"Can We Un-Birthday Yet?" A He, SMEE, & They Sept. 2020 Trip Report *Update 11/21 COMPLETE!*

[CruellaNY]

Belated happy birthday to Chris! I hope he had a great day.

Thank you he did! Of course we continued it through the weekend with the family here yesterday to celebrate

That Elsa was...interesting. I've run into a few characters that could possibly have been cast better. I think the one of the funniest photos I have is from about five years ago. My grandson and granddaughter were meeting Ariel in the grotto. Ariel was spilling out of her top and it was really distracting. The poor girl needed bigger shells. My family still laughs about her and wonder how she made it through.

That is HYSTERICAL!! I would think.......particular size is a consideration or stipulation when hiring lol. But those would be some pictures to keep!

 

[pkondz]

If you read my July TR you may remember that we did manage to get a ROTR BG - but failed to stay in the park to use it

I do remember that.

So we were both hoping to get a BG again today!

So you could not use it?

I think you have to be a DISer to immediately know where this is.

see the Orchestra play in the BATB theater (it makes me sad just to write that now that they're gone).

Very sad.
Part of me hopes that they'll come back, post covid, but the pessimist in me thinks that they'll be permanently gone as a cost saving measure.

Alas, the guy 2 people in front of us got one, the couple behind us did, but we along with the guy right in front of us did not.

Oh, no! Man, that must've really sucked.

a big pink frosted donut and a morning diet coke.

You know you're on a vacation when...

Checking the app EVERYTHING was 80 or above

Nope!

This was the perfect save to our day and the first time in forever that I've felt we "wasted" a park day.

Not true! At Cali Grill you guys were pretty wasted. I've seen the video.

Wait, that's a different kind of wasted...

It just finally for the first time stunk that we couldn't go to a different park.

But drinking helped!

Oh, look! I had it right all along!

I wanted Steve to see CBR because at that point we were booked there for February and he'd never been.

Nor have I. Doubt I ever will, barring some incredible deal.

I stayed there for 2 nights last October for work and thought the resort was very pretty although too spread out.

That's my impression as well.

after 7 minutes of no bus Steve declared it's way too big and he's not staying here and doesn't need to see more.

Yep. I'm with Steve.

Someone who shall remain nameless 🖐 had forgotten to pack bathing suits and this was a problem

Not for the voyeurs in the crowd.

Lucky for us we found bathing suits that didn't cost as much as a Disney vacation in the store,

This is possible? Did you go off-site???

It's probably one of the best themed "quiet" pools at a Disney resort since most have no theming or decor at all!

Looks very nice.

Any guesses what I got at Roarking Fork?

No, not... no.... no....

noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

Love Jock Lindsey's.

The DeVizio's from NY, the @Jenny Sanders and Joe's from near the Windy City and Mr. & Mrs. @pepperandchips

What a great little meet!

We didn't get "Birthday crazy" like Jenny did in July; it wasn't like these were extra dirty martini's or anything

But I do remember having tears running down my face at one point!

Sounds like it's always a fun time when you and Jenny get together.

I don't know if Steve was holding me up because he needed to lol or because he was unsteady himself lol!

 

[kittylady1972]

What a fabulous little celebration you have had so far! Lovely! Great photos too! Table side Sangria sounds FABULOUS too...almost makes me want to visit just for that!

 

[vamassey1]

Perfect start to your day with riding TOT but then a nosedive on not getting ROTR and the long lines. HBD was a great recovery and you ended your night perfectly with good friends, food and drinks.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

We were so happy to see our friends again and so happy to be eating at one of our favorite restaurants again. I think our reservation was 7:30? We had gotten to Epcot shortly after 11 and left at 5:30 so we had a pretty full day there for not riding much and not seeing any entertainment! We had taken a Lyft to the restaurant but took the @Jenny Sanders up on their offer of a ride back despite their on the smelly side rental car I say that with LOVE and if you're also reading her TR you know what that's all about! I think Steve enjoyed his very first Disney birthday and I'm looking forward to my almost birthday in Disney in February (NOT 60!)

