Newsies: From Scratch - May And September 2024! - FINISHED! 09/07

[disneyAndi14]

I will be there around the same time. Our Disney dates are 9/5-9/11 and 9/11-9/14 at USO for HHN
First year we decided not to do MNSSHP. I will miss it.

 

[Newsies]

I will be there around the same time. Our Disney dates are 9/5-9/11 and 9/11-9/14 at USO for HHN
First year we decided not to do MNSSHP. I will miss it.

This is so exciting!!! We might run into each other at USO -- 9/12 might be the day for me!

Totally understand skipping MNSSHP, especially when you have HHN on deck. I'm sure you'll miss it, but USO has put out so many fun things this summer alone, I'm really excited to visit again!

 

[Disney102015]

We did UO/IOA on our last trip and it was one of our favorite days!! Dreamworks land left something to be desired - not a ton going on there - but all things Harry Potter were a major hit. Lunch at Mythos was awesome. ET was such a fun throwback. Velocicoaster was AMAZING and MINDBLOWING. And did I mention all things HP, especially Hagrids? Big vote for a UO/IOA day here (this may have been affected by having express pass, which was a major perk!!) I will say IOA had some awesome shade happening and UO was more blasting sun, so keep that in mind!

 

[Newsies]

We did UO/IOA on our last trip and it was one of our favorite days!! Dreamworks land left something to be desired - not a ton going on there - but all things Harry Potter were a major hit. Lunch at Mythos was awesome. ET was such a fun throwback. Velocicoaster was AMAZING and MINDBLOWING. And did I mention all things HP, especially Hagrids? Big vote for a UO/IOA day here (this may have been affected by having express pass, which was a major perk!!) I will say IOA had some awesome shade happening and UO was more blasting sun, so keep that in mind!

THANK YOU for your input here!!! So helpful! I think I'm pretty much set on a Universal day now.

I think it's just going to be UO for me for budget & time purposes and I probably won't be getting an Express Pass this time around. I think there's just more overall newness at UO that I'm interested in, like Minion Land and the new Mega Movie Parade. Like you pointed out, Dreamworks Land is really not super interesting (especially since I'll be a solo adult) BUT I do want a photo with Poppy. I really miss the Harry Potter stuff! That was my favorite part of Universal when I had my AP during my first DCP. I can't wait to explore Diagon Alley again with a fresh set of eyes.

What I'm really looking forward to is the opening of Epic Universe -- once that third gate has been open for a year or two, I think I'm going to do my first real UO/IOA vacation so I can get the Express Pass, enjoy one of the UO area resorts, and really immerse myself in the Universal hype for the first time!

Can I ask what you ate at Mythos? I've heard amazing things about it but I'm so unsure about the menu!

 

[Newsies]

My One Tradition: The Newsies 4th of July PTR Update
​

For many years, I had one (1) tradition on the boards: updating my PTR on the 4th of July while I watched one of my favorite movies of all time, 1776.

​

I made my first ever "4th of July" PTR update 10 years ago today. Literally an ENTIRE DECADE AGO TODAY I was wrapping up my very first PTR on the DIS. Lil baby Kait was a junior-soon-to-be-senior in high school at the time! It was the day before we left on our road trip for the mouse, so I was writing my conclusion update while watching 1776, the 1972 movie adaptation of a Broadway musical that depicts the events in Philadelphia leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the American revolution. Yes, this is really one of my favorite movies (and favorite musicals!), and it has been since I was in high school. TCM plays it on TV every 4th of July and I watch it every year!

I'm still stuck on the fact that I wrapped up my first PTR a decade ago today. This is my first time realizing just how long I've been on the DISboards and I'm a little shook.

