An "I Miss You" PTR!! Summer/Fall/Winter 2020??- 2 DAYS AWAY- Updated 8/25!

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like nice last day, getting to enjoy the resort and the pool!

What a crazy situation with your package pickup! I'm glad they were able to ship everything to your house!

 

[kilroy1966]

I love peanut butter on toast. Never had it on a waffle. I'll have to try that with or without syrup?

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I love all of you ladies so much, and thanks for an amazing trip! ❤

LOVE YOU TOO!

 

[westcoastfldisneygirl]

Peanut butter on waffles (and pancakes!) is life....especially chocolate chip ones!

I was so happy they made you a tiny No Way Jose....what a fun touch of Disney magic!!! especially for your last day!

 

[Steppesister]

They made me feel so comfortable and had been the best roomies during this solo adventure for me!!

Awww, they are the best!

I ordered the kid’s portion of Mickey waffles with sausage and potatoes, and honestly, you would have thought I was speaking Mandarin Chinese to the workers. The CM asked me to repeat myself multiple times (and she was an American CP student too so I don’t think there was a language barrier), and they still got my order wrong twice . I felt bad for sending it back, but I really wanted my waffles! You could tell that the CM was getting frustrated, and kind of took it out on me, slamming the plate down on the counter and sort of huffing off.

Such a shame, and I"m so confused too. How is "waffles, sausage and potatoes, please." so difficult?

One of the little girls went up to her Mom and told her that she finished her bagel, and her mom made a huge fanfare about it, saying “WOW, you’re the best eater, I’m so proud of you!”


Meanwhile, I'm next to them like...

The lady came back, and lo and behold, my order was GONE! She said that it had registered in their system that somebody had come to pick it up!! This baffled both her and I, because you NEED to give the CM your receipt when you pick up an order (trust me, this is true! We experienced this firsthand on our next trip ). And I had the copy of the receipt right there?!

That is SO weird!!! SO weird. Someone stole that stuff, no doubt about it.

It was on the walk that I remembered that there was a perfectly good ice cream shop located right at my resort!!

“I guess that’s a good thing” because we usually only see HR if there’s any trouble

 

[annie170]

I'm really not a complainer, but the older I've gotten, I've learned to speak up more. I think I would have had to say something about that CM at Beach Club Marketplace. There's no excuse for that kind of service.

I'm glad they took care of your souvenir situation. That's really strange. A few years ago, I forgot to pick up my souvenirs with all of the last day rush. It was a few ornaments and a pair of ears and Disney was nice enough to mail them to me.

I completely agree with you regarding how early the Magical Express gets you to the airport. I understand that they don't want you missing a flight, but there's no need to be there two and a half hours before your flight. I try to squeeze every last second in a park and hate wasting time at MCO. On my last trip, I was almost tempted to miss the ME and see if I could get on the next one. I've heard it sometimes works out, but if there's no room, you'll be getting an Uber.

I'm glad you had a great time and looking forward to reading about the August trip.

 

[KathyM2]

Caroline had a FP for Flight of Passage and we wanted to see if our little trick would work for a big-time ride!


And… it did!! I couldn’t believe it- I was going to get on FoP again this trip!! The CM was a little bit less nice about it though

I have to remember that one! so lucky it worked on such a popular ride!

We found her! This is Shannon (@SweetSerenity )!

Love a spontaneous DisMeet! Also, I have that same "life is ruff" shirt and it's one of my faves, so soft and of course, dogs!!

Meals were one thing that I was worried about when going solo in the parks. I was worried that I would feel awkward and lonely sitting by myself, but it actually wasn’t bad at all! The only time where I felt sad eating by myself was on my January 2020 solo trip (in the Pop Century food court of all places?!) It was so fun to people-watch the other families and just be able to relax.

This!! This is my problem with doing a longer solo trip. I did a three day one, but had several DisMeets going so it was fine, but TS alone...still not sure I could do it. QS absolutely!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Sounds like nice last day, getting to enjoy the resort and the pool!

What a crazy situation with your package pickup! I'm glad they were able to ship everything to your house!

It was a nice and peaceful last day! I actually felt relaxed instead of rushed trying to fit everything in The package situation was so weird, but totally a blessing in disguise because then I didn't have to worry about breaking the mug in my carry-on! So it totally worked out, haha!

I love peanut butter on toast. Never had it on a waffle. I'll have to try that with or without syrup?

It's a game-changer I will usually put a small drizzle of either honey or syrup on top to make it nice and sweet!!

LOVE YOU TOO!

❤❤❤ We should definitely plan another DISmeet trip soon!! (although maybe during a time where you don't have to wear a mask in the 95 degree heat )

Peanut butter on waffles (and pancakes!) is life....especially chocolate chip ones!

I was so happy they made you a tiny No Way Jose....what a fun touch of Disney magic!!! especially for your last day!

Ahhh yes to PB on the chocolate chip waffles/pancakes... and banana ones too!! Getting my favorite sundae was the perfect sprinkle of pixie dust for my last day!! I really felt so satisfied with my trip, no big last-day blues this time!

Awww, they are the best!


Such a shame, and I"m so confused too. How is "waffles, sausage and potatoes, please." so difficult?





That is SO weird!!! SO weird. Someone stole that stuff, no doubt about it.

