Newsies' Pumpkin-Spiced Trip Report! - Our MNSSHP, MM August '19 Adventure! *DR link 1/27*

[kclark9830]

Loved your Forky pics! Also, I love Zaxby's!

 

[Newsies]

Loved your Forky pics! Also, I love Zaxby's!

Thank you very much!! Zaxby's is a family fav!!

 

[Tink2Day]

Yay your report is in full swing!!
Scary moment with the truck, glad you all are safe.

I think a road trip to Florida would be so fun...it took us 6 hours to fly so can't imagine the drive time....but neat to see all of the states between us and Florida.

(Thanks for the pics of you and Timmy, my two newest grands. )

 

[cinderaimee]

There was a little bit of traffic in Maryland around 2:30 that woke me back up

On behalf of Maryland, I'd like to apologize for the middle of the night traffic

So scary about the car hitting you, but I'm so glad it wasn't worse!

You made great time on your trip down & I love all the Forky pictures!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Then, it was time to drop Roxie off at Best Friend’s pet boarding! She was a good girl and went to play with the other puppies without being too fussy about it.

She even posed for a picture— a rarity!

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Such a cutie! I'm still impressed at your family for driving every trip!

 

[Newsies]

Yay your report is in full swing!!

Yay!!!

Scary moment with the truck, glad you all are safe.

It was definitely not fun!

I think a road trip to Florida would be so fun...it took us 6 hours to fly so can't imagine the drive time....but neat to see all of the states between us and Florida.

Oh, yikes! A 2.75-hour flight for us equates to 20 hours of driving, so that would be a pretty long road trip!

(Thanks for the pics of you and Timmy, my two newest grands. )

My pleasure!!! Happy to be one of your newest grands!!

On behalf of Maryland, I'd like to apologize for the middle of the night traffic

No need to apologize, we were in and out of traffic in a relatively short amount of time!

So scary about the car hitting you, but I'm so glad it wasn't worse!

It was a pretty scary moment!

You made great time on your trip down & I love all the Forky pictures!

Thank you very much! We accidentally left him in the truck, so unfortunately, that's the last of the Forky pics

Such a cutie! I'm still impressed at your family for driving every trip!

We definitely have it down to a science by this point!

 

[sahu]

Just the thought of that drive exhausts me! Y’all are troopers. Glad the accident was minor and everyone is okay, and I love the Forky pics!

 

[Newsies]

Just the thought of that drive exhausts me! Y’all are troopers. Glad the accident was minor and everyone is okay, and I love the Forky pics!

It's not a drive for everyone! We try to make it as easy and painless as possible with things like Forky, lol!

 

[Newsies]

Check-In, The Wave Breakfast & Start of Our Magic Morning!
8/18: Magic Kingdom​

I woke up when my alarm woke me up at 2:45! I had a mostly good sleep, but I was more than ready to hit the road to Disney. It took me no time at all to get dressed and do my modified Disney makeup routine.

Sidenote: I had a few people on my TR ask me to report back on using a light Glossier makeup routine instead of a normal routine for Disney and I really, really loved it! I used an ELF priming spray, then used Glossier Skin Perfecting Tint, Cloud Paint Blush, Lidstar eye shadow, and Balm DotCom. I also used a swipe of whatever mascara samples I could find in my bag, and I finished the look with the mattifying peach setting powder from TooFaced. I loved that this was a huge timesaver and a light look, but I wasn’t walking into the parks with a bare face so I didn’t look like a gremlin in photos!

I finished my look with some glitter from GleamAndGlowGlitters on IG. I used their glitter throughout the week and really adored it! The consistency and quality was craaaaazy and I got so many compliments whenever I wore it.

Here’s my full outfit for the day:

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The shortalls are from Torrid and the ears are from WordofMouseCo! The headband was a little big on me, but I got so many compliments on them. I loved this outfit!

Everyone else got ready and we checked out of the hotel around 4:30 in the morning, then hit the road for WDW! We stopped so that dad could grab a cup of coffee from a gas station in Kingsland, then headed back down south for the last leg of the trip. We were in Florida 5 minutes later!

