Mandymouse's The Force Wasn't Quite With Us Trip Report

[Chilly]

$200 bloomin heck

 

[ukintheus]

Another day down already!! Sadly your day today is the reason why we don't have any trips to WDW in our future at the moment. The cost and the ever-increasing lines are really off putting. The prices of the food and drinks have gone through the roof based on your Tutto meal. Unless you were being shy about your cocktail count there!

 

[mandymouse]

Oh wow $200 for your evening meal (especially with the current exchange rate makes it a tad on the prices side!) I'm glad you enjoyed the cocktails and desserts though

$200 bloomin heck

Another day down already!! Sadly your day today is the reason why we don't have any trips to WDW in our future at the moment. The cost and the ever-increasing lines are really off putting. The prices of the food and drinks have gone through the roof based on your Tutto meal. Unless you were being shy about your cocktail count there!

I've just dug the bill out and we had two cocktails each, so $56 straight away, but still not worth the $200 experience, never mind, we won't be doing it next time. I know exactly what you mean Jenny, and it's not just WDW, the cruise prices are crazy, there will be no DCL for us this year or next

 

[mandymouse]

Tuesday 24th May


I had a terrible nights sleep, but got up after just after 7am. The girls went off in the car for a day to Universal & Islands of Adventure, and we caught the bus to Disney Hollywood Studios


Our first stop was Tower of Terror, which had no wait (yay!)

We then had a cookie and coffee break though I got mine from Starbucks, and Paul got his from Starring Rolls


Next we used our first FP on RockNRollerCoaster

Between this ride and our next FP we went to see Chewbacca & Kylo Ren. We also watched the March of the First Order before riding TOT again

We exited DHS around 12ish, and took the Friendship Boat to Epcot, where we spent the 4 or so hours eating and drinking our way around World Showcase and taking photos of some of the lovely topiaries

What a lovely afternoon it was. It was really hot but there was a nice breeze, and we got a little squiffy too (lol)


I think we exited the park around 6pm and we caught the bus back to the Pop Century where we had a drinkypoo at the pool bar, then we chilled at the room watching cheesy US game shows before calling it an early night (lame, haha)


Tomorrow ~ Kennedy Space Center

 

[ukintheus]

Sounds like a much more relaxing day, especially with the early night thrown in there. Drinks and the hot sun can do a number on you....as I well know! We have a couple of cruises booked with DCL but only because they are going out of Galveston so we don't have any travel costs involved. I've also booked Panama Canal for next fall as it goes out of San Diego and comes back to Galveston, but that's definitely one that may or may not happen. WDW isn't even on our radar though. I've never really warmed up to the whole FP+ thing. LOL

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Love the Lion King topiary. It's nice that you both enjoy the atmosphere and take a more relaxed pace at Epcot, we like to just go and wander too.

 

[mandymouse]

Sounds like a much more relaxing day, especially with the early night thrown in there. Drinks and the hot sun can do a number on you....as I well know! We have a couple of cruises booked with DCL but only because they are going out of Galveston so we don't have any travel costs involved. I've also booked Panama Canal for next fall as it goes out of San Diego and comes back to Galveston, but that's definitely one that may or may not happen. WDW isn't even on our radar though. I've never really warmed up to the whole FP+ thing. LOL

Yes the four of us have been known to partake in the odd drinky or two I don't blame you for taking advantage of taking cruises out of Galveston, it must save you a fortune

Love the Lion King topiary. It's nice that you both enjoy the atmosphere and take a more relaxed pace at Epcot, we like to just go and wander too.

