A Whirlwind 72 (minus 5) hour trip to WDW!! FINAL UPDATE 9/3!!!

[NigelSTW]

Report a change in our September, 2014 trip plans:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=52002790#post52002790

 

[Joben]

Well the boards did not alert me that you had updated your thread and now I got behind again! now I have to do the annoying mega post, sorry can't be avoided.

First and foremost I forgot to mention on my last reply, since you are wearing a red baseball cap that makes you an official Cardinals fan...welcome to the club. Oh and BTW sorry to hear about McCutchen, I think that might affect the rest of your season. Maybe now we can separate our division by more than two games(well except for the Cubs)

Back to the trip... So I think I just would have let mousekeeping walk in and not even bothered getting out of bed, that was a nutty first day and now I want to try it. My problem is Jayners can't stay awake if there are four digits on the clock

That pool situation was pretty pathetic. from your earlier hints I had assumed you really loved the pools and having stayed at one of the value resorts I just didn't understand it. The pools themselves are fine(assuming they are pathogen free) but those value resorts are chock full of kids and therefore the pools are incredibly busy(and probably full of pee) I think you were fully justified in getting into AoA pool, since yours was contaminated
I'm a big fan of the touring of the resorts of WDW, especially the Monorail tour. Having gone so much over the past few years this is now one of our fun things to do.

We have put on the agenda for our next trip(55 days!!!!) to check out the Outer Rim. They just did a refurbishment of our favorite The Gurgling Suitcase at OKW so I'm nervous that we lost our number one.

We tried Ohana two trips ago but it was for breakfast, the breakfast was great, I'm sure the dinner will be also but I look forward to the Yelp review.

I will try and check in more often so I don't have to type a book next
time...off to your PTR!!!

 

[Li Li]

Well the boards did not alert me that you had updated your thread and now I got behind again! now I have to do the annoying mega post, sorry can't be avoided.

Megaposts always welcome!

First and foremost I forgot to mention on my last reply, since you are wearing a red baseball cap that makes you an official Cardinals fan...welcome to the club. Oh and BTW sorry to hear about McCutchen, I think that might affect the rest of your season. Maybe now we can separate our division by more than two games(well except for the Cubs)

NOOOOO!!!!! Not the Cards! Yeah, I was bummed about McCutchen, but I feel good about our team, so fingers crossed!

Back to the trip... So I think I just would have let mousekeeping walk in and not even bothered getting out of bed, that was a nutty first day and now I want to try it. My problem is Jayners can't stay awake if there are four digits on the clock

That pool situation was pretty pathetic. from your earlier hints I had assumed you really loved the pools and having stayed at one of the value resorts I just didn't understand it. The pools themselves are fine(assuming they are pathogen free) but those value resorts are chock full of kids and therefore the pools are incredibly busy(and probably full of pee) I think you were fully justified in getting into AoA pool, since yours was contaminated
I'm a big fan of the touring of the resorts of WDW, especially the Monorail tour. Having gone so much over the past few years this is now one of our fun things to do.

Yeah, I try to put the kids and their germs out of my mind. Obviously, the POR pool is far better than POP and the lack of shade really annoyed me, but it served its purpose for relaxing. There were far more screaming kids at the Bowling Pin pool, so I think we chose well with the Computer pool. And, I think I forgot to mention, Nigel brought us some beers to enjoy poolside!

We have put on the agenda for our next trip(55 days!!!!) to check out the Outer Rim. They just did a refurbishment of our favorite The Gurgling Suitcase at OKW so I'm nervous that we lost our number one.

I hope The Gurgling Suitcase remains at the top for you. I keep thinking we should get over there since I know you and others have raved about it. Yay for 55 days!

We tried Ohana two trips ago but it was for breakfast, the breakfast was great, I'm sure the dinner will be also but I look forward to the Yelp review.

I will try and check in more often so I don't have to type a book next
time...off to your PTR!!!

Thanks for checking in over at our sadly neglected PTR! I'm off to there next.

 

[Li Li]

Hi everyone! I've been a bad DIS'er and have not gotten to our last update yet. Only one more day to cover (other than our sad travel home day and not much exciting there.) I am working on putting together our Sunday timeline and hopefully will post by Friday night at the latest!

 

[Li Li]

Wow, I totally missed my self-imposed Friday deadline. Blurg.

We were now up to our official last day at Disney. So, of course, being the nerds that we are, we HAD to check out Star Wars Weekends.

