Terra Nova Guy and the Raiders of the Lost Park - an August 2018 TR *COMPLETE* 4/28

Sounds like a great Epcot morning getting to do the big ticket rides! And I'm glad you made it to Springs without any issues!

1. This is our last chance to complete our official Princess meets. Do we meet our 11th Princess? Yes

2. Have you been keeping tabs? Who is the last Princess we need to meet? Merida? I have not been keeping good tabs :(
 
I got a bit behind with our Disney Cruise but I'm all caught up now!

The Pizzafari experience actually sounds pretty decent, especially on the dining plan like you had. I hadn't read many experiences with it, but it looks and sounds better in your TR than it did on paper when I first heard about it. A big serving of the cardboard pizzas they serve there didn't sound appealing in the slightest, so it's nice to read it's actually better pizza for the family meal.

I'm not a big fan of the new TT as it is, but I'm glad you got to experience it at least once this trip. And those bonus FPs are a nice little pixie dust moment!
 
I have not been keeping good tabs :(
Good enough :p

I got a bit behind with our Disney Cruise but I'm all caught up now!
I hope you had a great time in your cruise! I suppose you'll be doing a TR for it?

Yes, had the Pizzafari meal been the same QS pizza, it would not be worth it at all. I don't know what they did differently to the pizza, but I wonder why it couldn't be done like that all the time.
 
Good enough :p


I hope you had a great time in your cruise! I suppose you'll be doing a TR for it?

Yes, had the Pizzafari meal been the same QS pizza, it would not be worth it at all. I don't know what they did differently to the pizza, but I wonder why it couldn't be done like that all the time.
I think it has to do with sheer volume. I make really good home made pizza and it's time consuming. To feed that volume of people, it's assembly line pizza.

Normally, it's cheap, fast, good...pick 2.
Since nothing at Disney is cheap, that leaves fast or good...pick 1. :lmao:
 


Great use of RD, with 2 TT rides and Soarin, yay! How fun to get a little pixie dust on your last day. Andi has an old paper fast pass for Maelstrom in her collection!

I love taking the boat over to DS from PO, such a relaxing ride!

I will say yes you meet all 11 princesses
Fo some reason I think you didn’t see Merida yet? No clue really. Regardless how fun for your daughters to meet so many in one trip!
 
Glad to hear you were able to get a few rides in on Test Track on your final park day. Sadly, Test Track usually gets bumped to the bottom of my FP list, too.

Don't feel too bad about the Dole Whip location...I didn't know that, either! They seem to have serving locations everywhere now, which I am completely fine with.
 
One ride had eluded me so far – Test Track. Of the rides at Epcot, this one is probably my favourite.

I mean, there's not a lot of competition now.

Of course Test Track is not the girls’ favourite. I’m not sure they would even do it if not for me.

:sad2:

There wasn’t much left in Epcot that we hadn’t already done, so we figured we might as well get a second ride while the crowd was lighter. Unfortunately the SB queue wasn’t quite as light as I had thought, and it ended up being a 45 minute wait. Wow, it fills up quickly.

Yeah. I think everyone knows it's the best ride.

Before I left, he sprinkled a little pixie dust my way. He gave me a rare paper anytime FastPass! I didn’t know they even made these anymore.

Very cool! I had no idea those still existed, either.

Also note that I failed miserably and I appear to be giving everyone a very girly “yoohoo” as we drive by.

:lmao::rotfl::rotfl2:

But I had the idea to go back to our old stompin' grounds from our 2014 trip – Port Orleans Riverside.

One of my favorites. Glad you were able to get 10 minutes there! :rotfl:

I stopped in my tracks when we passed Marketplace Snacks. Did my eyes deceive me? Dole Whip? I had no idea!

Yes, please!

1. This is our last chance to complete our official Princess meets. Do we meet our 11th Princess?

Uh, sure.

2. Have you been keeping tabs? Who is the last Princess we need to meet?

Not in the least! But I hope it worked out for you.
 


I presume he had them in his pocket for something like a ride shut down, just to be prepared. It was nice that he was able to give one to me though.

That makes sense, and yes! Very nice!


Thanks :) My previous ride photos had all been pretty boring. I tried. At least I gave everyone a laugh in my TR.

That's what TRs are FOR!

Yes I did! It certainly didn't save much time, but so much more interesting than sitting on another bus for the 28th time that week.
I actually was a little disappointed to not spend a little time walking around POR again, but at least we had a fleeting glance at it.

Saving time isn't the objective. Just taking in a slower-paced Disney is.

I was thinking of dropping a "red head" clue but that would probably be giving away too much :P

Ok, fine.... Merida.
 
