No Hurricanes Please- A Redemption Trip- November 2018 PTR-Updated 11/17/18 New TR Links

[kastoney]

Hi there! I fell way behind but am all caught up now. Looks like all your plans are coming along nicely. Love the idea of all things fall at DS and a $19 hotel!!!!!!!! Awesome. It will be here before you know it. And it sounds like you need it. Hope all is better on the health front.

 

[SweetSerenity]

Hi there! I fell way behind but am all caught up now. Looks like all your plans are coming along nicely. Love the idea of all things fall at DS and a $19 hotel!!!!!!!! Awesome. It will be here before you know it. And it sounds like you need it. Hope all is better on the health front.

Don't worry, you didn't miss much, ha!
Yes, the hotel was a super score! And it's a nice place, too. Not that I really care for one night, but with the price we paid I feel like I won the lottery on that one.
Thank you. We really need this break. I'm paranoid it's going to get canceled, though, for some catastrophic reason and then I may actually lose my mind. 32 days never seemed so far away!
Don't read my report, update yours! I'll grab some popcorn while I wait.

 

[SweetSerenity]

Day Two!

​

Okay, 32 more days. The close we get the more nervous I get that something is going to happen that will cause us to cancel our trip, i.e. a hurricane. My elderly dog is having some issues that she has had before. A few years ago on my birthday she hemorrhaged out and nearly died. She's starting to show signs of those same problems, but until it actually becomes emergent there is nothing that can be done. I wish we could do preventative surgery, but that is not an option. Apparently, I was holding her so tightly in my sleep last night that my husband woke me up to tell me she couldn't breathe. I've had her nearly 12 years now. She's my little old lady, and I just cannot imagine something happening to her. She's my one-eyed co-pilot, my snuggle buddy. Well, you know, until I squash her and she can't breathe. . .

I'm taking things one day at a time. Before our trip, I have two more appointments with doctors. I've already gotten some pretty disheartening advice from two different opinions about our future as a family. I'm not sure I'm ready to accept it, but I am grieving the news a little. I am not giving up. I'm working hard day by day to win this uphill battle. This just means we have to change our path around a little. I'd like to say how amazingly supportive my husband is. This can't be easy on him either to know that my body has failed us both. His sacrifice in this is great, but he still stands by my side. We are looking forward to this anniversary trip and to have 10 days where we can let the cares of the real world melt away.

Speaking of the amazing husband, he gave me a wonderful gift. Has anyone ever heard of Josh Groban? If you haven't you are sorely missing out. I started listening to him in 2002. His music calmed me on the long drives to college and back, and it pulled me through my bad days. I've been trying to go to a concert for 16 years now, but I've never been able to get tickets. Somehow, Jason got us tickets. I think it is a gift of encouragement, but his support and love is so astounding. I'm blessed. Really really really blessed. Anyway, the concert is 10/19 so we have that to look forward to before the trip!



Okay, lets focus here.

I was still having some issues with the website and the MDE app. Sanaa was still missing and so was my memory maker. I chatted online with a lovely CM who fixed the issue because she was a magical little Rockstar with skills the others didn't seem to have. Thank you!



Okay! Day 2! Friday, November 2nd, 2018.

I didn't plan this very well. I'm sure we will want to sleep in, but am I letting that happen? Nope, not me.

We're heading to The Grand Floridian at 8:20 for the 1900 Park Fare Supercalifragilistic breakfast. This will be a first for us both at the GF and the restaurant. I'm not sure the easiest way to get over there. Bus to MK and monorail to GF? Walk to Epcot all the way to the front and take the monorail? I don't know. I'm a rookie with these things.



After that, it's off to MK for our first FP of the day:
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Have you caught on yet that we love this ride?

After that, we're headed over to the next mountain for a Splash Mountain FP. We got stuck on this a few years ago and had to be evacuated right before the big incline for the final drop. We experienced the magical backside of the park that day!

Then, it's off to Liberty Square we go. Colonial times are my favorite history era. I can spend a lot of time here wandering through the shops and hanging out. We've never been able to get a picture at the pillory so I'll try to snag one of those.

We will be spending our last scheduled FP with 999 grim grinning ghosts. I've loved this ride as a kid even when I was a little scared of the eyes in the walls. I remember my dad reached into my doom buggy once when we were stuck and grabbed me. Scared the bejeebles out of me. I love it! I wish they did the crossover for Nightmare Before Christmas like they do in DL, though.

I hope all the mountain riding makes us hungry because then it's time for lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. The pot roast here is delicious, and that ooey gooey toffee thingy? Yep, I'll be having a little bite of that.

