First Ever Family Trip to WDW - Nov 3-10, 2020 (Better late than never!!) Updated 11/24!

MaleficentMe

Mouseketeer
Joined
Apr 26, 2021
Okie Dokie - this one will be a pretty pared-down TR, as I did take notes, but not nearly as detailed as I did for my most recent trip to DLR.

Cast:
Me (45 turning 46 on this trip) Disneyland freak. Visited WDW 1 time in 1985, so I consider this my first trip. According to FB, I'm "Fluffy" Ariel:
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M: Hubby 49, kinda hates Disney
Je: Child 16 (at time of travel,) loves Disney (trips to DLR in 2010, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Ja: Son 12 (at time of travel), loves Disney (trips to DLR in 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)

All stuffing their faces here (I cheated - this is from AK from the future!):
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Aren't they adorable!


This trip was originally planned for March 24-31, as a celebration of us selling our microbrewery in late November 2019. Turns out NOT owning a service-industry business during a pandemic was really all the celebration we needed! 🤣

Anyhoo, we rescheduled for November way back in April, not knowing what the future would hold. As our dates got closer and closer, I kept checking in with the fam. If they were in anyway uncomfortable with traveling during A) Covid, and B) Election, I'd cancel. They assured me they were on board (well, the kids anyway... M would have been perfectly fine never stepping foot in a Disney park again in his lifetime!)

I, however, began really freaking out as we got closer! Didn't sleep through the night for about a 2 weeks before we left! But, the money had changed hands, so we were going!

Monday, November 2 - Prep day
I had to work (I work from home these days, yay!), but was able to do laundry and begin some packing. Everyone showered today so we wouldn't have to deal with it in the morning. It was a weird day, really. Decided to try to get a few hours of sleep, as we needed to leave the house by 3:15 AM the next morning. Surprisingly, I was able to fall asleep and got about 4 hrs.

Tuesday, November 3 - Travel Day: EUG/DEN/MCO/Art of Animation
Woke up at 2AM. Last minute packing. Left the house at 3:25. 45 minute drive to the airport for our 5:20 flight. Thankfully, it's a tiny airport and security was super quick. Plane to Denver was about half full. We all had good masks and safety glasses, though I was the only one wearing the glasses. Made me feel a little safer.

After an hour layover in Denver, boarded VERY full flight to Orlando. Was wishing United did the open middle seat like Southwest!

Arrived at MCO on time (3:15 local time) and boarded the Magical Express.
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Not quite as magical now that you have to do your own luggage, but oh well. The bus ride was awesome, but marred by the fact that our Instacart grocery delivery was showing up 1/2 hr earlier than scheduled, and we weren't at our resort yet, and because there was alcohol in the order, the shopper couldn't just leave the groceries with Bell Services. She was nice enough to wait and we tipped her extra on top of what we'd already included. Also, I realized we didn't have any scheduled plans for dinner (our flight had been changed and we ended up in Orlando 3 hrs earlier than originally scheduled when I made the ADRs). Tried to get into anywhere, nothing was available via the WDW website. Bummer. Hangry hubby is NOT a good thing!

So we gathered up all our luggage and several bags of groceries (plastic bags, yeesh, come one FLA, get with the environmental program!!) and checked into our room (directly, do not pass go, do not collect $200). The room was cute (Family Suite, Finding Nemo, building 4), but sparse. We don't get to travel much, but when we do, we use our timeshare, so we're a bit spoiled. The only reason we didn't stay in our timeshare this time was because of the benefits of staying on property, like magic morning hours, advanced fast passes, etc... all the things that went ‘buhbye’ with Covid (but, wouldn’t have been able to get park reservations without being on property, right?). So yeah, at least M and I had our own room, but the kiddos shared the hide-a-bed in the middle of the main living space all week. Good thing we didn't end up being in our room very much! We spread out a little, had a "welcome" beverage:

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then I went back down to the check-in desk to ask about possibilities/hints to get a restaurant reservation. They said to actually CALL a place and see if they had walk-up space available. ("Call??" What is that witchcraft??) We called Raglan Road Irish Pub in DS and got a reservation for 6pm. After hanging up, we realized we had no idea how to get there, so called back immediately and moved the reservation to 6:45.

