The things people say! May 4-11, 2024 Trip Report

[lulu2121]

Saturday May 4 to Saturday May 11

This trip was planned “last minute” for us. I say that because we usually plan over a year ahead of time, but this trip came together a little less than a month out. We were planning a vacation for this week, but it originally did not involve WDW. Until about four months prior, it didn’t even involve Florida. I am a schemer though, and I can always make the Disney math look good to DH. He knows this and is a more than willing participant every time! We’ve made 20+ trips, with at least half of these without our now grown kids.

Who’s the us? Me (Christie) and my DH Doug.



Why? Because we needed it. The last few months have been stressful. Where? Split stay between a value studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House on rented points for 3 nights and the remaining 4 nights at Coronado Springs. Well, that was the plan anyway. Let’s wait to see what happens!

We bought annual passes a couple of weeks before the trip. We were planning to buy them for a September trip, but I persuaded (schemed) Doug into agreeing to buy them for this trip. We’ll use them again in September, February, and April/May. We’ve already planned and scheduled September and February, and were planning for September 2025. I pointed out we’d use the APs for the same amount of weeks but would just go in April/May 2025 instead of September. Doug jumped onboard quickly.

Day 0 – The Day Before We Left

This was Friday, May 3. We live outside of Louisville, KY and work in the city so this was a half day holiday for me as it was Oaks Day (the Kentucky Derby was the next day). My office closed at noon, and I finished up my last minute things and got out of there about 12:15. I decided to treat myself with a pedicure on my way home. It had been a busy week with long work days, appointments, and a few Derby week festivities. Doug is off on Fridays anyway so he did some things at home this day – maybe worked in his garden and finished mowing the grass.

We had met some friends at a restaurant on the Ohio River for the Great Steamboat Race on Wednesday evening. One of our favorite local bands was playing, and we had a great time. The Balloon Glow was cancelled the Saturday prior due to wind, so a few ballons took off during the race which was pretty neat.



I had pre-packed earlier in the week, so most of our things were in packing cubes or gathered up to go.



Once I got home around three, I figured out which suitcases would hold all of our stuff. I was hoping for one large bag and one small bag, but we ended up with two large bags. I always feel that it’s too much luggage for just the two us, but then we get to the airport and inevitably someone else has like 14 bags and I feel better.

We headed out around 6:30 to grab dinner at our local pizza spot. I think we were back home and in bed by 8:30. I went to sleep pretty easily by 9:30. And then I was wide awake by 1:30 a.m. Uugghhh. I finally gave in and grabbed my phone. I checked out the DIS, probably looked at Amazon, and decided to check WDW’s site just to see if there was any different room/resort availability at the AP rate for the CSR portion of our stay. I had been doing this and had already changed our reservation for the second half of our stay a few times. We started out at ASMovies, then CSR in a water view room (it’s only $300 more), and then I changed it to CSR in a king room (it’s only $150 more). Well, there was a resort view room at Wilderness Lodge for what I deemed to be a fairly reasonable rate. I tried to change my CSR reservation, but the WDW website has been a little wonky lately on my phone when I’ve tried to modify a reservation. I wasn’t unpacking my laptop at 2:30 in the morning while Doug was snoring so I let it go. I tried to sleep but was fully awake until my alarm went off at 3:45 a.m.

 

[lulu2121]

Day 1 – Saturday, May 4 - I’m sorry, my cousin was murdered yesterday.

May the Fourth be with You! Or, since it was Derby Day, May the Horse be with You! Someone had posted this on Facebook, and I got a chuckle out of it. So the alarm goes off at 3:45 a.m., but I’m already wide awake. At least now I can jump out of bed and get this show on the road. It’s Disney Day! I shower, brush my teeth, do makeup, etc., and somewhere around 4:20 I tell Doug about the room I found in the middle of the night at Wilderness Lodge. Did I mention it’s our favorite resort? And this is a trip for our 24th anniversary? And it was only $500 more. (Do you see the dangerous pattern here? I admitted to scheming.) Doug told me to see if it was still available and to make the change. I pulled that laptop out as fast as I could and started modifying (while also trying to blow dry my hair). By 4:30, WL was booked! We ended up changing some plans around because now we’d have the extra evening hours in Magic Kingdom on the Wednesday night. I finished getting ready quickly, and we spent 10 minutes shoving last minute stuff into the suitcases, weighing the suitcases, and then shuffling stuff around to make sure we were under the weight limit on each and things were pretty evenly distributed. It was 5:00 a.m., and my parents arrived to drive us to the airport. We loaded up and made the 30 minute drive.

We checked our bags at the Southwest counter, went through security with precheck, even doubled-back to security because I forgot to grab my fleece jacket off the conveyor belt, and were waiting at our gate within 10 minutes of drop off at the airport.

I pulled out the laptop again and made changes to park reservations and an ADR or two while we waited at the gate. Last minute restroom runs were made, and I grabbed a drink for each of us for the plane. I started reading my first book of the trip, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and then I knew vacation had truly begun.

