Thanksgiving in my happy place?? Don't mind if I do! (Updated 5/9)

[Stacybaeasm]

I am enjoying reading your trip report! Ha, ha you are the one who just replied to my Thanksgiving/Feb. post!

Yes I am! And Welcome. Maybe this will give you a feel for your Thanksgiving trip.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Day Four, Part 5??
Maybe I will remember Guardians this time
​

We left off heading out of World showcase and toward Future world. (I know it's not called that anymore but old habits and all.) As I got to the front of World showcase by the Christmas tree, I stopped for more photos. I am going to use this photo pass add on for all it's worth.


I was on my way to Guardians for a Fancy FP$$ (trademark Caroline!) but I had a bit of time to kill. I headed toward the shop (Connections?? Why do I never remember what this one is called??) because Scotty had told me about a Beauty and the Beast Corkcycle bottle that I needed to look at. As I was headed to the shop, I saw yet another photo pass person. Anyone who knows me will be shocked at the number of photos I took voluntarily.


I have to be honest here - I'm not sure who that character is? Mirabelle?? Anyway, I headed into Connections but could not find the water bottle anywhere. I also didn't see anything else I really needed so I grabbed a bottle of water (See? Hydrating a little) and headed out to those square benches to sit for a bit until it was time to head to Guardians.

As I was sitting there, a multi-generational family came over and asked if they could also sit down. Absolutely. I hardly need this huge bench for myself (I mean, my backside is large but not quite THAT big.) They were trying to convince "Grandpa" to go on Guardians and he wasn't buying it for a minute. He didn't want a fast ride or anything that spins. They kept saying "I don't think it's that bad. Maybe it goes backward a bit??" They clearly had never been on it. I just started laughing a bit to myself when Grandpa noticed and asked if I had ridden it. I said yes but that I didn't remember it at all. If you read my last trip report, you might remember that I was super sick at the start of my trip. We rode Guardians early in the day and I almost blacked out both on the ride and as we were sitting on these same benches shortly after. Grandpa turned to the group and said "Don't lie to Grandpa!!! I will stay with the little one and you all go ride." So, I saved Grandpa. Not all heroes wear capes.

Bottle of water finished, it was time to head toward Guardians. I had a few minutes before I could scan in so I got some photos.


Soon I was scanning in. The LLSP line was a bit longer than I expected so I had to wait about 20 minutes before I got into the pre-show rooms. Once out of them, the line came to a stop...one side of the ride had gone down so they were busy funneling everyone into the left side. The family behind me was really worried about their dining reservation. I told them they could just tell the host that they were in line for Guardians when it went down and they would probably be seated.

Finally, I got loaded into the ride and was ready for the re-do of my first ride. Off we flew through the cosmos to "Conga".


This time, I remembered the ride!!! And I loved it. I was super glad I had bought another Fancy FP$$ for Friday. Now it was decision time. The park was pretty busy on the day before Thanksgiving, I was starting to get hungry, and I didn't have regular FP$$ and the lines were just a bit too long for me. I decided to head back into World Showcase to finish the rounds. Plus, I knew I was coming back on Friday and I really wanted to save my Epcot energy for Festival of the Holidays.

I walked through Canada and the UK and then headed up to France again. I needed one thing before making any further decisions...a grand mariner slushie was needed, STAT!

I took my lovely drink to sit by the fountains and enjoy. Two women sitting on a bench behind me started oohing over the drink. I told them what it was, where to get it, and that it was my favorite thing to drink in all of Disney! Well, that convinced them and they got up and headed to the booth. Disney really should pay me a marketing fee.

I quickly (probably TOO quickly) drank my beautiful orange slushie. And boy did I feel it as soon as it was finished. I realized I hadn't had a single alcoholic drink since April (for Scotty's wedding) and my tolerance (which is very low to begin with) was at 0. Who was a tipsy girl after just 1 drink?? Me.

