ONE YEAR of WDW starts NOW! Nov. 2015 WDW trip & beyond! Now with JANUARY & MAY!

[Li Li]

ONE YEAR OF DISNEY starts now!

Hello, welcome! If you have followed over from our PTR, thanks and nice to see you. If you are new, thanks again! I hope I can keep this interesting and entertaining enough for all who read. So, let’s start with some introductions and get this show on the road!


WHO ARE WE?


We are Li Li and Nigel. Crazy Disney fans who decided to take the leap and buy Annual Passes for a one year of Disney extravaganza!

I really don't even remember how this idea started, other than the fact that we started going to Disney World at least once a year, and then started squeezing in second trips in a one year time frame and it just kind of snowballed from there. As of right now, we are on track to visit during most of the major events in Disney. In 2014, we did the 24-hour event and Star Wars Weekend (RIP!). We did Halloween in 2013, Food & Wine 2013 and now 2015. Christmas Party/Osborne Lights this past trip, and we booked a trip during Flower and Garden for May 2016! Whew.


So, what’s going on here??


I am using this TR to chronicle our most recent trip in November 2015 where we became Platinum Plus passholders (just doesn’t have the same ring as AP holders), and it will also be used as PTR and then TR for the remaining trips while we try to squeeze our money’s worth out of these passes!

Here’s the real trick…will I be able to chronicle our whole week-long November trip before we go back in January?!?! Who knows, but I better get this thing started.


Ready? Okay!


The traveling:

For the first time in forever (sorry), we decided to drive to Disney. I’m not the biggest fan of flying but I’ll do it, especially if Disney is involved. However, we decided to give the drive a whirl as we know many folks from Central PA who do the drive. It would amount to about 15 to 16 hours of driving. Piece of cake, right?! It would also be the longest drive we had taken together as a couple. Our longest drive prior to this was just to Connecticut, a mere pittance compared to Florida.

After much hemming and hawing (feel free to see the PTR), we decided on leaving right after work on a Friday and driving as far as we could, hoping to make it to Charlotte, NC and then grabbing a hotel room for sleep before continuing on the next day. Since we were concerned about DC traffic, we decided to use the inland route of 81-77-26-95 rather than 95 the whole way down. It doesn't really add too much time or miles to the journey, but you do get to avoid the DC beltway and traffic around Richmond.

We packed the car the night before. By the way, I (possibly we) completely overpacked. I blame it on uncertainty as to November weather in Florida along with being free from airline bag restrictions. Anywho, we packed the car full of water, snacks, and suitcases so we would be ready to go. First things first…we had to drop these guys off at the grandparents.

We woke early Friday morning, got ready for work and packed up the critters. Dropped them off and went to work. Where I got to sit in an all-day training meeting. Woo hoo. Since I had to wear a suit to the meeting, I packed clothes to change into before we hit the road. So, around 4:45 pm, we hopped in the car, ready to start the journey. (If my boss asks, we left at 5 pm, thank you very much).

We decided to take the Honda Pilot as we thought it would be more comfortable for a long drive than our Chevy Cruze and gas prices were still fairly good. Over lunch on Friday, Nigel went out and picked up sandwiches that we could eat in the car rather than stop somewhere for dinner. So, packed with sandwiches and excitement, we officially started our journey. And hit traffic. L 81 South had stop and go traffic until we got past Chambersburg, PA, I believe. Probably added in a about 30 to 60 minutes extra to the drive. And then the states started zipping by! We went through Maryland, West Virginia and then hit Virginia. We had planned on stopping and switching drivers about every three hours, but Nigel and the Honda were doing so well that we did not end up stopping until about 4 and a half hours in. We pulled off in Salem, VA where we found a Sheetz, which is a local chain we are familiar with for gas, restroom and plenty of drinks/snacks if needed. Also, the price of gas was below $2/gallon so that was exciting. I grabbed some caffeine and started my turn as driver.

I think all in all, our drive was uneventful. No real rain to speak of this night. As the night wore on we debated about where and when to stop. Friends of ours drive to Charlotte frequently and they recommended a Red Roof Inn Plus that was literally right off the highway in Statesville, NC, which is just north of Charlotte. Since we had a lost a bit of time to traffic, it seemed better to stop before Charlotte, so we could get some decent hours of sleep in before the next day.

The Inn was very nice, and we got a discount thanks to our AAA membership. The room was nice and clean and the water pressure in the shower was amazing! Important stuff, right?!

