A tale as old as time TR (Pre Covid! Completed 5/7/21) - Started my 2019 solo TR! (Updated with F&W 7/10)

[WonderWoman28]

Day 6 - Boo to you and you and you and you!
Thursday October 4th, 2018

We are HUGE Halloween fans, probably even more than Christmas and this trip was strategically placed around when we wanted to go to MNSSHP. We were trying to avoid hurricane season, but hoping to be a few weeks away from Halloween so that we would have hopefully a slower party. We also purposely chose a date in the middle of the week as opposed to the weekend to hopefully avoid the locals. We based everything we did this trip around our party date, purposely choosing a slower morning the day after so that we could have a late night. This seems like foreshadowing doesn't it?

On this morning we tried hard to sleep in but I think we really only slept until 9. We wandered over around 10 to have breakfast and really just vegged out for the morning. We went to the gift shop, AGAIN, walked around a little but really just enjoyed the air conditioning as it was gearing up to be a hot afternoon. I had been stalking the MNSSHP thread on here, so I had a plan of attack. We're huge Nightmare before Christmas fans, so our main objective was to meet Jack and Sally and keep an eye out for Oogie Boogie during the Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular and the Boo-To-You parade. We were also hoping to hit up the merch and have some special party treats!

At 2:40 we were geared up and heading out for the bus dressed in the easiest and least restrictive costumes I could think of: The Incredibles! My sister also dressed up as Edna Mode! This was the best picture we got of the group, even though it was the end of the night and everyone was ready for bed.



According to fellow Dis-ers you could technically enter the park with your MNSSHP tickets at 4pm, but usually they would start letting you in 10-15 minutes early. So, we were at the bus stop at 2:45, and on a bus by 3. We were at MK and in line at 3:25 and it was BLAZING hot with no shade, thankfully after about 10 minutes the clouds rolled in and it started to sprinkle. Only the sprinkles lasted just a few minutes then it was more humid than it was before . According to my rather detailed notes (I wanted to come back to the MNSSHP thread to share) we were through the gate at 3:48 and had our wrist bands on at 3:50. Woohoo! We were running 10 minute early!

The plan was DH would immediately veer left and head over to where J&S meet as they were scheduled to come out at 5 but rumor had it their line had been getting so long that they were having them come out earlier. DH literally drives 100's of miles a day for work, all over the area, but somehow has a bad sense of direction. Earlier in the week when we were at MK I showed him exactly where to go, and the night before I literally had a map to remind him of his path once he enters the park. Even in line to enter MK I was coaching him! He was confident with a J&S meet on the line, that he could complete the mission.

The rest of us kept going and went through the bypass where they handed out the treat bags, and had some photo ops. The amount of pictures we had with YDD's mouth wide open



They had a cart with some merch in the bypass, most of what we wanted was in Big Top Souvenirs but this cart had some shirts and light up items. DH text me to let me know he was in line (MISSION COMPLETE!) and about 20 people back, so after a few purchases we headed his way.

Once we got in line I took a look at the temp, it was 84 degrees but the humidity was off the charts thanks to our little afternoon sprinkle. On the bright side the J&S meet is over in Liberty Square in the pavilion where Tiana usually is, so there was a lot of shade in line.

At 4:31 the duo was out! 30 minutes before they were scheduled! Poor DS & YDD were a little fearful, but thankfully we had a little bit before we made our way over so they had the chance to see how they interacted with the party goers before us.

At 4:50 we had one of the greatest meets of all time. Sally told DS she loved all of our eyes (pointing to the "i"s on our shirts) and asked if they were dead like Jack's. DS of course had no idea what she was talking about but my king of dad jokes DH laughed about this for weeks. The way the CMs take on their rolls and come up with conversations on the fly is so amazing to me.


Side note: Our 2nd favorite meet was at 1900PF in 2016 with the Evil Step Mother, she hounded ODD about the color of her dress insisting she wanted jewelry in the same shade. She shouted "well what is it? Blue? Green? Seafoam?!?!?!" Then came back through asking if ODD knew her colors yet . The step sisters were also amazing during that meet, telling ODD that their house keeper was moving out and they need a new one asking if she would be willing to move into their attic and clean for no pay.


Anyway here's some spam of all the pics! (notice my Sally ears I had gotten the day before and ODD was wearing the custom ears I had gotten off of etsy). DS had the giggles every time he looked at Sally, and YDD just had her typical mouth wide open look.














This magic shot right after meeting J&S was adorable! When the photographer said point down and look surprised I shouted "ITS ZERO!!!!" and my family looked at me like I was insane

Do your research fam!




We were so thrilled that this worked out so well! It was only 5 pm, the party technically hadn't even started yet, and we already checked off our #1 goal for the night!

If I remember correctly the party started at 7pm? At this point we decided to hit up some rides hoping the waits would be down. We did splash with a 10 minute wait which was more like 20 and headed over to JC since we missed it earlier in the week. The JC wait was posted at 35 minutes, but I believe this was one of the rides that wasn't open during the party so everyone was trying to get it in before it closed.

Poor DS looks like he's going to barf, but I swear after every ride he said he had fun




It still seemed a little crowded but we were hoping it was just people filtering out and party goers starting to come in. We were done on JC at 5:50 and headed over to Casey's for some treats around 6:15. This should have been an indicator to how this night was going to go, I mobile ordered and the mobile order line was out the door while inside was filled to the brim. Once I got our food there wasn't anyway to sit, thankfully a family was just leaving a tall table where we were able to stand and snack.

No wonder I hardly ever grabbed pictures of the food, everyone was always gobbling it up before I had the chance! Those loaded mashed potato fries to the far left were pretty great though!



I some how already used up my picture allotment, probably with all the J&S spam!! The party hadn't even started yet and things were feeling incredibly crowded, I was hoping they were still kicking people out who were there during the day? Ever the optimist, we'll see where that got me!​

 

[WonderWoman28]

Day 6 Part 2 - Spotting the big guy - no, not Santa.
Thursday October 4th, 2018


This is a very wordy post - sorry in advanced for that!


