ONE YEAR of WDW starts NOW! Nov. 2015 WDW trip & beyond! Now with JANUARY & MAY!
- Thread starter Li Li
- Start date
NigelSTW
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2013
That's very nice of you to say. Thanks. I know Li Li works like the dickens on these things.
Li Li
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2012
Well, that's it! Joe Rohde can control the temperature!
All credit to Nigel for that one!
We were at the bar, but the low part for accessible so that could have affected my view as it was kind of weird seating. The drink itself was great, but I'll probably pick up the hippo man tai one too, cause I'm still a sucker too!
I think hallowishes is just a bit more impressive (at least from a volume of fireworks standpoint) show - but the "feels" of Wishes is more - and it gets amped up when in front of the Castle. Not sure if you have ever watched them from behind the castle but that is one of my favorite spots as there are fireworks going off in front of you (at the Castle) and behind you so you are almost "in" them.
The reindeer are kinda creepy but they, and the wooden soldiers, are classic to the holiday parade even going back to when Disneyland first opened so I guess people put up with the creepiness factor
I'll have to try the back of the castle. Standing near Space Mountain was one of my few times out of my comfort zone in front of the castle, and since I was less than impressed, I worry that I need that backdrop.
Well, at least I'm not alone in finding them creepy.
Li Li
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2012
Thank you so much. That is so nice of you to say. 
Li Li
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2012
Friday – Our last full day 
Another meal in the room courtesy of Roaring Fork started our day. You guessed it…breakfast flatbread!
To be specific, it was a vegetable flatbread and it was delish. We split this and you can also see we got a kids pancake meal to share.
We hopped in the car off to DHS. Can you believe it, we had not been back since our Sunday night visit!
We had set up FPs for Star Tours, Tower of Terror and Rock’nRoller Coaster.
We arrived and got to see the tree out front and take our selfies.
The tree pic says 9:29, so we weren’t running too late. But another pretty full day at the parks.
We started off for Star Tours with some detours on the way.
Have you guys noticed the dinosaur footprints next to Gertie’s Ice Cream? We had never noticed it before, so cute.
Since there was only a 5 minute wait posted for standby at Star Tours, I suggested we do standby first and then ride again with FP. It was a bummer that they weren’t starting the new scenes yet for Force Awakens, but luckily, we were going to be back in January for that. We basically walked straight onto the ride, so no wait. I was guessing that everyone went over to Toy Story or RnR or ToT.
Except when we came around and entered again but now through the FP line, the queue had magically filled up with people! It was insane, the line inside was completely filled up. What a difference 10 minutes makes. So, we luckily went through the quick FP line and got our second ride in with almost no wait.
After Star Wars, we still had time before our 10:40 FP for ToT, so we stopped by One Man’s Dream. Worried with all the closures that this may not be long for DHS, Nigel took the opportunity to photograph EVERY.SQUARE.INCH. I won’t subject you to that, but at least we have it documented! No regular film as they were still having the Good Dinosaur preview.
We headed over to our ToT FP. Always a classic ride, and I enjoyed the movie that you get with Memory Maker.
I look so calm!
The RnR FP was not until 11:55, so we still had a little time to kill. We decided to grab a beer, Yuengling to be exact, at Fairfax Fare and hang out.
Fun with dueling cameras.
We rode in our superstretch
And then booked it over to Sci Fi since our reservation was for 12:10. It was another new place for us! And it was so cool. Nigel is a big drive in fan to begin with. We are fortunate that we actually have a drive in that still operates not too far from us that we can go to in the summer.
The atmosphere was great and so were the cartoons and fun stuff they showed on the screen.
And we had a DIS’er fail as we completely forgot to take food pictures!
I do remember what we had, especially cause I really liked mine! I had the Salmon BLT minus the T. The server also said that was his favorite. And Nigel had the smoked turkey sandwich. We each got a beer as well. (along with waters, hydration is key!) I tried something new for me, Napa Smith Brewery Lost Dog Red Ale Draft. I enjoyed it. I think Nigel got Fat Tire again.
All in all, I was very happy with Sci Fi. We would definitely go back for lunch again, and I think it was pretty reasonable with TiW.
After lunch, we headed over to Great Movie Ride. The wait posted was 25 but it actually only took 16 minutes. Yes, I timed it! Might as well use the Apple Watch if I’m wearing it. We also got the important role of delivering a red card.
Gansters again. I’m pretty sure we’ve only seen cowboys on one occasion.
We walked over to Indiana Jones but we had missed the seating cut off. With nothing else really on our radar until Osborne Lights, we decided to boat over to Epcot.
And a quick magic shot.
Looks like we also did a quick survey.
Look, turtles hanging out by the boat dock!
Also, my absolute favorite picture of us from the trip. I definitely want to get it printed and framed at some point.
It looks like we disembarked at Yacht and Beach Club and walked over to Epcot.
Such a beautiful day.
Since it had been awhile, we wanted to go over and watch the movie in China, Reflections of China. Also, for the first time in awhile that we could remember, they had the display open for the Tomb Warriors. Did you know that the place housing the terracotta warriors is referred to as the House of the Whispering Willows by Disney?
The movie was nice to see again, and the air conditioning was welcome too!
I love the China store; I feel like I could browse there and the store in Japan for hours.
We started walking toward Canada thinking we would catch the movie there, but I called an audible and advocated for a popcorn stop! Ever since I read about the popcorn cart over by Imagination Pavilion, I wanted to try some.
We went with the Buffalo Blue popcorn and Budweisers, cause that seemed like the best pairing!
It was interesting and good; it really tasted like buffalo sauce but not too hot. Of course, it meant that we had orange fingers necessitating a rest room stop over by England.
We headed back to the boat as I wanted to make sure we had enough time to get back to DHS and grab spots for the start of Osborne Lights.
And more PP pics!
And next up, our Osborne Lights evening.
Another meal in the room courtesy of Roaring Fork started our day. You guessed it…breakfast flatbread!
To be specific, it was a vegetable flatbread and it was delish. We split this and you can also see we got a kids pancake meal to share.
We hopped in the car off to DHS. Can you believe it, we had not been back since our Sunday night visit!