Super weird about BC Marketplace... I had such great service at both BC and YC for the rest of the trip so maybe this was a fluke?? But although the snack case has a lot of options at BC Marketplace, the regular dinner menu has like maybe 3 things on it... like a pepperoni flatbread, a turkey sandwich, and a caesar salad, and that's IT! Pretty strange for a Deluxe resort especially?!

It was super weird about my resort order, although I can't be too mad because they shipped it to my house for free and I didn't have to worry about breaking the coffee mug in my carry-on's! So, a win-win?! But just you wait... in my next TR, I have a WHOLE fiasco about resort ordering

I hope you are doing well and having so much fun planning your Italy trip!! So sad that a summer Disney trip couldn't work out for us ❤

I'm really not a complainer, but the older I've gotten, I've learned to speak up more. I think I would have had to say something about that CM at Beach Club Marketplace. There's no excuse for that kind of service.

I'm glad they took care of your souvenir situation. That's really strange. A few years ago, I forgot to pick up my souvenirs with all of the last day rush. It was a few ornaments and a pair of ears and Disney was nice enough to mail them to me.

I completely agree with you regarding how early the Magical Express gets you to the airport. I understand that they don't want you missing a flight, but there's no need to be there two and a half hours before your flight. I try to squeeze every last second in a park and hate wasting time at MCO. On my last trip, I was almost tempted to miss the ME and see if I could get on the next one. I've heard it sometimes works out, but if there's no room, you'll be getting an Uber.

I'm glad you had a great time and looking forward to reading about the August trip.

I really need to do better with speaking up... with Disney it is SUCH a mixed bag though. I remember having exceptionally bad service at All Star Music back in 2017, like just a huge list of snarky comments and laziness with resort staff that was almost comical. I sent a huge e-mail to Disney about it, but I never got anything back Not that I'm asking for anything special, but it just felt kind of silly to send a long email and get a one-sentence "we have received your concerns" reply!

The souvenir situation actually all worked out for the bets! But I do wonder who out there has my original Hades coffee mug, Alice in Wonderland tea packets, and Mickey Mouse tea diffuser

The DME time is annoying for sure. I have debated taking an Uber before, but I do like how it ends your trip with a last bit of Disney magic and you get to watch the cute videos on the bus!

New update should come out sometime today for Day 1 of August 2019 Thanks for following along!

I have to remember that one! so lucky it worked on such a popular ride!



Love a spontaneous DisMeet! Also, I have that same "life is ruff" shirt and it's one of my faves, so soft and of course, dogs!!



This!! This is my problem with doing a longer solo trip. I did a three day one, but had several DisMeets going so it was fine, but TS alone...still not sure I could do it. QS absolutely!

The fast-pass trick was was a game changer! Me and Su-Lynn used it a lot in January 2020. But some CMs were great and some were... pretty snarky

The shirt is so cute! I wanted the Disney dogs purse and legging so bad but I couldn't justify spending that much money!

I've been getting better with dining alone but it is still so weird! It also depends on the meal too! In college I used to visit my dining hall alone all the time for breakfast, and I do this in WDW all the time too! But dinner is a different story. I think what got me the one time at Everything Pop in January was that there were SO many families and kids running about and I was the ONLY solo person there! And seeing all of the families kind of made me miss my family. So, I took the Skyliner over to Riviera to have a glass of wine at the bar by myself, but that felt so much better because it was so quiet and peaceful in there!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Trip #2, Day 1- August 30th, 2019



Hi everyone! Let’s get the ball rolling on Trip #2! The color is coral of course, since it's a girly, princess-filled trip


Remember, if you need a refresher on the details of any of the trips I took this year, you can look in my very first post on this thread for a brief overview of all four trips!


So, technically, even though I’m starting at Day 1, I actually have to go back a few days beforehand to give you guys some context.


We had booked this trip back in January 2019, but had been planning this trip for SO LONG in theory. Back when Haley first met Ryan’s family in 2012, one of the first things she said to me when she got back was, “You need to meet Ryan’s younger sister, Kahla. You two are literally twins.”


We started texting soon after, and a friendship was born! I had met Ryan’s parents early on, since they had traveled with my parents a few times and we would meet them in Chicago for long weekends to see Haley and Ryan. Kahla and I finally met in 2018 when we went to NYC to buy Haley's wedding dress at Kleinfeld!


Kahla is a huge Disney freak just like me, so we had always been telling our moms that we need to take a Disney trip together! We were doing a lot of traveling in 2018 due to Haley and Ryan’s wedding, so we decided that 2019 would be a perfect time to go.


This was my fourth Labor Day Weekend trip in 5 years, so we are very used to traveling to WDW during this time of year and know what to expect! We love the hot weather and super-low crowds, but obviously know the risk associated with traveling during hurricane season.





I mean, hello, we were hunkered down in our rooms at AKL while Hurricane Irma was right outside!


So, when there were news reports starting about 5 days prior about a tropical storm “Dorian” that was forming in the Atlantic, we tried not to be super concerned. On our 2015 and 2016 trips, we had tropical storms come through and they basically just amounted to some heavy rain one afternoon.


Except, this baby was growing… and growing… and GROWING!!


My mom was SO UPSET. I was really surprised to see this from her, since she is usually super positive about everything and a “glass half full” kind of girl when it comes to Disney. But, I think she was worried, since it was not only us going on the trip, but also my sister, Haley, Haley’s mother-in-law, Carla, and Ryan’s sister, Kahla!