Anyway -- I just said this to previous posters in this thread but I decided today that I'm going to lock in on a Universal Studios day for this trip. Minion Land (and my desire to re-visit Diagon Alley) was what originally compelled me to revisit Universal Studios. Then I was a little underwhelmed by the Dreamworks Land opening, so I was like, "meh, maybe I don't need to go." Today I watched the Mega Movie Parade for the first time and saw that you can get an interactive bubble wand for it and I'm like, "Okay, I have to see the Mega Movie Parade with an interactive bubble wand." Disney is unfortunately just not doing entertainment the way Universal is right now -- this is such a fun and crazy parade, I need to see it!

I know I debated turning my 4-day WDW ticket package into a 3-day package to make this happen, but ultimately, I think I'm just going to keep it at 4 days anyway. Because, YOLO.

In other exciting news this week, Disney announced the Eat to the Beat Concert Lineup. I get the feeling I'm in the minority over this one, but I think this is their best lineup in years! You have so many Millennial throwback greats here. David Archuleta, the Fray, Joey Fatone (& his friends, who are usually also from *NSYNC), Smash Mouth, Hanson, Sugar Ray, Switchfoot, Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees... the list just goes on and on! I'm a little shocked to see The Wanted on here and wondering if it's truly THE The Wanted? They were a pretty popular boy band when I was in high school and were selling out arenas as recently as 2022, but they haven't posted on their social media channels in over a year. They're recovering from the devastating loss of a band mate, so we knew they were going to take time off, but they expressed their hope in coming back to carry on his legacy and continue making music together.

I digress. I will not be seeing The Wanted while I'm there, but Yellowcard and Tiffany will both be performing while I'm there.

I'll switch my schedule around a little bit to try and see Yellowcard at the beginning of my week, but I don't think I'm going to do a dining package. They're exciting but not exactly my cup of tea and I'm not a superfan of any of the restaurants doing Eat to the Beat packages. I think I might skip an ADR altogether for Epcot and just focus on the Food & Wine booths, since those menus are always pretty good. If anything, I'll do one of the same-day Regal Eagle packages.

SO. This is my latest itinerary:

Sunday: Arrival day, DAK, dinner at Jiko
Monday: Epcot
Tuesday: MK, MNSSHP
Wednesday: DHS, late lunch at Sanaa, Epcot again
Thursday: Universal Studios, dinner at Boma, Starlight Safari
Friday: Breakfast at Boma, MNSSHP
Saturday: Cry my way home

6 more days until ADR day!

 

[ExpeditionEmily]

THANK YOU for your input here!!! So helpful! I think I'm pretty much set on a Universal day now.

I think it's just going to be UO for me for budget & time purposes and I probably won't be getting an Express Pass this time around. I think there's just more overall newness at UO that I'm interested in, like Minion Land and the new Mega Movie Parade. Like you pointed out, Dreamworks Land is really not super interesting (especially since I'll be a solo adult) BUT I do want a photo with Poppy. I really miss the Harry Potter stuff! That was my favorite part of Universal when I had my AP during my first DCP. I can't wait to explore Diagon Alley again with a fresh set of eyes.

What I'm really looking forward to is the opening of Epic Universe -- once that third gate has been open for a year or two, I think I'm going to do my first real UO/IOA vacation so I can get the Express Pass, enjoy one of the UO area resorts, and really immerse myself in the Universal hype for the first time!

Can I ask what you ate at Mythos? I've heard amazing things about it but I'm so unsure about the menu!

If you end up just doing UO and skipping on IOA, I'd recommend Finnegan's if you want a nice, sit down meal out of the heat. We went for Tyler's birthday two years ago and had a really good experience - think Raglan Road type of vibe / food style. Their pretzels with Guinness cheese dip, Dublin chicken sandwich, and fish and chips were all a hit for us! We are also very strong advocates for the butterbeer soft serve in Diagon Alley, I think about it way too frequently. We've done a full Universal trip in the past and had a great experience with their resorts, so definitely think it's worth looking into in a few years once the Epic Universe crowds thin out.

 

[Sajchinook2015]

My One Tradition: The Newsies 4th of July PTR Update
​

For many years, I had one (1) tradition on the boards: updating my PTR on the 4th of July while I watched one of my favorite movies of all time, 1776.