First, a little backstory: I always find a way to derail Nigel’s quick, simple trips by pointing out an event that we would be foolish not to attend. We took a quick trip to WDW last October, and when we first planned it, it was very basic. We thought we’d spend most of the time at the resort and maybe just spend one day at a park. Just planning to save on ticket costs and see if just one park day would be enough for a long weekend. In my infinite wisdom, I pointed out the trip would be over Food & Wine Fest, so we HAD to check that out! Okay, we were agreed, at least part of our one day would be at F&W. Then, I realized, MNSSHP would be going on the night we arrived. We could actually arrive in enough time to get to MK by the hard ticket start at 4 pm and spend a good amount of time there with the hard ticket rather than having to “spend” one of our days on our old, non-expiring tickets. Clearly, Nigel saw the wisdom in my plan, and we really enjoyed the MNSSHP!

So, fast forward to our quick impulsive trip that was only for the 24-hour party, right?! Well, I just had to point out that Star Wars Weekends was also going on during our stay, and when we would have the chance to attend that again? With mock grumbling over another one of my additions, Nigel agreed that we should head over to DHS on Sunday.

We woke up reasonably early, I believe? We were not planning on rope-dropping but we wanted to be reasonably close. Or perhaps Nigel wanted to rope drop and I was being slow? In any event, we enjoyed our cold, refrigerator coffee from the night before, and I ate my half of the Oreo cupcake we had picked up the night before. Someone had already eaten their half the night before. OMG, this cupcake was the BEST I have had at WDW. I swear I thought I had gone to heaven. The icing was like the oreo crème filling, and there was some kind of liquid chocolate center. Seriously, I still think about that cupcake. (Note to self – get it again in September!)

Anyway, Nigel still needed sustenance, so we headed off to the POP food court. I was good from the cupcake, so Nigel got himself a breakfast burrito.

I had a bite, and it was good but I think there were tomatoes which I am not a fan of. And then, we were off to DHS via bus. Since we were planning on park hopping to Epcot at some point, we went with the bus rather than driving there.

I think we got there only a few minutes after 8 a.m. Although I had read up on the whole SWW and getting in autograph lines, we were not really planning or aiming for that. There were some autograph FPs left, but we did not grab any. The actors there that weekend were James Taylor Arnold (voice actor and host of SWW, I believe) and Jeremy Bulloch, who played Boba Fett in Star Wars. I actually asked if they had any left for Bulloch, but they did not. (Nigel is a Boba Fett fan.)

We actually caught a bit of the Stormtrooper little show as it was ending. They were riding down the street in these tall things; I don’t even know how to describe them.
It was actually really neat to walk down DHS and hear the Star Wars music.

There was a main stage set up, and we stopped to pay our respects.

Our first FP+ for the day was another first for us: Toy Story Midway Mania. I must say, I was looking forward to seeing what the hype was all about. We were still running a bit early, so we ducked across the walkway to visit a sheriff and spaceman!! The queue is really cute there. There was about a 10 minute wait, so we killed time with some pics.

And then it was time for the main attractions. Nigel actually started to hang back and take pics with our camera, but Woody was having none of that. He marched over to Nigel and “told” him to join the pictures! It was really cute.

Meet over, we still had time to kill before FP+ at 8:20! About 2 minutes or so. We impatiently waited for the FP+ clock to hit 8:20 and then we went over to scan in.

All set!
The FP+ line was really short, but the standby line was definitely filling up.

We got in our car and were off! I was surprised at the mechanism, the pull-rope thingy. I did not realize that was it; I thought it would be a gun like in Buzz or similar rides. We went through, and man, it was exhausting pulling non-stop on that thing! But, I am proud to say (gloat) that I won! Woo hoo! Nigel always beats me on Buzz Lightyear and the local Reese’s Cup Challenge at Hersheypark, so I was excited to finally win something! I definitely feel hooked! Can’t wait to do it again!

Exhausted from trying to outscore each other, we wandered down the road and decided to check our Darth’s Mall since it looked fairly quiet. When we walked in, we saw the Aurasma things that people were doing. Aurasma is the app that you download, and then when you have the app open and in front of a special screen a character will appear on your phone next to the person in the picture. It was actually really cool! I remember reading about the Aurasma app, but I forgot to download. So, I downloaded it right there with help from the CM who very kindly explained everything, and then she took our picture.

Don’t worry, there are more pics coming, but they are on the way out. First, into the Mall! The Mall was…smaller than I expected. I don't really know what I was expecting, but it was not that busy and it still felt cramped.

I can’t imagine it when it is busy. We saw Jedi Mickey and Leia Minnie greeting, but we passed due to the line. We wandered around and saw the stuffed animals, toys and t-shirts. Also, some cool stuff especially for women by Ashley Eckstein. There was a dress that Nigel swears was the exact same as his Star Wars bedsheets when he was little.

Also, we saw some merchandise that we were tempted by, but did not get. First,

Poor Donald!


I really liked this poster, but just didn’t know where we would put it.

