Just the two of us! Feb 2020 8 days at AKL (updated 7/3 - SDD at night and Oga's!)

[Mollygirl21]

Looks great and it's wonderful to read about something other than the pandemic and closures. Thank you!

Thank you!

 

[Mollygirl21]

Monday Feb 10 - DHS then Epcot then DHS then Epcot

We wanted to try RoTR again without the long delay so we got up early and made our way to the bus stop at 6:45am. There was a huge crowd waiting for the bus and the sign (and MDE app) did not show that one was arriving. We know we can’t rely on the sign so we gave it 15 mins and watched the crowd build and grumbling increase. At 7:02, we pulled the plug and ordered a Lyft.

Here's what we found at the entrance when we arrived 22 minutes later:




So glad we used Lyft - we later heard the bus took 50 mins that morning. And while waiting, 5 busses arrived for AK which didn’t even open until 9!

Back to our HS arrival - the same as a few days earlier, bag check and getting through the gates was easy. We were tapping in at 7:45!



We decided to join the rope drop crowd today so headed toward GE. For anyone wondering, there is great signage to tell you where to go to rope drop the big attractions

We ended up kind of in front of Baseline Tap House with a few hundred folks between us and the entrance to SWGE. Here's the craziness at 7:51:



At 8am, DH and I tried for BGs and, once again, my phone did not show a red button until it was into the backup groups but DH snagged BG53!

A couple behind us was sad because they didn’t get one - I asked if their button didn’t light up? and they said it did and they got to the point where they select who is going with them and their two friends weren’t in the park yet so they couldn’t get past that screen. I told them they should have gone ahead without them! But they said they didn’t want to do that (smh) so they missed out completely.


The crowd started moving into GE and we followed along with a plan to ride MFSR. It was a bit confusing when we got into the land but we figured out where to go and joined the line snaking its way through the park to get to the Falcon. And snake it did - back and forth, around and through, up to the border of TSL, around a planter, through some more hoops, around the MF a couple of times, and then in the door. Kidding but some of that is true - it was a huge line but it moved continuously and didn’t seem like much of a wait at all. We boarded the ride at 8:56am.



The first time we did MFSR a couple days earlier, we were gunners so we nicely asked if we could be pilots this time which the CM was happy to do for us. I got the left to right pilot and DH was up and down.





I will say this - I am terrible at video games and this is one big video game so I was a terrible pilot! I made MFSR a thrill ride! We were back and forth, side to side so much, even I started feeling a little seasick . But it was fun .

I've read many complaints from guests who were disappointed they didn't get to be pilots the first time but I’m actually glad we were gunners the first time we rode - being pilots is busy and high pressure plus you are so close to the screen that it’s hard to take it all in.

Off to TSL, we used mobile order for food at Woody’s lunch box since we hadn’t had breakfast yet. DH had the s’mores sandwich with tater tots and I had the banana split yogurt parfait. The yogurt parfait for the win! It was delicious with bananas, strawberries, and chocolate mixed in with the yogurt plus granola.





We had an anytime FP for TSM so we went there next. The standby line was closed and the FP line was out into the walkway and then went all through the building, even using some of the standby line area.



I have no idea what was going on but there were CMs along the way giving us updates on the time left to wait and keeping spirits up. The CM on the microphone tried to start a sing-a-long but he was terrible and the crowd wasn’t biting. There were lots of groans when he attempted Let it Go


It was kind of nice going through the queue at a slower pace, there is so much to see and since we usually FP the ride, we don’t usually get to see much of it.

You know how you usually go up a ramp, then up some stairs and back down some stairs to board? we didn’t do that - we went in a back way to a different loading area and I loved the details in here!






So maybe this is the second track? And the other track wasn’t running? Either way, I enjoyed our time in the line and we used it to look up some tips for high scores. I still bombed but I love this attraction. I have fun trying (not like Buzz which just frustrates me!). DH got best in vehicle with a score of 200,600.