​

I made my first ever "4th of July" PTR update 10 years ago today. Literally an ENTIRE DECADE AGO TODAY I was wrapping up my very first PTR on the DIS. Lil baby Kait was a junior-soon-to-be-senior in high school at the time! It was the day before we left on our road trip for the mouse, so I was writing my conclusion update while watching 1776, the 1972 movie adaptation of a Broadway musical that depicts the events in Philadelphia leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the American revolution. Yes, this is really one of my favorite movies (and favorite musicals!), and it has been since I was in high school. TCM plays it on TV every 4th of July and I watch it every year!

I'm still stuck on the fact that I wrapped up my first PTR a decade ago today. This is my first time realizing just how long I've been on the DISboards and I'm a little shook.

Anyway -- I just said this to previous posters in this thread but I decided today that I'm going to lock in on a Universal Studios day for this trip. Minion Land (and my desire to re-visit Diagon Alley) was what originally compelled me to revisit Universal Studios. Then I was a little underwhelmed by the Dreamworks Land opening, so I was like, "meh, maybe I don't need to go." Today I watched the Mega Movie Parade for the first time and saw that you can get an interactive bubble wand for it and I'm like, "Okay, I have to see the Mega Movie Parade with an interactive bubble wand." Disney is unfortunately just not doing entertainment the way Universal is right now -- this is such a fun and crazy parade, I need to see it!

I know I debated turning my 4-day WDW ticket package into a 3-day package to make this happen, but ultimately, I think I'm just going to keep it at 4 days anyway. Because, YOLO.

In other exciting news this week, Disney announced the Eat to the Beat Concert Lineup. I get the feeling I'm in the minority over this one, but I think this is their best lineup in years! You have so many Millennial throwback greats here. David Archuleta, the Fray, Joey Fatone (& his friends, who are usually also from *NSYNC), Smash Mouth, Hanson, Sugar Ray, Switchfoot, Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees... the list just goes on and on! I'm a little shocked to see The Wanted on here and wondering if it's truly THE The Wanted? They were a pretty popular boy band when I was in high school and were selling out arenas as recently as 2022, but they haven't posted on their social media channels in over a year. They're recovering from the devastating loss of a band mate, so we knew they were going to take time off, but they expressed their hope in coming back to carry on his legacy and continue making music together.

I digress. I will not be seeing The Wanted while I'm there, but Yellowcard and Tiffany will both be performing while I'm there.

I'll switch my schedule around a little bit to try and see Yellowcard at the beginning of my week, but I don't think I'm going to do a dining package. They're exciting but not exactly my cup of tea and I'm not a superfan of any of the restaurants doing Eat to the Beat packages. I think I might skip an ADR altogether for Epcot and just focus on the Food & Wine booths, since those menus are always pretty good. If anything, I'll do one of the same-day Regal Eagle packages.

SO. This is my latest itinerary:

Sunday: Arrival day, DAK, dinner at Jiko
Monday: Epcot
Tuesday: MK, MNSSHP
Wednesday: DHS, late lunch at Sanaa, Epcot again
Thursday: Universal Studios, dinner at Boma, Starlight Safari
Friday: Breakfast at Boma, MNSSHP
Saturday: Cry my way home

6 more days until ADR day!

Sure wish they would release Eat To The Beat bands for 2025 so I could plan accordingly. LOL!

Love reading your PTR and current trip reports.

 

[Disney102015]

Can I ask what you ate at Mythos? I've heard amazing things about it but I'm so unsure about the menu!

The movie parade looks so awesome, I wish it had started during our trip!

At Mythos I had the grilled cheese and tomato soup which was so so good. The sandwich was served in the soup which was different. My sister got the lamb meatball app and she loved it. I also had a Lady Roz to drink which was delightful. It’s just a neat atmosphere and a nice place to cool off during a hot day!

