"I brushed my teeth, and I don't have cooties." An August DFTW and Disneymoon TR

[docsoliday1]

psssst. This is where you're supposed to say "Oh, no, pkondz. You are incredibly handsome."

You want her to lie to you?


Sorry, the frog caught my attention and then I just had to go there.

 

[pkondz]

You want her to lie to you?

Well.... of course.

 

[docsoliday1]

Hello, friends! Another update should be on the way in the next few days, but I'm just popping in this morning because I have a bit of news.

There's no such thing as "too many Disney trips," right?
....
Good! Because, as of yesterday, N and I have officially booked another trip to make use of our annual passes, and to celebrate our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! We haven't even gone on our February trip, but I'm already excited because now I know that we'll be returning to Central Florida in AUGUST! For somewhere around 12ish nights!

I don't have a lot of details yet. ADRs can be booked starting next month. I have a lot of must-dos on our list, but I'll wait to share them until they're confirmed. But I do know that we'll be using the same TA that we used during our honeymoon when we stayed at the Poly. They have an excellent deal on deluxe resorts in the three weeks leading up to Labor Day, and so we just booked the last 5 nights of our August trip with them...at the Grand Floridian!! ​

Congrats! I'd be interested in what TA you use and what sort of rate you got on the GF. We're DVC members and whenever we're not using our DVC points, seems like the other resorts are crazy for cost. We're staying at the Swan in September and I *think* I got a decent rate through work discount, but hard to say compared to what a TA might have done. And the cool thing is I've finally caught up enough to where I'm able to comment BEFORE your trip!

 

[missjackiemcg]

As I told Meghan, let me know if you want an unbiased opinion. I won't give you a sales pitch, but we've been DVC since 2008 and so glad we did.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!! I talked to a lady on the monorail during our last trip who basically tried to talk me OUT of doing DVC and just becoming a Passholder instead. She made a few good points, but I think I don't "get it" enough to make a real opinion!

 

[DizzyDis]

Wanted to add that I am loving your reports! Also, I was at Ottawa ComicCon on the Sunday and went through the artists' side so am now trying to wrack my brain and see if I remember seeing you there I was trying to wrangle a 3 yo and 6 yo in superhero capes, so admit I may have been slightly distracted...

If you had a chance to wander at ComicCon, did you see the purses with the removable flap? She had some gorgeous Alice in Wonderland ones that I am still eyeing...

 

[docsoliday1]

Lions, and Giraffes, and Banshees? Oh my!
Disney Day 5 - Part 2

Thanks so much for all the well-wishes and excitement for our new August trip plans! Obviously we're very excited about our February trip, which is coming up in just under three weeks, but I think I'm even more excited for August. We've got so many fun things on our To Do list for that one to make it really special, and I can't wait!​

Happy anniversary early! Glad y'all are able to go back for it!

I'm also realizing just how behind I'm getting in my trip reporting, if I intend to keep taking so many trips! I'm not sure I'll report on February, but even so, I've got lots of work to do! So I've made a difficult and horrific decision...I'm going to try not to bother editing a lot of my photos for the rest of this TR. Or when I do, I won't spend as much time on them. I'd much rather present them to you all in their best state, but for the sake of time while I'm also working on school and whatnot, they will probably be the thing that takes the hit. I know, you're all devastated.​

I'm not saying anything since it took me almost 3 months to finish my TR.

We decided after a short rest that we'd head out to another park that night. I'd been able to get FP+ for Flight of Passage, and for Rivers of Light, which were both still very new, just in case we came back from Discovery Cove early and wanted to use them. We only had a couple of chances on this trip to be able to do them both, so we decided to go. But before we did, we had a pitstop to make first...something we were very excited to be able to do at the Poly...

...get dole whip!!

​

Still trying to catch up and not commenting too much, but

YAY for dole whips!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Uh oh. How did this happen?