After all that, they charged us an additional 260 for roadside assistance. Did I tell you that already???

Joe and his bright shiny drink say YES THEY DID!

That is true!!!

The DeVizio's from NY, the @Jenny Sanders and Joe's from near the Windy City and Mr. & Mrs. @pepperandchips from down below but still in the good ol' US of A . We had a great time with some apps and drinks before moving on to our reservation at a new to us and new to Jenny & Joe place just down the road a bit. It was a Melinda suggestion and it came with sangria made table-side by this guy:

OOOOH! That sangria was sooooo good.

Table-side sangria is never a bad thing and our first time here at JALEO did not disappoint! The sangria was for the ladies and BOY was it good!

One of the best in DS, next to Padlefish...

We didn't get "Birthday crazy" like Jenny did in July; it wasn't like these were extra dirty martini's or anything But I do remember having tears running down my face at one point!

It was such a great night with great friends. I miss you all so much!!!!

let me say that Jaleo was delicious and blew me away!

Yes it did!!!!

I really had no desire to go here until Melinda brought it up and even then the menu was just "eh" for me. We went to Jock's first because Jenny and I weren't sure we'd find much on the Jaleo menu we'd like and we didn't want to be starving but we were totally wrong! I want to go back and considered taking the boys there next month. Just a peek:

This is so true. Jaleo blew me away!!!!

 

[CruellaNY]

So you could not use it?

Exactly! What else is a BG for???

I think you have to be a DISer to immediately know where this is.

Probably.
Or have better taste in attractions than in snacks

Not true! At Cali Grill you guys were pretty wasted. I've seen the video.

Wait, that's a different kind of wasted...

Oh, look! I had it right all along!

Um.........

That's my impression as well.

I mean CSR is spread out too but I don't feel it as much as I did at CBR; I believe it's definitely smaller (CSR). It's a shame too because the vibe is cool and it's pretty!

This is possible? Did you go off-site???

Nope! We had looked at the GF before Narcoossees and they were definitely too much $$; like over $100 for mine and it wasn't even one I liked that much. I know I'd seen suits at the Screen Door General Store on the BW before which is why we went there. Mine was about $65 and Steve's $40 but that was before our AP discount of an additional 35% off at the time so reasonable for on Disney property!

What a fabulous little celebration you have had so far! Lovely! Great photos too! Table side Sangria sounds FABULOUS too...almost makes me want to visit just for that!

Thanks! You should try Jaleo sometime, the menu may look a bit daunting - maybe not - but OMG so good! And they do have great outdoor seating if you go and don't feel like sitting inside.

 

[CruellaNY]

Perfect start to your day with riding TOT but then a nosedive on not getting ROTR and the long lines. HBD was a great recovery and you ended your night perfectly with good friends, food and drinks.

Yes, at 11am I would not have thought the day would end so well! But the crap morning was forgotten soon enough

After all that, they charged us an additional 260 for roadside assistance. Did I tell you that already???

You did; I told Steve and he could not believe it

OOOOH! That sangria was sooooo good.

I think Jaleo will be on the schedule for February!

It was such a great night with great friends. I miss you all so much!!!!

Miss you too friend

 

[pkondz]

Exactly! What else is a BG for???

I wouldn't know!
By the time I'm allowed to get down there again, there probably won't be a need for BGs anymore.

Or have better taste in attractions than in snacks

Hey!

I mean CSR is spread out too

Another one I have no interest in staying at. For the same reason.

It's a shame too because the vibe is cool and it's pretty!

Yes. I remember when I first started looking at staying on-site. I loved the look of CBR, but... tooooo big. I mean... it's bigger than the actual Carribean!

