"Oh, well, I *always* need ones..." ;) A (faux-ish) Trip Report! 8/30-9/3

[mrsmoku]

Welcome to my faux trip report! I was tempted to actually write a REAL trip report but I don’t remember our ride order or wait times or anything like that (and I didn’t write anything down) so it wouldn’t be all that great, more like a scrambled account of our time. This is more of an “observations” trip report. It’s like a trip report, but different.

It’s going to be super fetch.

A little background: This was a last minute, “Hey! Let’s go to Disney!” trip planned for over the Labor Day weekend. We went to Disneyworld for the first time last year for the second half of our “honeymoon extravaganza” (DH uses that phrase since it cost some dough) and loved it. We’ve both done Disneyland a few times and although Disneyworld could eat Disneyland for breakfast, size-wise, we still hold a torch for our first love, Disneyland. But, since we’re living on this side of the US, we’re enjoying Disneyworld while we can!

So, while DH and I (read: really just myself) were planning it out, we both thought it would be fun to invite another couple to go with us. They were totally down so we all piled into my tiny Toyota at 3:30 am Saturday morning and begin the 8 hour drive down to Orlando. Neither of us have kids (although DH and I have 2 furbabies that we totally treat like children) so we took advantage of our childlessness to enjoy Disneyworld! It’s a ton of fun and if any other kid-less couples are thinking about it, I say “go for it!” It’s going to be completely different when we have kids, that's for sure! There were a few times we thought about stealing kid so we didn’t look silly but hey, we’re at Disneyworld, and there are no worries here. Hakuna Matata, my friends. I mean, we’re all really just little kids in grown up clothes anyway.

We spent 4 days at Disneyworld (since our military promo tickets are for 4 days and I couldn’t take any more time off) and we stayed at the Shades of Green hotel near the Polynesian. DH and I talk about going back and spending a week or so at the parks but we haven’t done it yet. One day!

We hit all the parks more than once (except for Animal Kingdom, even though it’s one of my favs) in the 4 days we were there. We ended up heading back to the hotel at some point each day because we were practically dying of heat stroke and needed to re-charge, even if it was for just an hour or two. We soon realized that DH and I were a little more intense than our friends (which is fine - we can be a little much) so we snuck in some park time while they rested and slept in. I mean, we were like 10 minutes away from PIRATES! We HAD to go to rope drop!

I was a walking zombie at work yesterday even though I slept for 12 hours the other night and napped in the car on the way home. Disney sure does take a lot out of you! We iced our sore feet every night (it works wonders, btw) and our legs are looking FABULOUS from all that walking! Totally worth it.

Well, as DH and I decided last year, you’re not in Disneyworld until you walk down Main Street USA and ride Pirates of the Caribbean (we started in Hollywood Studios last year and were a little disappointed). But not this time! Since we left early that morning, we got to Disneyworld around 2 pm and after an hour or so of getting situated, we were off to enjoy the most magical kingdom there is!

So here begins my not-really-a-trip-report trip report! Enjoy!

 

[mrsmoku]

Magic Kingdom:

I was excited to see the New Fantasyland since it was under construction last year and I’ve heard so much about it. It was totally awesome…apart from this new castle. It’s tiny! I thought it was going to be an actual castle you could go into but it looks like something I could put in my pocket! The rest of the new Fantasyland is gorgeous though and washed in blue lights at night. There was a peep hole and I got a look at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train construction! I’m super excited for this ride!




Fantasyland at night. So pretty!




Eric’s Castle?




The mini castle for the gigantic Beast




Sneak peek!

Space Mountain was awesome fun as always yet surprisingly jerky. The first time we rode it wasn’t as dark as normal but the following times it was back at its normal darkness. It closed on Tuesday for refurb so that was a bummer on our last day.

Pirates of the Caribbean was fabulous. It’s our favorite ride just because its so perfect, although we do love the Disneyland one more. I wish they had the Blue Bayou and the drops and the additional scenes in the Disneyworld one but I’ll take what I can get. We did notice the mermaid part in the beginning and don’t remember it from last year. Is it new?




Mermaid skeleton. Totally awesome.

Thunder Mountain didn’t seem as fast as normal but still fun. We rode it in the last car at 2 am during EMH and it was a blast – not sure if it was the darkness or the tiredness but THAT’S what I remember Thunder Mountain to be like.