We stopped at one rest stop along I95 before we made it to Disney. The rest of the drive also came and gone without incident, and no traffic even as we entered Orlando.

We arrived at the Villas at the Grand Floridian Resort at 7:22 AM!

We pulled our truck up to the building and mom and I went to check-in. It went as quickly as it could possibly go, then the bellman out front helped us unpack the bags from the truck. Dad went to park the truck while mom, Grace, and I snapped some photos.

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Dad parked next to someone he knew! The truck he parked next to had a fire department license plate from the town next door to us, so he was able to recognize the truck as his friend’s!

Once he had the truck all parked, we walked back through the Villas building lobby and under the covered walkway that would bring us to the main building of the Grand Floridian. Wow, that’s a walk. The Villas are so far away from everything, especially the GF’s quick service location, Gasparilla Island Grill!

Anyway, we made it to the main building and hopped on the monorail and took it to the Contemporary Resort. We had a breakfast ADR at The Wave of American Flavors. It was originally for 10:30, but I was able to bump it up to 9:30.

Photo stop!

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When we got down to the lobby level of the CR, mom wanted coffee, so we headed towards the Joffrey’s stand. I was reunited with my favorite vanilla iced latte!

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We sipped those for a while, then it was time for us to check in for breakfast!

We do love The Wave dearly. Two years ago, it became a last-minute dinner the night before we checked out since it was one of the only restaurants with availability, and we fell in love with it there. As far as restaurants in WDW go, it's still relatively off the beaten path enough that you can book it pretty much for any day you want, any time you want, whenever you want to. We've done dinner here twice, but I really wanted to try breakfast here, since the buffet got so many glowing reviews.

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Our server this morning was actually someone we’ve had before! He’s from Tom’s River, NJ and he’s very nice. We were happy to chat with him again.

For breakfast today, all four of us decided to indulge in the breakfast buffet. I also ordered a mimosa with mine! Gotta get the most out of that dining plan, you know? It was nothing special, just some Gruet sparkling wine and orange juice.

I neglected to take a photo of my first plate, but it was filled with bacon, fresh fruit, cheesy potatoes, and a tiny dollop of those Tillamook Cheddar Grits everyone keeps talking about. I ended up enjoying everything EXCEPT those grits. I found out on this day that I was not a fan of grits. The cheesy potatoes were excellent, though! The bacon was very crispy, which I appreciated.

My second plate had Mickey Waffles and The Wave’s specialty dish, the Sweet Potato Pancakes!

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I thought these were incredible. They’ve got a nice fall flavor, almost like a pumpkin, so they were great for putting us in the MNSSHP mood! They’re served with pecan butter, which was the perfect accompaniment for them.

Overall, I really thought the Wave’s breakfast was “just okay.” The food was good, but the buffet seemed very small for a breakfast buffet. I was expecting a lot more offerings than they had out. I’m still bummed we couldn’t get Cali Grill Brunch for this day! If you didn’t follow my PTR, I tried to get it at the 180-day mark and when I couldn’t book it, I had two alerts set up on reservation-finding sites. A few tables opened up, but even after catching most of them as soon as I got the text, I was never able to book anything!

We paid our bill and head towards the Magic Kingdom. We decided to use the walkway, since we were on the lobby level anyway and it would probably be quicker than taking the monorail all the way around.

We made it to Magic Kingdom! The first thing we did was get in line to take some photos with the Main St. Pumpkins.

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Then I snapped some photos with the other Pumpkin-themed decor on Main Street! Mary Poppins was out and milling about. The atmosphere on Main Street was just incredible for our first morning.

(Click here to continue!)​

 

[Newsies]

Magic Kingdom Morning Cont.








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Eventually, we moved on to our first ride of the morning: Pirates of the Caribbean! We waited about 10 minutes, even though the posted wait time was 35.

