A Magical Anniversary in the WILDERNESS *Pixie Dust Everywhere* Completed 11/19 New TR Link

[Cloe Colton]

I am the same way, I have a list of other restaurants I want to try but am also a creature of habit!

I find that I try more restaurants with Dan than my Mom and sister because they like to go to the same places but Dan usually wants to try new things! There's just not enough meals in a day in Disney! haha

Even when I do try to get as many in as possible I always end up too full!

 

[missangelalexis]

Glad you enjoyed dinner! What a pretty rainbow you walked out too!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Sounds like a perfect Epcot day! And WOWZA that rainbow!! Nothing more magical than a Disney rainbow

Glad you got to see a bit of the fireworks, and I thought the same thing about that pesky tree sticking out in your pics LOL

I'm glad you got the spirit jersey and sweater you wanted! I have my eyes on the Monsters University one I saw at the Disney Store outlet last week....of course it was not yet outlet priced, so I'll have to keep checking before I take the plunge. There's a DCL one I really want, too, so I need to pace myself

It was perfect! The day and the rainbow!

Right? Lol

Ugh they are killing me with the spirit jerseys! I already have the Minnie mouse one and now the millennial Pink but I also really wanted the cruise one but obtained since I already bought one this trip and I also want the Cinderella one!! Between the price and the fact that mine always seem to look wrinkly I'll probably just stick with the two. But the monsters Inc one is so cute too!!

Glad you enjoyed dinner! What a pretty rainbow you walked out too!

Le Cellier was great!! And the rainbow perfectly framed the lagoon!

 

[amberdc1987]

Sounds like a perfect day at Epcot!! I absolutely love LeCellier, although it's been a few years since I ate there.

I hope you do a report for y'all's December trip. Our Dec trip isn't until 2019, so I can live vicariously through you this year. . Candlelight Processional is on my maybe list.

 

[Bama Mom]

We went to The Coral Reef back in 08 and I had the personalized menus made for the kids and a diver held up a sign for my hubby. I wish they still did that. Also, I'm pretty sure that Full House is the reason I want to stay in The Grand Floridian!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Dinner looks very good, we have never been. The soup looks so good and I still have never tried it. I think you can get poutine with the beer cheese soup at Refreshment Port now.

I was so tempted by all the spirit jerseys and I never did get one, maybe someday!

Wow, you have 2 more trips this year, lucky!

Glad you were checking out the club offerings each day, especially since it was a bonus!

 

[amazingact21]

What a nice Epcot day! You guys hit up Epcot the right way...some great restaurants, a couple attractions, and snacking/drinking while wandering around the World Showcase. Seriously, that's the best way to spend your time in Epcot. And both your meals sounded really good, so that's always an added bonus.

 

[Cloe Colton]

Sounds like a perfect day at Epcot!! I absolutely love LeCellier, although it's been a few years since I ate there.

I hope you do a report for y'all's December trip. Our Dec trip isn't until 2019, so I can live vicariously through you this year. . Candlelight Processional is on my maybe list.

Le Cellier has been on my list for a while so I'm glad we finally ate there!

I plan to do TRs for both October and December! I really enjoy reliving the trip through these reports! December will be a very quick trip but I LOVE disney at Christmas so I'm so excited for that trip!

We went to The Coral Reef back in 08 and I had the personalized menus made for the kids and a diver held up a sign for my hubby. I wish they still did that. Also, I'm pretty sure that Full House is the reason I want to stay in The Grand Floridian!

That's awesome!! That was definitely a full house moment! I'm glad I'm not the only one Full House influenced!! Haha

Dinner looks very good, we have never been. The soup looks so good and I still have never tried it. I think you can get poutine with the beer cheese soup at Refreshment Port now.

I was so tempted by all the spirit jerseys and I never did get one, maybe someday!

Wow, you have 2 more trips this year, lucky!

Glad you were checking out the club offerings each day, especially since it was a bonus!

