Oh dear, was I ever behind!! Getting myself caught up now just in time for the TR-ing to get going. I hope you had a wonderful trip with your kids!!
And now.... your turn! What is your favorite thing to do or place to go at DTD?
Ohhh dear...tough one! So Erin McKenna's is probably my favourite little piece of heaven at DTD. (I guess if we're going to use old names for things here, [e.g. DTD] then I should probably call it Babycakes instead!) It's such a luxury to have amazing bakery treats that I can eat safely. I just discovered a new type of cupcake there on our last trip that was rocking my world! I also love Basin, even if I don't purchase anything. But I like their lotion, and Nathan likes the bath bombs, so we sometimes bring a couple of little luxuries home with us. I also remember that my favourite place here when I was a wee little one was Rainforest Cafe! I brought home one of those little pucks that you put in water and it turns into a washcloth, and it was miraculous to me!
It is NOT for the weak or faint-hearted. If you cannot jog, risk being jostled, have a short temper, or are claustrophobic, sit this out. No really. It was terrifying. I won’t do it again alone but will once with my kids.
It sounded horrifying! I'd find this very stressful. I'm impressed that you will have done it more than once!
Your turn! Have you been to the Food and Wine Festival? If so, what has been your most memorable (good or bad) dish? And more importantly, how can I design my car to beat my son?
I've finally been to Food and Wine! There are a lot of things I can't eat there, and others that I shouldn't eat but did anyway
I liked the crispy pork belly with black beans/tomato/onions from Brazil, and also the liquid nitro truffle.
Hopefully my flabby thighs won’t create too much of a seismic disturbance as we trot to the newly opened Land
This would, admittedly be a bad time for a repeat blood letting performance such as I had last year in Animal Kingdom. They may or may not have called ahead to let them know I’m coming so a spill kit can be ready.
Oooohhh I hope not!! That was quite the day!
After Sanaa, (Come to Mommy, My Sweet little Bread Service…)
Nom! I hope this happened.
And now, it's YOUR turn: Which trail do you prefer- Maharaja or Gorilla Falls? And why?
Tough call. I think I like Maharaja slightly more as well. I love the tigers, and I'm crazy about the theming and artistry. The prayer flags are beautiful. And I also find this trail tends to feel less congested when we go, compared to the bottlenecks we encounter on the gorilla trail.
Or, if you've never been on either of them.... which would you rather do with the evening at AK: wandering in Pandora, ROL, or watching the TOL Awakening? You can only choose one... No, really you can't do all 3 due to timing of park closing now.
TOL Awakenings for sure. I find it a beautiful and peaceful end to the evening, and definitely my favourite of the new-ish nighttime offerings.
Speaking of EPCOT’s entrance, y’all know that a LOT of EPCOT, including the entrance is going to be going through a ton of changes, right?
Yes.
I'm sure it will be a wonderful overhaul. I'm just weirdly emotionally tied to Future World. I will be interested to see what comes next though! If I am being completely objective, I think it's probably time for a serious update. The only thing I'm really sad about is the loss of the Fountain of Nations.
Now it’s YOUR turn: What are your World Showcase traditions? First: Your favorite WS restaurant and, secondly, what non-food-related thing do you love to do? Pick-a-pearl? A certain show or attraction? A particular photo op?
WS restaurant...hmm...Possibly Teppan Edo. We don't eat habachi at home so it's a novelty, and our meals have been excellent when we've been here. We've also had great meals at Rose and Crown. We're trying La Hacienda for the first time in December! One of my favourite activities that's not food related is to splurge on a henna tattoo. I also love pin trading around the world and chatting with cast members as we go.
Do you take afternoon breaks and if so (or not) does it depend on whether you have/had little ones along? Do you find you really do recharge if you do? My bus luck stinks so I can count on a 30-minute wait each way. I hate to burn up an hour plus walking time!
Yep! Most days! (And we never have little ones along.) We've had a vehicle with us at the parks the last few trips though, so that helps. I find I have a hard time making it through the entire day without a bit of a recharge. But sometimes just taking it easy in a quiet attraction, or over a longer lunch is enough to do the trick.
So, for the sake of switching things up and, in the interest of having something different to write about, the plan is to hit up the Harbor House, CR’s, or a place I’ve, believe it or not, never tried, Pinocchio’s.
Nice! Where did you end up going? I love Columbia Harbor House, and I actually really like Pinocchio's too these days.