After we had our fill of corn dog nuggets and shoe string fries with plastic cheese, we were hashing out our next plan of attack. Right below meeting J&S, DH was eyeing up the party exclusive Oogie Boogie popcorn bucket that could be found at the popcorn cart in the hub closest to the Tomorrow Land entrance. Thanks to my DIS stalking, I had been reading that these were selling out quick at the start of the party thanks to your Ebay sellers looking for a profit .


We left Casey's around 6:45, and DH went to go stand in line at his popcorn stand. Before leaving Casey's I noticed TLSW only had about a 10 minute wait. For some reason every trip the speedway is something we always skip, and that was half the fun of MNSSHP! To enjoy some of the rides with limited wait times! We told DH we were going to head over that way, possibly ride the people mover and meet him at TLSW when he was done purchasing his prized possession.


We got over to the PM around 6:50, and the line was all the way back towards SRS. I thought, that's weird, maybe the ride was down or something. Then as I looked around I realized the treat lines were starting to open, as the line that went into CoP was insane (or maybe it was about to open and that was why the line was so long?). I was still remaining optimistic, thinking because it was the start of the party maybe everyone was bottled necked into one spot and we just happened to be in that spot. Also, candy wasn't our priority anyway. They were handing out your average candy, nothing special. If all of us went through the candy lines I'd then have to transport all those snickers and M&Ms home, no thanks. Plus the treat bags they gave us in the bypass had enough candy to make the kids happy.


Ok, take a deep breath, we're changing up the game plan.


I then tried to look at my MDE map, while making sure not to lose a child in the ever growing crowd, to check on TLSW. We could just head over there now to meet DH and move on from there, but the wait had jumped from 10 minutes to 60 . I was trying not to panic, everything is fine. I go into every Disney day with a loose plan that I change on the fly. This is why we come to each park day with a high priority goal for each person, that way everything we experience after that is like a bonus. This helps us change our plans as needed for cranky kids (or cranky mom) and keeps the expectations for what we can accomplish low.


I text DH again, change of plan #146, we're heading to Dumbo! The wait was posted at 15 minutes and this would be a fun little ride considering we missed it on our MK day. DH text that he got the goods and would meet us at the exit. We hopped into a group to walk over to Dumbo that I can only describe as a herd of cattle. You were literally in a crowd that was moving in one direction and if you wanted to exit that crowd, good luck. You were in a school of fish and you were stuck going with the flow. Just keep swimming it was your only choice.




Anyway, I have time stamped that we were on Dumbo at exactly 7pm - so not a 15 minute wait as posted. This brought a little bit of excitement hoping maybe the posted times weren't accurate, although the amount of people wasn't reassuring.

Aside from our J&S meet, I got possibly one of my favorite pictures of the trip on Dumbo. ODD rode with my sister and I rode with DS and YDD, and man when you're 2 and 4 Dumbo is just the absolute greatest of all time. This picture just makes my heart happy every time I see it. No matter how much stress goes into planning Disney, changing plans as we go, things not going as I envisioned, my kids still have the most amazing time. And isn't that the point. Ugh - my heart .




It's such a simple picture but it brings me so much joy. They laughed, screamed and giggled on the entire ride. We spotted DH while we were in the air and I could see him laughing down below at their enthusiasm! It was the greatest.


When we exited Dumbo we found DH who was gushing over his popcorn buckets. PLURAL! I'll post a pic in bit, but if you've ever seen them they are large and awkward as many popcorn buckets that are characters tend to be. I asked what made him purchase 2? He said "well there was a limit of 2 and I was so excited I got 2". Logical. I asked how he thought we were going to get them home? "We can always buy another bag if we need to" . You want to know where the popcorn buckets are right now, almost 3 years later? In a closet, never to be seen again. I actually think I threw one out when I was purging a while back. DH is a hoarder, I am a purger. It's an interesting combination.


Anyway! While we were over here we headed over to Big Top Souvenirs to grab the merch we had been eyeing up. I had heard rumors that some things were selling out as they were over a month into the party, I had been keeping track and it looked like what I wanted could still be available.


Well, we were striking out. They had this Hocus Pocus mug that I had REALLY wanted as I'm a Disney mug collector. This was MY popcorn bucket, the thing I was most excited about purchasing. As of last night it was rumored to still available, when we arrived it was gone. (google image below)




I took a deep breath, mourned my mug for a minute and moved on. But it seemed most of my "next items on the list" were also gone. The Hocus Pocus spirit jersey was gone, there was a magnet I had been eyeing that was also gone. I think I ended up with an ornament (I'm also an ornament collector) and some mystery villain pins. Definitely not what I had in mind, but what was I going to do.


It was about 7:15, apparently I was just cruising around Fantasyland. We headed over to Barnstormer which had a 15 minute wait. After our short but fun ride we noticed Donald, Daisy and friends in Costume, but the line was about 30 deep so we admired them from afar.


We headed over to Gaston's in another cattle herd line, this one was most difficult to get out of. I remember saying "excuse me, we need to exit here" and getting the nastiest looks from people who continued to shuffle along. Literally shuffling, it was that crowded that you we just kind of slowing moving. I think this was where I sort of gave up the idea that we were going to do much more than what we had done. We were stopping into Gaston's for a snack, then we were going to go find our spot for the stage show and parade.


Anyway - here's a SWEATY (did I mention the sun was down but it hadn't cooled off? That wet spot around the "i" isn't water people) DH with his prized OB popcorn bucket, and his OB treat from Gaston's. It was literally just a Jell-O cup with meringue, but he's weirdly a fan of Jell-O and as we've learned - all things OB. Also - notice his OB keychain he kept on his fanny pack. Such a nerd.




This picture was timestamped at 7:40. I wasn't interested in anything to eat here as I wanted something savory, but had gotten a coffee to perk me up. My original plan was to just have the snack at Casey's and get the Hades burger at Cosmic Rays a little bit later. Well the flow of traffic was heading from Tomorrow Land around to Fantasyland , Liberty Square, and to Frontier land. Our traffic pattern was heading the wrong way of Cosmic Rays, and I knew at this point - with the hub blocked off for the parade - we were probably not going to make it backwards to get my burger. I had to ditch that idea and come up with something else. Moving this double stroller in traffic was making it near impossible to get much done.