In other news: I'm on my way home from Orlando, and we'll be in Niagara (Ontario) this weekend. I took some notes at Disney, but I didn't get all that many pictures, and there weren't that many exciting things that happened...so I'm not sure how great of a trip report it'll be... but I'll probably write it anyway! Maybe that will at least mean that it will get written much more quickly than this one has! Well, I'm not really being fair. There were a few cool things that happened. And I'm actually thinking I might use that report to tell you about my solo Disney days, and also to post a few pictures throughout the rest of the summer of the places we visit for N's work. Then by the time we reach the near-end of summer, it'll be time for our 1st Anniversary Disney August Extravaganza Trip...and you know what that means....ANOTHER TRIP REPORT!

In the words of Scott Calvin: "I'm in biiiig trouble."​

 

[missangelalexis]

Hope you had a great time! I look forward to hearing about your time in orlando!!

 

[docsoliday1]

Uh oh. How did this happen?

In other news: I'm on my way home from Orlando, and we'll be in Niagara (Ontario) this weekend. I took some notes at Disney, but I didn't get all that many pictures, and there weren't that many exciting things that happened...so I'm not sure how great of a trip report it'll be... but I'll probably write it anyway! Maybe that will at least mean that it will get written much more quickly than this one has! Well, I'm not really being fair. There were a few cool things that happened. And I'm actually thinking I might use that report to tell you about my solo Disney days, and also to post a few pictures throughout the rest of the summer of the places we visit for N's work. Then by the time we reach the near-end of summer, it'll be time for our 1st Anniversary Disney August Extravaganza Trip...and you know what that means....ANOTHER TRIP REPORT!

In the words of Scott Calvin: "I'm in biiiig trouble."​

Wait a minute...I'm not caught up on this one yet and you're gonna start another.
I'm never gonna catch up.

 

[docsoliday1]

Awesome! Do they let current DVC owners take the tour? Sign me up!

Yes and you get the FPs, but not eligible for the gift card.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I’m in for more TR’s from you!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Your pictures from your solo days were so cute! I'm looking forward to my solo time next weekend too!!

 

[docsoliday1]

​

Yeah, rapunzel keep thinking he likes your hair...He loves me and likes me better with short hair. HA!

​

And I didn't realize this, but they deck the cars out out for special occasions such as ours...

​

I had no idea they did that...pretty cool!

​

​

N: Yes, I could do a paining of you, but since we're at Disney, it would cost at least 4x as much as a regular painting.
Minnie: So true!

 

[pkondz]

Welll.... welcome back! (ish)

so I'm not sure how great of a trip report it'll be... but I'll probably write it anyway!

Yay!

In the words of Scott Calvin: "I'm in biiiig trouble."

 

[docsoliday1]

(I brought my own pure maple syrup in travel pouches so I wouldn't need to ask for it for my waffles all the time. #Canadianprobs)
​

I have been trying so hard to resist commenting since I can see the light at the end of the tunnel (page 41 of 56), but...
Do they have real maple syrup at most of these places and you just don't want to wait for them to get it?
Those travel packets are cool...how much do they cost? I'm sure it would be more for me since customs/international shipping/etc, but I might have to consider it since I'm a "must have real maple syrup" snob. #NotjustCanadianprobs ;)

​

EDIT: Just looked on Amazon and for 20 of those untapped packets, it's $36. Ouch!!

 

[docsoliday1]

N was just reading one of the updates on here, and he informed me that he had pictures of the taco piñata and the poop emoji mug from our visit to Walmart on our August trip! Apparently I took them on his phone and not mine! They're certainly not my best work, but here they are:

​

Only 2.96 and you didn't get one?

 

[buzzrelly]

Uh oh. How did this happen?

Holy moly! That must be a record!

I loved following your trip on Facebook! Can't wait to read all the details!

 

[amalone1013]

Then I found that our cat (who, bless her heart, has a ridiculously slow metabolism and has put on too many pounds...I can relate! ) ...anyway, she hasn't been able to groom herself properly and had become totally matted. It happened so quickly that we didn't even notice it until it was too late (the vet says it happens super fast with kitties as soft and thickly under-coated as she is!) and we had to take her in to get her shaved and put on a diet. Poor little monster.

