FROZEN in Carbonite! Updating for Halloween at Sea World and Disney

[lovethattink]

Took me over night to get over the initial shock of the direction The Force Awakens went. Now I'm totally sold on the movie and have seen it 4 times. Each time catching more detail than before. It's no wonder it's reached the $1 billion mark!


December 19th, we went to DHS to catch the Comedy Warehouse Holiday Special. We always love this show. DH got picked for having a strange hobby.

After the show we went out to eat then headed to Epcot to catch some of Holidays around the world. We caught the acapella group at the fountain stage, then headed to the countries. Topped the night off checking out the 3 Cabelleros animatronics.

Back in November, my husband had the honor of marching with the 501st in Disney's Christmas parade taping! So Christmas morning we were glued to the tv watching Disney's Unforgettable Christmas Celebration. Thanks to people sharing pictures with me, I was able to get a picture of the parade taping day and thanks to @hiroMYhero I was able to get a picture of her tv with a great picture of dh on it.

He is also in the Rebel Legion and has been going to GKTW as a jedi with the 501st. DS loves dad's jedi costume, thanks to a special friend in the Rebel Legion, ds got his very own Jedi costume for Christmas! Both brown and tan tabors were made, so he can either dress like Dad or differently. He can't wait to wear it to the Launch Bay!

Christmas Day, after presents were opened and bellies were fed, we went to DHS. DH and ds went on Star Tours to see the new scene. For DAS return, cm were giving out paper fast passes because their handheld devices weren't working. It was a blast to the past. They loved the new scene!

I watched the nighttime Jedi Training. It's so cool with the new lighting and effects.

Since the last time we were at Launch Bay, they added wording to the carpeting. It's awesome!

Ended our evening with Osborne Lights.

Last year we found Anthony Herrera Designs Star Wars Snowflakes. He's added Force Awakens Snowflakes! They are so fun to look at and difficult to make.

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[Jasperann]

As promised I've come out of lurking...

I just have to say that your reviews of the Launch Bay has made me so excited to see it in person! And I've been thinking of things to bring to trade with the Jawas. My son is going to be SO excited to trade with them! (As well as my girls) But he is really getting into star wars and of course because 'mom' loves the Jawas and the Ewoks he loves them too. Have you seen any Ewoks out and about in the launch bay yet? I'm kind of hoping that they are there at some point. (I would wait forever for them. )

We haven't had a chance to see the new Star Wars movie yet but I need to make plans to go see it before our trip. We were thinking in a week or so when we get paid. I can't wait.

 

[lovethattink]

As promised I've come out of lurking...

I just have to say that your reviews of the Launch Bay has made me so excited to see it in person! And I've been thinking of things to bring to trade with the Jawas. My son is going to be SO excited to trade with them! (As well as my girls) But he is really getting into star wars and of course because 'mom' loves the Jawas and the Ewoks he loves them too. Have you seen any Ewoks out and about in the launch bay yet? I'm kind of hoping that they are there at some point. (I would wait forever for them. )

We haven't had a chance to see the new Star Wars movie yet but I need to make plans to go see it before our trip. We were thinking in a week or so when we get paid. I can't wait.

I'm so glad you came out of lurking! Welcome!

Trading with Jawas is so much fun! Stickers, party favors, things like that are great. My son has received droid parts each time he's traded. Like the ones from build-a-droid!

The only characters I've seen at Launch Bay are Vader, Chewie, jawas, and Greedo. Only saw Greedo once. And later at night, no characters.

 

[lovethattink]

Happy New Year's Eve!

2015 has been a really good year for my family. In the realm of Star Wars, we got to attend all 5 weekends of SWW and stayed on property! DH got 5 costumes approved, 4 for the 501st and 1 for Rebel Legion. Still working on that 6th one, but there are minor things to tweak to meet approval. Healthwise, we are pleased. DS hasn't needed to use his wheelchair in 6 months! This year has been the fewest number of seizures for ds too! While his body still can't regulate its temperature, he has begun to sweat a little, which certainly helps.

Here's looking forward to a great New Year for everyone!

 

[soniam]

Happy New Year's Eve!

