Our Greatest Trip Ever! (Or was it?) An August 2018 TR. UPDATED 10/3

[abarriger]

Welcome, dear readers! Over the past few years, I have written a few pre-trip reports, and mostly abandoned them, always planning to return and write a post trip report. This year, I am breaking the cycle! I am going to write up a trip report of our greatest trip ever (or not). So, let me introduce you to the cast of characters. (It's pretty small, so I bet you can keep up.)

Here's me, Amy, preschool-teacher at a small Jewish day school by day, and avid Disney planner, blogger, and food obsessor by night. (I also teach Hebrew school on the weekends to fund the Disney hobby.)

I am definitely the strongest Disney-guiding force in our house. I spend my free time listening to Disney podcasts, reading food reviews of Disney restaurants I will likely never get to eat at, and generally wishing I was at Disney.

My favorite park is Magic Kingdom, my favorite rides are Frozen Ever After, Under the Sea, and Dumbo. (are you picking up on a theme here? The theme being non-scary stuff?)

I am always accompanied to Disney by my loving wife, Marjorie. Marjorie is definitely not as into Disney as I am, but there are definitely parts she enjoys. (And definitely some parts she doesn't enjoy... more on that later.) I think 80% of the reason she goes is to make me happy, but there are some solid things she likes in that remaining 20%.

Marjorie loves Animal Kingdom the best (even Pre-Pandora, but more-so now) and shares my general unease about roller coasters. Flight of Passage unseated Frozen Ever After as her favorite ride this trip.

Anyway, this trip was a big one-- it was really poised to be our best trip yet. The first time we visited Hollywood Studios, the first (and second) time we ate at a signature, our first time staying this long.... But I'm going to leave you hanging to decide if it really turned out to be our best trip ever.

Chapters

Solo Day-- Part 1​

Solo Day-- Part 2

A Magic (Kingdom) Morning

An Animal Kingdom Afternoon

Dinner and a Show​

 

[dnllmz]

Following along

 

[Newsies]

Hi, Amy!

I'm following along, I can't wait to read more! Now I'm eager to see if this really was the best trip ever I certainly hope it was!

 

[abarriger]

My First Day at Disney--
or, Amy Does Disney Solo!!


This was a somewhat unusual trip to Disney for us because Marjorie and I were not flying in together. Enabled by the joys of being a teacher in summer, I spent the week before Disney in Sarasota, with my mom, which was delightful. Marjorie spent the week before Disney at work, which was kind of less delightful.


Spending time with my mom meant that I had already been in Orlando! Five days before, I had passed this beautiful sign

(yes, I brought my ukulele. Two weeks is a long time to stop my practicing!)

and painfully turned the opposite direction and driven away from Disney. So, on Thursday morning, I was ecstatic to be driving to Orlando again, in order to drop off my mother and start our Disney trip. Sarasota was lovely-- lots of beach walks (until the red tide came in ) , delicious food, pool time, and thrifting.

But by Thursday, I was ready to vacation at a totally different pace. My mom and I left Sarasota at around 7:00, and I left her at the airport by 9:15 with a big hug. I dropped off the rental car, stopped long enough to don my mouse ears, and literally skipped through the airport to Magical Express.

It was weird, doing this whole thing without Marjorie. I can totally see the appeal of solo traveling (because no one wants to Disney as hard as I do, at the end of the day) but the actuality of doing it felt a little awkward. I waited for the Magical Express all by myself, with no one to process anything with. I called Marjorie, who was excited for me but who mostly just needed to do her work.

There's my bus! I'm not a huge fan of the tiny windows, but I am a huge fan of any bus ride that ends at Disney World.

I sent a lot of manic selfies to my wife throughout this process. I think the most adorable part of the trip was when the little girl behind me screamed "I CAN SEE THE CASTLE! It's so beautiful!" but it was just a big off-site hotel.

We stopped at AoA briefly (I remember our one stay here SO fondly, but I can't justify the cost for a value!) before hitting Pop.

No room ready text yet, and I had foolishly left my bags with bell services, so I couldn't swim-- but that was no problem, because I quickly boarded my first bus.

I waited about 5 minutes before blissful air conditioning on a bus to Disney Springs.

Marjorie and my first trip to Disney took place just when construction was starting on the Downtown Disney area, so it has been cool to see it improve each year. There is no better place to walk aimlessly and spend money.

But it wasn't just an aimless walk today... I was on a mission.