We had a nonstop flight from Louisville to Orlando departing at 7:25 and arriving at 9:25 a.m. The flight left on time and was an easy ride. We arrived at MCO and headed to baggage claim. We found the carousel with our flight listed and waited. And waited. And then I noticed our flight was no longer listed on the screen above Carousel 13. About that time, we heard the announcement that our luggage would be on another carousel. We moved over and bags were already making their way out. Baggage claim was an absolute zoo this day! There were people everywhere. They kept making changes so people kept moving around, and no one knew where to go. We finally grabbed our bags and got the heck out of there. We were using Mears Connect this trip so we headed back up the elevator, over to Terminal B, and back downstairs.

We get to the Mears check in at 10:17, and the Mears employee is crying. When she checked in the people in front of us, I thought maybe her eyes were just watering. Allergies or something. But when we got to her, I realized she was actually crying and seemed distressed. I asked if she was okay, and she said, “I’m sorry, my cousin was murdered yesterday.” I feel awful and tell her I’m so sorry, and she just keeps checking us in and tells us which lane to go to. I still feel bad for that poor woman and her family! And slightly bad for using this quote in this trip report, but I had to include it because it was such a weird/strange/out of the ordinary interaction and pulled me out of my Disney cloud a bit.


We waited in line for just a few minutes and were directed onto a bus at 10:24. We didn’t wait too long and were soon on our way. The bus dropped off first at one of the AllStars (I think it was Movies, but it could have been Music), and then headed to AKL Jambo House. We arrived at 11:28. We dropped our bags with Bell Services and immediately made our way to the bus stop. We had excellent bus luck this trip.



As soon as we got to the spot for Epcot, a bus pulled in. We arrived at our first park of the trip by noon. We quickly went to the ticket window to have our APs activated and where in the park a few minutes later.



Our plan was to grab lunch at the Flower & Garden booths, maybe catch a ride or two, and then head back to AKL for the evening. Upon entering Epcot, we looked over towards the Creations Shop to see how the line looked for the passholder magnet. It looked loooong so we decided to skip it that day.

I asked Doug which direction he wanted to go first. Canada is always the correct answer between the two of us. I know, an extremely unpopular opinion. However, Rose & Crown is home of our favorite Epcot libation, the Cider & Black, and Canada is the quickest way to get to it! We stopped first at the Northern Bloom booth for the Beef Tenderloin Tips and Seared Scallops. I thought about the Chocolate Maple Whiskey Cake, but we passed and decided to get dessert later. Big mistake. Colossal mistake. My only regret of the trip. Should have gotten this cake first, but more on it later when we actually did get the cake. I also picked up the Collective Arts Brewing Grapefruit Lime Sour beer.



I like a good sour beer and enjoyed this. Doug took a sip and that was enough for him. The beef was exactly as expected, tender and really good. The scallops were cooked well, but I thought there was a bit too much of a vinegary taste from the bacon vinaigrette. Doug liked them. The green beans were good though and didn’t taste like vinegar. There were more of them than it appears in this photo.

Next stop was Rose & Crown for a Cider & Black.



Terrible photo as you can’t see what is in the cups so you’ll just have to trust me.

We continued to stroll around World Showcase and sip our drinks. We stopped in Morrocco to check out the AP Lounge. There were two lines going so it was a bit confusing at first. They were taking phone numbers for a call back, and it was about a 45 minute wait minute to get called back to enter the lounge. We decided to skip it as we wanted to keep moving.

We stopped at the Hanami booth and each got our own Steam Bun. These were good and pretty filling. I was a little concerned at first because the bun was really stuck to the paper, but the texture was just as it should have been.



We stopped just past Italy as it was nearing 1:00, and we wanted to try for the virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy. I thought I had taken a photo of our boarding group number and estimated wait, but I must not have. It was a high number, and it was obvious it was going to be late in the evening before our group was called. We were pretty sure we weren’t going to be in the park long enough to use it. While we were waiting to join the virtual queue, I was scoping out the food the lady next to me was eating. She had the Warm Cheese Strudel, and it looked amazing. This was not on my radar as a must get dish until I saw it!

Our next stop was Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market. We got the Toasted Pretzel Bread and Warm Cheese Strudel. I know the idea of pretzel bread, ham, and cheese is about as basic as it gets, but this was so good! The pretzel bread was really soft, and it just hit the spot. We also really enjoyed cheese strudel. It wasn’t two sweet as the berry mixture wasn’t too heavy/sticky/syrupy, if that makes any sense. This picture does not do these dishes justice.



We were stuffed at this point and made our way back out of World Showcase. We saw some topiaries along the way.




Continued in next post.

 

[lulu2121]

Day 1 – Saturday, May 4 - Part 2
It was time for our first ride of the trip! What did we choose? Living with the Land! It only had a 10-minute wait. We started our boat ride, but something must have been wrong with the speakers on our boat. It was really hard to hear the narration. We still enjoyed it though.



