Return of the Porg - A June 2018 TR *updated 6/24 Epic DISmeet highlights day 7 COMPLETED!*

[paradesintherain]

Great photos of the giraffes on your safari!

Your Pandora pics are so stunning! What a perfect time of night to be there!

The porg was resting up for you!!

Thanks, I just love the sweet giraffes!!

And thanks again, Pandora is ridiculously photogenic!

The Porg has some adventures ahead of him...!

Nothing wrong with that! Beautiful sunset photos!

Thank you!! It's so fun taking pictures at Disney!

I totally agree!

I'd even pay a little extra for resort specific mugs

Really? I love the pool. Glad you finally got to get in a swim!

I love the pool too, it had just never worked out before. I also, shamefully, didn't swim in the Poly pool when we went there.

Love the Pandora pictures, we have been on FoP so many times now and I have never noticed the banshee! Very cool.

I enjoy NRJ, such a peaceful ride with all the colors and the shaman at the end very fluid is right!

Glad to see the Porg was keeping the bed warm

Thank you!! Isn't it crazy how something like that can be overlooked? It's seriously right in front of the queue entrance

It is very peaceful, and the music is lovely.

The Porg is a very generous, giving soul

I love the sunset Pandora pictures!

Thank you!! It's so fun taking them!

Jealous!!!

I feel a little crazy returning after such a short time, and after 3 other trips within less than a year... but I won't always have an AP, or be able to swing a trip so inexpensively, so why not?

 

[paradesintherain]

Day 2 - June 22nd - Bon Voyage Breakfast!



Today’s Plans:
9:00 Trattoria Al Forno Bon Voyage breakfast ADR
11:40-12:40 Frozen Ever After FP
2:15-3:15 Living with the Land FP
4:30-5:30 Spaceship Earth FP



I woke up around 7:20 and first things first, I had to check out the view. Not too shabby!

I quickly got ready and then Dad ordered a Lyft. I had invited Sam to join us at our breakfast as I had made it for 3 thinking someone else might come along and being a great lover of characters and food, she accepted. The day before I had realized that I wasn’t sure how Sam could best get to Trattoria Al Forno from Port Orleans Riverside where she and her family were staying. I had just assumed take a bus to Epcot and walk through the International Gateway to the Boardwalk but Epcot didn’t open until 9! I ended up posting on the Dis and asking for advice – the second time this trip that my planning skills left something to be desired! In the end, we decided to take Lyft to pick Sam up at her hotel, which worked out well.

This was our first time meeting in person, but it didn’t really feel like that. It felt like we had known each other forever!


We looked around the Boardwalk a little bit when we arrived. I think the theming is great, and the location is wonderful, but for some reason it’s never been on the short list of resorts I want to try.

I wasn’t quite sure where Trattoria al Forno was so we got directions, and then made our way there to check in. Honestly, if it weren’t for the Bon Voyage breakfast I don’t think this restaurant would have ever made it on my radar. The interior was nice, but a little dark. Luckily, for the sake of pictures, we were seated by an exterior door that made it a bit brighter for us.

Our server was great and quickly brought out our dish of pastries served in a frying pan. Did I book this breakfast solely because of the pastries in a frying pan? I’ll never tell.

I don’t think I slept well the night before so coffee was in order. On the recommendation of the server I got an iced coffee, which was PERFECT. Not too sweet!

For a second “course” there was a choice between a yogurt parfait or fruit. I think we all chose the fruit. It was pretty mediocre. The melon tasted very unripe.

I think Dad enjoyed watching the characters interact!

Our first visitor was Flynn Rider. He’s such a fun, charming character, and he let me see the crown which he was protecting for Rapunzel like a true gentleman.

After Flynn our entrees arrived. Ordinarily I tend to prefer savory breakfasts but there was something I just couldn’t pass up…

These were just pancakes, but also the fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever seen and the sun of Corona makes them just irresistible!


Dad went with the steak entrée, which he said was good.

Then Rapunzel stopped by to say hello! Confession: face characters make me nervous. But this character meal was really pretty easy and painless.

Dad wouldn’t get up to meet our hosts, so Rapunzel went to him!

Flynn then met up with Rapunzel and dipped her so low you can't even see her. I missed this but Dad said that when she was in the dip Flynn tickled her side which is so cruel, but also hilarious.

