Special event AND a holiday?! Yep, crazy. 10/21 - Link to TR up!

[KatMark]

Great update, Kelly. Geoff and I are opposites -- I HATE Rock & Roll Rolelr Coaster, but LOVE Tower of Terror.

Sounds like a great day; we've not seen Beauty since 2008 and I would like to fit it in this year but not sure if we'll be able to.

 

[glennbo123]

I'm glad your genius was recognized Kelly! Good job recommending getting there early.

Sooo good to hear that you thought that the new Star Tours is awesome. I can't wait to try it next year. So, it's now a contender (with TSM) for the first fastpass of the day?

Geoff's cufflinks, and his groomsmen's, sound really cool. Your photographer will need to capture that somehow.

I'm glad Geoff liked RnRC...it's my favorite at Disney.

Oh, what is the symbol on your shirts? Star Wars related?

 

[supergirljennie]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing. My DH is a Star Wars guy as well.

 

[hmmurdock]

 

[onelilspark]

Great update, Kelly. Geoff and I are opposites -- I HATE Rock & Roll Rolelr Coaster, but LOVE Tower of Terror.

Sounds like a great day; we've not seen Beauty since 2008 and I would like to fit it in this year but not sure if we'll be able to.

I'm glad we saw it, but it's definitely one of those things that we won't go out of our way to see. My Mom and I were laughing because in order to shorten it, they had to leave out huge sections of the movie plot.

I'm glad your genius was recognized Kelly! Good job recommending getting there early.

Sooo good to hear that you thought that the new Star Tours is awesome. I can't wait to try it next year. So, it's now a contender (with TSM) for the first fastpass of the day?

Geoff's cufflinks, and his groomsmen's, sound really cool. Your photographer will need to capture that somehow.

I'm glad Geoff liked RnRC...it's my favorite at Disney.

Oh, what is the symbol on your shirts? Star Wars related?

On a normal day, I don't think Star Tours would be a contender for the first FP of the day. I think it's just because it was the week after it first opened and it was on SWW. The wait times got up to over an hour later in the day, and we're spoiled, so we won't wait more than 30 minutes for anything if we can help it! We just skip it. And I wanted to make sure we rode it twice that day since you have the new ride combinations, so we all decided as a group that we'd rather ride Star Tours over TSM and just make that the focus. But I think if you were to go in the park today, I'd still make TSM the priority, since from what I've heard wait times for Star Tours are leveling out at about 40 minutes.

The symbol on the shirt is actually from a video game, Geoff got them at PAX East when he went in March. I *think* it's the Old Republic logo.

Very cool! Thanks for sharing. My DH is a Star Wars guy as well.

Thanks for joining in!

Welcome!

 

[onelilspark]

After the parade was over, we headed over to Mama Melrose's for lunch. We all split pizzas, except for Geoff who had to be difficult and ordered the goat cheese raviolis.

Fed and happy:

We were really happy that we had the ADR as it allowed us to take a break from the heat and have something tasty!

After lunch, there was really only one more thing that we had on our "must do" list: Muppets!

We made our way over, and surprisingly enough, there was a line Yep, definitely leaving after this!!

We just had to wait for the next show to start, so not too bad of a line. The nice thing about the line is that we were able to see the entire pre-show from the start. I haven't seen the whole thing in AGES! Sam the Eagle is my favorite

After Muppets, we headed out of the park, almost getting caught by the parade, but we managed to sneak out through the stores!

I took some pictures around POFQ as we headed back to the room (I took more pictures on Day 3!)

We had a towel animal join my old-school Disney bear, which was pretty exciting. I rarely get towel animals at Disney!

We had some time before dinner, so my Dad and I headed down to the pool. Geoff burns if he looks at the sun, so he read in the room. My Mom took a nap (maybe the smartest of us all!)

I left all my stuff in the room, so no pictures of the pool (I took more the next day, so stay tuned!)

It was an absolutely gorgeous day. Hot, but not so hot that it was uncomfortable to lay out.