To be honest the days of tearing around WDW and spending all day in the parks have long gone, we will do our fave rides and try and take time out in the day. It's only in the last few years I have taken the time to appreciate the topiaries, as gardening isn't my thing, oh goodness, I'm getting old

 

[mandymouse]

Wednesday 25th May


I was up before 7am, and we got ready for our day at the Kennedy Space Center. We arranged to leave at 8am , and after a brief stop for gas, we were on our way to the Space Coast


We arrived around 9.30am, and it looked like it was going to be another lovely day today

We took some photos at the entrance and by the rocket garden, then we headed towards the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibition. We really enjoyed the little pre-shows explaining how the Space Shuttles came to be, and the actual Atlantis is amazing to see

After taking lots of photos we rode the Shuttle Launch Experience, a ride that simulates a Shuttle launch, I enjoyed it, and thankfully it doesn't make me feel unwell the way Mission:Space does

Next we took the Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour. The tour seemed longer, but it didn't stop at the gantry anymore We exited at the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where after watching a couple of short shows, we grabbed a bit of lunch .. pizza for me, cheeseburger for Paul and the girls had pulled pork, it was all very nice

Next we took some photos, and I touched the moon as I always do

We took the bus back to the visitor complex, and had a wander around the gift shop then headed out, we all really enjoyed it


...

 

[mandymouse]

...


We got back in the car and set off for Ron Jon's surf shop in Cocoa Beach. I only bought a necklace, but the girls bought a few things. After our shopping we drove to the Jetty Park at Port Canaveral

We walked along the beach and chilled for a while, then finished our time by the beach with dinner at Grill's

I had a Mai Tai, Paul had a beer and the girls had strawberry daiquiris. I then had tropical chicken kebabs with coconut rice and veggies, with a side of onion rings. Paul had steak with fries and veggies and the girls shared chicken wings, mozzarella sticks and fries, and there were a few cokes in there too. It all came to about $93 before tips, and it was well worth it and delicious too

We got back to the Pop Century around 6.15pm, and the girls got ready to go shopping at the Florida Mall (I wish I had half their energy lol), and we chilled for a little while


An hour later we took the bus to Disney Hollywood Studios as we wanted to photograph the Star Wars fireworks show. As Paul was lugging his tripod and stuff around with him, we didn't bother with rides. We had a drink in the Tune-in Lounge and sat outside people watching


After, we had some Photopass pics taken and just generally wandered around the park. Shortly before the fireworks started, Paul set up my Echo Lake and once again the Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular were brilliant

Paul messaged Kerry to see if they were back at the room, they were and they came to pick us up (we knew it was a good idea to bring them along lol), then it was time for bed


What a fab, busy day it had been


Tomorrow ~ No plans

 

[ukintheus]

Tomorrow ~ No plans

What!!! LOL

What a nice day you had - talk about a little bit of everything! The Star Wars fireworks look great and Paul got some good photos. We saw a July 4th firework display at DHS a few years ago and it made me wonder why they didn't do fireworks across the park more often. Of course "the hat" was there then and so everything was above or around it - maybe that's why.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Another packed day for you all. When we went to Cocoa Beach last July there was torrential rain and everyone was sheltering in Ron Jons!

 

[wdwluvrs]

...
Mandy enjoying reading your TR as always.. we were at WDW last August.. Were hoping for a DCL trip in 2017

We got back in the car and set off for Ron Jon's surf shop in Cocoa Beach. I only bought a necklace, but the girls bought a few things. After our shopping we drove to the Jetty Park at Port Canaveral

We walked along the beach and chilled for a while, then finished our time by the beach with dinner at Grill's

I had a Mai Tai, Paul had a beer and the girls had strawberry daiquiris. I then had tropical chicken kebabs with coconut rice and veggies, with a side of onion rings. Paul had steak with fries and veggies and the girls shared chicken wings, mozzarella sticks and fries, and there were a few cokes in there too. It all came to about $93 before tips, and it was well worth it and delicious too

We got back to the Pop Century around 6.15pm, and the girls got ready to go shopping at the Florida Mall (I wish I had half their energy lol), and we chilled for a little while


An hour later we took the bus to Disney Hollywood Studios as we wanted to photograph the Star Wars fireworks show. As Paul was lugging his tripod and stuff around with him, we didn't bother with rides. We had a drink in the Tune-in Lounge and sat outside people watching


After, we had some Photopass pics taken and just generally wandered around the park. Shortly before the fireworks started, Paul set up my Echo Lake and once again the Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular were brilliant