So, here are where the plans stop. I've got nothing scheduled until 7:00.

I think we will probably go through Fantasyland and see what we can ride. I'll look for some extra FP. We must stop at Phillharmagic. We may hunt for some character interactions while we make our way toward the front.

I'd like to leave MK by 4 so we can get a little rest in before we switch parks for the evening.

We have dinner at La Hacienda at 7:00. This is also a new restaurant for us. If we happen to see some snacks on the way for Food and Wine, I'm sure we will partake since we have a huge list of what we want to try.

I'm not really making any plans for Epcot after dinner. We will likely just walk back to the Boardwalk at as leisurely of a pace as possible. It looks like the park closes at 10 so we may have an hour of free time. If FEA isn't horrible, we could stop there. I really enjoy exploring the Norway shops and visiting my favorite troll.

Whatever happens, I can't rush. My husband starts complaining about blisters and the whole trip is a wash. I cleaned Walmart out of mole skin yesterday. We are going to bandage those puppies up!

That's it for day 2!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

If you want to take Disney transportation, going to MK and taking the monorail over will be the best bet. Or since you are driving, you could drive to the TTC (you get free parking as a resort guest) and then monorail over to GF and then head to the Magic Kingdom. This means when you leave, you'll probably get back to the resort quicker than if it was using the buses. We either drive ourselves or Taxi/Lyft/Uber rather than having to take multiple forms of transportation.

I'm sorry to hear about your elder pup. Them getting older is so hard! Gaston is elder as well so I know to just enjoy the time we have left even if he has turned into a grumpy old man whenever the puppy is around. I think his favorite part of the day now is when Gantu gets into his crate for the night and that means he's by himself with his humans.

Sorry to hear about your issues and future family planning. You remind me of what happened to us years ago. It is a rough decision to go through and you will make the correct choice for your family. We ultimately decided that being dog parents and traveling was the right choice for us. We may end up fostering a pre-teen/teenager once we get into our 40's.

 

[SweetSerenity]

If you want to take Disney transportation, going to MK and taking the monorail over will be the best bet. Or since you are driving, you could drive to the TTC (you get free parking as a resort guest) and then monorail over to GF and then head to the Magic Kingdom. This means when you leave, you'll probably get back to the resort quicker than if it was using the buses. We either drive ourselves or Taxi/Lyft/Uber rather than having to take multiple forms of transportation.

I'm sorry to hear about your elder pup. Them getting older is so hard! Gaston is elder as well so I know to just enjoy the time we have left even if he has turned into a grumpy old man whenever the puppy is around. I think his favorite part of the day now is when Gantu gets into his crate for the night and that means he's by himself with his humans.

Sorry to hear about your issues and future family planning. You remind me of what happened to us years ago. It is a rough decision to go through and you will make the correct choice for your family. We ultimately decided that being dog parents and traveling was the right choice for us. We may end up fostering a pre-teen/teenager once we get into our 40's.

We are driving, aren't we? Ha! That would be easiest! Why does everyone say not to drive to MK, though? Thank you for reminding me. My marbles are a little mixed up.

I'm sorry about your own journey. We have made no decisions yet, though we saw this coming. I'm adopted myself so it's an option, but we are not making any rash decisions. We love our animals so if we end up with a sanctuary for dogs and ferrets that will be okay, too. Thank you.

 

[Araminta18]

I'm sorry about the pre-trip anxiety and the real life struggles. Sending hugs your way!

Your day 2 sounds like lots of fun! I highly recommend the mid-afternoon break, and I say that as a die-hard rope-drop to park close tourer, but it saved our bacon this last trip (though hopefully your trip won't be nearly as hot). If you don't end up getting a break at the hotel, we found sitting in the rocking chairs on Tom Sawyer island worked almost as well. With only two people, you shouldn't have too much of an issue getting extra fastpasses either.

That's one of the benefits of staying at an Epcot resort, just being able to leisurely stroll out of Epcot and back to the hotel. Like you said, don't rush! Just enjoy it--you deserve it!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

The close we get the more nervous I get that something is going to happen that will cause us to cancel our trip, i.e. a hurricane.

You should hopefully be clear of hurricane's by the time you go but I know what you mean about worrying. It hard not worry!

I've had her nearly 12 years now. She's my little old lady, and I just cannot imagine something happening to her. She's my one-eyed co-pilot, my snuggle buddy. Well, you know, until I squash her and she can't breathe. . .

Poor girl. I am sorry to hear that.