I decided it was probably best to head out, go back to the resort to rest and get something to eat. But wait...what does a fluffy girl want when tipsy?? (Well, all the time really but especially when tipsy?) Bread. Carbs. Butter. Well, thank goodness I was in France!! I headed back to Les Halles and got myself a half baguette and butter. Time to head back to Pop so out the international gateway and up to the Skyliner!

Back at the room, I ate half the baguette and butter and then decided I should head to the pool. Swimsuit on, I headed out to the bowling pin pool again. There weren't many people there so I easily found a chair, got some towels, and settled in with my book, some snacks, and my water (yep! Hydrating again!!) I had a great couple of hours there and then headed back to my room.

At this point, it was decision time. What was I going to do with my evening? I had contemplated going to Studios to see Fantasmic or going back to Epcot for Luminous. But the thought of the night before Thanksgiving crowds was a deterrent. Right about then, my infamous leg cramps hit me yet again. After pacing the room for about 30 minutes to get them to stop, I realized that neither my body nor my spirit wanted to head back into a park. So, I decided to head up to the Pop Food court to get some dinner.

The food court was a ZOO!!! People everywhere! I decided I wanted some penne alfredo with chicken so I jumped in that line - which was all the way back to the dessert coolers. Oh well, no other line was shorter so I settled in for some people watching while I waited. There was some group staying at Pop - the cheerleader group from MK I think?? Anyway, the mom and daughter were trying to figure out the food voucher the daughter had. They were very confused about what was included. They turned to me and asked if I knew anything about the vouchers. Either the teacher vibes were strong that night or I looked like the mom of a cheerleader. I looked at the voucher and said - you get a meal, a drink, and a dessert. So - a burger and fries or the pasta or a slice of pizza or any of the meals listed on the menu, then pick out a beverage like a fountain soda or a bottle of water, and then one of the desserts in the coolers behind us. You can also ask them at the counter to be sure. They were super happy and moved to a different line to get a burger.

Food obtained, I decided to take it back to the room to eat. Just too many people at the food court. So, I settled in to eat my pasta and chicken while surfing social media. Then I jumped in the shower, got in my pjs, and settled into bed to watch Survivor, read, play on my phone, eat the rest of that baguette, and keep the leg cramps at bay. All in all, a relaxing evening. Then, off to night night land to get ready for Thanksgiving in Magic Kingdom!

Up next: Thanksgiving in my happy place!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

More super cute PhotoPass pictures! I'm glad that you remembered Guardians of the Galaxy this time. I love love love love love love love love (oops...got excited) it!

I'm not an alcohol drinker so any alcoholic beverage would make me feel woozy. They always look so good though.

I hate that the food court was so busy. I guess everybody had the same idea as you.

Looking forward to more.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I was on my way to Guardians for a Fancy FP$$ (trademark Caroline!) but I had a bit of time to kill. I headed toward the shop (Connections?? Why do I never remember what this one is called??

I love it ! I can never remember the name of Mouse Gears either, I also despise trying to remember which Celebration land I am in. It is all FW to me!
I love all your PP pictures!
I’m glad you like GotG and could enjoy it without blacking out!

I walked through Canada and the UK and then headed up to France again. I needed one thing before making any further decisions...a grand mariner slushie was needed

Yummy I love that slushie!

Back at the room, I ate half the baguette and butter and then decided I should head to the pool. Swimsuit on, I headed out to the bowling pin pool again. There weren't many people there so I easily found a chair, got some towels, and settled in with my book, some snacks, and my water (yep! Hydrating again!!) I had a great couple of hours there and then headed back to my room.

I was just going to scold you for not hydrating, haha I’m sorry you got more leg cramps ugh
It is always nice to take an evening off to relax!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

More super cute PhotoPass pictures! I'm glad that you remembered Guardians of the Galaxy this time. I love love love love love love love love (oops...got excited) it!

Thanks! As a fluffy girl, I usually avoid photos. But Disney changes my entire personality so let's take photos!!! And yes, Guardians is easily one of my all time favorite rides now. Already plotting to get 2 Fancy FP$$ for it in May.