The trip was super touch-and-go for a few days leading up to it. I was definitely in the camp of “let’s still go,” but the others seemed really worried, since Dorian had now intensified to a Category 4 hurricane.


We had a big “come to Jesus” moment on Wednesday night, two days before the trip. Lots of tears were shed (all by me ) and we eventually decided to still go and make the most of things while we were there. The path was changing minute-by-minute, so we really couldn’t make any informed decision before we left. This was one thing that we have always been lucky with when it comes to hurricanes/tropical storms- it never affects our arrival flight down to Florida!


Luckily, now that we had made a decision, everybody seemed to be feeling much better about everything. We felt like we could finally be excited about the trip!


The day before we left, Mom and I went on a shopping spree and packed an extra checked bag full of hurricane provisions in case we were stuck in the room this trip; lots of snacks, fun face masks, bath bombs, and nail polish!


Whew! Now, let’s get started with Day 1!


Haley had driven up from Chicago the night before to fly out with my Mom and I, and Kahla and Carla were going to meet us at MCO, since Kahla lives in Nashville and Carla lives in Evansville, IN. We had managed to all get flights that arrived in Orlando between the hour of 10:30-11:30 AM!


Our flight was at 7:15 AM, so we got up and my dad drove us to the airport at about 5:15 AM! MKE is a smaller airport, so we checked our bags and got through security quickly. Of course, we had to document the occasion on snapchat!





Haley’s snapchat was a little less optimistic





We had all gotten matching white tank tops to wear on our first day that said “Girl’s Trip” You’ll see them more clearly in other pictures!


Haley and I got coffees and some pretzel bites from Auntie Anne’s for breakfast, and pretty soon, we were taking off right on time!


Our flight down was super uneventful, which is always the best! Haley read some of her book, Mom slept the entire way (returning readers may remember my mom’s secret talent of falling asleep quickly), and I listened to some music and did crossword puzzles! It was a smooth flight, and we landed at MCO at 10:55 AM!


Kahla and Carla weren’t supposed to arrive until about 11:30, so we had time to look around the shops. We took the fake-o-rail over and looked in the new Disney shop, the Universal Studios store, and the Sketchers store, since my mom thought that she would maybe buy new sandals for the trip. Sadly, she didn’t find the ones that she wanted in her size, but it was okay because Kahla and Carla texted us right at 11:30 saying that they were downstairs by DME!!






Our greetings looked pretty much exactly like the GIF There were huge cheers and hugs all around when we found them; we had been planning this trip since December and we were so excited to finally be here in WDW! We didn’t wait long to get on DME and we were on our way! First stop was Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and second was our home for the next 6 nights- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort!


Carla and Kahla were really go-with-the-flow and trusted me with most of the planning, including choosing the resort! Their family is well-versed in WDW and they have been many times, staying at a multitude of resorts. Pretty much my entire family has accepted me as the “Disney connoisseur” and enjoys that I make all of the plans so they don’t have to worry about anything. Of course, I embrace that role wholeheartedly





We had a long list of resorts to choose from for this trip (we use a travel agency that has great deals for certain resorts), but decided on the GF since the pricing was in our range, and Haley, Carla, and Kahla had never stayed there before. Plus, the theming is perfect for a girl’s trip and the location is awesome!


On the bus ride over, I linked up everyone’s My Disney Experience accounts to my account so that they could see all of our plans and pictures! I also got a text on the bus ride over saying that the room where Mom, Haley, and I were staying in was ready! Woohoo!





I was really happy with this location, since Boca Chica is pretty centrally located and is known for having good views I didn’t really want a monorail view or to be too close to the convention center, so I was super pleased that neither of those would be the case! I was also really impressed that our room was ready so early.


At just about 12:30 PM, we arrived at the GF!!





In all of my excitement, I took exactly one picture of the lobby If you read my 2016 TR, you'll know my love for this lobby. It is so so gorgeous and smells literally amazing. It's like an instant relaxer!


We didn’t get a text about Carla and Kahla’s room yet, so we decided to stop at the desk and see. Turns out, they were in the adjoining room to us- room #8420! We were SO happy that we got adjoining rooms; we just requested to be in the same building, so Disney totally went above and beyond to accommodate us!!


By the time we arrived and got all checked in, it had started POURING! We just had our carry-ons with us, so we checked out the shops and looked at the restaurant menus towards the back of the lobby. Through the window, we saw a lady with a golf cart drop off some guests in Big Pine Key and pull up right to the back doors. Perfect timing!


We walked outside with our bags and asked if she could please take us to our room since the rain was so heavy! And she looked us up and down, and said one singular word…


“No.”





Just "no." No explanation or anything?? I was surprised, since it is pretty commonplace for the GF to use golf carts to bring guests to their room after check in. We politely asked why, and she said that she had to use it for something else at the moment.


...Ok… We asked if she could call someone to get us in about 20 minutes or so. But no, she said that the earliest that someone could cart us to our room would be in an hour and a half.





Well, never mind then I guess. It was really, really strange- the time it would have taken to take us to our room would have been shorter than the time we spent talking? My mom and I had amazing CM interactions with every CM at the GF on our 2016 trip, so we were hoping it was just a fluke.


Since we didn’t want to walk to our room in the storm, we decided to get an early lunch from Gasparilla Island Grill!


I wasn’t super hungry just yet, since Haley and I had a big breakfast before our flight. So I just had a kid’s portion of macaroni and cheese with a side of french fries. It really hit the spot- who knew that the GF had such good mac and cheese?! It reminded me of the mac and cheese at Panera (Panera's mac and cheese is the absolute best- I will die on that hill).