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Then we decided to move on to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The posted wait time was 60 minutes, and unfortunately, we ended up waiting about 50 minutes in the killer heat! Boy, that queue is stuffy.

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While we were in there, I got the room ready text at 10:55! That’s a new record for us! I don’t think it’s even been before 3:00 with the Poly, whether we stayed on the resort side or the DVC side.

BTMRR is one of our favorites! After that, mom and dad wanted something to drink, so we agreed to go to Pecos Bill so that we could sit down and drink our beverages for a few minutes. Most of us got a bottle of water, but dad got a Powerade. We sat down and drank for a little while, then mom asked if we could go to Memento Mori so that she could get a souvenir she wanted.

While we were walking over there, we may have gotten a little side-tracked by a snack I really wanted to try. The family sat down under the porch by the Frontierland Trading Post while I got in line to purchase it. I ran back to them yielding my Candied Bacon Skewer high above my head! I may have been a little excited.

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I thought this was pretty good! If bacon can’t be thin and crispy, I love when it’s super thick and chewy like this! It had a nice smoky flavor and the brown sugar around the edges didn’t overpower the bacon. I’m glad we got it.

Then we finally made it over to Memento Mori. The souvenir mom wanted was the set of Haunted Mansion busts that she saw on YouTube last week during the Haunted Mansion anniversary. She was so disappointed to find that they were so tiny! She thought they would be a bit bigger than they were. We did buy a toy doombuggy, though, and Grace got her costume for MNSSHP- a Mansion dress and matching ears!

There was one woman behind the register and she was moving at a snail’s pace, but eventually we got through to the end of the line and collected our purchases.

When we were done at Memento Mori, mom & dad were ready to take a break and unpack. I convinced them to go to our FP+ at Town Square Theatre first, so we made our way over there. I really wanted a balloon so I could take a few pictures with my ears/outfit!

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We had about 20 minutes before we could actually use it, so mom and dad sat down on the rocking chairs in front of Tony’s.

Grace and I were looking for Chicken Little & Abby Mallard. They were the two rare characters out meeting by the flagpole today, and it was Grace’s dream to meet Chicken Little this trip. We didn’t see them at first, so we asked a CM by Tony’s who told us that they might have gone in for the afternoon but would be out after the parade. But then suddenly, a few minutes later, we spotted them coming back out to their set! Grace and I sprinted to get into the line.

(Click here to continue!)​

 

[lvcourtneyy]

I had a few people on my TR ask me to report back on using a light Glossier makeup routine instead of a normal routine for Disney and I really, really loved it! I used an ELF priming spray, then used Glossier Skin Perfecting Tint, Cloud Paint Blush, Lidstar eye shadow, and Balm DotCom. I also used a swipe of whatever mascara samples I could find in my bag, and I finished the look with the mattifying peach setting powder from TooFaced. I loved that this was a huge timesaver and a light look, but I wasn’t walking into the parks with a bare face so I didn’t look like a gremlin in photos!

Thanks for reporting back! I may have to try it!

Love

Dad parked next to someone he knew! The truck he parked next to had a fire department license plate from the town next door to us, so he was able to recognize the truck as his friend’s!

I feel like this is such a dad thing to happen

Overall, I really thought the Wave’s breakfast was “just okay.”

Thanks for the review. The Wave breakfast has been on my list a bunch of times and never made the final cut lol.

Great shot . There's literally nothing better than pumpkins on Main Street!

While we were in there, I got the room ready text at 10:55! That’s a new record for us! I

Yass awesome!

I love everything about this!!

 

[Newsies]

Thanks for reporting back! I may have to try it!

No problem!! It was definitely a life-saver this trip!!

Love

Thank you so much!!!

I feel like this is such a dad thing to happen

I swear he runs into someone he knows every time we leave the house!

Thanks for the review. The Wave breakfast has been on my list a bunch of times and never made the final cut lol.

As far as breakfast buffets go, I think 1900 Park Fare or even Chef Mickey's are both better, but as a breakfast in general, I liked it more than I liked Kona Cafe.