I couldn't get a great pic of it, but do you see the mouse ears on the DeathStar?! I had seen pictures on the DISboards where there was a Pluto figurine dressed as an AT-AT, but it must have been sold out cause I didn’t see it. ☹

They had the station where your face can be put on a jedi action figure and get a name tag too. But, what were we there for? Admiral Ackbar Snackbar, of course! IT’S A TRAP! C’mon, you knew that was coming. Confirming the start of my gluttonous day, we grabbed a Yoda cupcake (my second hal cupcake of the day for those keeping count!) and the Dark Side drink with my very own glowcube DeathStar!!! Woo hoo! And yes, cupcakes and drinks all by 9:30, don’t judge! ☺

After our snack, we checked out and bought our collectible shot glass for the trip, a Jedi Mickey picture on it. I’ll have to take a pic of it because I did not at the time. As we were checking out, we were chatting with the CMs, who were definitely looking for entertainment as the checkout was seriously empty. We chatted with them, and Nigel was filming, and the one CM was saying “Hi, Mom!” into our camera; it was fun.

And now, some more Aurasma pics on the way out.

Remember, only Nigel was really there, the Stormtrooper and Boba Fett is a camera trick! I did some edits (cropping), but I think these turned out cool! Also, I am not usually this bad as a photographer. The light on the left side of the picture is because of the exit door (and bright sunlight) being right next to the Aurasma backdrop, so I couldn't really angle it out of the pic.

Continued in next post...

 

[Li Li]

Our Star Tours FP+ was scheduled for 10:40, I believe, so we definitely had some time to kill. Right outside the Mall, there was a scheduled meet and greet, but it did not say who was meeting. I asked a CM, and they confirmed Jango Fett would be there at 10:30!!! Now, this was a high priority for Nigel, who is a Jango Fett fan. It was about 10 am and a couple people/families were in line already for Jango, so I suggested to Nigel that we join the line and then we could head over to Star Tours. Plan made, we bought some soda and wasted time with selfies and pics.

Also, I wanted to explain my outfit for the day. I was attempting my second Disneybound as Wreck-It Ralph. I thought I did pretty well. Sure, I was wearing shorts instead of overalls, but I think it turned out pretty well, and I was kinda proud of it. Would I meet my hero, and would he feel the same? You’ll have to wait and see…

While in line, some kids were having a little star wars battle with their space guns, and guys, it was the cutest thing ever! Although I felt bad for the one kid, his mom kept telling him to calm down. I’m sure she just didn’t want him to get overheated cause we were all right in the sun. Nigel made me go stand in the shade as he was getting nervous that I would burn! Finally, the man himself arrived. First, these kids were adorable, so I snapped a pic. I blurred their faces cause they are obviously not my kids, so I thought that was best if I was going to post it.

The little boy was dressed as Jango Fett!! OMG! Let me tell you, that boy did not want to put that costume back on after running around in the sun during the kids’ star wars battle. But he toughed it out and I am sure those parents love the pics!

Now, for Nigel and Jango Fett.

Oh, Nigel let me in the picture too.

Okay, the must-do of the day was completed! Now, off to Star Tours. I got the FP+ because we couldn’t NOT do Start Tours during Star Wars Weekend, right? The Star Tours area was packed! They were doing the Jedi Training Academy show, so I am sure that was part of it, but also, the FP+ line was out of control. It was somewhere out in the packed street, and once we found the end, it moved pretty quickly, but it was crazy.

Quick pic as we walked by.

Now, I am probably a terrible person for this, but I don’t think I have ever kept track of what scene we get in Star Tours. To be honest, I doubt I would have noticed that you get different scenes if I had not read/heard about it. Even now, I don’t know what character spoke at the end, and no recollection of what scene we got. So, sorry about that. It’s not that I don’t like Star Wars (or Star Tours, for that matter), I just think that doesn’t stick in my head for whatever reason. Too much Disney excitement, I guess.

Star Tours accomplished, we did not have our next FP+ until after lunchtime (12:40ish), so I suggested that we meet my Disneybound inspiration. Honestly, since we do not have kids, we never really walked around in the Animation area before. I actually had to ask where to go as I was a little confused! We finally found the Character place and joined the line. It moved a bit slow, but we were content to wait. I think it was about 15-20 minutes. I know we were in line at 11 am since that is when I was texting with a friend.

Yep, another selfie!

So, we go up to meet Ralph and Vanellope and I say to Ralph, I tried to dress like you today, do you think I look like you? AND HE SHOOK HIS HEAD, NO! Guys, I am not going to lie; I was a little crushed. Maybe he noticed cause he motioned for me to step back and he looked again, and then he picked up his hand and made the motion for so-so. Well, I will let you guys be the judge, but I think the pics show that I was pretty close.

After I dried my tears (kidding), we headed out. Here’s is a pic of what we faced in the Animation Courtyard.