We also bought our refillable mugs at Gasparilla! I was very excited to find one of the new Halloween mugs, so that's what I bought!


I filled mine up with the sweetened iced green tea- this is one of my favorite things to drink at Disney resorts!


By now, the rain had eased up to just a slight mist, so we decided to walk to our rooms ourselves. I was dying to check it out! We were just about a 2-3 minute walk from the main building, so not bad at all!


Here it is! Room #8422; 4th floor, Boca Chica Building!














The rooms at the GF are so beautiful. The theming is more subtle, but they are very fancy and “plush” feeling. You definitely feel like a princess! Plus, the beds at the GF are some of the most comfortable Disney resort beds (although the #1 title now goes to the Contemporary after my January stay there)!


We immediately realized that we were directly next to the elevator, and we were a little worried about noise. However, the walls must have been thick because we never had a problem with hearing noise or foot traffic!


And… our view…





LOVE! I love pool views at Disney resorts (I actually prefer them to lagoon views! Well, unless you’re staying at a Crescent Lake resort )


Even though it was cloudy, the rain had finally stopped and we were raring to go to a park! We freshened up in our rooms and headed downstairs to catch a bus to Disney’s Hollywood Studios!


We waited about 25 minutes for a bus; this was actually our longest wait of the trip! It didn’t help that we were SO ready to get to a park


We pulled in to DHS at right about 2:30 PM!





First order of business was pictures in our matching shirts!






Almost immediately upon entering DHS, we could tell that the crowds were extremely low. This was a huge surprise; for reference, even though Hurricane Dorian was on the way, this was ONE DAY after Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened


We were definitely anticipating level 10 crowds on this day, so we were SHOCKED. This was just a sign of things to come for the rest of the trip- I have NEVER seen WDW so empty my entire life (not even during Irma!!).


Everyone was itching to see Toy Story Land, and I was so eager to show them around! So that’s where we headed first!





Toy Story is one of my mom’s favorite movies of all time, so she was totally geeking out over all of the details!


The line for Toy Story Mania was listed as 45 minutes, but we were all willing to wait, so we decided to jump in line!


And… we literally walked through the entire line without stopping and got on the ride in 3 minutes.





Score!! I could get used to this crowd level The crowds in May were about level 4-6, so this was a great difference!


I sat next to my mom, we are so competitive with this ride! She usually beats me on Buzz, but I always win in TSM! We were neck-and-neck for a while, but I managed to edge her out again!!





The line for Alien Swirling Saucers was only 20 minutes, so we decided to ride that next! We had some momentary difficulty when asked to stand on our assigned ride vehicle numbers- we were so excited to finally be in Disney that we couldn’t follow simple instructions This ride is so cute and the music is so catchy! I like how it doesn’t whip you around like the teacups.


2 out of 3 rides in Toy Story Land done in a 45-minute span waiting standby?! I’ll take it!


We were all intrigued to check out Galaxy’s Edge, so that’s where we headed next!





WOW! None of us are huge Star Wars fans, but we were definitely impressed! This area of the park is so detailed! This was also where all of the crowds of the day were, obviously. It still wasn’t nearly as crowded as we anticipated it to be, though!


We took our time, checking out all of the little shops and nooks and crannies in the land!





The cloudy weather was actually perfect in matching the land’s aesthetic- it literally looked like we were on a different planet since it was so hazy and we couldn’t see the sun!


We checked out the menu for Oga’s Cantina, since we had an ADR to see it on Day 6! The line for the Millenium Falcon was about an hour and a half, but none of us were really anxious to ride it so we passed.


Overall, we spent about 40 minutes just hanging around the land! Despite the crowds, it was actually a pretty relaxed vibe and there were Disney veterans everywhere! It was so cool to see so many guests dressed up too and the CMs were also very interactive


We made our way out of Galaxy’s Edge back through Toy Story Land.





Had to get a picture at the Popsicle Wall!


We got caught in a 10-minute downpour and rushed under the umbrellas, but the rain stopped pretty much as soon as it started, and we were on our way to our first fastpass of the trip!


It was almost 4:30 at this point, and we had a FP planned for Star Tours that ended at 4:35!


I’m not a big fan of Star Tours, but since the fastpass options are so limited at DHS, we really didn’t have any other choices! I couldn’t tell you what scenes we got, because I kept my eyes closed the whole time!! I did not reprise my role of the Rebel Spy, however


After Star Tours, we headed over to MuppetVision 3D to see the show. But, something caught our eye first- Baseline Tap House!


I had been here once before with Tom in 2018, and we had both really enjoyed it, so we all decided to stop and grab a drink!


Carla, and Kahla got some white wine (Carla is a big Pinot Grigio fan), Haley got a beer, and my Mom and I shared California Sunset! We didn’t get any food since we had just had lunch at 1:00 and had a dinner ADR for 7:40, which was a shame because everybody always raves about the apps here!


This was a really nice moment of the trip. We were all so excited about the upcoming week, and it felt so good to talk and relax for a bit. We were finally here after months of planning, we had the whole vacation ahead of us, and we were all in such good moods!



After our nice breather, it was time to see MuppetVision 3D!





We were texting Ryan, since he is a HUGE Muppets fan and we were missing him! We all love this show so much; I’m glad I’m not the only one We looked through Stage 1 Company Store after to see if we could find anything Muppet-themed for Ryan, but sadly didn’t see much. I love how they have so much artwork in this shop too!