We decided to wait in the line for Soarin’ next. It was posted as a 35-minute wait. I think we probably waited a bit longer than this for the ride. We did luck out and get row B1.

We headed to the Seas with Nemo & Friends next. I think it was posted at 10 minutes, but it was really just a walk through the queue. About 3:44, we received our room ready notice.

We walked through Moana’s Journey of Water. This was pretty neat, but we didn’t play with all of the interactive elements as it was pretty crowded. I think this would be a lot of fun for kids, and we’re looking forward to doing this on February trip with our granddaughter.



We headed toward Spaceship Earth before leaving the park. We had a 10-minute wait or so. I think Doug got his nap in on this ride.

We headed to the bus stop at 4:55, and a bus pulled up within a minute.



Once we got back to the resort, we stopped at Bell Services and grabbed our luggage before heading to our room. We were assigned Room 5120 at AKL Jambo House. This was a value studio booked on rented points. We were pleasantly surprised that we had a savannah view!



We had zebras right outside of our room! We’ve stayed at AKL previously, but this was definitely the best view we’ve ever had. Granted, we’ve never paid for a savannah view room.



Since this was a value studio, it was a little smaller than a standard studio. We didn’t mind this at all and actually preferred the setup of this room with the bed next to the balcony and the sofa on the side nearer to the door. It makes it feel like the room is more spacious.



The bath and kitchenette areas are the same in the value studios as the standard ones.

 

[lulu2121]

Day 1 – Saturday, May 4 - Part 3
At some point during this day, we booked a reservation for dinner at Boma. Actually, after typing that and thinking about it more (and not being able to find a reservation confirmation email), we may have just joined the walk up list. If so, I think it was only a 10 minute wait. By 6:05, I had my first plate.



My apologies as this does not look pretty, but the food was great! Going counterclockwise, I had a rib, salmon, sweet corn pudding, olive oil herbed-crushed potatoes, spiced green beans with golden raisins, couscous salad, and a piece of corn bread. The small bowl is watermelon and tomato salad. The larger bowl contains a seafood stew. I didn’t dislike the stew, but I found the seafood and the type of spice used to be a slightly weird combination.

No photos of Doug’s plate, but it was similar with a lot more loaded on it. We each went back for seconds of our favorite items and then moved onto dessert.



Breading pudding, apple and cranberry tart, and cheesecake. All were very good. Doug also tried a hazelnut brownie and a zebra dome. Boma is always a solid choice for dinner on the first day of a trip. We’ve done it previously even when staying at another resort.

After dinner, we headed back to the room to change into swimsuits and went out to the pool. We got in the pool for a few minutes, but we felt a little cool this evening. We headed for the hot tub quickly. We relaxed there about 15-20 minutes and then headed back to the room to call it a night.

Oh, and our boarding group for GOTG was finally called around 8:15 pm.

 

[Sajchinook2015]

Love your Disney math for upgrading your resort and AP’s. I am going to try it.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I’m joining in!

I may have to try those scallops - we have only one day at F&G and I’m struggling with what to order. I also appreciate your recommendation for the chocolate whiskey cake!

And mmmmmm, Boma! I loved my meal there in 2016 and can’t wait to eat there again in a few weeks!

 

[DeeBee3]

I cannot believe that poor girl had to go to work!

 

[footballmouse]

That was quite a jump from All-Stars to WL! I like it.

 

[kclark9830]

Joining in! How did you manage to snag a value studio at AKL? I've tried in the past and always been unable!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Joining in! Great view in the value studio!
I love your scheming, glad I am not the only one!

 

[lulu2121]

Love your Disney math for upgrading your resort and AP’s. I am going to try it.

It makes the bank account hurt, but it was so worth it!

I’m joining in!

I may have to try those scallops - we have only one day at F&G and I’m struggling with what to order. I also appreciate your recommendation for the chocolate whiskey cake!

And mmmmmm, Boma! I loved my meal there in 2016 and can’t wait to eat there again in a few weeks!

That cake was the best thing I ate!

That was quite a jump from All-Stars to WL! I like it.

It was! WL is our absolute favorite resort, and there are no regrets!

Joining in! Great view in the value studio!
I love your scheming, glad I am not the only one!

Thanks! I've read many of your trips reports and always enjoy them!

Joining in! How did you manage to snag a value studio at AKL? I've tried in the past and always been unable!

I'm a member of a couple Facebook groups for DVC rentals. It was a confirmed reservation that just happened to work for our dates and was the right price. I jumped on it as soon as I saw the post!

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more

 

[lulu2121]

I cannot believe that poor girl had to go to work!

I hope the rest of her day went easier. I understand needing to work for the paycheck and/or not having time to take off. I hope her coworkers were compassionate and patient with her. She's still in my thoughts for healing and peace.

 

[lulu2121]

Day 2 – Sunday, May 5 – It’s the only face I’ve got.