The parade was about to start, and I had my first Disney meet ever to get to! I had met a woman through some Disney Facebook groups and we realized we were going to be at Disney at the same time, so we exchanged numbers to try and meet up. We kept missing each other during the 24-hour party, so we wanted to make sure to meet today! She and her friends were dressed as Star Wars characters, so we walked around looking for them in the mass of people waiting for the parade. I don’t want to post our pic since I don’t know if she would want me to, but we finally found each other and it was so cool to meet in person! Here is the parade crowd.

She asked if we were going to watch the parade, but Nigel is not as outgoing as me and I didn’t want to subject him to total strangers longer than was necessary. Plus, we needed a break from the crowds, so we headed off to the Tune-In Lounge. Ah, a nice refreshment from a Cousin is just the ticket. We ordered some margaritas and sat on one of the couches.

Feeling refreshed, we headed out for our favorite spooky hotel! Our last FP+ was for Tower of Terror. Although I really like Rock’nRoller coaster, ToT is always my first choice.

We had a great ride! You know, if anything could talk me into Memory Maker for our next trip, it is the new thing they are doing where you can get a video of your ride from ToT!

As you may have noticed, this place was packed! Having accomplished what we wanted for the day, we decided to head over to Epcot. Have to use those parkhoppers!! As we were walking out, I saw we just missed a boat. We have walked from DHS to the Swolphin before, so it’s not a bad walk, but with the heat, we headed over to the bus stop.

Stay tuned, our Epcot afternoon is coming up!

 

[Li Li]

I did forget after taking our Tower of Terror ride on our way out, there were some more pics. Nigel had to ogle some cars…

So, we bussed over to Epcot, which seems weird to me writing it. Why didn’t we just walk? But I think it was pretty hot, so air conditioned bus won the day.

Obligatory Epcot pic.

I think we were ready for some food (other than cupcakes) at this point, and we headed over to Sunshine Seasons. I have to say, I was very impressed with the different offerings they had. Lots of variety and it looked great. And boy, was it hopping! But really, the wait was not outrageous.

Ever since reading about it, I had one thing in mind…Mongolian Beef. I have lately developed an extreme liking for Mongolian Beef. The Chinese place by us has a fantastic Mongolian Beef that I get every time (although it has too many onions). So, after learning they had it at Sunshine Seasons at the Land, I definitely wanted to try it.

The verdict? It was…okay. We just got one portion (which comes with vegetable fried rice) to split between the two of us. I think I probably liked it more than Nigel. The beef itself was good, but the fried rice was just bad, seemed undercooked. ☹ Oh well. There are plenty of options for next time.

I think we looked at the wait time for Spaceship Earth, but it was over half an hour, so we moved on. I think after we ate we went over Innoventions to take a look at what FP+ were available for our fourth FP+. The CMs were standing around looking pretty bored, which seemed a common theme for the trip. They definitely overstaffed the FP+ kiosks. Anyway, we went up to a group of three female CMs, and they pretty much helped us as a group. They looked up what was available on their iPad. I think we looked at Spaceship Earth, but it was either all gone or later than we wanted to stay at Epcot. Luckily, our perennial favorite the Maelstrom was open! I don’t remember the exact time, but I believe it was around 3:30 p.m. We joked about the FP+ system with the CMs who shared with us that they had a person come up and request a FP+ for Journey Into Imagination, which had pleeeenty of availability. Sorry, no judgement as I know there are lots of Figment lovers out there…but no. Not for us.

FP+ made, we headed over for some World Showcase fun.

Gorgeous day, right?

We decided to start in Canada and loop around to Norway figuring we would get there around our FP+ time. So, first stop Canada. What does a childless couple do in World Showcase? If drink was your guess, winner winner chicken dinner. (I know, not every adult couple drinks, but drinking around World Showcase is our thing.)

So, we stopped at the Canada cart for a Labatt Light for Nigel and a Torontopolitan for me. Get it? Torontopolitan? Like Cosmo…anyway. Here are the drinks.

But more important, here was our CM.

This guy was a rock star. I took his picture because he was hanging out, outside, in the Florida heat and humidity (easily 90 degrees at this point), rocking a sport coat! Like a boss. I mean, he didn’t even look like he was breaking a sweat, so I told him he was rocking the sport coat and that I wanted a picture as seen above. But then he said I needed to get an action shot, so here that is…

As I said, like a boss. He was very nice and friendly (well, duh, this is Canada). So, we walked around Canada a bit and had our drinks. Warning! The Torontopolitan is ridiculously easy to drink, like delicious fruit punch with no alcohol taste at all. Danger! I downed like half of it in no time. I then decided, we should get some water if we were drinking around the World. Hydration is key, people!

Luckily, I had another must-do in mind that would check off water and a treat. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present…the Cronut!

When I heard the Refreshment Port had cronuts, I definitely wanted to try one! No ice cream, just straight cronut. Once again, the verdict is…okay. I mean, it was nice and tasty, but I’m not craving one right now. Perhaps my expectations were too high for my Disney must-try food items? Hmmm.