I'm not an alcohol drinker so any alcoholic beverage would make me feel woozy. They always look so good though.

I DREAM about this slushie. And all my friends know how obsessed I am so if they are in Disney without me, I always get a picture of them drinking it.

I hate that the food court was so busy. I guess everybody had the same idea as you.

My guess was that the food court was so busy because it was the day before Thanksgiving. I imagine a lot of people arrived on that day and maybe didn't do park tickets so they were eating at the resort. It did make for good people watching though.

Looking forward to more.

Thanks for reading so far!! Still 2 more days to come.

I love it ! I can never remember the name of Mouse Gears either, I also despise trying to remember which Celebration land I am in. It is all FW to me!

Is it Mouse Gears?? I think I just refer to it as the Epcot store...because there is only 1 place to shop in all of Epcot.
I'm so tired of Disney renaming everything. It's still Downtown Disney to me. And Epcot will always be Future World and World Showcase. But hey - Barb has been in Florida since Magic Kingdom opened so she still refers to the MK park as Disneyworld and then all the other parks have their real names. I'm always confused talking to her when she asks "Are we going to Disneyworld on Monday? Or Animal Kingdom?"

I’m glad you like GotG and could enjoy it without blacking out!

Me too! Now, it's just a challenge to get all the songs!

Yummy I love that slushie!

Oh yeah. Favorite drink. That and the pina colava from Petals are my go tos for every trip. But the list is fairly long for Flower and Garden so...we shall see. I should probably start working on my tolerance right now.

I was just going to scold you for not hydrating, haha I’m sorry you got more leg cramps ugh
It is always nice to take an evening off to relax!

Yeah...not great about hydrating. I fell back down that slippery slope to Diet Coke-ville. I had quit soda (and all carbonated beverages) entirely for 13 years. And then, early last fall I got sick and wanted a sprite. I have got to get my water intake back to what it should be (she says as she finishes a Diet Coke at 9:25 am)

Relaxing is something I keep saying I'm going to do and don't do enough of. I'm trying to plan that into my May trip, knowing that it will be HOT. We shall see how that goes.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Real life update/planning dilemma
Help a Sister out!!!
​

Ok, I'm deep into the planning for my trip at the end of May. The hotel (Pop) has been booked since right after Thanksgiving with a bounce back rate. Just last week, Scotty let me know that cast member discounts for hotels had been released for my dates and I toyed with the idea of going to Animal Kingdom Lodge instead. But, after doing the math, even with the discount it was an extra $500 and I can think of a lot of things I can do with $500.

So today, I'm reading threads on the theme parks board (like you do) and I saw a post about After Hours at Hollywood Studios for the summer. And I thought...hmm...wonder if there is an after hours while I'm there. And sure enough, there is one. Annual passholder price of $155. And now, I'm torn. Go or don't go. My thoughts:
Pros - cooler touring at night, low crowds (so hopefully lots of re-dos on rides), I wouldn't buy FP$$ that day, ice cream and pop corn and soda and water, I love Studios at night
Cons - Price, will I stay all 3 hours (I think I would have to skip a lot of the day to be ready for this after my experiences at the Christmas party but that could just mean a pool day), will I get full value out of it if I'm going by myself?

That last statement is the one I'm really wrestling with. Being solo will I a) enjoy the event and b) will I fill the time so that I don't waste any money by leaving early because, again, I'm alone. ARGGGG!!!! So Disboard friends - what should I do?

 

[VAtink]

I say go for the After Hours! My first HS After Hours I did solo and had a blast!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Is it Mouse Gears?? I think I just refer to it as the Epcot store...because there is only 1 place to shop in all of Epcot.

Mouse Gear is the old name, it is the name I always remember, now it is creations I think?? I’m like you, always Downtown Disney, Future World, Mouse Gear, Electric Umbrella, on and on!
I do love after hour events, I haven’t been solo before but I think it would be fun!