We crashed and set alarms for I think around 5 am or 5:30. We ended up getting back on the road by 6:22 am, which is pretty impressive when you consider that I am not a great morning person. Unfortunately, we woke up to rain and it followed us through to Charlotte and most of North Carolina. Luckily, it did clear eventually, so we only had a couple of hours with the rain.

Again, pretty uneventful. But we finally made it to Florida, and had to the the obligatory rest stop for free juice!

He's happy, I swear!

You've just hit Florida, what are you going to do next?? Well, drive another 3 hours of course!
We hit the Welcome Center around Noon, so we were hoping to get to our room around 3 pm and check in.

Our first night in Disney would be at...the Clarion

It actually was not that bad. But sadly, I only took video and no pictures of our room! womp womp.

We threw our bags in the room, freshened up, and got ready to hit Disney Springs!!

 

[Li Li]

DISNEY SPRINGS TIME!

So, I tried to grab a brochure of the new Disney Springs from the Clarion but apparently I picked up the Spanish version. The Clarion definitely seemed to cater to the overseas tourists. I liked our room and it felt comfortable. Although the Red Roof Inn the night before had better shower water pressure, again, important stuff! Oh well. Freshened up, we got in the car to head over to Disney Springs. I believe we got over there around 4:30ish. It was a tad confusing finding where to turn in with all the construction, but we found a parking lot fairly quickly over by the La Nouba side. The drive over:

After parking, we were on a mission. We wanted to check out some of the new offerings, and the first stop was Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar. After a bit of a walk, we found it. Unfortunately, the inside was pretty filled up, but there was plenty of room at the bar outside, so we saddled up for our first drinks of the vacation.

It was definitely a gorgeous evening outside!

Would now be the time to apologize for all the selfies you will see in this TR?? It's just the two of us and we like selfies.

I tried the Scottish Professor, which was some kind of drink with scotch in it? Sorry, I am being too lazy to look it up right now. As I remember, it was fine, but nothing amazing. Nigel got their version of a mule, complete with copper cup, and enjoyed it very much. According to Nigel, we absolutely had to get the “Good Dates.” These were dates stuffed with goat cheese along with almonds and pickled veggies.

We enjoyed it, but it was a fairly small plate. However, we held off on ordering anything else since we thought we might move on. Although we did get another round of drinks, Kingfisher Lager for me and no clue what beer Nigel got. Sorry, honey, feel free to chime in.

All in all, we really liked the details and theming of the Hangar bar. I for sure still want to try and get seats inside at some point. But it was definitely fun watching the bartenders mix up all the cool cocktails.

Moving on, we ventured out and saw a family getting in an amphibicar. Is it amphibicar or amphicar? Half boat, half car. Looks interesting, but for now, the price tag is talking me out of it.

Since we were right there, we decided our next stop would be The Boathouse! And luckily, two seats were available at the bar just as we walked in. So, we were on the end, pretty much right near the entrance and seating podium. In fact, at one point, I was talking to our bar neighbors while Nigel went to the restroom, and I thought he returned but when I turned around, I found some woman perched on his bar stool! I made a sound of surprise, I think, because she then said oh, I’m just waiting for a table. I said, oh, I’m sorry, my husband is sitting here! Which should have been obvious because there was a beer in front of the stool, but she gave the seat back to Nigel without a fuss when he came back. I felt like a bad wife for not protecting his seat better!


And now, for the food. We both got New Belgium Fat Tire beers as they are still somewhat scarce in PA although they do sell them now. We decided to continue the appetizer theme and got a variety. Starting with oysters…

Yuck, no oysters for me, no thanks. But Nigel likes them. We also ordered a side of the mac n’ cheese and mussels. Everything was very good. We also were sitting near the shucker whose job it was to shuck oysters all night long. In his opinion, he felt that the Canadian oysters were better than the American ones. Howard got a sampler, and like any true American felt they were better! In all seriousness, he felt that the Canadian oysters just tasted a bit muddier, if that makes sense.


After some time there, we moved on and walked around. I don't believe we went into World of Disney but we did walk down to the end of the Marketplace and across the new pedestrian bridge. Since it had been a long day, we started heading back to the car. Being a Saturday night, it felt pretty crowded.


We also made a stop at the new hat store. I bought Nigel a hat that I hope will make a future appearance in a TR for a future Halloween party.


Having walked basically the length of Disney Springs, we made it through the crowds and back to the Clarion without difficulty. Oh, we also swung into the Speedway station on our way back as gas was only $1.92! Woo hoo!