And on we go. I know we stopped in the United Kingdom shops because we always do. As always, Nigel was tempted to buy some Beatles merchandise but refrained. (Don’t worry, he has plenty). Not the Stones, let’s be real here.

No pics from UK (shocking really considering Nigel is always taking pics), and no drinks here either. We were waiting for the next countries. And this pic shows me getting a wee bit fed up with Nigel stopping to take more pics and not keeping up. We have things to do!!!

We stopped in France for a very important mission. Having been let down by the cronut (which we split), we decided to try our luck on the ice cream brioche sandwich. The proper name Croque Glace – any flavor ice cream in a warm brioche with chocolate or raspberry sauce. The line was not long at all, so we were up ordering in no time.

Our CM was very nice, indulging our picture taking.

Pic before eating.

Sorry, no inside pic. Just a pic of me biting into it, but I’ll spare you on that one. Our verdict…drumroll please….IT WAS SO GOOOOOOOD! Seriously, we loved it. Oh, we got Pistachio ice cream with raspberry sauce. So incredible. Definitely want to get another one next trip!!!! Obviously, I cannot rave enough about this.

We walked on to Morocco and looked around. I love that whole area and the shops and everything. We stopped to hydrate from our handy filtered water bottle (which we had filled at Refreshment Port). Actually, our filter water bottle (hard-sided) stayed fairly cool packed away in my backpack. I was actually surprised it stayed as cool as it did and no spills either! (Fingers crossed for next trip!).

Moving on, we stopped in Japan to look around. I took a pic of a Sailor Moon shirt for a friend as she is a fan. I had thoughts about perhaps doing pick a pearl, but it was mobbed, so that was a no go. Maybe another time.

We were passing by America and decided to stop in the gift shop since we had never gone in before. Some interesting books. But wait, what the heck is this?

Yeah, that expression pretty much says it all. My "what the what" face. This is an actual souvenir from America, folks. It is a metal door plate with a key sticking out of it (welded to it). So, yeah. Apparently, door plates with keys scream ‘Murica. I don't even know. But wait, how much does this baffling souvenir cost? $28.00?! Shut the front door! I’ll sell you a bunch from my house for only $20, while supplies last.

We skipped over Italy and Germany fairly quickly since we wanted to get to Maelstrom. We figured we could circle back later. As we were heading around past the African post (a travesty, but let’s not discuss our World Showcase gripes…yet), the bridge was blocking our way! They had the bridge up to let the big Globe for Illuminations pass by. Pretty neat. Once the bridge was down, we thronged past China and headed into Norway. Land of Trolls…and Frozen apparently.

We stopped in the Stave church which had been closed our last trip in October 2013 to prepare for the Frozen meet and greet. We love the Stave church, but it was a little…different this time.

So, a little Frozen overlay, hmm? Well, okay, as long as we leave the rest of Norway alone, right? RIGHT?! Side note: We are going to ride and take ten million pictures of Maelstrom this trip as I fear it will be the end of an era soon. ☹ If you have no clue what I am talking about, you must be new to obsessive Disney news/rumor stalking. Google it, I can’t even type it; it’s too depressing.

So, we joined the line for Maelstrom.

We are not the first to pass this way, nor shall we be the last.

And, our next pics are of the dump shop, which is pretty nice as dump shops go. Trolls!

Maelstrom mission accomplished, we headed over to our second favorite country, Mexico! I love their shop area, and honestly who doesn’t love La Cava del Tequila? Well, probably some people, since Tequila is very much a love it or hate it liquor. But since we love it…

We headed in and there was a definite line to get into La Cava. But that is where the tequila is! Curious, I asked a CM if there was a table available as it appeared the line was for the bar area and maybe large groups? When I asked, he said no tables were available. I started to walk away and then he asked how many? I said, just two. He said, oh okay, right this way. What?! All right then. Apparently, we have different definitions of “available.” No matter, we were seated at a nice two-top in the back (next to a table of tipsy twenty-something girls who were very interesting to say the least. Fun eavesdropping at any rate). Pro tip: This little table in the back has an outlet next to it! So, we took advantage, plugged in our phones and ordered some tequila. And some chips and queso dip. And a cucumber margarita for me. That counts as hydration, right?

Yeah, that’s a pic of me stuffing my face, no shame.

By this point, it was around 4:30 p.m. We had a lovely break in La Cava and ventured forth again. Oh, we liked the chips and queso. Would definitely order again. And the cucumber margarita was very refreshing!

So, tequila mission accomplished, we decided to circle back to Germany. And, apparently, we were still hungry. All that walking around the world, you know. So, we went to the Germany QS and grabbed a frankfurter and two beers. And the CM had the same name as me!!! (Not Li Li, my real one. Leah). I was so excited by this. Isn’t weird how you get excited when you meet others with the same name as you? Or maybe that is just me? Growing up nobody had my name and you could never find my name on those novelty mugs and keychains. Now? My name is everywhere! It really shot up in popularity in the last five or so years. Anywho.