This is our cats, except we can't put them on a diet because they're outside so we can't monitor/limit food... One has always been really bad, and the other just recently got pretty chunky. I'm going to be cutting out mats this weekend... It happens so fast!

Many of the rides at Busch are too intense for me to be able to ride (or they're at the other extreme and geared for small kids), so I was encouraging N to ride some things without me, while I enjoyed other parts of the park like the shows and the many animal exhibits.

Busch looks pretty neat! Zack's been wanting to go lately. I worry that many rides will be too intense for me simply because I am a giant wimp

I was probably eating all kinds of toxins after the bun had been warmed up inside the plastic...but I'm not allergic to microwaved plastic as long as it's gluten free, so whatevs!

You don't know how amazing it felt to eat REAL VEGETABLES at a theme park when I wasn't feeling well and needed real food.

I thought the only vegetables allowed at theme parks were french fries

It was an indoor ice dance show, with probably about 10-12 skaters, doing cool choreography to popular radio tunes. And let me say...it blew us away!! It was AMAZING! (There was also this gorgeous super-talented skater with long dark hair who was a featured soloist in several numbers, and wore this awesome, bright, hot pink costume, and I was totally smitten with her, and had to remind myself that I was now already married to a wonderful partner and was no longer available to court beautiful skating show stars. Fortunately, I think N was probably also a little in love with her, too, so he didn't judge me. ) But yeah. Turn It Up. 10/10 would recommend.

then also sent him on the monster I remember refusing to ride with my mom and step-sister as a child: Montu. It's a coaster with an overhead track where your feet hang, and it's pretty long and has 7 loops.

This is like my worst nightmare. I hate when my feet hang! I clench my legs up under the seat on those coasters...

the Disney movie, "Ice Princess,"

I had to try and google... was she the punk-y one? I forgot bout that movie!

I love it! You're much braver than I am. I was reading about some hair coloring company online the other day, and Zack was like oh are you going to color your hair? What color? Ummmm... just something to give my normal color a little more depth...

I did it!! I only got mildly swimmy, and actually kind of enjoyed the challenge! The biggest issue was that some of the boards are spaced pretty far apart, which can be an actual issue if your legs are as short as mine are. But I did it! I was almost across the bridge, when N called out to one of the CMs with a camera that they needed to get my picture with the crocs below me for the drama factor:

And such an awesome picture! The Trek looks amazing! Someday... though again, because I am a wimp, I would be afraid of the bridge for no good reason. Those boards are awfully far apart!

Another CM was there to discuss crocs with us...and N and I knew him!! If you happened to have read my very first trip report from our Christmas/Engagement trip (wow! That feels like so long ago now! My TRs have come a long way...) then you may remember that we were given a "magical moment" on that trip where we were offered a free private one-hour safari tour with two of the trek guides, Becky and Davis. It was an amazingly special experience that we'll never forget, and it encouraged us to do Wild Africa Trek on our honeymoon. So when we got to the croc area, we were pleasantly surprised to see Davis there! We reminded him about that day eight months prior, and he remembered us well. It was so nice to reconnect with him again, and he promised to also say hello to Becky for us. If you're ever around AK and run into Davis from Georgia or Becky from Delaware, make sure to give them a big smile. They're cool folks.

I love that you ran into an old CM pal!

There was fruit, yogurt, charcuterie meats, a salmon/cream cheese type roulade, little flatbreads, and this fig bread/cookie/loaf/thing. Mine was gluten and dairy free, so it contained most of the same things, but it had a quinoa salad, something else (maybe a kale/herb salad of some kind? or maybe a GF pastry or something? not sure...), and no yogurt or salmon, and none of the little flatbreads. Everything was beautiful and fresh, and even the flower was edible.

I would also be afraid of the snack on the Trek. I'm so terribly picky/unadventurous!