When I was waiting for DH in Gaston's, I checked the MNSSHP thread on the Dis to see if anyone had mentioned the crowds at tonight's party. What I read made my heart drop - "Tonight's party was sold out". SOLD OUT?!?!?! As of this morning it wasn't sold out! When we entered at 4 there wasn't the dreaded sign that said "tonight's party is sold out"! But apparently the last minute ticket purchases sold this party out around 6pm.


I planned, and researched for months leading up to the decision of when to purchase our MNSSHP tickets. A random Thursday the first week of October wasn't on the radar to be sold out. I'm not sure if once October hit everyone in the area was feeling all the Halloween vibes and thought they needed to go then? I had also heard a rumor that over the last few years Disney increased the amount of tickets available to the exclusive parties. So in years prior, even if the event sold out, it still felt like you could get your moneys worth with minimal crowds. Now when the event sold out it felt worse than a normal busy day in Disney. Plus with the hub blocked off you were in a constant whirl pool of movement that you couldn't get out of. Sure, we purchased the tickets as Halloween lovers, and to meet J&S. But we also purchased them to have a night of low crowds to feel like an "exclusive" experience.


With my mood going down hill, I knew we just needed to get over to the hub to find a spot for the shows and that this would likely be the end of our night.


At about 7:55 we walked past Sleepy Hallow, I knew I needed to grab something since Casey's didn't do much for me. We grabbed the kids some ice cream and I got a Nutella waffle. As I was eating it I wasn't sure why this was what I had chosen. It had been on my radar for a while, but I could get it at any time as it wasn't a party exclusive. Plus I had been wanting something savory, not sweet. Needless to say, this didn't satisfy my craving, so I was a little bummed.


We ate quickly then headed over to the hub to find our spot. This experience was reminiscent of the night time show a few days ago, areas marked off with tape and CMs herding you in like cattle. We wedged up next to a garbage can right near the curb, we were closest to the castle but just to the left and close enough to the road to see the parade. As we were getting settled it was about 8:10 and the show was slotted to begin at 8:30. There was an older couple sitting on the curb, and when they saw us wedging in they offered us a spot on the curb. They wound up being the greatest pixie dust of our night. They were from Australia and even carried these little koala finger puppets that were wearing little Australia t-shirts! They gave each of my kids one, told them to sit on that curb and guard it with their life as it was a great spot and if anyone tried to cut in they were to hold their ground! It was the kindest gesture and my ODD still talks about them.

You can see ODD with DS next to her, the castle was at our back so we just had to turn around to watch the show. The kind lady from Australia was next to DS with my sister behind DD, my DH with YDD behind DS, and I was behind them with the stroller.



We had a pretty good view of the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, my sister and DH scooted back to stand on the curb for the stage show so the kids could stand on the stroller. Being in the spot that we were, they were able to do this without blocking anyone's view.


ODD and I waiting for the action.




This was our view of the castle where the stage show would be taking place.



A little peek of the show, with the beautiful colors on the castle! This was a great show, and as Villain fans it was so much fun. The whole family enjoyed it! We also got our first look at Oogie Boogie, everyone - especially DH - was so excited!



After the Spelltacular, Boo-To-You was up next at 9:15. We just had to turn around and settle in, we did have some people try to invade our space during the stage show but everyone, including our Australian friends, held their ground and our parade view was saved!

Even though its blurry, here is our up close sighting of the big guy! He even came over and was right in front of ODD and DS interacting with them as he passed!



The parade was great, we really enjoyed it. Especially since we had an excellent view!


At this point we had a decision to make, wait around for the 10:15 fireworks or head out and avoid the mad dash to exit. I think if our kids were a little bit older maybe we could have waited out the fireworks, but we knew there would be a rush to leave and we would have been there even longer. The party didn't end until midnight and I heard the best time was 10:30-12 when the families with young kids left. But guess what? We were a family with young kids, and in that moment I knew we just had to duck out. We had arrived at MK 6.5 hours ago! It had been a long evening.


Everyone had a blast but I still felt disappointed. I think the phrase "ignorance is bliss" was definitely applicable here, DH doesn't research and my sister looked a few things up. You don't miss what you don't know about. In my head all I could think about for the longest time was all of the things we DIDN'T do, but DH and the kids couldn't stop talking about how much fun they had because they had no idea about anything that we had missed, which is probably for the best. I had done my research and made the experience the best I could for them given the sold out situation. It took me a while to see how much fun we did have and to not feel disappointed. I also think if we miss something in the parks, I know we will always come back and can see it another time. This was something that was going to be 1 and done for us, so if we didn't experience something then that was it. Maybe some day we'll consider it again! We'll see.


At 10 we were exiting the park with a small crowd, this was when we were able to get our headless horseman picture with no wait.




We had a minimal wait at the bus stop (and a brief sighting of the fireworks) then we were back to Pop in no time. Everyone was quickly cleaned up and in bed knowing tomorrow was going to be our last park day .
​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We were so thrilled that this worked out so well! It was only 5 pm, the party technically hadn't even started yet, and we already checked off our #1 goal for the night!

Considering how busy it ended up, this is amazing how well that worked out! Glad it did.

I had been reading that these were selling out quick at the start of the party thanks to your Ebay sellers looking for a profit .

Ugh. I wish people would just stop buying from them! That would end all of the madness.

So cute! And I love these moments.

I rode with DS and YDD, and man when you're 2 and 4 Dumbo is just the absolute greatest of all time. This picture just makes my heart happy every time I see it. No matter how much stress goes into planning Disney, changing plans as we go, things not going as I envisioned, my kids still have the most amazing time.

I love that DH got to see there joy as well.

I asked what made him purchase 2? He said "well there was a limit of 2 and I was so excited I got 2".

Ha! Too funny!

They were from Australia and even carried these little koala finger puppets that were wearing little Australia t-shirts! They gave each of my kids one, told them to sit on that curb and guard it with their life as it was a great spot and if anyone tried to cut in they were to hold their ground! It was the kindest gesture and my ODD still talks about them.

That was so nice! And sounds great for everyone. Safety in numbers.

Everyone had a blast but I still felt disappointed. I think the phrase "ignorance is bliss" was definitely applicable here, DH doesn't research and my sister looked a few things up.

this is so true!