Not pictured: the beers we got with the hot dog. When in Germany, yada yada, drink beer. I’m sure that’s a saying. No stop in Karamel Kuche (sp?), which I am sure is a travesty to some, but Nigel is not really a caramel guy, and we had already frontloaded our sweets with the Croque Glace and cronut anyway. More food eaten, we started to trek to Future World.

I feel fairly certain we stopped in MouseGears cause I love that place. Seriously, my favorite Disney shopping store. But of course, we had an ultimate destination in mind.

Guesses? To be continued. I promise. I will get this done before our September trip!

 

[Li Li]

Onward…looking back, I feel like we fit in A LOT on this Sunday! We’ve hit SWW and Epcot and we still have one more destination! Okay, so heading out World Showcase and into Future World. And I am now pretty certain that we did stop at MouseGears but it was earlier in the day. It had to be earlier because I remembered we sent our purchase to the front of the park to pick up when we were done instead of lugging it around and that usually takes awhile. I think this is where Nigel finally picked up his pajama pants (in his size), and I got a cute Minnie pajama tank and short set. I also picked up sparkly pencils for the girls at work (which they all loved!) and some Disney-themed mints for my mom. She’s one of those moms that always had hard candies or mints in her purse. Anyway…

Since we were making our way out of the park, we, of course, are heading for one thing…Spaceship Earth. We wanted to check out the lines and see if we could grab a quick ride! Luckily, I think the wait was around 25 minutes which was the shortest we had seen, so we hopped in line and it moved quickly. In no time at all, we were hanging with the Phoenicians. [Side note: does anyone listen to the Drunk on Disney podcast? I love it! Definitely adult-themed, but really interesting and fun. Anyway, if you listen to that podcast, you might recall the joke that goes along with the Phoenicians, but it would lose something in translation here ]

So, we did our ride, and for once, I managed to get a pic of our faces on the globe at the end!

So, we headed to the front of the park to pick up our purchases at Gift Stop. Creative naming, huh? A very nice Australian CM went to find our bag. And Nigel noticed in the fridge that they had red Powerade! You may recall from the first day, he was dismayed at MK only having blue Powerade as he only likes red aka “fruit punch”. Of course, he had to get it, and we had a conversation with the two CMs about it. The one CM accused him of being “colorist”. *crickets?* Eh, it was funny to us.

We grabbed our bus and headed back to Pop. Not sure which bus we grabbed since we usually chose whichever bus arrived first between Pop and AoA. Actually, I think all our trips back to POP were through AoA since I don’t ever remember getting off at the Pop bus stop. Hmm.

So, this update is light on pics, but we are getting near the end here, folks. Oh, I also don’t like the pics of us from the Epcot photopass, so not posting those. *insert singing ‘It’s My Prerogative’ since that just ran through my head*

After a full day at DHS and Epcot, we refreshed back at our room for our last destination of the day. We decided to head to Downtown Disney! Dun dun duuuun! (Scary music effect). Without a reservation! DUN DUN DUUUUUN! We were planning on seeing if we could eat at the bar at Splitsville. No bowling, mind you, just eating. (We have bowled before and enjoyed it.) Even with the holiday weekend, we thought it wouldn’t be too bad for bar seating.

We decided to bus it once again due to DTD parking horror stories. It started raining while we were waiting. Nothing big, just little droplets. Enough to annoy us while we waited for the ECV to load. (No judgment, just unfortunate timing). We got to DTD and it was crazy. Walls everywhere, people everywhere. We started to get a little nervous, but I was on a mission. We began the long walk over to Splitsville. Well, it seemed long, especially with all the dodging and weaving we were doing. Sorry, when I know where I am going and am on a mission, I don’t dawdle.

We got up to Splitsville, and there were two open seats at the bar right on the main ground outside. So, we hopped up and got some menus. I decided to try the frozen concotions at the bar where you can mix different flavors together. Normally, I am not big on the frozen alcoholic drinks, but it came in a really cute reusable bottle with Splitsville coozie! Kusi? I don’t know the spelling, but the foam-type drink cover thingy. So, I got that and Nigel got…something. I think he got a Long Island Ice Tea, but that would be somewhat out of the norm for him, so who knows? Drinks should be in the food pic.

So, the food. I really wanted some of the sushi as we had some previously. Nigel was kind of meh on it, but I eventually persuaded him with the promise of nachos as well. So, we got a sushi roll and the BBQ chicken nachos.

I liked this. I think I ate most of the sushi and Nigel ate most of the nachos, but we enjoyed all of it. Also, there was live music playing in the corner area which we listened to, and the singer was FANTASTIC! I actually got a card with his name, and now I’ve lost it and have no clue what his name was, but seriously, guys. He had the most amazing voice. Even Nigel liked him, and Nigel is fairly snobby* when it comes to music. *My opinion; he may say discerning?