Um, Stitch’s Great Escape. We did this because DH bet me $20 we had done it before and I know we hadn’t (Surprise! We hadn’t.) and it was terrible! The shoulder harness weighed like 50 pounds when it came down on me and the show was a little scary and a lot gross! I would not want to be a little kid in there, that’s for sure!

It was in line for Thunder Mountain that DH and I met the Most Annoying Family #1 at park open. The dad was being so annoying and so rude, the cast members actually started ignoring him. This caused him to throw a tantrum and the rest of his family followed, whining loudly behind him, because “um, HELLO!? It’s 9:07 and we’re still not on this freaking ride! Hello!? HELLO!? Youuu whoo? You hear me? I said its 9:07, no wait! Now it’s 9:08! Great! Now our whole day is ruined, because of you!!!!!!!” (his words, not mine). It was sad that they can’t just enjoy the happiest place on earth, even if it takes 8 more minutes to get there .

The Little Mermaid ride was adorable. You sit in a clam and ride through the movie. DH and I both thought it seemed so familiar and realized that Disneyland has the exact same ride. Still cute though.




Oh Ariel, how do you tame your hair underwater?

Fun Fact: The crane behind the castle was gone which made me happy. It was up last year so all of our pictures had the crane in the background which isn’t so magical.

Also, prepare yourselves for some castle overload. It’s just so damn pretty to not take pictures of!

























Okay, I’m done. Sorry.

 

[shalom]

Wow! They have Halloween decorations up by Labor Day? Who knew?

Your night time picture of Eric's castle is stunner! And I liked the Cinderella Castle pics, too. I think I'm immune to castle overload.

Sounds like you guys had a great time. Thanks for sharing.

 

[mrsmoku]

Magic Kingdom Food:

We didn’t make any reservations because we like to fly like that. We stayed strictly to counter service or quick service meals and didn’t do any sit-down-with-a-tip meals.

The Sleepy Hallow Waffles -delicious as always. My favorite is the Nutella and fruit, followed by the Sweet and Spicy Chicken, then the sandwich one (not a favorite of mine but DH loved it). We got all of these for breakfast one morning, because really, how could you not? This is also where we met the owner of the one of the best lines of the trip and the fabulous title. I will break down the scene for you:

(The Cast Member is a guy around our age/24ish working the cash register)
CM: “Alright, that will be $24.72”
DH: (pulls out his wad of $1 bills I begged him to exchange for higher bills) “It may take a second. I have a lot of ones.”
Me: (rolling my eyes because this is taking forever and a line if forming. And I’m impatient. And hungry.)
CM: “Oh, well, I *always* need ones…”
Me: (surprised smile because this is pure gold and just made my morning)
CM: “…for the register of course” (motions to the register with a smile, fully aware of what he said)
DH: (hands the wad of $1 bills over) “Oh good, well I worked hard for these”
Me: (dying of embarrassment) “I’m very sorry, he’s joking”
He totally is joking. We tried a new savings plan (from Pinterest, of course) and saved up our extra cash for this trip over a few weeks. We ended up putting our extra change and bills in the jar so we had TONS of $1. Like $50 in ones.
DH: (as we’re walking away) “I’m not going to use the $20 bill! Babe, you don’t know what I have to do for those!”

Mind you, there are children around us. Lots of children and lots of parents. Also, DH refused to watch Magic Mike so I’m not 100% sure where he got that line from, unless it was in the trailer.

Okay, okay, it’s obviously a “you had to be there” moment and I can’t write it as funny as it happened, but take my word, at 9 am when you’re STARVING, and have sweat down your back, and dead on your feet tired but still so excited, and all you want is your damn waffle, this was hilarious. Absolutely freaking hilarious. Moving on.




The waffles in all their glory

DH ordered Gaston’s brew (frozen apple juice and toasted marshmallow) from Gaston’s Tavern during EMH. He wasn’t paying attention, and that’s sooooo unlike him (that was sarcasm if you didn’t pick up on it) so he ended up paying $10 for his drink in the souvenir stein. So, beware. It tasted exactly like it sounds and it was actually pretty good, but more like $5 good, not $10. Next time we’re going to forgo the plastic stein and get it in a regular cup ($5). I got the massive cinnamon roll because I was starving and cinnamon rolls are a favorite of mine but realized it had maple on it. I’m not a fan of maple but I tried it and loved it. Even though I’m a cream cheese fan, the maple was delicious and gave it a little something extra.

