It's kind of fun to do the impossible - 32 days of fun and friends - updated December 29

[dizneeat]

This looks delicious

Mac and cheese are not a staple where we live, and we have tried them a few times in the US and these were really yummy.

We've done this as well. No noe likes a leaning landmark lol

I don't know why they cannot get it to work on all the screens. What a letdown if you only have that one go and all the sights are leaning to one side.

Beautiful! We love touring the resorts on the monorail for the beautiful lobby's and great shops

They are all so beautiful and there is so much to see, even if you have been there before. We just love to walk around and soak it all in.

Merry Christmas, Karin and Tom!!

Merry Christmas to the both of you too!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 4, August 11

The perfect way to play at the Magic Kingdom - Part 2

Once we got off the ride, we had just a few minutes until our next fast pass was going to open, so we strolled towards the exit into the blistering heat again and then stopped into MouseGear to have a look around and cool off before heading over to Mission Space.

Soon we had picked up our orange tickets, scanned our fast passes and found ourselves assigned a row and off we went to adventure. Tom and I love that ride and the sensation of being blast off into space, but soon enough the ride was over and we found ourselves on the way out of the building.

But not without a stop in the shop to try some of their headgear. Once we had made it outside we checked if we could get another fast pass and decided on picking one up for the “Finding Nemo” ride. Again we crossed the park, stopping at MouseGear to cool down a bit and since we had time to spare and Pamela loves that ride, we headed over to Figment.

As always there was no line and we walked right through, were seated right away and off we went. Soon enough we found ourselves getting off again and since we still had time we headed up to the DVC lounge for some drinks and relaxation. We were warned that it was full and it looked pretty full, but we were able to find seating right away

and Tom went to get some drinks, while Pamela and I chatted away. We sat there for quite a bit of time and after some time they were handing out snacks and we all got some and were munching away and enjoying our drinks until we had a rude awakening. While having fun we had lost track of time and we were now told that it was 6pm and the lounge was closing and it was time to “get lost”. We were not the only ones surprised, but we packed up our stuff and headed out. There was still the “Nemo” fast pass, so we strolled over there, stopping for a few photopass pictures

and then scanning our fast passes and walking through the line, which was mostly empty. We were told to pick a clam mobile and off we went. It’s a cute little ride, but not one I would queue up for, for a long time. And within minutes we were off the ride again and looking around the store before we had to make our way back to our resort. We strolled towards the exit, stopped for some more photopass photos and then went over to the Monorail.

It was our lucky day, as we did not have to wait long for one to arrive and we all were on our way to the ticket and transportation centre where we changed for the resort monorail and got off at the Contemporary again. Pamela said her goodbyes for the day and we walked her to her car, before returning to our room for some downtime as we still had another event going on this evening.
Once we were back in the room it was time to shower and rest for a while and then we had just a few bites to eat, as we did not want to spoil our appetite, we would be able to snack our way through the evening.
Unfortunately by nine pm we were both tired and would the event not have been an expensive one, I guess we would have just called it a night. Instead we slowly walked over to the Magic Kingdom again for the Disney After Dark event, which was supposed to start at 10pm.
We arrived at the park at around 9.30 when the masses were already streaming out of the park, but it was still crowded. Since we didn’t know what to expect and parties had been way more crowded than we had anticipated lately we agreed on giving it a try and to leave if we felt we were too tired or it was too crowded. When we entered the park we were given lanyards and little leaflets and off we went fighting the crowds up Main Street.
We then decided to walk through the shops again, but they were crowded too.
Once we made it to the hub we headed towards Tomorrowland, knowing that there was a ride that is always peaceful and usually without a line, the Peoplemover. First ride of the evening

and it was as fun as always. Once our ride was coming to an end we asked if we could go around again and we were told that we absolutely could do that, so off we went on another round,

giving the crowds time to subside.

Once our second ride was over we were now into the After Hours.

We got off the Peoplemover and saw that Buzz Lightyear had just a five minute wait. We don’t usually ride Buzz as I definitely suck at it and it’s not Tom’s favourite ride either, but with that kind of wait, why not. We headed inside and were amazed. The whole waiting area was completely empty.

Only when we had made it to the front, where Buzz is, did we see someone come in again. So on we went and we did our best, but neither of us made it to Galactic Hero.

Once we were off the ride, we thought about where we were going to next and it was such a surprise to see Tomorrowland so empty.
There were just a few people walking around, about how we remembered it to be in the early years of “E-ride nights”. We didn’t want to ride Space Mountain, as our backs do no longer agree with it, so we headed towards Fantasyland.

And on the way we encountered a line.

Well, a line for the snacks that were included with admission.

