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

[disneyAndi14]

I’m back and catching up!

Sorry you fell on your behind, ouch!

The brunch at CG looks very delicious, glad you enjoyed the champagne, Bloody Mary, and food.

Splash is so fun, I love it, our picture never turns out because I am always screaming!

How nice to have some fun character interactions, love the briar rabbit stuffed animal

Your room looks lovely with a beautiful view!

 

[paradesintherain]

He worked in custodial on Main Street in the MK and LOVED every minute of it. He was there from January to the very beginning of August. He's hoping to go back after he finishes his last 3 semesters of college.

Oh so fun! Though I can't imagine working outside in Florida in the summer!

I’m back and catching up!

Sorry you fell on your behind, ouch!

The brunch at CG looks very delicious, glad you enjoyed the champagne, Bloody Mary, and food.

Splash is so fun, I love it, our picture never turns out because I am always screaming!

How nice to have some fun character interactions, love the briar rabbit stuffed animal

Your room looks lovely with a beautiful view!

Welcome back! So sad your trip is over, it looked magical and I can't wait to read about it!

Injured my pride more than anything

It was so delicious! I'd happily repeat it and recommend it to anyone!

It's the best ride! Genuine ride photos are really fun too! It's super hard to keep from screaming on the drop.. I have to really work at it. Same for Rock n Roller coaster!

Character interactions are my fav! Hopefully the Brer Rabbit plush will be back in stock soon so others can snatch him up!

It really was a fantastic room!

 

[paradesintherain]

Day 4 - June 24th - Back to Magic Kingdom!​

After a relaxing afternoon at the Contemporary we were going to take the monorail to Magic Kingdom, but we were told that it had been struck by lightning and was down? Sometimes CMs are misinformed (I found that out the hard, crying out of frustration way on my most recent trip – but that’s a tale for another time), but while were were on the 4th floor I did see a super bright flash of light and hear some very loud thunder, so maybe there was some truth to it.


All that to say: we walked to the Magic Kingdom. It was a much more pleasant walk than in the middle of the afternoon, thankfully, though the security point on the walkway wasn’t running and we were directed to the main bag check.

The Space Mountain FP I had rescheduled from the morning was now good so we went in that general direction.

Newish façade!

I stopped for a PhotoPass. For some reason Dad didn’t join me.

We made a quick detour at the Tomorrowland Terrace so I could give Sam a Stitch pressed penny from the Contemporary, and the DVC postcards because one of them is Stitch, and I already own them. They were waiting for the dessert party and Sam was ready to eat all the cheese!


I tried to get Dad to stop for a picture in front of the new Purple Wall, but he refused.

I did get this fabulous action shot though!

Tomorrowland was all decked out for the Incredible Summer event, and the regular Tomorrowland music was replaced with music from the Incredibles. I didn’t much care for it; it changed the whole vibe of Tomorrowland.

We got the right track on Space Mountain, as usual, AND front row without even asking!

The exit ramp was under construction or something like that, so the exit had been diverted through cast member areas, very near the Tron construction.

It was a treacherous area.

This is a terrible photo of some land clearing for Tron.

The exit came from behind Space Mountain, so it crossed over the train tracks, which meant that a CM had to stand there at all times.

Even though the new exit bypasses the dump shop I can’t pass up a perfectly good store! I didn’t find anything to purchase, but I did find a photobooth so I tried it out! The pictures are included with APs or Memory Maker, but I guess the frames aren’t because I just ended up with 4 weird photos of myself. And here’s one of them!

At this time in the evening I decided it was time for a snack. And I had one place in mind.

Can you guess where I had in mind?

Poor, sad carousel.

Now do you know where we were headed?

If you guessed Sleepy Hollow you would be 100% correct! I had such a wonderful experience there in March that it was a must do for me on this trip!

Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich - served with Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread


Though it was pretty to photograph in front of the castle I was not quite as enamored with it as last time. There seemed like there was too much Nutella which made the waffle soggy quickly and it just didn’t work as well as in March. Maybe it was just an off day.