Nope! We had looked at the GF before Narcoossees and they were definitely too much $$; like over $100 for mine and it wasn't even one I liked that much. I know I'd seen suits at the Screen Door General Store on the BW before which is why we went there. Mine was about $65 and Steve's $40 but that was before our AP discount of an additional 35% off at the time so reasonable for on Disney property!

Not bad!

 

[thumper*]

Found the new you. LOL.
Happy belated birthday to Steve.

turns out he has a slight hearing loss in his left hear.

Oh no hope it all works out

"Eat in the Heat" rather than "Eat to the Beat'.

Can't wait to read more.

 

[buzzrelly]

Hello there! I didn't know you started this, thus why I'm just making it on page 4!

But first I need to acknowledge the 15th birthday of my youngest, Chris:

Happy Birthday, Chris! And that's terrible about his hearing loss. I hope it's just temporary. These boys have to keep you on their toes, don't they?!

However luck was on our side - I hope I don't jinx myself saying that lol - and we are now in a 1 bedroom villa at BLT!!!!

Ahhhh…I love it! I would take BLT over CCV any day!

Alas, the guy 2 people in front of us got one, the couple behind us did, but we along with the guy right in front of us did not. UGH!

No! That's terrible and so frustrating. I was lucky to get BGs on both of our DHS days.

It just finally for the first time stunk that we couldn't go to a different park.

I hated not park hopping.

it came with sangria made table-side by this guy:

Yum! Jenny must've been happy that it wasn't from a BOX!!

 

[missjackiemcg]

we are now in a 1 bedroom villa at BLT!!!!

A lion king room sounds so cute, but this room will give you SO much more room to spread out. I love that color scheme, too!!

I'm sorry but this is far from the best Elsa I've seen! We were actually sitting down eating when we heard the cavalcade so Steve jumped up to go get some pictures. He came back and said "it was that old princess"

I just think Disney could have done SO much better with Elsa's new look after Frozen 2 came out. The whole thing is just totally off! I also think it's hilarious they make her walk...like there isn't room for the two of them in the wagon??

Someone who shall remain nameless 🖐 had forgotten to pack bathing suits and this was a problem.

Oops! Sort of like my Dad leaving his suit at home and having to buy (and wear!) a Volcano Bay rash guard and matching swim trunks on our Disney Cruise

 

[CruellaNY]

Another one I have no interest in staying at. For the same reason.

We ended up staying there with the boys back in 2014. We'd already stayed at FQ twice and wanted to try a different moderate and liked the look of the pool. That time and the next 3x I stayed there we lucked out with rooms in Casitas which is close to the main building and not that bad from the pool, so it really wasn't until Aug or Sept of 2019 when Steve and I stayed and got a room faaaaaaaaaaar away that we decided if we stay there we'd stick with Gran Destino Tower!

Found the new you. LOL.
Happy belated birthday to Steve.

Yay you did! Glad you searched and are here Glenda

Oh no hope it all works out

Thank you. He only has 4 days of medicine left and so far there has been lots of improvement with the ringing; most of the time he doesn't hear it at all. So now we go next week to see if the loss has improved and hope the ringing stays away!

Hello there! I didn't know you started this, thus why I'm just making it on page 4!

Hey Kelly Yup got both going now lol. And hope to finish this before we go with the kids next month!
Glad you're here!

hese boys have to keep you on their toes, don't they?!

OMG that's an understatement

Ahhhh…I love it! I would take BLT over CCV any day!

Well I do love CCV almost as much as WL but I'm excited to try BLT! I love the look of the rooms and with the kids I know it'll be a good fit!

hated not park hopping.

This is the one thing that I did miss on our last trips besides a few more signatures not being open

Yum! Jenny must've been happy that it wasn't from a BOX!!

A lion king room sounds so cute, but this room will give you SO much more room to spread out. I love that color scheme, too!!

I really want to stay in one of those suites some day! But the kids won't appreciate it anyway and here they have the gym so it's a win-win.

I also think it's hilarious they make her walk...like there isn't room for the two of them in the wagon??