I was up at 7:00 this morning to try for the virtual queue for Tron. I was hoping for a later group early in the afternoon, but luck was not on my side. I think we ended up with boarding group 27. Second VQ fail on my part! I should have waited for the 1:00 drop.

I had a Kroger delivery scheduled for water, soda, tequila and margarita mix, and it arrived right at 8:00. We met the driver outside in front of the lobby. We only received half the amount of margarita mix, and I had even selected a substitute, but it then it occurred to me that it was Cinco de Mayo! No wonder they were short on mixer. One thing I appreciate is that Kroger refrigerates the drinks in the truck on the way to deliver so everything shows up already cold. We loaded up the fridge once we got everything back to the room.

We grabbed breakfast at the Mara around 8:45 and enjoyed it at the outside dining area. Doug had the savanna platter, and I got the Mickey waffles with berries and whipped cream. Thinking back on this, these were the only Mickey waffles I ate all week.

We went back to the room and checked out the view from the balcony. We saw ostriches, giraffes, and long-horned cattle.


Once we got our fill of the animals, I mixed up a batch of margaritas, packed our cooler, we changed into swimsuits, and headed down to the pool about 9:50. The pool was scheduled to open at 10, and the lifeguards unlocked the gates about 5 minutes early. We grabbed chairs in a corner under an umbrella. It was getting some morning sun, but after about an hour, we had shade for the rest of the day. I think I had an early nap this day. A pool nap is definitely the best kind of nap! We spent the next few hours alternating between the pool and our chairs, me reading and Doug napping/looking at his phone. I finished my first book, and moved onto my second, The Last Mrs. Parrish.

Around 4:00, we decided to head up to our room to get ready to head to Magic Kingdom. On the bus ride there, I decided food needed to be the first order of business upon arriving. Not exciting, but we headed to Cosmic Ray’s and each had the spicy chicken sandwich with fries. From there, we went to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. I think it was posted as a 25 minute wait, but it was probably more like 20. Doug made Galactic Hero, but I came up a little short at only 710,900 points.



We cut across the park then and rode Pirates of Caribbean (25 minutes), followed by Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (25 minutes), Haunted Mansion (30 minutes), and It’s a Small World (complete walk on).

 

[lulu2121]

Day 2 – Sunday, May 5 - Part 2
Next we headed to Dumbo, which was a complete walk on, and we even got to choose which side.



I asked him to not make faces, and his response was, “It’s the only face I’ve got.”

This one is slightly better. This is a recurring theme. It don’t know what he was trying to do with his eyebrows, but I had to tell him to fix his face every time I took a photo. LOL

From there we went to the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It had a posted wait of 35 minutes, and I think we waited every bit of that. We got out of our honey pot and decided to head toward the castle to find a spot to watch Happily Ever After. It was about 8:45, and I was happy to not be directly in front of the castle or in the Hub area at all. I wanted to see them, but I always didn’t want to feel the crush during or after. We took the bridge across from Cosmic Ray’s and found a good spot right at the end of the bridge just outside of the hub.



We managed to position ourselves within the taped off area, but we stood our ground so we could see between the turret in the photo on the left side and the trees which were over on the right. If you aren’t paying attention while you wait in this area, it would be easy to get jostled around as the space filled in right before the show started, which could result in a terrible view if either that turret or the trees blocked the view by moving just a couple feet either direction. Doug ran to get us bottles of water while we were waiting for the show to start.



Happily Ever After was amazing as always. This show gives me all of the feels!

Once it ended, we made our way to SDMT. The wait was posted at 55 minutes, but it was much shorter. I think we were off the ride by 9:45ish, and we headed to Space Mountain for our final ride of the night. It had a 50 minute wait posted, but our ride photo was taken at 10:19 so not bad at all. I wanted to stop at the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor for my single scoop strawberry cone with Mickey ears (I’m a simple girl and it’s tradition), but we were just a couple of minutes too late and the doors had already been closed. Boo to that.

We made our way out of the park and to the buses. There was an AKL bus pulling out when we were about one stop from it. But not to worry, by the time we got to and walked through the queue, another bus pulled up. We boarded, followed by one other couple, and the bus departed. We were glad we missed the first bus as it looked like it was full, and we would have been standing. Can’t beat an empty bus at 10:45 p.m.!

 

[lulu2121]

Day 3 – Monday, May 6 – Don’t be so huffy about it!

Happy 24th Anniversary to us! We planned to take it easy this day. We started with breakfast at Boma at 8:45. I had noted our anniversary on the reservation. Our server was super sweet and brought us complimentary champagne to celebrate!