After MuppetVision, we took a stroll through One Man’s Dream and headed over to Hollywood Boulevard. It was about 6:00 at this point, and our FP for Rock n Roller Coaster expired at 6:45!


We did some browsing in the shops on Hollywood Boulevard, then hopped on my second favorite ride in WDW!





This pre-show is the best. "MAKE IT A SUPER STRETCH!"


I love this ride so much, the launch is so thrilling and it gives you such an adrenaline rush!








HAHA! I love all of our faces! Also my mom and Haley are holding hands which is the cutest


Since we were in such a thrill-seeking mood, we decided to head right on over to Tower of Terror next!





The wait was only 15 minutes! I love the queue music for ToT so much. It’s perfect “rainy Sunday” music.

Pretty soon we were all on! My mom especially adores this ride, and we all look JAZZED! Although I was pretty basic and threw up the peace sign, haha.






We got off the ride at 7:15ish, and it was nearing dinner time, so we made our way towards the back of the park.





This picture pretty much explains the crowd situation all week


We had a 7:40 ADR for where else but….





Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre!!


This is a family classic and pretty much the only place that we will eat in DHS! We’ve tried 50’s Prime Time Cafe and the Hollywood Brown Derby before when we couldn’t get ADRs for Sci-Fi, but they just weren’t the same!


We usually go to Epcot on arrival day, but I decided to switch it up this trip since I wanted to keep things fresh for my AP year. Plus, I felt like Sci-Fi would be a perfect arrival-day meal to get us in the Disney spirit!



We sat in a red car on the left side of the restaurant, and ordered our drinks right away!





Our waitress was the funniest lady ever. She was extremely blunt and to-the-point and reminded me so much of my grandma! When we told her that Carla and Kahla were Haley’s in-laws, she was so shocked and flat out said “I HATE my in-laws”


I asked about the milkshake flavor of the month (because I am crazy about them). It was orange-pineapple, which sounded interesting, but not really what I was in the mood for. I ordered a chocolate malt, but turns out, Sci-Fi doesn’t have malt powder?! Strange, because malts are so old fashioned and would fit the theme perfectly! I feel like I’m the only young person who likes them better than regular milkshakes So, I settled for a chocolate milkshake!





Surprisingly, I was the only one out of the bunch who ordered a milkshake! The early morning was starting to hit us hard, and it felt so relaxing to be in the dark and the air conditioning!! My milkshake was hitting the spot.


I don’t remember what everybody ordered to eat, but I know that I got the Drive-In BBQ burger with french fries and fruit salad.


The lighting in Sci-Fi is so dark, so I didn’t get any pictures of it. But it was delicious and nice and salty to replace all that I had sweated today The burger had bacon, cheddar cheese, crispy onions, fried jalapenos, and BBQ sauce on it! I wolfed it down, I hadn't realized how hungry I was!


I’ve come to realize that I need to stick to burgers at Sci-Fi! Every time I order something else, I end up disappointed in my food! I’ve tried the Caprese Sandwich and the Chicken Alfredo Pasta, and both were definitely not as tasty as the burgers.


We sat for a while in here, just taking a breather and enjoying the atmosphere! Carla was starting to get a headache (she gets really bad migraines), so she took some medicine and chugged some water.


By now, it was getting super close to Fantasmic time. We had planned on seeing the show, but we would have had to book it over there to be able to see it in time! I was a little bummed because I hadn’t seen Fantasmic in a while, but knew that there would be plenty of other times to see it this year!


We decided to head over to Toy Story Land instead to see it all lit up!


We passed through the Incredibles area and looked around. Haley really wanted a Jack-Jack Num Num cookie since she hadn’t had a shake at Sci-Fi, but the stand was closed, booo!





Toy Story Land is soooo cute at night.


As we were deciding what to do, we realized that the line for Slinky Dog Dash was 45 minutes, the lowest it had been all day!





We were all willing to wait, since everybody but me had never ridden it before! I instantly forgot about Fantasmic; I was so excited to ride SDD at night!


The wait went by super fast, and soon enough, we were seeing this!





And, as we were going up the first hill, we saw a perfect view of…


The Star Wars Fireworks!!


I could have cried! It was such a magical moment! I was sitting next to my mom and she got so excited


My mom especially loved this ride so much, since she is a huge Toy Story fan and really loves smooth roller coasters (she always says that RnRc is too rickety)!





Carla’s face in this picture is PRIME


After our exhilarating ride on SDD, we got a second wind of energy!! However, it was 10:00 PM, so the park was basically closed So we had no choice but to head towards the exit!


We did stop to watch the rest of the Star Wars Fireworks on our way out!





We hopped a bus to the Poly/GF almost immediately, which was a relief. The GF’s bus service is always such a mixed bag; in 2016, my mom and I waited 50 MINUTES for a bus from DS to the GF one night!


We were 5 out of like 10 people on the bus, which was probably a good thing because we were slap-happy!! I think we were over-tired and delirious from our 4 AM wake-up calls. We were talking about different Disney bloggers, and Haley asked, “Who’s that one guy with the handlebar mustache?” When I answered “Tim Tracker,” Haley stared into my soul and must have repeated “Tim Tracker” back to me five different times.





