“I felt like a chickmunk!” A Jan/Feb 2019 TR UPDATED 6/2 x 2 COMPLETED!

[Gina Starr]

Either while we were in line or after the ride we grabbed an adr at 4:25 for Skipper Canteen. We had a reservation here earlier this trip but it was cancelled on the ridiculously rainy day. We both enjoy it so we were glad to be able to eat here. We showed up right at 4:00 and they said it would be a while but we got a text within minutes that the table was ready. Our server was awesome! Hands down the best one we have had and he was totally into the shtick. I ordered water and when he brought it out he said “here’s your water, I hope you like malaria” Donnie drank his whole Dr. Pepper by the time the server came to get our food order and he was like “sir, are you a camel?” He honestly is! So he comes out with three drinks on his tray and puts them all in front of Donnie and says “refills for the camel.” He took this as somewhat of a challenge and actually drank them all by the end of the meal!



I got the Tastes Like Chicken Cause It Is! It was so good! I wasn’t a huge fried chicken fan before I went gf so I don’t feel like I was missing anything but man, this is delicious. I will 100% get the chili glaze on the side or get a different sauce next time cause it was a little spicy. Donnie got the Dr. Falls' Signature Grilled Steak and really enjoyed it too. I was a little sad at first that I couldn’t get the corn cachapas that I normally get off the appetizer menu but the food and service more than made up for it! (I found out that some ingredient had a possibility of cross contamination which I usually don’t have a problem with but it wasn’t worth the risk)



After dinner we crossed through the hub to get to Tomorrowland. Right before the bridge there was some teenage girl attempting to pet a squirrel. Why do people act like they have never seen squirrels before Disney? Earlier in the week there was a huge crowd of people taking pictures and videos of a squirrel eating a French fry. I just had to shake my head and walk away and maybe secretly hope she got bit...


We got a fp to ride Buzz around 5 and we knew this was probably going to be the last little bit of park time for the trip; we usually like to end a trip in Tomorrowland. So I mentioned earlier but Donnie said he liked riding by himself cause he gets a better score. Well I apparently do worse when I go by myself! I only got like 18,000. I know where all the best places to aim are, maybe I just can’t spin the vehicle around and aim at the same time. I don’t think Donnie got galactic hero but he was definitely in the 400,000 to 500,000 range.


We decided to get one more viewing of Carousel of Progress in and headed there next. It’s one of my favorites but they really need to update the animatronics! John in the last scene looked terrible, like he had really bad plastic surgery! I’m also interested what a newer final scene would look like but I wouldn’t want them to get rid of the current one. I just want an extra scene which I know isn’t possible.


Our traditional final ride! Peoplemover! The line was snaked outside a bunch so I decided to time the line thinking it would be really long but it was really only six minutes. The ride was bittersweet. We had a wonderful trip and in some ways it felt like we had been there forever but then at others it felt like we just got there! But I didn’t cry so yay me!

We stopped to take our final look of Main Street for this trip and took some selfies.







We got to the bus stop around 6:25 and back to FQ about 6:50. We stopped at the gift shop to pick up our massive package from Epcot from yesterday. Then we got gf beignets again! (I’m glad I didn’t discover them earlier or I would have got them every night!) Donnie had some tonight too and even though he isn’t gf he said they were delicious! We packed everything up and took most of the stuff to the car and were in bed by 11.

Coming up: travel home and final thoughts​

 

[Raeven]

When Donnie went to take a picture with her he put his hand on her back like he had with Alice and Mary made him put his arm out for her to hold onto.

I wonder if some characters just have certain poses they're ready for? When we were at a character meal in Cali I had my arm around every character that came up and so did Josh, but when Chip came up he took my arm into a similar pose even though I was putting my arm behind him which I thought looked awkward because I wasn't expecting that.

After dinner we crossed through the hub to get to Tomorrowland. Right before the bridge there was some teenage girl attempting to pet a squirrel. Why do people act like they have never seen squirrels before Disney?

We always talk about this We constantly see people crowded around the squirrels taking pictures of them. They're weirdly skinny compared to our squirrels but I don't get why everyone makes a fuss over them when they see them.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

That’s too funny! I found myself in a ride picture in someone’s TR one time on here.

That's awesome and funny! I would love for that to happen to me lol

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Would it be terrible of me to make reservations for 3 people going forward so we aren’t stuck with tiny two top tables all the time?

I feel your pain on this one! They are sooo tiny. I don't think it would help though because we've had reservations for more than 2 in the past when we weren't sure if others would come and been sat at the tiny tables still.