We enjoyed our seats for a while, and even contemplated watching the fireworks from that location but ultimately decided that most of the fireworks woudn’t be visible from that angle.

So, we gave up our spots and went in search of a different spot to watch. I thought it might be fun to watch from much closer to the castle to get a very clear view of the projections, so we snagged a spot by a trash can. The trash can spot was strategic to prevent us from being too close to people on all sides.

At some point I went to find a bathroom. Fun fact: no bathrooms are close!

Dad held down the fort by our trusty trash can.

These next two photos are taken 5 minutes apart, with the first one being from my camera, and the second from my iPhone. Interesting color differences. I can’t decide if it’s due to the sky darkening or camera differences.

The next update will be pretty much all fireworks, so I hope you're all prepared!




Up next: Happily Ever After!​

 

[Lesley Wake]

I found that out the hard, crying out of frustration way on my most recent trip – but that’s a tale for another time

Oh no! Sending a virtual hug to you through time and space!

 

[paradesintherain]

Oh no! Sending a virtual hug to you through time and space!

Thank you! You'll appreciate my frustration because it's about FastPass!

 

[paradesintherain]

Day 4 - June 24th - Happily Ever After!





This update is mostly pictures! You've been warned!

After about an hour wait it was time for the fireworks to begin! (An hour wait isn’t bad, but man do I miss the days when I didn’t care about the fireworks so I never waited in the crowds)

Ready to begin?

Out there, strolling by the Seine, taste the morning out there like an ordinary man!

Remy! I’m a huge fan of Ratatouille and it’s so underrepresented!

The Moana section is amazing because the crowd gets audibly excited and I just love hearing that genuine excitement… plus I feel the same way about that section.

You ain’t never had a friend like me!

You’ll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You’ll be in my heart, always.

And at last I see the light, and it’s like a fog has lifted! I loved how up close I could see the different couples silhouetted amongst the lanterns that I had never noticed before!

And then comes the villains section!

Set to “…to die for”, the stampede music from The Lion King!

I was trying my best to get a clear photo of the Mulan rocket launch from the castle, and this is the best I ended up with.

The section that falls flattest for me is the Pirates section. The pyro is cool, but the live action film doesn’t seem to fit and Pirates has been sort of tainted thanks to Johnny Depp and that’s all I’ll say!

Remember who you are. Instant tears!

And then finale time! One of my favorite parts is when the title music starts back up.

So did Happily Ever After make me cry again? Of course it did! For some reason when Russel and Mr. Frederickson were hugging, and when Tinker Bell flew. Which, WHAT. I’ve seen Tinker Bell fly so many times! Why now?! Anyway.

Overall I really liked this up close spot, though some of the larger shells were obscured by the castle. Probably not the best spot for a first time viewer, but interesting for subsequent viewings. I found that I really noticed a lot more detail in the projections, and the show felt very immersive at this distance.






Up next: Magic Kingdom at Night!​

 

[tiggerpals]

Thank you! You'll appreciate my frustration because it's about FastPass!

Ohhh no! My default when frustrated is generally to end up crying in frustration which makes it that much harder to get my point across. I hope it worked out ok though!

The section that falls flattest for me is the Pirates section. The pyro is cool, but the live action film doesn’t seem to fit and Pirates has been sort of tainted thanks to Johnny Depp and that’s all I’ll say!

Agreed completely! I love the Pirates soundtrack so I really like the movie, but live action doesn't fit at all with the rest of the show and COMPLETELY agree on your Johnny Depp point.

Overall I really liked this up close spot, though some of the larger shells were obscured by the castle. Probably not the best spot for a first time viewer, but interesting for subsequent viewings. I found that I really noticed a lot more detail in the projections, and the show felt very immersive at this distance.

I'd love to see it that close! Even just seeing it in person made me realize how much detail you miss when seeing a video of it. Looking forward to seeing it again in person on my next trip!

 

[paradesintherain]

Ohhh no! My default when frustrated is generally to end up crying in frustration which makes it that much harder to get my point across. I hope it worked out ok though!

Ugh, me too. I'm a crier in general, though. It did work out in the end!