 

[Newsies]

If you end up just doing UO and skipping on IOA, I'd recommend Finnegan's if you want a nice, sit down meal out of the heat. We went for Tyler's birthday two years ago and had a really good experience - think Raglan Road type of vibe / food style. Their pretzels with Guinness cheese dip, Dublin chicken sandwich, and fish and chips were all a hit for us! We are also very strong advocates for the butterbeer soft serve in Diagon Alley, I think about it way too frequently. We've done a full Universal trip in the past and had a great experience with their resorts, so definitely think it's worth looking into in a few years once the Epic Universe crowds thin out.

Finnegan's looks delicious! I'm seriously debating on whether I want to book this for a late lunch situation or just snack around Universal this day. Thank you for the rec!

Sure wish they would release Eat To The Beat bands for 2025 so I could plan accordingly. LOL!

Love reading your PTR and current trip reports.

I hear you there!

Thank you so much for checking in and for the kind words!

At Mythos I had the grilled cheese and tomato soup which was so so good. The sandwich was served in the soup which was different. My sister got the lamb meatball app and she loved it. I also had a Lady Roz to drink which was delightful. It’s just a neat atmosphere and a nice place to cool off during a hot day!

I've heard amazing things about the grilled cheese and soup -- thank you so much! Sounds like a great restaurant!

 

[Lynne G]

Hey, we are arriving on the 8th too. Crack of dawn flight. And we have a concert the night before, 2 and 1/2 or so hours drive from our home, and almost an hour drive to the airport. Zombies we will be on our flight, I think. But at least we get almost a full day.

At BC, and looking forward to our party night on the 10th too. And late nights at Epcot and MK.

Me and my 23 age daughter. Though we are moving over to Universal on Thursday. Have passes to both this year. Great time of year to visit. Have been doing this time of year for many years, always solo, until my DD decided to join me, starting last year.

Woot! Enjoying your TR.

 

[Newsies]

Hey, we are arriving on the 8th too. Crack of dawn flight. And we have a concert the night before, 2 and 1/2 or so hours drive from our home, and almost an hour drive to the airport. Zombies we will be on our flight, I think. But at least we get almost a full day.

At BC, and looking forward to our party night on the 10th too. And late nights at Epcot and MK.

Me and my 23 age daughter. Though we are moving over to Universal on Thursday. Have passes to both this year. Great time of year to visit. Have been doing this time of year for many years, always solo, until my DD decided to join me, starting last year.

Woot! Enjoying your TR.

Thanks for reading along!

So crazy -- we have so much in common with this trip! Hopefully we'll run into each other at MNSSHP, Deluxe Extra Magic Hours, or maybe Universal on Thursday!

I totally sympathize with seeing a concert the night before you fly down Been there before! Who are you seeing?

 

[Newsies]

September ADRs & Enchanting Extras!
​

Yesterday was a loooooooooooooooooong day.

​

Because I wanted a competitive Enchanted Extra (Starlight Safari), I knew I'd have to be up at midnight to book it, so I basically went to bed at 9 and set an alarm for 11:55 PM and another alarm for 5:55 AM to do dining. Which, really -- I don't think I necessarily needed to set the alarm for dining (I said this for May, too!), but I always feel weird when I don't wake up on ADR day bright and early!

This meant I was tired and grumpy for most of the day, but I did get what I needed!

Yesterday was the day I discovered the power of the modification tool. The advice I was given beforehand was that Disney dining does not like parties of 1, and will show more available times for parties of 2 or 3, which you can then modify down to 1. This was absolutely the case and so easy to do -- I basically booked almost everything for a party of two or a party of three and was able to get everything I wanted at the exact time I wanted.

The one caveat is that I had to pull a triage plan for Starlight Safari. My dream time was Thursday at 10:00, but everything was largely sold out when I booked, so I settled for Wednesday at 8:30. Sometimes, these things are a blessing in disguise -- as I thought this idea over, I realized this was probably better. I can rope drop Animal Kingdom until the late afternoon, then I can head back to the pool, then it's dinner at Boma before heading to Kidani Village for the Safari.