I wanted a s'more. I love s'mores. I love s'mores cereal, s'mores frappucinos... The combination of graham cracker and marshmallow just really resonates with me.

So I walked a ways, found a map, walked back the other way (have I mentioned my sense of direction is abysmal???) and found my way to Amorette's. Only to wander around, confused, until the kind shop-keeper told me that I needed to go to The Ganachery.

So I kept walking, back the way I had gone. But it was totally, 100% worth it. You guys, look...

It was the best thing I have ever eaten.

Like a regular s'more, but instead of a hard graham cracker from a box, it was a soft, delicious, fresh graham cracker coated in cinnamon and sugar. And the marshmallow was perfectly roasted, not burned, and the chocolate.... I think about this thing all of the time. I have sought out "artisan smores" at Chicago bakeries, but they are no even close. If you are near the ganachery in the summer, it is worth every penny (and it isn't cheap, so that says something.)

I was happy. The sun was shining, I was at Disney world... I roamed around a bit more, and found my way to the Disney Style store. This place is a lot of fun.

It's TINY, but the displays are adorable, and they had some really nice stuff. Like the inter-changeable mouse ears. Now, I already had my interchangeable mouse ears, from Magical Ribbons, which I LOVE, but the ones they had were softer, and more comfortable. I agonized a bit: I mean, if I'm lucky I wear these things five days out a year, is it worth 30$ when the ones I have are lovely?

answer: yes. Totally worth it. These are by far the most comfortable ones I have tried, and just look at the way the bow can be at an angle!!!

Where to next? More ridiculous purchases? STAY TUNED to find out!!
​

 

[StacyStrong]

Following:

Also hilarious: As I was reading your section about how much you love smores, my friend sent me a text saying she just made smore granola bars. Literally got her text at the exact moment I was reading about your love of smores. Disney truly is magical.

 

[QueenJen]

Yum - love s'mores anything. I discovered the joy of solo time at Disney when I had a day off and hubs did not - I thought it would be awkward, but for the couple hours I was there, it was actually great.

Looking forward to reading about your adventures.

 

[abarriger]

Yum - love s'mores anything. I discovered the joy of solo time at Disney when I had a day off and hubs did not - I thought it would be awkward, but for the couple hours I was there, it was actually great.

Looking forward to reading about your adventures.

I know what you mean. My day was some combo of awesome and awkward. I would definitely do it again if the choice was solo or no Disney... but overall I prefer to have my wife there to share my joy with. Sometimes I wish she could be comfortable going back to the room for a rest while I keep powering through-- that is the kind of solo I could get behind! (I hate breaks!)

Following:

Also hilarious: As I was reading your section about how much you love smores, my friend sent me a text saying she just made smore granola bars. Literally got her text at the exact moment I was reading about your love of smores. Disney truly is magical.

AAAAAH homemade s'mores granola bars would be AMAZING!! That amazing Disney s'more has made me seriously consider learning to make my own marshmallows, because the homemade marshmallow really kicked it up a notch.

 

[abarriger]

The Ending of a Great Solo Day

When you left me, I was wandering around Disney Springs, eating nothing but sugar and having a grand time. After I ate my s'more and purchased the new mouse ears, I proceeded to immediately switch the bows out on the ears three times.


That accomplished, I meandered off towards the boat dock. I should mention here that I have a comically bad sense of direction. I never know where anything is, and I can barely follow a map. To complicate matters further, I have an old phone with a malfunctioning GPS (it often shows me in the middle of a lake...), so I spend a fair amount of time lost, both at Disney or elsewhere. It took a lot of wandering, and following signs for the boat launch, but eventually I found myself on a boat.

Now, I am a super Disney planner. If I am at Disney, I have the touringplans app on my phone, I have meals preplanned... etc. (I know there are people here who get me!) This day, though, was an anomaly. I didn't have park tickets, I was by myself, so I really didn't have a very specific plan. I knew vaguely that I wanted to resort hop, and I was not opposed to going to Port Orleans, because I loved the boat when we stayed there: but I really didn't have a set plan. i.e. I had no clue what I was doing.

So, I boarded a boat. And it was beautiful.

The wind was blowing, music was playing softly... I was enjoying the ride. And yes, there were more stops than I imagined... but I was happy. Until I looked up at about the 4th stop and realized I was back where I had started: I was going in circles.

HEY GUYS DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE BOATS THAT GO PLACES THAT AREN'T PORT ORLEANS???