Tigger was the last character to meet but he was in the lobby. I found this kinda weird. Like was there not enough space to have him come through?

Last time we did 1900 for breakfast, the Mad Hatter was in the lobby. I thought it was just as strange.

Donnie ended up on screen for “still lives with his monster in law” but I couldn’t grab my phone fast enough to catch it. I love this little show. I think the technology is so cool and the monsters are always funny.

We love that show too! I always want to be on screen but I've never been picked. DBF has been picked twice.

All the characters in their football gear were cute too

Aw very cute.

Why do people act like they have never seen squirrels before Disney?

 

[disneyAndi14]

Ugh the tiny table for 2, Andi and I always get these. We can always pick our table as we walk towards it. Just pick the worst table in the room, this is usually ours.

I watched FoF this past week for the first time in quite awhile, I had a perfect spot on Mainstreet!

Peoplemover is always a favorite last ride!

 

[missangelalexis]

Next was Alice and she was just so cute! Sorry while I go off topic for a moment. Does anyone remember when Disney Channel wasn’t part of regular cable and you had to pay for it extra like HBO? They had weekends where it was free and I loved it when they did! There was an Alice in Wonderland live action tv show that was my absolute favorite. This was probably the early 90s and it’s one of my earliest Disney related memories so Alice is near and dear to my heart. ​

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OMG YES!! I always lived for those free previews just so I could watch that show!! I don't think many people seem to remember it!

Sounds like a nice breakfast!

Sorry the park was so busy! But you got great photos of the superbowl parade! And FoF too!

Sounds like a good meal with a great server at Skipper Canteen!

Love the last pics you took on Main Street. Except the sad one because who ever wants to leave the MK!?
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[emily nicole]

Just binged your whole report in one sitting! It was really good. I enjoyed your photos and style of writing. I hope you will keep writing them in the future!

 

[Gina Starr]

When we were at a character meal in Cali I had my arm around every character that came up and so did Josh, but when Chip came up he took my arm into a similar pose even though I was putting my arm behind him which I thought looked awkward because I wasn't expecting that.

That’s just odd. You would think they would be pretty open to following the guest’s lead. Oh well!

We always talk about this We constantly see people crowded around the squirrels taking pictures of them. They're weirdly skinny compared to our squirrels but I don't get why everyone makes a fuss over them when they see them.

I know! Between the squirrels and feeding birds, I don’t get the fascination. I totally DO get the fascination with Disney ducks though, they are adorable!

I don't think it would help though because we've had reservations for more than 2 in the past when we weren't sure if others would come and been sat at the tiny tables still.

That’s true! I wouldn’t do it anyways but I sure would appreciate the extra space.

Last time we did 1900 for breakfast, the Mad Hatter was in the lobby. I thought it was just as strange.

It really was. I mean I guess it make sense logistically. But if we go back and Tigger is in the lobby again, I think we will skip him!

We love that show too! I always want to be on screen but I've never been picked. DBF has been picked twice.

I feel like they only pick the ones who aren’t really paying attention. So maybe pretend like you aren’t paying attention! Lol

Ugh the tiny table for 2, Andi and I always get these. We can always pick our table as we walk towards it. Just pick the worst table in the room, this is usually ours.

I watched FoF this past week for the first time in quite awhile, I had a perfect spot on Mainstreet!

Peoplemover is always a favorite last ride!

Lol- I feel the same about the bad tables. But short of hiring a third person to dine with us, I don’t think our luck will change.

We love FOF, it’s a must do for us!

OMG YES!! I always lived for those free previews just so I could watch that show!! I don't think many people seem to remember it!

Ahhh! I’m so glad someone knew what I was talking about! I googled it and it was called Adventures in Wonderland. I’m gonna have to see if they have any episodes on YouTube!

Sorry the park was so busy! But you got great photos of the superbowl parade! And FoF too!

I have come to expect crowds at any time now and it was worth it to catch the Super Bowl parade!

Sounds like a good meal with a great server at Skipper Canteen!

Our best experience at Skipper Canteen so far which has put it on our must do list.

Just binged your whole report in one sitting! It was really good. I enjoyed your photos and style of writing. I hope you will keep writing them in the future!

Awww thanks so much! I’m pretty self-critical so I appreciate that! I plan on continuing to write them because I really enjoyed being able to look back and remember things I might not have. And being able to interact with other Disney fans has been awesome too!