Finally, I asked her, “Are you having a stroke?” and that broke her from her delirium. All 5 of us were literally peeing our pants from laughing so hard! The bus driver must have thought that we were NUTS!


The antics continued when we arrived at the GF. As we were walking through the lobby, we ended up passing by a famous Disney influencer, Chelsea (Styledbymagic on Instagram). She's so cute and I love her pictures!





Kahla and I recognized her after she passed by us, and we started freaking out!! My mom got all excited too and asked who she was. I said “She’s a Disney Instagrammer, she lives here” (obviously meaning that she lives in Orlando). But without missing a beat, my mom shouts “SHE LIVES AT THE GRAND FLORIDIAN?!”






WHAT?! That got us all started again! My mom instantly realized her silliness and was giggling so hard Yes, mom, this girl pays $500 a night in rent to live at the GF!


It was a nice walk back to our rooms since the weather was so warm. Our bags had arrived from DME and were all accounted for, whew! We all showered and crashed into bed around 11:30 PM! We had our first full park day tomorrow and fell asleep with visions of Cinderella’s Castle dancing in our heads.



​

 

[Jenny Sanders]

(Panera's mac and cheese is the absolute best- I will die on that hill).

Umm, DUH! LOVE IT!

I filled mine up with the sweetened iced green tea- this is one of my favorite things to drink at Disney resorts!

This is my fav too.

Great first day!

 

[suse66]

Kahla and I recognized her after she passed by us, and we started freaking out!! My mom got all excited too and asked who she was. I said “She’s a Disney Instagrammer, she lives here” (obviously meaning that she lives in Orlando). But without missing a beat, my mom shouts “SHE LIVES AT THE GRAND FLORIDIAN?!”

It was a nice walk back to our rooms since the weather was so warm. Our bags had arrived from DME and were all accounted for, whew! We all showered and crashed into bed around 11:30 PM! We had our first full park day tomorrow and fell asleep with visions of Cinderella’s Castle dancing in our heads.

You had such a perfect first day! (Just the one CM....what was up with her??) Glad everything else was awesome!

 

[annie170]

You can't beat an uneventful flight and getting quite a lot done on the first day!

Beautiful view from your room!

Your matching shirts are cute!

What a nice memory at Baseline Tap House. I love when you can appreciate things like that and there's nothing better than that "I've got the whole trip ahead of me" feeling. I've tried less rushing around at Disney and more living in the moment.

In all my trips to Disney, I've only seen Fantasmic once. There have been a variety of reasons, similar to yours. It just seems to be an elusive show for me.

 

[KathyM2]

I've been getting better with dining alone but it is still so weird! It also depends on the meal too! In college I used to visit my dining hall alone all the time for breakfast, and I do this in WDW all the time too! But dinner is a different story. I think what got me the one time at Everything Pop in January was that there were SO many families and kids running about and I was the ONLY solo person there! And seeing all of the families kind of made me miss my family. So, I took the Skyliner over to Riviera to have a glass of wine at the bar by myself, but that felt so much better because it was so quiet and peaceful in there!

Yeah I think I could do sitting at a bar alone lol, and probably breakfast and lunch...but not dinner...at least not ready for that...lol

 

[missangelalexis]

You're pretty much a pro at being at Disney during hurricanes now! Smart of you and your mom to go prepared with fun stuff in case you were stuck in the room!

So great that you got adjoining rooms!

Weird situation with the CM and the golf cart!

Panera mac and cheese is sooo good!

What a great view from your room!

Your matching shirts are adorable!

Sounds like such a fun time at DHS and a nice dinner at Sci Fi! Getting to ride SDD at night while seeing the fireworks sounds like such a cool moment!

There's nothing better than that first night where you are on such a high from being at Disney and just having so much fun!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Umm, DUH! LOVE IT!


This is my fav too.

Great first day!

It was such a perfect first day! Low crowds, warm weather, and great company

You had such a perfect first day! (Just the one CM....what was up with her??) Glad everything else was awesome!

Haha, it was such a weird CM experience! She wasn't necessarily being rude, just very blunt and not really giving us any explanation The rest of the day was picture perfect, however

You can't beat an uneventful flight and getting quite a lot done on the first day!

Beautiful view from your room!

Your matching shirts are cute!

What a nice memory at Baseline Tap House. I love when you can appreciate things like that and there's nothing better than that "I've got the whole trip ahead of me" feeling. I've tried less rushing around at Disney and more living in the moment.

In all my trips to Disney, I've only seen Fantasmic once. There have been a variety of reasons, similar to yours. It just seems to be an elusive show for me.

We really got so much done in DHS on our first day, pretty much everything in the park!! It was actually a great first-day park since it was so chill... I'm not a huge fan of doing MK on the first day; I need to get my groove back into Disney before taking on that park haha!

Thank you for the compliment about the shirts I found them on Etsy! I loved how they were loose tanks instead of tight tee shirts, it helped a lot with the heat.

YES! I feel like at least once a trip I have those moments where everything just slows down and I can relax. I'm definitely making a conscious effort to have those times!

Ahhh, I love Fantasmic SO much! I saw it for the first time in 2002 when I was 8, then the next time I saw it was in 2015!! I loved it so much when I re-watched it that I really try to see it as much as I can, although I haven't seen it since June 2018 (actually 2 years ago to this day)! It's such a fun and feel-good show.

Yeah I think I could do sitting at a bar alone lol, and probably breakfast and lunch...but not dinner...at least not ready for that...lol

Haha, you and me both!