We had set up FPs for Star Tours, Tower of Terror and Rock’nRoller Coaster.
We arrived and got to see the tree out front and take our selfies.
The tree pic says 9:29, so we weren’t running too late. But another pretty full day at the parks.
We started off for Star Tours with some detours on the way.
Have you guys noticed the dinosaur footprints next to Gertie’s Ice Cream? We had never noticed it before, so cute.
Since there was only a 5 minute wait posted for standby at Star Tours, I suggested we do standby first and then ride again with FP. It was a bummer that they weren’t starting the new scenes yet for Force Awakens, but luckily, we were going to be back in January for that. We basically walked straight onto the ride, so no wait. I was guessing that everyone went over to Toy Story or RnR or ToT.
Except when we came around and entered again but now through the FP line, the queue had magically filled up with people! It was insane, the line inside was completely filled up. What a difference 10 minutes makes. So, we luckily went through the quick FP line and got our second ride in with almost no wait.
After Star Wars, we still had time before our 10:40 FP for ToT, so we stopped by One Man’s Dream. Worried with all the closures that this may not be long for DHS, Nigel took the opportunity to photograph EVERY.SQUARE.INCH. I won’t subject you to that, but at least we have it documented! No regular film as they were still having the Good Dinosaur preview.
We headed over to our ToT FP. Always a classic ride, and I enjoyed the movie that you get with Memory Maker.
I look so calm!
The RnR FP was not until 11:55, so we still had a little time to kill. We decided to grab a beer, Yuengling to be exact, at Fairfax Fare and hang out.
Fun with dueling cameras.
We rode in our superstretch
And then booked it over to Sci Fi since our reservation was for 12:10. It was another new place for us! And it was so cool. Nigel is a big drive in fan to begin with. We are fortunate that we actually have a drive in that still operates not too far from us that we can go to in the summer.
The atmosphere was great and so were the cartoons and fun stuff they showed on the screen.
And we had a DIS’er fail as we completely forgot to take food pictures!
I do remember what we had, especially cause I really liked mine! I had the Salmon BLT minus the T. The server also said that was his favorite. And Nigel had the smoked turkey sandwich. We each got a beer as well. (along with waters, hydration is key!) I tried something new for me, Napa Smith Brewery Lost Dog Red Ale Draft. I enjoyed it. I think Nigel got Fat Tire again.
All in all, I was very happy with Sci Fi. We would definitely go back for lunch again, and I think it was pretty reasonable with TiW.
After lunch, we headed over to Great Movie Ride. The wait posted was 25 but it actually only took 16 minutes. Yes, I timed it! Might as well use the Apple Watch if I’m wearing it. We also got the important role of delivering a red card.
Gansters again. I’m pretty sure we’ve only seen cowboys on one occasion.
We walked over to Indiana Jones but we had missed the seating cut off. With nothing else really on our radar until Osborne Lights, we decided to boat over to Epcot.
And a quick magic shot.
Looks like we also did a quick survey.
Look, turtles hanging out by the boat dock!
Also, my absolute favorite picture of us from the trip. I definitely want to get it printed and framed at some point.
It looks like we disembarked at Yacht and Beach Club and walked over to Epcot.
Such a beautiful day.
Since it had been awhile, we wanted to go over and watch the movie in China, Reflections of China. Also, for the first time in awhile that we could remember, they had the display open for the Tomb Warriors. Did you know that the place housing the terracotta warriors is referred to as the House of the Whispering Willows by Disney?
The movie was nice to see again, and the air conditioning was welcome too!
I love the China store; I feel like I could browse there and the store in Japan for hours.
We started walking toward Canada thinking we would catch the movie there, but I called an audible and advocated for a popcorn stop! Ever since I read about the popcorn cart over by Imagination Pavilion, I wanted to try some.
We went with the Buffalo Blue popcorn and Budweisers, cause that seemed like the best pairing!
It was interesting and good; it really tasted like buffalo sauce but not too hot. Of course, it meant that we had orange fingers necessitating a rest room stop over by England.
We headed back to the boat as I wanted to make sure we had enough time to get back to DHS and grab spots for the start of Osborne Lights.
And more PP pics!
And next up, our Osborne Lights evening.
NigelSTW
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2013
I like that dress. I bought that dress. I have good tastes in dresses. She's a cutie.Fun with dueling cameras.
We went with the Buffalo Blue popcorn and Budweisers, cause that seemed like the best pairing!
Pretty much beer was the only thing keeping me going at this point. The Disney Crud was hitting me hard, but taking a nap on our final day was not an option. Luckily, beer and non-health food was an option. I liked the buffalo popcorn, but it seemed like something they would send to our brave astronauts on the International Space Station to help ease the desire for buffalo wings. The Bud Light was Bud Light. America in a bottle.
Li Li
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2012
Last night…with lights!
We made our way to the streets of America in order to wait for the start of the Osborne Lights. A nice bookend since we had been to the lights at the start of our trip last Sunday. We staked out some seats on a curb, and I left Nigel there while I went in search of some drinks.
Originally, I thought I would have to trek out to High Octane refreshments or some other place for some drinks. But to my surprise, they had a temporary bar set up just around the corner from the exit of the Osborne Lights! Very handy, sometimes Disney knows their audience. I grabbed some drinks and headed back.
Drinks in hand, we waited for the sun to set and lights to turn on.
I also remembered that there was an AP Osborne Lights ornament I had heard about so I picked that up. So cute!
And the ornament happily graced our tree last year.
Bonus pic of the other ornament I got Nigel for Christmas. He is a big Rescuers fan.
Waiting to catch the big moment.
So, I’ll just throw up a bunch of our Osborne Light pics here. I will say that I really enjoyed being there for the lighting. Very cool to see the lights pop on. I think we got a good before and after shot, so here you go.
Every time we were at Osborne lights, the PP lines were ridiculously long. I just wasn't committed enough to wait, so we didn't get any but I’m still happy with the shots we took ourselves.
After soaking in the lights, we headed back to WL. Nigel was still being a real trooper as he was still feeling under the weather.