I'm taking things one day at a time. Before our trip, I have two more appointments with doctors. I've already gotten some pretty disheartening advice from two different opinions about our future as a family. I'm not sure I'm ready to accept it, but I am grieving the news a little. I am not giving up. I'm working hard day by day to win this uphill battle. This just means we have to change our path around a little. I'd like to say how amazingly supportive my husband is. This can't be easy on him either to know that my body has failed us both. His sacrifice in this is great, but he still stands by my side. We are looking forward to this anniversary trip and to have 10 days where we can let the cares of the real world melt away.

Sounds like this will be a well deserved trip! I hope you can enjoy the trip.

 

[SweetSerenity]

I'm sorry about the pre-trip anxiety and the real life struggles. Sending hugs your way!

Your day 2 sounds like lots of fun! I highly recommend the mid-afternoon break, and I say that as a die-hard rope-drop to park close tourer, but it saved our bacon this last trip (though hopefully your trip won't be nearly as hot). If you don't end up getting a break at the hotel, we found sitting in the rocking chairs on Tom Sawyer island worked almost as well. With only two people, you shouldn't have too much of an issue getting extra fastpasses either.

That's one of the benefits of staying at an Epcot resort, just being able to leisurely stroll out of Epcot and back to the hotel. Like you said, don't rush! Just enjoy it--you deserve it!!

I'm a napper. My husband gets grumpy if I don't nap because he wants the break from me I think, haha! We have been to Tom Sawyer Island with no plans to return, but it looks like you enjoyed it over there! Your husband had a nice little doze.

Yes! Must go slow. Have to go slow. . . so hard!

You should hopefully be clear of hurricane's by the time you go but I know what you mean about worrying. It hard not worry!


Poor girl. I am sorry to hear that.


Sounds like this will be a well deserved trip! I hope you can enjoy the trip.

I know! I just get paranoid something will happen. It's not like I can control it, but we are ready to go. Seriously, if I didn't look like a lunatic I'd start packing right now, ha!

Thank you! She's a strong girl. She's been stuck to me like glue today.

We will enjoy it! No matter what happens while we're there and whatever may go wrong, we will be together! It'll be great!

 

[SweetSerenity]

Lets Go- Day 3!​

Hi, friends!

25 more days to go!

Today, we went shopping to "finalize" our purchases for the trip. Also known as I wanted to go to the Disney outlet and Vera Bradley.

I tell myself that I can only spend the money if I absolutely *have* to have it. That usually leaves me empty handed anyway because it's more about the browsing and increasing the steps on my Fitbit anyway! However, I did make one little purchase for Halloween. This may have been last year's shirt, but I saw it online somewhere and thought it was adorable.


We may not be going to the parks for Halloween, but it'll be cute for DS!

So, before we move on to Day 3 of the itinerary, I must confess that I rearranged some of our reservations again. . . I think I finally got it right, though!

So, travel back to Day One- November 1st, 2018.

Remember how we didn't have a lunch and then we added The Plaza because @StarWarsMomofGirls! did that review and convinced me to book it? Well, let me hang my head in shame because I canceled it. With our FP selections and our dinner at Shula's being at 6:45, the day was just too crowded. We knew we couldn't physically do everything on the list so we talked it out and decided that it would be best to do a CS at Magic Kingdom such as Columbia Harbour House, which we really enjoy. I also moved Shula's to a later dinner at 8:00 so that we would have time to go to The Boardwalk and change into better attire for the evening.

The other cancellations come later.

Saturday 11/03/18--Day 3

It's Animal Kingdom morning with morning EMH!

I plan to be there right at rope drop and try to head straight to Pandora for FOP. This may blow up in my face, but our first FP of the day is at 9:05 at Na'Vi River Journey so we will be headed to that area anyway.

We then have Fastpasses for Kilimanjaro Safari and Expedition Everest back to back.

After that, it's lunch at Yak and Yeti using our snazzy new Landry's Card.

This is a special night as it's the Star Wars dessert party at 7:00 at HS. We will need to head over to HS around 4 so we can check in by 5:30 for the party, which means we likely won't do much else at AK after lunch other than whatever we cross on our way back to the front of the park. We'll likely take a little break back at The Boardwalk and change into our matching shirts I picked out for this night.

Jason thinks we are going to Fantasmic and getting snack boxes. I had to come up with some reason that we had to go to HS at a specific time and why we were not eating dinner somewhere. I'm not going to tell him anything until we check in.

The park closes at 8:00 that night so it will be time to leave after the show. We will be back the next morning at HS, though, to check out Toy Story Land.

Okay, that concludes Day 3!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Sounds good!
Your husband should love that surprise!