The bus from AoA to DS took a long time to arrive, but we got to DS, got through the temp screenings quickly (no real security checks anymore, which is kind of nice) and were seated (by the bathrooms... this becomes a theme) in the pub very quickly.

We ordered the Shepherd's Pie,
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Fish n Chips,

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LOOKIT THAT SLAB O FISH!!

OMG Burger, and a Shrimp appetizer.
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Plan was to share all items between us in order to try more stuff. WOW! Fantastic food... the Shepherd's pie was easily the best I've ever had. And the Fish n Chips??? Crazy-huge slab of fish! The burger and shrimp were also very good. The entertainment was fabulous as well.

After dinner, planned to check out World of Disney, but the line to get in was a block long. This is with only 25% capacity?? Yikes!

Getting back to AoA took a loooong time. I was starting to get a bad feeling about this.

Hung out with the family, watched a little bit of TV, had a beer or two, then went to bed around 10:30. Election still undecided. 😖

Next up: First Day in the Most Magical Place on Earth.... or mom freaks the eff out and we all fly home!!
 
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Wednesday, November 4 - Animal Kingdom

Woke up at 1:30 AM FREAKING THE EFF OUT. Long lines, bad transportation, covid, election, putting my family at risk for what?

(ohmygodwhathaveIdonewe'recatchingthefirstplanebacktooregoninthemorningdontcarehowmuchmoneywespenttogetheresorrykidstripisover!)

Got out of bed at 6:50, took a shower. Felt marginally better (except for the bags under my eyes that could have held ALL of our luggage).

Didn't book flights back home. Yay!

Woke everyone up at 7:15, ate some yogurt and granola bars in the room, and were in line for the bus at 7:45 for a 9:00 AM opening.

Arrived at AK at about 8:20. Again, no security to speak of, just temperature screenings. Got some pics, complete with some Disney magic!
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We were in line for Flight of Passage at 8:35! Whoo hoo! LOVED IT! (Might almost make M a Disney fan!)

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Oldest offspring was feeling the Pandora VIBE!

List of attractions we hit:
  • FoP, then headed over to EE. Stopped by ToL for a photo op.
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  • Expedition Everest (whole fam)
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(Before the screaming!)
  • Expedition Everest (sans M, we broke him, so he sampled the beers available in AK 😉)
  • Dinosaur (me only, scouting for rest of fam, who were still a bit shaken from EE!)
  • Dinosaur (me and Ja)
  • Dinosaur (whole family)
Shared a burger and chicken nuggets at Restaurantosaurus (mobile order)
  • Train to Conservation Station and back
  • Kilamanjaro Safari (2 times)
  • Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
Lunch at Yak and Yeti. (Can't believe I didn't get any pics!! I guess I was just too hungry!)
We all shared the Steak and Shrimp, Lo Mein Chicken, and Coconut shrimp between the 4 of us (plus beverages). Seated right next to the bathroom (Again!). But everyone loved the food and the atmosphere!
  • Na'vi River Journey
  • FoP

Back to room. M and Ja went to pool, then we chilled and watched some TV, ate some sandwiches and snacks for dinner, then bed. Over all, this was a GREAT day, and definitely made up for the freak-out I had in the wee hours! And it gave me hope, knowing M lovedlovedLOVED FoP. The only ride he really got into prior to this trip was Soaring in DCA. He really hopes Disney moves FoP over to our coast (me too, because he might actually WANT to join us on trips then!)

Next Up: Will we get a BG for RotR? Will anyone actually like the Blue Milk? Will my lips ever feel un fuzzy-taun-tauned again?
 


Thursday, November 5 - Hollywood Studios

I woke up at 6:50 to get boarding passes for Rise of the Resistance. Boarding group 69, dude! Showered, then went to guest services to get coffee (someone's sick idea of a joke - there were 4 packets of coffee in the room to use with the coffee maker, 3 of them were DECAF!!)