Feeling a bit noshy, we decided to stop at Territory Lounge for snacks and drinks. On a prior trip, we had ordered truffle fries at the Lounge, which were INCREDIBLE. So, we were looking forward to that. I also wanted to try the mushroom soup since I had heard such good things about it.
The mushroom soup was very good, but as much as I hate to admit it, I've had better. Sorry, Disney! It is just that there is a restaurant near us that has an incredible mushroom soup, and it gets very fresh mushrooms since the mushroom capital of the US* is just outside of Philadelphia (Kennett Square).
*Okay, I think it's the mushroom capital, but I have not verified this fact.
I don’t have a pic of Nigel’s drink, but I’m pretty sure he had a beer.
Here’s the truffle fries with aioli dipping sauce.
While good, we were a tad disappointed. They seemed to be significantly downsized from our prior experience. And luckily, I have the photo to prove it! Here is the photo from our prior fry order, I believe in January 2015.
And of course, we had to grab some dessert to go!
And we were in time for one more viewing of Wishes from our room. Sorry for the blurriness.
Next up, leaving Disney!
We made our way to the streets of America in order to wait for the start of the Osborne Lights. A nice bookend since we had been to the lights at the start of our trip last Sunday. We staked out some seats on a curb, and I left Nigel there while I went in search of some drinks.
Originally, I thought I would have to trek out to High Octane refreshments or some other place for some drinks. But to my surprise, they had a temporary bar set up just around the corner from the exit of the Osborne Lights! Very handy, sometimes Disney knows their audience. I grabbed some drinks and headed back.
Drinks in hand, we waited for the sun to set and lights to turn on.
I also remembered that there was an AP Osborne Lights ornament I had heard about so I picked that up. So cute!
And the ornament happily graced our tree last year.
Bonus pic of the other ornament I got Nigel for Christmas. He is a big Rescuers fan.
Waiting to catch the big moment.
So, I’ll just throw up a bunch of our Osborne Light pics here. I will say that I really enjoyed being there for the lighting. Very cool to see the lights pop on. I think we got a good before and after shot, so here you go.
Every time we were at Osborne lights, the PP lines were ridiculously long. I just wasn't committed enough to wait, so we didn't get any but I’m still happy with the shots we took ourselves.
After soaking in the lights, we headed back to WL. Nigel was still being a real trooper as he was still feeling under the weather.
Feeling a bit noshy, we decided to stop at Territory Lounge for snacks and drinks. On a prior trip, we had ordered truffle fries at the Lounge, which were INCREDIBLE. So, we were looking forward to that. I also wanted to try the mushroom soup since I had heard such good things about it.
The mushroom soup was very good, but as much as I hate to admit it, I've had better. Sorry, Disney! It is just that there is a restaurant near us that has an incredible mushroom soup, and it gets very fresh mushrooms since the mushroom capital of the US* is just outside of Philadelphia (Kennett Square).
*Okay, I think it's the mushroom capital, but I have not verified this fact.
I don’t have a pic of Nigel’s drink, but I’m pretty sure he had a beer.
Here’s the truffle fries with aioli dipping sauce.
While good, we were a tad disappointed. They seemed to be significantly downsized from our prior experience. And luckily, I have the photo to prove it! Here is the photo from our prior fry order, I believe in January 2015.
And of course, we had to grab some dessert to go!
And we were in time for one more viewing of Wishes from our room. Sorry for the blurriness.
Next up, leaving Disney!
TheMaxRebo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2008
seems like a great day - you got on most of what you wanted with ease and got some extra EPCOT time in, including some new snacks
Love the special SP ornament for the lights and also that is a nice picture of you too - think it captures you guys quite well!
.... my understanding is that it is supposed to look like she walked into the lake to make her feel more like a real character an not a static building. Actually there are a ton of details like that to DHS that largely go un-noticed.
Love the special SP ornament for the lights and also that is a nice picture of you too - think it captures you guys quite well!
Li Li
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2012
Always find to try new snacks! And finding new details is the best; it really does look like Gertie waked into the lake.
Aw, thanks for the compliment on the photo.
Li Li
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2012
So, real life, sorta PTR update. Also, I'm procrastinating from work.
I'm almost done with November. Tonight I'll have a quick post about our quick last morning and maybe some final thoughts/wrap up. And then it's straight into January's trip report! I actually can't wait to start that one because we had a lot of fun and still had some new experiences! Two words: Darth Vader!
And we are only 62 days away from our next trip!!! Crazy! I haven't been planning too much, but I am anxiously awaiting more details on the new River of Lights show since that will definitely be a priority.
Of course, I've been agonizing over where to dine as usual. Right now I have: Garden Grill breakfast (we've never been even for lunch or dinner so definitely new to us), Tea at Grand Floridian, dinner at Diamond Horseshoe, and BoG breakfast. We've also been toying with trying Jiko.
Unsurprisingly, my biggest agony is over BoG. What is my obsession with Be Our Guest? Is it my love of the movie? The incredible theming/atmosphere to bring my fav movie to life? Mob mentality? I honestly don't know. We've had dinner and lunch there, both were good. Not amazing but fine. I know it's the atmosphere I'm really paying for. So, I thought I'd round out our experience and try breakfast. BUT, I just read that they upped the price of breakfast again!!
It's $24 per person which doesn't include your drink anymore!!! With the mixed reviews on the breakfast food, I'm seriously trying to figure out if I really need this meal or not. Nigel is usually pretty supportive of whatever I decide, as long as he gets to roll his eyes in frustration at my silly agonizing over BoG. Ah well.
Thanks for reading my delirium.
I'm almost done with November. Tonight I'll have a quick post about our quick last morning and maybe some final thoughts/wrap up. And then it's straight into January's trip report! I actually can't wait to start that one because we had a lot of fun and still had some new experiences! Two words: Darth Vader!
And we are only 62 days away from our next trip!!! Crazy! I haven't been planning too much, but I am anxiously awaiting more details on the new River of Lights show since that will definitely be a priority.
Of course, I've been agonizing over where to dine as usual. Right now I have: Garden Grill breakfast (we've never been even for lunch or dinner so definitely new to us), Tea at Grand Floridian, dinner at Diamond Horseshoe, and BoG breakfast. We've also been toying with trying Jiko.