 

[Steppesister]

I think that's why I was always so hesitant to post a TR, I was nervous I'd never finish. But seeing it sometimes takes people months to complete theirs helps lessen the pressure and know I can always come back and finish up whenever!

Nah, most of us take a LONG time to work and and finish a TR. Life is more important and they get done when they get done.

or used a restroom!

Heh, that's my first bucket list item for just about everywhere in Disney.

those $9+ drinks sure go down fast though

They sure do!! I have a hard time buying them for myself!!

We went back to check but everything had already been cleaned up. I didn't even know what to say, she was still so young but I was truly upset as it was something special we had done twice now. I couldn't be too mad at her as I could tell she as extremely upset with herself. We had a long talk and to this day (3 years later) she's still upset about it.

Awww, that's devastating! I"m so sorry!!

considering there wasn't much else to keep them entertained at this point we bit the bullet and let them play away. Best decision all trip .

My sister and I split the Croissant aux Escargots (Escargot Croissant with Garlic and Parsley), my first time trying escargots and it wasn't bad!

This was by far my least favorite snack off all-time at Disney. Ever. I took one bite, gagged and tossed it in the nearest trashcan. Glad you enjoyed yours!!!

We also split the Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes, Pickled Onions and Blonde Ale Beer Fondue featuring BelGioioso® Romano and American Grana Cheeses and a Charred Chimichurri Skirt Steak on a Smoked Corn Cake with Pickled Vegetable Slaw and Cilantro Aïoli. Both were so so delicious!!

These 2, however, were 2 of my favorite.

 

[WonderWoman28]

Day 7 - I quick trip to HS
Friday October 5th 2018

Hi all! When we left off we had a late-ish (for us) night at a hectic MNSSHP! We knew we would be out late the night before so we had planned for a slower start to our last full day in Disney.

Today's plan was to take it easy in the morning, head to HS for a half day since there was so much construction, and come back and pack in the afternoon. I don't have a ton of pictures or a ton of notes from today, I think I was burned out and thinking my TR was a bust at this point. I always start out strong and slow down real quick with the pics and notes.

I have noted that we left our room at 9:45 and there was a bus waiting by 9:50. The whole parking lot at HS was under construction thanks to the gondolas, I should have tracked the distance from the POP drop off to the main gate because it took forever. Also for only being 10 am it was so ridiculously hot already, this was a lovely addition to our day that definitely had us heading back to the room sooner than we thought we would.

The first thing we did was head over to TSL, we didn't get a FP+ for SDD so we headed over to TSMM. I remember when we came in 2013 and FP+ wasn't a thing yet. We literally had to run into the park to the kiosks to get the paper FPs, and TSMM was one of the hardest ones to get. Then I remember when they added another track just to be able to accommodate more guests at a time, now look at it - almost always a walk on . I don't know what my problem is, but I feel so bad for TSMM. It feels like the toys that were ditched in TS3 that the kids didn't want anymore, like parts of the ride have personalities and they look longingly at all of the families that walk by for the newer rides. ANYWAY! I always make it a point to stop on TSMM, I still find it to be such a fun ride that the whole family can enjoy. I can't remember who I rode with, but I had the high score for the vehicle and that included my DH who was on the other side! Winning!

We wandered around TSL and admired the amazing design, but as the theme has been for the entire trip - it was packed! We saw Buzz out but his line was huge, so we decided to head over to Woody's lunch box around 11. We just grabbed some of the lunch box tarts and if I remember correctly we had gotten the chocolate hazel nut and the raspberry, the lemon blueberry wasn't there at the time. These were decent but I don't remember much about them or have any pictures .

Next we headed over to do Muppet Vision as it was so flipping hot! After, we grabbed some cute pictures by the fountain outside where there was a lonely PP photographer.





We did some shopping in the area and had a quick potty break before heading over to Star Tours at 12:35. This ride always makes me sick to my stomach, so I wandered through some stores with YDD while everyone else went on.

We had 2:20 reservations at H&V and there was literally nothing else we wanted to do. After looking through some more stores to cool off we checked in at 1:50. The waiting area is outside under umbrellas, and they do have a cold water station, but ooooooooh myyy this was blazing hot at this time. We did get to see the storm troopers march by, but we waited until 2:35, and honestly almost contemplated leaving we were so worn out.

I'm glad we didn't leave! Now, I know H&V isn't world renown dining, but we like to do at least 1 character meal each trip. We love being able to see characters but hate wasting time waiting in line to see them, so we plan one a trip just to get some good character interactions. While the food is typical buffet food, the theming was Minnie's Holiday Dine. All the characters were dressed up for Halloween and it was adorable. I wasn't sure how DS would do since he hadn't had much interest in meeting characters so far this trip, but let me tell you - the heart eyes on this guy! We was so giddy and couldn't stop giggling whenever the characters stopped by!

First up was Daisy!



Followed by the big guy himself!



Next up, Donald!



Then goofy! And let me tell you, YDD was not a fan of the Goof, so she sat this meet out.



Lastly, after we were done eating, we headed over for our picture with Minnie!



We wrapped up here and contemplated what to do. I knew we could have done some of the shows, no one wanted to do ToT or RR (DH doesn't love thrill rides and YDD/DS were too small). So we just decided to head out. We were hot and tired and it was already 4. It seemed like we didn't get much done, but at the same time we also knew HS was just a half day with all of the construction.



We grabbed one more picture and headed out. The walk back was horribly hot and long, with no bus in sight once we got to the POP stop. We were finally on a bus at 4:30 and back to the room at 4:40. We spent the rest of the time packing and relaxing while ODD and my sister went to the pool one last time. Then we ordered Pizza to the room and grabbed some Mickey bars thanks to my grandpa who sent us with money specifically for this



Soon enough we were zonked out, knowing tomorrow we were boarding the tragical express

I know this is a horribly boring update, but I am determined to finish this TR, even if it isn't the greatest! ​

 

[Stasieki]

Joining in! Loving the trip report. I think we were there same time as you! Looking at my pictures now to see.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We wrapped up here and contemplated what to do. I knew we could have done some of the shows, no one wanted to do ToT or RR (DH doesn't love thrill rides and YDD/DS were too small). So we just decided to head out. We were hot and tired and it was already 4. It seemed like we didn't get much done, but at the same time we also knew HS was just a half day with all of the construction.