Next up, another FP for ToT for me while DH relaxed in the shade. When I joined him again, we did some shopping and picked up a Forky toy for DS.


cont'd (ran out of space for pics)

 

[Mollygirl21]

more from our day at HS:

It was time for lunch and we decided to try to get a seat at the bar at the Tune In Lounge at Prime Time Cafe. We ate at the restaurant the last time we were at Disney and I just loved the theming in this place! It's one of my favorite spots - reminds me of my grandmother's house



We ordered a couple of beers and sat in the living room while waiting for two seats at the bar and it didn’t take long (about half a beer).



We sat at the furthest end of the bar and Julie was the bar tender who was taking care of us as well as orders coming in from the tables. She was hilarious with a capital H. She was run off her feet and had the biggest smile about it - I hope she doesn't mind me posting her picture, she was awesome.






We ordered the sampler to share with meatloaf, fried chicken, pot roast, green beans, and mashed potatoes.



It was amazing. I don’t know which was my favourite on that plate but I wish we had each ordered our own! The portions are smaller than I remember from 3 years ago - when the plate arrived, I thought the kitchen had already split our order in two. We devoured it along with another beer and enjoyed the very entertaining Julie.





Soon after, our BG was called. This was promising after the long wait it took to be called the other day. When we arrived at the queue, we were relieved to find the outdoor part empty and we headed straight inside. We moved continuously and arrived at the start very quickly. Without giving any spoilers, we made it through the first 3 sections and were in the hall waiting to board a ride vehicle when they said our interrogations had been cancelled and we would be returned to our planet without further questioning. Translation: the ride was down and we were being evacuated.





Everyone was given a FP to return later that day so it wasn’t all bad - we didn’t mind at all because it meant we could do those first few sections again without any wait!

It was about 1:15 and we were done with HS for now so we jumped on the Skyliner to go to Epcot. Our plan was to start in Mexico and go around World Showcase, sampling food and drinks as we went. I'll tell you all about it next time!

 

[Mollygirl21]

When we left off, we had just finsihed up at HS and were heading to Epcot for some snacks and drinks...

First stop was Le Tequila del Cava




where I had the avocado margarita after reading such good things on here about it. DH had the Maelstrom margarita.



We took our drinks outside and ordered empanadas from Choza de Margarita then found some shade to eat and drink.






The empanadas were delicious and my margarita was good... at first. But it soon started to separate and got warm very quickly and then wasn’t so good. It actually upset my belly a little and I regretted it a bit .

In Norway, we took a quick pass through the Gods of the Vikings exhibit



and took the obligatory picture with the troll before moving on to China. I really love the room with the domed ceiling - so pretty and so cool to hear the acoustics in there.



We watched the movie about China and then picked up a quick bite to eat at the Lotus Blossom Cafe - we just wanted a snack so we shared a kids meal and two egg rolls. It was just ok.

Next, I wanted to try a drink I had read about on here - Tipsy Ducks in Love - from the little spot just outside the China pavilion.



It was a delicious mocha drink which I only ended up getting one sip of since I was still q bit queasy from the avocado margarita. If we’d had time and energy, I would have gone back for another later, it was so good .



A little pop up shop caught my eye next to China - Sugarboo & Co. They had some really cute things and I loved this wooden sign but it was a little big for the flight home.



She said they ship anywhere in the US for free but not to Canada so I passed. But I did pick up a cute bag, a heart shaped rock for DS, and a book of postcards that I plan to frame.



Next up: Germany and my first purchase ever from Karamel Kuche!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Just started reading your TR!
What a great day you had at AK!
How long was the DVC your? The 4 FPs including FoP must have been nice!!!
Looking forward to the rest of your trip!

 

[Mollygirl21]

Just started reading your TR!
What a great day you had at AK!
How long was the DVC your? The 4 FPs including FoP must have been nice!!!
Looking forward to the rest of your trip!

Thanks!