LOL, who knows why?? Maybe so she's closer to guests in a way? But I do agree she looked better when she was modeled after Elsa in the original Frozen!

Oops! Sort of like my Dad leaving his suit at home and having to buy (and wear!) a Volcano Bay rash guard and matching swim trunks on our Disney Cruise

Oh geez lol. I always feel like I forgot something when we're on our way to the airport but usually I'm wrong; this time I was unfortunately right! Very thankful for the 35% AP discount at the time because Disney bathing suits on property are NOT cheap!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I think Jaleo will be on the schedule for February!

YES!!!!! I'd also love to go back to Narcoosses or cali Grill, definitely WBG!

Miss you too friend

 

[pkondz]

By the time I'm allowed to get down there again, there probably won't be a need for BGs anymore.

And just like that they changed the BG method. Like this way better, but... I think will also make it harder to get.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

OK so what are your Feb dates? My bday is the 20th but working around mom being able to watch Chris we'll be there the 13-17th. I honestly don't remember offhand what day we're in what park but I do know I'm going to be switching them around anyway and skipping HS.

Oo we'll miss you by a few days we're the 3-9th (my birthday is the 5th)

It just finally for the first time stunk that we couldn't go to a different park.

There was a technical glitch with boarding groups the day we were in DHS and this was a major complaint we heard from people.

I thought he'd be ok because it is nice and calmly themed so we got off there; waited for an internal bus to take us to the main building because it's a far walk and it was 125 degrees out - and after 7 minutes of no bus Steve declared it's way too big and he's not staying here and doesn't need to see more.

That's why Mike said we're never staying there again without a car - it's just too spread out.

It's probably one of the best themed "quiet" pools at a Disney resort since most have no theming or decor at all!

Oo I like that! I wish some of the other quiet pools were themed!

Table-side sangria is never a bad thing and our first time here at JALEO did not disappoint!

That sounds amazing!

 

[fractal]

Happy birthday to your son Chris (Great Name!) and your husband!

 

[KathyM2]

I'm a little late to this party but glad I found your next TR. Happy birthday to Chris!

Enjoying living vicariously as usual!

 

[CruellaNY]

And just like that they changed the BG method. Like this way better, but... I think will also make it harder to get.

I can't decided if I think it'll be easier or harder; might lessen the # of people going in right at opening? But there are still the "new" rides MMRR and Millennium Falcon that will draw the crowds. The thing I like is that if you don't get a 7am BG and weren't planning on waiting around for a chance at 2 you still have time to pick a different park. We definitely would have done that last month! So time will tell......

Oo we'll miss you by a few days we're the 3-9th (my birthday is the 5th)

Figures! On to the 50th then

That's why Mike said we're never staying there again without a car - it's just too spread out.

Definitely. Steve also felt that way the last time we stayed at CSR not in the Tower even though a few stays prior to that he was ok with it; all based on where our room was. Even there now if I stay I think we'll stick with the tower. Wish POFQ would open!

Happy birthday to your son Chris (Great Name!) and your husband!

Ha yes it is and thank you!!

I'm a little late to this party but glad I found your next TR. Happy birthday to Chris!

Enjoying living vicariously as usual!

and I'm glad you're here Kathy!

 

[CruellaNY]

I hope you all had a good weekend! And that you/your kids were able to enjoy Halloween in some form. Chris went to a little party Friday and then to a friends house Saturday; Saturday he did what his friend was doing and just wore a basketball jersey but Friday to the party he wore his costume:



I love horror movies so this made Mama so proud! In other news besides our Thanksgiving Disney trip I am going to Universal for a couple nights in early December for work! Very excited, just waiting now to see if they bring back the Macy's parade. Part of me thinks no but they've done a lot that Disney hasn't so I'm not giving up yet.

Day 4 Part 1: Characters? I got 20!