Unsurprisingly, my biggest agony is over BoG. What is my obsession with Be Our Guest? Is it my love of the movie? The incredible theming/atmosphere to bring my fav movie to life? Mob mentality? I honestly don't know. We've had dinner and lunch there, both were good. Not amazing but fine. I know it's the atmosphere I'm really paying for. So, I thought I'd round out our experience and try breakfast. BUT, I just read that they upped the price of breakfast again!!
It's $24 per person which doesn't include your drink anymore!!! With the mixed reviews on the breakfast food, I'm seriously trying to figure out if I really need this meal or not. Nigel is usually pretty supportive of whatever I decide, as long as he gets to roll his eyes in frustration at my silly agonizing over BoG. Ah well. Thanks for reading my delirium.
TheMaxRebo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2008
Looking forward to hearing about your January trip
Just saw some more details came out about Rivers of Light (I've been obsessing over this, especially with regards to dining packages as it appears seating capacity will be low). Looks like it will premier April 22nd and on March 8th there is a live chat or something about it. I am really looking forward to nighttime AK!
We've done dinner at Garden Grill and liked it more than we expected - haven't heard much about the breakfast though. That is great that you are getting so many new places in to eat. Not sure if Tiffins will be open or not by the time you go - also the lounge there should you want to get a drink or 3
I see the BOG breakfast as something useful to get into the park early at a cheaper point than CP or CRT but the price is getting pretty high.
Just saw some more details came out about Rivers of Light (I've been obsessing over this, especially with regards to dining packages as it appears seating capacity will be low). Looks like it will premier April 22nd and on March 8th there is a live chat or something about it. I am really looking forward to nighttime AK!
We've done dinner at Garden Grill and liked it more than we expected - haven't heard much about the breakfast though. That is great that you are getting so many new places in to eat. Not sure if Tiffins will be open or not by the time you go - also the lounge there should you want to get a drink or 3
I see the BOG breakfast as something useful to get into the park early at a cheaper point than CP or CRT but the price is getting pretty high.
Li Li
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2012
Looking forward to hearing about your January trip
Just saw some more details came out about Rivers of Light (I've been obsessing over this, especially with regards to dining packages as it appears seating capacity will be low). Looks like it will premier April 22nd and on March 8th there is a live chat or something about it. I am really looking forward to nighttime AK!
We've done dinner at Garden Grill and liked it more than we expected - haven't heard much about the breakfast though. That is great that you are getting so many new places in to eat. Not sure if Tiffins will be open or not by the time you go - also the lounge there should you want to get a drink or 3
I see the BOG breakfast as something useful to get into the park early at a cheaper point than CP or CRT but the price is getting pretty high.
Yes, official opening date came out today!! I am looking into the dining package option as I think you are right about the seating capacity. But I hope they include another dining package option, like the new Tiffins or Yak and Yeti. No offense to Tusker House; I'd just rather try something different. But yes, drinks at Tiffins is a must!
Li Li
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2012
One last goodbye…
The dreaded day had arrived. We actually had to drive home.
But first, we decided to grab breakfast at the Contemporary. Specifically, the Contempo Café. Originally, I had thought about one of the breakfast buffets for our last meal on property. But Nigel smartly pointed out that loading up on a big buffet and then hitting the road for a long drive might not be the best decision. So, quick service it was. As Nigel looooves watching the monorail, we thought we’d hit up the QS at the Contemporary.
So, off we went to grab a boat.
It was the coolest day of the trip with the morning temp only around 60s.
We got pretty standard breakfast meals. Nigel got the adult breakfast platter, and I think mine was the Ham and Cheese Frittata. Honestly, not the most amazing breakfast we’ve ever had, but it was perfectly fine.
And monorail!
We were so close to the Magic Kingdom, we couldn't not stop in, right??
We walked over to MK one last time from the Contemporary. We arrived just before official opening time but they were already letting people in. It was pretty packed with people walking down Main Street.
It was a beautiful sunny day but we were at the wrong angle for selfie taking with the sun in our eyes!
This selfie time stamp says 8:54 a.m.
Everyone was racing past the PP photographer, so we stopped for a pic.
The crowd thinned out as most people were heading to 7DMT, Fantasyland or elsewhere, and we were just moseying along.
We made a circuit around the back of the castle, passed the Tangled toilets (saying that always makes me laugh) and started back toward Main Street from Liberty Square.
One last castle pic…with the worst photographer ever.
Okay, the sun was working against him, and my hair was atrocious but yikes.
We still needed to pack up and check out, so no rides for us.
Goodbye Magic Kingdom!
We headed back and hit the road, I believe around 10 or 10:30. In hindsight, we both agreed that it would have been better to hit the road earlier.
Starting off, only 15 hours, 16 minutes to go!
It would have been much better to leave earlier since we ended up just driving straight through. We took 95 the whole way with some gas and food stops (Taco Bell for the win!). Traffic wasn’t too bad. The worst was around the DC beltway where apparently it was a stellar idea to merge three lanes into one at 11 pm or so on a Saturday night for construction. But that really was the worst of it. Nigel was definitely a hero as he drove more than me. I tried to help out on the final leg as we switched off in Virginia. But around Gettysburg, I had to call it quits as my eyes were drooping dangerously. So, we pulled over and he drove the final hour home. We rolled into our garage around 2 am and hit our beds. I don’t think we minded driving straight through; again, it’s just that we should have started earlier than 10:30 am!
I enjoyed the November trip, but I absolutely believe that crowds were at an all time high. Especially when we can compare to our January trip. Even though we went over MLK weekend, it was still much much much better in terms of crowds. So, it may have scared me off November ever again! However, I am super glad that we already had this trip planned especially when they announced it was the last year for the Osborne Lights. We were glad we got to see it once at least. I also enjoyed the Very Merry parade and the decorations at all the parks. Also, staying at Wilderness Lodge was a true highlight. My only regret is that we were too early for things like the Candlelight Processional and Storytellers around World Showcase. Overall, another successful trip with new experiences, including the fact that we are now experienced drivers to WDW.
Next up, the January quick trip with special guest appearances! (It's Nigel's parents.)