 

[jgl130]

Being solo will I a) enjoy the event and b) will I fill the time so that I don't waste any money by leaving early because, again, I'm alone.

You should totally do it! I did a solo AH party at HS right after Toy Story land opened. I did Slinky like 5 times, Toy Story like 7 and Tower of Terror like 4 times. It really flies by even when you’re alone. Just the loop of Toy Story walking the queue, the ride and walking out takes like 10 minutes!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I say go for the After Hours! My first HS After Hours I did solo and had a blast!

I do love after hour events, I haven’t been solo before but I think it would be fun!

You should totally do it! I did a solo AH party at HS right after Toy Story land opened. I did Slinky like 5 times, Toy Story like 7 and Tower of Terror like 4 times. It really flies by even when you’re alone. Just the loop of Toy Story walking the queue, the ride and walking out takes like 10 minutes!

Well, between the 3 of you and my student (who loves Disney as much as I do), you have convinced me. I got the ticket this morning. After Hours at Hollywood Studios is now on my itinerary for Wednesday, May 28!

 

[vamassey1]

I am going to use this photo pass add on for all it's worth.

That's my thought too.

Scotty had told me about a Beauty and the Beast Corkcycle bottle that I needed to look at.

I think I saw this at the Corkcicle store in DS in January. Very pretty.

I really needed so I grabbed a bottle of water (See? Hydrating a little) a

Good girl!

So, I saved Grandpa. Not all heroes wear capes.

I love this!

I needed one thing before making any further decisions...a grand mariner slushie was needed, STAT!

Love this drink too!

Disney really should pay me a marketing fee.

Yes they should.

I headed back to Les Halles and got myself a half baguette and butter

I want to try this too.

All in all, a relaxing evening.

Not too bad. You legs needed it.

Just last week, Scotty let me know that cast member discounts for hotels had been released for my dates and I toyed with the idea of going to Animal Kingdom Lodge instead. But, after doing the math, even with the discount it was an extra $500 and I can think of a lot of things I can do with $500.

That's a hard choice.

Pros - cooler touring at night, low crowds (so hopefully lots of re-dos on rides), I wouldn't buy FP$$ that day, ice cream and pop corn and soda and water, I love Studios at night

All good! We're doing the MK AH on May 19th, but no AP discount.

I got the ticket this morning. After Hours at Hollywood Studios is now on my itinerary for Wednesday, May 28!

That's great that you're doing it!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Day 5, Part One
Thanksgiving in my happy place!
​

Woo hoo! Today is Thanksgiving. Plans include Magic Kingdom all day with the Thanksgiving meal at Diamond Horseshoe. Scotty and Stephen were joining me when they got up and moving. I had only hit 2 roadblocks while planning this day: I could only get a dining ressie for 2 people and we had 3 and I couldn't get Scotty and Stephen FP$$ because they weren't on the hotel reservation. Scotty was sure he knew one of the leaders working at the restaurant that day so we would be able to add a person and we decided just to wing it with the lightning lanes.

I knew that I would be solo at the park for the first part of the morning so I got up and headed in. I don't think I got there for most of early entry but I got there before the masses. Oh - on the bus that morning, I heard a song that I just never expected to hear on a Disney bus to MK - Time Warp. Now, I know Disney owns Fox which owns Rocky Horror but I have to say, as I was listening to the song I was surprised. And then started doing the time warp as subtly as possible.

Once at the park, I had to remind myself to pack my patience today. People going through the tapstyles and into the park were all over the place and it was chaos. I could feel myself getting tense. But I stopped, took a breath, and reminded myself that many of these people had probably never been to Disney and they were both excited and overwhelmed at being there on a major holiday. Be a good person, Stacy.

I headed off to my first LL - Pirates. I could literally do this ride every day and not get bored.

