“Big Jay?” “Yes Baby Jay?” “I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.”- September 8th-18th 2017 TR

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think its actually just part of the building. The train from Kings Cross goes direct towards Hogsmeade, so doesn't actually cross over Diagon Alley (I checked a google maps because I was curious myself)! I think I remember they had sound and whooshing noises like it was actually being used as a train track!

Thank you for letting me know we were geniunely interested about that. I really love the sounds then because as you can see we totally believed it lol. We heard the noises and saw that and basically assumed that's what it was but I really appreciate you letting me know Goes to show you Universal really had that immersion factor down.

I wanted to collect these too but I knew I wouldn't have enough room! But then I saw this year (and maybe previous years), they had mini cups that were Christmas ornaments! I got one for all 4 WDW parks, the 2 DLR parks, and then California and Los Angeles. Didn't realize Universal had one too, so I may need to ebay that!

We had already started the tradition if you will so we stuck with the mugs but a different tradition we started about 2 years ago is getting Christmas ornaments from our destinations. We have one from the Monuments in D.C. (cherry blossum edition) from April 2016, a Hawaii ornament from September 2016, one from WDW and one from Universal from September 2017 (you'll see the pics of those later on in the trip report), one from Vegas from October 2017 which has the Strip on it plus the Vegas sign and then the most recent one is an apple with New York (you know the big apple ) from December 2017.

We didn't get one though from last March when we went to Colorado for a ski trip (I do not ski but my husband can) but we're about to go again in a few weeks so I'll have to see if there's a place we can try and find an ornament there..on the other hand we did last March get the Denver You Are Here mug We only flew into Denver but went to Frisco and this year we're going to Salida but we didn't like the design of the state of Colorado version so we stuck with the Denver one. They even had a Vail and Aspen design too that you could purchase.

I do think those mini cups/mugs are adorable though. It's a lot to collect either way you go . I mean just from the Orlando trip I have 6 You Are Here Mugs! I think just for grins I'll take a pic of all the You Are Here mugs I have and put them at the end of this trip report just as a little bonus (I totally don't remember when I got all the mugs though).

 

[dolewhipdreams]

No problem

I hope you have a fun time What are the dates you'll be gone?

We'll be at Celebration of HP at Universal from 1/26-1/28, then Disney from 1/29-2/1 So excited!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

We'll be at Celebration of HP at Universal from 1/26-1/28, then Disney from 1/29-2/1 So excited!

Are you going to see Kissy Simmons and Alton Fitzgerald White on the 29th in the Disney on Broadway Concert Series? I saw Alton Fitzgerald White on a cruise last summer, and he was amazing!!!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We'll be at Celebration of HP at Universal from 1/26-1/28, then Disney from 1/29-2/1 So excited!

Oh that's sooooo exciting!! I've heard that event is pretty cool.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Are you going to see Kissy Simmons and Alton Fitzgerald White on the 29th in the Disney on Broadway Concert Series? I saw Alton Fitzgerald White on a cruise last summer, and he was amazing!!!

Yes! I'll admit, I was bummed because I thought it was going to be Kara Lindsay that date and then saw that it was Kissy Simmons instead (major Newsies fan over here). But I've read up on the two and watched some youtube videos and now I'm excited!

Oh that's sooooo exciting!! I've heard that event is pretty cool.

It'll be our first time! (for Celebration, not for Universal). We're a little worried about the crowds. We typically go during the off season so we'll see how crazy it is.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It'll be our first time! (for Celebration, not for Universal). We're a little worried about the crowds. We typically go during the off season so we'll see how crazy it is.

Oh yeah hopefully the crowds aren't too bad. You'll have to tell us all about it

 

[Micca]

Cool report, very nice pics and am enjoying the comments. I love how you got up to the Disney part...then you leave us hanging!!! Looking forward to more.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Cool report, very nice pics and am enjoying the comments.

Thank you

I love how you got up to the Disney part...then you leave us hanging!!! Looking forward to more.

Well you know.....I'm getting there I promise

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Sorry guys I went on a ski trip in early February (I don't ski but my husband does) and came down with a sinus infection once we got home and then the 2018 Winter Olympics happened and we were glued to those pretty much non-stop the whole time and it was hard to do more work on the trip report. Then when the Olympics were done I was still getting over the sinus infection.