Well, now I did. So I got off in a weird semi-panic (at the exact same sport where I had boarded... dumb) and walked around to the boat dock for Port Orleans. With a lot of lost wandering.

That's better. This boat looked like what I remembered. Honestly, the giveaway that my boat was wrong never had anything to do with noticing my surroundings: my tip off was when I realized it wasn't playing the lovely banjo music and cricket sounds I associated with POR

(This, friends, might be another reason solo touring is not for me. I need support navigating!!)

These boat rides are really lovely. They were one of my favorite parts of staying at Port Orleans, and I enjoy them even when I'm not staying there. It is so incredibly serene and lovely out on the water. 10/10, would recommend.

I sent this picture immediately to Marjorie for two reasons.

1. We are obsessed with these treehouses and wish we could afford to stay here and

2. Last year, we hosted a small Thanksgiving dinner in our tiny apartment. One of our friends brought a friend (another stray lonely person with no family in town) who told us the most insane Disney story. Her family took a huge trip to Disney-- like 8-10 people for a week-- and they stayed in one of these treehouses. They had bought park tickets and made dining reservations for this woman, but as soon as she stepped foot into the tree house she refused to leave. She thought it was the most incredible, restful, beautiful vacation spot and she just wanted to enjoy the ambiance.

So... she never stepped foot in a park while her family left her there all day. I can't imagine how annoyed they must have been at her!! And the money wasted! She tried to convince us to share a tree house with her next time we go to Disney.... but even divided three ways this thing is well out of our price range.


Anyway, right around this point my day took a bit of a sharp turn for the less awesome. While I was galavanting around Disney, my mom was on a plane and she was supposed to transfer at BWI. My mom, I should mention, is afraid of technology. she doesn't have a smart phone, she only uses a little pay-as-you-go phone, which she keeps off ALL THE TIME unless she is calling someone. So, I manage her travel. Southwest called me to tell her transfer flight was cancelled, and she needed to go to a counter to re-book. I called her maybe 56 times, but of course her phone was off. There was nothing I could do but wait and be nervous for her, but it felt kind of yucky to be playing and having a great day when she was stuck. But anyway.

I took the boat to French Quarter. We have only stayed at POR, so it was fun to walk around. I had vague ambitions of trying the beignets, but of course I had only eaten a s'more all day and the thought of filling my tummy with more sugar made me ill, so I just walked around. The pool looked pretty inviting, but it was definitely smaller than at PoR.

Sooo many selfies on a solo day!

At this point, my stomach full of chocolate and marshmallows and my anxiety about my mom took over. I decided to just go back to the hotel, so I bussed to MK and then caught a bus to AOA (the bus was there when I walked up.)

I LOVE this resort. It was enjoyable just to walk through. While I was walking, my room text came through, so I was eager to see if my requests had been granted.

I am obsessed with the landscape design here. The plants they have look just like seaweed, or African jungle plants, depending on the section. Whenever we are out and I see a plant that resembles seaweed, I think of our stay here.

I facetimed Marjorie as I walked to the room.

Spoiler alert: the room was PERFECT. As I had requested, the room was top floor, lake view. We were in 4437, which is tucked away in a corner with this amazing view

It was quiet and just so wonderful. We enjoyed the glimpse at gondola construction, though who knows what that will make the view like here I guess.

I really had gone to the room with intentions of resting, but when I'm in Disney it just doesn't work that way. I listened to Stacey for a few minutes, and then I popped back up to get on my bathing suit and check out the resort.

A really great feature of this room, besides the gorgeous view, was the fact that is was pretty close to Pop's lobby and also pretty close to AoA's lobby-- it was pretty centrally located.

This might be my favorite view from any resort I've stayed at so far-- the little animals are just so stinking cute!! And, as a preschool teacher, I have a deep love of play dough. This was the view as we waited for the elevator in our building.

I wanted to swim, so I found a beach chair and sat for a while, occasionally jumping in... but I will go ahead and say that swimming is definitely less fun solo. I kept jumping out to check on my things, and in the pool I kept bumping into people, I just wasn't sure what to do with myself.

But the view was totally great. I enjoyed listening to the silly pool party games, and restrained myself from schooling all the small kiddos at trivia.

This was my position, for the most part, until I got restless, so I set off to explore. I'm sure everyone has seen all of these sights before, but I will share them again so you can virtually follow on my walk.