Food photo fail on my part. I missed my first plate entirely. I had a piece of ham with the mustard sauce (love that sauce!), asparagus, a link of sausage, I managed to find a couple of pieces of non-greasy bacon, a yogurt with granola and berries, and a pecan sticky bun. I was really disappointed to find that they no longer have the watermelon with mint and pistachios! I know that is a super simple thing, but I love it and I missed it. The photo above was my second plate. I grabbed more asparagus, plain watermelon, and scrambled eggs with chives and goat cheese. Also had to get a bit of the regular oatmeal. The eggs were really good! I thought I had had them before and didn’t like them so I was hesitant to try them. I’m a fan of goat cheese, so either I was misremembering or these were a better batch. Who knows? As some point, both Doug and I poured some POG juice into our champagne to make our own mimosas. Yummy.

Doug ate all the meats, finally tried the mustard sauce and liked it (I’ve been telling him for years but he doesn’t listen!), some plain scrambled eggs, asparagus, potato barrels, a pile of watermelon, and a couple of pastries.

We left Boma absolutely stuffed. It was a great meal and set the right tone for the day. We headed back to our room to change into swimsuits, mix up margaritas for the pool, and pack the cooler. We made it to the pool right as the lifeguards opened the gate again. We picked the same seats we had the day before! It was another day alternating between being in the pool and sitting on our chairs. I read, Doug napped, you get the picture.



During our first venture into the pool, there was a dad, mom, and 10ish-year-old boy throwing a ball round. It was the soft kind that soaks up some water. Well, they tossed it around for a few minutes and then the dad says, “Don’t be so huffy about it!” I think he said this to his wife. I wasn’t looking directly at them when he said it, but I think the ball hit the water and splashed the wife. Not sure if she said something or shot him a look, but he didn’t say it in a joking way, and it wasn’t very nice. I looked at Doug and dared him to tell me not to be so huffy. He knows better!

We stayed at the pool until about 4:30 and then headed to our room to get ready for dinner. We were going to Wine Bar George at Disney Springs. We had a 6:15 reservation and made it there just in time. We had a choice of indoor or outdoor seating. I wanted to sit on the upstairs patio, but this is in the direct sun at that time of day so we opted for indoor. We were sat right at the top of the stairs. Doug ordered the Old Fashioned (his drink of choice), and I had a glass of the Vatan tempranillo. We started with a seasonal salad to share and then the skirt steak. No photo of the salad (just imagine a pile of nice lettuce – it wasn’t special but the vinegarette was tasty).



We’ve ordered this a few times now, and the steak does not disappoint. It was cooked to a perfect medium. There are roasted potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and onions underneath and chimichurri on top. The steak was tender, and the vegetables were roasted perfectly. We managed to finish the steak but left a few veggies behind.

We left Wine Bar George and walked past Gideon’s. I spotted Tiffany and Trevor (@Araminta18) in line. I pointed this out to Doug, but I felt weird about approaching them to say hi, plus they were near the front of the line for Gideon’s and were talking to some others. I’ve read several of her trip reports, but I usually don’t comment and it’s out of my comfort zone to be like, “Hey, I know you, but you don’t know me. I promise I’m not a creeper.”

So we kept walking and made our way over to World of Disney. We walked through but found nothing we needed to buy. We also walked through the Co-Op and then headed to Basin where I picked up three tinted lip balms. We stopped to listen to music on the waterfront stage, but the set was almost over so we only heard a song or two. We saw Eddy Maserti out in front of WOD, but I thought it was a little odd that he wasn’t down in front of the stage dancing. Maybe he had been before we got there.

We stopped and took an awful photo.



We wandered over to Gideon’s from here. The line was estimated at 35-50 minutes, and it took about 40 minutes. We made it inside by 9:40. We picked up 4 original chocolate chip cookies, 1 peanut butter cold brew cookie, 1 triple chocolate cookie, and one slice of chocolate chip marshmallow cake. I also ordered a large original cold brew. Next time, I’ll remember to skip this. I thought it was too sweet this time and didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I didn’t finish it.

We tried again and got a slightly better photo.



We headed to the bus stop and were back at AKL by 11:00.

 

[Araminta18]

Hi!! I got the notification of your tag and so hopped over. I totally get not wanting to say hi! Easy for me to say now that you should have said hi, but I totally get it. When I read it I was actually a bit surprised that you saw us both, cause Trevor had waited in line for like 35/40 minutes while I'd done some shopping at Vera Bradley and Pandora, so we were only out there together for like 5 minutes. Anyways - thanks for tagging! I'm now invested in your trip report - we were there the same days! And happy anniversary!

Split stay between a value studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House on rented points for 3 nights and the remaining 4 nights at Coronado Springs. Well, that was the plan anyway. Let’s wait to see what happens!

Ooooh such foreshadowing - I love it!

Day 1 – Saturday, May 4 - I’m sorry, my cousin was murdered yesterday.

Well you've got my interest!

somewhere around 4:20 I tell Doug about the room I found in the middle of the night at Wilderness Lodge. Did I mention it’s our favorite resort? And this is a trip for our 24th anniversary? And it was only $500 more. (Do you see the dangerous pattern here? I admitted to scheming.) Doug told me to see if it was still available and to make the change. I pulled that laptop out as fast as I could and started modifying (while also trying to blow dry my hair). By 4:30, WL was booked!