Anyways got a large update for you all now .

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Chapter 6: WDW Day 1 Part 1

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So our first day at WDW parks started with a few snoozes of the alarm. Originally we had every intention of getting up early and making it to Animal Kingdom (AK) for Extra Magic Hours (EMH). With waking up very early the day before to fly coupled with being at USO we were just too tired to wake up early. I really did want to make it to Pandora early but you know best laid plans and all lol.

Originally the alarm was set for 6:30am but after three snoozes we finally woke up at 8:30am. When we got up we got to thinking about needing additional toilet paper due to Irma. As Disney had advised there would be no housekeeping for Sunday or Monday and knowing how much toilet paper they give you in a hotel room we decided to call down to housekeeping via the button on the phone to request more toilet paper. We were very pleased with the responsiveness because within 10mins a knock on the door occurred and we now had four more toilet paper.

We tried to get ready as quick as we could however we did not arrive inside AK gates until 10:10am. For breakfast we had taken a few things from our provisions we had brought with it- applesauce, fruit cups, and sweat and salty nutty bars. This would be our normal breakfast on the go we would have for the remainder of the trip when we went to the parks; both WDW and USO.

We had driven AK and it was very quick- we were parked near Dinosaur area row 39. Here’s a picture of one of the new parking lot trams:


Here’s some photos once we got to the entrance:








After some photo taking we headed straight for Pandora.

Here are some photos of Pandora:








For this next photo I brightened up the light setting:

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Chapter 6: WDW Day 1 Part 2

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Pandora photos continued:


It was about 10:40am when we arrived at Na’vi River Journey (NRJ) which was at a 35min posted wait. We waited about 30mins total.

Here are some photos from the queue:










Here are some photos of the ride:

*BTW I never have flash on, I ensure my screen brightness level is down to the lowest it will go and I ensure I’m not in anyone’s way. If I feel I will be in someone’s way I won’t get my phone out. I’m not personally a fan of people using flash on dark rides (or for fireworks shows) or having the screen brightness up, etc. I really do try to be aware of those around me.

Most photos of NRJ are blurry unfortunately so I’ve picked the ones that are the least blurry.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Chapter 6: WDW Day 1 Part 3

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NRJ photos continued:






I enjoyed the ride. I do agree it’s a bit short and I wish it was longer but all the colors and sounds and the Shaman’s song really get you in the vibe of Pandora. Regretably this was the only time we rode this ride. I wished I had ridden it at least once more to really focus on all the sights and sounds. It was about 11:15am when we walked out of NRJ.

Next we looked to Flight of Passage (FOP) but with our plans to go to MK later (where our FPs were) we didn’t have enough time to do standby as that would have been the only thing we could have done before leaving. Hindsight is 20/20 you know and we totally wished we had done standby at that time. The thing is we had no idea what the crowds would be like and thus we didn’t realize that we would have more than enough time throughout our trip to enjoy MK. Well guess we’ll have to do it again next trip .

We decided to look towards Expedition Everest (EE) but on our way out of Pandora we took a few more photos:




Here is a lightened up version of the photo above:






Seriously Pandora is amazing in the theming. I would love to go exploring much more in depth the next time we go. So much detail jammed packed into this world-so many sights and sounds-oh yes the sounds you hear. You forget there is other parts of AK when you are there.

So once we left Pandora we made our way to EE.

On the way we took some photos:

Hey look it’s EE there way off in the background lol


Tree of life is so detailed isn’t it?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Chapter 6: WDW Day 1 Part 4​

Here’s a closer up photo of EE (well the mountain and park of the ride track that is) but also the Rivers of Light (ROL) Theater:


By 11:30am we were at the ride. I rode this back in 2011 and decided it just wasn’t for me . Aaron however enjoys this ride. The wait time posted was 20mins though Aaron waited about 15mins.

Here’s is the PhotoPass photo from EE (Aaron in green shirt in the back):


When he got done with the ride, which was just after 11:50am we decided it was time to start to head out of AK . The short time we spent in AK was really due to waking up so late but it happens.