Woke up the rest of the family at 8. We were going to take the Skyliner, but the cast members strongly urged us to take the bus, so we did. Arrived at HS at around 9:30 for 10AM opening. Gates were already open!

List of attractions we hit:
  • Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (not as good as DCA's ToT and DEFINITELY not as good as Guardians!) Just the 3 of us (back left)... M does NOT enjoy this ride, no matter which coast we're on!
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  • Rockin Rollercoaster (pretty awesome, though my kids had no idea who Aerosmith is, and we broke M.)
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  • Big pretzel and Churros from Anaheim Produce
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  • Toy Story Mania
  • Slinky Dog Dash (70 minute wait!! Longest line we stood in!)
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Quick break for lunch: Ronto Roasters (4 ronto wraps) then on to Oga's (Fuzzy Tauntaun for Me, Blue Milk for Je,

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(Not a fan of the blue milk!)

A Carbon freeze for Ja, IPA and Outer Rim for M) I left early to get in line for Smugglers Run.
  • Smuggler's Run (One silver lining about Covid -we got the Falcon all to ourselves! Kids piloted ('cause I'm a kind and giving mom ;-) ), M and I were the gunners.
  • TSM
  • Star Tours
  • Rise of the Resistance (was amazingly done, but I could have used a few more thrills - and now that I've ridden it with all the pre-ride buildup (see my other TR from California) I now know this was severely lacking in the overall immersion!)
And finally, 50's Prime Time Cafe.
We shared the Fried Chicken, Pot Roast (YUMMMY!) and chicken strips, then split a Mom's Brownie dessert. A lot of fun, and the pot roast and fried chicken were simply amazing! (By the bathrooms AND the kitchen!) Also, apparently Florida doesn't "do" ranch?? My kids asked for ranch for their chicken strips and the CM was confused. He did bring us some white, goopy substance that may have been ranch in Florida, but was NOT ranch in the PNW! It was gross! 😅

Back to hotel via Skyliner, which was awesome. A bit of time at the pool, then bed.
 
Friday, November 6 - Epcot

This was supposed to be M's day. He's not into Disney in pretty much any way, and Epcot is probably the least "Disney" of all the parks. Plus, there was the food and wine festival, so I was ready to fill his gut with foods and drinks from all over the "world" to makeup for dragging him across the country to march him for miles through Disney parks that really do nothing for him. Morgan Freeman voice-over: "Fate had other plans...."

Anyhoo....

Since Epcot didn't open until 11, we got to sleep in... yay! Snacks, cereal, yogurt in room. Bus to park, in park at 10:30.

List of attractions we hit:
  • Test Track (thrill-wise, better than Radiator Springs, but not nearly as sweet theme-wise. Because of covid, we didn't get to do all of the pre-ride stuff.)
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Donut holes for me and the kids and Corned Beef Corner Route from Flavors from Fire for M for our midmorning snack. M LOVED his food!

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  • Mission:Space (orange side) M bowed out at the last moment after the 3rd or 14th "if you get even a teensy-tiny bit motion sick, GTFO" warning! GOOD CALL!! – they have barf bags!! :oops: I wasn't sure I was going to make it out of there with my donuts intact!!🤢😅
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  • Soarin' (M's previous favorite, until he rode FoP)
Beaches 'n Cream for lunch. Unfortunately, we weren't 100% sure where we were going, so we ended up walking much further than we needed to, which really messed up M's feet (he has a bit of an issue with that, and it flairs up occasionally.)

We shared a grilled cheese and Chili and Cheese tots for "real" food, then 2 big mint choco chip milkshakes for kids (one with brownie, one with vanilla cupcake), Tropical Sunrise float and a beer for me, vanilla malt and a beer for M.

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Just a PSA kids: Don't put those souvenir cups in the dishwasher when you get home. I think they must be made of the same material as Shrinky-Dinks!