Marjorie and I had not been thrilled to stay here (POR was really wonderful on our last trip) but the new rooms, and the fun setting, were working some magic on me.

I was really digging this dated computer!

During my walk, I was texting and calling Marjorie frequently. She arrived at Midway on time, only to find out her flight was delayed-- boo. It was particularly bad news, of course, because we had an early morning start to a long day the next day, and her flight was already cutting it close. She told me to get whatever I wanted for dinner (we are both typical indecisive millenials!) but I knew what she wanted.

So, another quick bus ride to Disney springs. We had amazing bus luck this trip-- except for post fireworks at MK, we never waited longer than 10 minutes for a bus (though we were willing to walk from AOA if needed.)

Marjorie loves fried chicken, so I wanted to get the fried chicken sandwiches at the walkup window at Homecoming. Unfortunately, Disney Food Blog is quick to post when someone starts serving, and a bit slower to post when someone stops.... and the walkup window for chicken sandwiches and fries is no more. So, I regrouped, and used online ordering for these babies

We are big, big, fans of D-Luxe. It was great that since last time, they added dispensers for the dipping sauces (along with cups and lids!) so I loaded our bag up with all of the dipping sauces and set back for the hotel. This was the buffalo chicken burger and the southern burger (with pimento cheese -- this is SO GOOD!). Our dining plan started the next day, but this was a combo so it was totally affordable, and also came with two drinks. (M wasn't there yet, so I chugged a bunch of diet coke before packing our food up.)

I took our hot, steaming, fragrant bag of deliciousness back to our room and parked myself on a chair by the pool to enjoy Toy Story.

But, I was so anxious for Marjorie to get there (and also I was watching with a hot bag of food on my lap!) that I couldn't totally get into it. I watched for about 30 minutes before I brought the food back to the room and watched Stacey. I even caught a bit of the fireworks at HS from outside our room! Finally, M. texted to say she was on the Magical Express (at this point it was after 10!) I ran down to greet her, and we excitedly scarfed down our dinner before passing out.

Tomorrow: we finally walk into a park!!​

​

 

[abarriger]

Fair warning: These updates are coming fast and furious right now because I have had today and yesterday off from school... but unfortunately these are the last two Jewish holidays for a looong time so my pace is going to slow down very soon. But I do solemnly swear that I am not going to abandon the report this time!!

Our Magical Morning

The next morning, Friday, was morning EMH at Magic Kingdom.

Marjorie and I have never paid for park hoppers before (and honestly I don't know when we will be able to justify it again... but this trip was our honeymoon, our first trip to Disney in two years, and the opening of Toy Story land, so we made it work this time).

Since we had them, we were going to use them. So the plan for this day was to start at morning extra magic hours at MK, hit Animal Kingdom, and finish at evening extra magic hours at HS. You'll see if it all pans out.

At 6:35, we walked out our door. We stopped for a diet coke, and walked to the bus stop.

We boarded by 6:50, and left by 7:00. The bus was overall less crowded than I expected.

Also, can I take a minute to celebrate the redesigned Mickey straws? They are now long enough to reach the bottom of the reusable mugs, and wide enough to drink from without devoting all day to your soda. (I am a mickey straw enthusiast, and buy at least 3 on each trip. And melt at least 2 by the next one.)

Opening procedure did not go quite as I anticipated. For one, there was no opening show, and for two, they held us almost all of the way towards the teacups, which was more claustrophobic than in previous trips. We were not released a minute before 8, but we were relatively close to the front of the pack.

No photo can really capture that awful pressed-in-stressed-out feeling of rope dropping Seven Dwarves, but I tried. We befriended the woman standing near us, who was rope dropping by herself with a toddler... kudos to you, lady!

I can't seem to find our attraction photos, but the ride was wonderful and the whole ropedrop procedure was miserable. The first time we rode, I remember cast members walking in front with a rope, actively slowing people down-- this time, people were running every which way, pressing in from the sides. Our new friend had to lose a lot of ground to park her stroller, so we bid her farewell.

From there, we hightailed it to England.

We hadn't been at Disney for two years (we took a year off to pay for a wedding) and many rides were actually better than I remembered. This was one of those rides.

Then, we hit Winnie the Pooh.

I don't love taking ride photos (as you can probably tell they are all terrible anyway!) but if a ride is very slow, or it ever stops while we ride, I will whip out the phone.

Next was Small World. I know I am not the target audience for this ride, but I spend the whole thing gazing with slack-jawed wonder at every little doll. I can play the song on my ukulele and occasionally force my students to sing along.