Eric came up to talk to us next and he was soft-spoken and very gentlemanly, but then they announced Ariel so he had to run and escort her in the room, with promises that he would return. He was true to his word!

Not my favorite picture, but I'll include it anyway!

While we were waiting for Ariel to make it to our table Sam told a story about herself as a child. Basically there were some slippers or shoes at a store and there was one pair with some character that was in her size, and then a Little Mermaid pair that was NOT in her size. Of course, little Sam only wanted the Ariel slippers and commenced yelling, "THE MERMAID, THE MERMAID" over and over in the store. Her family still likes to tease her about it, so when Ariel approached I had to let her know that THE MERMAID was arriving.

Sam and Ariel did their best princess poses, though the picture taking process gets me flustered and I cut off Sam's hand. Ariel was so beautiful and lovely and I believe we talked about treasure hunting.

I tried for a princess pose, but don't feel that I was very successful. I'll blame that on standing next to a real-life mermaid.

At the end of our meal I commented that I wished I had thought to bring a ziploc bag for the leftover pastries and Sam immediately says that she has one and whips it out of her bag. Such a proud moment. She had researched the meal ahead of time, and knew to bring a bag!

All in all it was a very fun meal and it was neat to meet characters like Flynn and Eric who aren't easy to meet. The food was nice, and someday I might return to this meal, but it's not a must-do.



Up next: EPCOT! ​

 

[pepperandchips]

Wow! Those pancakes are crazy tall! I'm glad you reviewed this breakfast as I had not read many reviews of it. Face characters make me a bit nervous too - I'm usually more comfortable with a hug and shove from them but it looks like you guys had a great time and great interactions! The Boardwalk area is so lovely but for some reason the inn rooms there just did not appeal to me. I would like to try a DVC studio though, they look a bit more modern.

 

[richmo]

Real Life Update!!!


Guys, I don't know what happened but... I'm going back to Disney World August 2-7!!...​

Awesome! We have a way of just missing each other. I'm there Aug 15-20...​

 

[missangelalexis]

Yay for going back in a month!!

Breakfast looks like it was fun! And nice that you could spend it with a friend! I love your outfit too

 

[richmo]

And totally on a side note, I was watching TV last night and thought, wow, is Kara doing TV commercials?

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Looks like you guys got a brighter part of the restaurant than we did! You also got more pastries! Probably because you were a bigger party (by one). Not that we needed more but we were wondering how they handle larger parties, if they got two frying pans etc.

 

[Rach73]

Aug 2-7 are our dates too! Maybe I'll see you around Toy Story Land!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Got a bit behind on my TR reading again!

That was an awesome safari!

One other thought from the Safari: there were hyenas but no painted dogs. Do they switch them out for nighttime?

I asked about this and around 4-4:30 they switch them up. So if you get a safari right after they switch you can see all of the animals racing around the enclosure to get their scent on all the plants and such!

Like, wow.

That sunset really feels like it belongs in Pandora!

Once on Navi River I decided to try out my new iPhone X on a dark ride.

I think it turned out pretty well!

We had never seen the Awakenings before and I guess I didn’t know what to expect, but I sure didn’t expect to CRY. Yes, I cried at the Awakenings. But there was Pocahontas music and Lion King music and did I mention that I was exhausted? But I really did find it beautiful and the projections on the tree are so amazing. Honestly enjoyed it more than I enjoyed Rivers of Light.

Oh I love Tree of Life Awakenings! They have 3 versions of it and it rotates during the night, but I think the one you saw was my favorite (I'm still missing one though)

Guys, I don't know what happened but... I'm going back to Disney World August 2-7!!



So let's review how this happened... Originally I had saved August 1-8 (my normal days off without using PTO) for my annual trip to Lake Tahoe, but this year my aunt was super stressed and not up to having visitors. And then on my trip in June I was unable to see Toy Story Land (spoiler?!) so I started scheming how to get back to Disney World, thinking maybe that time off at the start of August could work out well.

I never really moved forward with planning that, though, until one of my friends told me that she was thinking of going in August, on the exact dates I had off. So then I started looking at if I could go too.

Well, I had enough Southwest points to book the roundtrip flight and I still have my annual pass so that's two things paid for.

And then I found a great AP rate at Pop Century and the rest is history!

Yay! It is sooo risky having an AP!