Hi Jeff!

I'm finally caught up on your report. I'm sorry I'm late to the party but have really enjoyed it. You're much better with dealing with being over run by girls than my DH. My oldest is a boy but he doesn't love Disney like we do and he's been out of the house for a while. This leave DH as the only male with a wife and 2 daughters. When the girls were younger and wanted to meet characters I would have to distract him so we could "character hunt". He does not have the patience you do. We don't call him Grumpy for nothing.

I'm really hoping you got that last Princess and looking forward to hearing about the rest of your day.
 
We needed to pick that up. I believe that buses don’t run direct to Disney Springs from the parks, at least not in the morning (if I am wrong, well…oops), so I knew we would need to take a bus to a resort first, then Disney Springs

In the future -- you can always walk out of the International Gateway and over to Beach club or Boardwalk and catch a bus to Disney Springs. :-)

I had no idea! (I googled this and they have been serving Dole Whip since 2016, so not new, but it started after my last trip, so I get a pass on not knowing).

Dole Whips are popping up everywhere!

I think I missed some of the other postings -- will need to go back and catch up!

*ETA -- I forgot I left off after Day 1 -- I got a lot of reading to do!
 
That Pizzafari meal looked pretty good, but definitely looks like more food than we could eat! i wish Disney would just lower their prices and give less food instead of feeling like you have to eat so much to get your money's worth :crazy2:

I love that you got a old-school paper fastpass. I miss those days :lovestruc

We'll be staying at POFQ for a few nights in one week! I hope we get a chance to take the boat to DS, I think my DM will really enjoy it ::yes::
 
Rivers of Light was.....there. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t particularly good. It’s a kind of like the boring bit in Illuminations with the globe spinning around, but it goes on for 20 minutes. I am happy to have done ROL. I would do it again if there was minimal waiting and my schedule allowed. But I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

After the show, Tish decided to head back to the resort since her feet just weren’t doing that well, and if I’m being honest, everybody was a little run down after our 8th day. Katie went back with her. Brianna and I still had our anytime FP from earlier in the day when Dinosaur had broken down. But it was running again now, so we went for a spin on the time rover. I can’t say Dinosaur is my favourite ride, but I always ride it once a trip and it’s a bit of fun.
The rest of your AK day looked fun! Too bad you didn't love ROL but at least it is checked off the list and you have time for things you do really enjoy.

Next Update Questions for Fun:

1. We attempt rope drop at Epcot. Did we arrive at Epcot before rope drop this time?

2. I get a coveted paper Anytime FastPass. For which Epcot attraction do we use it?

3. We return to Disney Springs. By what mode of transport do we arrive there – car, bus, boat?
I am trying to answer these before I read your next update.......
1. Yes, you do because you want to make the most of your last full day.
2. Soarin'
3. You take the car.
 
Back to back responses, lol!

While they were doing the design, I noticed one of the CMs in the room looked familiar. I recognized Trevor, a DISDad who I don't think is on the boards, but I remembered seeing his picture in our FB group and I knew he was a Test Track CM. I introduced myself and we had a quick chat. Before I left, he sprinkled a little pixie dust my way. He gave me a rare paper anytime FastPass! I didn’t know they even made these anymore. It was nice of him and unexpected. I hope CMs always have the ability to do these little things for guests.
That is awesome! I got one of those from a CM at Skippers on my 50th birthday trip and was thrilled. :)

It was mid-morning now and if you remember from our previous day, we had ordered a drawing of Elsa from Art of Disney. We needed to pick that up. I believe that buses don’t run direct to Disney Springs from the parks, at least not in the morning (if I am wrong, well…oops), so I knew we would need to take a bus to a resort first, then Disney Springs (yes, I know there are Minnie vans or Ubers or even taxis, but I’m cheap). I could have just played “resort roulette” and jumped on the first bus that came by. But I had the idea to go back to our old stompin' grounds from our 2014 trip – Port Orleans Riverside. We remembered enjoying the gelato they had in the food court, so we figured it would be a leisurely trip to Disney Springs. The POR bus wasn’t too long coming and soon we were strolling through Fulton’s General Store on the way to the food court. Glancing out the window, I noticed a boat had just pulled up. Although I had intended to walk around the resort, I decided we might as well not tempt fate and just jump on the boat since it was there.

The boat ride was a nice, relaxing way to arrive in Disney Springs. I enjoyed the change. None of us enjoyed the fact that we didn’t get our gelato, so we were on the hunt for ice creamGreat idea to hop over to . I stopped in my tracks when we passed Marketplace Snacks. Did my eyes deceive me? Dole Whip? I had no idea! (I googled this and they have been serving Dole Whip since 2016, so not new, but it started after my last trip, so I get a pass on not knowing). I certainly wasn’t turning down a Dole Whip, and the girls had simple vanilla soft serve.
Great idea to hop over to POR and take the boat! Tucking this plan away for July!
 
