounds like the perfect end to the night! Those rides specifically are soooo fun at night!!

We always try to save certain rides to do at night, and it made for a great end to the day!

Sounds like fun! All outdoor rides are more fun in the dark in my opinion

I always wondered about people hanging out in the park during after hours events, I wonder if people ever just hang out on the hub grass all night and watch the shows it's probably a good thing that they check so much!

There was definitely no way anyone was staying that wasn't supposed to be there. There were CMs absolutely everywhere, and they were constantly checking for people's wristbands. I definitely get why they do that, but I was kind of sad that we didn't get a chance to walk through the Emporium.

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Saturday February 29th, 2020
Day 3

This morning, we got up around 7:00—it’s Epcot day! We drank some iced coffee, got ready to go, and left the room around 8. I was a little worried about how today was going to go because I woke up with some serious pain in my hip. My hips don’t stay aligned, and I had started having trouble when we were finishing up in MK the night before. I was hoping that it wouldn’t bother me too much today, but it wasn’t looking too promising.

We waited about 10-15 minutes for a bus. We got to Epcot and made it through bag check without any issues. This was after all the walls and everything had gone up around the entrance, but the signs for the new routes to the different sides of Future World were actually super easy to follow.





As soon as the park opened, we hightailed it to Soarin!



We only waited maybe ten minutes, and we were put on row B1 without having to ask.

After Soarin’, we decided to make our way to Norway to try and get on Frozen before the line got too long. The wait time was posted at 55 minutes, and I think we waited about 40.



I think this ride is super cute, and Emyle really loved it!

Since we were already in Norway, we decided to stop in the Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe. I was after some Olaf Cheesecake!



I am a sucker for all things cookies and cream, so I really enjoyed this. Mom and I also shared a Viking Coffee, but it was a little strong for me.

Our next stop was Mexico! I went over to the Cantina and got chicken tacos, while the other three got in line at the margarita stand.



Mom and Emyle both got chicken tostadas, and Kelsey got nachos. Mom and I also shared a frozen mango loco margarita.





This was some of the best food we had this trip. Everybody loved everything! The mango loco margarita was delicious, but it was SO cold that it could be difficult to drink!



Once we finished eating, we headed inside the pavilion to ride the Gran Fiesta Tour. There was actually a little bit of a line, which was surprising, but we hardly waited at all before we were on a boat.
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[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a great start at Epcot, especially getting to ride 2 of the big rides right away!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

You're making me wish I had tried more of the margs in Mexico with this update. I feel like I'm the only person who never gave them much of the time of day. Too devoted to my slushes in France lmao

That does not sound fun with your hip though. I have collapsed arches so some days can be killer in the parks for me and it is amazing how people will never notice until I tell them that I'm basically limping lol

 

[ariane37]

My hips don’t stay aligned, and I had started having trouble when we were finishing up in MK the night before. I was hoping that it wouldn’t bother me too much today, but it wasn’t looking too promising.

Ooh not fun; I have the same issue. Do you see a chiropractor? I don't mean to preach but I see an Atlas Orthogonal practicing chiropractor and it has seriously saved me.

Mom and Emyle both got chicken tostadas,

Those look good! We like to eat here but then I usually get the nachos. May have to try these!

 

[eliseisawkward]

Oooooh that margarita looks so good. I really wish I could go literally anywhere for a mango margarita right now...

I hope your hips don’t play a bigger role in the rest of your day, because the beginning sounds perfect so far.

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Sounds like a great start at Epcot, especially getting to ride 2 of the big rides right away!

We were definitely glad we did Frozen early because the line stayed pretty long the rest of the day! A perfect way to start the day

You're making me wish I had tried more of the margs in Mexico with this update. I feel like I'm the only person who never gave them much of the time of day. Too devoted to my slushes in France lmao

That does not sound fun with your hip though. I have collapsed arches so some days can be killer in the parks for me and it is amazing how people will never notice until I tell them that I'm basically limping lol

Haha the margs in Mexico are wonderful! There were a few drinks in France I wanted to try but didn't get to, so they're definitely on the list for next time!