The dreaded day had arrived. We actually had to drive home.
But first, we decided to grab breakfast at the Contemporary. Specifically, the Contempo Café. Originally, I had thought about one of the breakfast buffets for our last meal on property. But Nigel smartly pointed out that loading up on a big buffet and then hitting the road for a long drive might not be the best decision. So, quick service it was. As Nigel looooves watching the monorail, we thought we’d hit up the QS at the Contemporary.
So, off we went to grab a boat.
It was the coolest day of the trip with the morning temp only around 60s.
We got pretty standard breakfast meals. Nigel got the adult breakfast platter, and I think mine was the Ham and Cheese Frittata. Honestly, not the most amazing breakfast we’ve ever had, but it was perfectly fine.
And monorail!
We were so close to the Magic Kingdom, we couldn't not stop in, right??
We walked over to MK one last time from the Contemporary. We arrived just before official opening time but they were already letting people in. It was pretty packed with people walking down Main Street.
It was a beautiful sunny day but we were at the wrong angle for selfie taking with the sun in our eyes!
This selfie time stamp says 8:54 a.m.
Everyone was racing past the PP photographer, so we stopped for a pic.
The crowd thinned out as most people were heading to 7DMT, Fantasyland or elsewhere, and we were just moseying along.
We made a circuit around the back of the castle, passed the Tangled toilets (saying that always makes me laugh) and started back toward Main Street from Liberty Square.
One last castle pic…with the worst photographer ever.
Okay, the sun was working against him, and my hair was atrocious but yikes.
We still needed to pack up and check out, so no rides for us.
Goodbye Magic Kingdom!
We headed back and hit the road, I believe around 10 or 10:30. In hindsight, we both agreed that it would have been better to hit the road earlier.
Starting off, only 15 hours, 16 minutes to go!
It would have been much better to leave earlier since we ended up just driving straight through. We took 95 the whole way with some gas and food stops (Taco Bell for the win!). Traffic wasn’t too bad. The worst was around the DC beltway where apparently it was a stellar idea to merge three lanes into one at 11 pm or so on a Saturday night for construction. But that really was the worst of it. Nigel was definitely a hero as he drove more than me. I tried to help out on the final leg as we switched off in Virginia. But around Gettysburg, I had to call it quits as my eyes were drooping dangerously. So, we pulled over and he drove the final hour home. We rolled into our garage around 2 am and hit our beds. I don’t think we minded driving straight through; again, it’s just that we should have started earlier than 10:30 am!
I enjoyed the November trip, but I absolutely believe that crowds were at an all time high. Especially when we can compare to our January trip. Even though we went over MLK weekend, it was still much much much better in terms of crowds. So, it may have scared me off November ever again! However, I am super glad that we already had this trip planned especially when they announced it was the last year for the Osborne Lights. We were glad we got to see it once at least. I also enjoyed the Very Merry parade and the decorations at all the parks. Also, staying at Wilderness Lodge was a true highlight. My only regret is that we were too early for things like the Candlelight Processional and Storytellers around World Showcase. Overall, another successful trip with new experiences, including the fact that we are now experienced drivers to WDW.
Next up, the January quick trip with special guest appearances! (It's Nigel's parents.
)
Li Li
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2012
Now that I have finally finished up the November trip, I thought I'd share the Youtube channel Nigel set up. We're just doing it for fun; vlogging as the kids say. So, if you feel like checking it out, feel free.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqkvg-EJoeVZTG3qUGKAv8A
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqkvg-EJoeVZTG3qUGKAv8A
NigelSTW
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2013
We lucked out on the drive home. The weather was sunny and clear the entire drive. The only place we were slowed by traffic was as Li Li stated around Manassas, VA. We both were decently rested the night before. The only thing is either we should have decided to definitely make an overnight stop on the drive home if we were going to stop in MK or have left a couple hours earlier. Actually if we decided to stay over night we could have probably left around noon and it would have worked out. It was our first trip, and once we were within a couple hours of home when we started to sputter a bit stopping smacked of defeat.
I really enjoyed this trip. Turns out driving isn't that bad, although I would never dream of a trip under a week in length if I were driving down and back. The crowds were a bit much. They were not terrible. It might be chalked up to just general increase in traffic and not just November, but if the crowds were just 10 or 15% less would have been swell. The weather was good too. The Osbourne lights on there own were worth it especially since it light out now for them. Victoria and Albert's was a really neat experience. If one can swing it, and rationalize it, and maybe sell a spare kidney then it is definitely worth the price. I also learned that the magic does not full hit (at least for me) unless I am staying on property. The Comfort INN was very close to DS for our first night. It was very nice. It just did not feel right to me. The moment we stepped onto AoA a wave of joy and giddiness hit me that only access to a Refillable Mug and Staci on the TV gave exude.
Our next trip starts off a bit odd, but then kicks into high gear. Can't wait to read what we did again.
My vlogging skills are a work in progress. I shall leave it at that.
I really enjoyed this trip. Turns out driving isn't that bad, although I would never dream of a trip under a week in length if I were driving down and back. The crowds were a bit much. They were not terrible. It might be chalked up to just general increase in traffic and not just November, but if the crowds were just 10 or 15% less would have been swell. The weather was good too. The Osbourne lights on there own were worth it especially since it light out now for them. Victoria and Albert's was a really neat experience. If one can swing it, and rationalize it, and maybe sell a spare kidney then it is definitely worth the price. I also learned that the magic does not full hit (at least for me) unless I am staying on property. The Comfort INN was very close to DS for our first night. It was very nice. It just did not feel right to me. The moment we stepped onto AoA a wave of joy and giddiness hit me that only access to a Refillable Mug and Staci on the TV gave exude.
Our next trip starts off a bit odd, but then kicks into high gear. Can't wait to read what we did again.
My vlogging skills are a work in progress. I shall leave it at that.
TheMaxRebo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2008
Enjoyed the video - watched with Peter and he enjoyed it too ... especially the Monorails
I enjoyed the use of the word abscond
and also the music you usedI'll look to take some tips from yours as I have been toying with starting a Youtube channel - though it would be for craft beer to complement my blog
Great job!