Agreed completely! I love the Pirates soundtrack so I really like the movie, but live action doesn't fit at all with the rest of the show and COMPLETELY agree on your Johnny Depp point.

Yeah the soundtrack is amazing, and I used to be obsessed with Pirates, especially when there was just the one movie.

I'd love to see it that close! Even just seeing it in person made me realize how much detail you miss when seeing a video of it. Looking forward to seeing it again in person on my next trip!

I recommend it! We didn't have to wait too long for the spot, either.

 

[paradesintherain]

Day 4 - June 24th - Evening in MK!







After the fireworks ended we were going to use our rain-delayed FP for Mine Train, but saw that Small World had no wait, so we made a quick detour.

I guess we went through Liberty Square and maybe that’s how we saw that Small World had no wait? Seems a very indirect way to go, but I think maybe we just wanted out of the fireworks crowds and that was the easiest way.

Small World is one of my favorite rides, but anything longer than a walk-on is too much for me.

Detour at Small World completed it was now time for our long delayed Mine Train FP! Has anyone noticed just how loud the indoor queue area is? I feel like I’d go crazy working there.

The flash at night really does wonders for my pale skin! Fireworks from Celebrate the Magic were going off while on Mine Train and that’s one of my favorite experiences so I was a happy camper!

While in the FP queue for Mine Train I had booked a good immediately FP for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, so we walked across the street and used that next.

While in the Pooh queue I booked a FP for Pirates that was good in about 20 minutes. Along the way we walked on to Haunted Mansion to say hello to some friendly ghosts, though I have no photographic proof of that.

We reached Pirates and I quickly remembered that the FP queue for Pirates is DUMB and quite long. Oh well.

The ride photo was terrible since we’re in the second to last row and neither of us are looking in remotely the right direction.

While in the FP queue I booked one final FP for Big Thunder at 11:15, so we walked right over after exiting the ride. I noticed this symmetry at Pecos Bill’s and really enjoyed it.

I was pretty pleased with my Big Thunder FP score because it was on the same side of the park, and because it’s so much better at night. Disneyland’s is better overall, though!

After the wildest ride in the wilderness we had more time and could probably have ridden more rides since the park was open until midnight, but we were exhausted so we made the long trek out of the park.

It looks like I made Dad stop for a PP on the way out.

I feel like I never remember to take pictures facing Main Street since the castle is right there! So I’ve been trying to be more conscious of that and take a few more photos.

We could have walked back to the Contemporary but we opted to wait for the monorail. I’ll pretty much always choose to walk over waiting for transportation (seriously I’ve walked to the TTC from Magic Kingdom parking lot vs waiting for a tram), so you know I was tired! However, the insane crowds of pushy people in suffocating heat almost broke my resolve to wait. I powered through, though, and made it on monorail silver!

Back at the Contemporary we stopped at Contempo Café for a snack, but they had closed at midnight. Seemed a little weird since Gasparilla Grill is open 24 hours, but I wasn’t that hungry anyway. Before going to bed I had to check out the view one more time!

Up next: My first [mostly] solo day! ​

 

[buzzrelly]

Sometimes CMs are misinformed (I found that out the hard, crying out of frustration way on my most recent trip – but that’s a tale for another time),

Oh, no! This doesn't sound good!

I did get this fabulous action shot though!

We could have walked back to the Contemporary but we opted to wait for the monorail. I’ll pretty much always choose to walk over waiting for transportation (seriously I’ve walked to the TTC from Magic Kingdom parking lot vs waiting for a tram), so you know I was tired! However, the insane crowds of pushy people in suffocating heat almost broke my resolve to wait. I powered through, though, and made it on monorail silver!

We always have that debate. I always think it's easier to walk, but sometimes we will monorail for my mom…and my daughter who hates walking!

Before going to bed I had to check out the view one more time!

Gorgeous!

Your HEA photos were stunning, as well!

 

[amazingact21]

I love all your fireworks photos! I made a mental note of where you sat, because I really want to see some of those projections up close like you were able to!