We found an empty space right in front of our building and went up to the room. Except…we discovered the next morning that it wasn’t exactly an empty space. Yep, it was a loading space with the yellow lines that clearly indicate you should not park there. I’m not sure how we missed it the night before. I can only think perhaps it wasn’t very reflective paint. Oopsie. We had a nice note from Clarion security on our window warning us that it was not a space and would be towed in 24 hours. Luckily for us, it was time to get inside the Disney bubble!!


Sunday morning and off to the Art of Animation!!!

 

[Joben]

Following. So glad you're doing a TR, now I can live vicariously through you.

Although I may have to unfollow since you're going back before us. I guess when your platinum you have to shine.

OMG I couldn't take sitting through a training the day I go to WDW. (Think I just jinxed myself)

We follow the same routine of leave after work and drive till you can't take it anymore. After many times of this it has turned to drive till we get past Atlanta. Driving ar midnight in Atlanta on a weekend is still bad, but rush hour...shoot me.

We always pack the kitchen sink for our trips, why not you have the room in the car,who knows what you might need. Then while waiting to check in we head to publix to get supplies (more importantly, the liquor store next to publix) most breakfast and lunches are done in room and saves money, thus allowing more Disney trips.

I feel for Nigel there all my pics are emotionless, really I'm smiling behind the goatee.

Uhhhh yes bed and shower are the most important aspects of a hotel room, well I guess proximity to the highway, and we like ones that have a breakfast, but even the best "free" hotel breakfast is really just kind of meh.

Womp womp??? Is this a Danimaroo TR. I think she may have that trademarked and you are in trouble.

Great start, can't wait to read more. This will help the next 71 days go by a little easier. Our next trip will be for the princess half marathon. It will be our first trip as DVC owners!!!

 

[Li Li]

Following. So glad you're doing a TR, now I can live vicariously through you.

Although I may have to unfollow since you're going back before us. I guess when your platinum you have to shine.

OMG I couldn't take sitting through a training the day I go to WDW. (Think I just jinxed myself)

We follow the same routine of leave after work and drive till you can't take it anymore. After many times of this it has turned to drive till we get past Atlanta. Driving ar midnight in Atlanta on a weekend is still bad, but rush hour...shoot me.

We always pack the kitchen sink for our trips, why not you have the room in the car,who knows what you might need. Then while waiting to check in we head to publix to get supplies (more importantly, the liquor store next to publix) most breakfast and lunches are done in room and saves money, thus allowing more Disney trips.

I feel for Nigel there all my pics are emotionless, really I'm smiling behind the goatee.

Uhhhh yes bed and shower are the most important aspects of a hotel room, well I guess proximity to the highway, and we like ones that have a breakfast, but even the best "free" hotel breakfast is really just kind of meh.

Womp womp??? Is this a Danimaroo TR. I think she may have that trademarked and you are in trouble.

Great start, can't wait to read more. This will help the next 71 days go by a little easier. Our next trip will be for the princess half marathon. It will be our first trip as DVC owners!!!

Hi there! Looks like I snuck in another chapter while you were commenting!

Yep, we are gonna shine until we forget how much we spent for all this.

Ah, yes, the liquor store next to the Publix, we know it well.

You caught me! I totally stole that from Danimaroo and give her all the credit. Next time, I'll put the TM.

Congrats on DVC ownership!!! How exciting! Princess half is Presidents Weekend, correct? Have fun. I always think Disney may be the only thing that could get me to do a run of some sort, and then I wake up from my delusions and decide to leave running to the runners!

 

[MidnightParade]

I had just stumbled upon your PTR and booked marked to read but now I guess I get the main event!

You guys are adorable with your selfies, love it! I also like your idea of drinks and app at Jocks and then hitting up the Boathouse. I may need to use this for our trip next year!

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[Chicago Mo]

of course i am IN!!! You two are simply adorable. Great couple!

So glad your drive was uneventful! The rooms look great and yes you are correct showers are very important!

Yes Disney Springs is apparently the first stop for all us Dis'ers! LOL

 

[Madilynsmommy]

following in, I could only dream of doing that much Disney in a year, I'm going live vicariously through you and this trip report!

We want to check out the hangar bar but will have kiddos with us next time so we'll have to save it for a grownup trip!

 

[Smbmoyers]

Joining in! Can't wait to see what adventures you have!

 

[deedee2177]

A bit late, but I'm here!! Now remind me again what dates where you there (if you don't mind)? I don't think our dates overlapped but I can't remember for sure!

