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:
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!):
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.
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:
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,
Fish n Chips,
LOOKIT THAT SLAB O FISH!!
OMG Burger, and a Shrimp appetizer.
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!!
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:
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!):
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.
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:
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,
Fish n Chips,
LOOKIT THAT SLAB O FISH!!
OMG Burger, and a Shrimp appetizer.
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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