Before leaving AK I wanted to stop in Creature Comforts (Starbucks) in order to see if they had the You Are Here Mug for AK. Well the employee had said they were in the process of switching over the design to include Pandora. I was disappointed that I wasn’t going to be able to get the mug but thought it was cool that they were including Pandora. Unfortunately this proved to be an incorrect assumption. While they were changing the design out it wasn’t to include Pandora. The mugs didn’t get in stock until after we left but @AMusicLifeForMe ,who is from the same area as me, graciously offered to buy one for me on his trip he took not too long after our trip.

Here is the mug:






I do not really like the new design all that much but I did want the mug. I think it’s more that the Tree of Life isn’t on the mug like the old design. But hey at least I have it.

So after attempting to get the AK Starbucks mug we decided to take a quick peek inside Island Mercantile-this was around 12:15pm at this time.

Well this immediately caught my eye:


I love to do puzzles and couldn’t pass up bringing home a bit of Pandora. The puzzle cost $19.99 ($21.29 with tax). We paid with one of our Disney gift cards and continued on our way out of AK at around 12:20pm.

It didn’t take too long to get back to our car. In the car I was checking MDE for wait times for Magic Kingdom and had to take a screen shot of this:

Whenever there is no wait for Haunted Mansion they list the wait time at 13 minutes. It’s a cute way of staying in the theming.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Chapter 6: WDW Day 1 Part 5

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On our way to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) I took some photos of Hollywood Studio’s entrance with the road construction:




Also the always welcome Tower of Terror sight you see:


And as always what a welcome sight this is:




On our way to our parking spot we saw this:

In preparation for Hurricane Irma Disney closed down the Campgrounds and allowed people to store their 5th wheels and trailers or RVs in their park parking lots.

By 12:40pm we were parked the TTC in the Villain area Zurg row 408. The parking lot tram had just left and another one wasn’t in eyesight. Because of our parking spot location we just decided to walk to the monorail. Just after 12:50pm we were leaving on the monorail.

Here are some photos I took:
In the middle of the picture is part of the Polynesian Resort.

On the right side of the picture is the Contemporary Resort.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Chapter 6: WDW Day 1 Part 6

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Photos continued:
Space Mountain!

In the middle of the picture is the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

Doesn’t it just make you feel like you came home!

As you can see we just missed the rain. As people have been known to say each park can have its own weather lol.

It was a little after 1pm when we got to the entrance of Magic Kingdom. As we had done security back at the TTC getting through the entrance of MK was a breeze. It was nice to be able to just walk up to ticket readers and walk in.



Once inside MK I had to take a few photos of course.

MK was decked out for Halloween:








They were doing façade work on Main Street as you can see.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Chapter 6: WDW Day 1 Part 7

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Photos continued:






And here we have the obligatory selfie in front of the castle



It was around 1:15pm when we were getting a little bit hungry. We decided to have a lighter snack because we had dinner reservations later on this evening. We decided to check out Sleepy Hollow for the Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread which was $7.99 (with tax $8.51). We knew we were going to split this too.

We got courtesy cups of water as well:

I know it’s very simple and can be done at home too but boy was this delicious. I will admit with the plastic silverware it was difficult to cut in order to split it but we made it work.

Once we got finished I started looking at our first FastPass (FP) which was Pirates of the Caribbean. Originally we had the FP for 1:40pm but I saw that there was a 1:35pm time slot available so I switched it. It may not seem like 5mins makes a big deal but because you can enter the FP line 5mins before your official FP start time this meant we could enter at 1:30pm which wasn’t too far from what time it was at that time.

Well off to Aventureland we went. Went entered the line right around 1:30pm and it was a walk on. There was no wait it was just the time it took to walk the queue.

Here is the PhotoPass photo:


This was the only time the on-ride photo worked as far as transferring to our My Disney Experience (MDE) account. As you can see no one really knew it was coming. I have to admit the location of the photo isn’t very good. Even though I knew it was there I just couldn’t get myself to remember exactly the location thus you can see my attention is totally not there for the photo lol I just love love love Pirates though. I don’t know why but there is just something about it.

It was after 1:45pm when we were done with the ride and so we found ourselves really close to Jungle Cruise and saw that it too was a walk on so around 1:50pm we went through the entrance. It’s a good thing we got to ride it that day as it sustained damage due to Hurricane Irma and closed for quite a while after Irma.