M, who studies psychology, gets incensed when they sing "A smile means friendship to everyone" because apparently it is not viewed this way in all cultures. But I love the message and the darling imagery.

We were experimenting with clip on lenses for the iphone. I can't decide if they make any difference.

We had to photograph the Israeli dolls as we had just returned (a week before) from 10 days in Israel. I don't understand why the dolls are getting married though-- every other doll appears to be a child?

Shalom to Amy and Marjorie, captured for eternity just as we do each time

We walked over to Haunted Mansion next, which was only a 10 minute wait, and then waited 20 minutes for Pirates, which stopped at this point.

Marjorie, who missed all the controversy over the new scene, asked at the end "Which part was different?"

We were closing in on an 11:20 lunch reservation, but still had time for a few of our favorites: a quick spin on Dumbo, and then another quick spin at a tea party.

I think we have more photos of Dumbo in our google photos than anything else... I mean it's just so darn photogenic.

After we had our fill of spinning in circles, we went over to lunch. Every time I have been to MK as an adult, I have eaten lunch at BOG. I always consider going elsewhere, but honestly nothing else seems to measure up (esp. when we buy the dining plan.) So that was where we went, for our traditional terribly blurry food photos and cupcake snarfing. This was the first time we sat in the West Wing, though, which I did enjoy.

Lunch was shared, a roast beef sandwich and the pork, plus a grey stuff cupcake and lots of diet coke.

Bellies filled, we processed our day. We had done a lot, but, I won't lie, I was a little disappointed. Usually, when I make a touring plan we do everything on it well ahead of the projected times-- but we had been forced to drop a number of things in order to make it to lunch. The morning had been magical, but it was feeling pretty crowded. We chocked it up to it being an extra magic hours day, and decided to head over to Animal Kingdom as soon as we finished. Our fastpasses were for Kali, Flight of Passage, and the safari.

We stopped for a photopass, and then said goodbye to my favorite place in the world.

It's okay, castle, I'll see you in a few days!!

Click here for the next chapter!​

 

[CeruleanMoon]

I'm enjoying your trip report! So...now I've gotta know, in which countries is a smile not considered a friendly overture?

We got stuck on Pirates once too and it was also right in front of the dog and the jail scene. Some lady took a photo with flash while we were all sitting there and a lady in another boat absolutely freaked out. Started going on and on about how you are NOT supposed to use flash, it hurts her eyes, etc. I know using flash inside dark rides is a no-no, but gosh, it was one mistake and it was while we'd all been sitting there for 15 minutes already. I guess she made the experience all the more memorable though!

That s'mores looked really good...there's so many goodies I've never tried at Disney!

I enjoy seeing photos of the resorts since I've only been to three of them and one of those times was a looong time ago, so I don't remember it well. It love to see what the resorts look like!

 

[xlsm]

and generally wishing I was at Disney.

Same

I think 80% of the reason she goes is to make me happy,

That's sweet!! My husband had to be converted. He didn't get the Disney thing at all, and now he's the one suggesting trips from time to time

The first time we visited Hollywood Studios

Whaaaat??

"I CAN SEE THE CASTLE! It's so beautiful!" but it was just a big off-site hotel.

I feel that little girl. Can't even begin to tell you how many times in my life castles have turned out to be nothing but hotels.

Cute! I love the map bow on these ears

It was the best thing I have ever eaten.

Yum!! I have seen so many positive reviews of these s'mores. They need to be on my to-eat list

Southwest called me to tell her transfer flight was cancelled, and she needed to go to a counter to re-book. I called her maybe 56 times, but of course her phone was off. There was nothing I could do but wait and be nervous for her, but it felt kind of yucky to be playing and having a great day when she was stuck. But anyway.

Yikes!! Hopefully this was a catalyst to make mom a little more independent in her travel planning...or at least convinced her to keep the phone on while traveling

So pretty!

swimming is definitely less fun solo. I kept jumping out to check on my things, and in the pool I kept bumping into people, I just wasn't sure what to do with myself.

I definitely agree with this. I did a solo trip and loved most of it, but I never got up the nerve to go to the pool by myself. I think I'm over that now, b/c I was staying at AKL and regret not using that beautiful pool

Every time I have been to MK as an adult, I have eaten lunch at BOG. I always consider going elsewhere, but honestly nothing else seems to measure up (esp. when we buy the dining plan.)