Flynn then met up with Rapunzel and dipped her so low you can't even see her. I missed this but Dad said that when she was in the dip Flynn tickled her side which is so cruel, but also hilarious.

Adorable!

At the end of our meal I commented that I wished I had thought to bring a ziploc bag for the leftover pastries and Sam immediately says that she has one and whips it out of her bag. Such a proud moment. She had researched the meal ahead of time, and knew to bring a bag!

Nice! Smart girl!

 

[disneyAndi14]

We really enjoyed this breakfast

It looks like some nice meets with the princesses and the dashing Flynn and Eric

Wow Flynn really did dip Rapunzel!

Nice to have breakfast with your cousin.

 

[paradesintherain]

Wow! Those pancakes are crazy tall! I'm glad you reviewed this breakfast as I had not read many reviews of it. Face characters make me a bit nervous too - I'm usually more comfortable with a hug and shove from them but it looks like you guys had a great time and great interactions! The Boardwalk area is so lovely but for some reason the inn rooms there just did not appeal to me. I would like to try a DVC studio though, they look a bit more modern.

They really were! I don't know how they can get them that tall and fluffy, honestly!

For a person that's not exactly comfortable with the face characters I'd definitely recommend the Bon Voyage breakfast. It's my understanding that character meals can be a little stressful anyway, but this one felt pretty laid back!

I think the rooms are part of the issue with Boardwalk - I've never liked the look of them - plus there's no good quick service option!

Awesome! We have a way of just missing each other. I'm there Aug 15-20...

Wow again!? We really are always just missing each other!

Yay for going back in a month!!

Breakfast looks like it was fun! And nice that you could spend it with a friend! I love your outfit too

I'm so excited!!!

Breakfast was really fun, and delicious. Thank you!! It's my first romper ever, so that's nice to hear!

And totally on a side note, I was watching TV last night and thought, wow, is Kara doing TV commercials?

Oh yeah I can definitely see it, especially if you just glance! So weird!

Looks like you guys got a brighter part of the restaurant than we did! You also got more pastries! Probably because you were a bigger party (by one). Not that we needed more but we were wondering how they handle larger parties, if they got two frying pans etc.

We didn't even eat half of the pastries we got, there were so many!!

Aug 2-7 are our dates too! Maybe I'll see you around Toy Story Land!

I hope so! If you see me say hello!

Got a bit behind on my TR reading again!

That was an awesome safari!

I'm always behind on TR reading

It really was a great safari!

I asked about this and around 4-4:30 they switch them up. So if you get a safari right after they switch you can see all of the animals racing around the enclosure to get their scent on all the plants and such!

Oh thanks, that's an awesome tip!

That sunset really feels like it belongs in Pandora!

It does! Gotta love those Florida sunsets

I think it turned out pretty well!

Thanks! I got maybe 2-3 good, nonblurry photos and a billion blurry photos

Oh I love Tree of Life Awakenings! They have 3 versions of it and it rotates during the night, but I think the one you saw was my favorite (I'm still missing one though)

We caught a bit of another one where the deer comes to life on the tree! It was also fantastic, but didn't have the wonderful Disney music (or it had that raindrops song from Bambi, but it doesn't mean much to me)

Yay! It is sooo risky having an AP!

It really is, must make use of it!

Adorable!

Right? Wish I could have gotten a better picture!

Nice! Smart girl!

So smart! It really surprised me when she told me she had brought a bag!

We really enjoyed this breakfast

It looks like some nice meets with the princesses and the dashing Flynn and Eric

Wow Flynn really did dip Rapunzel!

Nice to have breakfast with your cousin.

It's a fun breakfast, right? Character meals don't have a whole lot of appeal for me but I'd probably do this one again at some point!

And he held her in that dip for a looong time.

It was great having breakfast with her! It's actually my friend Allie's cousin, but I'll claim her too! I'd love to have a cousin like her

 

[suse66]

And then the coolest thing happened! We came up on the elephant enclosure and there didn’t really seem to be any elephants there until one of them surfaced from underwater! The driver was so shocked and happy and said she’d never seen them swimming before. It was like real-life Jungle Cruise! This is the best picture I could get.

Love this! What a special and unique thing to see!

Maybe because the Flight of Passage entrance is always such a cluster I had never noticed the banshee figure out front before. I was kind of enamored with it.