Here's the full plan with commentary:

DAY 1
Arrival Day/Epcot? DHS???

Jiko - The Cooking Place Dinner
7:15 PM

Still very TBD on what exactly I'm going to be doing on the morning of my arrival day. This would probably be my only chance to visit DHS, but do I really want to go to DHS? I'm not going to do LLMP on this day so I would basically show up at 10 to do single rider for Rock'N'Roller Coaster, potentially Tower of Terror, grab a snack, and then head back to the resort once my room is ready.

On the other hand, you guys know that I just can't get enough of Epcot. I'm trying to make up for lost time by enjoying as many festival booth dishes as possible during Food & Wine festival this year, so even if I just head into Epcot to do a ride or two and have some snacks, it will feel worth it to me. Will I feel a bit foolish for going to Epcot twice and DHS 0 times? Maybe.

Either way, I'll be heading back to DAKL sometime before 3 to unpack my room and take a nap before dinner. I am SO excited about dinner. I'm very ready for this braaied boar situation and the filet with macaroni and cheese, It's going to be so nice to wake up from a nap and get refreshed and spend my first night at Disney here!

DAY 2
Epcot

Chefs de France Dinner
7:40 PM

EITHER WAY... I will be waking up well-rested, refreshed, and ready to rope drop my favorite park! With LLMP/SP options stacked for the morning, my hope is that I'll be able to get rides done before 11 and then from 11-1, walk around World Showcase and enjoy the booths before heading back to the resort for some needed pool time (and yes, another nap).

I thought about doing an Eat to the Beat package for this day but honestly, I was really not in love with any of the options for restaurants. I thought about Le Cellier and Spice Road Table, but I'm already doing Jiko and I just don't think it's worth it to do another $99 steak dinner just to have tickets to see Yellowcard. Spice Road Table is fine but that's next on my family's list, so I thought I'd save it for our next vacation together.

So the new plan is to potentially do the standby line to see Yellowcard's 6:45 set and then go straight to dinner at Chefs de France. I miss Chefs de France sooooo much. That Prix Fixe menu is calling my name. A glass of wine, some macaroni and cheese, and then finishing the night with extended evening hours in Epcot... legendary.


DAY 3
MK/MNSSHP

Sanaa Lunch
2:50 PM

I booked the latest lunch possible for this, but the timing will still be a little awkward on this day. Basically, the plan is to rope drop MK for Tiana's/Tron/Country Bear Musical Jamboree, head back to the resort, and not head back until it's time to do the party. I figured this late lunch situation will probably give me enough time to head back to the resort, decompress a bit, and still have time to get ready for the party afterwards -- no rush here to get there until like 6? I haven't started thinking about a party strategy yet, but I know it's going to include meeting Mirabel and Bruno on one of the evenings. This will likely be the day that I don't meet Mirabel and Bruno and I'll take things easy.

DAY 4
Animal Kingdom

Yak & Yeti Lunch
10:30 AM

Boma Dinner
6:35 PM

Starlight Safari
8:00 PM

A lot happening this day but the timing will actually be perfect. I couldn't decide between Yak & Yeti or Boma, so I just did a super early lunch reservation (don't worry-- I will definitely be ready for lunch by 10:30 if I rope drop DAK) at Yak & Yeti, and then a sensible 6:30 for Boma so that I'll have enough tie to get to Kidani Village for the Safari.

MK deluxe magic hours are happening on this day. Realistically, I don't think I'm going to get to them. I have kind of a big day ahead with traveling to Universal Studios, so I'm probably going to head to bed after the Safari.

DAY 5
Universal Studios

Leaving this day as open as possible! My thought process is that I will likely grab dinner at CityWalk as I'm leaving US, which closes at 6 on this evening. It's not really like me to stay at a park from opening-dinner time, but given that I'll be traveling off property and haven't done US in 8 years, this will be a day that I really try to stick it out. Maybe I'll tap out by 4-5, but even if I do, I still have a feeling that I'll be enjoying dinner at CityWalk. Again, don't want to go crazy with plans so that I can follow whatever the vibes of the day are.