Up Next: Heading to DTD and dinner!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Ooh, I like your old school Disney bear. I remember when they had those different colored ones. Should've gotten one-they're worth a lot now!

I think I am the only one who never gets towel animals.

 

[onelilspark]

Ooh, I like your old school Disney bear. I remember when they had those different colored ones. Should've gotten one-they're worth a lot now!

I think I am the only one who never gets towel animals.

This is my first time getting a full sized towel animal. I was so excited...hence the picture!

I don't think my bear is worth very much! Bandit has gotten a hold of him a few times, so his nose is all chewed up

 

[KatMark]

Kelly, glad you enjoyed Mama Melrose.

A line for the Muppets? I don't think I've seen one of those in ten years.

Your old school Disney bear is adorable...and Bandit obviously thinks so too.

 

[hstrickland]

Caught up now! I've been checking out POFQ....liking it a lot. Can't wait to see more pics. I've already called and priced it out for February...and POR, too. Not sure, yet.....you're shocked, right

 

[pas130]

Checking out your TR! Found it by accident catching up with Heathers! Love the food pics

 

[onelilspark]

Kelly, glad you enjoyed Mama Melrose.

A line for the Muppets? I don't think I've seen one of those in ten years.

Your old school Disney bear is adorable...and Bandit obviously thinks so too.

I know! I haven't seen a line there in AGES! I was shocked! The crowds were really starting to build, which is why we decided we had enough and left

Caught up now! I've been checking out POFQ....liking it a lot. Can't wait to see more pics. I've already called and priced it out for February...and POR, too. Not sure, yet.....you're shocked, right

Shocked, really, I am. I'm a big fan of POFQ, it's the only resort I've been to more than once!! Otherwise I say to myself "well, I want to try a new one!"

Checking out your TR! Found it by accident catching up with Heathers! Love the food pics

Welcome! I love food pictures I did a Dining Report before this if you want to check it out, the link is in my signature!

 

[onelilspark]

After laying by the pool, I headed back to the room to freshen up for dinner.

Geoff and I were ready before my parents, so we headed over to take the boat launch to DTD!

I swear for some reason in Disney we've got a sign on us that says "talk to us, we're friendly." At home, we get totally ignored, but in Disney, it doesn't matter, we get involved in some of the weirdest conversations. On the boat ride over, the guy in front of us started talking about the engines in the boats. Geoff humored him. I gave his wife advice about food...but they thought the height of culinary sophistication was having a good amount of fried food on the menu...so...that didn't work out so well

Anyway, before we got on the boat, we waited a good amount of time. Turns out the boats were passing by the launch at POFQ without stopping! The problem was that they were filling up at POR. We lucked out that before too long, they sent an empty boat to FQ directly. Woot! So we were on our way.

On the boat:

FQ from the water:

After a nice boat ride, we made it to DTD:

We wandered for a bit, and checked out the new/old lego store:

They had some new displays out, which was awesome. I Maleficent. So of course I took a picture!

Now the whole boat fiasco? My parents didn't quite leave enough time to spare, so they waited...and waited...and waited...and finally decided to hop in the car instead. Oh well. I think it was a casualty of the holiday weekend.

They made it over just in time for our ADR at our new favorite restaurant at Disney:

Seriously, we love this place. We love the food, we love the drink, we love the atmosphere. I have the whole write up over on my dining report, and since there are enough people who followed me over, I won't repeat myself too much! But I will say that if you haven't gone, you should. It's fantastic.

We sat right next to the step dancer, which was really neat:

...loud, but neat.

Well fed, and happy:

My parents parked down by Cirque, so after dinner we strolled down that way. DTD was super busy, so we weren't concerned with doing a lot of shopping that night!!

We walked by Ridemakerz. I was asked what it was (since I'm the Disney guru...) I had no idea, so we decided to take a peak inside:

It's basically a make your own remote control car. Really neat if you ask me...and I know you did! Not cheap, but definitely something different, I know both my brother and I as kids would have loved it!! (My Dad used to tell the people at McDonalds when we got Happy Meals that he had two boys so I could get the Hot Wheels car instead of the Barbie toy )

Afterwards we headed back to the resort. We were beat! I don't even think it was 10!

