It's gonna be an oven, but WE'RE GOING TO WDW in AUGUST!!! Final thoughts

[KathyM2]

Note to self: Or anyone following: Don't buy those cute little magic band accessories that go in the little holes of your magic band..unless you travel with crazy glue to attach those suckers on for good. I bought the HM ghost ones - three to a pack...and the only one still in our posession is on DD's magic band. Both of mine popped off and vanished within a couple of hours of putting them on. Sad. I won't buy more because I don't know when I will be back, and when else would you use these things? But anyway...they need a better attaching mechanism...

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...we are back from our evening at DHS and yeah, it's 10pm lol. We are early risers and...not night owls. Need our beauty sleep lol EVEN at Disney. I know...yeah we can sleep at home but...I am a delicate flower lol. Seriously. I tend to get sick or have stomach issues if I get over tired or don't eat at regular times and have enough fibre lol if you know what I mean....so yeah...days of morning to night theme parking and I just don't feel great after a few days. So...taking it easy as we can...lots of breaks from the heat...and getting to bed at a decent hour are key for us. We are still managing to see all the night shows...but more in a "on our way out of the parks" kind of way lol.

Anyway...after our morning at MK, we decided to leave for DHS around 5pm. We tried unsuccessfully to get a last minute ADR for Sci Fi, but no luck, so we thought we would just check out the QS options there. We arrived around 5:45pm, and started walking around in search of food. We hadn't quite decided, when we heard that now familiar rumble of thunder signifying an imminent Florida downpour, so we knew we better make a decision and seek shelter quick! We decided on ABC Commisary because it had some good looking options. DD ended up going with a cheeseburger and I went with the kids chicken fingers. I do love me some Disney chicken fingers! The fries there were pretty decent too, chunkier than the other Disney fries I have had so far on this trip. After our meal, we sat for as long as seemed reasonable before venturing out in our lovely dollar store rain ponchos. We had managed to score a 4th FP+ for TSMM, but we still had some time to kill before the window would open up.

With us being ride wimps (see previous post) there really isn't much at DHS that we hadn't already done other than TSMM which we had the FP + for (thank goodness because the posted wait time for SB was 80 minutes) We decided to hit up the Muppets 3D. DD wasn't that enthused but I am kind of nostalgic for this so I was happy that we got to do it. After that, we realized, shockingly, that we hadn't had dessert yet, so that had to be rectified. We went over to the candy store in search of some sugar...and we found it. I had visions of a character apple, but unfortunately as usual, DD had other ideas in mind and wanted a cake pop. Since the apples are far too huge (and expensive) to do solo, I got a chocolate dipped strawberry instead and let DD get her Jack Skellington cake pop. We were both pretty satisfied with our choices. After we enjoyed our treats it was time for our FP for TSMM so we headed over there.

We both enjoyed the ride, and as soon as we got off, the posted wait still said 45 minutes, but I went on the app and was able to score another FP for it right away!! So grabbed that baby up, and then we went over to Launch Bay to meet Kylo Ren while we waited for our FP window to open up, which it did, by the time we were finished joining the dark side!

One more ride on TSMM and DD was DONE. I would have happily gone for one more round lol and I told her who knows when we'd be back at DHS (probably not on this trip) but she wasn't having any of it Oh well. We got three rides in today and 3 rides in on our other DHS day, so I think we did pretty well ) We headed out while Fantasmic was going on around us and saw bits and pieces on our way to the busses. As we headed for the bus bays, we saw a CR bus pull up and we RAN all the way to the platform and thought we had great timing...until....the bus driver got off and said there was an issue with the bus and we would have to wait for a replacement bus to come. Ugh. Oh well, we ran for nothing and were now sweating. Ugh. We had a nice chat with the other people in line about the other possible ideas for getting back to the CR which was rather amusing...ie: take a GF bus and then the MR back to the CR...OR...take a boat over to Epcot and then the MR back...OR...a Fort Wilderness bus and then a boat...and then the kids started getting really creative and it got rather funny. In the end we decided it would all end up taking longer than just waiting, but it was a fun way to pass the time! Eventually another bus showed up and we were on our way!

Time for bed...trying to get up early and go running outside tomorrow...it will have to be really early because even at 7am it is HOT out there...but it still beats the treadmill!!