WE did this many times when they girls were little. There are more tides for little people now than before!

Look at the little ones smile! She is so happy.

 

[Steppesister]

I always start out strong and slow down real quick with the pics and notes.

I think that's true with all of us TR'ers.

almost always a walk on . I don't know what my problem is, but I feel so bad for TSMM. It feels like the toys that were ditched in TS3 that the kids didn't want anymore, like parts of the ride have personalities and they look longingly at all of the families that walk by for the newer rides.

Wow!! I was seriously thinking this exact same thing on my trip in January. We were the first ones on after SDD and it was like a graveyard. The CMs even said, "this used to be the favorite attraction and now we have to beg people to come on here". So sad. And you're right, very much like TS3.

It seemed like we didn't get much done, but at the same time we also knew HS was just a half day with all of the construction.

And now look at it! I can easily spend a day there now with SW:GE added, but I also ride ToT and have a nice sit down meal which can add some time.

Then we ordered Pizza to the room and grabbed some Mickey bars thanks to my grandpa who sent us with money specifically for this

Perfect way to end the night and how nice of your grandpa who did this!

 

[Stasieki]

Enjoying your report! We were there almost same time for our fall break around 10/3-10/9 with a 4 day Disney cruise in between. I remember the heat and the crowds. About all I remember about that trip

 

[WonderWoman28]

Day 8 - Tragical Express
Saturday October 6th 2018

I was contemplating whether or not I should do a "leaving day" report and almost didn't, because we didn't actually do anything before we left. But it seemed like a good way to close out the report anyway.

We had everything packed up and were out of the room by 8:15 am

We grabbed one last breakfast at Everything Pop, and of course I had to head over to buy more souvenirs. I know usually people head to the gift shop on their last day to use up snack credits. While we weren't on the dining plan this seemed like a fun tradition and way to end out the trip. I ended up getting a few impulse items that I literally didn't need, but whatever we're leaving Disney. Call it shop therapy.

At 8:55 am we were enjoying our last views of Pop Century!






At 9:03 our Magical (tragical) express arrived. Glad to be leaving Disney with a little magic instead of a MEARS. On our next trip we're staying off site and renting a car so we wont miss that the ME will be gone, but I'm still a little sad about it anyway. It was like instant magic the moment you got off the plane!




This picture of YDD looks so sad "Wait Disney!"



Security took a while today, which I had anticipated knowing it was Saturday. But it definitely didn't take as long as it did last trip! While DS had just turned 4 he was still light as a feather, so I had brought down 2 of my toddler sized Tula's (soft sided baby carriers) specifically for the airport. We didn't use them at all in Disney but it came in quite handy to hold them close while trying to get through security.

Here's one last pictures of palm trees taken around 11 am. I think we had a 12:30 ish flight.



The flight home is always so solemn. There is always so much excitement on the way down, everyone had such a happy energy! Then on the way back I feel like no one talked as we had a quiet flight home. YDD even took a nap, which was why I booked our flight during this time. I didn't actually think it would work but was thankful for not having to entertain her on our 2+ hour flight back.




Weather in NY is all over the place in October. We were thankful to come home to 80 and sunny! Felt like a little additional magic instead of coming home to snow (which has happened to us in the past).

And that's all! Thank you for following along on my first ever TR, even if it was 2 and a half years late! We're already in the midst of planning for December of this year, and just bought our tickets a few weeks ago!!!

See ya real soon!

​

 

[WonderWoman28]

Hi!!!!

So, my original plan was to wait a bit and add in some details from my solo trip in 2019. But, today I have the entire day to myself for the first time ever. I didn't work last night nor do I work tonight, DH is working, and my kids officially all went back to school this week. DS had always been 5 days full day, but YDD being in PreK had been 5 days a week but only 3 hours - now she's full days as well. My oldest had been Monday/Wednesday - but this week added in every other Friday . DH's grandparents had been living with us for the last 3 weeks after losing their house in a fire, but last night they moved into their new temporary housing.

I have never been home alone, not having to nap for work, for this long - literally ever. Apparently I'm just going to spend the day on the DIS

I mean, at some point maybe I'll clean some stuff.

But for now - let me tell you about my amazing solo trip in 2019!

I've mentioned at the start of this report that I was a NICU nurse, and I'm coming up on my 9th anniversary. The fun thing about the NICU is that it is such a nursing specialty - that when people get in to it, they tend to stay for most of their career. Also, this tends to be a place where people are truly passionate about the work that they do and are happy to be at work. I work with some of the most amazing people, specifically on nights. We've cried together, laughed together, helped each other through some extremely stressful and difficult times. We've been there for each other outside of work for all of the joyous moments and the came together when we've needed each other the most. Moral of the story - I have some amazing coworkers and many that I consider family.

In April of 2019 a coworker and friend text me something a long the lines of "Hey, I know it's probably not possible for you with the kids, but in September a few of us are heading to the national association of neonatal nurses conference and it happens to be in Orlando this year. Work is paying for the conference, the flight, and the hotel and but we need a 4th person and we're planning on spending some time in Disney. Let me know if you're interested."

I was so thankful for the text and that she had thought of me, but knew it was a long shot. That was the beginning of school for the kids, DH would have to take off of work, and he really wanted our next trip to Disney to just be the two of us. Ultimately the mom guilt was real and I felt like I couldn't go to Disney without my family.

DH (noticing the range of emotions on my face) asked what was going on, I let him know I had been invited to the NANN conference in Orlando with a chance to go to Disney - but there was too many logistical hurdles and that hopefully they could find their 4th person to go.

Then DH, the love of my life, the real MVP, my dream guy says to me "you have to go, it would be dumb of you not to. You'll never get another opportunity like this one." (especially since the conference is in a different location every year)



I tend to let mom guilt, or the idea of what I should and shouldn't go as a mother, get in the way of things that might bring me joy. I've never gone on a trip without my kids, DH and I had ODD when we were 21 so we've never even been on a trip just the two of us. August of 2018 DH went to a bachelor party weekend in Nashville for 4 nights that he wasn't going to go on. I practically forced him to go, worked my schedule to be off, and he had a great time. This almost felt like that, where I felt like I shouldn't and DH was pushing me to go.

