Back to Back trips in August-The How Could You's Ride Again!- Final Thoughts 4/14

[Tiggerrn2]

That was very nice of the CM to give ya'll fastpasses to Test Track! Like you said, it's the little things that Disney does that makes it magical.

She was so awesome. The boys had the best time talking with her.

I'm with you on sticking around the Chevy area after riding Test Track. I could totally do without it and am ready to move on to something else.

Yep.

 

[Tiggerrn2]

If you are reading along, please stop in and say hello!! I would love to "meet" you. I am enjoying reliving our trips this summer, but it is still so nice to know if others are enjoying reading along. OK, so moving on:

Good Morning!!! Mike Wazowski was ever so excited to get us up and moving on our day's adventures! I headed to the shower first then set off to fill some mugs. Still the old style and no RFID in place. Headed back to room and the boys were up and eating their cereal/PopTarts for breakfast. I had my usual breakfast bar and we were headed out to the bus in no time.
This little fellow was sitting on our sidewalk just hanging out.

We had some good bus mojo going and were on our way in no time. We were at the stop by 8:10am and were to the park by 8:30. There were quite a few people in line already, but I remembered reading that the Breakfast turnstile gets turned over to a regular turnstile at opening, so we stayed in the last regular line. Sure enough. Just at opening, the CMs removed the breakfast sign, so we moved quickly over and were into the park with the first group. We headed straight to TSM, (ever thankful that they no longer stop everyone and walk you in with the masses) I grabbed some FPs and then we went in through the standby line.

We moved along quickly to the final bend before the steps. That is where all forward progress stopped! The ride went down. We debated what to do. And we waited.

Many people headed out. We weren't in a rush, so we figured we'd give it another 10 minutes. Then the CMs came on the intercom and let us know the ride was going to be down for some time. We headed down and out and the CMs handed us FPs to come back any time that day to ride.

We headed on over to RNRC and the standby line was long there already. We grabbed FPs for later and went on in via the single rider line to ride.

Even though we weren't in the same section, we were all in the same Limo.

We were a bit warm and thirsty by then. So we made a stop at Fairfax for some beverages and then wandered off to have a look around.

 

[KatMark]

We left off heading out of the shop to the bus stop. Since it was DNephew's first trip (and we were celebrating his birthday) we let him decided where we should go for the first park of the trip.
Of course, all he could think of to do was Test Track. What boy wouldn't?! Off we went to Epcot! The wait wasn't too bad. Since it was midday, (I guess ) our bus was shared and we made a stop at AoA as well. Took us just 15 minutes and arrived to Epcot at about 1:30.

Not bad on the timing.

I had preordered our tickets (well, the boys' tickets - I had AP) from UT. So they were the paper tickets. At the turnstiles, the CMs cleared us in with their little checker thingys and said we should head over to Guest Services at some point in the day to change over our tickets to the new RFID cards. We figured we might as well just take care of that first thing.

Fernandia, the most awesome CM at Epcot GS ever!!, took care of us. This is where DS BlackHawks shirt came into play. Seems Fernandia was a HUGE hockey fan (but she wasn't a BlackHawks fan). She rooted for the Canadians. She and DS had a bit of banter back and forth. And since DNephew plays hockey and is from NY (stuck with the Sabres ) they continued on with their hockey conversations for quite some time. DS loves to be harassed. Well, he loves to give others a hard time, so it was a match made in heaven. She asked what our plans were for the day, and the boys of course had TT on the brain. We didn't have any major plans figuring FPs would be gone for TT and Soarin' so we just told her we would just see how the afternoon and evening went. She wrote us out FPs good for any ride of our choice that day. Then she said they were good for 3 (kidding) since she couldn't give one out to a BlackHawks fan. DS just sort of gave her the look.... then laughed.

This is why I LOVE Disney! It's not all the big stuff. It's just the unexpected interactions along the way. And I made sure to stop back at GS on the way out that night to leave Fernandia a and fill out a CM 4keys card.

That is what I call Disney at it's best!!!!

The cards taken care of, we made our way into the park. DS had one thing he wanted to initiate his cousin to. Everyone has to try it, right?!

We made our way to Club Cool and DS talked about how wonderful this soda was and that DNephew just had to try it.

I'm not sure what was funnier....his reaction at that moment, or looking at the photos later and discovering the gentleman behind the boys with his reaction.

I love those two pictures...hysterical.