See ya!

 

[Raeven]

Don't buy those cute little magic band accessories that go in the little holes of your magic band..unless you travel with crazy glue to attach those suckers on for good. I bought the HM ghost ones - three to a pack...and the only one still in our posession is on DD's magic band.

I bought those last year! (The same ones actually). And by the end of MNSSHP I had lost 1!

then we went over to Launch Bay to meet Kylo Ren while we waited for our FP window to open up

I saw the picture you both look kind of nervous

 

[Monykalyn]

Great day! I didn't get on PP this trip either- even managed o score a FP for it this am but we weren't going to make it having to check out and get luggage to bell services etc. we were probably at lunch at The Plaza when you were at MK-11:15 ish to about 12:30.
What time were your Buzz FP- we had some for 2:50 that we bailed on when we saw the FP line as we really needed to be back at resort by 4 to catch DME...

And just in case you decide to give 7DMT another go- my son is also a ride wimp and that is the Only rollercoaster he will do. He even occasionally will let go of his death clutch on the handles and raise an arm partway in air lol!

Hopefully you have better luck with pool days. It's funny because I think MK and AK tend to nearly always catch the rain, days at pool at SSR we'd see dark clouds near but no rain.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[momjeeps]

Really enjoying your updates. Sounds like the two of you are having a great time.

 

[kittylady1972]

More fun updates...love reading these!

So sorry you weren't able to hang in to ride 7DMT in the end, but there's always next time. I can't believe you haven't done Pirates either though...maybe start with that one instead? Love that you got so many rides in on TSMM too! Great ride!

 

[KathyM2]

I bought those last year! (The same ones actually). And by the end of MNSSHP I had lost 1!

Yup. Sad. Must get some crazy glue. I wonder if they have that at the Market at the CR lol.

I saw the picture you both look kind of nervous

Ha yep. He was funny actually, and he talks, wasn't expecting that...so DD was asking him silly questions like "what is your favourite kind of bagel" lol. He didn't answer.

I didn't get on PP this trip either- even managed o score a FP for it this am but we weren't going to make it having to check out and get luggage to bell services etc.

Bummer. I did get on once the other day but was hoping for multiple rides this trip. There is still time though and hopefully next time we are at MK for RD I can convince DD to get there first!

And just in case you decide to give 7DMT another go- my son is also a ride wimp and that is the Only rollercoaster he will do. He even occasionally will let go of his death clutch on the handles and raise an arm partway in air lol!

Yeah...I don't know if it will happen this trip. We were bummed after chickening out and don't want to go through that again. Plus we don't have another FP for it and no way I'm waiting in line for an hour to then chicken out...although maybe if I HAD waited an hour I would have bit the bullet and gone on lol. Oh well. Next time.

It's funny because I think MK and AK tend to nearly always catch the rain, days at pool at SSR we'd see dark clouds near but no rain.

That's really weird how two resorts in the same area can have different weather patterns...but it's Florida so I totally believe it lol

Do you two ride Big Thunder?

I have actually been on it years ago but DD hasn't, so telling her that it is smaller than BTMM doesn't really help her feel better about it because she can't compare.

Really enjoying your updates. Sounds like the two of you are having a great time.

We are!! So much fun...I don't want it to end. Even though we have several days left I'm starting to get that "I don't want this trip to end" feeling. Trying to push that outta my head for now and be in denial a bit longer.

I can't believe you haven't done Pirates either though...maybe start with that one instead? Love that you got so many rides in on TSMM too! Great ride!

Yeah I would like to try Pirates. How big is that drop? Like say, compared to the drop on Frozen lol? And how do you know it's coming? I think that is what freaks me out about Pirates because it's dark and you don't know when the drop is. But there is a chance we may do this if the lines aren't terrible or we decide to try to get an FP for it. I have been on this one years ago too, and I remember being scared but then after being like "that was nothing"...so maybe.

 

[KathyM2]

Morning folks! See I'm starting to sound like a friendly CM lol

I had a thought this morning, you know what they really need on Disney property? A CVS. Or a Walgreens. Or a Target lol. Yeah I know...highly unlikely to ever happen, because then they couldn't get away with charging highway robbery prices for bandaids and anti-chaffing cream at the resort shops lol...but I think it would be great. Or even one say, across the street from DS so you could pop over and get a few essentials before getting back into the bubble lol. I mean, if they can put a Uniqlo and other non-Disney stores in DS...why not something useful like that lol.