So, bellies full and music played, we decided to head back. We got lost trying to get back to the bus depot as we followed a crowd of people, and it turned out they were all crossing the street to somewhere else. Whoops!

After turning around, we made it back to the bus depot…where a crowd had definitely gathered. The rain also started to pick up at this point. Swell. Seeing a crowd and an ECV in the Pop area, we decided to take our chances and wait in the AoA area. AoA came in first, and although it got crowded too, everyone was able to get on the bus, I believe.

So, we had a lovely nighttime walk through AoA back to our room.

We stopped by Everything Pop for coffee and another Oreo cupcake for morning breakfast. We also grabbed some kind of spice muffin? We had to grab breakfast now as we were leaving for the airport at 5 am! Eeek! Our flight was scheduled for 7 am.

We got up early and not so bright the next morning and made sure everything was gathered together. We mapped out the return route to the airport on the phone and returned the car with no problems. Security was not too bad, and soon we were staring at this.

Of course, no delays for our return home. We chowed on our cupcake and muffin. Both were good.

Soon we were up in the air, sans alcohol which made my legs shake for the first half hour or so. I just re-read that. Not shaking in a detox way, I promise! Shaking in a flying way. But of course, we landed without incident at home sweet home and were greeted by my parents who nicely came to pick us up. We were dropped off at home by 10:30 or so and sought to fight the PDD (post Disney depression).

Some final thoughts.

Although we missed out on some time because of the flight delay, all in all, I was really happy with our quick trip! I would definitely do a quick trip like it again although maybe not for the 24 hour party. As time passes, I have fonder memories of it, but I know we really were dragging by the end. I loved doing it, but immediately after we got home, we both said to each other that we would not be rushing to do it again, but it was great to experience once. But now that even more time has passed, I sit here and think, well, it was fun, maybe I would do it again! Yikes. Although we are probably going to try for a Christmas time event as our next big thing.

Well, it took me awhile (especially considering our trip was only three days), but I have managed to finish this TR up! I enjoyed writing it, so I hope you enjoyed reading it, whether you are a lurker or a commenter! So, hopefully, I will do another one for our September trip!

 

[NigelSTW]

While I would never say "never" on doing another 24 hour park event, I really do not see another in the cards. A lot of fun was had, and a good experience. However, it was tiring and at some points grueling to a degree. Glad I did it, not rushing back for a repeat.

 

[Joben]

Congrats on the first completed TR. I will have a "real" response after lunch

 

[Joben]

okay, well it's after lunch...the next day

so I was a bit surprised that Ralph was so hard on you! I mean your outfit wasn't a complete copy of him, but I thought you were in the park. I think he was just trying to get your goat. Your look defeat is pretty awesome though.

Memory maker...I saw that they did that on the ToT and thought it was pretty cool. In our trip in March, Jayne and I will be joined by (1)a sister with 3 kids, (2)a sister, her husband and two kids, (3)another sister, (4)my Mom and maybe (5)my lil bro too if he ever gets his act together. Then I think we are going to pull the plug and get that package. (I'm a cheapskate)

mmmm Mongolian beef. my first foray into "Asian" food (not sure if Asians would qualify this as their culture) I used to always order this dish, until I discovered Vietnamese and Thai food. I can't remember the last time I had it. pretty sure it was the last century

So I love me some drinking around the world, especially during F&W (WDW is so much better with out kids!). Well as long as it is not on the weekend of F&W. We actually went on the last weekend of F&W last year, I do not recommend the weekends for this, you get to see Epcot drinking on a whole new level then.

Nice action shot in Canada!!!!!

Croque Glace: Jayne discovered this a few trips ago and went on about it sooooo much I was drooling for it the last time we went. It was M'eh. I got salted caramel and chocolate sauce, which may have left it kinda blah. my problem was all I tasted was bread. It's still a do over though

Yeah so Maelstrom almost made me single. Jayne went on this as a child and fell in love with it(she is weird like that) when we started going as a couple some years ago, she really talked this ride up and how scary it is. She was not trying to pull my leg either, she just remembered riding this as a child and having her brain freaked by it. Now when I went the first year of Epcot the ride wasn't around yet, so I was pretty pumped to go on this ride. Clearly I was let down. The last time we went to WDW in Mar. I told Jayne can we just skip Maelstrom this time, we'll be back in Oct and look there is a 15 minute wait time. I am a junkie for rumors and news thread(it's been so slow lately though...come one SW announcement) and I keep calling their 800 number trying to get someone to let me get an Oct FP+ for the ride. no FP's are available and as of yesterday still no explanation.