Today we were hitting Magic Kingdom! We had one day in each park and then half day on our departure day we were also doing MK. I don't mind not going to MK first but I do prefer to end there Steve as usual was up early and got this beautiful shot of the sunrise by Geyser Point:



I do love my Lodge! We were doing breakfast at WCC before going to the park and I wasn't concerned with arriving before opening. It'd been a few years since we'd eaten breakfast there, but with limited lunch options in the park I wanted to go on a full stomach. It was ok; nothing to write home about and the Mickey waffles were no better than at Roaring Fork.

We took the boat, nobody was on line in front of us but we waited a full 20 minutes and arrived shortly after opening. How lovely a feeling it is pulling up to this!



We just missed the Villains cavalcade when we walked in and I was mad but luckily we saw it later; the cavalcades run approx every 20 minutes and I assume the holiday ones will as well. We cut in front of Crystal Palace on our way to BIg Thunder and caught some characters out on the porch!



They were busy chatting with some young kids so I listened a bit and walked away smiling. I truly love these pop ups more than traditional meets!
Big Thunder was listed at 70; 70 guys! We were on in 22:



When we got off the wait was listed at 45 so we jumped in line again and were on in 8! This occurred all day with waits being listed longer than they were. We skipped Splash this time because it went down but as luck would have it we caught a princess cavalcade as we left. Steve got great up close pictures of all the princesses because they were walking instead of all on their float. Throughout the day we saw them more and they were always on the float.





He got a close up of EACH Princess there including Merida like this one of Belle below:



After this we went to It's a Small World where the wait was 55 WHAT! The line was almost down to the Rapunzel bathrooms. But we got in line! Glad we did because we were on in 18 minutes and that's because after about 10 minutes they announced a cleaning cycle.

We saw another cavalcade and then needed lunch! With limited QS we went back to Pecos Bill where we'd eaten in July. Mobile ordering was down all over the park so we got in line which looked daunting but again, it was 11 minutes from when we got on line to when I was up ordering. Steve grabbed a table as soon as I was at the counter ordering. Food was good; we love CHH but I think now this is our 2nd favorite.

Afterwards we attacked the 7 Dwarfs line that ended over by Dumbo It was listed at 45 and I NEEDED to see how long it took. Any guesses?

30 minutes from Dumbo YUP! The day was working in our favor for wait times and it was a relief after HS. It's scary when you see lines but they do keep moving and that makes a huge difference on top of the fact that they keep moving.

After that I remembered there was a Halloween snack I wanted to try! Mobile order was up so I placed it at Pinocchio's and 15 minutes later had this:



How beautiful is that Not So Poison Apple Cupcake? It was huge and delicious and my tongue looked like this after




After that we were done. It was so hot and we wanted to enjoy the pool again with our new bathing suits before our dinner plans. But on our way out we caught quite a few more characters; it's hard not to!

 

[missjackiemcg]

In other news besides our Thanksgiving Disney trip I am going to Universal for a couple nights in early December for work! Very excited, just waiting now to see if they bring back the Macy's parade. Part of me thinks no but they've done a lot that Disney hasn't so I'm not giving up yet.

Oooh, yay for you!!!! I was SO bummed about missing the parade on our pre-cruise Universal stay last year. Especially because they called it off only minutes before it was supposed to begin. Such a letdown. I hope they do at least a mini-version rather than not have it at all this year! And someday, I'll have to go back, so I can see it myself

How lovely a feeling it is pulling up to this!

That's the best feeling!! I love how you can hear the music as you're approaching, too!

He got a close up of EACH Princess there including Merida like this one of Belle below:

This is totally awesome!!! Must've had a float breakdown or something to have them all walking, but I kind of love it this way!

With limited QS we went back to Pecos Bill where we'd eaten in July.

Yummmm, Pecos Bill's is a favorite for us! We ate there in July, too, and the only disappointment was that we couldn't load up at the toppings bar. Those little cups they pre-pack for you just don't cut it!