Hi Jeff!

I'm finally caught up on your report. I'm sorry I'm late to the party but have really enjoyed it. You're much better with dealing with being over run by girls than my DH. My oldest is a boy but he doesn't love Disney like we do and he's been out of the house for a while. This leave DH as the only male with a wife and 2 daughters. When the girls were younger and wanted to meet characters I would have to distract him so we could "character hunt". He does not have the patience you do. We don't call him Grumpy for nothing.

I'm really hoping you got that last Princess and looking forward to hearing about the rest of your day.
It's great to have you here, thanks for joining in!
I may have been referred to as "Grumpy" a couple times and I have the t-shirts to match. It's different doing these very princess-focused trips, but I know one day the girls won't travel with me anymore and I can shift focus then. For now, I try to enjoy it.

*ETA -- I forgot I left off after Day 1 -- I got a lot of reading to do!
:laughing: No worries, I remember thinking you didn't get that far in. If you get time to read, hopefully the contents on the first page will help you.

In the future -- you can always walk out of the International Gateway and over to Beach club or Boardwalk and catch a bus to Disney Springs. :-)
Good point, always nice to have different options.

That Pizzafari meal looked pretty good, but definitely looks like more food than we could eat! i wish Disney would just lower their prices and give less food instead of feeling like you have to eat so much to get your money's worth :crazy2:
The meal was good, but I have been warning people about paying out of pocket. I don't think I would do that, just because we left so much food on the table. Good use of a dining plan credit though.

We'll be staying at POFQ for a few nights in one week! I hope we get a chance to take the boat to DS, I think my DM will really enjoy it ::yes::
I hope you get to take the boat. It doesn't save much time, but it really is a different perspective and a nice way to arrive in DS. You get to see some of the resorts along the way. I especially like seeing the treehouses since there's no other way I would stumble on them.

Great idea to hop over to POR and take the boat! Tucking this plan away for July!
See above. It was a nice change from doing buses or driving myself all week.
 
I may have been referred to as "Grumpy" a couple times and I have the t-shirts to match. It's different doing these very princess-focused trips, but I know one day the girls won't travel with me anymore and I can shift focus then. For now, I try to enjoy it.

DH collects the Grumpy shirts. I think he has one for everyday for our next trip in December. The girls may decide they don't want to go out of their way to meet the Princesses someday too. Mine did. We pretty much only catch them with meals. I'm hoping you get back to World again soon and get some more time to do the things you missed.
 
Had I made a FP for BTMRR or 7DMT like I considered, it would likely have been shut down for weather.

One strategy I like to use is to actually try and book fastpasses for rides that you know will go down b/c then you get an anytime FP that can be used on almost any ride. What's great is sometimes you can still book FPs for rides while they're down and keep getting more anytime FPs. And what's even better about that is that the anytime FPs don't count against your allotment, so you can just keep racking them up.

I'm not sure what's going on here, but whatever it is, I don't think they're doing it right.

The wife's shooting form definitely seems non-optimal.

Wanting to stay nearby, we decided to head into Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. We had never done this before, so it was nice to cross off something on our “to do” list. The show was fun. I wouldn’t wait hours for it, but Katie loved it for some reason. I think she found the “dancing guy” funny.

I thought this show was really funny -- but what's weird is that I have still only done it one time.

What did I think of my first view of HEA? Fantastic! Do I miss Wishes? Yes. But did I enjoy HEA. Yes. The emotional connection of Wishes is gone, but the HEA projections add to the show. I was definitely glad we waited it out.

If you go back and watch wishes on youtube, you'll probably realize that HEA is truly a better show. I know I had some nostalgic feelings for Wishes and wanted to hate HEA -- but after rewatching it, I quickly realized HEA is superior (and this is coming from someone that had "allergies" while watching Wishes the first time).

Next Update Questions for Fun:
1. We’re off to EMH at Hollywood Studios. Do we ride Slinky Dog Dash this morning?
2. Where do we eat breakfast in the park?
3. We see two shows at DHS this morning. Which shows?

1. I'm guessing you don't make it to rope drop -- so no.
2. Andy's lunchbox
3. Frozen and Ariel. (at least that would be my choice)
 
After the usual security shenanigans which included a trip through the metal detector to add to the delay, we arrived at the tapstiles at 7:57am. We had a whole 3 minutes to enjoy Extra Magic Hour. If you do it right, 3 minutes should be enough for anyone.