Dole Whip, Mickey Ice Cream Bars, Churros, Soft Serve Waffle Cones- Need I say more? They were delicious.

We ended up at the Pinocchio Village Haus for lunch one day. I ordered the Caprese pizza and it was AMAZING! For $10, it was a ton of food and I could have easily shared with someone but I was starving. We’ll definitely go here again on a future trip. DH got the flatbread sub/sandwich thing which he’s still raving about and the chicken strips which weren’t anything special but still delicious.




Caprese Flatbread – delicious!

Also, Main Street USA smells like cookies. Like warm, just baked, gooey deliciousness. Yum.

 

[mrsmoku]

Wow! They have Halloween decorations up by Labor Day? Who knew?

Your night time picture of Eric's castle is stunner! And I liked the Cinderella Castle pics, too. I think I'm immune to castle overload.

Sounds like you guys had a great time. Thanks for sharing.

Yeah, I was a little bummed about the decorations. Last year we went closer to Halloween and the decorations were up so I hoped we could go without decorations this year.

Thank you! I'm still working on my camera's settings but most of my pics came out alright!

 

[mrsmoku]

EPCOT:







We attempted to ride Test Track twice. The first time was a 20 minute wait, yet 30 minutes in, we still had not moved and they were announcing delays. We promptly got out of line and promised to try again the next day. The next day, we got lucky with a 30 minute wait and were able to ride. Um, not a favorite.

Now, I never rode the original Test Track since it was being refurbished last year but a member of our party did and she said the track was exactly the same but the rest of it was updated (which echoes exactly what is said on here). I really…didn’t like it. I felt like I was in an in-your-face, interactive sales pitch for Chevrolet. I even joked to DH while we were making our cars that I felt like I could buy a Chevy when the ride was done and low and behold, I could. It was just too much BUY ME! for me.


The car in the line. Anyone know if this is metal/plastic or clay? We had a debate

Soarin’ holds a special place in our hearts. DH and I LOVE California and hope and pray to get to go back soon. We didn’t do it last year so it was a must this time. It’s just as good as I remember and the smells were fully functioning! We could smell the sea breeze, the oranges, and evergreen/Christmas-y smell when we were soarin’ through the trees (see what I did there!). I forgot how much the trees reminded me of Twilight back in its better days so I made sure to let DH know, to which he replied with an eye roll. We rode on the first row (the one that goes up the highest) and it’s by far my favorite row. No dangling feet!

It was time to head to World Showcase so I could eat my way across the world and DH could attempt to drink his way. We’re fun.

 

[mrsmoku]

EPCOT Food (and Beer):

Mexico: We got the Chicken tacos and the churritos and DH got a beer. The chicken tacos were yummy but the churritos were soft and the caramel was cold. Not as appetizing at it could have been.

We were off to enjoy the rest of the countries when - fun fact! World Showcase closed when the fireworks started, even though the park was open for another hour or two. Maybe it always does and I wasn’t paying attention to the hours but this put a minor damper on our plans. But, we made the best of it and snuck into Norway as they were shutting the door and got some treats and beer and watched the fireworks.

Norway: I got the Chocolate Moose and it was very very yummy. I finished the whole thing in record time and although it was rich, it wasn’t so rich that it makes you sick. Perfection. DH got a beer, surprise.

We came back the last day of our trip and finished off the rest of the countries.

We got the pot stickers in China. They were very good but you only get 3 so it’s not a lot of food.

In Germany, the guys got the Frankworst and the Curryworst and loved them both. Us girls got the Nudel Gratin and holy cow, it was amazing! There’s nothing I love more than some good noodles and cheese!

This is also were we found this gem. This is the castle bathed in sparkly things and happiness. $37,500 worth of sparkles and happiness.


Wowzers!

In America, the guys feasted on turkey legs and funnel cakes like any true American. The turkey legs were not nearly as salty as I remember them being and the funnel cakes were like a piece of fried heaven.