Needless to say that we needed to join the line and soon were served. We both had a

Mickey Bar and a bottle of water to wash it down. Thankfully there were benches around, so we sat down, nibbling on our Mickey Bars and watched the ice-cream stand being raided. As soon as we had finished our treats we wandered off further towards Fantasyland and decided to hop on Dumbo.
We were able to get on the very next ride

and I think about half of the Dumbos were empty while we rode.

Since we were already in the area we strolled down to the Barnstormer, which we had only ridden once during a tour, but we thought that today was the best time to ride it again. So we walked towards it with no one ahead of us, walked through the line,

past the smiling cast members and got on the ride. It is such a short ride and we were back in no time and the cast members told everyone to stay on board if they wanted to and no one wanted to get in your seat. No problem, we stayed on for a second round. We were offered another round, but got off, as we had a few more rides we wanted to get on.

To be continued .....​

 

[dizneeat]

Day 4, August 11

The perfect way to play at the Magic Kingdom - Part 3

We were offered another round, but got off, as we had a few more rides we wanted to get on.
So we walked back and towards the Little Mermaid ride. Again, we thought why not as it said five minutes.

And we were off the ride again five minutes later is we had been able to just walk on, sit down, ride and off we went again. The walkway towards Gaston’s Tavern was empty and dark and so peaceful.

You could hear the fun and laughter from the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and this was where we were heading next. The sign said 15 minute wait, but we got in line anyway. We walked and walked though the line until we came to the barrels that you can spin and from there on we got into some kind of a line, which moved constantly until we got to the ride vehicle itself. There we were told which row to get into and within a minute or two we sat down and off we went to visit the dwarfs at work.

It’s such a fun ride and when we got off we thought about getting in line again, but a peek at our watches let us decide against it. We were already into the second hour of the event and we wanted to get on as many rides as possible.
But we were thirsty, so we headed to the Friar’s Nook and got ourselves another free snack, this time we had

a bottle of Diet Coke, a Frozen Banana and an Olaf Frozen Lemonade bar.
They were yummy and the Coke was cold and nice. After we had finished our treats we made our way over to Peter Pan. Again, it said 15 minutes, but we could see people just walking along and getting on. So we joined them,

walked around and with very little wait we got onto our little sailing boat and off we went to fly above London. Getting on so many rides in that short amount of time, as the event was just 3 hours long, was awesome. Gone was all the tiredness and all the thoughts of skipping it, we were so happy to be able to enjoy the event. But by now the second hour of the After Hours was nearly over, so we headed over to the Haunted Mansion

and were greeted by one of the “servants” and shown where to go. Again, the line was empty,

we walked right into the first room and soon found ourselves in the stretching room. It felt so different, not being squeezed in but having lots of room. No need to rush to the doombuggies as there were just a handful of people who wanted to go on the ride.
And even though we have been on the ride many many times, it felt different with most of the ride vehicles being empty.
When we got off we thought about going back to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but decided against it, as we still had to do the Adventureland rides.
We walked through the walkway over to where the treehouse is and had a look if the Jungle Cruise was running, but it was closed and with the time ticking, we decided to give the Flying Carpets a miss and head to Pirates of the Caribbean instead.
Since there were so little people we only shared the boat with one other couple.
They didn’t even care to assign you a row, it was kind of pick where you want to sit.
It was nice to sit and enjoy the ride, but again, it is not a short ride and there was one more ride we wanted to get on.
So after we got off the boat we headed over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. People were trickling into line, but not too many.
We still had about 20 minutes left and were hoping to ride it maybe twice. So once we got to where they assign you a row we noticed that they were only loading on one side. We wanted to ask for the back of the train and we were lucky as there was no one, so we headed right for the last row. Didn’t take long and we were waving goodbye to the cast members and went on the wildest ride in the Wilderness.
Somehow it always feels as if the ride is much faster during night hours and this was no exception.
We felt like going a hundred miles an hour and we laughed a lot until we got back to the loading station. Now on the other side there were a few cast members who just said, “If you wanna ride again, stay in your seat”. The few ones who had already hopped out of the train, hopped right back in and with a lot of clapping we whisked away on another ride around the mountain.
How awesome was that.
When we got off it was about five to one and we were sure it was time to leave until we got to the entrance of the ride, where there were cast members who urged everyone to get in line again as the ride would close in just a few more minutes.