We made our way to the new Test Track. (I have to confess, I spent way more time here than I would ever like to again in life)

Thanks to our lovely FP, we were able to enjoy the ride via the short line. The stand by wait was over 2 hours by then. We were given the white RFID cards to load our "ride" onto and sent off into the design studio.

DH really enjoyed this part as well, and was just as happy as the boys to spend time in this pavilion.

The boys' ride

and DH's

and our poor excuse for a copied ride photo

Now, being a girl with little interest in cars, I was more than ready to move on. But first you have to pass through the Chevy zone.

That was where most forward progress halted for several "painful" moments. The boys had to try out their car on the race "mats", check out all their results (very competitive), and look around at the automobiles. As if that wasn't painful enough, we still had to pass through the dump shop.


I'm with you...once was enough; don't care for the new version at all.

Finally free of Mr. Chevy, we went to check in with Gary Sinise and his crew. I told the boys to go to the rough side, but they wouldn't go without me, so they willingly took pity on me and we launched from easy.

Cannot do this ride...got terribly ill the one and only time.

Everyone was starting to get a little hungry. DS wanted to eat in the Countries somewhere, so we made our way into the World Showcase. I had a stop where all "driven crazy by Test Track" mom's have a stop and picked up one of these:

Absolutely! I think you deserved two after that.

We continued our walk around the World. DS decided he wanted a nice place to eat (but he wanted pizza). We checked in over at...

It was about a 20min wait for something inside, but we could order right away if we wanted to eat outdoors. We opted for the outdoors (as no one really wanted to sit in the freezing cold). We were given a lovely table just off the side of the restaurant doors-best of both worlds, we didn't freeze but we did have a nice cool bit of air blowing our way.

We had an awesome waitress there on the ICP. She chatted with us about her experiences so far and told us how much she loved working for Disney. She was headed home soon, but had really enjoyed her stay in America.

We ordered the margherita flat bread pizzas - one with pepperoni and one without. And I got the pistachio gelato for desert. Everything was wonderful!!

The boys wanted another ride on TT. Standby was still nuts, but they were willing to do single rider. The wait there was listed at 30min, so we got in line. I want to say this is where we didn't have the option to create a car-only given ready-made cars to pick from to put on your card and then passed through into the line.

After our rides, they boys had to hang around a bit in the Chevy shops once again. It was around 8:30 and I asked if they wanted to stick around for Illuminations or if they wanted to head back to the room because if they did, we needed to head out before the crowds. They opted to head back to the room to have a swim and relax for the evening. I headed into Everything POP to get some milk for our cereal in the morning and some bananas.

*FYI-since we flew Southwest, rather than place an order from GG (and since I was unsure of whether or not we would get a fridge) I packed a small suitcase with cereal, PopTarts, and snack items and sent that through with ME tags. I figured, if it got lost, no big deal. Meanwhile, we carried our suitcases with our clothing onto the plane. DH is a diabetic, so I had called ahead to request a fridge because of the need for his insulin to be kept chilled. I knew we may not get one, so I didn't want to have milk or extra items ordered that would need a fridge in case that didn't happen. Long story short, when we arrived to our room, we did not have a working fridge, but a quick call to front desk and housekeeping did get a fridge to our room with no trouble at all. POP was awesome with this! (you will soon learn of our not so awesome BC experience)

Around 11 we finally decided to head off to sleep-after telling the boys it was time to pack up the Nintendo Games for the night.

Next up: Rope Drop!!! Where could we be headed so bright and early you ask? You'll just have to wait and see.

Sounds like a great lunch, and a swim to end the day. Glad you were able to get the fridge fixed.

I'm off to lunch now, but will come back and read your latest update when I am back.

 

[Buzzsgramma]

Following or subscribing....which one is it?
Anyway good to hear about the FP given by CM....so what lies ahead at DHS???????

 

[emmysmommy]

A Blackhawks fan huh? That's my husband as well.

Love stories of the Beverly treatment. That was a great reaction photo. I tried it once... once being the key word. Blech!

Although I'm not a huge TT fan, I can imagine it's a delight for the guys - especially now that they get to design their own vehicle. And just when you thought all the car stuff was done, then they dump you in a virtual car showroom.

Glad to hear that Pop rectified the non-working fridge issue.

 

[Tiggerrn2]

Sounds like a great lunch, and a swim to end the day. Glad you were able to get the fridge fixed.

I'm off to lunch now, but will come back and read your latest update when I am back.