Just as disgusting as it looks

The pastry shop in France is my favorite stop. I marched right up to that little skinny building it was in last year and freaked out! It was gone! No, no, it wasn’t gone, it had just moved. Thank goodness. I was moments away from tears until I saw the Patisserie sign in the larger building behind the skinny one and off I went, to order myself too many treats. The macaroon was heaven, the framboise (raspberry) thing was pure happiness, and my pain du chocolat (chocolate croissant) made my dreams come true. I ate these single handily and poked DH with my fork when he got too close.

We shared the fish and chips from the United Kingdom and OMG those are good! We passed them up last time because fish and heat doesn’t sound good together but they were all sorts of amazing.

 

[mrsmoku]

Animal Kingdom:



This is my second favorite park, only behind Magic Kingdom, so I was a little bummed we only spent a half a day here. We arrived for park open (9 am) and made a bee line to Kilimanjaro Safari. We jumped in the 10 minute wait and saw SO MANY animals! Last year, we waited until about 10:30 am to ride and still saw a lot, but nowhere as many as we did this time. All the animals were out and about, enjoying the morning, and I got some great pictures. Last year, there was a 3 legged alligator/crocodile but I didn’t see one this year. Anyone know if he’s still alive?






Look at me!





Expedition Everest, one of my favorites! I always love this ride and DH and I agree that Betti the Yeti seemed much closer to the track than she did last year. I didn’t notice much strobe lighting or wind blowing on her but her hand/arm was much closer than before. Close enough that DH actually pulled his hands down which is saying something since he has hit his fingertips on something in Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain before thinking he had clearance.



We grabbed the Finding Nemo show a few minutes after it started to take a break and soak up some AC. It was a beautiful production but we’re not show/theater/song people so I had a hard time really enjoying it. We were definitely impressed with the cast and the décor and costumes and I knew my theater-loving grandmother would adore it, but again, we’re not those people.

Last year, we gave Dinsoaur a chance and didn’t like it, but since our friends really wanted to ride it, we did. It was really different than I remember. It was fun and exciting but nothing like the mother of all jeep rides, Indiana Jones at Disneyland. I honestly remember the dinosaur at the end so the picture of my terrified face was fun for everyone to get a good laugh at.

Animal Kingdom Food:

We didn’t get anything to eat here since we were on our way to Downtown Disney but I always love Yak and Yeti. I wish we would have gotten something but we’ll go back another day and feast.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

LOVE your Spaceship earth photos!!!!

If you look carefully, you can see the ever elusive Human

 

[mrsmoku]

LOVE your Spaceship earth photos!!!!

If you look carefully, you can see the ever elusive Human

Oh thank you!!!
Is that what it's called? Spaceship Earth? I keep referring to it as "The Ball"

 

[mrsmoku]

Hollywood Studios:

We all agreed that Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n Rollercoaster were really the only things we wanted to see at Hollywood Studios (remember, we’re not theater/show/song people) and they didn’t disappoint! We loved both rides and got lucky with short waits (less than 20 minutes) on evening Extra Magic Hours and when we went the morning after EMH. The cast members working the rides were in full acting mode during EMH and it really made the ride that much more awesome.


Tower of Terror in the day


Tower of Terror at night

It was in the Rock ‘n Rollercoaster studio room that we met the Most Annoying Family #2. OMG, the entire family (parents included) were insane, screaming and yelling and pushing people out of line, trying to be “first”! After a minute, everyone else just let them go ahead through the doors since they were throwing elbows and stomping on feet. Insanity.

We decided to check out the Stunt Show and were really happy we did. It was pretty awesome and something we’d do again.


Lightning McQueen


Stunt show scene set up

Hollywood Studios Food:

We ate at the counter service places next to ToT and RnRcoaster. I can’t remember the names but there were 3 separate places all linked together but offering different food. DH got another turkey leg here and the shredded pork hot dog (yeah, I know right) and I had the macaroni and cheese (YUM!).

 

[mrsmoku]

Downtown Disney:

We headed to Downtown Disney to get some lunch one of the days and it was PACKED. The Earl of Sandwich line was out the door and there was a 30 minute wait for Rainforest Café. We ended up walking around for a few minutes then trying out luck at Earl of Sandwich again. The line when down (thank goodness) and we devoured their always delicious sandwiches.