We looked at each other and even though the long day started to get to us it only took us a split second to take them up on the offer and get in line again. This time everyone was hurrying and we got in the furthest open line at the back, sat down, pulled down the safety bar and off we went.
We were pretty sure they would make us get off when we pulled back in, but no, we were sent out on one last ride for the night.
It was just so unbelievable and so much fun.
Everyone thanked the cast members when we got off and it was now past 1pm and the After Hours had officially ended. We just strolled over to the Pirates ride and towards the Magic Carpets and there was one of the popcorn carts, still handing out popcorn. He still had quite a lot in the cart and since people were still lining up we thought we might need a snack on the way out as well. Didn’t take long and I was handed a box of fresh popcorn and Tom had asked for some water. The cast member handed him two, as I might get thirsty as well. After a few steps we remembered that we had a small plastic bag that I had brought for my camera and our phones in case it would start to rain and it was just big enough to hold the two bottles.
I was munching popcorn all the way down Main Street and once we got to the Town Square there were some cast members still handing out Mickey Bars. Well, you cannot say no to a free Mickey Bar, can you?
So we both took one and then very slowly we walked back to Bay Lake Tower.
And once we had made it to our room we realized how tired we were.

It had been a long day and we were ready to fall into bed, which we did not long after.

To be continued .....​

 

[Lesley Wake]

Since we were already in the area we strolled down to the Barnstormer, which we had only ridden once during a tour, but we thought that today was the best time to ride it again. So we walked towards it with no one ahead of us, walked through the line,

past the smiling cast members and got on the ride. It is such a short ride and we were back in no time and the cast members told everyone to stay on board if they wanted to and no one wanted to get in your seat. No problem, we stayed on for a second round. We were offered another round, but got off, as we had a few more rides we wanted to get on.

I feel like this is the best way to experience Barnstormer! It is such a short coaster, that riding it twice in a row makes it feel longer!

 

[franandaj]

The After Hours event sounds like a lot of fun to get on a whole bunch of rides without much wait at all! And all those treats! I would have been in a sugar coma though!

 

[dizneeat]

I feel like this is the best way to experience Barnstormer! It is such a short coaster, that riding it twice in a row makes it feel longer!

Since we travel without kids we have only ridden it on two occasions. First time during a tour and we got to ride twice without getting off and now during the After Hours. And you are completely right, it is so short you kind of need to ride it twice to really enjoy it.

The After Hours event sounds like a lot of fun to get on a whole bunch of rides without much wait at all!

The MK was empty. In places it felt as if we were the only people there. So worth the money as everything was a walk on. And apart from the Jungle Cruise I think everything else was open. It was money VERY well spent.

And all those treats! I would have been in a sugar coma though!

Lots of treats around and we were stuffing ourselves. Especially since for once it was "cool" enough to enjoy a Mickey Bar as a slow eater. And the juice bar was super yummy. Only lines that night were for the treats.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

It sounds as if you definitely had a great time at the after hours event. Short or no lines is a win for sure.

 

[jenseib]

The After Hours sounds amazing!!! I would love to do it someday. They never seem to be happening when I have been there lately or just night going to work with our plans. I will have to make an effort!

 

[wdwnut61]

How great to have a place to sit, cool down and relax.

and it was as fun as always. Once our ride was coming to an end we asked if we could go around again and we were told that we absolutely could do that, so off we went on another round,

Love the People Mover glad you got to ride again.

YUM it isn't a Disney trip without at least one Mickey Bar

We looked at each other and even though the long day started to get to us it only took us a split second to take them up on the offer and get in line again. This time everyone was hurrying and we got in the furthest open line at the back, sat down, pulled down the safety bar and off we went.
We were pretty sure they would make us get off when we pulled back in, but no, we were sent out on one last ride for the night.
It was just so unbelievable and so much fun.

How cool its such a fun ride in the dark.

Well, you cannot say no to a free Mickey Bar, can you?

Nope
Sounds like DAK is a lot of fun.

 

[dizneeat]

To all of our friends here on the DISboards

 

[jedijill]

Playing catch up again! Hope you and Tom had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! I am going to check out the After Hours event....sounds wonderful compared to the parties!

Jill in CO

 

[dizneeat]

Can't believe it's been more than 6 months since I last updated here!

I am in the process of wrapping up 2017's TR, which got extended by Hurricane Irma (for those who are not following it) and we have lots of new plans to share for this year's vacation.
School has finally ended and I am trying hard to catch up on as much as I can here, but we are leaving again in 33 days ......

So, let me get this TR going again and let's see how far I get until we head back to the US!

 

[jedijill]

It makes me so happy to see all these updates!

Jill in CO

 

[dizneeat]

Day 5, August 12

So much food, so little time - Part 1

For the first time this vacation we were both able to sleep in.
And after we woke up we still stayed in bed and watched a little TV.
Around 9am we got up, showered and then got ready for Brunch at the Top. Thankfully we didn’t have to travel far, we just had to cross the skyway bridge and go down one level.

