Monday, January 13th – DHS, Animal Kingdom, DATW, DHS, and Animal Kingdom
Up at 5am and ready to secure a ROTR boarding group. Did anyone get the number of that truck? I actually didn’t feel any worse than I do after a normal marathon. So that was a positive. I couldn’t really tell a pain difference between the two quads. Got cleaned up and out the door. I think we made it to the DHS bus stop around 6am. It was super busy! And no buses had apparently arrived yet. So, the line actually kept getting shorter as people were calling ubers. But around 6:10am the first bus showed up and people crammed on. I think we ended up on the second bus there. Got to DHS around 6:30am I think. Through security and MB tap in no time. Got up towards the Chinese Theater around 6:40am and then just waited.
Just sat there constantly refreshing the
MDE app. Then as soon as it hit 7am there was a buzz in the air. You could hear an audible gasp, and then cheers here and there. Steph had gotten in first and started to cheer. A few seconds passed and then I looked at her phone and said, “Hey you’ve still got to select people! You haven’t done anything yet!” So, she quickly selected and then we ended up with BG 52. Not quite what we were hoping for. Actually, it was pretty bad timing because based on past days that was probably going to get called between 12-3pm. Right smack in the middle of DATW or run into our AK FP which were in the afternoon. UGH! We decided to head over to TSMM since it would just be opening and have the least wait now. The park was super nutty though and super busy for a 7am opening.
We rode TSMM. We didn’t do well because Steph wasn’t able to clear her side of the spaceship to get the robot to appear. Told her we were going to need to ride TSMM again on this trip to redeem ourselves. Then we had to make a choice of what to do next. I quickly checked the MDE app and saw we could switch our FP for the art experience at AK to early morning. Since we really wanted to make sure G could do that, and do DATW, and do ROTR, we had to shift the plans. So, we decided to head to AK.
Funny enough, when we arrived at AK it was extra magic hours. So, the park wasn’t open for day guests yet. So, we decided to ride the Safari since that was our other FP for the night. Got on before the crowds showed up which worked out great. Then we walked through the animal walking paths to see the new baby gorilla. SO CUTE!
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By the time that was done, it was time to board the train towards the art class at Rafiki’s Planet Watch. It was an interesting re-do of the space for the art class. We were taught how to draw Scar step-by-step. I feel like G had fun with this since she’s taken such an interest in art these days. G went and played with the animals and this is when I realized there was no way I was going to make it to DATW on time.
We had been keeping an eye on the ROTR BGs and it was clear the ride was down. Because for a while there was no movement on the BGs being called. I think by the time we got to the bus stop for EPCOT, the BGs were finally moving again. I think as we were pulling into EPCOT we were at like 45 or something. By the time we cleared Boardwalk, it was at 49 or something. And when we got to the France bridge we got the notification that our BG had been called and we had two hours to make it back (11:49-1:49pm). Ugh. Like literally when we were making our way to DATW. It was such a bummer because I really wanted to spend more time there.
Walked through each of the countries in search of the group. Think we found them around 12:15 outside of Norway (at the second country). Met up with several friendly faces again. I think I talked with
@disneygpa and DW,
@FFigawi,
@lhermiston,
@Beastmode2020,
@WDWfeelslikehome,
@croach,
@flav and DD, @SleeplessKnight,
@camaker,
@Keels, and a surprise guest
@jennamfeo. It was fun to catch up with everyone but the time felt like it passed by so quickly. I only made it to China before it was already time for us to leave to make our BG in time. I think it was around 12:50pm and I had pre-predicted that we needed to be getting on the Skyliner no later than 1pm to make it in time. So, we rushed to the Skyliner and got on around 1:05pm. Then finally got to DHS around 1:25-1:30pm.
We just had to make it to the back of the park by 1:49pm which I felt like was doable. So, through security and the tap. Down the boulevard and made it to Star Wars land. I think we got there around 1:42pm. So only a few minutes to spare. Steph asked the cast members whether G and my mom could stand in line but not ride the ride. But they said that really wasn’t doable on this one. So, we said goodbye to them and Steph and I got in line for ROTR. I think this is when I also ran into
@Mickey Momma.
The line went quick. I think we were in the first pre-show in like 25-35 minutes. Robert Wang from Facebook was live streaming behind us which was funny. I’ll avoid spoilers for those who haven’t ridden yet. I thought the ride was pretty cool. What made it next level for me was the cast members. They were REALLY into their roles. Like a next level above Jungle Cruise, TOT, or Haunted Mansion.
After ROTR, Steph and I found G and my mom. They had just met Edna Mode.
After that we headed back to the resort for some swimming and then to Animal Kingdom for some night-time activities. We wanted to see the Rivers of Light night-time show. G was wearing her Tinkerbell outfit with lighted wings. She kept telling people Tink was on break and she was filling in. So you could take pictures or get autographs with her. I was apparently the PhotoPass Photographer. We rode on Navi River, and then had dinner at Flame Tree, then Steph and G rode Triceratop Spin. Then we headed towards Dinosaur. It had been forever since Steph and I had ridden it. So, we weren’t sure what to expect. At the last minute I had a moment of clarity and thought this ride might be a little too intense for G. So, Steph and G walked through the ride vehicle and my mom and I rode. GOOD DECISION! G would have been terrified by that ride and never trusted us again. It was dark and 90% of the dinosaurs were scary looking. That would not have gone well. Whew!
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From there we headed over to the FP for River or Light. We’ve never seen it before. I thought it was pretty meh. It was ok, but not something I’d schedule my day around again. From there, we headed back to POP.
Next Post:
Tuesday, January 14th – DHS, Swimming, and EPCOT
They also allow race transfers down a distance if things just aren't feeling right. Looks like the next price increase isn't until March 6th. So there's time to think. Although obviously training would need to start sooner rather than later.