Going to shout out to Skipper's Canteen here. It's delicious!!

My go to BOG dish. YUM!!!!!!!!


Sounds like you guys got a lot done at MK before lunch! I know you were disappointed b/c you had to deal with the rush of 7D at rope drop...and reinforced why I avoid that at all costs, LOL!!

Looking forward to more!

 

[abarriger]

I'm enjoying your trip report! So...now I've gotta know, in which countries is a smile not considered a friendly overture?

We got stuck on Pirates once too and it was also right in front of the dog and the jail scene. Some lady took a photo with flash while we were all sitting there and a lady in another boat absolutely freaked out. Started going on and on about how you are NOT supposed to use flash, it hurts her eyes, etc. I know using flash inside dark rides is a no-no, but gosh, it was one mistake and it was while we'd all been sitting there for 15 minutes already. I guess she made the experience all the more memorable though!

That s'mores looked really good...there's so many goodies I've never tried at Disney!

I enjoy seeing photos of the resorts since I've only been to three of them and one of those times was a looong time ago, so I don't remember it well. It love to see what the resorts look like!

Upon further questioning, M. says that in Russia smiling at strangers is viewed negatively, and apparently there are a lot of cultures where smiling is just less prevalent? Also, monkeys view smiles as signs of aggression... and, (she is pointing out) the song does not specify "Every human."

I feel that little girl. Can't even begin to tell you how many times in my life castles have turned out to be nothing but hotels.

Ummm, I love this sentence. Honestly it was a very sweet moment. It made me remember the excitement I felt pulling up in the monorail for the first time, and even about sillier things, like the crappy hotel pool in our offsite hotel!!

Going to shout out to Skipper's Canteen here. It's delicious!!

We actually had a res here last time, but cancelled and did the dessert party that night instead... it seemed like too much food at the time, which I kind of stand by. But it definitely appeals to our taste.

 

[abarriger]

An Animal Kingdom Afternoon

So, when last we left, we had completed a pretty full morning at MK and a delicious (filling) lunch at Be Our Guest. Together, M. and I waddled over the bus stop as fast as our legs could carry us-- we were at the bus stop by about 12:20. We made a quick game-time decision to try to make the 1:00 Nemo show at Animal Kingdom.

This was a stressful choice. The bus pulled up relatively quickly, and we managed to get on right before the massive church group of 80+ people, so we were feeling good, but I'm not sure it was worth the anxious wondering on our part about whether or not we could be there in time. We made it to AK right around 12:45. We booked it as fast as we could, praying this wasn't the kind of show that filled up the theater, and zoomed across the park (and then back the way we came, did I mention my sense of direction??) just in time to take this picture at 12:59.

This is kind of how this whole day way-- a mix of frantic rushing, and then amazing experiences. We were very stressed about making this show, but we got a seat right up by the stage center aisle, so we were VERY close to the puppets a few times.

The pictures are few and far between were, because we were really just soaking the whole thing in (and, again, what good are my lousy iphone photos really?)

If you haven't seen this show before, do yourself a favor and see it. It takes a chunk of time, but it is really phenomenal. Marjorie and I were both in tears, and we often sing randomly to one another, "We swim together!!" if we are doing [literally] anything together.

It was a long, hot, August day and this was a pretty spectacular way to spend 40 minutes.

We walked over towards Kali, stopping at a Photopass photographer who kept pressuring me, saying "You HAVE to ride Everest! You'll love it." Uhhh, I'll stick to Triceratop Spin, thank you very much.

We had a fastpass for Kali River Rapids, which was a welcome respite from the heat, and we stopped at this great Photopass spot (notice all the wet spots on my clothes!!) I wish this ride was a bit longer, as I love the style and speed of it (just enough of a drop for me!) but it is so quick. After Kali, we had a bit of time before our safari... and we had a date with two VID's. (Very Important Dinosaurs.)

Now, my wife, Marjorie, doesn't ask for too much at Disney. She pretty much rides the rides I tell her she wants to ride, wakes up when the alarm goes off, and periodically requests a meal. But this trip, there was something she wanted.

You see, Marjorie has a thing for animals dressed as other animals. So we strode off Cali towards Dino-Land, and Marjorie (who has only cringed about characters in the past) went up to a cast member and said "Where is the Chip and Dale-osaurus?" I'm honestly not sure where this interest came from, but I'm not going to question the slightest Disney-interest on her part.