TheMaxRebo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2008
Seems like a nice morning - and, hey, monorails always make anything better! It's nice you were able to say Goodbye to the Magic Kingdom, but can understand why leaving a little earlier would have been better
Glad you arrived home safe!
Glad you arrived home safe!
Li Li
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2012
A little exposition...
The time has come! Our official second trip of our ONE YEAR OF DISNEY had arrived. But not without some complications!
Originally, since this was a shorter trip, we decided to fly into MCO and grab the Magical Express, no rental car. It had been awhile since we had done this, and we thought it would be fun. Alas, the best laid plans. As we may have mentioned previously, Nigel’s dad dislocated his right shoulder just before Christmas. Being the stubborn retired physician he is, he ignored the instructions to sleep with his arm in a sling at night, and proceeded to re-dislocate it. This resulted in a doctor edict to refrain from driving. The problem was that he and his wife were scheduled for their annual driving pilgrimage down to Florida where they spend two months every winter.
Enter Li Li and Nigel to save the day! Since we already had plane reservations, we simply changed Nigel for Nigel’s mom on the flight down. Nigel left me two days prior to our flight with his dad to drive down to Florida, and Nigel’s mom and I would follow via the flight.
While Nigel was driving down to Florida, we had a snow squall!
Ike was less than impressed.
While I was dealing with snow, Nigel and his dad were making great time down to Florida. So much so that I got a text asking me to book a room at Pop for them for the night. I did so, and they arrived around 10:45 or so. So, 7 am to almost 11 pm drive for Nigel, with some stops obviously, but not bad at all.
The next day while Nigel and his dad were enjoying the Florida weather, I had one more day of work to get through!
Once work was over, I went home, did final bag packing (Nigel had taken one bag already on the drive down). Since our flight left at ungodly hour out of Phillly, Nigel’s mom and I spent the night in a hotel the night before. All packed up, we drove down to Philly and checked in.
Our room:
I guess the term “night” should be used loosely since we got up at 2 am in order to get ready and leave for the airport at 3 am.
Security went smoothly. We just had to reprint Nigel’s mom’s boarding pass since they screwed up her name. While waiting for one of only two (!) computers for boarding pass printout, I had the amusing experience of watching some woman act surprised that it cost more to check or carry on a bag at the airport.
I seriously don't get how people a) don't do their homework before getting to the airport and b) don't read emails or webpages which clearly state that it is cheaper to pay ahead than wait for the airport to pay. After she finally accepted she would have to pay $80 for her carryons, I got to use the computer. Of course, nothing was really open at this time of “morning”, so we just waited to board. We had a weird two-person aisle next to a backward-facing jump seat for the flight attendant.
Look how tiny the tray table was!
Once service started, we ordered a rice krispie treat and juice for Nigel’s mom and a rum for me. Yeah, I know. But, trust me, I was a lot happier on that flight once I drank the rum. She did split the rice krispie treat with me. It was one of those big ones.
The flight went fairly smooth. The captain announced turbulence once or twice, but if that was his idea of turbulence, I’ll take it.
We landed, and I turned on my phone to find these goofy guys had sent us a picture that they were waiting for us.
We sent them a blurry picture back.
Nigel and his dad had picked us up, and we were whisking away to Disney World! While on the way there, we got our text that our room was ready! The only request we had put in was for a corner room, not that it had to be ready first thing. So, it was really nice that it was ready for our arrival. Corner room, 7317. Parking lot view, but still very nice.
We stashed our bags in the room and went off to the food court for beignets with Nigel’s parents. They hadn’t had the beignets in awhile, so that was the one thing they requested. Nigel and I split a egg, ham, potato soufflé kind of thing. No pics; we didn't want to weird out the parents.
We saw off Nigel’s mom and dad as they were headed off to Sarasota and walked back to the room.
I told him to look happy.
I love this resort. So beautiful.
We then hopped a bus to the Magic Kingdom.
Nigel decided his hair was driving him crazy, having grown longer than he intended, so our first stop was Harmony Barbershop of course.
After the haircut, we started off exploring MK.
It was a pretty day.
We rode the railroad for the first time in a long while.
A nice family was in front of us and took our picture.
We took the train around the park for a circuit.
After our ride, we ended up stopping in Adventureland. Although it seems quick, it was approaching Noon, and we were feeling noshy since we had split a breakfast entrée. We decided to check out the new Skipper Canteen. We walked up to where there was a CM handing out menus for people to look at. We asked about the wait and she directed us to the check in podium. Only a five minute wait!! For a new restaurant? Crazy. Of course, we were going to wait no matter what, but it was crazy. We were seated quickly and the place was practically empty. Sad, but I think people are not willing to take the chance of not getting seated (or having a long wait) and not finding anything they like. We like lots of different food, so we were game for whatever.
Pretty empty.
One thing that I think a lot of reviews have not mentioned are the audio skits. We were seated near the kitchen area, near the Albert Falls door. Every so often, they played audio about the kitchen or different things that was really cute. Just something not everyone may have noticed.
In any case, here is our dishes:
Shu Mai - pork & shrimp dumplings
Complimentary bread.
Another angle
I got the Hot and Sour soup along with the Arepas and Nigel got the Mac n’ cheese with spiced ground beef. We LOVED it! Everything we had was fantastic! The shumai appetizer was delish. I’ll be honest, the bread and honey dipping sauce was only so-so, and we could’ve done without, but everything else was superb. I loved my soup and deconstructed arepas, and Nigel’s mac n’ cheese was great. We shared the entrees. I do hope the menu keeps its integrity. It would be sad to see it dumb down.
We took the shortcut to Frontierland and tried our hand at some shooting.
With the recent banning of guns, I have my suspicions that this attraction may be on the chopping block.
Action shot! And we both managed to hit targets! When you hit a target, it does a little effect, like the crow moves, stuff like that.
Afterward, I believe I exercised wifely prerogative and requested some shopping/browsing time since we had not had a lot of that in November. We browsed through the shops on Main Street. We happened upon a glass blowing display that was great. He was actually making a glass Xmas ornament that was lovely. And he shared that he had only just learned it during his time there in Disney! Amazing. It was really cool to see.