When I text my friend C back saying "DH thinks we can make it work" she was ecstatic, knowing what a Disney nerd I was.

So it was settled. DH was going to take the week off of work. We were heading down Tuesday September 10th 2019 with a 6am non stop flight, staying at the Caribe Royal (where the conference was) which was about 10 minutes from Disney. We would be able to go to Disney that Tuesday as well as the next day. With the conference being full days Thursday/Friday and a half conference day Saturday. Flying out Saturday the 4th at 7 pm. We had 2 rooms booked that each had 2 queen beds, and a sitting area with a pull out couch. The only thing we had to pay for was our WDW tickets and spending money.

One of the original girls backed out when she found out we would be going to WDW claiming she didn't want to spend her trip doing something so childish. So we said - ok byeeee! (she would have been a real downer anyway). We ended up adding in one of our 2 male nurses who had NEVER BEEN TO DISNEY , he had been on the fence about going but we convinced him by showing him pictures from F&W. We also had another nurse who hadn't been to Disney in years who had a boat load of southwest points, while we had our 4 nurses that the hospital could pay for - we convinced her to go just for the WDW days telling her she could crash on our couch and use her SW points.


So our group included:
Me: 31 at the time, married with children, this would be my 7th trip to WDW
K: 30 year old single dude with no kids who had I had trained when he was right out of college and had been like a little brother to me for the last 4 years. Never been to WDW.
C: Who was organizing this whole thing - mid 20's married no kids. Her first trip to WDW was her honeymoon in 2017 that her wife convinced her to go on and she has been itching to go back ever since.
L: Also one of the original organizers of the trip, single, mid 20's. Lots of WDW trips as a child and adult.
E: Crashing our trip. 31 married no kids, many childhood trips but hasn't been as an adult (her DH won't go). I've worked with her the longest as she started about 4 months after I did. Of everyone going I've spent the most time outside of work with her and always have the best time. She'd be flying down with us Tuesday then flying back early Thursday when we would head over to the conferences.

We spent many nights at work hashing out our plans and I knew this was the perfect group to go. All us gals were ready to go hard and show K what Disney was all about, he had no idea what he was in for!

​

 

[WonderWoman28]

Solo Trip Day 1
Tuesday September 10th 2019


I COULD NOT SLEEP! This is why we usually do mid morning flights, because the Dis-somnia is real. I can't remember the exact time of our flight, I believe it was somewhere like 6:50? I am a strict "arrived 2 hours before your flight" traveler, when I told this to my travel companions they thought I was insane. We have a small-ish airport (34 terminals), and with that early of a flight we would hardly need any time to get through security. I originally wanted to meet at 4:50, no later than 5, they all convinced me that 5:30-5:45 was sufficient. E even said she wouldn't be there until after 6 . This was something that I had to get used to this trip, not having to allow more time with kids. No extra potty breaks or snacks, no fear of meltdowns. This was my first taste of it and it was weirdly uncomfortable for me to let go.

Anyway - I think I finally fell asleep around 1:30 am, and it wasn't a very restful sleep with the constant fear that I would miss my alarm. DH has teenage twin sisters who spent the night so that he could drive me to the airport bright and early without waking the kids. It's about an hour drive for us and he wanted to be able to keep my mini van to transport the kids all week. I was up around 3, and we were packed up and ready to go just after 4 and pulling into the airport parking lot around 5:15.

Everyone else lives closer to the airport and they weren't too far behind me, of course E was the last the show up . Everyone had a role this trip - K&C were responsible for having the hotel rooms in their names and calling to request conjoined rooms/check in etc., I had booked all the plane tickets together and had to do our 24 hour check in, and L was responsible for all the ride shares. E was truly just along for the ride .

Check in and baggage claim was a breeze, and with our tickets in hand we cruised through security. We stopped near our terminal to grab some coffee and breakfast, at 6:31 we were at our terminal taking our first picture of the trip!



K was actually in nurse practitioner school and had a test the following morning. His plan was to try and study on the plane, he ended up sitting with L&C who were extremely chatty the whole flight, they were a row up and across from us and we could hear them the entire 2+ hours. I kind of felt bad but was thankful that I sat with E, she had brought a book and I warned her I would be resting my eyes for most of the flight to try and prepare to hit the ground running. Also a new for me since I haven't flown without kids in about 11 years.

After an uneventful flight we landed at MCO at 9:24!

My seatmate:



We grabbed some Starbucks, found our luggage with no problems and headed over to the ride share pick up. This was pretty quick, and since we were a group of 5 we had to do Uber XLs until E headed back home. K rode in the front most of the time snice he was the tallest and if there was a small 3rd row it usually ended up being poor C who sat there since she was the shortest. Everyone was good with this plan and it worked out.

At 10 we were in our Uber and headed to our resort!







We got to our resort with fingers crossed. It was only 10:30 am and we weren't sure if we would be able to get into our rooms. If we couldn't we were going to change quick in the lobby bathroom and head out leaving our luggage with the desk.

We all waited with baited breath while C&K went to check in. When C turned around and gave us the thumbs up we all cheered, we got a few funny looks . The lobby was really fancy, and we were not.

We rushed up to our rooms, which were on the other side of the grounds closer to the conference center, changed and freshened up so fast, and by 11:04 we were down by the pool snapping a quick picture before we headed out to introduce K to WDW.



I feel like we were all more excited for K than we were for ourselves. The whole time we just kept saying "what do you think, isn't this amazing!?" What a lucky guy to have a bunch of Disney pros guide him during his first trip!

After L called us another Uber XL, we were headed to our first park! This picture was taken at 11:30!



My family never usually does park days on travel days, so this was also new for me. I was nervous about how long I'd last thanks to my poor 1.5 hours of sleep, but I was excited to cram so much into 2 days!

After admiring the TOL we headed back for our first FP+ - the Safari.

Also I made K get a "first visit" button. He asked what it was for, I said "to commemorate your first visit" and he asked if it got him anything for free. When I told him no, it's for fun, he wasn't impressed. He kindly let me snap this picture of him about to go on his first ride, then I never saw the button again. He claims it was in his pocket the whole time



KS was a blast - as always. And I think it was a great first ride.