I would definitely recommend Le Cellier! The soup was delicious! It's nice that you can get it without going to dinner now though if it's available at the refreshment port. I wonder if it's the same!

The spirit jerseys are pretty comfy!

Yes! I'm definitely milking my AP for all its worth this year! I don't know what I'll do next year when I don't even have one trip planned yet! I promised DH we would do a non-Disney trip for our anniversary next year so we're doing an all inclusive in Aruba and I think we might try Disneyland next fall since we've never been there! I'll have to squeeze a Disney World trip in there somewhere though!!

Yeah once we found out we had club access I made sure we tried to stop there at least once or twice a day!

What a nice Epcot day! You guys hit up Epcot the right way...some great restaurants, a couple attractions, and snacking/drinking while wandering around the World Showcase. Seriously, that's the best way to spend your time in Epcot. And both your meals sounded really good, so that's always an added bonus.

It was really such an enjoyable day at EPCOT! And the delicious meals definitely helped!

 

[Cloe Colton]

DAY 5 Part 1

Out of all of our days for the trip, I was most looking forward to this day because of Toy Story Land! Its always so exciting when there is something new in Disney and there had been such positive reviews of the land I couldn’t wait! Like I had mentioned previously, when I made our FPs I could have had us go to Toy Story Land our first day and this day but since I was making the FP before the land opened I wasn’t willing to risk SDD being more of a kiddie coaster so I just got FPs for the land this one day. Even though I LOVED the land I am still happy we had two days in Animal Kingdom over two days in Hollywood Studios. Still not quite a full day park!

Anywho, we were up and ready pretty early this morning, we were excited to get to the park!



After our significant delay in waiting for the tram the day before we chose to walk to the park today. I love how pretty the HS parking lot is, the palm trees are so fun.





First up were some photopass pictures!





We had some time to kill before our first Slinky Dog FP so we stopped for a starbucks. We hid in the shade of the building while we drank them and enjoyed the atmosphere. I'm excited for what's in store for DHS! What I'm not excited for is how the new Star Wars land and Mickey's runaway railway ride is going to effect my fp planning!



And finally it was time for Toy Story Land!



We waited in line to have our picture with the sign.



And then I took some pictures with SDD as my background. I was just immediately fell in love with this land! But it definitely could use some more shade!




If its not obvious (it probably isn’t) I was doing a little bit of a Bo Peep Disneybound. I had asked Dan if he would be Woody with me but that was a bit of a no go so a Star Wars shirt was the best I could do for him!



It was finally time for Slinky Dog! I was surprised by the lack of fans in the line, I’m assuming that happened as a result of a time crunch but holy moly it was hot in there and we didn’t even wait that long! As someone who has a tendency to pass out in heat I was seriously feeling for those waiting the 150 minutes that day!

Sidenote: Rock N Rollercoaster also has a lack of fans in their queue. I almost passed out in that line before while waiting in standby and watching hoards of FP people whiz by (like would move forward in line by crawling for fear of standing up and letting my blood rush). I was so woozy that walking out really wasn't an option. My Mom thankfully had a bag of the sugared pecans in her purse which helped bring my blood sugar up and prevent me from actually passing out, the adrenaline from the ride helped too. But as a result you will never see me without a FP for RNR (and probably now SDD in the daytime)!



We again were somehow lucky and when they called for a party of two it was to fill the very last row in the car so we got the best seat in the house! (In my opinion!) It’s seriously the best going to Disney with two people!

I really struggle when I’m on Disney rides if I should record the ride or just be in the moment. With this being our first ride on SDD I decided to just enjoy it!



We both loved the ride and I actually liked it better than Mine Train. I think they are the same length of time but this feels like it has more ride time for some reason. I think Mine Train takes a lot of time going through the mine with the dwarfs which is why it feels so much shorter.



After Slinky Dog it was time for lunch and I really wanted to try Woody’s Lunchbox! So we hopped in line and man oh man shade would have been so welcomed in this line! While we were waiting I saw the sign for mobile ordering and actually placed our order right then and there. We hopped out of line and went to the mobile order window and I think people were very confused as to why and how we were cutting the line lol. Mobile ordering was just SO much faster! I wish I had done it as soon as we walked over instead of wasting time in line.