Great shot . There's literally nothing better than pumpkins on Main Street!

Couldn't agree more!!

Yass awesome!

We were shocked, especially since the CM who checked us in told us that the Villas were full the night before!

I love everything about this!!

Thank you so much!!

 

[afwdwfan]

The rest of the drive also came and gone without incident, and no traffic even as we entered Orlando.

Well that's almost unheard of!

We arrived at the Villas at the Grand Floridian Resort at 7:22 AM!

Impressive... I guess that makes it worth waking up at 2:45 if you get to Disney World that early.

Dad parked next to someone he knew! The truck he parked next to had a fire department license plate from the town next door to us, so he was able to recognize the truck as his friend’s!

What are the odds????

We do love The Wave dearly. Two years ago, it became a last-minute dinner the night before we checked out since it was one of the only restaurants with availability, and we fell in love with it there. As far as restaurants in WDW go, it's still relatively off the beaten path enough that you can book it pretty much for any day you want, any time you want, whenever you want to. We've done dinner here twice, but I really wanted to try breakfast here, since the buffet got so many glowing reviews.

Never been there, myself. You do hear a lot of good about the Wave and how its overlooked... yet I always just keep overlooking it.

I also ordered a mimosa with mine! Gotta get the most out of that dining plan, you know?

Overall, I really thought the Wave’s breakfast was “just okay.” The food was good, but the buffet seemed very small for a breakfast buffet. I was expecting a lot more offerings than they had out. I

This seemed to be our experience with breakfast buffets, in general. There's this whole big buffet area... and not many options to pick from.

Then I snapped some photos with the other Pumpkin-themed decor on Main Street! Mary Poppins was out and milling about. The atmosphere on Main Street was just incredible for our first morning.

Love seeing all the fall decorations!!!!

Eventually, we moved on to our first ride of the morning: Pirates of the Caribbean! We waited about 10 minutes, even though the posted wait time was 35.

Always nice to have a wait shorter than posted.

I ran back to them yielding my Candied Bacon Skewer high above my head! I may have been a little excited.

I saw these, but never did try one... I just didn't know what to think of them. I'm glad you liked it.

I really wanted a balloon so I could take a few pictures with my ears/outfit!

Great pictures!

Grace and I were looking for Chicken Little & Abby Mallard. They were the two rare characters out meeting by the flagpole today, and it was Grace’s dream to meet Chicken Little this trip. We didn’t see them at first, so we asked a CM by Tony’s who told us that they might have gone in for the afternoon but would be out after the parade. But then suddenly, a few minutes later, we spotted them coming back out to their set! Grace and I sprinted to get into the line.

Chicken Little? Hmm... I never even knew you could meet him anywhere!

 

[Newsies]

Well that's almost unheard of!

It was crazy!!

Impressive... I guess that makes it worth waking up at 2:45 if you get to Disney World that early.

Not only do we get to Disney early, but apparently we also beat the Orlando traffic!

What are the odds????

I swear this man finds someone he knows every time he steps out of the house!

Never been there, myself. You do hear a lot of good about the Wave and how its overlooked... yet I always just keep overlooking it.

I think it's a great option for dinner if you've spent a day at MK and are looking to sit down and decompress somewhere. I know I always get a little frazzled by the end of the day at MK, so this is a nice option to rest and recharge before fireworks!

This seemed to be our experience with breakfast buffets, in general. There's this whole big buffet area... and not many options to pick from.

What absolutely kills me is that Chef Mickeys has the longest buffet line in the world, BUT the options "mirror" each other, so you really only have a few options! 1900 Park Fare is really great, though. We found a lot of options there later on in the week!

Love seeing all the fall decorations!!!!

They're so gorgeous!

Chicken Little? Hmm... I never even knew you could meet him anywhere!

He and Abby Mallard are out meeting until the end of September as part of the Mickey and Minnie Surprise Celebration festivities. They have certain characters out meeting by the flagpole every day. The characters rotate, so Chicken Little/Abby were Sunday, I know Remy/Emile were Wednesday, and I think Phineas and Ferb are Friday, but I'm not sure about the others.