You're pretty much a pro at being at Disney during hurricanes now! Smart of you and your mom to go prepared with fun stuff in case you were stuck in the room!

So great that you got adjoining rooms!

Weird situation with the CM and the golf cart!

Panera mac and cheese is sooo good!

What a great view from your room!

Your matching shirts are adorable!

Sounds like such a fun time at DHS and a nice dinner at Sci Fi! Getting to ride SDD at night while seeing the fireworks sounds like such a cool moment!

There's nothing better than that first night where you are on such a high from being at Disney and just having so much fun!

Haha, we are hurricane pros! The first time was kind of fun because it was such a new experience, but this time, we were like, "seriously?!" (but, spoiler alert, the only things we ended up using were some of the snacks)!

It was a great arrival at the GF, minus the whole weird CM interaction! I love the food at Gasparilla and we really did get a great room!

It was such a fun evening at DHS. I so enjoyed doing a different park/experience on arrival day, since we are sooo used to doing Epcot as a first park! We were definitely slap-happy; I think it all just hit us at the end of the night that we were finally here after planning for 9 months!!!

 

[Steppesister]

Super weird about BC Marketplace... I had such great service at both BC and YC for the rest of the trip so maybe this was a fluke?? But although the snack case has a lot of options at BC Marketplace, the regular dinner menu has like maybe 3 things on it... like a pepperoni flatbread, a turkey sandwich, and a caesar salad, and that's IT! Pretty strange for a Deluxe resort especially?!

That's just...weird. 3?!

It was super weird about my resort order, although I can't be too mad because they shipped it to my house for free and I didn't have to worry about breaking the coffee mug in my carry-on's! So, a win-win?! But just you wait... in my next TR, I have a WHOLE fiasco about resort ordering

Nope, can't complain, but... uh oh..

I hope you are doing well and having so much fun planning your Italy trip!! So sad that a summer Disney trip couldn't work out for us ❤

Lots going on for sure. I may be starting my BSN program soon, but we shall see. And yes, I'm super bummed about that.

The day before we left, Mom and I went on a shopping spree and packed an extra checked bag full of hurricane provisions in case we were stuck in the room this trip; lots of snacks, fun face masks, bath bombs, and nail polish!

Can't ever be prepared enough!

Carla and Kahla were really go-with-the-flow and trusted me with most of the planning, including choosing the resort! Their family is well-versed in WDW and they have been many times, staying at a multitude of resorts. Pretty much my entire family has accepted me as the “Disney connoisseur” and enjoys that I make all of the plans so they don’t have to worry about anything. Of course, I embrace that role wholeheartedly

Love it. Embrace it.

Turns out, they were in the adjoining room to us- room #8420! We were SO happy that we got adjoining rooms; we just requested to be in the same building, so Disney totally went above and beyond to accommodate us!!

WOOT!!! That's so awesome!

Well, never mind then I guess. It was really, really strange- the time it would have taken to take us to our room would have been shorter than the time we spent talking?

Okay... yeah, kinda weird.

And… our view…

The cloudy weather was actually perfect in matching the land’s aesthetic- it literally looked like we were on a different planet since it was so hazy and we couldn’t see the sun!

I can see that.

The wait was only 15 minutes! I love the queue music for ToT so much. It’s perfect “rainy Sunday” music.

I just put it on. It's a rainy Tuesday and perfect for that too.

she was so shocked and flat out said “I HATE my in-laws”

Carla’s face in this picture is PRIME

Oh my goodness! So FUNNY!!

WHAT?! That got us all started again! My mom instantly realized her silliness and was giggling so hard Yes, mom, this girl pays $500 a night in rent to live at the GF!

Buahahaha! She was definitely slap happy.

 

[Neverland_Girl]

Commenting on the rest of Trip #1 then I'll be back for trip #2 lol

Meanwhile, I'm next to them like...

I wish I was praised like that for finishing my meal

From now on I'm going to praise myself for finishing that whole pizza

Someday, when I have a family of my own, I’m sure I’ll end up buying into DVC in some way. DVC members- tell me all about it!! Pros, cons, everything!

Do it!!! My mom has two contracts at AKL and Poly and I bought one at Riviera last year. We're obviously obsessed. I haven't even had a chance to stay using our Riviera points. If you like staying Deluxe I think it's worth it.

The lady came back, and lo and behold, my order was GONE! She said that it had registered in their system that somebody had come to pick it up!! This baffled both her and I, because you NEED to give the CM your receipt when you pick up an order (trust me, this is true! We experienced this firsthand on our next trip ). And I had the copy of the receipt right there?!

How does this even happen? Don't they need your full name?

 

[Neverland_Girl]

Pretty much my entire family has accepted me as the “Disney connoisseur” and enjoys that I make all of the plans so they don’t have to worry about anything. Of course, I embrace that role wholeheartedly

The thing I'm most proud of in life is not my Master's degree but the fact that people ask me for Disney advice

At just about 12:30 PM, we arrived at the GF!!

The only acceptable resort for a girl's trip!

This is a family classic and pretty much the only place that we will eat in DHS! We’ve tried 50’s Prime Time Cafe and the Hollywood Brown Derby before when we couldn’t get ADRs for Sci-Fi, but they just weren’t the same!

I need to give Sci-Fi another try. I wasn't super impressed the first time I went.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Panera's mac and cheese is the absolute best- I will die on that hill).

I totally agree!