Oh well, I digress. Back to the program. Got up at the crack of dawn...well actually it was still dark out, to try to get my run in before the oven that is Florida in August really cranked it up. It was already humid out at 6:40am by the time I got outside, but still bearable at least!! I got in my 5K with 4 loops around the CR, and then just as I was finishing up, there was a "yoga on the lawn" class about to start! How perfect! I joined right in and got my stretching done with a class! So much fun. Although I have to say my "tree" pose with yoga mat on top of soft Florida grass was not pretty. After that, I got up to the room, found DD still asleep, so showered and then changed back into my PJ's as quietly as possible...and crawled back into bed!! We have had a lazy morning in the room because our next bit of fun is our Tea at the Garden View Tea Room at the GF. I have always wanted to do this and again, one of those things you don't have time for on shorter trips that I'm thrilled to have the chance to do now.

I don't think that DD will be as much of a fan of the tea sandwiches as I am...but I know she will love the dessert and the berries and cream! That counts as dairy and fruit, right? So we are good to go. Leaving to take the monorail over there shortly!

Catch ya later!

 

[mamamelody2]

Just stumbled onto this report today. Love it! Glad you're having a great trip!

 

[MinnieWebster]

Great job staying committed to your exercise goals, even while on vacation! That's awesome that there was a yoga class staying when you finished your run

 

[Tracy161]

How fun to stumble into a yoga on the lawn class! Perfect way to end a run. And I give you SO much credit for maintaining your training at Disney. I'm a workout junkie (up at 5am every day to workout) and I seriously FORGET about my workouts at Disney. I justify it by convincing myself I walk like 175 miles a day there. But seriously, GO YOU!!!

Can't wait to hear about your tea!!!

 

[suse66]

So excited to hear about your tea experience.......still one of my favourite memories from my trip last year. Also, how fabulous to find a yoga class! Now I am hoping they might be one at AKL.

 

[KathyM2]

Just stumbled onto this report today. Love it! Glad you're having a great trip!

Thanks for following along!!

Great job staying committed to your exercise goals, even while on vacation! That's awesome that there was a yoga class staying when you finished your run

It has not been easy. But I just keep thinking about how I will have to keep up with my running group and do like 12K the morning after I get home, and that keeps me going lol. And yeah, the yoga class worked out perfectly!

I seriously FORGET about my workouts at Disney. I justify it by convincing myself I walk like 175 miles a day there. But seriously, GO YOU!!!

Yeah, it sure is a lot of walking at Disney, and I took take that into account. On a day where I would normally do 8-10K I have only been doing 5-6K because I know I will be walking several more at the parks...but the only time my heart rate goes up is when I'm running for a bus or monorail lol (yeah...or chickening out of a ride lol)

Can't wait to hear about your tea!!!

This was AMAZING and if you have the time to spare for it, I would definitely recommend it. The setting is so pretty, and the food and tea is delicious. I liked the way we did it at noon so it was a meal, because there certainly was plenty of food!

So excited to hear about your tea experience.......still one of my favourite memories from my trip last year. Also, how fabulous to find a yoga class! Now I am hoping they might be one at AKL.

I loved the tea. We have several hotels in Toronto where they do a fancy English tea like this and I always enjoy it. But it's extra special at Disney. And the berries with cream and the GF logo on top was extra sweet!!

 

[KathyM2]

Evening!! It's almost midnight and this is the latest my DD has been up in a while lol and we just got back, so I'll do a quick update while she gets ready for bed!

First the tea at the GF Garden View room - so awesome. Anyone who has time should do this if you like cute crustless sandwiches and delicious pastries. Also, in case anyone is interested, they are totally cool with substitutions. Like my DD wanted none of the sandwiches except the ham and cheese, so she got all those. I didn't want the egg sandwich so I got more cucumber instead. Everything was so delicious.