You achieved a lot once you returned to the MK for the night; it looked like a busy but really fun night in the park.
Waiting for those monorails at the end of the day can really test a person's patience. Fortunately, you were able to hop right off after the first stop.

 

[missangelalexis]

LOL your dad in front of the purple wall is hysterical!!

OoOoh you got a good spot for the fireworks!

As always, I love the shots you got as the sun went down!

Awesome HEA pics!!

You scored some awesome FPs late at night! Sounds like a great end to the day

 

[disneyAndi14]

Your pictures of the fireworks are so beautiful, you captured all the sections really well. My absolute favorite is the Moana part. I think I may have mentioned that like 100 times, ha!

Great FP work for after the fireworks, you rode so many things in a short time!

I have to say this past trip monorail travel was really good to us, yay!

 

[paradesintherain]

Oh, no! This doesn't sound good!

it wasn't my favorite Disney memory, that's for sure! But it was made right in the end!

We always have that debate. I always think it's easier to walk, but sometimes we will monorail for my mom…and my daughter who hates walking!

Definitely team walking! But sometimes in the heat or at the end of a long day it can be pretty daunting

Gorgeous!

Your HEA photos were stunning, as well!

The view was really so fabulous!

Thank you! I loooove taking pictures of the fireworks

I love all your fireworks photos! I made a mental note of where you sat, because I really want to see some of those projections up close like you were able to!

You achieved a lot once you returned to the MK for the night; it looked like a busy but really fun night in the park.
Waiting for those monorails at the end of the day can really test a person's patience. Fortunately, you were able to hop right off after the first stop.

It was a good spot to watch from, I thought!

We did achieve a lot; gotta love that FP+!

I think the monorail queues are where I am most impatient with the masses of people - otherwise I'm pretty good with Disney crowds!

LOL your dad in front of the purple wall is hysterical!!

OoOoh you got a good spot for the fireworks!

As always, I love the shots you got as the sun went down!

Awesome HEA pics!!

You scored some awesome FPs late at night! Sounds like a great end to the day

Haha thanks! I really wanted him to pose in front of it! Maybe next time.

It was a nice spot, with a unique vantage point. Love trying out different locations!

Thank you - dusk is so magical at Disney!

Thanks - I always mean to just enjoy but then I end up taking pictures anyway!

It ended up being a really nice night in the Kingdom!

Your pictures of the fireworks are so beautiful, you captured all the sections really well. My absolute favorite is the Moana part. I think I may have mentioned that like 100 times, ha!

Great FP work for after the fireworks, you rode so many things in a short time!

I have to say this past trip monorail travel was really good to us, yay!

Thank you! The Moana section is probably my favorite too. That music just hypes everyone up!

I didn't realize how much we managed until I typed it up! Pretty good night!

I'm glad it treated you well - I can't wait to read more about your trip. Already off to a super interesting start with the hotel switch!

 

[paradesintherain]

Day 5 – Monday, June 25th - Solo at DHS!



Today's Plans:

9:35-10:35 Tower of Terror
11:25-12:25 Rock N Roller Coaster FP
1:25-2:25 Star Tours FP



Despite the late night at Magic Kingdom I woke up at 7:30 and couldn’t fall back asleep. It seemed like my muscles were sore, but pretty sure I was bruised from the previous day’s fall.

Since I was up early I figured I might as well check out the view.

Hi, garden wing!

Next on my agenda was breakfast! I took a short elevator ride and I was at Contempo Café! So convenient!

I got a breakfast sandwich, filled my mug, and grabbed a coffee for Dad and brought it all back to the room to eat on the balcony!

Grilled Breakfast Sandwich - Egg, Ham and Three-Cheese Blend on Toasted Challah (except I substituted bacon because ham is gross!)


This sandwich was shockingly good, and made with REAL scrambled eggs. I could not believe that! As typically happens with toasted sandwiches, the bread got a bit mushy but that didn’t hurt the flavor at all!

And here’s the view of the pool if half-eaten sandwich cross sections aren’t your thing!

Can you even handle this beauty? It’s so relaxing!