Just "no." No explanation or anything?? I was surprised, since it is pretty commonplace for the GF to use golf carts to bring guests to their room after check in. We politely asked why, and she said that she had to use it for something else at the moment

Ouch that was uncalled for!

The rooms at the GF are so beautiful. The theming is more subtle, but they are very fancy and “plush” feeling. You definitely feel like a princess! Plus, the beds at the GF are some of the most comfortable Disney resort beds

I love the GF, we had just left there, shortly before your arrival. I remember texting you and worried about Dorian for you! I am so glad it worked in your favor with low crowds!

LOVE! I love pool views at Disney resorts (I actually prefer them to lagoon views! Well, unless you’re staying at a Crescent Lake resort

Super nice view!

First order of business was pictures in our matching shirts!

You all look so happy and cute!

We were definitely anticipating level 10 crowds on this day, so we were SHOCKED. This was just a sign of things to come for the rest of the trip- I have NEVER seen WDW so empty my entire life (not even during Irma!!).

How awesome for you! We had apparently took all the crowds with us when we left!

Toy Story is one of my mom’s favorite movies of all time, so she was totally geeking out over all of the details!

It is mine too! We need to do a trip with your mom and Andi, the 4 of us would have a ball!

This was a really nice moment of the trip. We were all so excited about the upcoming week, and it felt so good to talk and relax for a bit. We were finally here after months of planning, we had the whole vacation ahead of us, and we were all in such good moods

Love this. The first day is the best!

After our nice breather, it was time to see MuppetVision 3D!

One of our favorites as well.

Pretty soon we were all on! My mom especially adores this ride, and we all look JAZZED! Although I was pretty basic and threw up the peace sign, haha.

I really enjoy everything about ToT, the queue is as cool as the ride!

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre!!

Love this place, my favorite in DHS.

I’ve come to realize that I need to stick to burgers at Sci-Fi! Every time I order something else, I end up disappointed in my food! I’ve tried the Caprese Sandwich and the Chicken Alfredo Pasta, and both were definitely not as tasty as the burgers.

So true, the burgers and shakes are the best thing they do there!
Excited to read about the fun low crowd trip!
Hope all is well! Miss you!

 

[Mollydolly334]

That's just...weird. 3?!




Nope, can't complain, but... uh oh..



Lots going on for sure. I may be starting my BSN program soon, but we shall see. And yes, I'm super bummed about that.



Can't ever be prepared enough!



Love it. Embrace it.



WOOT!!! That's so awesome!






Okay... yeah, kinda weird.






I can see that.



I just put it on. It's a rainy Tuesday and perfect for that too.






Oh my goodness! So FUNNY!!



Buahahaha! She was definitely slap happy.

Yes, 3 menu items (at least in May 2019)... super strange considering you are usually paying $350+ a night for the BC... although the Boardwalk/Epcot is right there you'd think they would have more adult options! But I digress...

It was such a perfect first day! We were all soooo happy and it was a crazy productive day with no crowds!! We were all on such a Disney high

Commenting on the rest of Trip #1 then I'll be back for trip #2 lol


From now on I'm going to praise myself for finishing that whole pizza

Do it!!! My mom has two contracts at AKL and Poly and I bought one at Riviera last year. We're obviously obsessed. I haven't even had a chance to stay using our Riviera points. If you like staying Deluxe I think it's worth it.

How does this even happen? Don't they need your full name?

Yay!!

Haha when I heard the Mom praising the little girl for eating, I was laughing to myself because that is so a conversation my Mom and I would have had 15ish years ago... then puberty hit and my appetite took a 180

Oh my gosh, you bought a DVC contract at Riviera?! #Goals lucky duck!! Girl I LOVED Riviera when I spent a night there in January...it was sooooo beautiful and felt so luxurious!

No idea how the order mix-up happened... I am still bewildered by it to this day!!

The thing I'm most proud of in life is not my Master's degree but the fact that people ask me for Disney advice

The only acceptable resort for a girl's trip!

I need to give Sci-Fi another try. I wasn't super impressed the first time I went.

Haha oh yes all of my co-workers know me as the "Disney guru" and come to me when they are planning trips

You definitely should give Sci-Fi another try (that rhymed)! The food isn't anything groundbreaking but the theming is just awesome!

I totally agree!

Ouch that was uncalled for!

I love the GF, we had just left there, shortly before your arrival. I remember texting you and worried about Dorian for you! I am so glad it worked in your favor with low crowds!

Super nice view!

You all look so happy and cute!

How awesome for you! We had apparently took all the crowds with us when we left!

It is mine too! We need to do a trip with your mom and Andi, the 4 of us would have a ball!

Love this. The first day is the best!

One of our favorites as well. ❤

I really enjoy everything about ToT, the queue is as cool as the ride!

Love this place, my favorite in DHS.

So true, the burgers and shakes are the best thing they do there!
Excited to read about the fun low crowd trip!
Hope all is well! Miss you!

Ahh, I remember having so much FOMO because I missed two sets of Epic trip people on this trip!! A few of you guys went the week before us, and a few people went like 2 weeks after we left! I could not believe the crowds on this trip; I was so worried about SW:GE opening the day before but it totally ended up being a non-issue!

YES to a girl's trip with us 4!! I loved hanging with you and Andi and I feel like you and my mom have so much in common!!

I miss you too!! I hope that you and the family are doing well ❤ Wish we were eating together at Sci-Fi right now!!