Here are just a few photos from the ride:

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Chapter 6: WDW Day 1 Part 8

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Photos continued:


We had a great skipper I would say though I do not remember his name. The jokes and the way he delivered it worked. Jungle Cruise is one where who you get as a skipper for some people that is can make it or break it as far as the overall experience.

Once we were done with that we decided to go to it’s a small world because of the posted wait time which was 10mins so off to Fantasyland we go. By the time we got there it was 2:10pm. It was actually a complete walk on with no wait other than the time it took to walk the queue.

I only took one photo of it’s a small world. I had just a few from previous trips though just don’t have them easily available to post on this trip. The only photo I took was for Ireland (it’s my favorite part ):


Once we got done we decided to go for Peter Pan. The wait was listed as 40mins but the line didn’t quite look that bad so at just after 2:25pm we decided to enter the line. All in all we waited 10mins. Peter Pan is a cute ride. I love the way they pixie dust the bar down and in my opinion the way they have you flying in and around is just so neat.

Once we got off the ride I decided to look at our Haunted Mansion (HM) FP to see if I could adjust it. Well a 4:05pm time showed up so I changed ours from 4:20pm to 4:05pm. Well nature called and since I had heard so much about these bathrooms I had to check out the Tangled bathrooms. The bathrooms were quite nice I must admit.

Once I was done we decided to head towards our next FP which was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (BTMR or BTMRR) so off to Frontierland we go.

On our way we took a few photos:
This was a faraway picture of Splash Mountain as it was closed for a refurb during our trip. I may have a better photo of it later-can’t remember off the top of my head.





We made it to BTMRR and entered the line at 3:00pm which was 5mins early from our FP time. Now they did have the 2nd FP touchpoint going on. BTMRR is a great ride. I love the fact that it is a roller coaster that has some thrills (I don’t know about you but on some of the drops I get air time for sure) but is also tame enough for me to enjoy time after time.

Once we got done I decided to look at FP times. I saw that our HM FP could be adjusted from 4:05pm to 3:15 which basically was at that time so I went ahead and did that. Off to Liberty Square we go. HM is one of my favorite rides. Seriously the ride is just great from the theming to the music to the actual ride track I just can’t help get excited when talking about it. I can’t remember exactly when we entered the line though.

Once we got done with HM it was around 3:45pm and I decided to check out some more FP options. At that point we had used up our pre-planned 3 and could now select more FPs one at a time so long as a FP time was available. I saw that Under the Sea- Journey of The Little Mermaid had a FP time for 3:50pm so we decided to do that. Back to Fantasyland we go. Under the Sea-Journey of The Little Mermaid is a new to us attraction as it was not there back in 2011.

Here are some photos from the ride:










This ride is cute but it's one that would be a one and done ride for each trip.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Chapter 6: WDW Day 1 Part 9​

Once we got done with Under the Sea I checked what other FPs were available. It was a few minutes past 4:00pm at this point and I saw that there was a FP for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin for 4:05pm which was basically at that time so off to Tomorrowland we go. While we were in the line, as there was a slight back up due to the ride temporarily stopping, I checked FPs and saw that Space Mountain had one available at 4:25pm. I went ahead and booked Aaron a FP around 4:10pm for that 4:25pm time slot. Space Mountain is a ride that I have gone on several times but I opted to sit out on this ride for the trip.

Here is our PhotoPass photo from Buzz which was around 4:20pm when the picture was taken:
I just love Aaron’s extreme concentration face

Once we got done it was time for Aaron’s FP for Space Mountain. I can’t remember what happened but either the PhotoPass didn’t work for that time or it was for a different party that was on my MDE account. That happened a few times.

When he got done with the ride at just after 4:45pm it was time for one of my favorite rides…PeopleMover!! This ride may seem boring to some, no big deal to others, but to me and to a large extent Aaron as well it’s just a great ride. It’s one where you can sit down for a few to give your feet a break, you can get some fantastic views due to your location up in the air, etc.

Here are some photos from being on the PeopleMover:




It’s hard to get non-blurry photos. I can’t remember off the top of my head if I have more photos but if I do I will post them.