 

[missangelalexis]

How scary that you got into a little fender bender- glad it was nothing serious!

Your first day outfit is adorable! Sounds like a great morning, love the balloon pics!

 

[kclark9830]

Candied bacon?! Oh my gosh, I want some. Yummy. I love your picture with all the balloons. Super fun. And yay for Chicken Little! That would be fun to meet him.

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

That outfit though

Sounds like such an incredible morning so far! I've always wanted to try the Wave, but we're always hesitant to stray away from our tried and true breakfast favorites like Tusker House. Maybe we'll try dinner someday, though!

 

[Newsies]

How scary that you got into a little fender bender- glad it was nothing serious!

It was definitely a scary moment! But yeah, it was nothing serious, so we feel extremely lucky!

Your first day outfit is adorable! Sounds like a great morning, love the balloon pics!

Thank you very much! We had a terrific time!

Candied bacon?! Oh my gosh, I want some. Yummy. I love your picture with all the balloons. Super fun. And yay for Chicken Little! That would be fun to meet him.

It was so delicious!! Chicken Little was such a fun one to meet!

That outfit though

Thank you queen!!!

Sounds like such an incredible morning so far! I've always wanted to try the Wave, but we're always hesitant to stray away from our tried and true breakfast favorites like Tusker House. Maybe we'll try dinner someday, though!

We definitely had a fun morning! I agree-- everyone seems to have breakfast choices that they just can't let go of! I haven't been to Tusker House in so long, we have to try it again soon! I highly recommend The Wave for dinner!!!

 

[Gina Starr]

I decided to be fancy and do quotes. Which is no easy feat on a phone!

Five Guys is one of my favorite burger joints! I had no idea they had a gluten-free menu, that's awesome!

The only thing on their menu that has gluten is the buns. (Other than the Oreos in the Oreo milkshake or the malt in the malt vinegar) The fries are the only things cooked in the fryer so I feel super safe there! And it’s yummy!

We were terrified for a good minute, because that's always a fear we have when we're heading to and from Florida. We were very lucky with traffic this year, but we saw some CRAZINESS coming home. There was a massive car fire by the Delaware bridge that completely shut down the southbound side of the interstate

Oh wow! That’s terrifying!

The shortalls are from Torrid and the ears are from WordofMouseCo!

Okay I love your overalls! And I love that all the 90s stuff is coming back in style. I told my husband I wanted a pair of overalls and he rolled his eyes...

We arrived at the Villas at the Grand Floridian Resort at 7:22 AM!

Great timing!

Dad parked next to someone he knew! The truck he parked next to had a fire department license plate from the town next door to us, so he was able to recognize the truck as his friend’s!

That’s funny! Did you guys know he was going to be there? Reminds me of the time when I was younger and we were at the Grand Canyon and my sister ran into a friend. She didn’t know they would be there and we lived in Ohio at the time!

I found out on this day that I was not a fan of grits.

I’ve never tasted grits but they never looked too appetizing

I’m still bummed we couldn’t get Cali Grill Brunch for this day! If you didn’t follow my PTR, I tried to get it at the 180-day mark and when I couldn’t book it, I had two alerts set up on reservation-finding sites. A few tables opened up, but even after catching most of them as soon as I got the text, I was never able to book anything!

That’s strange. Wonder why it’s so crazy popular now?

I thought this was pretty good! If bacon can’t be thin and crispy, I love when it’s super thick and chewy like this! It had a nice smoky flavor and the brown sugar around the edges didn’t overpower the bacon. I’m glad we got it.

I’m definitely a crispy bacon fan. I’m undecided on if I wanna try it...

 

[sahu]

That first day outfit is too cute! I'm headed to the Wave for breakfast tomorrow, so I hope I like it! I'm afraid it's going to pale in comparison to the California Grill brunch I did manage to snag though, or even the FABULOUS dark chocolate waffles my husband got at Ale & Compass.