Kathy, I got really sick on MS when it was just the rough ride only. Spent a good hour on a bench trying to recover and then felt just all the rest of the day, too. The easy side doesn't trigger the same response, though. It's still not my favorite, but I'll go if I have to.
Oh, I grabbed another one of those frosty orange beverages later.
Glad to know I am not alone in the TT disappointment. They should have an area where you could just skip through the design room if you didn't choose to do that.

Following or subscribing....which one is it?
Anyway good to hear about the FP given by CM....so what lies ahead at DHS???????

You'll just have to keep reading on my dear friend.

A Blackhawks fan huh? That's my husband as well.

Love stories of the Beverly treatment. That was a great reaction photo. I tried it once... once being the key word. Blech!
I am not in a hurry to taste it again, either. Funny thing, he was complaining even more of the after taste.
Although I'm not a huge TT fan, I can imagine it's a delight for the guys - especially now that they get to design their own vehicle. And just when you thought all the car stuff was done, then they dump you in a virtual car showroom.
Yes, I get it. It's a guy thing. I should have just told them to stay there and I would meet up with them later.
Glad to hear that Pop rectified the non-working fridge issue.

POP was great with the fridge. The one that was there when we arrived had the note on it that said, "Do not Use". But they were very quick to replace it. And very nice about it as well.

 

[Tiggerrn2]

We found ourselves at the BackLot Tour. No wait so we figured why not?!

Apparently, just after we left WDW, Walt's plane was bedazzled with eyes for the new Planes movie. We still had the original.

I believe we even got slightly wet at this movie spot. Just a little.

We walked back through Pixar Place to see if TSM was back in business as it was time for the FPs that I pulled first thing in the morning. As luck would have it, we were in business!

From there we headed back over to RNRC to use our FPs.

Talked DS into a ride on TOT. He was not a fan of this ride. Up until this year, DS was on the small/short side and he hated the sensation of flying up out of his seat. I reassured him that, since he has grown this year (A LOT-had to buy the kid new pants 3 times through the school year because they kept getting too short ) he would not fly out of his seat. And besides DNephew needed to have a chance to ride. DS went along with it. And he was OK with it this time, but it is still not his favorite ride.

It was getting on toward lunch time and everyone was roasting. I don't know why, but it just seems like DHS is HOT! The boys really wanted to head back for a swim. So we figured we would just go back and eat and then swim.

However, we weren't going to eat back at POP. We headed here instead:
Landscape of Flavors at Art of Animation. It was really nice being just a short bridge walk away from AoA.

Sorry once again no food photos, but the order was for 2 cheeseburgers/fries and 2 pulled pork sandwiches/chips. All VERY good. Total cost: $42.56

It was about 1pm so we headed back to the room to change and go for a swim.

*have to put in a disclaimer here-I realize this was short on photos. For some reason, I did not get the camera out much as we were walking about. I made up for it the last morning there and went back. So I will post those photos at the end where they were taken.


We had some friends making themselves to home in our YoYo.

She really did have eggs in there that hatched while we were there. Unfortunately, I don't think they made it as Mama quit coming back after about 2 days.

To be continued. Need to run right now.

 

[KatMark]

Linda, fun update.

First, glad you went back and had another one of those lovely drinks.

We did Backstage this time too. Glad that TSM was back up and running for your fastpasses and that you got to do RnR and TOT as well.

A swim is a good thing when it is so hot.

What did you think of the food at the AOA food court? I've heard a lot of negative reviews on it.

Poor eggs...I wonder why momma didn't come back.

 

[emmysmommy]

I think the good thing about hanging in there when TSM goes down is that they will give you the FP for later. Good thing you were able to use them!

I'm a ToT fan! However, I seldom stop to thing that not everyone thinks like me!! When my DD was 7 and ToT first opened in CA she hated it! It took her several years to try it again.

That food court at AoA looks so great with those large picture panels. One day I need to spend a day wandering the resort and enjoying all the theming.

 

[Tiggerrn2]

Linda, fun update.

First, glad you went back and had another one of those lovely drinks.

We did Backstage this time too. Glad that TSM was back up and running for your fastpasses and that you got to do RnR and TOT as well.

A swim is a good thing when it is so hot.

What did you think of the food at the AOA food court? I've heard a lot of negative reviews on it.

Poor eggs...I wonder why momma didn't come back.

We had good food each time we ate at AoA. No complaints. It was definitely better than POP.
Momma was back at first after they hatched. I think the babies didn't make it long. Maybe it was too hot?

I think the good thing about hanging in there when TSM goes down is that they will give you the FP for later. Good thing you were able to use them!

I'm a ToT fan! However, I seldom stop to thing that not everyone thinks like me!! When my DD was 7 and ToT first opened in CA she hated it! It took her several years to try it again.