They were tucked away in a corner, and we had to wait for a bit, until out they came. In all of their adorable glory.

These are some seriously cute critters, you guys. (And I always LOL remembering Jim Hill saying he is "going to nominate these cast members for hazard pay" on account of the costume inside a costume.)

Not going to lie, it's a little awkward interacting with giant-chipmunks-dressed-as-dinos when you are two fully grown women, but this was legitimately pretty sweet. Marjorie asked if they were herbivores, and this guy started chomping on her arm.

And I feigned terror.

Then, for no reason in particular, we asked for "a nice photo." Like, this looks like some kind of insane prom photo. For what purpose did I think we needed a posed photo? But it seemed to make sense at the time.
(We were a little loopy from the heat at this point.)

All in all, this was the best character meet we have ever encountered. And they are SO BEYOND cute.

We squeezed in a spin on a triceratop before our safari fastpass, because, hey, if the ride is meant for toddlers you can be sure this almost-30-year-old will enjoy it.

I know this land is supposed to be carnival hokey themed, but why aren't these flying dinosaurs? Asking for a friend.

We had a pretty good safari, though we did drive by a fair amount of enclosures where no animals were visible.

No signs of baby Stella, or Augustus, though both of our pairs of eyes were on alert.

We did catch sight of this little guy scampering along, just ahead of a rhino.

This rhino was definitely the highlight of this safari. He was maybe two arms' length from the jeep.... and just standing there. I will probably never in my life be so close to a rhino!

Bye, friend!!

We walked from here over to the Pandora area. We had a 5:15 reservation at Tiffins, but we were well ahead of that, and posted wait times were 45 for NRJ, so we decided to hit that ride.

My wife, who I love very much, loves Disney light fixtures, so I am certain she took this photo. We waited in line about 30 minutes, which wasn't the most fun we had all day but wasn't terrible (it was well shaded) and we really enjoyed the ride. But I'm glad we hit it before Flight of Passage. #Foreshadowing

So, this update has become a bit longer then I intended, so I think I will leave it here for now. Get excited for the greatest meal of my life, coming soon.

Click here for the next chapter​

​

 

[QueenJen]

I am a mickey straw enthusiast

Of course - everything tastes better through a mickey straw.

No photo can really capture that awful pressed-in-stressed-out feeling of rope dropping Seven Dwarves, but I tried.

Eek - no thank you.

I'm not going to question the slightest Disney-interest on her part.

This is how it starts - before you know it, she'll be suggesting a trip to Disney.

giant-chipmunks-dressed-as-dinos

So cute - I had no idea. We don't go out of our way for character meets - but this might be fun.

 

[CeruleanMoon]

I know this land is supposed to be carnival hokey themed, but why aren't these flying dinosaurs? Asking for a friend.

Oooh, ooh, ooh, I know I know! Because technically there are no flying dinosaurs. By definition dinosaurs are land-bound and the flying ones are called pterosaurs. And it's not called "Pterosaurland" so... (Info care of my 10 year old son, who is THE dinosaur expert.)

Ha ha...I know that's not quite what you meant. So...they could have Pterodactyls or something instead of triceratops! Maybe because Dumbo, being an elephant, can't technically fly either? You know, making it some magic, Disney thing.

Upon further questioning, M. says that in Russia smiling at strangers is viewed negatively, and apparently there are a lot of cultures where smiling is just less prevalent? Also, monkeys view smiles as signs of aggression... and, (she is pointing out) the song does not specify "Every human."

Very interesting!

 

[abarriger]

This is how it starts - before you know it, she'll be suggesting a trip to Disney.



.

Maybe in my dreams!! I mean, I never even give her the chance to suggest one, I am constantly planning one. *crosses fingers for 2019*

So cute - I had no idea. We don't go out of our way for character meets - but this might be fun.

Yeah I think this is a somewhat limited time thing, because it was for DinoFest over the summer, but I just saw on instagram today that they are still around, so it must be going for a while.

Oooh, ooh, ooh, I know I know! Because technically there are no flying dinosaurs. By definition dinosaurs are land-bound and the flying ones are called pterosaurs. And it's not called "Pterosaurland" so... (Info care of my 10 year old son, who is THE dinosaur expert.)

I LOVE this answer, and I didn't even know that pterasaurs are not included in the classification of dinosaurs. I really ought to know, as I teach preschool and am expected to bring lots of dinosaur knowledge to the class!!