Up next: Race day, and our non-Touring Plan- Touring Plan!

 

[KatMark]

You know we are trying Raglan Road this trip. It was a really hard decision because Nicki has NEVER steered me wrong and she absolutely hated her meal there; but I've read so many good reviews, that I decided we should give it a go.

Those "make your own" remote cars look really cool. I know my boys would have loved them when they were small (they have so much more neat stuff for kids to do -- BBB, Pirate cruise, etc. since they were young).

 

[onelilspark]

You know we are trying Raglan Road this trip. It was a really hard decision because Nicki has NEVER steered me wrong and she absolutely hated her meal there; but I've read so many good reviews, that I decided we should give it a go.

Those "make your own" remote cars look really cool. I know my boys would have loved them when they were small (they have so much more neat stuff for kids to do -- BBB, Pirate cruise, etc. since they were young).

I would never steer you wrong either Kathy! Promise I wish Nicki would give it another shot! I really love this restaurant!! But I know what you mean, I totally trust her reviews of places!

 

[onelilspark]

Since I'm probably going to be wrapping up this Trip Report right around the time I'll be heading out for my September trip, I don't think I'll be doing an official PTR for that trip.

So I thought I'd give an update for whoever's interested. The thing is, whenever I get stressed about something for the wedding, I tried to meddle with these plans, but in the end...well, I wound up with the same thing

I'm heading down from September 9-11, following in the footsteps of Norybell to escape from wedding planning. September 9 and most of 10 will be totally solo, then my parents are joining me for dinner on September 10 and all day on September 11, taking me back to the airport that day, allowing me to cancel my rental car

After much waffling back and forth, I'll be staying at Bay Lake Tower in a studio. I caught an awesome rate back in February when I booked, and nothing has really been able to beat it. I thought about staying at the Boardwalk (always wanted to and it could be $15/night cheaper) or the Hilton Bonnet Creek (would be free with points!) but decided to just stay put because the location for what I want to do is awesome

So I'm super excited to be staying here:

Stolen off the interwebs from here

With my lake view studio! I'm really looking forward to Saturday morning waking up and having a room service breakfast out on the balcony!

I should get in around noon on the 9th, so my plan is to head over to Epcot once I get checked-in. Epcot has EMH evenings, so I'll be hanging out there quite late. I've also decided for my bridesmaids gifts I'll be getting them each something from around the World Showcase, very "me" because it's from WDW, but then it doesn't have to be Disney specific and I can get them each something they'll like (and it gives me an excuse to shop ) One of the things I was waffling on was dinner. I originally had an ADR booked at Bistro de Paris, but then I decided I liked the idea of counter service at Mexico with a margarita better. Then I saw a review of Bistro and really wanted to go. I'm impossible. So I still really like the idea of counter service Mexican, but I'm afraid it might rain. My solution was to re-book Bistro so I can make the call that day ...don't worry! I'll cancel it if I decide not to use it!

On the 10th I'm starting out with my room service breakfast and then spending all day at the Magic Kingdom! The park has shortened hours because of Night of Joy (side note: does anyone know if they'll still have fireworks??) So we booked an ADR at 7:30 for Cali Grill. My parents will join me for dinner, but my Mom has cashed in points at one of the off-site Marriott properties that night. They're taking a cab back and forth so they can indulge in some adult beverages

On the 11th, my flight doesn't leave until 5pm, so I have most of the day. My parents will be joining me all day and we're starting with breakfast over at Kona. From there, I have no idea where we'll go. I don't know if we'll go back to Epcot, since I don't think I'll do rides on Friday or if we'll do the MK since we're right there...or if we'll do the Studios, or AK...the possibilities are endless!

So there's my trip in a nutshell!

I looked into extending my trip by a day (either a day to the front or back) but it would be $150 to change my flight on USAir So I don't think I can swing that plus the hotel room. It's too expensive for just one day, kwim?

 

[KatMark]

Kelly, it sounds like a great "mini-trip".