Paul messaged Kerry to see if they were back at the room, they were and they came to pick us up (we knew it was a good idea to bring them along lol), then it was time for bed


What a fab, busy day it had been


Tomorrow ~ No pl

 

[jockey]

Love your reports Mandy, such a shame they stopped star wars weekends..I loved them! We did the Star wars races a few weeks before you arrived.... really fab... even if your not a runner lots of people walk the 5K and there are character stops along the way...a must for any star wars fan! Love your pics ...totally fab! Its been at least 8 years since I have been to KSC ..Loved your pics..I want to go back!

 

[mandymouse]

What!!! LOL

What a nice day you had - talk about a little bit of everything! The Star Wars fireworks look great and Paul got some good photos. We saw a July 4th firework display at DHS a few years ago and it made me wonder why they didn't do fireworks across the park more often. Of course "the hat" was there then and so everything was above or around it - maybe that's why.

It was my favourite day of the holiday Jenny Loved the fireworks and miss the hat too

Another packed day for you all. When we went to Cocoa Beach last July there was torrential rain and everyone was sheltering in Ron Jons!

The only problem with Ron Jon's is that their air conditioning is always so high that it's flipping freezing in there at the best of times (lol), so you'd get frost bite if you were a bit wet too

Mandy enjoying reading your TR as always.. we were at WDW last August.. Were hoping for a DCL trip in 2017

Thank you Have fun planning your next cruise

Love your reports Mandy, such a shame they stopped star wars weekends..I loved them! We did the Star wars races a few weeks before you arrived.... really fab... even if your not a runner lots of people walk the 5K and there are character stops along the way...a must for any star wars fan! Love your pics ...totally fab! Its been at least 8 years since I have been to KSC ..Loved your pics..I want to go back!

I loved your photos from your Star Wars races Jill, I can imagine that they're a great atmosphere and it would be so cool to see the characters along the way

 

[mandymouse]

Thursday 26th May


Kerry and Becky were heading to Universal again today, so they took themselves and the car around 8am. I actually slept in till 7.40am, which even at home is a lie in for me. I left Paul dozing and had a shower and got changed, and he surfaced around 8.40


We had no plans for today, but we wanted to go to Disney Springs and have a couple of drinks around the monorail resorts


Once Paul was ready, we took a walk around the Pop Century as I wanted to take some photos, and we made a quick stop at the food court for a cake and a drink

Next we chilled by the pool while it was quiet and wasn't too hot

After a few hours we got showered and took the bus to Disney Springs. The bus stopped at the new bus station at the West Side end of the area, and we had a wander around the shops, but all I bought was some sunglasses from Curl


As it was so warm, some liquid refreshment was required, so we stopped by The Hangar Bar for a lager and cider or two

Next we were feeling a bit hungry, so we wandered over to the deck at the Dockside Bar, where we shared a club sandwich and had a drink each

After our delicious sandwich, we left, and stopped on the decking to watch one of the amphicars coming back onto land. Well the driver just couldn’t drive up the ramp, it was so funny, he would get half the way up, then roll back into the water, and he did this 3 or 4 times. As you can imagine there was a bit of a crowd building by now and when he finally got back on dry land, he received a big applause

After that bit of excitement, we caught the bus to The Contemporary where we had a drink at the pool bar, then one at the Outer Rim Bar

Next we hopped on the Monorail to The Polynesian Resort. On our way we got a message from our girls that they were already at the Tambu Lounge, so we joined them and had a Lapu Lapu each

Kerry & Becky headed off to the Magic Kingdom, and a short while later we left on the Monorail too. As we got off at the Magic Kingdom we decided to head in for a Rotiserrie Chicken dinner at Cosmic Rays. The park was really busy and it looked like most people were getting ready to watch a parade, so we ate up and headed home

Once we got back to the Pop Century, we decided that we'd eaten and drank enough today and called it a night by 10pm


Tomorrow ~ Not sure

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

So have you ever made it round Epcot when the food and wine festival is on, sampling the drinks at each world? I like a cocktail, but at Disney prices it is 1, I've read the prices of the speciality cocktails at the new Polynesian bar are a bit hair raising!