2015 has been a really good year for my family. In the realm of Star Wars, we got to attend all 5 weekends of SWW and stayed on property! DH got 5 costumes approved, 4 for the 501st and 1 for Rebel Legion. Still working on that 6th one, but there are minor things to tweak to meet approval. Healthwise, we are pleased. DS hasn't needed to use his wheelchair in 6 months! This year has been the fewest number of seizures for ds too! While his body still can't regulate its temperature, he has begun to sweat a little, which certainly helps.

Here's looking forward to a great New Year for everyone!

That is awesome! We often take health, and the little aspects of it, for granted. Here's wishing you and your family, and everyone on DIS, a healthy and happy New Year

 

[goofymimi]

I have read all your previous trip reports, and I thoroughly enjoy them..I am so happy to hear that your son has improved so much..That is truly awesome..I hope 2016 continues to be a year of improvements for him..I am not really into Star Wars, but my husband enjoys it..

 

[lovethattink]

We recently spent a few days at WDW. Stayed at CBR! Downloading the pictures at this moment. It was a quick trip, 3 nights, and we did it as cheaply as possible. $124/night AP rate, we only ate 2 meals on site and used gift cards we received to pay for all our meals both onsite and offsite. Total trip cost was room and gas!!

That is awesome! We often take health, and the little aspects of it, for granted. Here's wishing you and your family, and everyone on DIS, a healthy and happy New Year

Thanks! There was a time where he had more bad days than good days, but the tides have turned and things are looking up! His memory and body temperature are the most affected by his condition. We took a leap of faith and went with less expensive, but less coverage insurance for this year. So we certainly need a healthy 2016!!

I have read all your previous trip reports, and I thoroughly enjoy them..I am so happy to hear that your son has improved so much..That is truly awesome..I hope 2016 continues to be a year of improvements for him..I am not really into Star Wars, but my husband enjoys it..

Thanks so much for taking the time to read them! Glad you enjoyed them.

 

[lovethattink]

Winter in Florida

Originally, this trip was suppose to take place in July for FSF. But ds got cast in Shrek the Musical, so I changed it to August for our anniversary. Then my mom ended up in the hospital and needed to be cared for, so I rescheduled it again and ds and I headed to my parents house for 2 months. With each change, the price kept changing and eventually we ended up with an AP rate of $124/night at CBR!

It's been feeling like summer straight through fall and into winter. There was only one other cold day in December, the 19th. Of course, the temps decided to drop for our trip in January. Nights dipped down into the 40's.

I requested room 4422 with the hopes we would be near the quiet pool in Jamaica. We got room 4424! Right out the door was the pool! The view from our room included the pool, the bridge to OPR, and OPR.

Not only was it cold upon check in, it was raining off and on. We did online check in, so we knew our room number and stopping at the Custom House was unnessary! Straight to the room and in we walked. DH unpacked the rest of the car, but his mb didn't open the door. So we ended up going to the Custom House anyway. And ds needed milk to take his evening meds so we stopped at OPR for that.

As soon as we walked into OPR, I realized we made an extra trip we didn't need to make. The CM at OPR could have taken care of dh's mb. There is a GS right inside OPR.

We decided to go eat at Macaroni Grill. But when we arrived, there was a sign that they weren't accepting gift cards because their machines were down. Talked to a server who said they were waiting on a technician to come fix it. So we went next door to Chili's since both were accepted on that same gift card.

DS 22 wasn't vacationing with us, but he met up with us for dinner. The fajitas were soooo good. That's one thing I've missed from the menu at CSR when we stayed there last time. They had the quesadillas, but removed the fajitas. DS22 got the endless enchiladas, he ended up trying both the beef and chicken. This was the first time in years we've eaten at Chili's. We enjoyed it.

After dinner, ds went his way and we went back to the resort. It was a light drizzle, but temps were dropping. I got an email saying ds' homeschool class for Wednesday was going to be an audition for placement. He freaked out because he had to learn the song "When I Grow Up" from Mathilda in a couple days. I found a youtube video that had the words across the screen of my phone, but they were too small for him to read. He needs large font.

We decided to go for a walk. Ds listened to the music as we walked. The main pool closed at 8pm. There actually were a couple people swimming. We got to see Illuminations as we walked back to the room.

We were getting pretty drenched. I couldn't find my umbrella anywhere. Once we got back to the room, I called Chili's to see if I left it there. Sure enough I did. So we went back to get it and also to make a stop at the store to get paper to write the words to the song.

The rest of the evening was spent with me writing the words and ds reading them.