After that we headed back to the room and relaxed a little more before heading out to Epcot. We had some FPs and wanted to do a little more touring of WS. We went on Nemo, then SE and then walked over to the Canada pavillion where we have a friend and neighbour who used to babysit for us, who works there. It was so nice to catch up with him and chat about what it's like to work at Disney!! After that, we wandered through the countries, stopping in as many air conditioned stores as possible, while making our way towards Norway where we had a Frozen FP. On the way we HAD to stop at Karamel Kuche for a caramel apple just because. We saw the Frozen girls and we really enjoy this ride...too bad it's always such a wait. After Frozen, we hit up the Caballeros in Mexico, and then wandered slowly back to our dinner ADR at the Rose and Crown. We waited a little extra to get a great outside table, and eventually we did. We had a great view of the show and took our time eating dinner. As always the food was great as was the service.

We really enjoyed watching Illuminations from there as well. It was such a treat to have a seat AND a view, and not have to be with crowds of people. I know that these are special experiences that you pay for at Disney, but I really cherish them because sometimes, you just want to not be around so many people all the time!! Just as the show was ending, @chunkymonkey texted me to say they were just walking from France (of course with their Grey Goose slushies in hand ) and we were able to meet up. We were really hoping to ride Soarin' with less wait since it was evening EMH. We all walked over there together and it was about a 15 minute wait before we were on, and we got the best seats in the house! After our ride...we decided...why not do it again!! This time with zero wait! How awesome was that!! When that was done, we squeezed in one more ride on Figment before calling it a day. It was really fun to spend some time with Su-Lynn, Steven, Su-Queen and their friend (I'm so sorry I can't remember her name, but was really nice!) and get to chat a bit with them before going our separate ways.

We got on a monorail to the TTC pretty quickly and soon were on our way back to the CR. DD was really tired and wanted to crash right away...she was not happy with me for not being ready for bed immediately!! She has inherited my morning person-ness I think and doesn't do too well with late nights...she was fine until we got on the monorail and then the real crankies set in lol. I am not going to drag her out of bed super early tomorrow so hopefully she will be ready to go again by the afternoon!!

That's all for tonight...I'm ready for bed now too!

 

[Tracy161]

What an awesome night! So happy you got to meet Su-Lynn and co!

 

[kittylady1972]

Sounds like another fabulous day!

As for the question about Pirates...I don't think the drop is any worse than Frozen...probably about the same so I think you could both manage it. Yeah I get the part about not knowing when it's coming, but you could probably YouTube that and find a POV video to at least have some idea before you go! My SIL has a son who is a total ride chicken and she has him watch all kinds of YouTube videos of rides to help prepare him. Of course, that doesn't mean he rides things but at least he knows what to expect if he does ride.

 

[suse66]

Love the latest update! So happy you loved the tea and that they were easily able to substitute items for you. I have severe nut allergies and the chef there came out and went through everything on the menu with me. Such attention to detail! Your Epcot evening sounds wonderful......exactly what I am hoping for next Tuesday. I am glad you enjoyed Rose and Crown, we all really liked it back in 2015. I picked Spice Road Table for my Epcot evening and am hoping for a patio view of Illuminations, just like you. Can't wait to hear about today's plans!

 

[KathyM2]

What an awesome night! So happy you got to meet Su-Lynn and co!

It really was an awesome night! I was so happy to meet Su-Lynn and spend time with them. And also, to ride Soarin' twice with minimal wait time. I'm glad we did that because now when we go back to Epcot we won't have to rush at RD to get on Soarin' again. We may still do it lol, but we won't HAVE to )

but you could probably YouTube that and find a POV video to at least have some idea before you go!

Yeah, good idea!!

I picked Spice Road Table for my Epcot evening and am hoping for a patio view of Illuminations, just like you. Can't wait to hear about today's plans!

I was thinking about that - Spice Road actually seems to have an even better viewing spot!!

 

[KathyM2]

Morning!! It's another beautiful sunny morning at WDW. Just waiting for DD to get up so time for a quick update!

Yesterday was an AK day for us!! Since as you can tell, we are pretty much lightweights when it comes to park touring...we had a leisurely morning at the CR. We lounged around the room a bit and then headed down for breakfast. I didn't know what we would feel like doing so I hadn't booked any ADR's or anything, so we decided to try our luck with getting a walk in at the Wave. It was our lucky day because we got in no problem. DD had pretty much the plate-o-carbs with Mickey waffles and croissants, cinnamon rolls and potatos, with a couple of pieces of melon and some berries to round it out lol. I had a bit of everything including Disney bacon and Mickey waffles, but the surprising favourite item for me was some kind of danish! I don't even usually eat these but for some reason I took on on my first plate at the buffet, and it was so good I went back for another. Yum.