 

[mandymouse]

So have you ever made it round Epcot when the food and wine festival is on, sampling the drinks at each world? I like a cocktail, but at Disney prices it is 1, I've read the prices of the speciality cocktails at the new Polynesian bar are a bit hair raising!

I think the food and wine festival is one of our favourite times of the year to go I've no idea how much those Lapu Lapu's were, but they're sooo good

 

[mandymouse]

Friday 27th May


Both Paul & I slept really badly, but once I was awake at 6.30am I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. I got ready, and just after 7 woke Paul who looked shattered. I suggested he go back to sleep and I headed to the Magic Kingdom with Kerry and Becky for EMH


At 8am we caught the ferry over to the park. First stop was Dumbo ride which I hadn't been on in years, next we did It's a Small World (aaaggghhh!!! lol), though it was pretty cool at the end when on the wall it said ‘Goodbye Kerry, Mandy & Becky’ (got to love those magic bands)

Next we had a drink and cookie stop, and then our first FP time for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train arrived

We had a nice little chill while watching Mickey's PhilharMagic (I love this), and then our next FP for the Haunted Mansion came round, though Becky wasn’t impressed with seeing her name on a tombstone at the end (pesky magic bands lol)


We had decided beforehand to go to the Mall at Millenia this lunch-time, and as Paul had surfaced from the land of nod, we exited the park and picked him up on the way


We arrived at the mall around 12, and the girls went off for lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen, and Paul & I went to the Cheesecake Factory

We were served water and their lovely breads, and we ordered a Mai Tai each and the lunch size portions of the Shepherd’s Pie each too. It was all very nice, we always enjoy this. We had another Mai Tai each (we knew it was a good idea to put Kerry on the car insurance haha), then even though we were full to bursting, we shared a piece of cheesecake as you just HAVE to have cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory, it’s like the law or something

After paying the check, $88 before tip we all checked out the shops, and bought a few things


After leaving we stopped off at the Premium Outlets at the top of International Drive as Kerry had seen a Kate Spade bag the other day at the other Premium Outlets, but they didn't have it here


We got back to the resort around 4.30pm and we were all tired from our early start, so I typed up my trippy and Paul & I had a lie out by the pool for a while


We were quite late going out this evening, but we thought we'd just take a stroll around World Showcase for an hour. By the time we waited a good 20 minutes or so for the Epcot bus, and typically 2 buses came at once (grr), it was already 7.45pm by the time we were sitting outside the Rose & Crown with a lager and cider


We carried on round towards Italy stopping off for a drink or some snacks that were offered from the Flower & Garden Festival stands


We sat watching IllumiNations with a Prosecco (sorry no decent pics as I only had my phone with me) and when it was it was over just 13 minutes later (I'm sure it used to be longer than that in the past), we watched everyone leave to the sound of Tapestry of Nations, oh I miss that parade

We had decided to get a taxi home from The Boardwalk tonight. As we walked over, the Star Wars fireworks were going off at DHS

We decided to have one last drink at the piano bar (famous last words!!), but didn’t want to pay the $12 each to get in, so went to the Atlantic Dance Hall opposite. We'd never been here before, and we loved it, how did we not know about this place in all the years we've been coming?


The disco was in full flow with the music videos playing, it was great, music for everyone, from Michael Jackson's Don't stop till you get enough, Whitney's I want to dance with somebody and Taylor Swift's Shake it off, we had a great time and left just as last orders were called at 1.30am (hmm, so much for one last drink lol) and we caught a taxi home

Tomorrow, our last full day

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Another great day. I still love the Fantasyland rides and my dd (now 16) and DH always indulge me. Don't you just love the Cheescake factory. We went twice last July, but the second time the wait was around 90 minutes do we tried PF Changs next door and really enjoyed that too.

 

[Jets fan]

Great report Mandy, really enjoying it