I live very close to Charlotte, NC and I think you made the right choice to stop in Statesville when you did, but not to mention you probably got a better price.

 

[NigelSTW]

We left Pennsylvania on Friday, November 5th and drove back on Saturday, November 14th. I thought Statesville work out nicely. We thinking if we do it again and can leave a two or three hours earlier we can beat some traffic and maybe to make it to North George before we (meaning me) tucker out.

 

[Li Li]

I had just stumbled upon your PTR and booked marked to read but now I guess I get the main event!

You guys are adorable with your selfies, love it! I also like your idea of drinks and app at Jocks and then hitting up the Boathouse. I may need to use this for our trip next year!

Looking forward to reading more!

Aw, thank you and thanks for joining in!

of course i am IN!!! You two are simply adorable. Great couple!

So glad your drive was uneventful! The rooms look great and yes you are correct showers are very important!

Yes Disney Springs is apparently the first stop for all us Dis'ers! LOL

Thank you! LOL, always a good plan to hit Disney Springs on travel day!

following in, I could only dream of doing that much Disney in a year, I'm going live vicariously through you and this trip report!

We want to check out the hangar bar but will have kiddos with us next time so we'll have to save it for a grownup trip!

Thanks for joining in! Highly recommend the Hangar Bar! I bet it would be fun for the kids too; the outdoor deck was really nice!

Joining in! Can't wait to see what adventures you have!

Thanks so much for joining!

A bit late, but I'm here!! Now remind me again what dates where you there (if you don't mind)? I don't think our dates overlapped but I can't remember for sure!

I live very close to Charlotte, NC and I think you made the right choice to stop in Statesville when you did, but not to mention you probably got a better price.

Not late at all; we're just getting started! As Nigel said, we were the week before you. We probably passed you on 95, lol! Red Roof Inn really was a good price, especially with our AAA discount!


*********************************

Okay, I'm going to try to get another update done, but we just got back from seeing The Force Awakens!!! No spoilers, I promise!

 

[Li Li]

Home Sweet Disney Home!


We packed up and got on the road fairly early. I think we were both excited to be checking into Disney property. It felt like the vacation could really begin.

Checking the time stamps, we had to be pretty early (for me at least) because the following picture is from just before 7:40 a.m.

The Sun Rises over AoA

And the lobby was pretty deserted.

I love the drawings.


We have visited AoA before, and I was really excited to be staying here. We got in line and waited to be checked in. We overheard a manager talking to someone else about how AoA had been sold out (!) the night before. Pretty crazy to hear that! But it was Wine and Dine half marathon weekend, so that likely accounted for it. I also think the announcement of the last year of Osborne Lights increased visits. Given the early morning and the apparent sell out, we knew that our room would not be ready, which was fine. It was breakfast time! I have always enjoyed the AoA food court. We’ve eaten there several times even when staying in other resorts. And, surprisingly, I didn’t think it was too packed despite the day just beginning.


We ordered the “steak and egg” burger, which was really just a burger with an egg on top. It came with “breakfast potatoes.” I would call them hash browns, but apparently Disney calls them breakfast potatoes. In all honesty, the potatoes tasted a bit too much of onion for my enjoyment, but the burger was good. We actually split this meal. Enjoy my attempt at art-sy photo.

Of course, we also had to get two refillable mugs! I mean, it is a brand new design, of course we had to get them. Plus, Nigel swears that he gets our money’s worth in Powerade alone. (Although he would greatly prefer the red Powerade to the blue. Sadly, only blue at the resort machines.)

And then it was off to Magic Kingdom! I have to say I really enjoy the bus queue set up by the values rather than the free-for-all at the moderates and deluxes. Organized lines are happier for all.


A bus was just pulling away as we were walking to the lines, so we had a little wait but nothing terrible. We were in the bus line at 8:19 am.

Man, I am loving the time stamp on my pictures, really helps with trip reports. We got onto the next bus, and honestly, I feel like the bus driver barely packed it. There were only about half a dozen people standing and plenty left in line. I know buses have been way more packed on the way back to resorts at the end of the night, so I thought more of an effort could have been made, but that is just my opinion.


A woman on the bus had her MDE app open and was reading off things that were “closed.” Personally, I think things were showing up closed because Magic Kingdom was not technically open yet! As far as I know, MK was scheduled to open at 9 am, and it was definitely before that when we were on the bus. She was reporting all these rides as closed and saying it was from the official Disney app and freaking people out. She freaked Nigel out by saying Tom Sawyer’s Island was closed. That was our first planned stop. I told him not to worry; it would be fine.