Our next FP+ was for NRJ as I couldn't get us one for FOP (FP+ was on my responsibilities list for the trip), we were a little early so we decided to grab some adult beverages as it was after noon and get in line for FOP which had a 45 minute standby.

We stopped at Pongu Pongu where we grabbed a Pongu Lumpia to share (YUMM!) and some rum blossms.






E also got a Mo'ara Margarita, I think. And what we learned about her this trip was that she goes hard with everything she does. She'd wake up and drink 4-5 cups of coffee throughout the morning , once it was noon she'd drink alcohol and only alcohol one after another until about 9pm, then she'd start chugging water to make up for all the water she missed during the day . It was really interesting to watch lol




We got in line for FOP with drinks in hand, only C had been on FOP during her honeymoon and that was when it first opened. She waited 6 hours to get on and said it was worth it. For the rest of us this was going to be our first time. Drinking my rum blossom in line probably wasn't the best idea, by the time it was nearing our turn to go my tummy was a little sour. I'm not a huge drinker but I think the problem was how sweet and sugary this drink was. I was a little nauseous on FOP and had to close my eyes a few times but it was still amazing!



Being our first thrill ride together I wasn't sure how everyone would be, would they shield their reactions or let it all out. Well let me tell you, apparently we're comfortable enough with each other that we just let the screams fly. I was crying by the end of the ride from laughing so hard, E kept screaming that she thought she was going to die, while K was screaming that his stomach tickled the whole time, and L was just straight up screaming. It was amazing and right then and there I knew this was the perfect group of people to have gone on this trip with. No one was self conscious about their reactions, all of our sweat, or our food choices. It was amazing.

After FOP we headed to our FP+ for NRJ, which I know isn't as exciting but we had to go on it. And it was extremely cooling and relaxing.

After leaving Pandora we contemplated lunch. We tossed up Satu'li canteen and flame tree, and we ended up going to flame tree which I was excited about since I had never been. I got the BBQ pulled pork sandwich, and someone got the baked mac and cheese with pulled pork and it looked so good! Everyone enjoyed their lunch and the lovely seating area that was nice and shaded.

Next up - Dino Land! I'll be back with some more details from AK and how our original plan was to just do AK on this day, but that quickly changed! ​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

So, my original plan was to wait a bit and add in some details from my solo trip in 2019. But, today I have the entire day to myself for the first time ever.

This is literally how I post my posts. Whenever I find myself by myself...

DH's grandparents had been living with us for the last 3 weeks after losing their house in a fire, but last night they moved into their new temporary housing

Oh NO! We had a house fire 2 blocks away from us not too long ago and it was so scary and so sad! The house was completely burned to the ground. There was nothing left! It was very unnerving to see. I hope they get settled sooner than later.

Orlando this year. Work is paying for the conference, the flight, and the hotel and but we need a 4th person and we're planning on spending some time in Disney. Let me know if you're interested."

AMAZING!!!

Then DH, the love of my life, the real MVP, my dream guy says to me "you have to go, it would be dumb of you not to. You'll never get another opportunity like this one." (especially since the conference is in a different location ever

Best hubby ever!

The beginning of your trip sounds great so far.

 

[WonderWoman28]

This is literally how I post my posts. Whenever I find myself by myself...


Oh NO! We had a house fire 2 blocks away from us not too long ago and it was so scary and so sad! The house was completely burned to the ground. There was nothing left! It was very unnerving to see. I hope they get settled sooner than later.


AMAZING!!!


Best hubby ever!

The beginning of your trip sounds great so far.

I agree, their house fire was so unnerving. They have lived there for 48 years and his grandparents were meticulous about top of the line everything with the best safety features. Just thankful they got out ok with their pups!

And thank you! I'm really excited to write this TR. I originally was just going to post a few pictures but the more I get into it the more I'm enjoying reliving it.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Just thankful they got out ok with their pups!

That is good. The family by us didn't even have time to save the pets.

I originally was just going to post a few pictures but the more I get into it the more I'm enjoying reliving it.

It is really nice way to relive the trip!!!

 

[Steppesister]

We had everything packed up and were out of the room by 8:15 am

The WORST!!

Call it shop therapy.

That works.

I didn't actually think it would work but was thankful for not having to entertain her on our 2+ hour flight back.

Nice!! Nothing worse that wrestling a toddler or 2-year old on a plane.

We're already in the midst of planning for December of this year, and just bought our tickets a few weeks ago!!!

WOOT!!

Apparently I'm just going to spend the day on the DIS

It's what DISsers do.

I've mentioned at the start of this report that I was a NICU nurse, and I'm coming up on my 9th anniversary. The fun thing about the NICU is that it is such a nursing specialty - that when people get in to it, they tend to stay for most of their career.

Yes, a bit like PACU. Lots of Lifers there.

we're planning on spending some time in Disney. Let me know if you're interested."

Well, duh!!

Then DH, the love of my life, the real MVP, my dream guy says to me "you have to go, it would be dumb of you not to. You'll never get another opportunity like this one." (especially since the conference is in a different location every year)

Smart dude!!

One of the original girls backed out when she found out we would be going to WDW claiming she didn't want to spend her trip doing something so childish. So we said - ok byeeee!

Exactly!!!! Yikes, get 'er outta there!

(she would have been a real downer anyway).

As you say, buh-bye!!

The lobby was really fancy, and we were not.

I said "to commemorate your first visit" and he asked if it got him anything for free. When I told him no, it's for fun, he wasn't impressed. He kindly let me snap this picture of him about to go on his first ride, then I never saw the button again. He claims it was in his pocket the whole time

Such a shame, because it CAN get you free stuff.

After leaving Pandora we contemplated lunch. We tossed up Satu'li canteen and flame tree, and we ended up going to flame tree which I was excited about since I had never been. I got the BBQ pulled pork sandwich, and someone got the baked mac and cheese with pulled pork and it looked so good! Everyone enjoyed their lunch and the lovely seating area that was nice and shaded.

One of my favorite areas ever. And I JUST wrote about it on my TR. Coincidence? Hmm....

 

[WonderWoman28]

The WORST!!


That works.


Nice!! Nothing worse that wrestling a toddler or 2-year old on a plane.


WOOT!!


It's what DISsers do.


Yes, a bit like PACU. Lots of Lifers there.