It was weird because this was the first trip that it really started to bother me. My hips have long been a problem, but I've never had that much trouble with them in the parks. Weird. I'm impressed you can hide that that well!!

Ooh not fun; I have the same issue. Do you see a chiropractor? I don't mean to preach but I see an Atlas Orthogonal practicing chiropractor and it has seriously saved me.

I've considered it, but haven't ever gone. I've seen a physical therapist on and off for years because of other injuries, and she taught me how to re-align them, so I mostly just rely on that!

Those look good! We like to eat here but then I usually get the nachos. May have to try these!

Everything we had in Mexico was delicious, so I don't think you could go wrong!

Oooooh that margarita looks so good. I really wish I could go literally anywhere for a mango margarita right now...

I hope your hips don’t play a bigger role in the rest of your day, because the beginning sounds perfect so far.

You and me both!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Saturday February 29th, 2020
Day 3, Part 2

When we got off the Gran Fiesta Tour, it was time to head back to Future World to use our FPs for Test Track! Kelsey and I partnered up to build a car, and Mom and Emyle designed one.

This was mine & Kelsey's!



In the end, Kelsey and I got a total score of 200, and Mom and Emyle got 198! It was lots of fun, and it ended up being Emyle’s favorite ride from the trip!



From there, we headed over to the Disney Visa photo op. I’m not sure what it is about this line, but the last several trips, it has taken us forever to get through it. And I don’t think the AC was working at all because it was sooo hot in that line. We waited at least 15 minutes without moving, and we still waited for a while after the line started to move. But finally, we came around the corner to find Minnie and Pluto!















Pluto had turned on the charm today and was just the sweetest. It was a cute meet, and I think this is the only non-selfie picture we got of all four of us!



While we were waiting for the meet and greet, we had moved our FP for LwtL to 1:30pm, so we went straight there after getting our picture taken. This is one of Mom’s favorites! After we scanned our bands there, we were able to get a 2:10 FP for Nemo, so we went there next.

While we were moving through the line at Nemo, we booked a FP for Figment for 3:10pm. Since we still had a little time, we headed over to the Disney Pixar Short Film Fest. I didn’t make a note of which shorts were playing, but I remember that we enjoyed them all!

Then, it was time for our Figment FPs! While we were in line, we booked FPs for Spaceship Earth for 4:45pm. Once we got off Figment, we were getting hungry, so we started back toward the World Showcase. Our first stop was Canada for some beef brisket poutine! This was one of my favorite snacks from our December 2018 trip, and it was just as yummy as I remembered. It isn’t the most visually appealing food (though I apparently forgot to take a picture, so you’ll have to take my word for it), but it is delicious!

Then we moved on to France in search of some ice cream. I think I just got ice cream in a cup, and the others got some variations of the ice cream brioche sandwiches. My notes are a little sparse here, so I’m not actually 100% sure. Ice cream in France is always good, though.

At this point, I was hurting pretty bad with my hips, and my mom’s feet were causing her some trouble. We’re not usually boat people, but we knew we wouldn’t be able to make it all the way around WS, so we hopped on the boat in Morocco and took it back over toward Canada.
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[missangelalexis]

Cute pic with Minnie & Pluto!

Sounds like you were having good luck with FP!

 

[dwonderz]

Finally got all caught up! I am totally with you on that Disney Visa line - it was taking forever the last time I was there as well! Also - I had no idea they did brioche ice cream sandwiches? Those sound so good (maybe? I'm thinking they would be). Looking forward to more

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Cute pic with Minnie & Pluto!

Sounds like you were having good luck with FP!

Thank you!

And we really did! Granted we probably could have done without some of them, but they were nice to have anyway!