I believe our DVC appt was booked for 8:30 and we were done and on our way at 10:30. The time would depend on how many questions you have but it went very quickly and there was no pressure whatsoever. The FPs were wonderful - it took a bit to manage them because the "anytime" FPs seemed to confuse MDE so we had to really pay attention to which one it took and spent a little time at guest services straightening them out a couple of times.

 

[Mollygirl21]

We left off part way through our tour around World Showcase, heading to try some caramel treats


Off to Germany and Karamel Kuche! We skipped this last trip because the line was so long but I was determined to wait no matter how long this time! As it turned out, the line was very short - only 4 people in front of me . Hardly enough time to make up my mind! So many choices...









I ended up with the pecan butter square and DH had the sea salt chocolate caramel square. They were both so so very good. We couldn’t finish them all at once though, it was just too much caramel so we saved some for later.

While I was picking out caramel treats, DH had also picked up a giant pretzel for us to munch on.





I’m not a big pretzel fan but had a couple of bites. Either it didn’t come with a dipping sauce or DH didn’t notice it but it was huge and dry. The caramel was better.

As we walked to Italy, DH heard the drums in the distance in Japan (his favourite) so decided to run over there to see if he could catch the show while I wandered Italy. He made it just as they finished their last set of the day. He met me back in Italy and soothed himself with an espresso martini from Tutto Gusto.





It was good but not as good as the Tipsy Ducks in Love and was only a very small drink in a very full cup of ice.



Moving on to the American Pavillion - I thought the new bbq place was opening that week but there was still lots of construction going on.



We had now covered all of WS that we didn’t cover earlier in the trip so we headed back to HS

Up next: Back to HS for ROTR, Oga's, and Star Tours!

 

[Mollygirl21]

our Epcot/HS day cont'd:

Done with WS for now, we headed back to HS on the Skyliner to use our FP for RoTR and we also had a Star Tours FP and a SDD FP which I had intentionally made for late in the day so we could ride it at night.

We arrived back at HS around 5:45pm:



After being disappointed in our first ride on SDD (we had the very front row for our first ride), we really enjoyed our second go on SDD!



First, the lights in that part of the park are so nice at night and the coaster itself is so cool at night. Plus, we were a few rows back from the front which made the ride much more fun! So if you want a very tame ride, ask for the front row. If you want more fun, ask for anything but!

Blurry but pretty:



Once we were done with SDD, we headed off to SWGE for our Oga’s ADR which I had modified to a later time earlier that day so it wasn’t showing on the CM’s tablet but she just had us sign in. We didn’t wait long before we got in and were seated at a booth with two other families and one solo traveller. I totally understand why they seat parties together and wouldn’t mind at all at a long table but to be squeezed in a booth between two other families was awkward.

I went with the non-alcoholic jabba juice and DH tried the Fuzzy Tauntaun. The waiter asked DH if he was human and DH said yes. The waiter went on to explain that for some reason, humans seem to have an odd reaction to the Fuzzy Tauntaun so he just wanted to warn DH.





My jabba juice was really good and we both liked the fuzzy tauntaun although one little sip was enough for me - my lips went numb immediately! I knew about it but it was such a strange feeling. We also noticed others had a drink that smoked which I think was the non-alcoholic Carbon Freeze which is a neat idea for kids to have a special drink.



Oga’s was loud and a lot of fun.





We enjoyed it but were on the move quickly so we could get to RoTR to use that FP! But as we approached the attraction, we saw a huge crowd of people all around the fenced area - the ride was down - womp womp womp . We could wait and ride it later if it came back up before park close but they didn’t know how long it would be down. We didn’t want to wait because we were planning to see Epcot Forever that evening so we asked for a FP for the next day and he was more than willing to give us that. He seemed relieved to just not be berated by another angry guest.

With a FP secured for the following day, we headed back to Epcot via the Skyliner!

Up next: finishing out our day at Epcot

 

[tundra1]

I just found this trip report. I enjoy your writing style and you have some great photos! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Mollygirl21]

I just found this trip report. I enjoy your writing style and you have some great photos! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you so much for saying so I love reading other's trip reports so I'm glad you're enjoying mine