Good to know about the outlet in the Cave (this is why I read TR's)

Now I need to listen to a podcast, have to get the wife to show me another fancy technology gizmo technique, once I'm done applying my lineament oil

It's kinda amazing how much you took the bus considering you had a rental car there. the only time we don't drive our car somewhere is because we want to take a boat. well going to DTD it would make sense not to drive(especially now) but we always stay at OKW and can take a boat from there.

never been to Splitsville but I think I may just to get that big coozie (spellcheck doesn't recognize that word but it is correct) I could really use that coozie when I get a 24 ounce can of beer at Busch stadium when the Cardinals make the playoffs this year!!!! yup that is trash talking!

Congrats again on the TR it was a really good one. I really enjoy reading about yours and Nigel's travels to WDW, because you guys are similar to us and our vacation styles, well except we could never go for just one weekend, I would have to sedate Jayne to get her in the car for the trip home. I hope someday are travel times synch up and we can try a dis meet. take care and looking forward to your next TR

 

[Li Li]

okay, well it's after lunch...the next day so I was a bit surprised that Ralph was so hard on you! I mean your outfit wasn't a complete copy of him, but I thought you were in the park. I think he was just trying to get your goat. Your look defeat is pretty awesome though. Memory maker...I saw that they did that on the ToT and thought it was pretty cool. In our trip in March, Jayne and I will be joined by (1)a sister with 3 kids, (2)a sister, her husband and two kids, (3)another sister, (4)my Mom and maybe (5)my lil bro too if he ever gets his act together. Then I think we are going to pull the plug and get that package. (I'm a cheapskate) mmmm Mongolian beef. my first foray into "Asian" food (not sure if Asians would qualify this as their culture) I used to always order this dish, until I discovered Vietnamese and Thai food. I can't remember the last time I had it. pretty sure it was the last century So I love me some drinking around the world, especially during F&W (WDW is so much better with out kids!). Well as long as it is not on the weekend of F&W. We actually went on the last weekend of F&W last year, I do not recommend the weekends for this, you get to see Epcot drinking on a whole new level then. Nice action shot in Canada!!!!! Croque Glace: Jayne discovered this a few trips ago and went on about it sooooo much I was drooling for it the last time we went. It was M'eh. I got salted caramel and chocolate sauce, which may have left it kinda blah. my problem was all I tasted was bread. It's still a do over though Yeah so Maelstrom almost made me single. Jayne went on this as a child and fell in love with it(she is weird like that) when we started going as a couple some years ago, she really talked this ride up and how scary it is. She was not trying to pull my leg either, she just remembered riding this as a child and having her brain freaked by it. Now when I went the first year of Epcot the ride wasn't around yet, so I was pretty pumped to go on this ride. Clearly I was let down. The last time we went to WDW in Mar. I told Jayne can we just skip Maelstrom this time, we'll be back in Oct and look there is a 15 minute wait time. I am a junkie for rumors and news thread(it's been so slow lately though...come one SW announcement) and I keep calling their 800 number trying to get someone to let me get an Oct FP+ for the ride. no FP's are available and as of yesterday still no explanation. Good to know about the outlet in the Cave (this is why I read TR's) Now I need to listen to a podcast, have to get the wife to show me another fancy technology gizmo technique, once I'm done applying my lineament oil It's kinda amazing how much you took the bus considering you had a rental car there. the only time we don't drive our car somewhere is because we want to take a boat. well going to DTD it would make sense not to drive(especially now) but we always stay at OKW and can take a boat from there. never been to Splitsville but I think I may just to get that big coozie (spellcheck doesn't recognize that word but it is correct) I could really use that coozie when I get a 24 ounce can of beer at Busch stadium when the Cardinals make the playoffs this year!!!! yup that is trash talking! Congrats again on the TR it was a really good one. I really enjoy reading about yours and Nigel's travels to WDW, because you guys are similar to us and our vacation styles, well except we could never go for just one weekend, I would have to sedate Jayne to get her in the car for the trip home. I hope someday are travel times synch up and we can try a dis meet. take care and looking forward to your next TR

Yeah, the price just feels too much for the two of us for memory maker but it would probably be worth it for a group.

Another person who wrote a dining report was unimpressed by the croque glacé too. I think they also got salted caramel so maybe ice cream choice makes the difference? Hopefully, your second try is better!

I heard about some people getting Maelstrom FP+ for October 3 recently, so keep checking! Maelstrom actually used to be more intense and they toned it down. There's some cool YouTube videos out there of the old version. And yes, we are those people who watch YouTube videos of Disney!

I think we only ended up bussing to DHS because the bus was literally right there so we just hopped on instead of walking to the car.

*ignoring trash talk while tear slips down my face* those last games with the Cards were heartbreaking, at least for me.

Thanks so much for reading and commenting! Hopefully, someday our schedules match up and we can have a DisMeet!

Have a great October trip!!!