I suppose my only complaint for the land was that I wish for the tables for Woody's Lunchbox that a CM would monitor who is sitting there. There were so many people taking the only shaded tables with seats that were clearly just waiting around for family to get off rides. Which I get, but we were hungry and hot and actually purchased food and struggled to find any table at all, even in the sun. We eventually found one that was shaded that just didn’t have chairs. But at that point in the day the shade was most important so we were happy!

To eat I got the grilled cheese sandwich and Dan got the brisket. My grilled cheese was SO GOOD. I cannot wait to go back and get another!




Dan did order a beer with his through mobile ordering and the CM just ID'd him when we picked up the food. Super easy!

After lunch we were off to Hollywood Boulevard!



Next up was our second FP for Rock N Rollercoaster which while we were in line I was able to refresh and move up our Tower of Terror FP enough that we could ride it as soon as we got off of RNR.




Next up was our TOT FP. I just love TOT, its just so fun and I love that the pattern can be different every time. Dan was full of giggles when we got off because after we were brought to the top and had the first drop the girl next to him grabbed his arm. You can see in the photo that shes actually pulling her hand back after she had grabbed him.



While we were in line for TOT I snagged a FP for Star Tours like 15 minutes later so that was our next stop! We did stop to take some pictures with Star Wars items along the way since Dan was wearing his Starry Night Star Wars shirt.





I love how these pictures turned out. Although Dan was not on board for a Woody-bound he was really excited to wear this shirt and even reminded me that he needed to wear it to HS! I was a proud DW



Let's go explore the galaxy! Random thought but has anyone heard what the plan is for Star Tours once Star Wars Land opens? It would seem silly to have a themed ride outside of the land unless they plan to like make the entrance and exit underground from the land? I'm very curious to see what happens here!

Star Tours was fun. Neither of us were the rebel spy this time, I was it once and I have no idea how it happened. Has never happened again since!



While in line for Star Tours I was able to book another FP for Toy Story Mania but it was about an hour and a half out so we decided to check out to Baseline Taphouse to grab a drink and a snack to see if we could move up the FP or just wait it out. We had never been to Baseline Taphouse and we really loved it! I can see it being a must-do in HS from now on!



At this point during the trip Dan started helping me refresh the FPs which worked out well because he has an Android phone and I have an Apple and they definitely display different results. So we were able to move the Toy Story Mania FP from 5:20 to 3:05 which gave us time to still enjoy our snack and then head over to the ride. I got the California Sunset (delish!) and the cheese plate and Dan got a flight of beers. Everything here was so tasty and so affordable! We really enjoyed our time here. I think it had also started sprinkling while we were in there so it was a good time to take a break!





After we finished eating and enjoying our drinks we made our way back over to Toy Story Land. It was time for Toy Story Mania!



I couldn’t figure out what was new and old in the line but it was cool to see the new queue. I of course beat Dan but didn’t get a personal record. The important thing was that I won though Again while we were in the line, we were able to snag another FP for TSM for immediately after getting off the first time. But first we stopped for some photo with the Popsicle wall.



For our second game since both of our arms were pretty tired from the first round we tried for who could have better accuracy instead of highest score. We were pretty neck and neck the first round but after the second one I just decided to play normal because I wasn’t going to win at accuracy anyway haha
On our way out of the ride Dan was trying really hard to make this a new wall I appreciate his effort but the lighting was not great in the exit!



After this ride we took some pictures with the Checkers wall because I wanted to get pictures of my purse I decorated for Toy Story Land.



Since we were ready to head back to the WILDERNESS at this point we checked the app and were able to get a FP for Alien Swirling Saucers for 9:30-10:30. We had plans to maybe stop by after dinner so that would work perfectly and would mean we were able to FP all of the new land in one day! Woo!! (also FP refresh is addicting lol but so fun!)