DAY 6
MNSSHP

Boma Breakfast
10:10 AM

Very straightforward day. Breakfast at the resort, packing up the resort room, then heading to MNSSHP (likely at 4) until my body tells me to tap out for this trip.

DAY 7
Fly Home
​

And there you have it!

This is SUCH an exciting itinerary, I really can't wait for this trip! It's also a little ambitious with the amount of going back and forth between DAKL and literally any park, but that's what I love about traveling alone -- it's so easy to change plans on the fly when it's jus tme.

​

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I love seeing your plans!

We (myself and DD18) are staying at AKV Jambo in May. We like to do midday breaks and I was worried about the travel times but we’re going to go for it and pivot if needed. We will also do a few days of sleeping in, pool/resort time and a late start in the parks. So not as much travel those days and we still have time to enjoy the resort.

I think the two ADR works great with the times you picked.

Glad to see you got the Starlight Safari. It’s on my list of possibilities next trip. I saw Molly’s video on Jambo and they did the safari. I think my daughter would love it. She mentioned it but said it’s a lot of money and she’s fine watching the animals from the resort. Maybe I’ll surprise her with it. Have you ever done it before??

 

[lulu2121]

Your plans look great and I’m sure it will be an amazing trip! We will be there at the same time. We are staying at Jambo House from Sept. 5-22. I had to go look up and check out the Starlight Safari. It’s be a while since I’d looked at the list of Enchanted Extras. It sounds super fun. I hope you are able to see a lot of animals!

 

[Newsies]

I love seeing your plans!

We (myself and DD18) are staying at AKV Jambo in May. We like to do midday breaks and I was worried about the travel times but we’re going to go for it and pivot if needed. We will also do a few days of sleeping in, pool/resort time and a late start in the parks. So not as much travel those days and we still have time to enjoy the resort.

Oh, you're going to have a blast! I've definitely become a big fan of midday breaks in the past few years Travel times right now are my biggest fear (well, really my ONLY fear) going into this trip. I'm trying to give myself as much flexibility as possible to pivot if I want to head back to the resort, as well as building in time at the resort through ADRs, the Safari, etc. I'm really excited to visit the pool and see some animals on this trip!

I think the two ADR works great with the times you picked.

Thank you, I hope so! I get nervous booking 2 ADRs for one day especially now that I'm on medicine that makes it hard for me to eat too much in one sitting, but I think the flow of this day will work really well for me, especially going from a mid-size "brunch" to a dinner where I can eat as much or as little as I'd like.

Glad to see you got the Starlight Safari. It’s on my list of possibilities next trip. I saw Molly’s video on Jambo and they did the safari. I think my daughter would love it. She mentioned it but said it’s a lot of money and she’s fine watching the animals from the resort. Maybe I’ll surprise her with it. Have you ever done it before??

Molly's video is how I found out about the Safari, too! So funny, the night I found out I could book DAKL for basically the same price as POFQ I watched Molly's video to see if it would be worth it and that's what inspired me to book it I've never done the Safari before! My family doesn't do a lot of Enchanted Extras in general but this looks like it will be so unique and interesting. I'll let you know how I love it!

Your plans look great and I’m sure it will be an amazing trip! We will be there at the same time. We are staying at Jambo House from Sept. 5-22. I had to go look up and check out the Starlight Safari. It’s be a while since I’d looked at the list of Enchanted Extras. It sounds super fun. I hope you are able to see a lot of animals!

Thanks so much, Lulu! Maybe we'll run into each other at Jambo house! I can't wait to spend some time at DAKL and do the safari. I hope you have an amazing trip!

 

[Lynne G]

Thanks for reading along!

So crazy -- we have so much in common with this trip! Hopefully we'll run into each other at MNSSHP, Deluxe Extra Magic Hours, or maybe Universal on Thursday!

I totally sympathize with seeing a concert the night before you fly down Been there before! Who are you seeing?