The splash pad with the ‘No diarrhea’ rule still gets me every time I walk by. Every.single.time.


Er..okay.

The World of Disney was full of everything you could ever want – except for some old-school sterling silver charms! You know the ones? They’re like mini statue charms that hang from a charm bracelet like I had growing up? Well, those are almost all replaced by Pandora charms and beads and things but I got lucky and found a Tinkerbell and Mickey hat one. I wish they would make some more.

We resisted buying souvenirs and trinkets for everyone which was insanely hard. I was tempted to buy a little Buzz Lightyear baby onesie for my fur baby but put it back since that would be a little crazy of me. Just a little.

But seriously, if you need something Disney, this is the place to go.

 

[6travel]

I like the trip report highlites.

 

[mrsmoku]

Shades of Green/Hotel:

We stayed at Shades of Green and as always, we’re super impressed with it. It’s just a 7 or so minute walk to the Polynesian to catch the monorail. The SOG busses are hit or miss and we found it was WAY easier to find a bus or boat headed to the Polynesian or the other monorail resorts than a SOG bus. We didn’t wait around for them but actually caught one late one night from Hollywod Studios and our feet were beyond excited! If you do end up walking, you can call the bell services desk and have the little golf cart come meet you at the edge of the property.

Their Italian restaurant, Mangino’s, was delicious as always and the prices are great -$50 for an appetizer, two dinner entrees, and two alcoholic drinks! Can’t beat that! The Garden Gallery breakfast buffet was good but I’m not really a buffet person. The coffee shop is new and has Starbucks drinks, ice cream, and snacks/café food. The exchange has been redone and expanded and looks great! They stock quite a bit of Disney merchandise too.

The rooms could use a décor update (well, if we’re being honest, the entire place could but I won’t complain. It’s better than some military places I’ve stayed, that’s for sure!) but everything was clean, neat, and quiet. The golf course is undergoing a refurb so it wasn’t as “picturesque” as normal, but again, no complaining here.




Early morning

 

[mrsmoku]

I like the trip report highlites.

Thanks

 

[mrsmoku]

General:

Okay, those Magic Bands/Fastpass + things. From the amount of Magic Bands/Fastpass + forums I read on here prior to leaving, I was prepared to be the only people without them in the parks. That was FAR from the truth! For every person wearing a Magic Band, there were 20 people without. I was pretty surprised and even had to search around for a few minutes to point one out to show DH.

As for the regular Fastpassers, I didn’t notice any difference in getting the paper Fastpasses in relation to the last time we went, which was around the same time last year. The only Fastpasses that ran out before 6 pm (or so) was Test Track.

Park Decorations for Halloween were up already but it wasn’t as decorated as it was in late September last year with the costumed sculptures of the characters and the little touches everywhere else. Main Street USA definitely had their October on.

Weather-wise, it was hotter than Hades. Hot! Hot! Hot! It was so stinking hot (as expected but holy!). We voted EPCOT as the hottest, followed by Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom as the coolest but still…so hot! It was comparable to a South summer, which is just as miserable, but you don’t actually hang around outside, doing activities and things – you stay inside without a shirt on and the AC blasting while drinking sweet tea (we’ve only lived here for a year and a half. Promise.)

There seemed to be more ride delays than normal. We got delayed on:
Pirates of the Caribbean early one morning (water drop – not sure if they meant the actual drop or the water levels dropped)

Buzz Lightyear spin (cleared our scores too bummer since I was winning for once)

Thunder Mountain (for about 10 minutes twice)

Test Track (for about 20 minutes – we got out of line since we couldn’t even hear the cars racing past above)

Peter Pan (just a few minute)

Little Mermaid ride (for 5 or so minutes)

Small World (kill me now)


The exact place we got stuck at. SOO close to the end

Haunted Mansion (for about 5 minutes - those pesky ghosts!)

Everything was up and running pretty quickly (aside from Test Track) and everyone seemed happy soaking up the air conditioning!

The crowd was crazy over the weekend and on Labor Day (Saturday through Monday) but on Tuesday, it was like a ghost town! We'll definitely think about going again this time of year to take advantage of the low crowd levels!