Yay! That's fantastic! #disneymath indeed

We get to the Mears check in at 10:17, and the Mears employee is crying. When she checked in the people in front of us, I thought maybe her eyes were just watering. Allergies or something. But when we got to her, I realized she was actually crying and seemed distressed. I asked if she was okay, and she said, “I’m sorry, my cousin was murdered yesterday.” I feel awful and tell her I’m so sorry, and she just keeps checking us in and tells us which lane to go to. I still feel bad for that poor woman and her family! And slightly bad for using this quote in this trip report, but I had to include it because it was such a weird/strange/out of the ordinary interaction and pulled me out of my Disney cloud a bit.

Oh my goodness that poor girl! That's so rough.

We waited in line for just a few minutes and were directed onto a bus at 10:24. We didn’t wait too long and were soon on our way. The bus dropped off first at one of the AllStars (I think it was Movies, but it could have been Music), and then headed to AKL Jambo House. We arrived at 11:28. We dropped our bags with Bell Services and immediately made our way to the bus stop. We had excellent bus luck this trip.

Did you like Mears? I've never tried it, so curious your thoughts on if it was worth it, etc.

Big mistake. Colossal mistake. My only regret of the trip. Should have gotten this cake first, but more on it later when we actually did get the cake.

I'm so intrigued!!

There were two lines going so it was a bit confusing at first. They were taking phone numbers for a call back, and it was about a 45 minute wait minute to get called back to enter the lounge.

45 minutes for the lounge?! Woooooooooow

I know the idea of pretzel bread, ham, and cheese is about as basic as it gets, but this was so good! The pretzel bread was really soft, and it just hit the spot.

wasn't this so good? I loved it too.

We did luck out and get row B1.

Niiiiiiiice

This was pretty neat, but we didn’t play with all of the interactive elements as it was pretty crowded. I think this would be a lot of fun for kids, and we’re looking forward to doing this on February trip with our granddaughter.

Bummer that it was crowded - this is such a fun thing to play with. I hope its less crowded when you go with your granddaughter - it's so fun!

We were pleasantly surprised that we had a savannah view!

that's awesome!!

We didn’t mind this at all and actually preferred the setup of this room with the bed next to the balcony and the sofa on the side nearer to the door. It makes it feel like the room is more spacious.

Me too! Totally agree that it feels more spacious - it's just more pleasant.

I asked him to not make faces, and his response was, “It’s the only face I’ve got.”

We managed to position ourselves within the taped off area, but we stood our ground so we could see between the turret in the photo on the left side and the trees which were over on the right. If you aren’t paying attention while you wait in this area, it would be easy to get jostled around as the space filled in right before the show started, which could result in a terrible view if either that turret or the trees blocked the view by moving just a couple feet either direction.

#protip Good on you guys for standing your ground!

Once it ended, we made our way to SDMT. The wait was posted at 55 minutes, but it was much shorter. I think we were off the ride by 9:4

SDMT right after the fireworks is definitely a good way to go - gotta take advantage of that short line!

We were glad we missed the first bus as it looked like it was full, and we would have been standing. Can’t beat an empty bus at 10:45 p.m.!

100% I would absolutely rather wait for a bus if I get to sit down.

Our server was super sweet and brought us complimentary champagne to celebrate!

aw, so cute! happy Anniversary!

then the dad says, “Don’t be so huffy about it!” I think he said this to his wife. I wasn’t looking directly at them when he said it, but I think the ball hit the water and splashed the wife. Not sure if she said something or shot him a look, but he didn’t say it in a joking way, and it wasn’t very nice. I looked at Doug and dared him to tell me not to be so huffy. He knows better!

woooooooow. I've never understood spouses who talk this way to each other. Glad Doug knows better!

We’ve ordered this a few times now, and the steak does not disappoint. It was cooked to a perfect medium. There are roasted potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and onions underneath and chimichurri on top. The steak was tender, and the vegetables were roasted perfectly. We managed to finish the steak but left a few veggies behind.

Wine Bar George is delicious! Glad you had a lovely meal

We wandered over to Gideon’s from here. The line was estimated at 35-50 minutes, and it took about 40 minutes. We made it inside by 9:40. We picked up 4 original chocolate chip cookies, 1 peanut butter cold brew cookie, 1 triple chocolate cookie, and one slice of chocolate chip marshmallow cake. I also ordered a large original cold brew. Next time, I’ll remember to skip this. I thought it was too sweet this time and didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I didn’t finish it.

yay Gideon's! Obviously I hate it, but I'm glad you enjoyed the cookies, even if the cold brew was a bust.

We tried again and got a slightly better photo.

such a cute photo!

