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We're here! Live-ish updates!

mousekatool

Mouseketeer
Joined
Dec 24, 2010
Hi y'all! I kind of wanted to do a trip report, but putting my personal info out there isn't really my thing, lol. So I'm compromising and doing a play by play of our days as they happen. Hopefully, it will benefit you in your planning as some of your reports have helped and inspired me! :wave2:

We arrived yesterday around 5:00 and checked in to the Contemporary Resort, our first time staying here. We have a Garden Wing Garden View room, which initially seemed far away from the action, until we discovered a side entrance and stairwell right by our room. We have a lovely lake view, and could see the Electrical Water Pageant last night. The room itself is very large and the beds (including the daybed) are comfy. My only issue is there is no storage! One nightstand with 2 drawers, then a tiny chest in the closet with 2 tiny drawers.:rolleyes2 We have enough room, but we travel relatively light and don't overpack, but I could see it being an issue with some. Similarly, the bathroom has the huge, shallow sinks and no counter space. There is space beneath, and I have a hanging toiletry bag, so it's all good. Had dinner at Contempo Cafe last night and it was good. I hope to do a separate dining report, so you'll hear all about it then. :thumbsup2
 
We started the day with an 8:00 ADR at Crystal Palace. It was our first time here, and we really enjoyed it. Also, we loved having some pics taken on an empty Main Street before hand. We made it out right at 9:00 and headed toward Frontierland. Here is what we accomplished this morning between 9-2, with explanations to follow:

Splash
Met Aladdin/Jasmine
Aladdin's Carpets x 2
Pirates
Haunted Mansion x 2
MM pics
BTMRR x 2
MM pics
Met Chip and Dale in hoedown outfits
Peter Pan FP
Small World
Carousel
Met Fairy Godmother
Mine Train FP
Lunch at Cosmic Ray's
Snack at Plaza Ice cream Parlor
Listened to Dapper Dans
Monorail back to resort to chill before our Epcot evening

We accomplished a lot, and I loosely planned based on one of Josh's touring plans from easywdw. The one hitch in an otherwise perfect day was that BTMRR was closed this morning at rope drop, and despite our backtracking twice (because the MDE app AND the TP lines app said it was open :furious:), it remained closed until mid morning. But everything we did was a walkon except our FP rides- at that point PP was 25 min and 7DMT was 50 min. The only other thing that slowed us down was that we were in line to meet the Evil Stepsisters, and the line closed after we had been in it about 10 minutes. We were told that the Fairy Godmother would take their place, and we ended up waiting about 10 more minutes for her. But she was sweet, and we got some great shots of the kids with her.

Crowds have been light, but much busier from about noon on. All the CM we have encountered have been very enthusiastic, and most guests have been well behaved. It is hot, but not nearly as unbearable as people led me to believe. I think July in our local theme park was much worse. Overall, we are having a blast so far! Will try to keep posting as I am able.
 
Love hearing about your trip. We will be down in 8 days so I am enjoying reading about your trip. Glad it's not as hot as everyone keeps saying. Have a great night
 


We got so busy having fun, I haven't been back to update...oops!:lmao:

We finished out Sunday with dinner at San Angel Inn at Epcot. After dinner,we explored Mexico and rode the Grand Fiesta Tour. It was getting close to Illuminations, but we all decided we would prefer a ride on Test Track, so we headed to Future World. The wait was posted 25 minutes, and by the time we built a car and rode, it probably was. All in all, we had a great first day!
 
Today, we rope dropped at Hollywood Studios. The kids wanted to sign up for Jedi Training, so we headed there after the opening show. Got a time right after lunch (foreshadowing: this was a dumb move on my part), then headed to the attractions.

Rode Tower of Terror twice
Checked out RnRC, but Little Man was 1/4 inch too short to ride :headache:
Tried to change FP we had for ToT since had already ridden, and not many choices. I got Disney Jr. live for DS, since he loves Jake, but it didn't start until 11:00
Met Sofia
Met Jake (bummer, no Photopass photog here, but we had our cameras)
Saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Used FP for Dis Jr. (Didn't need it, but the seats were front and center)
Lunch ADR at Sci-Fi - this is where my schedule broke down. Waited about 15 min to be seated, then forever to have our orders taken and delivered. We got the check while we were eating, scarfed our food in 10 min, and bolted to JTA. I blame my poor planning on the CM at JTA, who told me that an hour and 15 min was plenty of time to eat and get back. Next time, we will bag the lunch ADR and eat at Backlot Express before JTA.
Kids did JTA - so cute and they loved it!
Rode Star Tours twice
FP Toy Story
Went in Wandering Oaken's - really? It's like they put this together in 10 minutes! We were not impressed.
Did Backlot Tour
Met Mike and Sulley
Muppetvision 3D
Met Phineas and Ferb
Took boat to Epcot
Got ice cream in France
Watched Impressions de France (we all loved it, even the kids)
Watched drummers in Japan
Dinner at Biergarten
Rode Spaceship Earth

And of course, we took tons of MM pics throughout the day! We felt like we did a lot today, but we didn't really use or need our FPs, except at TSMM. The early morning felt rushed with getting there for JTA signups, then trying to navigate FPs, ADRs and return times, so I would plan differently next time. The weather was great again, and the crowds were once again low in the morning, and increased throughout the day. Still, we never waited more than 5 minutes for anything except at lunch, so I call that a great day!
 