Now, it’s your turn: What is your favorite night-time show and how do you feel about the several recent changes (Wishes to HEA, Illuminations to whatever it is now (sorry, too lazy to look it up), the changes at HS with a new projection show, etc….)?? Do you often stay for them, or jet so you can get on a bus without a 4-mile long line?
Fantasmic! is my favourite of the current offerings. I was a big fan of Wishes before it was retired because of the nostalgia associated with it, the reliance on more fireworks, the fact that you could watch it from many places in the park, and because it was story-heavy. When we watch Fantasmic, especially, I always stay till the end. The very last moment of the show is by far the very best part, and I always feel bad for the people who duck out before it and miss out. I like to sit and wait for 15 mins or so after it's over if I'm not in a rush. The theatre clears out quickly and then you don't have to do the stuck-in-a-crowd waddle all the way down that long path.
Your turn: Do you have a less-visited, not-very-popular attraction that is a family favorite or must-do for you that you love to visit simply for scratching that nostalgic itch?
I'm not sure about what I'd pick for me personally, but for Nathan and I collectively as a couple it would definitely be the Winnie the Pooh ride in Magic Kingdom. It just so happens that it was the first ride I took Nathan on during his first ever trip.
I know many of my readers have collections, some very large and some very small or limited. Do you collect anything (in addition to a load of credit card debt) from your trips? Could be free stuff, or paid, any category. Do you display it, use it, wear it, etc...?
Like you, I also collect Disney pins! I have quite a pin problem, to be honest. I also trade, both in the parks, and in mail trades through online Facebook groups. My pin collection is ginormous and getting out of control. But most of my favourite pins are the ones I pick up to represent parts of our trips, like parties or EPCOT festivals, or resort pins. My pride and joy is my Merida pin collection. I also collect Animal Kingdom pins, Sulley pins, Bing Bong pins, current hidden mickeys pins, and sometimes mystery boxes/bags will catch my eye. I've also purchased a few Dooney and Bourke bags that are quite treasured. And even on trips where we're keeping a pretty tight budget, I've taken to bringing home one or two mini tsum tsum plushes from each trip since they're small and easy to pack/store.
And now… it’s YOUR turn! Do you have any last day traditions? Parks you have to do last? Things you need to “say good-bye” to? Do you relax and pack slowly, or milk every minute out of park time? And what do you make sure you take home with you? A certain snack? Toiletries?
We don't really have traditions for our last day, other than feeling depressed.
Often our flights end up being really early in the morning. So I guess one tradition is staying out later than we should at the parks the night before, even though we'll have an early wake up call, because it's just too hard to leave knowing that you'll be on a plane the next day headed home.
Who are the Planners here and who are the Just Wing-its? Planners? WHAT do you plan and how do you organize your thoughts and notes? Wing-Its? Do you go without any ADRs or FiPs? And do you plan out your schedule at all?
I'm definitely more of a planner. Even when we decide that a trip will be more loosey-goosey, the closer we get to the actual trip the more I tend to sneak in plans here and there until it's still pretty structured in the end. This November I've decided that we won't do ADRs quite as frequently as on past trips (at most one per day,) and I've made some FPs, but won't necessarily stick to them. ...we'll see how that holds as the trip gets closer.
AFTER the new (and hopefully improved, but probably not) fireworks at 10:45
I'm curious to see what you thought of them. I have an opinion, but I'll wait to share it until either you give yours first, or I get to mine in my eventual TR.
What are your top priorities at the parties (any of them) and what do you wish they'd change or add?
Parade!! After the parade, fireworks, and any particularly interesting shows. (e.g. I like the Tomorrowland show at the Christmas party, and the Hocus Pocus show at the Halloween party.) We don't really do much trick or treating because it looses its appeal for allergy folks like myself. I like the rides with overlays, and I also like to squeeze in a few magic shots (especially if we're dressed up for the Halloween party!) I'm also a character fan, so I like to choose one character meet that will likely have a longer line (e.g. Pooh and friends, or Moana,) and then whoever else we can meet with a sub-30-minute line is just a bonus.
At 10:00 I get a quick last nail job (Haunted Mansion Purple!!)
Nice choice!
I hope you had a wonderful trip! You absolutely deserved it. Can't wait to hear about it!
La, la, la, la, I can't hear you.......
Then again I only pack half the amount of undies for a DVC trip cause I have a washer and dryer in the room. I'll need to rethink that for this upcoming trip as the second half of the stay is in a regular hotel room.
on eBay. I bet like with Tiki Mugs there will be 1st generation droids, and when people can only get later generations, the earlier ones may become possibly valuable.