That food court at AoA looks so great with those large picture panels. One day I need to spend a day wandering the resort and enjoying all the theming.

My TR from last year was all about being in the resorts and not having any park time. There is so much to do within the resorts that we still didn't do it all.

 

[Tiggerrn2]

We last left off finishing lunch and heading off for a swim. The boys raced on upstairs, so I stopped poolside since I would have to wait my turn in the bathroom...plus they were having Trivia poolside.. One of my favorite things to do. So I grabbed my dry erase board and had a seat in the sweltering heat!

First up was "Notable Quotables". I didn't win this one, but I came in 3rd. Not too shabby since I was playing by myself with no child input. By the time we'd finished this game, I was melting like the Wicked Witch. The recreation CM said I had plenty of time to go up to change before the next game - "Poolside Trivia".

Dressed in appropriate poolside attire, I grabbed a nice beverage from the Petals Pool Bar-an orange burst for $6.32. Tasted like Johnson's baby aspirin-for those of you "young" enough to remember those from your childhood.

We competed valiantly in the Trivia and enjoyed the music from the dance party and pool party. The boys helped out with the trivia this time. We still didn't win, but we did have a good time. We got a few flower power rings for our correct answers and maybe a few peace signs. The boys participated in the "fill the large jug from small pails with holes in them" game. They were winning until the lifegaurds made everyone on the teams close their eyes-then she switched the large jugs on them. DS didn't know what happened til I told him. Boy was he perturbed.

About 5 we headed up for a shower and change of clothes then back to AoA for dinner. Kids got the corn dog meals and DH and I split the Create Your Own Salad. $24.27. Followed by deserts-some CC cookies and a strawberry cheesecake. $11.89.

Then we headed back out to the bus to head back to DHS. We went on over to Star Tours, since we hadn't hit that earlier in the day. I believe we rode back to back to back with no waits. We went to Tattoine, Wookie Planet, won a pod race, headed off to the Death Star and visited with Jar Jar Binks. DH was chosen as the "Rebel spy" on our last tour. We headed into the dump shop where the boys felt they NEEDED to create a droid at the Droid Factory. $21.25 for 2 droids and we were on our way.

Back to TSM to use our FPs from this morning that we earned for standing and waiting for the ride to be fixed. Then it was time to head off for the 2nd showing of Fantasmic.

Grabbed a snack at the counter for the boys and some drinks then headed down to our seats. We grabbed a bench just outside the reserved dining section-beautiful view without the $$$$ dining.

Used my phone for these photos. Sorry they weren't so great and that this episode was short on photos. I promise to do better next time.

We headed out of DHS with the masses, had a short wait for the bus and a short ride back to the resort. Off to sleep by midnight. New park tomorrow and another rope drop. Where shall we go?

 

[KatMark]

Sounds like a good time at the pool with the games and prizes.

Star Tours that many times in a row? I would have had my head over a garbage can.

Your pictures weren't bad of Fantasmic at all. I love that show

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Whew, I am finally caught up again. I seem to fall behind a lot lately. The pool time sounded like a lot of fun and congrats on getting so many answers correct. Oh and I do remember what Johnson's baby aspirin tastes like.

Your pictures of Fantasmic turned out lots better than the ones that I always take.

 

[Buzzsgramma]

The last time we went to Fantasmic youngest gr- sons were 6&7 nearly 10 years ago..It was a grand show for sure...'making memories'.....

 

[Tiggerrn2]

Sounds like a good time at the pool with the games and prizes.

Star Tours that many times in a row? I would have had my head over a garbage can.

Your pictures weren't bad of Fantasmic at all. I love that show

By the time we got off ST the last time, I was done. We did have fun at the pool-wishing we had more pool days. Never enough time to do it all.

Great pics!

thank you

Whew, I am finally caught up again. I seem to fall behind a lot lately. The pool time sounded like a lot of fun and congrats on getting so many answers correct. Oh and I do remember what Johnson's baby aspirin tastes like.

Your pictures of Fantasmic turned out lots better than the ones that I always take.

Thank you. The photos I took with my camera on the girls' trip were much better.
I love playing the trivia games at the pool. It's my favorite way to spend my pool afternoons.

The last time we went to Fantasmic youngest gr- sons were 6&7 nearly 10 years ago..It was a grand show for sure...'making memories'.....

I think it's time you stay up late and have another viewing!