When we were done breakfast we moseyed back up to the room and hung out some more. I was getting concerned because I had ordered a couple of things on Amazon that had not arrived yet. Reception told me to try the business centre. I went down there and it took some time to find it in the conference centre, and it turned out I had two packages there! One was a case of water - which I really didn't need anymore since we only have a couple days left, but the other was my Disney clothes lol. I had ordered two t-shirts and a dress! We don't have much time left but I will get a wearing out of each hopefully while here! The one thing that did not arrive yet are my mini misting fans! If they don't come by tomorrow, luckily I have a friend who will be here next week so she is going to try to swing by and get them for me to bring back to Canada. Because it would probably cost more than they are worth to ship them home for me.

After getting that sorted, we headed down to the busses. I made a rookie mistake here. We looked at the board and it said the next bus wasn't coming until 12:39 and it was only 12:05. We were trying to get to AK before 1 to get in line for the 2pm show of FOTLK and hopefully meet up with @chunkymonkey and her clan, and I was worried that if we waited for that bus it might be tight, since the lines can get long for SB at that show. I was again tempted to try the Minnie Vans but they are pricey, and when I looked on Uber, it said it would be $11 to AK (compared with $20 flat rate for the Minnie Vans) so I ordered the Uber. Yeah...that took a while also, and also when the driver arrived, she went to the Bay Lake Tower and we were at the main lobby of the CR. I don't know why she did that, maybe I didn't do something right on the uber order? Anyway, at least she texted me quickly and I told her where we were and she came right over. As we pulled out...the AK bus pulled up to the bus stop!! I said to the driver, "please try to beat that bus to AK" so I would not feel as bad about using Uber lol. We did beat the bus, and had the comfort of riding in our own car...but it only saved us a few mins lol.

It all worked out (except I was $11 poorer). We made it to AK with time to spare. We stopped in a shop and picked up a cake pop for DD and I got a frozen lemonade and a white chocolate chip cookie, because we knew we'd be standing in line a while. We got in line for FOTLK near the front of the line for the 2pm show and sat down on the ground and enjoyed our treats. We texted @chunkymonkey to see where they were and they were finishing up their Tiffins lunch and heading over. When the show let in, we waved to them, and Su-Lynn told me where they were sitting because they had FP+ for the show and we didn't but we were still going to see if we could sit together. When the show let in, the CM was waving people over to another section, but we saw Su-Lynn and her family waving so we were rebels and ignored the CM's instructions and just headed into the section where they were and grabbed seats as close to them as we could. We could sort of chat from a distance at least!

This show was great as usual. I love those monkeys!! What a fun job they have!!

After the show, we met Su-Lynn outside and she introduced us to a couple more of her family members and her sisters adorable kids. They wanted to go somewhere cool so Su-Lynn wandered a bit with us and even took some PP photographs with us which she later sent me. This was a treat for us because we hadn't purchased MM. As much as it seems cool to be able to use Photopass etc and have all those magic shots...it's a lot of money - especially for us Canadians with our crappy exchange rate, it works out to around $30 per day plus tax. I just can't justify that for pics that I can mostly get myself or get a friendly stranger to take for us. I know it's not the same, but it will do! We decided that the best gift for grandma from this trip will be a pic of DD and I in front of the castle, so we got a great pic and I bought a nice Disney frame for it to give her when we get it home and get it printed out.

Anyway...after wandering a bit with Su-Lynn, we said our goodbyes for now, and we headed off in separate directions. They had FP for FOP and we had one for Adventurers Outpost to get to. We got over there and had a great time with Minnie and Mickey, and we were in line behind some Canadians who were from Barrie, which is only about an hour from Toronto where we live, so that was kind of funny.

When we were done seeing those guys, we had a little time to kill before our FP for Navi River. We walked along the Gorilla Falls trail and saw some gorillas who were not too far away and munching away happily on their lunch! We wandered in and out of some shops and tried to keep cool, and eventually it was time for Navi. We really like this ride, even though, yeah it's about IASW on the excitement meter, but I do love the detail and the way everything glows! I don't know how people wait 60 plus minutes though...really after that kind of wait...to go on a 5-10 minute ride...nothing would seem worth it...but maybe that is just me. I'm always astounded that people do this. I just don't get it...with kids. How do they put up with it? I mean kids must be whiney and complaining...well mine certainly would be lol...