I know they don't have "early" fireworks, and according to this site's list of park hours, fireworks, etc., there will be no fireworks on the 9th or 10th.

 

[onelilspark]

Kelly, it sounds like a great "mini-trip".

I know they don't have "early" fireworks, and according to this site's list of park hours, fireworks, etc., there will be no fireworks on the 9th or 10th.

Thanks. I was just wondering if we'd be seeing them from the restaurant or not Guess not!

 

[onelilspark]

The one thing I'm not sure about is where I'll have lunch on Friday when I get in. I could have it at the Contempo Cafe before catching the monorail to Epcot. Or I could have it anywhere in Epcot.

So I'm looking at Food Porn, you know, as you do...and I see the French Bakery. And I think to myself, "That would be tasty for lunch! A little sandwich, a sweet snack..." And about a minute later, "Yes Kelly, the French Bakery and THEN Bistro de Paris."

 

[onelilspark]

Sunday morning Geoff and I were on our own. My Mom and Dad have Water Park Annual Passes and my Mom loves Typhoon Lagoon. I'm not a huge fan of water in my face, and as I said before, Geoff burns the second he looks at the sun, so we're not big into the Water Parks.

It was also Race Day -- or more commonly known as the Indianapolis 500. Every year, each member of my Mom's extended family puts $5 into a hat and then we all pull drivers. If your driver is the first out, you get your $5 back, if your driver wins (or since we don't have enough family members, comes closest to winning if a weird rookie wins) you get $80. I have never won. My brother won the year he was born, and his birthday is May 29...he was born a month early. The joke of the family is that he came out to collect his money. Geoff was included for the first time last year...and he won. Anyway, I mention this because my Mom is very into the Indy 500, so after they went to Typhoon Lagoon in the morning, they had lunch back at the resort so she could watch the race. An exciting day for a local, no?

Meanwhile, Geoff and I had a plan. Get to Epcot at opening, Fastpasses for Soarin' and then breakfast at Sunshine Seasons so we at least could take our time getting to Epcot that morning (it's called compromise! )

We strolled into Epcot at 9:02am. Not too shabby.

Our first stop was Soarin for Fastpasses. Once they were acquired, we hit Sunshine Seasons for breakfast.

And I discovered Croissant Berry Pudding.

This is my new favorite Disney breakfast food. Light and flaky, buttery and delicious. Just perfect. You need to try it.

Geoff had the adult breakfast platter...because he wanted French Toast. I tried to tell him to get the kids French Toast, but he wouldn't listen

He was not a fan of the potatoes or the bacon.

So he got this:

Which was alright in my book, but I only had a bite...

After breakfast, our "Touring Plan" went out the window. I believe the conversation went something like this... "Hey! Look! There's Living with the Land! I know the rest of the park is dead because it's still only 9:20 in the morning, but I think it would be an excellent idea to go on a ride that's a walk on any time of day." Well, maybe not. But we like Living with the Land. And it was there. So we did it.

I'm sure this CM did not appreciate me taking pictures of her backside...

Our next ride of the day??

Yeah... at this point someone on Twitter deemed it the "Non-Touring Plan - Touring Plan."

We were enjoying ourselves though. And I do love me some Figment. I spent some time in the gift shop, debating whether or not to get anything Figment-related. I eventually decided no. Maybe in September...

We decided maybe we should take advantage of it being earlier in the day and headed over to Test Track...where the wait was ridiculous so we promptly stopped and headed over to Mission Space

While walking over, we caught the Jamminators setting up.

When we made it over to Mission Space, we opted for Green instead of Orange strictly because it had a shorter wait. I believe it was 15 instead of 30 minutes.

Rover:

The other couple with us on the ride was fun. They had never been on the ride before, so they were going Green just to see if the wife would be alright on it. We said we were just impatient and it had a shorter wait. I liked Green better, Geoff likes Orange better because it has more of the effect.

By now we could get a FP again, so we made our way back to Test Track, grabbed our FP...and decided we weren't really in a ride-riding mood. It was almost 11, so we decided to head over to the World Showcase.

Up next: World Showcase!