 

[Tiggerrn2]

We were up early again today! (Well, some of us were up early.) DH decided to sleep a little bit today then wanted to take a morning run around Hourglass Lake and join us later at the park. He was looking a bit rough and needed a shave! I ran to Everything Pop to fill mugs and grab a mini can of shaving cream to the tune of $2.83 (after my .60 AP discount -hey every little bit counts).

When I got back with our mugs filled, the boys had eaten their breakfast. I grabbed my staple granola bar and we were out the door.

We were at the park in no time. At 8:35 we were looking at this lovely welcome! Thank you, I hope to do just this!!

There were many people in the lines, but for some reason, the MB stand to the right was empty so we sort of hung in that area and sure enough, CMs headed over there just before opening.

We made the dash over to Everest and grabbed FPs and rode stand by. Then the boys wanted to ride Kali River Rapids. It had been a loooonnng time since I'd done this. I knew enough to put the bags in a locker. So we did that and then went to ride. No line to speak of. Well, as luck would not have it, I was on the backside of the raft as it went over the edge and, you guessed it, was the lucky recipient of the giant soaking!! As soon as we got off, the boys wanted to ride again. I had forgotten that all this does is go around a circle once. Grizzly River Run in DL is much more of a ride. I told them I'd pass but they could go right ahead. I wandered to the bathrooms to take it all off and shake and squeeze the water all out. . I redressed and went to grab our bags out of the locker. They really need those giant people dryers they have at Sea World outside this ride!

By this time the boys were just coming off their second ride, still remarkably unscathed! OK, maybe my DNephew was a little more wet the second time, but neither received the soaking I had.

We returned to Everest to use our FPs (and dry off a little further).

Time for a 2 week safari!!

This would be the "take a look at my backside" Safari Cruise!!

Hippo Pod

On Mickey Island-the backside of birds

Ok, so this guy (or gal) showed us a frontal view

There is a giraffe out there - really.

Backside of a bullseye!

You guessed it, the elephants weren't interested in a front view either!

The cheetahs weren't even the least bit interested in checking out the people truck. They were thinking, "Yeah, we've seen it all before".

The trucks were out doing a little bit of work. I was wondering if the guy was ever able to get out of his truck. You'd think our safari guy could've offered him a hand. Maybe he sent for some help.

Backside of Rhino!

continued in next post....

 

[Tiggerrn2]

Moving on with our Safari

These dudes are just NOT cute!

Finished with our 2 week trek, we opted to take a path less traveled and wander around on our own 2 feet.

DNephew thought the hippo skull was pretty cool.

We followed some gorillas about the trail.

or maybe they followed us!

The boys were getting fairly warm and hungry by now.

So we made our way back across the park. On toward a place where the boys could get their favorite meal. Yep, Pizzafari. You all know what it looks like right?! Good because I didn't get another photo of it (I think I have about 5 or 6 already).

DH called and said he'd made his way into the park and would meet us for lunch.
The boys had pizza and salads and an order of breadsticks. I ordered a turkey deli sandwich-it was actually very good. And DH got the kids meal turkey sandwich (and then ate DS salad). And we all got a drink. All totaled= $48.44

I made a trek over to Everest for some FPs while they finished lunch then we headed into Camp Minnie Mickey. I tried to interest the boys in a character meet and greet. No such luck.

We were just in time for a great show!! I'll just put up a few photos for you.

This lady and gentleman can really sing!! And I believe they have been doing this show a long time. I have photos with them since 2008.

Love the tumble monkeys!

My DH had a college roomie that did Samoan Fire Dancing for a side job!! We went to a few of his shows. Still amazed.

DD thinks she will have this job when she does her CP.

She wants to dance and fly through the air.

Wonderful show as always!! I wonder if it will change when they move it to its' new spot to make room for Avatarland. OK Disney, I am just putting this out there-big mistake!!! Avatar was not that interesting to build a whole area on, just saying.

Time to move on....but it will have to wait. My photobucket account is almost full so I need to figure out what to do next.

 

[KatMark]

Linda, great updates.

You got a lot of good shots of the "backside" of the animals. I saw the giraffe hiding behind the tree (I never miss a giraffe).

I am not a fan of pizza at Disney (or in Florida for that matter), but I have to say it wasn't as bad as I expected.

You got AWESOME shots at the Lion King show. And I'm with you...Disney we don't want Avatar!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Sorry that you were the one who got the giant wave on Kali River Rapids. I'm not a fan of walking around soaking wet so we haven't ridden it in several years.

You got some really great behind pictures of the animals on safari. They just didn't want to smile for the picture did they?