So nice!

I spotted a PP with no line, so I jumped in place.

By now it was definitely time for our FP but the sunset was too beautiful and the colors were changing by the minute so I made Dad suffer through the heat even longer.

Absolutely gorgeous pictures!

Navi River Journey was fun. I think it’s enjoyable; nice to have a dark ride in Animal Kingdom, and I really like the soundtrack, and that animatronic is so impressive. Her movements are so smooth and fluid, it’s kind of breathtaking. But, wow, would I be angry if I waited in a hour plus line for it, not knowing exactly what it was.

Beautiful pictures!

We left then, and pretty quickly got a bus back to the Lodge. I went to the Mara and bought myself a reusable mug. They end up being a good deal for me, but can’t they diversify the designs? I actually ended up throwing this one away at the end of the trip because I just don’t have the room for another mug.

More designs would be great! I always get a mug as I love coffee (it's great at the Mara!), tea and lemondae/iced tea. I definitely get my use out of it. It's also great for bringing a special beverage to the pool!

Since it was so hot I also grabbed a Mickey ice cream sandwich. Delicious, as always.

They are the best!

Then, even though I was really tired, I decided it might be my best night to swim in the AKL pool which I had never done before. It wasn’t too late in the night, I needed to wash my hair anyway, and didn’t need to preserve my makeup to go back out later. So I changed, and went down to the pool, using the convenient elevator access near our room that led right to the pool. I opted to enter the pool by the water slide, so I really got the full experience. It was a fun little slide, and the water felt fantastic after a long day. Dad joined a bit later and I made him enter by the slide too.

Late nights swims are awesome!

Guys, I don't know what happened but... I'm going back to Disney World August 2-7!!

Fantastic!

I don’t think I slept well the night before so coffee was in order. On the recommendation of the server I got an iced coffee, which was PERFECT. Not too sweet!

Those look great!

Then Rapunzel stopped by to say hello! Confession: face characters make me nervous. But this character meal was really pretty easy and painless.

So cute!

Sam and Ariel did their best princess poses, though the picture taking process gets me flustered and I cut off Sam's hand. Ariel was so beautiful and lovely and I believe we talked about treasure hunting.

Too cute!

 

[dvc at last !]

I am enjoying reading your TR>

 

[paradesintherain]

Love this! What a special and unique thing to see!

It's definitely one of the coolest things I've seen on a safari and I love how much it looks like the Jungle Cruise elephants

So nice!

Isn't it great? Can't believe it's been there the whole time

Absolutely gorgeous pictures!

Thanks so much!!!

Beautiful pictures!

More designs would be great! I always get a mug as I love coffee (it's great at the Mara!), tea and lemondae/iced tea. I definitely get my use out of it. It's also great for bringing a special beverage to the pool!

Yeah they're really great, I definitely get my money's worth, but they could be a nice souvenir as well.

They are the best!

They are!! Can't believe I had never had them before March.

Late nights swims are awesome!

So great! Think I might do some more nighttime swims in August... though the pools at Pop aren't quite as exciting.

Fantastic!

Glad I have you guys to encourage my insanity

Those look great!

Highly recommended!

So cute!

I knoooow, I so wish I had gotten a better picture

Too cute!

Ariel was probably the best, and so beautiful!

I am enjoying reading your TR>

Thank you, that means a lot to me!

 

[paradesintherain]

Day 2 - June 22nd - Epcot!



After our meal we walked along the Boardwalk toward Epcot.

We stopped in the Boardwalk Bakery because I'd heard it's really good and unique, but it mostly looked like the same stuff any bakery has. We walked into Epcot through the International Gateway which meant we went by a lot of gondola construction
[

I think it's funny that the International Gateway still has an AP line.

It was still before 11 so the World Showcase wasn't open yet which meant it was nice and quiet.

Since World Showcase was closed we headed to the front of the park where I suggested we shop in Mouse Gear. I think Sam was on the hunt for some Alex and Ani bracelets, maybe.

I saw this blanket in Mouse Gear that I made a mental note to possibly buy later. This design is just way too cute!

Since we were so close, we decided to check out the lines for Joy and Sadness, and Baymax. Joy and Sadness had a really long line, but Baymax was short so we hopped in. We didn't have to wait long before we were fist-bumping and getting the best hugs ever. Baymax is too cute. I wonder if he ever gets tired of fist bumps?