Headed back to the hotel (Skyliner) for some naps and pool time. and to give M a rest so hopefully, he could go back and experience World Showcase and all the food and beer!

Kids and I headed back to EPCOT (Skyliner) at around 6:30. M's feet hurt too bad, which was a serious bummer because this was supposed to be THE food day, for him!!
  • Hit Mission:Space (orange) one more time
  • Spaceship Earth
Me and the kiddos did a bit of shopping and got our First Visit celebration pins, and my Birthday pin. Ja bought a hat and some shoulder friends.

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World Showcase - The beautiful lights by UK/Canada!

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  • Crispy chicken (Citrus Blossom) for kids, some nummy wine drink for me
  • Funnel Cake
  • Crepes
  • White wine sangria (touch and go, as the POS decided to crash and reboot during my order. was afraid I was going to be the victim of an angry mob in Italy (FL)!!)
  • Filet Mignon and Cheese Soup to go (precariously!!) for M.
Managed to get food safely on Skyliner and back to hotel. Thankfully the Skyliner is a smoooooth ride and I was able to get the food to him without incident! He loved the snack I brought him, I just really wish he could have experienced WS in person. 😫

Bed. Gettin' ready for our second day in DHS tomorrow! Hoping for that second RotR BG!! 🤞
 
Saturday, November 7 - DHS

I was up at 6:50, ready to get a BG for RotR. DENIED! 😫 Good thing we got one on Thursday.

No one else wanted to get up for rope drop (amateurs!) so I took the bus by myself to DHS. I was in the park at 9:30.

For my solo morning, I hit:

  • Runaway Railway (fun and technical little ride - I hope it holds up well! Got the car to myself!)
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  • Rocking Roller Coaster (getting old... managed to hurt my neck this go 'round!)
  • Alien Saucers (pretty similar to Mater's Junkyard Jamboree)
  • Saw some artistic pixie dust
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  • TSM (Finally broke 200k! Because I had the car and targets all to myself! And more elbow room!)
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Decided to take a break (lines were getting long) so I waited in line at the Trolley Car Café for an iced mocha and breakfast sandwich while my family made their way to the park. Once we met up, we hit TSM again,

then...

BAM! My family (orchestrated by my wonderful oldest spawn) surprised me with a reservation at the Droid Depot for my birthday! I built myself an R2 unit with a Resistance/Hyper personality chip. SQUUUUUEEEEEEE!

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HE'S SO CUTE! 💙💙💙💙

We stopped for big pretzels and beer on Sunset Boulevard,

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and shenanigans (under normal circumstances, I would gleefully draw and quarter anyone who took a pic of me looking like this, but everyone else is just so silly, I had to let it go!),

then decided to go back to the AoA for a break.

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Help me Obi Wan, you're my only hope!

After some more family shenanigans, we returned to DHS for a couple more rides and our ADR.

Runaway Railway
Smuggler's Run
Sci-Fi Dine in (Guess what? Closest row to the screen, alllllll the way to the right. By. The. Bathrooms. Seriously?? I made these ADRs as soon as they were available... Did they seat us based on the fact that we were staying in a "value" resort? Us Plebs in the values don't get hot tubs AND we get seated next to the poopers??! :rotfl2:

The meal and atmosphere were great tho, and would love to go there again!

We wandered out of the park (after closing, which was really cool!) and back to our shanty. Chilled with some TV, then bedtime. Tomorrow, Magic Kingdom!
 


Loving your report!

Great report, lots of fun.

Thanks! Going back through my notes is making me both happy and sad... would really like to experience WDW again without all the covid restrictions, but with the new, more expensive Genie+, not sure we can swing it again. :-( At 35% capacity, the parks were already crazy packed. Having to pay even MORE just to ride 1 ride is highway robbery! I've been reading other TRs, from people who clearly get to go more frequently, where they waited in line for 2.5 hrs for a ride, then went back to the hotel! As you can see from my TRs, I'm alllll about the rides! Can't imagine flying 3k miles to ride one or two rides in a day! But I sure would like to go again!
 