 

[lulu2121]

Hi!! I got the notification of your tag and so hopped over. I totally get not wanting to say hi! Easy for me to say now that you should have said hi, but I totally get it. When I read it I was actually a bit surprised that you saw us both, cause Trevor had waited in line for like 35/40 minutes while I'd done some shopping at Vera Bradley and Pandora, so we were only out there together for like 5 minutes. Anyways - thanks for tagging! I'm now invested in your trip report - we were there the same days! And happy anniversary!

Ooooh such foreshadowing - I love it!

Well you've got my interest!

Yay! That's fantastic! #disneymath indeed

Oh my goodness that poor girl! That's so rough.

Did you like Mears? I've never tried it, so curious your thoughts on if it was worth it, etc.

I'm so intrigued!!

45 minutes for the lounge?! Woooooooooow

wasn't this so good? I loved it too.

Niiiiiiiice

Bummer that it was crowded - this is such a fun thing to play with. I hope its less crowded when you go with your granddaughter - it's so fun!

that's awesome!!

Me too! Totally agree that it feels more spacious - it's just more pleasant.




#protip Good on you guys for standing your ground!

SDMT right after the fireworks is definitely a good way to go - gotta take advantage of that short line!

100% I would absolutely rather wait for a bus if I get to sit down.

aw, so cute! happy Anniversary!

woooooooow. I've never understood spouses who talk this way to each other. Glad Doug knows better!

Wine Bar George is delicious! Glad you had a lovely meal

yay Gideon's! Obviously I hate it, but I'm glad you enjoyed the cookies, even if the cold brew was a bust.

such a cute photo!

Well, it's nice to officially meet you now! Thanks for joining in and reading along!

To answer your question about Mears, it was absolutely sufficient for the cheapest option out there. My only complaint is that on departure day we were picked up 3 hours and 50 minutes before our flight, and then headed straight to the airport. It was just too early. That alone would make me consider another option if we were leaving on an early morning flight.

 

[lulu2121]

Day 4 – Tuesday, May 7 – Aw, sh*t. It’s a yes or no question. I don’t need a dissertation.

This was the day we moved to Wilderness Lodge for the remainder of the trip! We decided to just have bell services come get our bags and transfer them to WL for us. We packed everything up except that slice of cake from Gideon’s. We enjoyed it while waiting for Bell Services. I borrowed this photo from the internet because I neglected to take one before it disappeared.



This was so good! The marshmallow buttercream was not as sweet as I thought it might be, but I wouldn’t have pegged it as marshmallow flavored without being told that it was. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the cake. Doug ate about 3/4 of this.

Bags picked up and cake eaten, we made our way to the bus stop and headed to Epcot. We headed to the Creations shop first to pick up our AP magnets. There was no line this morning.



We moved on to the Trowel & Trellis booth and ordered the Impossible Farmhouse Meatball and the Soy-glazed Sticky Ribs. We took these items into the Odyssey building where we also ordered the Orange Sesame Tempura Shrimp and a Left Hand Brewing Co. Meyer Lemon Drop Shandy.



The impossible meatball was very flavorful. I really liked it, and I think if Doug hadn’t known it wasn’t meat, he would have been fooled. He ate most of the ribs. I think I had a bite, but they didn’t make a lasting impression. I guess they were fine, but they weren’t fall off the bone tender so I didn’t have any interest. The shrimp was good, and we both enjoyed those. I also liked the beer. It was nice and refreshing.

Doug wanted to take one last ride on Test Track since it is scheduled for a makeover/refurb. He checked the wait times, and it was down to like 20 minutes or so. He needed to head to the restroom before leaving the Odyssey, and I wanted to look at the Flower & Garden merch because items were all 30% off. Well, I thought we were going to meet back up and I’d walk toward TT with him. He managed to sneak out the back door by the restrooms, while I stood by the main doors and waited for him. After a few minutes, I texted him to see if he was still in the bathroom. He was already on the ride. 5 minutes later he texted me that he was off the ride. We met back up at the Odyssey where I waited the whole time. He basically walked on through the single rider line.

We decided to take a walk around World Showcase, but today we started in Mexico.

Had to stop and admire Lady and the Tramp in Italy.



We found some friends in America.



While in America, we checked on showtimes and saw that Voices of Liberty were performing in just 5 minutes. We walked in and found a bench on which to sit and wait.



This is a must-do for me. There aren’t words to describe how beautifully they sing. I have goosebumps the entire time and have had to wipe away tears depending on the song selection.

They finished up, and we walked out right before 1:00. We stopped in the shade just outside of the exit to try for the 1:00 Guardians Virtual Queue. I had tried for the virtual queue at 7:00 a.m., but I missed out. So I bought ILLs instead. It was $30 for the two of us, but it was money well spent. At 1:00, I managed to get a boarding group, and I think the wait time was about 3 hours. Our ILL was good for 12:50-1:50, so we headed to GOTG for our ride. It was awesome! We had Disco Inferno as our song on this first ride.

 

[lulu2121]

Day 4 – Tuesday, May 7, Part 2 – Aw, sh*t. It’s a yes or no question. I don’t need a dissertation.
We walked across the park and stopped for a photo of Woody and Bo Peep.