Green Day concert the night before. So looking forward to it,

And funny, my DD wanted to see Yellow, and she’s a very picky eater, so we settled on Coral Reef. 6:45 show that Monday night too. We have Chef dinner reservation the day we come, as we like eating there much more than CR. We settled on CR, as menu had changed since last time we ate there in early March of this year, and we thought not eating there again. But picky eater saw nothing she would eat at the other 2 places. I wouldn’t have minded Rose and Crown, but always agree to eat where she likes it too. And we wanted to make sure we had a better chance to get a good seat at the concert.

 

[DJFan88]

We will also be there when you go. In fact our Monday, Tuesday/party, Wednesday beginning parks are the same!! Itll be here before we know it!

 

[cveeders]

For many years, I had one (1) tradition on the boards: updating my PTR on the 4th of July while I watched one of my favorite movies of all time, 1776.

​

I was enjoying reading through your thread before this but oh my god, 1776 is one of my favorite movies of all time!! no one else my age knows it! this is amazing haha. I can quote large swaths of it from memory because I've watched it too many times now.

 

[Newsies]

Green Day concert the night before. So looking forward to it,

LOVE Green Day!! So jealous -- have a blast!

And funny, my DD wanted to see Yellow, and she’s a very picky eater, so we settled on Coral Reef. 6:45 show that Monday night too. We have Chef dinner reservation the day we come, as we like eating there much more than CR. We settled on CR, as menu had changed since last time we ate there in early March of this year, and we thought not eating there again. But picky eater saw nothing she would eat at the other 2 places. I wouldn’t have minded Rose and Crown, but always agree to eat where she likes it too. And we wanted to make sure we had a better chance to get a good seat at the concert.

I will have to hear your thoughts on Coral Reef! I've never been, there have been mixed reviews over the years and I think my family would rather eat in the World Showcase anyway, so I've just never booked it for us. I totally sympathize with your daughter for not seeing anything she wanted at the majority of the restaurants in the Eat to the Beat package -- the options are just kinda blah

We will also be there when you go. In fact our Monday, Tuesday/party, Wednesday beginning parks are the same!! Itll be here before we know it!

YAY! Fingers crossed we run into each other -- I hope you have the best time!

I was enjoying reading through your thread before this but oh my god, 1776 is one of my favorite movies of all time!! no one else my age knows it! this is amazing haha. I can quote large swaths of it from memory because I've watched it too many times now.

OMG this is SO FUNNY! Every time I watch it, I put on a show for my family by reciting Adam's opening monologue... SUCH a good movie and so many great one-liners! I unfortunately didn't get to see the recent Broadway revival, but when I was in my sophomore year of college, I got to see the Encores! staged reading with Santino Fontana, Bryce Pinkham, and John Laroquette... such an amazing show!

Thank you for checking in and for sharing your love of 1776!

 

[Newsies]

Hydration & Not-So-Scary Satiation
​

So, I don't know how many of you have been following my May TR. I was going to do a full, abridged debrief of some "learnings" from that trip on this thread after I finished my TR, but I've been updating slower than I would like it to lately. July is one of two high sale seasons at my job so I've been neglecting my TRs here on the DIS and instead coping with my work stress by logging hundreds of hours in Sims 4. Oops.

But anyway, one spoiler that I should probably share here sooner rather than later is that I had a massive back spasm on our first full day at Magic Kingdom and it had a severe impact on the rest of my trip. Basically, at around 10 in the morning, we got on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and I noticed that it felt rougher than usual, and when we got off the ride my back started bothering me. As the week progressed, it got worse and worse. Thursday-Saturday was pretty terrible, I had a lot of trouble walking and couldn't stand or sit for long periods of time, getting in and out of bed was basically impossible and I literally cried when I had to get out of bed in the morning. I had to go to urgent care when we got home on Memorial Day, and then later on in that week I ended up asking my primary care doc if she could see me because it had gotten that bad. They basically told me to take prescription strength Motrin and move around until it alleviated itself.