This is making me so excited for our trip in just 3 more weeks! Getting a little nervous though about the crowds and even with lower COVID numbers, I still get worried due to where I work-it would be horrible to bring back.
 
This is making me so excited for our trip in just 3 more weeks! Getting a little nervous though about the crowds and even with lower COVID numbers, I still get worried due to where I work-it would be horrible to bring back.


Nothing like living vicariously through someone else's TR... except, of course, getting you own trip! ;-) Looking forward to reading your TR when you get back - safe travels!!
 
Sunday, November 8 - Magic Kingdom

Whole family in the park by 8:40. Walk/ran to:
  • Seven Dwarves Mine Train. Mostly a walk-on. It was fun but not worth a non-rope-drop wait.
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  • Peter Pan (think it's shorter than the one in DLR?)
  • BTMRR (Awesome - better queue than in DLR, but ride is comparable)
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Me and the kiddos hit Sleepy Hollow for waffles. We were really looking forward to the chicken and waffles, but they weren't being served until 11! M had to look for other stuff as he doesn't like sweets (including waffles without chicken) and he was getting hangry! He finally got a couple of hot dogs at the Lunching Pad)
  • Haunted Mansion (comparable to DLR, except that the portraits and moving busts are in the walk-up part in DLR)
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  • Space Mountain (Not sure if it was better than DLR or not... wilder as far as twists and drops, but it seems like DLR is faster. Either way, both are awesome!! The queue in WDW is better tho!)
  • The Barnstormer
  • Pirates (not anywhere close to as good as DLR! I was disappointed!)
Finally got to check out Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen for lunch. We were seated (drum roll please!) right by the BATHROOMS. Again.

We shared the Brazilian cheese bread for appetizer - OMG amazing!! May have been some of the tastiest food all trip! We shared Cachapas, Steak, and Siu Pork for the entrée. Pork was a bit dry, and the spices were not to my kiddos' liking. The cachapas and steak were good tho! (Should have just ordered a bunch of the Brazilian bread!!)

After lunch we headed back to hotel for naps and pool. On the way out, we got to see a bit of the parade with princesses, Santa, and big-a** horse!!
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(And Tiana and Tigger both wished me a happy birthday - well, Tiger kind of pantomimed it :tigger: )

The kiddos and I went back to the park. M needed a bit more down time.
  • Space Mountain x2
  • Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (not even in the same realm as Astroblasters in DLR. The fact that the blasters are mounted to the car really hampered my mobility (yes, I'm blaming the equipment!))
Met up with M, then:
  • Splash Mountain x2
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  • BTMRR (at night, in the back... may be the best coaster in the parks!)
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We then stopped for Dole Whips at Aloha Isle and to check out the line for Jungle (or rather, JINGLE) Cruise. The app and the sign both said a 45 minute wait. Turns out it was essentially a walk on. Weird.

The projections on the castle were absolutely spectacular!

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And a last picture with the Christmas tree!

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We were all pretty pooped and the park was closing, so we headed back to the room for the night. Overall, I think Disneyland is better than the Magic Kingdom. (The fact that the Rivers of America was drained probably didn't help. Kinda funky and gross smelling!)

Tomorrow: Our last full day in the parks.😭
 
Wednesday, November 4 - Animal Kingdom

Woke up at 1:30 AM FREAKING THE EFF OUT. Long lines, bad transportation, covid, election, putting my family at risk for what?

(ohmygodwhathaveIdonewe'recatchingthefirstplanebacktooregoninthemorningdontcarehowmuchmoneywespenttogetheresorrykidstripisover!)

Got out of bed at 6:50, took a shower. Felt marginally better (except for the bags under my eyes that could have held ALL of our luggage).

Didn't book flights back home. Yay!

Woke everyone up at 7:15, ate some yogurt and granola bars in the room, and were in line for the bus at 7:45 for a 9:00 AM opening.