Looks like I guessed right that you wouldn't make it for rope drop, which must mean that SDD is out of the question...

We of course headed to Toy Story Land with the rest of the masses. I think at this point, there really was no EMH and anybody was spilling into the park. We were all excited to try Slinky Dog Dash and didn’t want to wait until our FP later in the week. The stand by wait was 45 minutes, which we felt was reasonable. Although it was only after 8:00am, the sun was already brutally hot and there’s not much shade in that queue.

Wow! Only 45 minutes? That is pretty shocking.

Our light breakfast from earlier was wearing off and I wanted to try the offerings at Woody’s Lunch Box. I suspected the girls would enjoy the S’more French Toast and I wanted to try the Breakfast Bowl (potato barrels, scrambled egg, sausage gravy).

yes! I got one right!

I don’t like it enough to stand in the middle of Hollywood Studios in the blazing midday sun and slowly melt like the dude from Indiana Jones when they opened the Arc.

Imagine how hot it is for the people in those costumes!

1. We change parks again after our afternoon break. Which park? (hint: let’s see how closely you’ve been paying attention. There’s one park we haven’t been to yet. I’m lobbing slow balls at you folks.)

2. You’ve hopefully figured out which park. We have an ADR – a special ADR for Katie’s birthday supper – which restaurant?

3. We have three FP this evening. What are the FP and how many of the three do we use?

4. I go on the hunt for a snack this evening. What is that snack?

1. Epcot?
2. coral reef
3. FEA; MS; Spaceship Earth -- 2 out of 3
4. popcorn
 
Before this trip, we knew it was close to Katie’s birthday (it was a week before), so as part of her “present” she got to choose dinner at any restaurant. She chose Via Napoli. We were all happy with the choice, since Italian is one of our main food groups.

Not what I guessed for her -- I figured the big aquarium would be what the youngest would go for. With that said, Via Napoli is always a solid choice...especially if paying out of pocket. Seems to be the best value TS on property (other than Beaches & Cream).

upload_2018-11-12_20-2-13-jpeg.364720

someone got very sloppy with pepperoni placement on that one.

buy a second seat to get my fat Alien Swirling Saucer back on the plane

I see what you did there.

How exactly does one sail up a frozen mountain and inside an ice palace?

That's kind of funny -- I've never actually thought about what you're doing while on the ride. I'm always just singing along with my kids.

Anna was very bubbly as you would expect, and kept telling Katie that sisters with two braids are better than sisters with one braid

The Anna characters are always so good and so true to form. I really, really like this meet & greet. Works well for us since we have two girls as well, and the oldest had really blonde, long hair and the youngest has more brown hair...so they each have their own favorite.

We happened to be passing by the American pavilion and I remembered the American Dream slushie (red strawberry slush, white vanilla soft serve, blue raspberry slush), which was on my “to try” list. Katie thought that sounded good, so we picked up one at Fife & Drum Tavern.

how was it?

The strawberry and chocolate ice cream was good, but if you happen to get salted caramel, be warned it is very salty, to the point where we all tried to eat some but ended up throwing it away.

hard to believe that it could be that salty -- that's too bad.

However, I did I want to give the green side another try because I heard the video had changed. At this time of night, nobody was really in the mood for it, so we scrapped the idea. If you’re keeping track, out of three FP, we used one.

I almost got this question right -- I figured you'd skip MS and ride SE and use the FP even though you wouldn't need it.

We did make a quick stop in Club Cool. The best part is that none of the girls know about the Beverly (I am sure I have got them with this on previous trips, but they forget. More fun for me). Of course I told them Beverly was the best one. Of course I made sure to have my phone ready to capture the video. Of course they were suspicious. Of course they did not enjoy it. Of course I would show evidence of this but I am an old man who doesn’t know how to attach a video, so this screen capture from the video of the moment the taste registered with them will have to suffice.

I got my MIL and FIL pretty good two years ago. My wife is not as trusting.

At complete opposite ends of the park. Seriously? We’re practically tripping over popcorn carts at Magic Kingdom, but at Epcot you need to pack a lunch before going on the great popcorn trek?

isn't there a popcorn cart close to test track? It has three different flavors.

On the plus side, Illuminations started almost the moment I got back. I’ve always enjoyed it and I would cautiously say it’s my favourite nighttime show, mostly for the music. Of course the fireworks are good too, and yes I know there's a boring part in the middle with the globe sailing around the lagoon, but despite that, I really enjoy the soundtrack. I knew this would probably be my last time seeing Illuminations, since we didn’t have another Epcot evening planned, and I doubt I will be taking another trip before it leaves next summer.