Back to the Wilderness! ​

 

[missjackiemcg]

Way to play the FP grab game I always love seeing how many we can rack up in one day. You did great, AND getting all the TSL rides in one day is impressive!!

Loved your Bo Peep Disneybound, too! My husband would never go for matching me either sadly. I saw these shirts online where his would be Mickey "I don't do matching shirts," and mine would be Minnie, "I do!!"

 

[Jenny Sanders]

What a super fun day at HS! 18 days to go and I will be back to Disney!!!!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Way to play the FP grab game I always love seeing how many we can rack up in one day. You did great, AND getting all the TSL rides in one day is impressive!!

Loved your Bo Peep Disneybound, too! My husband would never go for matching me either sadly. I saw these shirts online where his would be Mickey "I don't do matching shirts," and mine would be Minnie, "I do!!"

FP refresh is definitely my new favorite "game" to play in line! Once we were so succeful in HS I was kicking myself for my FP flub the day before in EPCOT!

Thank you! Those shirts sound so cute!

What a super fun day at HS! 18 days to go and I will be back to Disney!!!!

17 days for me!! I feel like this trip is creeping up on me, probably because my last one wasn't that long ago! Either way I can't wait!

 

[missangelalexis]

What a fun day! I absolutely love your purse! Sounds like a great time in Toy Story Land, it is SO picturesque!

 

[DisneyMichele]

Love all the Toy Story Land pictures, looks so cute with the K'nex toys- reminds me of being a kid! Love the bo peep outfit too, super cute!

 

[Cloe Colton]

What a fun day! I absolutely love your purse! Sounds like a great time in Toy Story Land, it is SO picturesque!

I think its my new favorite land! I mean I love Pandora but there's something so nostalgic about Toy Story! And thank you! I can't wait to use it again in October!!

Love all the Toy Story Land pictures, looks so cute with the K'nex toys- reminds me of being a kid! Love the bo peep outfit too, super cute!

Thanks!! I loved K'nex as a kid so I love that they used them to "build" everything!

 

[winnieofpooh]

Love your trip reports! When we went this past winter, we were able to refresh and get TSM FPs 4 times in a row we played a similar game like you, except we played with our opposite hand. Way harder than I would've imagined.

 

[Cloe Colton]

Love your trip reports! When we went this past winter, we were able to refresh and get TSM FPs 4 times in a row we played a similar game like you, except we played with our opposite hand. Way harder than I would've imagined.

Thank you! Its amazing what a new ride will do for FP availability! I feel like two in a row might be my max though because its just too tiring! But using the other arm is another good game option! haha I might be able to do three now!

 

[tiggerpals]

Haha I love the Full House reference! I found those episodes on Amazon recently - ahh, how I love them! What a great trip you had! I love seeing the refresh success too - hoping I have similar luck on our next trip!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Haha I love the Full House reference! I found those episodes on Amazon recently - ahh, how I love them! What a great trip you had! I love seeing the refresh success too - hoping I have similar luck on our next trip!

I need to rewatch them! haha

It was amazing how many FP we were able to get on our trip. The only things we waited in line for the whole trip was Joy and Sadness and SDD before park closing. Other than that we were able to FP everything!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Day 5 Part 2

Since we had done pretty much everything we wanted to do in Hollywood Studios we decided to head back to the hotel and enjoy the pool for a bit!




When we got back to the resort we figured we’d try to go to the pool again since we failed the last time. I had read that the Boulder Ridge pool was quieter so we decided to check out that one. It was nice but it was definitely not quieter than the main pool in terms of just people horsing around and such. I’m sure that depends on who is in the pool at the time but our day it was not quiet (like a mother left her teenage daughters in a huff because they were even annoying her) but that was okay. We just relaxed and enjoyed the atmosphere for a bit.





I really liked that even though this was technically the DVC pool they allowed guests to use both. The bathrooms for this pool were also gorgeous!



After the pool we made our way up to the room to freshen up and get ready for dinner. Tonight’s dinner was at Narcoose’s for the first time!