Love checking out the artwork.
Thought this print was cool.
Wall o' Mickeys
Also, obligatory photo pass pic.
After some Main Street browsing, we headed over to the Tiki Room because we had some birds to see!
I don't think we managed any Tiki Room pictures, but I can tell you that after the Tiki Tiki Room, I was pooped! I had been up since 2 am and it was now going on 2 pm. I had booked us for a Wishes FP among other things and there was no way I could keep going without a nap. So, Nigel graciously accompanied me to our room where I started a nap and he went in search of sustenance, aka ice cream treats!
Never fear, we shall return to MK in due course!
The time has come! Our official second trip of our ONE YEAR OF DISNEY had arrived. But not without some complications!
Originally, since this was a shorter trip, we decided to fly into MCO and grab the Magical Express, no rental car. It had been awhile since we had done this, and we thought it would be fun. Alas, the best laid plans. As we may have mentioned previously, Nigel’s dad dislocated his right shoulder just before Christmas. Being the stubborn retired physician he is, he ignored the instructions to sleep with his arm in a sling at night, and proceeded to re-dislocate it. This resulted in a doctor edict to refrain from driving. The problem was that he and his wife were scheduled for their annual driving pilgrimage down to Florida where they spend two months every winter.
Enter Li Li and Nigel to save the day! Since we already had plane reservations, we simply changed Nigel for Nigel’s mom on the flight down. Nigel left me two days prior to our flight with his dad to drive down to Florida, and Nigel’s mom and I would follow via the flight.
While Nigel was driving down to Florida, we had a snow squall!
Ike was less than impressed.
While I was dealing with snow, Nigel and his dad were making great time down to Florida. So much so that I got a text asking me to book a room at Pop for them for the night. I did so, and they arrived around 10:45 or so. So, 7 am to almost 11 pm drive for Nigel, with some stops obviously, but not bad at all.
The next day while Nigel and his dad were enjoying the Florida weather, I had one more day of work to get through!
Once work was over, I went home, did final bag packing (Nigel had taken one bag already on the drive down). Since our flight left at ungodly hour out of Phillly, Nigel’s mom and I spent the night in a hotel the night before. All packed up, we drove down to Philly and checked in.
Our room:
I guess the term “night” should be used loosely since we got up at 2 am in order to get ready and leave for the airport at 3 am.
Security went smoothly. We just had to reprint Nigel’s mom’s boarding pass since they screwed up her name. While waiting for one of only two (!) computers for boarding pass printout, I had the amusing experience of watching some woman act surprised that it cost more to check or carry on a bag at the airport.
I seriously don't get how people a) don't do their homework before getting to the airport and b) don't read emails or webpages which clearly state that it is cheaper to pay ahead than wait for the airport to pay. After she finally accepted she would have to pay $80 for her carryons, I got to use the computer. Of course, nothing was really open at this time of “morning”, so we just waited to board. We had a weird two-person aisle next to a backward-facing jump seat for the flight attendant.
Look how tiny the tray table was!
Once service started, we ordered a rice krispie treat and juice for Nigel’s mom and a rum for me. Yeah, I know. But, trust me, I was a lot happier on that flight once I drank the rum. She did split the rice krispie treat with me.
It was one of those big ones.The flight went fairly smooth. The captain announced turbulence once or twice, but if that was his idea of turbulence, I’ll take it.
We landed, and I turned on my phone to find these goofy guys had sent us a picture that they were waiting for us.
We sent them a blurry picture back.
Nigel and his dad had picked us up, and we were whisking away to Disney World! While on the way there, we got our text that our room was ready! The only request we had put in was for a corner room, not that it had to be ready first thing. So, it was really nice that it was ready for our arrival. Corner room, 7317. Parking lot view, but still very nice.
We stashed our bags in the room and went off to the food court for beignets with Nigel’s parents. They hadn’t had the beignets in awhile, so that was the one thing they requested. Nigel and I split a egg, ham, potato soufflé kind of thing. No pics; we didn't want to weird out the parents.
We saw off Nigel’s mom and dad as they were headed off to Sarasota and walked back to the room.
I told him to look happy.
I love this resort. So beautiful.
We then hopped a bus to the Magic Kingdom.
Nigel decided his hair was driving him crazy, having grown longer than he intended, so our first stop was Harmony Barbershop of course.
After the haircut, we started off exploring MK.
It was a pretty day.
We rode the railroad for the first time in a long while.
A nice family was in front of us and took our picture.
We took the train around the park for a circuit.
After our ride, we ended up stopping in Adventureland. Although it seems quick, it was approaching Noon, and we were feeling noshy since we had split a breakfast entrée. We decided to check out the new Skipper Canteen. We walked up to where there was a CM handing out menus for people to look at. We asked about the wait and she directed us to the check in podium. Only a five minute wait!! For a new restaurant? Crazy. Of course, we were going to wait no matter what, but it was crazy. We were seated quickly and the place was practically empty. Sad, but I think people are not willing to take the chance of not getting seated (or having a long wait) and not finding anything they like. We like lots of different food, so we were game for whatever.
Pretty empty.
One thing that I think a lot of reviews have not mentioned are the audio skits. We were seated near the kitchen area, near the Albert Falls door. Every so often, they played audio about the kitchen or different things that was really cute. Just something not everyone may have noticed.
In any case, here is our dishes:
Shu Mai - pork & shrimp dumplings
Complimentary bread.
Another angle
I got the Hot and Sour soup along with the Arepas and Nigel got the Mac n’ cheese with spiced ground beef. We LOVED it! Everything we had was fantastic! The shumai appetizer was delish. I’ll be honest, the bread and honey dipping sauce was only so-so, and we could’ve done without, but everything else was superb. I loved my soup and deconstructed arepas, and Nigel’s mac n’ cheese was great. We shared the entrees. I do hope the menu keeps its integrity. It would be sad to see it dumb down.
We took the shortcut to Frontierland and tried our hand at some shooting.
With the recent banning of guns, I have my suspicions that this attraction may be on the chopping block.
Action shot! And we both managed to hit targets! When you hit a target, it does a little effect, like the crow moves, stuff like that.