When we arrived, I think we heard the tail end of the welcome show while waiting for bag check. And then it was off to our first guest services. We actually have some days left on some non-expiring tickets, so I was given the advice from several CMs to go to Guest Services before going into the park to make sure they prioritize our tickets and use the tickets we want used first. In this case, we had the non-expiring tickets and 4-day tickets we bought back in the beginning of 2015 from Undercover Tourist before the price hike. The UT tickets were the ones we wanted to use to upgrade to our APs. The prioritizing was easy peasy and we were off to the turnstiles. The lines were moving pretty smoothly, and we were in in no time…and then off to the next Guest Services!

The time stamp here says 8:56, so they must have been letting everyone into MK a little early. And for so early, man, the line was pretty long! Like out the building, down the steps long. One thing I found pretty smart was they had a castmember going through the line and checking what the concern was. Since a majority of guests were getting celebration buttons, this cast member would run off and get the buttons and thus deplete the line. Pretty smart, Disney.


Here it was, our moment of truth. We upgraded to APs (or platinum plus or whatever the pass is for non-FL without water parks). We also purchased Tables in Wonderland after getting the APs. After dealing with a lovely CM, we were ready to hit MK!


Our first time with Holiday decorations!!!

Okay, that pic is a little dark, but you get the idea.

Main Street was pretty packed, but we got a strangely empty pic here!

And of course, selfie time!

Okay, enough goofing around; we were on a mission to Frontierland! Can you believe in all the years we have been going to Disney, we had yet to visit Tom Sawyer’s Island?? Shocking! We were agreed that it was the first place we were going to hit.

Ah, the Liberty Belle, we'll see you later!

You can watch Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from the fort.

And we loved it! Such a cool place to explore. The skipper on the raft over even pointed out the gator that hangs out in the river!


After our time on the Island, we decided to see what else we could hit before moving on. We walked over, and Pirates was advertised as a 5 min wait, and really it was a true walk on! We walked through the queue and basically went right into the boat. We got the last row, and I know since the refurb of Pirates, many people have been saying you get wet on the ride, but the last row was good to us. No real good pics of the ride though.


Now, I think we may have hit Haunted Mansion after this, but I honestly can’t remember. And again, a lack of pictures! What I do know is that we had a lunch ADR, and so it was time to hit the road to Epcot!

Coming up, the first of many park hops!

 

[Smbmoyers]

Sounds Like an adventurous mornin! And that line for people to get pins sounds insane. Can't you do that When you check in

 

[deedee2177]

Loving the report so far. In all my visits to Magic Kingdom, I have never done Tom Sawyer's Island either. Maybe we will check it out on our Spring Trip...I'm sure the kids would enjoy it.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Definitely joining in! Gotta love how the AP sneaks up on you and then at some point it becomes "well, we'd be stupid to not get them now!!!" Very exciting to make a year-long-event out of it!

Seems like a fairly smooth drive all things considered. We drove down once a few years ago and basically did the same thing - kept driving until we got tired and then started to look for somewhere to spend the night. The room you stayed in seems nice and water pressure is a key feature as, especially on long car rides, feeling clean is important!

Seems like a good time at Disney Springs and love that your tried the new places! Very excited for our next trip as so much of that place will be new to us since we didn't go to WDW this year and didn't make it to DTD our last trip! Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar looks cool, but definitely think a visit inside is in order

Never stayed at AoA but did visit it and loved the layout and theming - also really like the food court there, just seemed like more/better/different options

Glad everything was smooth with your multiple customer service stops and love the TiW card - though increased price and fact places like Skipper's Canteen aren't accepting it is annoying

I can't even remember the last time I've been on Tom Sawyer Island ... I think a trip over with the kids will be in order for next trip!

 

[Joben]

Ugh you were sneaky and got that past me. An then I had to take a vacay from the internet to avoid any Star Wars spoilers.

I am looking forward to checking out DS, I think it's a great way to spend your first (half) day at WDW. You get the feel of Disney but you don't waste the price of admission on a partial day...Whatever we go to DS for lunch then waste the money for a few hours in a park, just can't stay away. When you have the AP you don't even have to take that into consideration.