Finally got all caught up! I am totally with you on that Disney Visa line - it was taking forever the last time I was there as well! Also - I had no idea they did brioche ice cream sandwiches? Those sound so good (maybe? I'm thinking they would be). Looking forward to more

The brioche ice cream sandwiches are my mom's favorite--she gets one every time and would definitely recommend!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Caught up after taking a Dis vacation! Our days overlapped a bit (I was there until Feb 29th when I left on a cruise), but our parks didn't unfortunately! It was sooo cold that Friday - I was at Universal for an after hours event and I totally froze!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Caught up after taking a Dis vacation! Our days overlapped a bit (I was there until Feb 29th when I left on a cruise), but our parks didn't unfortunately! It was sooo cold that Friday - I was at Universal for an after hours event and I totally froze!

Welcome back! The weather was kind of strange on this trip for sure--I really couldn't decide if I was hot or cold most of the time!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

Saturday February 29th, 2020
Day 3, Part 3

When we got off the boat in Canada, we made our way toward the front of the park for our Spaceship Earth FPs. After our trip through time, we played in Project Tomorrow for a while, which was pretty entertaining. And, of course, I had to take some pictures in front of the Bubblegum Wall!





Then, we wandered through the temporary MouseGear, where I bought a pin and a reusable shopping bag.

Our next stop was China! Kelsey and Emyle got some boba tea and eggrolls to share, which they said was really good.





Then, we moved on to Germany, where Mom and I shared some nudel gratin which was really yummy! (And apparently at this point I forgot to take any more food pictures )

Next was the American Adventure, and I got a frozen blue raspberry Fanta slushy, one of my Disney favorites.

Then, we went to Japan and decided to eat at Katsura Grill, which was a new one for us. Mom and I shared some chicken teriyaki, which we both thought was pretty good.

Our last stop in our journey around the world was France! Emyle and Kelsey shared a ham and cheese sandwich, and Mom got a ham and cheese croissant.

Now that we had finally finished stuffing our faces, we went to stake out a spot for Epcot Forever. Our go-to fireworks spot is off to the side of the bridge near France and down the stairs so that you’re right by the water. We found a spot along the railing and sat down to wait.

Before long, it was time for Epcot Forever! We all really enjoyed this, and Kelsey absolutely loved it! It was a lovely way to end the night.







Once the fireworks ended, we made our way out of the park and out to the bus stop. We only waited about ten minutes or so for a bus, and a little while later we were back in our room. We took showers and started to pack up our stuff because tomorrow we had to go home.
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[the2ndstar2theright]

Sunday March 1st, 2020
Travel Day

This morning our alarm went off around 5 or so, which was not fun at all. We got all of our stuff packed up, and then Emyle, Kelsey, and I took a load to the car while Mom finished packing up. We all got coffee, loaded the rest of the stuff into the car, and were on the road by 6:25.



We stopped a couple of times along the way and got back to my house right around 2:00. My dad had ordered pizza and had it waiting for us, and we all scarfed some down pretty quickly. Emyle and Kelsey set off on their drive home, and I headed back to school around 3. I got back into town and stopped at the grocery store before heading back to my apartment to work on homework for the rest of the night.

Little did I know that everything would be changing in the next week and a half…



Anndd…that’s it! Thank you so much for reading along as I relived this whirlwind birthday bash! I theoretically will be heading back to WDW in October, though that is still pretty up in the air at this point given Disney’s reopening guidelines and my school’s lack of information about the fall semester. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!

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[lvcourtneyy]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us! Sounds like a great birthday celebration and nice that you got to sneak it in before the world went crazy.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Fingers crossed for your October trip! I am definitely feeling like I want the Disney magic; usually when I need to turn off the world I just go to Disneyland for a few hours (I live about 45 minutes away), but I can't these days! But I hope your school is able to start up again (safely)!

 

[cajunfan]

Thanks for sharing your trip! I have enjoyed it! Hopefully everything will work out where you get to go in October!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like such a great night at Epcot!

Boo to getting up early to leave

I'm glad you got to take this trip before all the craziness happened!

I hope you'll still be able to take the october trip!