I've tried to like Illuminations -- but just can't get into it. Just doesn't do anything for me at all.

Next Update Questions for fun:

1. We’re off to Hollywood Studios again. We have a FP for one of the rides in Toy Story Land. Which ride?

2. I get a snack at the Trolley Car Cafe. What snack?

3. There has been something on my “to do” list for a very long time, something I have never done before at DHS. I finally tick this off my list. What is it?

1. SDD -- you mentioned this in the other post!
2. coffee or a pastry of some sort.
3. not SW launch bay, since you already said you didn't get to do it...maybe ride aerosmith ride?
 
Since we also enjoyed the Alien Swirling Saucers more than we expected (Is it AS2? Is that what we’re calling it? Man, there’s no fun around here) and since the SB time was not long (maybe 15 minutes), we jumped on that. I’m not saying this ride is at the top of my list, but it really was surprisingly fun.

My youngest DD (3 yo) LOVES this ride. While she was riding it, she had this panicked look on her face so I thought she would be angry with us, but after she got off she was so excited and wanted to ride it again.

Our first FP of the day was up next – Midway Mania. Although it was our 2nd time this trip doing it, I really enjoy it. It helps that I get a bit competitive and I don’t try to go easy on whoever is sitting next to me. In this case it was Katie, and she’s been improving on this ride over time. I usually get about the same, but still got the highest in the car and that’s what matters

Dang it! I guessed wrong again.

.I still think the old plush toys are a bit scary looking.

::yes::

I’m pretty indifferent to that show. It’s fine and if someone else wants to see it, I’ll go along, but I easily skip it.

that's pretty much exactly how I feel about it.

The FP really wasn’t necessary since there was no wait at all, either FP or SB.

This ride is so weird. One time I rode it with a FP and walked straight on. When I got off, I rode it again with another FP and it took 25 minutes to get on.

We all met again for our third FP of the day – Muppetvision. This isn’t a must do for us, but we all enjoy the Muppets and hadn’t seen this on our last trip (so more than 5 years). Again the FP was unnecessary but we scanned our bands anyway

My wife protested going to this show for a couple years. Finally got her to go on it, and she was like "that was actually pretty funny."

I’ll just mention that it involved both the Vineland and International Drive Premium outlets, more dollars than I care to remember, and a total of 6 hours (yes, that is six, it is not a typo).

whoa! I definitely would not have been a happy camper. Forgoing park time for shopping would be my personal hell. Luckily my wife is not into shopping.

In hindsight, I should have just dropped them off and gone back to DHS myself.

Most definitely.

Next Update Questions for Fun:

1. We’re back to Epcot. What mode of transport do we use to get there (bus or rental car)?

2. We meet some characters (other than princesses). Which characters?

3. We get snacks at a QS restaurant. Which restaurant?

1. bus
2. Disney meet and greet (pluto, mickey and whoever else is there)
3. Mexico
 
One strategy I like to use is to actually try and book fastpasses for rides that you know will go down b/c then you get an anytime FP that can be used on almost any ride. What's great is sometimes you can still book FPs for rides while they're down and keep getting more anytime FPs. And what's even better about that is that the anytime FPs don't count against your allotment, so you can just keep racking them up.
Interesting strategy. I had never thought of it, but it's a good plan.

If you go back and watch wishes on youtube, you'll probably realize that HEA is truly a better show. I know I had some nostalgic feelings for Wishes and wanted to hate HEA -- but after rewatching it, I quickly realized HEA is superior (and this is coming from someone that had "allergies" while watching Wishes the first time).
I tend to agree with you. HEA really is impressive.

Imagine how hot it is for the people in those costumes!
I can't imagine poor Chewbacca. All that fur in the heat.

I see what you did there.
I may do it a few more times in this report :laughing:

how was it?
It was good, we both enjoyed it. Nothing earth shattering, but a nice change from a regular slushie.

isn't there a popcorn cart close to test track? It has three different flavors.
There probably is. But the CMs didn't mention it at the time, and had I not already walked all the way up to Canada, I may have had time and energy to go farther.

I've tried to like Illuminations -- but just can't get into it. Just doesn't do anything for me at all.
The spinning globe bit in the middle is definitely dull. I think I like the music as much as anything.

My wife protested going to this show for a couple years. Finally got her to go on it, and she was like "that was actually pretty funny."
I like it. I think Muppetvision could use some updating, but I can't see that happening. I think it will be lucky if the Muppets stay there at all.

Most definitely.
I vow to never again to spend that much time stuck at a shopping mall. Live and learn.
 

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