Boathouse looks pretty nice (the food anyway) as does the Hangar bar, I think we would have chosen outside regardless. Oh and if you really really like Fat Tire, I believe their new brewery has opened in Asheville NC, just a short nine hour drive from Hershey. I have a friend who lives there it is a really great place to visit, and he tells me they have just become the micro brew capital of the nation (for now)

I have to say the AOA is a pretty cool looking place, and their QS is well worth the trip. Don't they have the pool that plays music underwater? How much powerade is that guy drinking? We did the mugs a couple of times, but I don't drink soda and Jayne is a one a day person. I loved the people that shamelessly recycled their old ones and kept using them there. Guess Disney took care of that.

I'm a little shocked you drove your car there and then took a Disney bus??? it's so much faster to drive to the park, Why?

Ohhh the doomsday criers! I have now learned to ignore them. I've come to realize that people who are spouting Disney insider info are 99% of the time wrong. Glad this help true for you.

Guest Services as the first attraction...JOY! We wnet when the magic bands were first being used, and we had upgraded to AP's for the first time ever. Apparently the system didn't know what to do about that, because we had to go to Guest Services every morning we entered a park. It was a major pain in th hiney and I really hated the magic bands at the time. The CM's who were trying to help us were so very awesome, but every single time they told us everything was fixed, but we still had to go back the next day because it said we were checked into a different park. We scored quite a few fast passes that trip, so much so we had to keep gifting them to people as we were leaving.

Christmas in Disney is pretty freakin awesome. Once we got the acceptance of our DVC contract, the first thing I planned was Christmas with the family at a 3bdrm villa at OKW in 2020 (hopefully Star Wars land will be done then)

Tom Sawyers is now on the list to do, We have always just kind of said maybe next time for that place, not really sure I know why.

So I guess rando gators is just a normal thing in FL, but it freaks me out every time. When I was 12 we were camping at Fort Wilderness (in August, big mistake) there is a canal that goes through the campground and you can canoe in it. We of course spent a bunch of time wading around in it, it was gross but we were kids who didn't know any better, but really just didn't care. later that day we were playing on the banks fishing with sticks and vines and paperclips, and my sister startled a frog with her "fishing rod" which caused him to jump and he gets snapped by a gator who had been just quietly sitting their unknown to us. we freaked out and went running. Later when we told a CM about it they were so casual about it telling us "oh yeah that guy, we have been trying to catch that guy for years now"

So here's to hoping there is another update in the month it took me to post this.

 

[Li Li]

Sounds Like an adventurous mornin! And that line for people to get pins sounds insane. Can't you do that When you check in

My thought is that it might have been off property guests getting pins? I just liked that they were trying to move the line along.

Loving the report so far. In all my visits to Magic Kingdom, I have never done Tom Sawyer's Island either. Maybe we will check it out on our Spring Trip...I'm sure the kids would enjoy it.

I bet the kids would love it, lots to explore. The barrel bridge is especially fun!

Definitely joining in! Gotta love how the AP sneaks up on you and then at some point it becomes "well, we'd be stupid to not get them now!!!" Very exciting to make a year-long-event out of it!

Seems like a fairly smooth drive all things considered. We drove down once a few years ago and basically did the same thing - kept driving until we got tired and then started to look for somewhere to spend the night. The room you stayed in seems nice and water pressure is a key feature as, especially on long car rides, feeling clean is important!

Seems like a good time at Disney Springs and love that your tried the new places! Very excited for our next trip as so much of that place will be new to us since we didn't go to WDW this year and didn't make it to DTD our last trip! Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar looks cool, but definitely think a visit inside is in order

Never stayed at AoA but did visit it and loved the layout and theming - also really like the food court there, just seemed like more/better/different options

Glad everything was smooth with your multiple customer service stops and love the TiW card - though increased price and fact places like Skipper's Canteen aren't accepting it is annoying

I can't even remember the last time I've been on Tom Sawyer Island ... I think a trip over with the kids will be in order for next trip!

Thanks for joining in! I think the kids would definitely enjoy Tom Sawyer Island!

Ugh you were sneaky and got that past me. An then I had to take a vacay from the internet to avoid any Star Wars spoilers.

I am looking forward to checking out DS, I think it's a great way to spend your first (half) day at WDW. You get the feel of Disney but you don't waste the price of admission on a partial day...Whatever we go to DS for lunch then waste the money for a few hours in a park, just can't stay away. When you have the AP you don't even have to take that into consideration.