As soon as I got off the ride, I started looking for a new LL. Hey - space mountain still has some - bonus!!! I booked it and headed to my next LL - Haunted Mansion. I was a little bit too early so I browsed in Memento Mori. (Weird aside, this phrase was in my book last night but in a completely different context - a tattoo on a Russian mafia but it made me pause for a minute.) While I found lots of things I liked, I decided I didn't need to buy anything.

Time to head to my Haunted mansion LL. I was quickly in the stretching room and then out the other side to get to my doom buggy. Why can they not fix the way they funnel people out of the stretching room? People just don't know that they go from 1 big mass of people down to a tiny line that doesn't really even allow for 2 people side by side. Inevitably, they get up to where the ropes start and then someone gets mad because someone else won't let them into the que. Or parties get separated. My game plan is always head to the wall and hug it as you move forward. Still - Disney - let's fix this!

As I made my way out of the ride, I stopped for a picture in front of the mansion.

Honestly - I was hoping for a magic shot here but the photo pass person was clearly already over the day. It's only like 10:30 at this point but hey - I wouldn't want to be working today either.

I walked over to the wall on the pathway behind Memento Mori going up to the Tangled bathrooms to see about booking another LL. I also got a text from Scotty and Stephen that they were in the park. I told them where I was. And wow - there were basically no LLs left at this point until like 8pm. I knew we probably wouldn't still be around so I stopped looking. Hey - I had my original 3 bookings plus a bonus space mountain. Given it was Thanksgiving, 4 LL's was going to be fine for me today.

This wasn't the longest update, but I have to go check references for a potential hire and then allegedly teach a class. Luckily, I have a guest speaker today - a friend from Disney to talk with my Career and Portfolio classes about performing and characters at Disney!

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

Hi! I haven't been on the Disboards in such a long time, but the trip reports forum was the first one I jumped back into and I'm loving yours! The holiday season at Disney is literally my absolute FAVORITE! Looking forward to hearing how the rest of your Thanksgiving at MK was!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Hi! I haven't been on the Disboards in such a long time, but the trip reports forum was the first one I jumped back into and I'm loving yours! The holiday season at Disney is literally my absolute FAVORITE! Looking forward to hearing how the rest of your Thanksgiving at MK was!

Awww...thanks! And Welcome!! I'll give one little hint to how Thanksgiving was....I'm definitely going back this year!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I love PotC and could ride it over and over! Such a classic, along with HM and PPF!
Andi and Inwent to Disney a couple times over Thanksgiving, we enjoyed it so much and crowds were manageable!

 

[vamassey1]

I couldn't get Scotty and Stephen FP$$ because they weren't on the hotel reservation.

It really is hard to coordinate with CMs if they aren't on your reservations with the new Multi Pass. They get the short end of the stick.

Scotty was sure he knew one of the leaders working at the restaurant that day so we would be able to add a person and we decided just to wing it with the lightning lanes.

It does help to know people all around the parks.

Oh - on the bus that morning, I heard a song that I just never expected to hear on a Disney bus to MK - Time Warp. Now, I know Disney owns Fox which owns Rocky Horror but I have to say, as I was listening to the song I was surprised.

This is shocking.

. Why can they not fix the way they funnel people out of the stretching room? People just don't know that they go from 1 big mass of people down to a tiny line that doesn't really even allow for 2 people side by side. Inevitably, they get up to where the ropes start and then someone gets mad because someone else won't let them into the que. Or parties get separated. My game plan is always head to the wall and hug it as you move forward. Still - Disney - let's fix this!

Rant on! I feel the same.

As I made my way out of the ride, I stopped for a picture in front of the mansion.

Great picture!

 

[amazingact21]

Catching back up! I can only imagine how chaotic the entrance to MK was on a holiday morning. It can be bad on just a regular day, but throw in a time when a lot of first timers are going and you were right. Packing patience was key.

Pirates and HM is a great way to start off a MK morning!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Catching back up! I can only imagine how chaotic the entrance to MK was on a holiday morning. It can be bad on just a regular day, but throw in a time when a lot of first timers are going and you were right. Packing patience was key.