I'm fine now and have been since June, but obviously, this has been a moment of fear/concern for my September trip, especially since I'll be alone and I have so much planned for this week. I've had a lot of theories running through my mind on how I could have triggered this spasm, but I think it boils down to dehydration.

I know I mentioned back in April here that I'm on a new medication -- one of the side effects is that not only does it suck the hydration from my body, but I really don't want water most of the time and frequently forget to drink it. I have to tie my Stanley to my wrist and constantly remind myself that it's time to drink water, especially since drinking water is such a key part of my lifestyle goals and helping me lose weight.

So drinking water has been one of the challenges of my lifestyle changes since March, now fast forward to May-- I'm at Walt Disney World, it's hotter than the surface of the sun, I'm walking miles and miles a day... and I'm quite literally forgetting to drink water.

I'm sure other factors played into it, like how much walking I was doing and maybe my body being unable to handle rollercoasters like I used to, but I know dehydration runs a serious risk for muscle spasms, so I'm jumping on this before my September trip and taking all of the measures I can to ensure I stay hydrated at the Parks.

This entire essay has been a tee up to let you all know that I ordered some Liquid IV on Amazon today. Idk. It's got sodium and other nutrients that your body needs to stay hydrated and my favorite Youtuber Feed MeiMei pushes it promotes it, so I bought a box of the rocket ice pop flavored packets for my September trip. Going to have to quite literally set alarms in my phone to drink water while I'm at the Parks this year, but I am determined to keep myself hydrated by any means necessary to avoid having a back spasm again.

Anyway, something fun happened today. Disney released their Foodie Guide for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! There are some really, really good snacks on this list. There are so many good snacks, in fact, that I moved my Sanaa reservation from Monday afternoon to Sunday morning at 11:40 (I should be at DAKL by this time, if I just chug a protein shake on the car ride to the airport I'll definitely be ready for butter chicken and naan at this point, AND it leaves plenty of time to go to a Park and unpack before my 7:15 Jiko res. ALSO, this leaves my first MNSSHP day wide open, which I'm happy about).

I know that I rarely get to eat all of the snacks I want to (in fact-- I didn't get to eat any dishes from the Flower & Garden booths this year), but I'm dreaming of sooooo many goodies this year!

Top of my list, eyes on the prize-- I need to chug a diet coke out of this DIVA:

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This sipper trumps Candy Corn Donald from last year IMO... just too cute! I need her, and I hope she's available when I'm there!

I also really love this chocolate shake from Plaza Ice Cream parlor with a fabulous Jelly Donut on top (bottom left):

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I also love the idea of this decadent Funnel Cake from Sleepy Hollow (bottom right) with dulce de leche, peanut butter, and snickers:

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Super luscious, definitely won't be able to finish it on my own, but hot fried dough with dulce de leche and snickers candy bars? Yeah, I'm all about that.

Usually, I'd be allllllllll up on those Char Siu Wings on the top right, too, but they had the worst press out of any dish from MNSSHP last year and I'm honestly very surprised they're returning... I'll have to see some reviews from partygoers this year to see if they've improved.

I'm actually pretty lukewarm to the savory things they announce for this party (everything is spicy and I'm picky about my cheeses, which... they have a LOT of cheeses at this party), but I'm kind of feeling the street corn hot dog from Casey's. I kind of love a street corn moment, and street corn + pulled pork + a good ol' fashioned Casey's hot dog sounds pretty good.

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I'm also suuuuper into Mango + Chamoy right now, so this Mango Dole Whip with pineapple juice, chamoy, and tajin is gonna be a must for me.

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Lastly. Not a "must" but these tombstone tarts are super cute and look super easy to eat on the go. This is "sugar dough" (whatever that's supposed to mean) filled with a cookies and cream cheese mousse:

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There's absolutely no way I'll get to try all of this, but hopefully having two parties means I'll be able to try more of it than I normally would!

Have you guys seen the full foodie guide for the party? Am I missing any must-eats?