 

[Gina Starr]

Well I was hoping to be back with the final post and to start my PTR this weekend but this update has really thrown me for a loop. I do not like change. AT ALL. And I hate to be negative but I really dislike this update. I miss my “unread” watched threads. I liked seeing how many I need to read in a list but now every single watched thread is in the same list. Yes, the unread ones are bold but I’m a little OCD and I liked it the way it was. I scroll through most posts rather quickly and I find it harder to tell the different posts apart. It just looks like one big wall of text to me now. Maybe it’s different on the mobile version but that’s all I use. Okay rant over. Hopefully this will help with the ridiculous pop up ads though! I might play around with it on my iPad in the next few days. Hope everyone has a good Memorial Day! ​

 

[Lesley Wake]

So I’m finally caught up to date... in time for the end of the TR!

Must have been fun getting to see the Super Bowl parade. I had hoped for the Rams to win, though was stressing about how to make it to Disneyland for the victory parade, when I was leaving for WDW on Tuesday (so we probably crossed paths in the air)!

Does anyone remember when Disney Channel wasn’t part of regular cable and you had to pay for it extra like HBO? They had weekends where it was free and I loved it when they did! There was an Alice in Wonderland live action tv show that was my absolute favorite.

YES! I was actually thinking about this show a little while ago. Where she would just get up and walk through the mirror on the mantle?

Those free weekends were the best and introduced me to Newsies! We taped it and I watched it so many times over the years, the tape broke. Thankfully by then it was available on DVD!

Well I was hoping to be back with the final post and to start my PTR this weekend but this update has really thrown me for a loop. I do not like change. AT ALL. And I hate to be negative but I really dislike this update. I miss my “unread” watched threads. I liked seeing how many I need to read in a list but now every single watched thread is in the same list. Yes, the unread ones are bold but I’m a little OCD and I liked it the way it was. I scroll through most posts rather quickly and I find it harder to tell the different posts apart. It just looks like one big wall of text to me now. Maybe it’s different on the mobile version but that’s all I use. Okay rant over. Hopefully this will help with the ridiculous pop up ads though! I might play around with it on my iPad in the next few days. Hope everyone has a good Memorial Day! ​

I need to try it out on desktop. It’s somewhat easier, but still needs getting used to! Especially the unwatched threads stuff!

 

[goofygurly]

Great trip report! When we went in 2018 I did the gf menu I was thoroughly impressed with the allergy menu ... since then I found out I have dairy intolerance not gluten.

 

[Gina Starr]

Must have been fun getting to see the Super Bowl parade. I had hoped for the Rams to win, though was stressing about how to make it to Disneyland for the victory parade, when I was leaving for WDW on Tuesday (so we probably crossed paths in the air)!

It was cool to say we were there and saw it but Donnie really hates Tom Brady so it killed him a bit!

YES! I was actually thinking about this show a little while ago. Where she would just get up and walk through the mirror on the mantle?

Those free weekends were the best and introduced me to Newsies! We taped it and I watched it so many times over the years, the tape broke. Thankfully by then it was available on DVD!

Yes! I loved the show! I watched that and a lot of Winnie the Pooh. I don’t remember watching Newsies though.

I need to try it out on desktop. It’s somewhat easier, but still needs getting used to! Especially the unwatched threads stuff!

I’m starting to get used to it but I just really hate change!

Great trip report! When we went in 2018 I did the gf menu I was thoroughly impressed with the allergy menu ... since then I found out I have dairy intolerance not gluten.

Thanks for reading along! That stinks that you were gf unnecessarily but at least at Disney they treat you right when it comes to allergies!

 

[Gina Starr]

Day 12- Tuesday February 5th- Travel Home


(The front of POFQ at 4:45 am)

We had a 14 hour trip ahead of us and to avoid getting home at like 1 am we like to leave early. We were up at 4am and on the road before 5. Our gps showed we would get home a little after 7. Sounds good! Can we make that happen? Of course not, we had to stop for gas, food, and the bathroom. I slept a whole lot thanks to Dramamine, we stopped at Chick Fil A for lunch, and stopped at a travel plaza with several fast food places for dinner. I think we hit about an hour of traffic and after other stops we got home around 10. That’s it, our trip is over! Coming right up is the wrap up!​

 

[Gina Starr]

So some people might have read this and asked did you even have fun? You spent a lot of time not feeling well and just watching tv in the room. I personally had a blast! It was my favorite trip we have taken and I would say Donnie agrees. We did so many new and fun things. With all the relaxing we did it felt like more of a vacation than past trips. In the past we went pretty much from rope drop to close. I would wake up the next morning and be totally stiff and literally couldn’t walk. (I did lose close to 100 pounds since the last trip so I’m sure that had something to do with it)



Even though I would consider ourselves Disney veterans there’s some things we learned. Number one would be don’t rely on Disney transportation! We didn’t drive ourselves to a park until day 9 and I wish we would have sooner. We originally said how much we loved Minnie Vans and we really did but looking back it was sooo expensive! If we don’t want to drive ourselves or use Disney transportation I think we will use regular Lyft or Uber next trip. I think we will stick with buses for when we go to MK to avoid the TTC but that’s it.