Well, duh!!



Smart dude!!


Exactly!!!! Yikes, get 'er outta there!


As you say, buh-bye!!





Such a shame, because it CAN get you free stuff.


One of my favorite areas ever. And I JUST wrote about it on my TR. Coincidence? Hmm....

It seems like when people find their niche in nursing they tend to stay there! Right now in our hospital the mother baby unit and L&D are having high turn over - specifically on nights. I thought that was interesting but I think it’s their management


As I spent my day on DIS yesterday, I caught up on the “O” of your TR right after writing my post! I thought the same thing

 

[Steppesister]

It seems like when people find their niche in nursing they tend to stay there! Right now in our hospital the mother baby unit and L&D are having high turn over - specifically on nights. I thought that was interesting but I think it’s their management

I'd agree, and nursing management will literally kill a workplace. I"ve seen it.

As I spent my day on DIS yesterday, I caught up on the “O” of your TR right after writing my post! I thought the same thing

I saw that!! Isn't an entire DIS Day nice? It really means a RELAXING day!!

 

[Stasieki]

I really don't know what I would do being at Disney without the kids. I mean, it would be so amazing. Just such a new and different experience I am sure.

 

[WonderWoman28]

Day 1 Part 2 - And we just kept swimming.
Tuesday September 10th 2019

When we left off we were just finishing up lunch at Flame Tree and heading over to dino land. At this point I fall off a little with pictures, but that's ok. We'll see what we can do!

It was about 2:45 and we were heading over to ride Dinosaur, originally our plans were to head to AK for a bit then maybe head back to the resort to relax in the pool once we ran out of steam. At this point we were going strong, we decided to hit up dino land, head over to EE, and see how we were feeling.

I hadn't been on dinosaur in the last two trips, so it was funny to ride it with adults. The time I rode it in 2013 I spent the whole ride holding ODD telling her it was all pretend and that Disney would never let anything happen to her. So to be able to ride it and actually see what the ride was about was pretty cool.

We scooted on over to EE where we didn't give K any information, only that it was a roller coaster that didn't go upside down. Well, he rode with L, E&C rode together and I rode solo since I had just ridden last year. Once we got to the yeti all we heard was K yell "why did we stop, WHAT'S HAPPENING?!?" and we all laughed and yelled "SURPRISE!!" right before the coaster headed backwards. Nothing like the screams of a grown man on EE. The experience was similar to FOP where we were all laughing so hard by the time the ride stopped we were in tears.





I think some of the group grabbed some more beverages from the cart near EE, I was still recovering from FOP so I had just water for a bit.

We stopped for a PP picture to commemorate our time in AK.



Another interesting thing about my childless trip - I didn't bring a backpack. I kept going back and forth prior to the trip, we always had a stroller and a backpack so I had planned on bringing one. E kept saying - what do you REALLY need to put in a backpack. She convinced me to just have my fanny pack - and it was amazing. I didn't have to worry about what to do with it, I did have to carry my water bottle with me but it was never an issue.

I believe we did a little shopping on the way out, which it's interesting how much I didn't spend on souvenirs when I didn't have the kids - or DH for that matter since he loves Disney merch. It also probably helped that I didn't have a backpack, I didn't want to buy too much and have to carry it everywhere.

While we were shopping it was about 4pm, we decided we weren't close to being done. We were originally going to skip HS, but E said she hadn't been in so long so she would be going with or without us. We all decided we felt great, so we hopped on a bus (nice and cool after a hot afternoon) and headed over.



At 4:25 we were through security and taking this customary group pic!

First up - RR. I have never been on RR, ODD hadn't been tall enough until our 2018 trip, and even then no one had any interest in riding. E couldn't believe this was my 7th trip and I had never been on. K doesn't do upside-down rides, so he went to grab a snack while we got in line. I think standby was posted at 30 minutes - which still is nothing. I am so disappointed that we didn't get the picture of our ride photo. I rode with E and our faces were hilarious. She kept screaming that we were dying while clutching my arm and once again - I was laughing so hard I started crying. It was a blast and I'm hoping to get someone to ride with me on our next trip.

Next we headed over to ToT, L had a bad experience with this ride as a child so she sat it out while we convinced K to ride with us.



Once again - this was a hysterical group of people to ride with. This picture was taken at 5:35. We had been in the park just over an hour and had hit 2 huge rides, and had a beverage/potty break in between.

We were getting hungry for dinner so we tossed up a few ideas. C loves hard cider, so her and K stopped into Baseline to grab some beverages. We contemplated eating there but wanted something a little more. We ended up at backlot, not that greatest but it was decent. There's just not a lot to chose from in HS.

After eating it was close to 7. We headed over and checked out TSL, I made everyone ride TSMM since I always think its a ride that doesn't get enough attention. We then had to decide if we would ride SDD or Smugglers Run. Both had a 60 minute wait, it was just after 7, and the park closed at 9. Plus we were all starting to run out of steam. I had originally thought that I might not go into GE, my DH and kids were such huge Star Wars fans and I felt so guilty going in without them. DH said that was dumb and told me I had to go in but couldn't spoil anything for him.

We ended up choosing SR, and waited about an hour. E&K were pilots, C and myself were gunners, and L was in the back. Once again, I think this ride might have been a bust for me, but K was screaming at E the whole time that she was a horrible driver, while C and I screamed about how we had no idea what we were doing. K also whooped and hollered like a little kid and it was hilarious to see him get so excited. He's a huge SW fan so this was a hit for him.

After SR we walked back through TL around 8 and headed out. This entire day was made 100x better because of the people I was with. We had such a blast even though I was running on no sleep.

We easily grabbed an Uber and headed back to the resort. Our Uber driver was extra chatty and we were all exhausted. Poor K was the designated front passenger so he had to engage the entire trip back to the resort.

Now, it would make sense that we would have crashed, but we all got in our suits and headed to the hot tub. We each had a drink and relaxed after an extremely long but successful day. We clocked almost 9 hours in the parks and had a plan to rope drop the next morning, let's see how we do!

Firsts for me:
Flight of Passage
Flame Tree
Rockin' Roller Coaster
Smuggler's Run

Only my 2nd time on Expedition Everest and Dinosaur.





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