We had lost Dad at some point... maybe in Mouse Gear, so he met up with us at Club Cool where I had a secret scheme to get Sam to try Beverly. I really hyped it up how much I liked it and told her she had to try that one first.

And here's her reaction.

I was so shocked - she didn't seem to hate it! I've tried this on 4 people - one didn't fall for it, one LIKED it, one was the negative reaction I was hoping for... and then Sam. So after talking to her it turns out she didn't like it either but she didn't want to hurt my feelings since I had hyped it up and told her how much I loved it.


Sam's parents texted to say they were on the way, so we stayed toward the front of the park. I suggested we go check out the Guardians of the Galaxy construction wall!

We then did a standing shot... but I saw the Incredibles monorail

Here's a good one though! It's sometimes hard to get good photos when Dad is taking them

Up next: We meet up with Sam's parents! ​

 

[paradesintherain]

August Trip Planning part 1


​

So I went ahead and booked some FPs for my August trip. They were only booked 24 days in advance, but I really didn't do to badly! I obviously couldn't get Flight of Passage, or the new Toy Story Land rides, or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train but I'm not too stressed about that!

I know I said that I wouldn't return to Be Our Guest, but my friend booked Be Our Guest, so I did too

There's also a Disney After Hours event on August 4th that I'm considering attending. Have they still been really low crowd events this summer?

Here's a brief itinerary! Looking at it, I'm not sure what I was thinking with the times I booked Toy Story Mania BUT DHS is small and I'm sure I'll spend a decent amount of time in Toy Story Land since it's the whole reason I booked the trip!

• Thursday, August 2
  • Depart KCI at 5:20 am (), arrive at MCO at 9:00
  • Check in to Pop Century... hoping for a room to be ready so I could nap a bit, but that's probably unlikely.
  • 5:35-6:35 -- Star Tours FP
  • 7:40-8:40 -- Toy Story Mania! FP
  • 8:55-9:55 -- Tower of Terror FP
• Friday, August 3
  • 10:25-11:25 -- Expedition Everest FP
  • 12:25-1:25 -- Kilimanjaro Safaris FP
  • 1:40-2:40 -- Na'vi River Journey FP
• Saturday, August 4
  • 9:05-10:05 -- Star Tours FP
  • 10:15-11:15 -- Tower of Terror FP
  • 11:20-12:20 -- Toy Story Mania FP
• Sunday, August 5
  • 10:05 - 11:05 -- Space Mountain FP
  • 11:35 - Be Our Guest ADR
  • 1:15-2:15 -- Splash Mountain FP
  • 2:20-3:20 -- Peter Pan's Flight FP
• Monday, August 6
  • 10:40-11:40 -- Test Track FP
  • 11:55-12:55 -- Living with the Land FP
  • I'll probably eat lunch at Sunshine Seasons after my Land FP
  • 1:40-2:40 -- Spaceship Earth FP
• Tuesday, August 7
  • I haven't booked anything this day, because I'll probably just wait and see what I feel like doing.
  • 9:10 pm - flight departs MCO

​

 

[disneyAndi14]

We will just miss you, our trip starts on 8/11 at the Pop. We are doing the DAH on 8/11.

Looks like a good plan so far, this trip will be our first without BoG lunch!

 

[Rach73]

8/4 is a HS morning for us too. I'll be on the look out for you! I can't wait to try out Woody's Lunchbox!

 

[missangelalexis]

Ohh that blanket is awesome! I hope you ended up buying it!

Cute pics with Baymax!

Awww, that's kinda cute that Sam tried to hide her dislike of the Beverly so she wouldn't hurt your feelings! LOL

Your FP plans for August sound great!

 

[ksinniger]

We were at Trattoria the same morning you were, but our reservation wasn't until 9:25. I was sitting in the waiting area when Ariel was announced - I actually saw her come out from backstage in the Abracadabar and she motioned for me to not tell everyone as she stepped behind a curtain. I agree that these were the easiest face character interactions ever, and they spent a LOT of time answering questions from our 3 pre-teen girls! We also got to see the crown, and those pancakes were fantastic.

And while you were sweating in Animal Kingdom, we were in Epcot slowly melting at the Frozen fireworks party. It was definitely the hottest afternoon and night we experienced during our stay.