I can't tell if we've landed...Spring Break 2018 with Grammy and the teens-UPDATE 9/30

[buzzrelly]

More BLT room pics...














Our plan was to kind of dump our stuff and head to DHS for the day. Originally, this was going to be a MK day with DHS the next, but I ended up flip-flopping it because the rumor was that they were closing fastpasses for TSM starting the next day, which was our original day to go. I don't even know if that came to fruition, but I think it did because I remember reading how a lot of people were frustrated they couldn't make a FP for TSM that following week.

Anyhow, our FP window was 11:15-12:15 so we really needed to get going. However, I ended up submitting an Amazon Prime Now order that morning while we were docked at PC and I got the text that it had been delivered. I told the family to go on ahead to DHS and I would wait for our groceries and then meet them there. I knew they'd be kind of pokey with Grammy and that I can get around fairly quickly when I want to.

Bell Services didn't take long with our groceries and he even brought our luggage all up at the same time. Of course, once he got there I remembered that our Owner's Locker was here too and that I needed to get that sent up as well. But the clock was ticking on our FP window too so I didn't know what to do. The nice man from Bell Services told me that he could bring it up for me later and just leave it in the room. What a relief. I was so thankful and gave him an extra tip since I wouldn't be around to tip when he came back.

I was very happy with APN and will definitely order from there again on future trips. Our order was complete and, for the most part, perfect, except there were a few cracked eggs. I'm not sure when that happened though and I could have called to get a replacement but since I didn't even notice until a couple days later, I didn't bother. I was the only one eating the eggs and I wouldn't have been able to finish them all anyway.

Okay, so now with all of our luggage and groceries there and with our OL on its way, it was time for me to skedaddle. I ended up downloading and using Uber for the first time ever and I got to DHS just in the knick of time. It may have been a minute or two past because my time stamp here is 12:18 and we had just tapped through-


The Uber cost $12.50 and was totally worth it, in this case. I would have loved to use a Minnie Van, but it was just me and totally not worth paying double for.

Coming up, our day at DHS, and my long-awaited for lunch at Pizzerizzo. Some of you may remember from reading my Halloween TR the this place was closed when I tried to go and I was so disappointed! Well, it definitely wasn't closed this time, and yet I was still disappointed. Find out why, coming up ​

 

[buzzrelly]

April 8, 2018
DHS-THE BEST PIZZA ON THE PLANET??


Ah, one of my very favorite pics from this trip. Can't you just feel the bliss and joy coming right up off the computer from them? They really ought to be featured in a WDW commercial, Amiright?!


No? Okay, then. Moving on…at least some of us were happy



Let's just blame it on the hunger/hanger. It was definitely getting to be lunch time and I knew exactly where I wanted to go:


I used to LOVE Pizza Planet and had been dying to try this place last October but it just wasn't in the stars then. They close weirdly early so we ended up at Rosie's All-American cafe where I got the most delicious Fried Green Tomato Sandwich.

I wasn't taking any chances this time and made it our lunch priority.




Nicholas got a pepperoni pizza, Allie got a cheese pizza, and DM and I split a pepperoni pizza and we each had our own salads because Allie doesn't eat it.

The verdict? Sadly, we should have gone back to Rosie's The pizza wasn't as good as I remember from PP, and the salad was just kind of icky…the croutons were stale and there was hardly any dressing. Just a disappointing meal all around and I will not be returning here anytime soon.

Right after lunch, we headed down Sunset Blvd to our next FP...







I kind of LOVE the theming of this ride, though I'm not a fan of drops. When Nicholas was 4, he went on this with his dad while I stayed and rocked Allie who had fallen asleep in her stroller. Once he got off, he was so excited and wanted to go again and said, "it's not scary mommy." Well, I thought, if a four year old isn't scared then it can't be too bad, right? WRONG! I was petrified and hated the whole thing! I was really nervous that Nicholas was so little and I kept thinking he was going to fly up and out of his seatbelt, there was just no way I could appreciate it.