This was so far from the original plans I had made. We were to have lunch at BoG and had FP+ for MK prior to check in. Then we were going to catch the last night for the Osborne Lights. The day before when I saw it was going to rain and get cold, I cancelled BoG. In the car heading to WDW, I cancelled the FP. We skipped the lights. And ds said there was no way he could stay up late for fireworks. We called it a day.

Up next...NO HOT water for the shower!!
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[lovethattink]

No HOT water?!

We slept in. No surprise since I'm the only morning person in the family. Our plan for today was AK. I had FP+ for the safari, Lion King, and Nemo. In my opinion, perfect times for each. But I was outvoted. DH and ds wanted to go to DHS for more Star Wars fun. It was slightly warmer than the day before and sunny! With the pool outside the door, ds begged for a swim.

He put on his swim suit and I put on my jeans and sweat shirt. And out to the pool we went. There was one other family swimming. They were at one end and us at the other. Or rather ds at the other. I was huddled up on a chair keeping warm. DH headed to OPR to get a large pizza for lunch.

DS said the pool water was warm. I touched it and it wasn't quite warm enough for me to hop in.

He swam around for almost an hour as if it was summer until the pizza arrived. I cancelled our FP+ for AK and made new ones for DHS.

Once he got out of the pool, he realized it was winter and not summer!

I started the shower water for him because he couldn't get it hot. I had it turned all the way as hot as it would go and it was luke warm. He took a quick shower and we ate. DH went to hop in next, and in the middle of his shower, the water turned COLD. Freezing cold. He couldn't stand it and stopped the water. I checked the sink and when I turned on the hot water, NOTHING came out at all.

I called the front desk, and they said they'd put in a work order. Apparently CBR has been having some issues with hot water heaters.

DS was so excited to wear his new jedi costume to the park. It was cool enough that he didn't need a cooling vest, and the sun was warm enough that a jacket wasn't really needed! Now that's how I like winter!!

Of course we went to Launch Bay. Skipped the movie and entered through the character side. On our way to the Visa M&G we saw 2 jawa. They both had trading bags. DS approached the one and asked about a trade. The jawa wasn't interested in anything ds had to trade. And ran away. This jawa was avoiding pictures and trades. Which really seemed quite odd to us. Though another DISer reported the same experience another day.

Disappointed in no trade we headed off to Vader. Up to this point, on each visit with Vader or Chewie, we never heard them speak.

DS was totally unaware of this, and was taken by surprise when Vader spoke to him!

The interaction was great!

Next stop was the video games.

Then Chewie!

This was one of the best Chewie interactions we've ever had!

Without a doubt this was our best visit to Launch Bay to date!

Then the impossible happened! The First Order Storm Troopers who never stop for a photo stopped. They also talk like Vader with pre-recorded lines. They said something to him like the resistance will crumble.

It was awesome!!

DS was no longer comfortable in his jedi costume and wanted to go back and wanted to go change into real clothing. He had some work to do so we headed out of the park, grabbed Taco Bell and went back to the room.

Mousekeeping left us extra towels for swimming. That was a nice touch. But left a garbage bag filled with garbage on the table? That wasn't a nice touch.

Since the Osborne Lights were extended til the 6th and fireworks were at 10pm, we went back to DHS. It was the least crowded I had seen Goofy's line and the Osborne Lights weren't crowded either.

For fireworks, we decided to try back at the Animation Courtyard. It was a unique experience back there. The Christmas music was piped in, instead of the Star Wars music. But the fireworks were larger than life. Set off right from those buildings!

We were hungry and headed to OPR for a snack. DH and I split a surf and turf burger. It was good, but not as good as the Surf and Turf burger at AoA. DS got chicken nuggets in a beach pail.



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[lovethattink]

Another First (Metal Detector)

We slept in. DS and DH went to the beach area in Jamaica and dug in the sand. Then ds went swimming.

We ate lunch at Cracker Barrel. Later in the afternoon, we went to DHS.

I was cold. The wind made it feel cooler than it was outside. We wore our winter coats. I felt like the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man because my jacket was very poofy. I decided not to bring a bag.

As I walked through the no bag line, both my husband and I were directed to the metal detector. There was a dish that looked like a doggie bowl. I put my cellphone, water bottle and wallet in there. Then walked through. No problem, it just took a few seconds.

My husband on the other hand...