Boathouse looks pretty nice (the food anyway) as does the Hangar bar, I think we would have chosen outside regardless. Oh and if you really really like Fat Tire, I believe their new brewery has opened in Asheville NC, just a short nine hour drive from Hershey. I have a friend who lives there it is a really great place to visit, and he tells me they have just become the micro brew capital of the nation (for now)

I have to say the AOA is a pretty cool looking place, and their QS is well worth the trip. Don't they have the pool that plays music underwater? How much powerade is that guy drinking? We did the mugs a couple of times, but I don't drink soda and Jayne is a one a day person. I loved the people that shamelessly recycled their old ones and kept using them there. Guess Disney took care of that.

I'm a little shocked you drove your car there and then took a Disney bus??? it's so much faster to drive to the park, Why?

Ohhh the doomsday criers! I have now learned to ignore them. I've come to realize that people who are spouting Disney insider info are 99% of the time wrong. Glad this help true for you.

Guest Services as the first attraction...JOY! We wnet when the magic bands were first being used, and we had upgraded to AP's for the first time ever. Apparently the system didn't know what to do about that, because we had to go to Guest Services every morning we entered a park. It was a major pain in th hiney and I really hated the magic bands at the time. The CM's who were trying to help us were so very awesome, but every single time they told us everything was fixed, but we still had to go back the next day because it said we were checked into a different park. We scored quite a few fast passes that trip, so much so we had to keep gifting them to people as we were leaving.

Christmas in Disney is pretty freakin awesome. Once we got the acceptance of our DVC contract, the first thing I planned was Christmas with the family at a 3bdrm villa at OKW in 2020 (hopefully Star Wars land will be done then)

Tom Sawyers is now on the list to do, We have always just kind of said maybe next time for that place, not really sure I know why.

So I guess rando gators is just a normal thing in FL, but it freaks me out every time. When I was 12 we were camping at Fort Wilderness (in August, big mistake) there is a canal that goes through the campground and you can canoe in it. We of course spent a bunch of time wading around in it, it was gross but we were kids who didn't know any better, but really just didn't care. later that day we were playing on the banks fishing with sticks and vines and paperclips, and my sister startled a frog with her "fishing rod" which caused him to jump and he gets snapped by a gator who had been just quietly sitting their unknown to us. we freaked out and went running. Later when we told a CM about it they were so casual about it telling us "oh yeah that guy, we have been trying to catch that guy for years now"

So here's to hoping there is another update in the month it took me to post this.

Definitely have to keep Asheville in mind for our next road trip down! I know it's crazy; we took Disney transport more than normal for having a car there. But I like using the Disney bus for MK since it drops you right off and you don't need to worry about the monorail or ferry.

Underwater music discussed in next update!

*************************************

So, real life/PTR update. Sorry this has taken me so long. I actually wrote responses awhile ago, but the Internet ate them up and I was too lazy to redo right away. So, as we may have mentioned, we will be back at Disney in January. Just 10 short days!!!

But a small snafu. So, we had airfare down to Disney and we were all set for the Magical Express. Except, Nigel's dad accidentally dislocated his shoulder while taking our dog for a walk. It was nobody's fault. Our dog, Ike, saw a neighbor and rushed toward him while Nigel's dad was distracted and basically pulled his arm out of socket.

And Nigel's dad, being stubborn like his son, did not keep his arm in the sling and then dislocated his shoulder a SECOND time! Long story short (too late), Nigel's dad cannot drive he and his wife down to Saratoga the first week of January as originally planned. Therefore, after 75 minutes on the phone with the airline, I will be flying down to Orlando with my mother-in-law and Nigel and his dad will road trip down and meet us there, and then Nigel's mom will drive them over to Saratoga. She just did not want to do the whole 15 hour drive, which we completely understood. So, some crazy adjustments to our planned January trip, but I am glad we were able to make it work.

I am hoping to put a bigger dent in this November Tr before we head off, so wish me luck!

 

[NigelSTW]

I was once on a 15 hour flight with my Dad. It went o-kay. This time we're be 15 hours in HIS SUV with ME driving it . . . I'm doomed. On the other hand Li Li sharing an airport hotel room with my mom and then having to deal with the whole situation of a way early morning flight . . . Ok. We're both doomed.

 

[Li Li]

BIER? BIER!


We hopped over to Epcot and utilized our first monorail of the trip!

I thought I had a monorail selfie of us, but I can't find it.

But before our lunch ADR, we had an excellently timed FP+ to use. Why yes, I am patting myself on the back for this one. One of our favorite rides in Epcot is Spaceship Earth. So, on one of the few days that I made advance fast passes, meaning 60 days ahead, I made a FP+ for Spaceship Earth starting at 10:50 a.m. and we arrived pretty much spot on at 10:50 a.m. I was pretty impressed with myself! The FP+ line was excellent compared to about a 30 minute standby wait. We really just walked on.