Throughout the years, Nicholas loved it more and more, and eventually Allie loved it too. DM and I would sit near the gift shop and wait for them to get off. But as I got older and more into learning more about the parks and rides, I started toying with the idea of trying TOT again. Eventually, in 2015 I got back on and I LOVED it! I still don't love the dropping part so much, but I love everything else about it, though I have to have a death grip on my little seat handles



Since we were right there, we decided to use one of our extra fastpasses at RnRC. This is another ride that scares the pants off of me. I had never been on until a few years ago when Nicholas was mad at me for making him meet Woody and Buzz and they kind of embarrassed him about the little bit of facial hair he was getting at the time. Because I wanted him to stop being mad at me, I told him I'd go on RnRC with him. I've been on it a few times ever since, but if I'm by myself, or with just Mike (who doesn't do ANY roller coasters, not even 7DMT), then I wouldn't go. But the kids sometimes get me to say yes and go with them. Will this be one of those times? You'll have to wait and see



To be continued...


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[dnllmz]

Can't you just feel the bliss and joy coming right up off the computer from them? They really ought to be featured in a WDW commercial, Amiright?!

Lmao At least you can't see the eye rolls or death glares because the 3d glasses are blocking them.

The verdict? Sadly, we should have gone back to Rosie's

I struggle with HS QS dining. We haven't tried Rosie's. Backlot Express is okay if you are in the mood for Disney chicken nuggets. I do like getting the nuggets that come with Vader waffles. I'd rather skip the QS and either do a sit down like Sci-Fi or 50s OR hop on over to Epcot.

 

[dnllmz]

I've never ridden TOT or RnR. I've always stayed back with dd5 but this year she's riding TOT with her dad. My 8yo son refuses to go on it again so he'll go on RnR with me. If dd5 likes TOT then maybe I'll do standy with her. I really want to check out the theming.

 

[nat1234]

Ah, one of my very favorite pics from this trip. Can't you just feel the bliss and joy coming right up off the computer from them? They really ought to be featured in a WDW commercial, Amiright?!
​

​

This made me laugh. They would make the perfect WDW commercial, their happiness is just overwhelming. I also hold on to for dear life to those little handles when I ride Tower of Terror. I don't think I like feeling like I'm on a giant rubber band.

 

[paradesintherain]

Wow that room at BLT is so beautiful! So amazing to be able to watch the fireworks from your room!

Stinks that the pizza didn't live up to your expectations - it's been so long since I've eaten there!

 

[buzzrelly]

At least you can't see the eye rolls or death glares because the 3d glasses are blocking them.

And there's the silver lining

I've never ridden TOT or RnR. I've always stayed back with dd5 but this year she's riding TOT with her dad. My 8yo son refuses to go on it again so he'll go on RnR with me. If dd5 likes TOT then maybe I'll do standy with her. I really want to check out the theming.

RnRC is WAY more intense than TOT! The good part is that TOT has a nice chicken elevator up top so you can pretty much see everything except the actual ride. I've taken it myself a couple times

I also hold on to for dear life to those little handles when I ride Tower of Terror. I don't think I like feeling like I'm on a giant rubber band.

Ugh…I hate that feeling! And seriously, are those little handles REALLY keeping us from flying up and out of the seat? Not at all…but in my mind gripping them definitely helps!

Wow that room at BLT is so beautiful! So amazing to be able to watch the fireworks from your room!

It really was, and even better because it was so few points

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 8TH, CONTINUED
WALK THIS WAY



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Yup. Somehow, they got me on this again. Looks like everyone else in our car was having a good time, while I (once again) had a death grip on the handles and was forcing myself to keep my eyes open…at least for the picture. Then they closed and stayed closed for the whole rest of the ride. It's the ONLY way I can handle it

We survived and met back up with Grammy who had been waiting in the gift shop for us.

While walking towards Star Tours, I made them stop so I could take a picture of them in front of my favorite palm trees. I love the look and feel of old Hollywood and hope it never disappears from this park completely.






They look a little more excited to board Star Tours than they did on TSM...







Aw, no more GMR for us… we didn't even know that the last time would be our last time



I hope this will be a worthy replacement…



We saw Lord Vader heading into the Launch Bay and decided to follow him to see what was going on in there...





Continued in next post...​

 

[wdwnut61]

Love your room at Bay Lake
I love ToT probably my favorite ride and RnRC but Forbidden Journey made me so nauseous
I’m glad you were able to ride both
Your handmade signs in the van when you picked them up from school
Isn’t that one of the perks of having kids so we can embarrass them

 

[buzzrelly]

I love ToT probably my favorite ride and RnRC but Forbidden Journey made me so nauseous

Aw, such a bummer because it's a really awesome ride!

Isn’t that one of the perks of having kids so we can embarrass them

It's the gift that keeps on giving!