It took him forever to empty his pockets. He totally emptied all his pockets. I had no idea he had so much in his pocket. Cell phone, wallet, water bottles, challenge coin, paper bag (ds hyperventilates sometimes), ds' medication, gift cards in a little box, loose change, keys, etc.

It took him forever to empty his pockets. And the more he took out, the sillier I got. He's the one that says I take too much with me.

It took him a good 5 minutes to get through there and get everything back into the pockets.

From what the security guard told me, we were picked because I had the poofy jacket and he had cargo pants. She said that as you can see, a lot can be put in cargo pants.

She asked ds his age. She told him he didn't have to walk through the detector that he should walk around.

We saw the Frozen sing-along, rode GMR, spent time in Launch Bay and saw the fireworks.

We left DHS after fireworks and headed to OPR for dinner. I had the kid's turkey dinner. It was really good and plenty of food for me. The blackbeans and rice were tasty. The broccoli needed salt, but was cooked to the tenderness I like. DH and DS shared a pizza.

We went back to the room and packed because we had to check out early in the morning and would have no time to pack in the morning.

It was a very fun, short 3 night stay.

Our next mini-trip is for the Dark Side Marathon. That will only be 2 nights. We did not get a great rate. I'm continuing to check for discounts. I should have looked into a bounce back. If I can't get a better rate, we'll probably cancel and dh can drive himself to the marathon that morning. He's really excited about his first 5K. He's got his walking time down to 43 minutes 18 seconds.

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[lovethattink]

Life has gotten really busy lately. Our once a week jaunts over to WDW haven't happened. It's been over a month since our mini-vacation. We've been in the Orlando area twice since, but with no stops at a park. And it's really odd to drive by those exits and not get off I-4!

My son has 3 days off from his musical rehearsals so we're going today to DHS to check out Kylo Ren! Might see if I can get ds in as a stand-by for Trials of the Temple. Sometimes people don't show up for those later shows.

I'm trying to figure out how to keep our room only reservations for the Dark Side Challenge. We need a new roof. Had a leak recently and that tiny section of the roof has been fixed, but the guy said the whole roof needs replacement. The quote was outrageous to fix it. I need to get some more estimates.

The good thing though, we have Disney Dream Reward Dollars from our Disney Visa that should cover one night's stay. And one night is already paid for! We're only staying two nights total. I'll have to figure out money for food. We'll eat breakfast in the room.

We love the resort where we'll be staying. So we plan to spend the majority of our time at the resort enjoying the grounds and amenities. Though we do plan to go to Dapper Days.

 

[soniam]

Good luck with the roof. They can really be so expensive. Our last house needed a new roof, including sheathing, since it was asphalt shingle placed over cedar shake. We didn't have any leaks, but it was definitely old and looked bad. We actually had one insurer refuse to insure us So, when we sold it, we had to suck it up and replace the entire thing. It was expensive. I am just glad that our current house has a concrete tile roof, since that will last much longer. In fact, we may not have to replace it before DS goes off to college. Ugh! Home repairs Good luck at the Dark Side Challenge.

 

[MamaJinji]

Oh, I could meet Vader? This may make DHS into my favorite park. Great pictures!

 

[lovethattink]

Good luck with the roof. They can really be so expensive. Our last house needed a new roof, including sheathing, since it was asphalt shingle placed over cedar shake. We didn't have any leaks, but it was definitely old and looked bad. We actually had one insurer refuse to insure us So, when we sold it, we had to suck it up and replace the entire thing. It was expensive. I am just glad that our current house has a concrete tile roof, since that will last much longer. In fact, we may not have to replace it before DS goes off to college. Ugh! Home repairs Good luck at the Dark Side Challenge.

There are no other leaks, thank goodness. But he said the shingles and felt all need replaced. And it's extra for any boards, plus labor to replace boards if needed.

Sounds like your covered for a long time! That's good.

Our roof didn't lose a single shingle from all 4 hurricanes of 2004! This was the first problem to arise. At least that part is fixed.

 

[lovethattink]

Oh, I could meet Vader? This may make DHS into my favorite park. Great pictures!

Vader is gone from the m&g. Replaced this week by Kylo Ren. Vader can only be seen at Trials of the Temple now.

 

[lovethattink]

It's no wonder I earned the nickname Dory. We have been to WDW twice between our mini-vacation and yesterday! Jan 17th we went to Epcot and the 18th to DHS. So not quite a month between.