After Spaceship Earth, we started meandering over to our Noon ADR at Biergarten! It has been over 5 years since we last had a meal at Biergarten, so we were definitely looking forward to it. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Also, since they open at Noon, the food was all incredibly fresh.

Nigel and I shared a liter of Oktoberfest, which was great! Also, cheaper to split a liter rather than to get separate half liters. Pro tip.

Our table mates did not seem too interested in conversing, but since we were seated right next to the band, it wasn’t too awkward. In all truth, our table mates kind of annoyed me. Me, being the outgoing, friendly person I am, introduced myself and Nigel. They said hello…and that was it. No name, nothing. Okay, then. They did engage in some small talk and shared that they had just driven up from Fort Myers, FL, but I just found it weird that they did not share their names. Oh well.


One other note about the food, everything I tried was excellent…schnitzel, salmon, cheese gratin, bratwurst, etc. Now, I did not try any of the desserts, but Nigel did. Unfortunately, he said they were a bit on the dry side and generally underwhelming.


Bellies full, we decided it was the perfect time…to swim. Yes, we were heading back to AoA. I needed to check out this underwater music!!! So, we walked back to the front of the park. And it did look like the F&W booths were hopping.

We had actually received our text that our AoA Little Mermaid Room was ready around 9:30 a.m.. We were on the 4th Floor facing the parking lot. Perfectly fine. And yes, I can see how the walk from the main building to the Little Mermaid buildings can be described as long, especially at the end of a long day. But overall, I think if you know what you are getting into, it is tolerable.

We lucked out with good weather and enjoyed the pool immensely. Unfortunately, I can’t say that we were familiar with a lot of the underwater music being played except for one notable exception. When I went under, I heard Yellow Submarine. I immediately surfaced and told Nigel as he is a huge Beatles fan. He spent so long underwater listening to the song that I’m pretty sure the lifeguard was getting a bit concerned! Satisfied with our swimming, we headed over to the pool bar to see if we could catch some of the Steelers game. Unfortunately, the pool bar TVs were already claimed by a Jets fan and fans watching the Packers/Panthers game. We did speak to a lovely woman who was a Packers fan. They did switch to the Steelers game once they deemed the Jets game over, and it was a win for Steelers, yay.

Having had a dip in the pool, we headed back to the room to freshen up and hit some more parks! We actually had plans to meet up with some friends from back home who were at Disney the same time as us. They ran the Wine and Dine. But first we decided to hit DHS and catch our first glimpse of the Osborne Lights.

First Photopass pic of the trip!

It did not feel as packed as it looks.

Let me tell you, the Osborne Lights did not disappoint!! I am so glad that we were able to see them before they are gone. We walked through and caught some of the songs. It was just great. I’m not sure the pictures do it justice.

Nigel is trying to act like it is cold in the above pic, cause of the snoap. The snow soap was actually kind of too much at times, but a small quibble I guess.


We did not stay too long as we had plans to meet friends at Jellyrolls. Actually, we had driven over to DHS by way of Boardwalk Inn. We drove in and asked if we could park there since we were going to Jellyrolls later. Security was fine with it, and it worked out really well. We took the boat from DHS to Swan/Dolphin and walked over to Jellyrolls from there where our friends already grabbed tables. Just in case you are not familiar, Jellyrolls is a Dueling Piano bar. We had gone to dueling pianos when we went to Vegas, so I was excited to see the Disney version. I’m always amazed by the talent of the pianists at these shows. They seem to have every song ever made just in their head. Probably the most impressive pull was when a request was made for Gin and Juice, and the one pianist played the whole thing and spouted off the verses with no problem. It was pretty great. I asked at the door if they took Tables in Wonderland or AP for discounts, but the only discounts offered are for Castmembers, which makes me think they made up a majority of the audience since a lot of people seemed to be regulars.

The only pic we took was this:

And only because Nigel commented that he looked like Tony Stark’s older less successful brother.

So, that was our first full day! Next up, Food and Wine!

 

[NigelSTW]

Our table mates did not seem too interested in conversing, but since we were seated right next to the band, it wasn’t too awkward. In all truth, our table mates kind of annoyed me. Me, being the outgoing, friendly person I am, introduced myself and Nigel. They said hello…and that was it. No name, nothing.

As not an extrovert I was cool with the situation.