Earlier in the tour, Jason had mentioned how giraffes are really cool to watch when they run because they have the most interesting drunken-style gait. We got to see it in action multiple times, as the entire tower of giraffes loped across the savannah! It's one of my favourite Disney memories. One of the guides caught a few of them on camera for us.

Cool!

When the show began, it was quickly evident to me that many of the cast veterans (whom I now recognize instantly) had been replaced or weren't appearing on this day. (When I started writing my Marathon Weekend TR, I did some extreme Googling—a favourite pastime of mine—and found that there had been a ginormous audition casting call for nearly every role in the show a while before, and I suspected they were dealing with many performers who were new to the show.) While the cast I saw wasn't as blatantly bad as reports I'd read had suggested, they were definitely really "off," and I was highly disappointed by all of the new actors, with the exceptions of Nemo and Crush.

Maybe this was our problem, it would explain so much. We finished the show and were kind of like, hmmm... not that great. I'd also read not great reviews on here too beforehand.

I really want to try these. Maybe this Fall...

All that was forgotten, however, when our appetizer arrived...we ordered the bread service! (Duh! You can't go to Sanaa and NOT order the bread service!) It came with five naan breads, and they offer a gluten free option, so I got two GF, and N got the rest in an assortment of their regular types of naan. We also ordered all nine accompaniments. Let me just say: bread service here is a big win. All the yes.

BREAD SERVICE!!! <-- My response I'm obsessed with trying this.

When we got to the turnstiles, again I was surprised to see that the Annual Passholder entrance had a line when none of the other stations did. I really don't understand why people do this.

I really enjoy this ride. It's peaceful and really beautiful. I know it's not the most thrilling ride, but as someone who has motion sickness I like that I have this as an option in Pandora. That said, I'd never spend much of my time waiting in line for it, nor do I consider it a Must Do.

Same... I'd recommend go early right at park open to people, but don't wait 60+ minutes for it. To Zack, though, everything is a must do...

I took some pictures of the show, which I'll post here now. But to sum up my feelings: I think Rivers of Light is very pretty, and I really enjoyed it. I like that Animal Kingdom has a night show now that I feel really matches the dynamic of the park. I do think it's a bit confusing and lacking in story. I have seen it again since, and still feel this way. I start to lose attention about halfway through. I will happily watch this show again, but I wouldn't feel pressured to make sure not to miss it, or to wait for it for a long time to have the best seats. I also think the images on the water screens aren't very clear, even compared to Fantasmic. But I enjoyed the show and thought that some of the effects are really lovely.

I thought the floats were beautiful, but I got no storyline. I don't get it.

I love that they put Bambi and Meeko on the tiles. They feel mostly forgotten anymore!

 

[docsoliday1]

I just want to pop in here and apologize for my continued absence. Every once in a while, a few times in our lives, we all will likely go through shattering things that completely turn our lives upside down. One of my moments like this has just happened very recently. Fortunately, all of the people I love and cherish most are all healthy and safe. This is the most important thing, and for that, I'm grateful. But beyond this, life has taken a nasty turn, and it will take some time and a lot of work to get back to something that feels close to normal. I have no idea how much Dis-ing will take place for me in the near future. I may spend time here and find it therapeutic, or I may find myself being pulled away for some time. This is also why I'm behind on a lot of your lovely TRs! I will be catching up and reading, and "liking," but I don't think I'll have it in me to do too much commenting. Be patient, and I'm sure the rest of this TR will get completed in time. In the meantime, I'm thankful to you for all of your continued stories, comments, and friendship!

If anyone is wondering what might be helpful for me at this time... of course, as in any tough time, I probably wouldn't say no to any cute pictures or gifs that you'd like to provide on this thread. ​

Was going to press the like button, but I can't say I "like" to hear this.

I know I'm still behind, but getting closer to caught up. I saw your latest post so I know things are better, but hopefully whatever it was, you've healed/recovered.

 

[docsoliday1]

A

The ride doesn't even have to be GOING and I lose stuff. (ie a phone on TT)

Or your camera in random cars everywhere?