I don't think anyone is actually reading this, but if you are....

My plan today was to bag EMHs at Epcot and just try to get there by regular rope drop. However, everyone else wanted to snooze (and by everyone else, I mean DH :headache:). So we ended up arriving after 9:30, but still accomplished a fair amount.

Rode Soarin' standby (posted wait 40 min :crazy2: actual wait 24 min to board)
Took an unplanned 15 min break while very nice CMs found my phone on the ride :rolleyes1
FP Mission Space orange (10 min standby)
FP TT (35 min standby)
Imagination
Nemo
Turtle Talk
Wandered around looking at the fish tanks for a bit
Lunch at Sunshine Seasons
Took some PP pics and headed back to rest a bit

The weather today is perfect- not too hot, and a nice breeze. Crowds seemed low in spite of EMH and it being a non-recommended day. Tonight: MNSSHP! :cheer2:
 


I am reading and loving it! We will be down on Monday!!! Glad to hear crowds and weather are good!
 
I was so excited for us to attend the party, and I really wanted us to get there by 4-ish, eat dinner, and line up for the Dwarfs. Well, nobody else was on board with this plan, and we ended up arriving close to 6:30. Picked up tickets from Will Call, got wristbands and treat bags, stopped for some PP pics, then headed to Fantasyland, only to find the line for the Dwarfs was 2 hours.:headache: now, I expected to have to wait, but DH was having no part of it. So we got out of line, and I had a major meltdown (my apologies to anyone who witnessed the showdown between us). He wanted to ride rides rather than wait. The kids wanted to ride some, too, so I grudgingly went along on Dumbo. Then, we hit the trail between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, which brought us out near the Monsters, Inc. dance party. The kids had a lot of fun here, and I recognized Dis-er Kat and her friends. I would have said hello, but it was very loud, and I didn't want to seem like a stalker.:rotfl: So, if you're reading this, Kat, the old Wonder Woman with the little Harry Potter and Tinkerbell, smiling at you like I knew you, was me!:thumbsup2

We hit the Peoplemover and ate some of our candy before meeting Lotso and riding Buzz. Then, we maneuvered back toward Fantasyland. My plan was to hit the second parade, so we went to meet the Queen of Hearts...but just missed her. :headache: instead, we jumped in a much shorter line for the Dwarfs and waited about 20 minutes. Guess my tantrum was premature.:laughing:

I'll post more when I have a minute later...
 
Yes, I know I have gotten behind, but now we are home, so I will try to finish up!

After meeting the Dwarfs, we decided to wander toward the hub for Hallowishes. We got photos with the Hitchhiking Ghosts, and contemplated riding Haunted Mansion, but DS was a little creeped out, even though we had ridden it already this trip, not to mention on previous trips, so we pressed on. We found a spot on Main Street and hung out while DH got food from Casey's Corner. We scarfed our dinner during Celebrate the Magic, then settled in for Hallowishes. (Spoiler- I like it, but really prefer Wishes. It just reminds me of childhood ;) ). Since many people had watched the first parade, the flow of traffic leaving seemed kind of heavy, so instead we took the path into Frontierland, where we found a great spot on the curb near Diamond Horseshoe to watch Boo to You. This was undoubtedly my favorite part of the party. DS had a blast dancing with Phineas and Ferb and the Creepa Crew. The characters in the parade were very interactive. Several of them came over and shook our hands, and the Mad Hatter asked us to take his picture! We loved the Gravediggers and their dance. It was a lot of fun.

When the parade ended, we were right next to the Villains dance party, so we decided to pop in. The kids danced with the Evil Stepsisters and Lady Tremaine for a bit. They were a hoot! I got a great pic of DS breaking it down with Lady T. Facilier came next, and he was great at interacting, dancing, and posing for pics. We also met a group dressed as Hogwarts students, and they bonded with DS, who was Harry Potter. There were only 2 negatives about the dance party experience. First was some teen who spent the whole time bopping around with her camera on a pole, taking selfie videos of her dancing. She didn't care who she ran into, or who she photobombed. She really was starting to tick me off, because every time I tried to get a pic of my kids with a character, she jumped right in the middle of it, whereas everyone else took turns. :mad: The other negative thing was Cruella Deville. My DD really wanted a pic with her, since she was posing with a group of older kids and adults, so when she was done with them, DD tapped her on the arm. Cruella whirled around a screamed at DD that she had ruined her favorite coat, and called her a brat, then refused to take a picture with her and stormed off. DD was in tears. I know she was staying in character, but she didn't need to be such a b***h. Especially when she continued to pose with other people for pictures.

We left after that and wandered through Adventureland, hitting a few more candy trails. We debated on meeting Jafar, but the kids were wiped out, and it was almost midnight. There were a lot of things we didn't do that I would have liked to do, but just couldn't fit it all in. I really wanted to get a few more magic shots and sample the pumpkin waffle sundae....maybe next time!

Overall, it was a fun time and we enjoyed it. Would I do it again? If the kids wanted to. If we did, I would not buy park tickets for the day and just go early to the party.
 

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