Just remember on HS for Day 4 - the walkway and the boats won’t be running in the morning because of the Wine And Dine Half Marathon as that path is used for the course. They should have buses running or worst case, you just drive across the street.

 

[SweetSerenity]

Sounds good!
Your husband should love that surprise!

Just remember on HS for Day 4 - the walkway and the boats won’t be running in the morning because of the Wine And Dine Half Marathon as that path is used for the course. They should have buses running or worst case, you just drive across the street.

What would I do without you and all your information? Thank you for reminding me of that.

 

[SweetSerenity]

Day 4 Itinerary​

So, yesterday Jason and I were having breakfast before we went shopping. I'm in my own world when he starts smiling and nudging me. "Did you not hear them?" He says to me. I shake my head no because I'm busy planning my own trip inside my head to notice the three men sitting in the booth behind us. "They're talking about Flight of Passage." Okay, well, that perks up my ears. I shamelessly eavesdrop for a moment as one of the gentleman describes the ride and how much he enjoyed it. So, I say to Jason "Okay, I have to interrupt." He pulls his hat down over his head and crouches as low as a man of his stature can crouch. Hey, he brought this up. So I turn to our neighbor and apologize for eavesdropping but tell him we are going in 3 weeks and how did he feel about the new attractions. He gushes about Pandora and FOP, but he's not impressed much by Slinky Dog. He tells me to go straight to the rides early in the morning and we can likely ride within 20 minutes. I thank him and wish him a good day.

Meanwhile, my husband is in fetal position at our table shaking his head. I interact with people for a living. I make conversation. You don't just stab people with needles without at least asking them how their days are going. Come on, man, cut me a break!

Day Four- Sunday, November 4th

Hollywood Studios and Epcot

Hollywood Studios open at 9:00 this morning, and I fully intend on being at the gate at 9:00. As I've stated before, we don't do a lot of rope drop unless it's necessary. Today, it's necessary.

Dear friend @Dis_Yoda has warned me that the walking path and boats will be closed due to the marathon. Jason refuses to drive to the parks (I don't know why, really), but I've warned him this is our best option versus trying to see if there is a bus coming.

We have a FP for Alien Swirling Saucers at 9:35, but it is my goal to see if I can book it over to Slinky Dog Dash. I have warned my husband to prepare his feet for the fast walking.

After our FP, we may try TSM. I do enjoy this, but I won't be super sad if we don't make it. I'm sure that we will be hungry around this time. Now, there's a conundrum. Where the heck do you eat QS at HS that's decent? I'm thinking Woody's Lunch Box will be worth a try for a snack, especially since we will be in Toy Story Land.

At 11:05, it's time for our second FP and my favorite ride at HS:

Rockin' Roller Coaster!!

I could ride this over and over again, but there is little time to linger today.
While we're in the area, Jason loves Tower of Terror. I, however, do not. I can't stand that yo-yo feeling, but if he wants to do it we will do it.

At 12:45 we will make the trek across the park for lunch at Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano.

After lunch, it's time for FP #3: Star Tours. Okay, we both get super green on this ride, but Jason wanted to try it again since he loves Star Wars so much.

After our hopefully smooth venture into the galaxy, we will linger for as long as he wants in the area. If he wants to try to catch some shows, we can do that or we may head back to the Boardwalk for a rest.

Either way, we will head to Epcot about 5:00 for our 6:05 Rose and Crown dinner. This is one of our favorite restaurants. We have been there every trip since 2008. The UK pavilion is wonderful. We enjoy perusing the shops and spending time in the tea store for Jason. Rose and Crown had a recent menu change that made it less appealing, but I noticed a couple of days ago that it had been updated again. Hooray!

Rose and Crown has always been kind about letting us stick around for Illuminations, though this may be a far stretch considering our ADR is so early.

I'm not sure about the rest of our plans for the remainder of the evening. The park closes at 9 so I suppose it depends on when we finish dinner and if we watch the fireworks. I'm trying to keep this trip as leisurely as possible, but I think we will enjoy our evening walk back to The Boardwalk.

 

[Araminta18]

Your surprise sounds awesome!! Hope it’s amazing

Dear friend @Dis_Yoda has warned me that the walking path and boats will be closed due to the marathon. Jason refuses to drive to the parks (I don't know why, really), but I've warned him this is our best option versus trying to see if there is a bus coming.

You could try uber, if he’s not opposed to that. We ubered to HS from the Boardwalk twice and it’s nice. Short and sweet

I'm thinking Woody's Lunch Box will be worth a try for a snack, especially since we will be in Toy Story Land.