We arrived at the check-in desk about 10 minutes prior to our 10am reservation and were told that we had to wait, as California Grill was not open yet. Promptly at 10am we were asked over to the elevator and taken up to the restaurant.
And within a minute we were seated towards the back of the restaurant at one of the smaller tables that are along a long bench.

It didn’t take more than a minute for a server to come to our table, introduce himself, ask for allergies and if we had dined or had had Brunch at the Top before.
We let him know that we had dined at the California Grill many a times and that it was not our first time for brunch either. With that in mind he handed us the menus and went to get us some drinks.
We studied the menu, even though we kind of knew what we wanted.
The server returned with some water and some

Prosecco with some kind of pearls in it and then went to get Tom some coffee and some tea for me.

He then took us on a tour of the buffet.
As I mentioned before we have been to that brunch before and we saw some old favourites and also some new intriguing dishes and they even had a crepe station.
And after I had taken some photos of all the goodies

we both picked up a plate and started filling it.
I had picked some of their

cured meats, some deviled eggs, which are to die for and a peach salad, which had looked intriguing and one of their

cheese rolls, a whole wheat croissant and a chocolate croissant.
Tom had some of the

cured meats as well as a lot of sushi, which he loves, and some soba noodle salad.
And then it was time to enjoy our yummy food.
Needless to say that we needed to go back for seconds. I picked some more

sausage, some blue cheese, some of the soba noodle salad, which was nice but not nice enough for seconds and quite a lot of the

peach salad which was so delicious and another deviled egg. Tom got more of the

sushi and I had talked him into getting some deviled eggs and the peach salad, as well as some bacon and egg salad.
The server came by a few times asking if we liked the food and to refill our glasses of water and to bring more Prosecco. We were very happy with what we had and even though I had been looking forward to their yogurt, granola and fresh fruit I had to pace myself as I knew there was lots more to come.

The server gave us some time after we had finished our buffet items and then went and brought over our items from the menu. We had been tempted to order a dish to share, but after two plates of food we were happy we had not, especially when we saw the size of our hot items.
Tom had ordered the

Grilled Hanger Steak, served with two sunny side up fried eggs, Chimichurri, Marble Potato Hash and Charred Red Onion while I had decided on an old favourite, the

Butter Poached Lobster Eggs Benedict, two soft-poached eggs, toasted English Muffin, Honey Ham topped with Classic Hollandaise.
We shared bites of both dishes and both were just so good.

We were getting pretty full while working on our main courses and there was no way we would be able to sample some of the crepes they offered or some of the yogurt concoctions. After we had finished our dishes we just sat there, sipping our drinks and then the server brought out our dessert platter, which had

cookies, macarons, chocolate bark and chocolate truffles.
I took some pictures of it and then we asked the server to box it up for us. With the box he brought over the bill, which we settled with our gift card and then, box in hand we took the elevator down to the Concourse, walked through the shops and finally headed back to our room.
By now it was close to 1am and we decided to have a break before we made any plans for the afternoon.
We lounged on the bed, watching a little TV and dozed off for a bit, but around 3pm we were ready to make up our mind about what to do with the rest of the afternoon. I had originally planned to try the pool at Bay Lake Tower, but it was so sweltering hot that it did not appeal to us.
And just in case I had made fast passes for the afternoon at Magic Kingdom as well, but there was something else that needed to be done.

We needed to do some shopping.
Tom wanted to look for some black trousers which he might or might not wear to Palo and I wanted to look for some capris or shorts as I hadn’t found what I had wanted at home and since I didn’t want to do laundry too often I needed some more to be able to change.
So after releasing the fast passes we got ready to head out and check out some shops. We went to an outlet and finally did find what we had come for, but it had taken quite some time.

When we returned to the resort we packed away our purchases and started to pack up our stuff before we got changed again and headed back over to the Contemporary for the second event of the day, Savor, Sip and Sparkle.

To be continued .....​

 

[dizneeat]

It makes me so happy to see all these updates!

Jill in CO

Getting older makes me SO much slower with whatever I try to do, so I am trying hard to get as many updates in as possible!

 

[jedijill]

CA Grill brunch is amazing! I need to do it again some of these days!

Jill in CO

 

[dizneeat]

CA Grill brunch is amazing! I need to do it again some of these days!

Jill in CO

You sure have to! It is awesome. You cannot beat the view and the food. Add impeccable service ..........

 

[wdwnut61]

Brunch at the Top.

We have this booked for Novemeber can't wait!

What a view

some deviled eggs, which are to die for

You got that right I LOVE deviled eggs

we decided to have a break before we made any plans for the afternoon.

After a meal like that you need to rest but so worth it.

 

[Sanda Thorne]

I love your trip reports. I just finished your other one and popped on over here!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

This makes me so excitied for our reservation in October! Looks delish!