 

[buzzrelly]

APRIL 8TH CONTINUED
SAY GOOD-BYE TO HOLLYWOOD


There wasn't a whole lot going on in the Launch Bay. Nicholas was eyeing some full-size Stormtrooper outfit he wants to purchase someday…it's like hundreds and hundreds of dollars, so I told him he'd better have a good paying job!

Nobody felt like waiting in line to meet any of the characters in there, and we had pretty much done all we wanted to do in DHS (in about FOUR hours ), so we headed out of the park, with a few pics on the way out.





We were literally the only people at the bus stop, I wasn't even sure we were in the right place. This area is such a mess, it makes me almost sad to see the state it's in. Nicholas is a HUGE Star Wars fan. I like it well enough. I'm old enough that I saw all the originals in the theater when they first came out, but I'm a little leary of what Star Wars is going to do (is already doing!) to DHS, which was always my second favorite park, after MK. In it's current state, it's definitely dropped to fourth place and I just don't know that even when SW land is complete, it'll make that much of a difference to me. We used to Rope Drop DHS and stay until closing and would usually add on a second day there to do repeats. Anyway, I'll definitely give it a chance and I'm kind of excited to see Toy Story Land when that opens. As for SW Land, if it's at least as good as Diagon Alley (and I'm hopeful that it will be), then it will be cool and maybe I will enjoy it more than I think.





Anyway, when our bus came, we headed to Disney Springs to do a little shopping and because our lunch kind of stunk, we were already getting hungry. This was an easy choice for us…D-Luxe Burger, which I had been wanting to try.

I don't think I realized it was kind of a counter-service place, but when you go in, you wait in line to order and then they give you a tracking device and they bring the food to your table. They also gave us cups so we could get our own drinks.







It didn't take more than 15 minutes to get our food. Grammy, Nicholas and I all got burgers and Allie got chicken nuggets...



They were okay. I would eat here again in a pinch, but there are definitely better places I'd like to try in DS and honestly, I kind of missed our traditional, "Earl of Sandwich" meal so for a QS dinner, I'd probably go there instead.

I do like the new look of DS. This was the first time the kids and Grammy had seen it and they kind of liked it too.





Up next, more putzing around DS...
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[buzzrelly]

APRIL 8TH, PUTZING AROUND DISNEY SPRINGS


We poked around the stores in DS. I purchased my dated Christmas ornament in the Christmas shop, we got some chocolate covered rice krispy treats in Goofy's and I picked up some piggy soap for Allison's stocking while we were in Basin. I was eyeing the Dooney bags but I didn't end up getting one this trip. I have a few already, and while I LOVE the way they look, they are quite heavy to carry around so I never end up carrying them. I like the smaller one that I have, but it's just a hair too short for my wallet to fit in so I have to take everything out of my wallet and put it in loose….sigh. I'm sure I'll get another one someday when I come across one I just can't resist. But for now I'll just enjoy the ones I have.

I saw this sign in one of the shops and had to take a picture



We headed back to the bus stop by 8:40,



and were "HOME" by 9:20. It had been a long day and we were all pretty tired so we called it a night.



Up next, the Magic Kingdom from Rope-Drop, to Happily Ever After!
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[paradesintherain]

I love the look and feel of old Hollywood and hope it never disappears from this park completely.

Me too! I really think DHS has the best atmosphere

Aw, no more GMR for us… we didn't even know that the last time would be our last time

Same... wish I had known. Also wish this new ride used traditional Mickey rather than this new weirdly animated one

Anyway, when our bus came, we headed to Disney Springs

Oh yeah, the bus stop from DHS to Disney Springs is a crazy mess!

honestly, I kind of missed our traditional, "Earl of Sandwich" meal so for a QS dinner, I'd probably go there instead.

Really can't go wrong with Earl of Sandwich!

we got some chocolate covered rice krispy treats in Goofy's

These are THE BEST

 

[buzzrelly]

Also wish this new ride used traditional Mickey rather than this new weirdly animated one

I'm not crazy about that look either, but I'm hoping I'll like it more when the ride comes out

These are THE BEST

I know! I wish I didn't like them so much!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Your room likes really nice, we were above you in 7906 with a similar view, perfect for HEA, without all the crowds!

I use to love DHS and I agree it is not much now. I am excited to check out TSL this summer and eventually SWL.

Sorry Pizza Rizzo was not very good, we haven’t tried and not in a hurry to do so.

I like DS now except 1x a trip over there is usually enough for me.

 

[mamamelody2]

Joining in!

I agree with you about Pizzarizzo. I was excited to eat there last November, then so disappointed. Definitely the worst meal of our trip!