Pirates and HM is a great way to start off a MK morning!

Welcome back!!! Packing patience was key for the whole day. Luckily, after getting in, I was able to remember to breathe and that it was vacation. And also, that I am a very lucky girl who knows she is coming back. The people on those once in a lifetime trips...yikes!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Day 5, Part Two
Thanksgiving in my happy place continues
​

It's finals week here. I have a ton of grading to do, 2 semester evaluation letters to write for MFA students, a graduation speech to write and give, and a letter of recommendation for a friend for tenure at another university. What am I doing instead? Writing a trip update! I need to get this report finished before I leave for my end of May trip! Those of you who have more than 1 trip report going at once? I tip my hat to you. I could not do that!

Anyway, I think we left off meeting up with Scotty and Stephen. They had tried to get LLMP but there was nothing available so we decided I would do my Space mountain LL when it was time and then we would give up on those for the rest of the day. Since we had some time before my space LL, we headed to Philharmagic. I do love that show. I really enjoy watching the kids reach out for all the 3-D stuff coming at them.

As we came out, we were talking about the Christmas party and I mentioned I was a bit sad that I didn't do any characters that night. Scotty immediately redirected us over to Fairytale hall so I could say hi to some princesses. We got Tiana


And Rapunzel


We looked at going to the other side but the lines had gotten much longer at that point so we moved on. It was time to head over to Space for my FP$$. I jumped in line and they went to find snacks and ride the people mover (I think.) Once again, it was a bonus to be a party of 1 and I got to jump a huge portion of the line to fill in an empty spot.


When we all finally met up, we headed up to Main Street to catch one of the cavalcades. And then it was time to do some shopping!! We hit the jewelry store so I could get the other pair of Bauble Bar earrings I had considered on day 1 (the Mickey the snowman earrings). I also got the red, fuzzy Christmas spirit jersey. And probably something else, although for the life of me, I can't remember right now and I didn't write it down. But I was also saving some money because Scotty was determined to help me find that Beauty and the Beast corkcicle bottle I talked about earlier. But that had to wait until Epcot on Friday.

After shopping, Scotty said "hey, let's go ride the train!" I love riding the train and hadn't done it in a few years so we went up to the train station and got in line. It actually wasn't a long wait until we boarded and were off! We rode it around in the full circle and then stayed on to get back to Frontierland. I had 1 more FP$$ left for Big Thunder. I mean, I HAD to get my last ride in on that before it closed for who knows who long? Once up there, we separated and again, I have no idea what they did while I went on Big Thunder.

The LL line moved pretty quickly and it didn't take a long time until I was in the boarding area. And there I encountered a screaming child. At first, I thought something was seriously wrong because I hadn't heard screams like that maybe ever. I looked around because I really thought someone needed help or something. It ended up being a differently abled child. He was clearly in the middle of a meltdown, screaming and hitting himself repeatedly. I felt so badly for both him and his parents. A couple of younger people around me started making some unkind comments and I had no problem cutting that off. Show some grace people. This wasn't just a temper tantrum of some kind, this was much more than that. The parents and child tried to get on the train (same one I was on) but the poor little guy just couldn't settle or stop hitting himself so they got off instead of riding and took him out of the ride. I hope they found a quiet place to let him settle. In the meantime, I took off for the wildest ride in the wilderness!!!

And with that, I have to wrap up this update and head to a graduate committee review. I guess I can't be late since I am the chair of the committee.

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

It's finals week here. I have a ton of grading to do, 2 semester evaluation letters to write for MFA students, a graduation speech to write and give, and a letter of recommendation for a friend for tenure at another university. What am I doing instead? Writing a trip update

Have things settled/gone back to normal post Metallica concert? DH spent all day Wednesday on campus with a buddy for the concert (I had rehearsal all day, lol).

Hats off to you for all you do! I am SO enjoying your TR!!