 

[abarriger]

Dinner and a Show

So, after a wonderful ride, we headed over to Tiffins. This was a meal we had been anticipating for a loooong time. You see, on our first ever trip to Disney, M's only request was for a meal "with spice." On that trip, we only did quick service, and had eaten a far amount of bland, typical theme park food. (I have learned a lot since then!) Marjorie loves Indian and Ethiopian food, and as soon as I read reviews of Tiffins I imagined taking her there. So, on this trip, our honeymoon trip, I packed in a lot of crazy extravagances, and our first signature meal was one of them. We even paid for this particular one out of pocket (it was a good deal!) to leave credits for other things. We did the ROL dining package, so were eagerly anticipating every bite.

When we arrived, they took our phone number and told us to wait. Which was odd, because the restaurant was less than half full, and there was actually a woman out front stopping people to tell them about the menu... but we waited maybe 8 minutes before the hostess told us we were ready. The decor was lovely, we sat in a little booth for two, and pretended to peruse the menu (not like we had our entrees picked out 6 months ago or anything.)

Adding to the ambiance here was a big group (like 8 people or so) sitting behind us who didn't see to understand what kind of restaurant we were in. They kept saying things like, "Do you have any regular salads? What about plain chicken." The waitress was being so kind and helpful, but it just seems like a lost cause. How did they end up there?

We shared everything, so I don't know who ordered what, but we started with
Charred Octopus with Romesco Sauce, Olive Tapenade, Chorizo, Squid Ink Aïoli. I had never eaten anything with squid ink before, but this was lovely.

But my appetizer was the thing I remember the most fondly for this meal... it was seasonal, so it has changed a bit now, but it was a peach and burrata salad with almond brittle.

Burrata ranks right up there with s'mores in my book, and mixed with the grilled tomatoes and peaches with the brittle... this was insanely good. The meal was already worth it at this point.

We were feeling adventurous, so our entrees were one whole snapper over forbidden rice (not pictured because it wasn't pretty, though the taste was just beyond good) and a wagyu beef. Marjorie was super adventurous with the whole snapper and did her best to de-bone it neatly, but this is a formidable task and we made a disgusting mess doing it. It was served over a saffron cream sauce that was really special.

The beef was maze-balls. If you ever get this (and you should) get a little piece of each item on your fork. It's like an explosion of deliciousness in your mouth. I was worried about the tiny portion size ahead of time, but I wasn't prepared for the actual experience of the whole thing-- you eat so slowly, and carefully, and savor each bite, that it really is enough.


Dessert was one Guava Mousse, Lemon Curd, Pomegranate Sauce and then one sampler, which had some of the other items on the menu. The sampler was so stinking cute: they arrived in these little stacked glass dishes, and the waitress made them into a Mickey shape on the table.

Clearly, it was all disgusting.

I'm afraid the pictures are about to tail off...

Pandora is extraordinarily beautiful. The lighting is a little strange in every photo I take, but to be there is awe-inspiring. It was well worth the wait.

Dinner took well over an hour and a half, so we were a little worried about making our 6:40 fastpass, but all was well (and our server told us if you ever miss a fastpass, just show up with the receipt from a table service dinner and they will seat you. I didn't want to test this given the difficulty of getting a Flight of Passage one, but it was good to know.)

FOP was awe inspiring. I went in saying that if it lived up to 50% of the hype it would be amazing, and it exceeded all of my expectations. We left just screaming "WOW!!" in a sort of dizzy way at one another.

Now, we were still in that living-dangerously-squeezing stuff in kind of mode, so we made a fastpass for Dinosaur at 8:30 (Rivers of Light was at 9) and went about our lives, riding Primeval Whirl (which was surprisingly fun: our first and only trip to AK prior it had been closed) two times before riding Dinosaur and running over to rivers of light 2 minutes before showtime... but with our ticket from the dining package they made room for us in a decent seat, and the show was perfectly lovely. Not my favorite Disney show or anything, but still really moving and special.

So, to review, on this day we have accomplished....

Seven Dwarves Mine Train
Peter Pan's Flight
Winnie the Pooh
Small World
Haunted Mansion
Pirates of the Caribbean
Dumbo
Little Mermaid
Teacups
Nemo Show
Kali River Rapids
Triceratop Spin
Safari
Navi River Journey
Flight of Passage
Primeval Whirl * 2
Dinosaur
Rivers of Light

Now, are we folding in the towel, or powering through? Stay tuned....​