I think I’m finally to the point where I don’t need to have an adr or fp for something I don’t love just cause it’s popular. I would be fine with not going on Peter Pans Flight again for a while. And Donnie let me know to just make a NRJ fp for myself while he goes on FOP. BOG isn’t worth it to me. The food is just okay and you are definitely paying for the atmosphere.



My first time at Disney after having to go gluten free- it was amazing! I never felt like a burden at all and got to enjoy a ton of things I haven’t been able to in over a year. I live in a small town and have to drive over an hour away to get to a gf bakery so having Erin McKennas so close was like a dream. And my gf options at home in general are lacking. I didn’t get any food at Sassgoula other than the beignets. They don’t have an allergy menu out and available and they were always busy and I was worried they’d be too busy to take my order seriously. I was sad about missing out on some favorite treats but I tried to focus on everything I COULD eat which was a lot.



As for the time we went. We love it! I know there’s no slow time anymore but it was definitely nothing like Christmas season or Spring break. I love the weather, even when it’s wet and cold. I don’t do well in heat and think I might have issues on our next trip. We timed the trip perfectly for after the holidays and marathon weekend and before February holidays. And while I have only gone to one Epcot festival, Festival of the Arts is my favorite! We are using our ap again in January and I haven’t done the math but I think we will have to go so early in January that we will miss the festival.



Our next trip is in September for 1. My birthday 2. MNSSHP 3. Food and Wine 4. Galaxy’s Edge. This was originally going to be a short trip like 3 days. We both only have 2 vacation days scheduled but we are calling off the other 3 work days (we work at the same place and they have an attendance policy where you don’t have to have a reason for calling off, as long as you don’t exceed a certain amount of “points” in a year.) So this trip is going to be 6 nights. As this is literally our only remaining vacation days for the rest of the year we are a little nervous. Me especially, I’m hesitant to get too excited because I’m just worried we will have to shorten the trip or cancel.



I liked writing the ptr and tr! I don’t think I did very good though, mostly cause of the pictures. I didn’t have a problem keeping notes, I kept track of everything we did and the times, but failed miserably with food pictures and just pictures in general. Donnie is talking about vlogging next trip so not sure how much better I will be with pictures but I will try! Thanks so much for reading and I will be back soon to link the PTR for September!


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[Gina Starr]

I started my new PTR here
I hope I keep up with that one better than I did here!

 

[melk]

I don’t think I commented at all but want you to know I enjoyed reading about your trip. I think you did a great job!

 

[cinderaimee]

Your picture in front of the purple wall is so lovely!

Donnie drank his whole Dr. Pepper by the time the server came to get our food order and he was like “sir, are you a camel?” He honestly is! So he comes out with three drinks on his tray and puts them all in front of Donnie and says “refills for the camel.”

That is actually amazing! My DH is a camel also and I think he would love it if they brought him three refills at once

Why do people act like they have never seen squirrels before Disney?

When my sister was in high school, we had a foreign exchange student from Australia stay with us for a few weeks and she had literally never seen a squirrel before and she was obsessed with the ones in our yard!

So cool you got to see the Super Bowl parade and I love the special football costumes for the characters!

I've really enjoyed following along with your report and it sounds like you had a great trip. Thank you for sharing all your memories here!

 

[Gina Starr]

I don’t think I commented at all but want you to know I enjoyed reading about your trip. I think you did a great job!

Thanks so much for reading along!

Your picture in front of the purple wall is so lovely!

Thanks!

That is actually amazing! My DH is a camel also and I think he would love it if they brought him three refills at once

Lol! Donnie loved it and made sure to drink all of them!

When my sister was in high school, we had a foreign exchange student from Australia stay with us for a few weeks and she had literally never seen a squirrel before and she was obsessed with the ones in our yard!

That’s too funny! I guess that makes sense. I shouldn’t judge other peoples’ interests no matter how weird I think they are...

I've really enjoyed following along with your report and it sounds like you had a great trip. Thank you for sharing all your memories here!

Aww thanks! We did have a great trip. Thanks for reading along!

 

[missangelalexis]

I'm glad you had such a fun trip! I enjoyed reading about it! Hopping over to your PTR now

 

[Momee]

I also enjoyed reading your report and think you did a great job with it.