When we were done it was raining a bit outside and it was about 4:25pm. I had hoped to catch the Flights of Wonder show, but it was about to start at 4:30pm and we weren't anywhere near it. We thought we'd see if we could sprint there and at least catch some...if only we knew where we were going!! We did our best and after a wrong turn or two, we made it there about 4:35pm, but luckily it's an open theatre and we could sneak in after the show had just started. I'm glad we did because we both enjoyed this a lot. The way the birds are so well trained and fly around in there was really cool.

When this was over it was still kind of raining out so we got out our ponchos. We wandered around a bit and checked out Dinoland and the surrounding area. We were contemplating going on Triceratops Spin when we realized it was almost time for our Tiffins dinner ADR. We walked back over there and got there just in time. I really loved the way Tiffins was decorated. We got a great table and our server was super nice.

I went with the watermelon salad and the scallops, and DD went with the kids pasta. I LOVED the salad and I kind of wished I had gone with my first choice of just getting the bread service with it instead of ordering an entree, but with the Tiffins ROL package you have to get something from each course. It was just too much food. This further justified to me that we are definitely NOT good candidates for the dining plan. For dessert, DD got this awesome chocolate caramel cake, and I got the sorbet tasting with dragon fruit and jack fruit sorbet. This was delicious and a nice light ending to the meal. When we settled our bill, they gave us tickets to the ROL package viewing area, and told us to try to get there by around 8:45pm to get a seat.

We rolled out of Tiffins and then headed to the safaris where we had a FP +. This was perfect because when we got there it was just starting to get dark. We saw some animals this time like the hyenas that we hadn't seen on our daytime safari. When this was over, we walked around and saw the band that was playing outside. We sat and watched them for a while and people watched. We then decided to do another safari because we had time and the SB wait was only 20 minutes. This was really great because now it was full dark. We saw some rhinos pretty close up and got better views of some other animals hanging out in the dark!

When that was over it was 8:40 so we made our way over to the ROL viewing area as quickly as we could. We got great seats in the third row and only had to wait a few minutes before the show started. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but I LOVED this show. In fact, I think it's up there as perhaps my FAVE night time show at WDW. Really unique and some new and different things.

When that was over, we wanted to see Pandora at night so we headed over there. Also, the SB wait for Navi was now only 20 minutes so we hopped in line for that. I think it may have been a bit longer but it wasn't terrible, and we were happy to get to do this one more time on this trip.

When our ride was over it was time to call it a day and we headed out of the park and to the busses. We JUST made the CR bus and we got our exercise for the day in running for it!! We were back to our room and in bed before 11pm, which is late for DD but not terrible lol.

This am I was up at 6:20 to get my run in, and it was already hotter than hell! But got er done, and now we are getting ready to head out for some more MK fun. This time I'm determined to RD Peter Pan and get at least one, if not two more rides in

Later gators!

 

[Raeven]

it said it would be $11 to AK (compared with $20 flat rate for the Minnie Vans) so I ordered the Uber. Yeah...that took a while also, and also when the driver arrived, she went to the Bay Lake Tower and we were at the main lobby of the CR. I don't know why she did that, maybe I didn't do something right on the uber order?

Sometimes the app sends them to the wrong place and just gives them a general area. When Jenna and I were in Chicago we were at the aquarium, but the app marked us as being in the middle of a main road a ways away I also think sometimes at Disney they may have just gotten confused with the signage or missed a turn and pulled into where they thought it was or something because that's happened to us too. It's pretty standard they would text you if they were lost so you didn't do anything wrong!

I don't know how people wait 60 plus minutes though...really after that kind of wait...to go on a 5-10 minute ride...nothing would seem worth it...but maybe that is just me

We don't get it either During the AP preview we only waited 5 mins each time so we probably won't ride it again this time if there's a long wait.

but I LOVED this show. In fact, I think it's up there as perhaps my FAVE night time show at WDW. Really unique and some new and different things.

I really liked it too. Loved the music!