Afterward, I believe I exercised wifely prerogative and requested some shopping/browsing time since we had not had a lot of that in November. We browsed through the shops on Main Street. We happened upon a glass blowing display that was great. He was actually making a glass Xmas ornament that was lovely. And he shared that he had only just learned it during his time there in Disney! Amazing. It was really cool to see.
Love checking out the artwork.
Thought this print was cool.
Wall o' Mickeys
Also, obligatory photo pass pic.
After some Main Street browsing, we headed over to the Tiki Room because we had some birds to see!
I don't think we managed any Tiki Room pictures, but I can tell you that after the Tiki Tiki Room, I was pooped! I had been up since 2 am and it was now going on 2 pm. I had booked us for a Wishes FP among other things and there was no way I could keep going without a nap. So, Nigel graciously accompanied me to our room where I started a nap and he went in search of sustenance, aka ice cream treats!
Never fear, we shall return to MK in due course!
NigelSTW
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2013
As Li Li pointed out I drove my Dad and I down in a day. We were not necessarily planning on reaching Orlando in a day, but traffic and weather cooperated. Also, a big help with tracking traffic and such was the Waze App. It was a lifesaver once or twice. It routed us around some terrible traffic north of D.C. that probably save us at least an hour or so. Anyhow, I had hope to at least reach Savannah before stopping for the night, but given how we were making great time I soon realized somewhere in Georgia that Orlando was a reasonable goal. The final destination was Sarasota and we were never going to make it the extra two hours there beyond Orlando. That's when I decided to iMessage Li Li with a request to see if we could get a room at Pop Century. By the time we reached the Florida/Georgia line our room was booked and waiting. Dad thought I was bit nuts. It's Disney. Why the heck not. It was his first time sleeping on property since 1990 when we stayed at the Tree House Villas.
We were in our room before 11am as check in was a breeze. Dad did his arm exercise stuff and I picked up some beverages at Everything Pop. Dad was anxious to get to Sarasota to unpack the SUV and set up the house so we were up by 7am and off property by 8am or so. It was too soon. I wanted to stop and get some Mickey Waffles, but instead we just hit the road. Apparently, Sarasota was threatening to disappear or something. The waffles would have to wait. We made it to their rental house by Noon. This included a stop at Sam's Club and Target for supplies. I unpacked the car. I unpacked it while trying to keep my dad from doing too much. I am a lawyer not an Orthopedic surgeon I can't reset a shoulder. Anyway, by the time that was all done the marathon drive from the day before hit me like a ton of bricks and I was a zombie for the rest of the day. We did manage lunch at Saint Armands Square, and a supply run at Public. (Man. I love a Publix. We idon'thave them in the Northeast. We have a Wegmans, which are better but rare. Oh well.) We hit the bed around 11pm for a 5am wake up so we could be on the road to pick up Li Li and my mom from MCO when they landed. Again, we lucked out with traffic and made it with a few minutes to wait while they disembarked.
I did not take many pics at all on the drive down. For one thing I did all the driving, and for another I am pretty sure my Dad would think it weird.
Reunited with Li Li it was time for our joint adventure to begin. Unfortunately, there was no ME. I was really looking forward to it. Perhaps on another trip during our one year bender.
Here's a video accompaniment of this trip so far.
We were in our room before 11am as check in was a breeze. Dad did his arm exercise stuff and I picked up some beverages at Everything Pop. Dad was anxious to get to Sarasota to unpack the SUV and set up the house so we were up by 7am and off property by 8am or so. It was too soon. I wanted to stop and get some Mickey Waffles, but instead we just hit the road. Apparently, Sarasota was threatening to disappear or something. The waffles would have to wait. We made it to their rental house by Noon. This included a stop at Sam's Club and Target for supplies. I unpacked the car. I unpacked it while trying to keep my dad from doing too much. I am a lawyer not an Orthopedic surgeon I can't reset a shoulder. Anyway, by the time that was all done the marathon drive from the day before hit me like a ton of bricks and I was a zombie for the rest of the day. We did manage lunch at Saint Armands Square, and a supply run at Public. (Man. I love a Publix. We idon'thave them in the Northeast. We have a Wegmans, which are better but rare. Oh well.) We hit the bed around 11pm for a 5am wake up so we could be on the road to pick up Li Li and my mom from MCO when they landed. Again, we lucked out with traffic and made it with a few minutes to wait while they disembarked.
I did not take many pics at all on the drive down. For one thing I did all the driving, and for another I am pretty sure my Dad would think it weird.
Reunited with Li Li it was time for our joint adventure to begin. Unfortunately, there was no ME. I was really looking forward to it. Perhaps on another trip during our one year bender.
Here's a video accompaniment of this trip so far.
Last edited:
Ensusieasm
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2013
BOG breakfast does include a drink, and you can order a kids meal or share a meal. They have a gray stuff cupcake for breakfast now.So, real life, sorta PTR update. Also, I'm procrastinating from work.
I'm almost done with November. Tonight I'll have a quick post about our quick last morning and maybe some final thoughts/wrap up. And then it's straight into January's trip report! I actually can't wait to start that one because we had a lot of fun and still had some new experiences! Two words: Darth Vader!
And we are only 62 days away from our next trip!!! Crazy! I haven't been planning too much, but I am anxiously awaiting more details on the new River of Lights show since that will definitely be a priority.
Of course, I've been agonizing over where to dine as usual. Right now I have: Garden Grill breakfast (we've never been even for lunch or dinner so definitely new to us), Tea at Grand Floridian, dinner at Diamond Horseshoe, and BoG breakfast. We've also been toying with trying Jiko.
Unsurprisingly, my biggest agony is over BoG. What is my obsession with Be Our Guest? Is it my love of the movie? The incredible theming/atmosphere to bring my fav movie to life? Mob mentality? I honestly don't know. We've had dinner and lunch there, both were good. Not amazing but fine. I know it's the atmosphere I'm really paying for. So, I thought I'd round out our experience and try breakfast. BUT, I just read that they upped the price of breakfast again!!
Thanks for reading my delirium.
I love getting in MK early and slowly walking down Main Street with hardly anyone else around.
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