When we walked off it was just after 5:00pm and we went to the next logical ride..Carousel of Progress (CoP). Even all these months later I can still hear in my head “There's a great, big, beautiful tomorrow” *sigh* oh this ride. The ride to us doesn’t get old. As long as you don’t get stuck on it (because people decide to get up in the middle and leave ) it’s a great resting place for your weary feet. It’s catchy in the music, funny in the jokes, and yet informative to how far we really have come.

Once we got off we decided it was time to head to our Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR) for Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen which was for a 5:50pm time slot so off to Adventureland we go.

On our way we took a few photos:




I love that we could get a photo with basically no one in it.



So we checked into Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen (usually referred to as Skipper Canteen) at 5:40pm. Shortly after we were seated. I liked the theming inside but I didn’t quite like the seating. We were seating fairly close to the kitchen area which wasn’t a big deal. However, we were seated at a 2-seater inches yes inches from another larger table-a pole was the only barrier between the table. Because of this it was really impossible to have a more private conversation. The party that sat next to us had 3 kids and 2 adults. One of the kids spouted out Disney tidbits the whole time which you would think is cute but it wasn’t quite so and their conversation overpowered our own. That was the disappointing aspect of the meal. I wouldn’t mind going back at all I just would try and request a different seating area if I could.

So I got the "Tastes like Chicken" - because it is! which cost $23.00. The chicken tasted good but it was really the citrus and ginger-scented Rice and the chili glaze that made it. It was so good together.


Aaron got Skip's Beefy Baked Pasta which cost $21.00


Skipper Canteen recently had some menu changes and the Skip's Beefy Baked Pasta was removed. Aaron said it was pretty good dish too.

We decided to go ahead and get some dessert so we chose Kungaloosh! which cost $8.00.


The dessert was good but I’m not sure I’d want to spend $8.00 again on it.

In total it was $52.00 ($55.38 with tax). We had opted for water to drink. I’d go back to Skipper Canteen but I would have to check the menu beforehand since one of the menu items is already gone and it sounds like they are still tweaking the menu here and there.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Chapter 6: WDW Day 1 Part 10​

It was about 6:40pm when we got done with dinner. We were checking wait times and saw that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (7DMT) was listed at 20mins so we decided to try that out. Off to Fantasyland we go.

On our way we took some photos:


These next several photos are on the walls when you go through the castle. I think it so neat all the attention to detail that went into it:










Once we got to 7DMT it was around 6:55pm and the posted wait still said 20mins and there were no FPs available at that time. Unfortunately once we started getting closer in the queue to the inside part it was clear it was going to be longer than 20mins. It took more like 40mins. I believe they were having mechanical issues as we stood still for quite a while. While we were waiting in the queue I decided to check out if there were any rides available for FP. Well The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was available for 7:15pm though 7:00pm was also available. I reserved the 7:15pm FP time slot thinking it would be too far from the time we got off 7DMT. Like I mentioned though the wait time was unfortunately a lot longer than anticipated.

I took just a few photos of the 7DMT queue:




Here is the PhotoPass photo:




I am pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed 7DMT. I agree it is short and would be better if it had more length to it but I still enjoyed it. Aaron thought it was just fine. I think for us both we just wouldn’t want to wait too long (which is normally what happens) for it. I think the 40mins sorta soured that part but really 40mins is still lower than you normally see it.

Once we were done it was nearly 7:50pm and we went straight to Winne the Pooh ride. Can I just say that both Aaron and I found the ride to be..weird lol . I *think* we may have ridden it back in 2011 but I don’t remember it off the top of my head. During the tigger part (where the ride vehicle goes up and down like it is bouncing) was by far the strangest part. Needless to say it wasn’t our favorite ride. I did like how you went from scene to scene with moving parts moving out of your way.

Originally EMH were scheduled from 9:00pm-11:00pm however with Hurricane Irma they decided to remove EMH but still close the park at 9pm. However, due to that Happily Ever After (fireworks show) and Once Upon A Time (projection show) were cancelled for the evening. Once we were done with the ride we decided to make our way towards the front of the park, going through the castle to get there, and do a bit of shopping.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Chapter 6: WDW Day 1 Part 11

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On our way there we took some more photos:
Even though this photo was actually a mistake because I couldn’t get my phone’s camera to focus I actually really like it.









I really like this photo.