We got in line for Journey into the Imagination. It had a posted wait of at least 20 minutes and the queue stretched out of the building. I wasn’t happy to be waiting this long for this ride, but Doug wanted to do it so I sucked it up.

Afterwards, we decided to stroll around World Showcase once more and grab a few more bites. We stopped at the Florida Fresh booth and got the Warm Grilled Lobster Tail with Key Lime Butter and the Florida Strawberry Shortcake. These were my two least favorite dishes of the festival.



The lobster was tough and chewy, and the strawberry shortcake was just meh. We also picked up the Cucumber-Watermelon Slushy. We got it without the gin. Neither of us loved it, but we drank it because it was cold and it was a hot afternoon.

We received our room ready text at 2:48 while eating these dishes. We were assigned room 4044. I always look up our room on Touring Plans so I have a general idea of the location. Well, a couple of reviews from this specific room listed that it looked directly out at the castle and had a fireworks view. I was pretty excited!

We continued strolling around.



We kept walking until we reached Morocco, where we decided to see if we could get into the Passholder Lounge. Let me preface this by saying that I think 3:00 on a Tuesday is prime meltdown time in the parks. Here’s my thinking. If you arrive on Saturday, and hit the parks on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, by 3:00 on the third day of park touring, someone in the group, no matter how large or small the group and no matter how young or old the travelers, is losing their mind. I’m guilty. I’ve definitely had moments of my own over the years that have been less than stellar. As we started to make our way through the pavilion, I noticed a couple who were roughly my parents’ age (late 60s). They’re both on scooters and have pulled over into a shady alcove. And then I hear, clear as day, the gentleman say, “Aw, sh*t. It’s a yes or no question. I don’t need a dissertation.”

It was all I could do not to burst out laughing! It struck me as funny, and I totally understood his frustration in the moment! I think anyone who has been married more than 5 minutes has had one of these conversations with their spouse. You’re hot, tired, cranky, probably hungry, and just need them to make a decision or tell you what they want to do next. I took his comment lightly and only heard that one sentence which was not spoken harshly but with exasperation, and I hope his wife wasn’t mad at him and this wasn’t something that spoiled their afternoon. We kept walking though so I don’t know whether her answer was yes or no.

For this very reason, we don’t plan for three park days in a row. Day 3 will always be a rest day for us. We started this when the kids were younger, and Doug and I have found that we do best as adults with this formula as well. We jokingly set a code word several years back when we were dealing with teenagers for when someone needed space from the group, but it works! Anyone can holler “ice cream” at any time and veer toward the nearest cart, stand, or parlor from which to purchase and partake, no questions asked. If anyone in our family ever asks if you need an ice cream, it likely means you need to get your attitude in check. Ha ha. Since adopting the ice cream method, we’ve actually found that we need it less often!

We made our way to the back of the Morocco pavilion and walked right into the Passholder Lounge, well, after they checked our passes of course, without a wait at all. We also received our passholder pins. We each grabbed a cup of water and maybe a half cup of mint tea (they were almost out) and a snack. Doug got a package of nuts/trail mix, and I picked up a bag of Chex Mix. We stuck our snacks in my bag for later. Open seats were a little scarce. We checked the left side of the room first but had no luck. We made our way over to the right side and ended up sitting on a couple of pouf/ottoman things on the floor. These were actually quite comfortable. We enjoyed the lounge for maybe 20 minutes or so. I grabbed a second cup of mint tea before heading out and sipped it as we walked back to Future World.

Doug had found a Chevy t-shirt at Test Track that morning and wanted to pick it up. We stopped back in the gift shop to get it. He also debated on a hat but decided just the t-shirt would do this time.

Our GOTG boarding group was called as we were leaving the Test Track gift shop. We headed toward the ride. I was glad to see as we entered that the line was not backing up down the ramps. We walked all the way up to the first room before hitting the line and stopping. It moved steadily, and I’d guess we had a 30 minute or so wait. We were on the ride at 5:04. We had Conga as our song this time around.

After Guardians, we stopped at what used to be Cool Wash, now known as Refreshment Station (such an uninspired name!). Doug wanted a frozen coke. I shared a few sips, and we walked across to find the new Walt statue. You may have noticed by this point, I’m not sharing any Photopass photos. We didn’t buy Memory Maker for this trip. We rarely stop and take enough photos to make it worth the price, and I don’t typically care about ride photos. I know, bad trip reporter! Also, I find that more than half of photopass photos are usually terrible. Maybe I’m picky or maybe we’re just unphotogenic – don’t know. I do miss it being included with APs. We would have used it if it was free. We found Walt and then kept wandering.

We decided to walk through Journey of Water again before leaving the park. On our way there, we saw some lions.



And even got the monorail in the background!

I was after a better photo of Te Fiti today. There was a dark grey cloud above her head in the one I took on Saturday.



We headed out of the park and had great bus luck again.