We only had breakfast there but it was decent. I’d recommend it, especially if you do mobile ordering

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Oh, @Araminta18 is right - Uber is an option too if you don't mind spending a few dollars.

QS at HS is lacking - I mean, I've eaten at each place other than Woody's Lunch Box and they are fine. Nothing amazing but nothing bad. If you go in thinking that, you should be ok. If not, you can go to Baseline for a drink and a warm pretzel and kinda call that lunch.

 

[SweetSerenity]

Your surprise sounds awesome!! Hope it’s amazing


You could try uber, if he’s not opposed to that. We ubered to HS from the Boardwalk twice and it’s nice. Short and sweet


We only had breakfast there but it was decent. I’d recommend it, especially if you do mobile ordering

Thanks! I think it will be great fun if I can keep my mouth shut for 27 more days.

Thankfully, he's logical enough to save the money on an uber when we have a perfectly good car with wheels on it. It will only hurt his feelings for a few minutes to drive the short distance over to the park. He'll be okay.

We are going to try mobile ordering. I mean, we mobile order at Sonic here all the time.

Also, did you see that Tom Sawyer Island is closing for 2 months for refurb?

Oh, @Araminta18 is right - Uber is an option too if you don't mind spending a few dollars.

QS at HS is lacking - I mean, I've eaten at each place other than Woody's Lunch Box and they are fine. Nothing amazing but nothing bad. If you go in thinking that, you should be ok. If not, you can go to Baseline for a drink and a warm pretzel and kinda call that lunch.

I keep forgetting about Baseline, though it's on my list. I'm sure we will find something edible if we don't do Woody's. I have high hopes for the new Star Wars restaurants coming to the new land. Hopefully, they'll put in a nice new CS like Pandora did! HS could sure use it!

 

[Araminta18]

Thanks! I think it will be great fun if I can keep my mouth shut for 27 more days.

Thankfully, he's logical enough to save the money on an uber when we have a perfectly good car with wheels on it. It will only hurt his feelings for a few minutes to drive the short distance over to the park. He'll be okay.

We are going to try mobile ordering. I mean, we mobile order at Sonic here all the time.

Also, did you see that Tom Sawyer Island is closing for 2 months for refurb?

I did see that! Bummer.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

You are getting SOOOOO close!!!!

We stopped at Baseline this past weekend. It was a perfect place to grab a quick snack and a drink. The pretzel was delish!

 

[BellesLibrary]

So jealous about the AKL stay--it's been on my must-visit list for YEARS! We will be heading to WDW in November, too, and I cannot wait.

That stinks about the hurricane ruining your trip. We're in South Carolina, so we've been on pins and needles this hurricane season, too. We had to cancel a trip to Puerto Rico last year because of the Irma/Maria situation. No fun, but it's better to be safely at home than going through a hurricane on vacation!

I hope you're able to enjoy all of the yummy food at WDW as much as you're able to with the gastroparesis. I'm allergic to shellfish and just discovered a dairy sensitivity recently, so I'm coming to terms with all of the stuff I can't have (chocolate covered everything! Mickey ice cream! nacho cheese sauce!!). I'm trying to focus on what I CAN have (churros, maybe? popcorn?), but it's tough since all of the treats have been one of my favorite parts of visiting Disney World.

Can't wait to hear more about the trip!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Did this hurricane just add to your worrying? I hope not.

 

[kastoney]

This may have been last year's shirt, but I saw it online somewhere and thought it was adorable.

Love it!!!

With our FP selections and our dinner at Shula's being at 6:45, the day was just too crowded. We knew we couldn't physically do everything on the list so we talked it out and decided that it would be best to do a CS at Magic Kingdom such as Columbia Harbour House, which we really enjoy. I also moved Shula's to a later dinner at 8:00 so that we would have time to go to The Boardwalk and change into better attire for the evening.

You may know this already, but just in case you don't, you can sign up for Shula's "Team Shula" club and when its your birthday you get a free entree when you buy another one. Great savings and "convenient" if it just happens to be your birthday.

After that, it's lunch at Yak and Yeti using our snazzy new Landry's Card.

My other favorite disney time/money saver!

This is a special night as it's the Star Wars dessert party at 7:00 at HS. We will need to head over to HS around 4 so we can check in by 5:30 for the party, which means we likely won't do much else at AK after lunch other than whatever we cross on our way back to the front of the park. We'll likely take a little break back at The Boardwalk and change into our matching shirts I picked out for this night.

What an awesome surprise. I'm sure he'll love it.

I interact with people for a living. I make conversation. You don't just stab people with needles without at least asking them how their days are going. Come on, man, cut me a break!