We used our TIW card to get free valet parking at the Grand Floridian. I really love this perk of the TIW, and they were always really quick to get our car to us whenever we were ready to leave. Our little rented Yaris must have looked like a car one would not want to valet because most of the hotels would look at us and remind us that the valet was $30, but once we mentioned the TIW they were more than kind and just reminded us to hold onto our receipt that showed we used the TIW card. We stopped for a photo with the nice car out front on the way in, Dan said it had to be the white one and not the other one lol



Since we had never eaten at Narcoose’s before we weren’t 100% sure on how to get to it but we enjoyed our picturesque walk to dinner.







Our hostess was nice enough to take a picture of us when we sat down



We had an awesome spot in the restaurant. It was so cool to see the castle and the monorail going by.




To drink I had the white sangria which was delicious! I wish I could have one right now! Dan got the St. Aberdine? I think that was the name of it!




And to eat we started with the crab cake, Dan had the butter poached lobster and I had the pork tenderloin and to split we shared the loaded mashed potatoes. Everything was so good! We also tried the asparagus because they accidentally brought that side to our table instead of the mashed potatoes and they just let us keep both!



[Crab Cake count - 3]




We finished dinner right as HEA was starting and since we had already watched them from California Grill and would be watching it the next night from in the park we opted to not watch the fireworks from their deck. I think our waiter thought we were crazy for not watching because I'm sure most people who book a reservation for this time are aiming to see the fireworks. But not us! (At least not tonight!)

So while Dan went to the valet to grab the car I did a quick outfit change in the bathroom to be in more of a themed outfit for Toy Story Land at night! When the land opened in June and I saw how pretty the land looked at night I just knew I had to try and get back to see it! Thankfully Dan is a good sport and just goes along with my Disney craziness!

We made it to HS by 9:45 giving us 45 minutes left in the park. We were definitely fish swimming upstream again with everyone either leaving the parks or watching the show on the Chinese Theater. But we made it through and back to TSL! Our first stop was the Alien Spinning Saucers with our FP that we had made earlier before leaving the park. We definitely did not need it since it was only a 5-minute wait but I think we did get in front of some people so it definitely saved us some time!



I think for 5 minutes I would definitely wait for this ride again, it was fun and something new. But anything longer than 15 minutes and I would probably pass!

We stopped for some pictures with Buzz before moving on.




Sidenote - I think it's so nice when people will randomly stop and offer to take a picture of us. I try to do it as often as I can and really appreciate when people do this!

Had to show off my ears I made, I felt like this fabric was perfect for Buzz!



We hopped in line for SDD a little after 10. I REALLY wanted to ride it at night so I asked Dan if he would wait with me because I was positive it wouldn’t be THAT long of a wait, especially with the park closing at 10:30. It was definitely cool to see the queue elements we missed using the FP earlier in the day.




It was a pretty hot night and there was like no air flow in that queue. We definitely could have used some fans when waiting in that line! Also, a family cut through the line like a half hour into us waiting “to meet up with their family”. That is such a pet peeve of mine. I don’t mind it as much if I see them go out and then come back in because I get it, a kid might really need to use the bathroom. But to jump into the line when everyone else has been waiting that long while they probably rode something else or saw some other show is just so infuriating. I never say anything because it’s not worth getting into a fight in Disney (we saw a terrible brawl in Disneyland Paris over line cutting - very scary!) but a lot of people were mad about it around us. It’s just not fair to everyone else.

We only waited about 45 minutes and the line definitely moved a lot quicker once the park officially closed for the night and there were no more FPs coming through. We honestly probably should have ridden Alien Spinners once more and then gotten into line right before 10:30. We probably would have cut off some time!

(When putting this report together I just realized our nighttime photo from SDD never showed up on MDE...I wonder if two months is too late for them to locate it. I suppose it's worth a try!)

We left HS around 11 and I considered us pretty successful for a late night visit!





Miles walked 7.1

Tomorrow we rest! Well kind of ​