Arrived at AK at about 8:20. Again, no security to speak of, just temperature screenings. Got some pics, complete with some Disney magic!
View attachment 608596

We were in line for Flight of Passage at 8:35! Whoo hoo! LOVED IT! (Might almost make M a Disney fan!)

View attachment 608598
Oldest offspring was feeling the Pandora VIBE!

List of attractions we hit:
  • FoP, then headed over to EE. Stopped by ToL for a photo op.
View attachment 608599
  • Expedition Everest (whole fam)
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(Before the screaming!)
  • Expedition Everest (sans M, we broke him, so he sampled the beers available in AK 😉)
  • Dinosaur (me only, scouting for rest of fam, who were still a bit shaken from EE!)
  • Dinosaur (me and Ja)
  • Dinosaur (whole family)
Shared a burger and chicken nuggets at Restaurantosaurus (mobile order)
  • Train to Conservation Station and back
  • Kilamanjaro Safari (2 times)
  • Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail
Lunch at Yak and Yeti. (Can't believe I didn't get any pics!! I guess I was just too hungry!)
We all shared the Steak and Shrimp, Lo Mein Chicken, and Coconut shrimp between the 4 of us (plus beverages). Seated right next to the bathroom (Again!). But everyone loved the food and the atmosphere!
  • Na'vi River Journey
  • FoP

Back to room. M and Ja went to pool, then we chilled and watched some TV, ate some sandwiches and snacks for dinner, then bed. Over all, this was a GREAT day, and definitely made up for the freak-out I had in the wee hours! And it gave me hope, knowing M lovedlovedLOVED FoP. The only ride he really got into prior to this trip was Soaring in DCA. He really hopes Disney moves FoP over to our coast (me too, because he might actually WANT to join us on trips then!)

Next Up: Will we get a BG for RotR? Will anyone actually like the Blue Milk? Will my lips ever feel un fuzzy-taun-tauned again?

Like your M, it took me a long time to begin to enjoy WDW even when going with the grandkids over the past several years. As a lover of wilderness vacations and a former mountaineer I was also convinced I'd never join the cruising crowd, but look at me now, DW and I've been on 7 DCL trips.

Oh, and in my humble opinion FOP is the best thrill ride in Florida and HMR in Universal is a close second. I'm enjoying your writing style.
 
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Like your M, it took me a long time to begin to enjoy WDW even when going with the grandkids over the past several years. As a lover of wilderness vacations and a former mountaineer I was also convinced I'd never join the cruising crowd, but look at me now, DW and I've been on 7 DCL trips.
This gives me hope!!

Oh, and in my humble opinion FOP is the best thrill ride in Florida and HMR in Universal is a close second.
FoP is pretty dern awesome. We bought candles that smell like that ride!

I'm enjoying your writing style.
Thanks! In my earlier life, I was trying to be a writer. Just didn't quite work out that way!
 
Monday, November 9 - Animal Kingdom (and my Bday! And RAINY!)

Had a bit of trouble rallying the troops, and M insisted we get food (Landscape of Flavors in AoA) BEFORE going to the park, so we weren't as early for park entry as we should have been. Still in the park before "technical" opening, but had a much longer wait on our first ride than we should have.
• FoP
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• EE x 2 again (again, without M!)

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• Kali River Rapids (wayyyy shorter than Grizzly River Run, and really. A very strange theme.)
• Safari
• Maharaja Trek
• Flame Tree BBQ - Shared the St. Louis Ribs, Fries, and Kid's Chicken drumstick meal, with a couple of beers. Had to fight off the birds!
• FoP 2 times
• Shopping
• Na'vi RJ
• FoP 2 times (have you noticed a pattern?)

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Back to hotel. Family surprised me with gifts! A couple of mugs I had been eyeing, a T-Shirt, and a beautiful statue of the Partners!!

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All that, combined with the R2 unit at the Droid depot.... I felt very, VERY spoiled!!
Ordered Dominos pizza to be delivered, that we ate as we all crowded into the tub to soak our aching feet! (Value resort don't have hot tubs. Booo.)
 

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