Also, enjoying the pics of your kids. My kids are of similar ages. I'm sure we'll get lots of pics of my 15 year old son looking just as excited and happy as your son! LOL. Teens. What are you gonna do?

 

[buzzrelly]

Your room likes really nice, we were above you in 7906 with a similar view, perfect for HEA, without all the crowds!

Yea, I don't have it in me to fight the crowds more than once to watch HEA…the rest of our trip we watched from our room

Sorry Pizza Rizzo was not very good, we haven’t tried and not in a hurry to do so.

Honestly, I was probably the only person who actually liked Pizza Planet when it was open so I didn't really expect much anyway. Now I know I'll just head back to that Rosie's for the FGT sandwich, which was wonderful last year!

Joining in!

I agree with you about Pizzarizzo. I was excited to eat there last November, then so disappointed. Definitely the worst meal of our trip!

Also, enjoying the pics of your kids. My kids are of similar ages. I'm sure we'll get lots of pics of my 15 year old son looking just as excited and happy as your son! LOL. Teens. What are you gonna do?

Yes, the teens are super fun, aren't they? Actually, when they aren't being all moody and brooding, they can be quite fun, but the stars have to align JUST so!

 

[ariane37]

We find the crowds very manageable, but I guess it depends on when your break is. We were lucky enough that ours fell the week after the week after Easter so crowds were dying down.

Yeah, try going the week BEFORE Easter You were definitely lucky, my friend lol

The guy was super nice and asked if we get 3 fastpasses, or 3 fastpasses/day for 3 days. I was like, "Sure! That'll work too!" and that's what he gave us. Nothing wrong with a little fastpass pixie dust to start out your vacation

Awesome!

We could literally watch the fireworks from our room every night without using a hefty amount of points to do so.

It's always so great to have a fireworks view!!

Ah, one of my very favorite pics from this trip. Can't you just feel the bliss and joy coming right up off the computer from them? They really ought to be featured in a WDW commercial, Amiright?!

Wait.......did Chris tell them to pose that way? It's like he promised them $$ if they would look pissed and miserable

The pizza wasn't as good as I remember from PP, and the salad was just kind of icky…the croutons were stale and there was hardly any dressing. Just a disappointing meal all around and I will not be returning here anytime soon.

We ate at Pizza Planet WAY back when the kids were really small. I don't remember it being out of this world delicious but it was edible at least. I haven't had the desire to try PizzaRizzo and.........I don't now, either

"it's not scary mommy." Well, I thought, if a four year old isn't scared then it can't be too bad, right? WRONG! I was petrified and hated the whole thing!

love the look and feel of old Hollywood and hope it never disappears from this park completely.

Same here, I already don't like how much of Old Hollywood they've taken away

 

[buzzrelly]

Yeah, try going the week BEFORE Easter You were definitely lucky, my friend lol

I know, I think your crowds were way worse. We've been lucky most years with the timing of our Spring Break and Easter. Our SB is usually the second week of April, so even next year if we weren't going on the cruise, we would have been safe since Easter falls on April 21, 2019. And since I'm a nut job and I am already planning years in advance, in 2020, Easter will fall squarely in our week and mess us up completely. I'm going to have to figure out what we're going to do that year because I really don't want to be there on Easter or the week right after.

Wait.......did Chris tell them to pose that way? It's like he promised them $$ if they would look pissed and miserable

Yes, your Chris could definitely give my two a run for their money!

 

[buzzrelly]

MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018
READY TO BEGIN


Nicholas and I were up early and ready to get going but the two slow pokes, Grammy and Allie, were kind of dragging and moving at their own, snail's pace. So after eating a little breakfast, Nicholas and I decided to head to the MK and told them to take their time and we could meet them there.





Nicholas was in an unusually good this morning, even offering to take the mom selfies




Obviously, we were excited to get there so we took the fastest way possible…



and were walking right down the middle of Main Street by 8:30am.


We had plenty of time for more mom-selfies in front of the castle




Nicholas hadn't seen the new opening show at the castle, so we stop against the railing and watched. It's cute, and it's nice to not have the mad dash through the train station, but I still liked the old show better.

We positioned ourselves so that we could head straight for our first ride...




(Edited to add in this video clip)

Space Mountain! We both love this and hadn't been on for too long…Nicholas hasn't been there in a couple years and Mike won't ride it so when I went with him last October I didn't go on


We were ready to board by 9:11...



Continued in next post...​