I’m going to include this pano I took, though I have no idea how it’ll look on the page…

Even though I had woken up early I didn’t make it to the bus stop until about 10:50. I had struggled to find an outfit due to feeling gross in everything. Dad’s conference stuff began this day and he had no interest in going out in the extreme heat of the afternoon so it was a solo start for me!

This was the start of pitiful bus luck for me. And it may just have been luck, but it felt like the Contemporary was at fault. So TWO Disney Springs buses showed up before one Hollywood Studios bus. TWO. And Disney Springs is the least frequent bus so what the heck? Especially in the afternoon. At least the area around the bus stop is pretty.

When I finally did get on the bus at 11:10 it was half full upon arrival (from Wilderness Lodge) and all the seats were taken. That’s fine, I’m young and can stand but it’s frustrating to constantly get half full buses. And people with ECVS had been waiting longer than me but there was no room for them on this bus. What a mess.

Anyway. Once on the bus I took a selfie with Porridge the Porg! Can't leave him behind when it's a Hollywood Studios day!

As you can see the bus was quite packed.

Don’t mind if I do!

Once FINALLY at Hollywood Studios I took a quick photo of the new Skyliner station.

And my beloved Tower.

Look how beautiful the day was! All together, it took over an hour to get from the Contemporary to inside DHS. Kinda crazy.

I shouldn’t sweat the small stuff, but sometimes I do, and the morning’s wait had made me a little irritable so my first stop was at Starbucks for a pick-me-up. I got my usual iced vanilla latte and chugged some water and felt much refreshed. I also contemplated the Starbucks throughout the parks, and decided the DHS one is the best. It has the cutest theme, and fits in so nicely! They had some cute specialty cupcakes available, though I didn’t get any.

Up next: time to use some FastPasses!​

 

[buzzrelly]

Since I was up early I figured I might as well check out the view.

Next on my agenda was breakfast! I took a short elevator ride and I was at Contempo Café! So convenient!

I miss that part of staying in the main tower, now that we stay at BLT.

Can you even handle this beauty? It’s so relaxing!

I love that pool area

I’m going to include this pano I took, though I have no idea how it’ll look on the page…

Amazing!

As you can see the bus was quite packed.

Yikes! But don't blame The CR…we've always had good bus luck there. We tend to leave early in the day though.

Once FINALLY at Hollywood Studios I took a quick photo of the new Skyliner station.

Well, that's new. And pretty ugly if you ask me. Are they leaving it that color??

 

[missangelalexis]

I'm sorry the wait for the bus was crappy! You look so cute with Porridge Can't wait to see what you got up to!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Sounds like you had a packed evening after the fireworks! I admire you for being able to stay in the parks so late, I would have been done hours earlier.

 

[juuuliebeth]

I just got back from my solo trip, staying at the Contemporary. I had a Bay Lake view room too! It was the best. I loved the view and took a photo every morning. I was on the 10th floor and on the opposite end, so when I'd walk out of my room, I'd see Magic Kingdom through the atrium window. Don't think I could have really asked for a better room. And everything was so convenient. Less than five minutes to run down and fill my mug.

I actually had really good bus luck while I was there. The wait times in the app helped a lot, I'll say. But even returning to the Contemporary, I was pleasantly surprised. My longest wait was 15 minutes waiting in the middle of the day to come back from Animal Kingdom. Once I waited 20 minutes for a Disney Springs bus, but I didn't give myself enough time to get there after checking the time on the app. It was pulling away as I walked up.

I hope you continue to enjoy your time at the Contemporary. I absolutely loved it and would stay there again in a heartbeat.

 

[amazingact21]

That's awesome that your breakfast sandwich was made with real eggs! That makes all the difference with dishes like sandwiches.


Whoa, that was a rough time with transportation. I'm sure you were more than ready for a DHS bus to show up.

The photo of the monorail with Space Mtn poking out through the trees in the background is great.

Hopefully the coffee and water offset the negative bus situation and turned the day around. I don't think I've ever been in the DHS Starbucks before, but I'll have to try to check it out in the future since it sounds like it's themed well.