I can't believe I forgot. We met up with friends at Epcot very briefly. Played the games after TT and rode Universe of Energy. It's so odd not to see the giant snake or Ellen in that one scene. Instead, pterodactyls were added. And for DHS, we went to the fireworks then the 2nd F! We sat front row!

Remember how bubble guns were removed from WDW? They've been replaced by a Little Mermaid Bubble Blower.

There is plenty of time to get from the fireworks to the 2nd F! In fact, we were early. We ended up in the front row. Only about 1/2 to 3/4 of the seating was filled. It was a cold night and we were all bundled up.

 

[lovethattink]

Last May or June, Anovos was running a sale on the Stormtrooper kits. My husband bought one of the kits because the price was super, super inexpensive. It finally arrived at the end of January!

His original kit, was purchased through AP, I think that stands for Authentic Props. All he had to do was purchase straps, snaps, a black under suit, and a few odds and ends besides. He paid around $2000 for that kit in 2012. But every item was precut. He had to "melt" some plastic and add some to his leg pieces to make them fit right and get approved. It took about 2 to 3 months of working time to get it put together once he understood what he needed to do. Prior to that, it sat in the box for years.

This new Anovos kit he got for under $400. It includes all the plastic armor, snaps, and straps. However, the plastic armor isn't all the way cut out. He will need to cut each and every piece. He thinks this is the same kit that is sold at Disney. This is going to be a huge undertaking of a project! The poster is pretty cool. It was neatly packed.

This is how the AP hand piece arrived, but not on the glove vs how the Anovos hand piece arrived.

And playing around with the 2 helmets. The new one fits dh much better.

Dh had ordered this kit with hopes he would have it finished by SWW and would march in the parade with it...

Sigh.

I'm sure he will get use out of it at a Comic Con or convention some day!​

 

[MamaJinji]

Vader is gone from the m&g. Replaced this week by Kylo Ren. Vader can only be seen at Trials of the Temple now.

Kylo Ren is... not a good replacement for Darth Vader! (To be fair, I'd pick the Emperor to meet over both of them.. )

Very nice kit! It's in my plans to eventually figure out how to build Mandalorian armor to join the Mercs, but the 501st is a great organization too. I always love talking to the folks in it every time I go to an event and find some of the Legion.

 

[lovethattink]

Kylo Ren is... not a good replacement for Darth Vader! (To be fair, I'd pick the Emperor to meet over both of them.. )

Very nice kit! It's in my plans to eventually figure out how to build Mandalorian armor to join the Mercs, but the 501st is a great organization too. I always love talking to the folks in it every time I go to an event and find some of the Legion.

I really respect all that goes into making Mandalorian armor. You might be able to find a local Mercs group who can help you get started.

A friend in the Rebel Legion made ds' Jedi robe.

I'm lucky if I can get a button to stay sewn on, lol.

 

[lovethattink]

Saturday, we went to DHS to see Kylo Ren. Our first stop was at Min and Bill's where we shared a Blue milkshake, yum!

Our next stop was suppose to be the Frozen sing-along for the 5:30pm show. When we got there, we were greeted by a cm who told us that the 5:30 show was cancelled, but we could get a FP for another attraction. She said that it should show up in email, or we could get a paper FP from another cm at the FP+ line. We opted not to get in line for a FP and figured we'd wait for the email and mde to show up with a FP.

In the meantime, we heard through the grapevine that a water main or something like that broke. So we joked around that nobody could find Elsa and Arendelle was melting.

Launch Bay seemed like a good place to go instead. The sign said 30 minutes for Kylo Ren, but I don't think it took that long. While in line, I noticed that the display window at Launch Bay added Rey and BB-8!

Kylo Ren was very intimidating. DS had so many things he wanted to say, but he got scared and didn't say a word.

The jawas were out and trading. My son traded one of those clanking ball party favors and got a droid head

DS played video games and while he did @Missyrose and her husband stopped by Launch Bay to visit with us! It was so nice to see them again!

They left for their Villains Party and we left to see if the 6:30pm sing-along was happening.

The sing-along did go on at 6:30pm. We were one of the last people seated and arrived so late the show started as soon as we sat.

There was no sign of water where we sat. I checked before I put my backpack on the ground.

Up next...the Dessert Party!​