That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up; A Feb. '21 birthday TR with a little "extra" thrown in *LINK TO NEW TR! 10/9!*

[missjackiemcg]

Oh, forgot I wanted to also mention that I 100% agree on the previous abc comissary menu---double barf!!!! It was the worst meal I've ever had at WDW and we vowed never to return. The new menu is a nice option it seems, but will probably never get over the past (in typical Jackie fashion!)

 

[pkondz]

I was of course with my guys and my lovely mom and did my best NOT to do any work lol.

Good for you! Sounds like you had a good Mother's Day.

Great for the boys' first time! Not a real popular opinion but they felt the same way Steve and I did; cute, no need to ever ride again, shouldn't have replaced GMR.

Have never been but... I've heard this before. I have a feeling I too will be disappointed with GMR's demise.

We rode lots of things besides MMRR including TOT, SDD, RnRc and TSMM; we were all having a good day

Lots! That is a good day. And you could've ended that sentence right there.

And then everyone agreed to food!

Everyone usually does.

Like many folks I do not enjoy eating in HS other than HBD

Agreed.

I had brought up taking the skyliner to Riviera to eat there but we had something on the horizon and so I got a little "resistance"

No idea what you're talking about.

Instead we ended up at ABC Commissary which on previous occasions made me barf

Back in 2007 I made a thread asking what the worst restaurants in Disney were. ABC won, I believe. Either that or Tony's.

Happy to say for HS QS food it was REALLY good!

Thank goodness! Now I have a new place I can try.

I rarely meet a taco I don't like

YES! Like millions before us we finally rode ROTR! And have not ridden again in our visits since!!

That good an impression, huh?

having never watched more than 10 minutes of the original movie I knew 0 and understood 0 about what was going on!

Meh. It's a Western. Good guys, bad guys. Bad guys are in white except the boss bad guy who is all black. The end.

This was a red velvet whoopie pie with cream cheese filling and OMG was it worth the calories.

LOOKIT THAT! And I used a fork so those aren't my gross teeth marks

Thanks for sparing us teeth marks!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

This was a red velvet whoopie pie with cream cheese filling and OMG was it worth the calories. I did only eat about a third but with the cute container I was able to bring it to the room and eat it slowly over the rest of our trip.

I would have shoved that whole dessert in my mouth, lol!

 

[CruellaNY]

(slightly in awe that the smiles were actually evident if I'm honest given that I also mother a 14 year old son ).

Oh no worries, the smiles got less and less as the trip when on

Love my eldest boy but dear holy mother of goodness wth happened between leaving here 8 months ago and coming back home!

Um at our Thanksgiving trip he'd only been away about 2 months! You would have thought he'd been living on his own for years!

know very little about Star Wars so honestly wouldn't even bother with RoTR if I wasn't going with Jack. I know he will love it.

Yeah, the boys just like to do anything new and of course I wanted to do it for work reasons and I do like to try anything new. But I wasn't overly excited to get to it, hence skipping out on a BG or two before actually riding it lol!

All these pictures with masks on mean that we will never forget this dark period of time when Covid restrictions ruled our lives.

So very true! I look forward to being able to tell grandkids why we were wearing them-and them asking because we are NOT wearing them

This is how I feel about Pandora and Flight of Passage. I don't really know the story, so the ride is more of just a ride to me, a great ride.

Pandora is a gorgeous land and the ride, I feel, is easy to follow even if you haven't seen the movie; you're in a mythical world riding on a mythical creature through a beautiful land. Easy enough! ROTR/Star Wars is too intricate in detail to figure out what's going on lol.

I really want to ride RoTR but fear I will have the same feelings as you! I only like the Ewoks, LOL,

They are cute!

Rob and my Dad will be super excited about it though, so hopefully we finally get a BG in December when we're all there together.

You'll enjoy it because you'll see them enjoying it; I hope you get a BG too! How many days you got reserved there?

Oh, forgot I wanted to also mention that I 100% agree on the previous abc comissary menu---double barf!!!! It was the worst meal I've ever had at WDW and we vowed never to return. The new menu is a nice option it seems, but will probably never get over the past (in typical Jackie fashion!)

Ugh a few years ago I had the absolute worst most disgusting burger there; should have known better but we were hungry and if we left to eat somewhere else I would've hurt somebody on the way lol. It was TERRIBLE. Inedible, I ate the top of the roll and like 4 fries. NEVER went back till I saw the reviews of this new menu and since I knew the boys would probably like it I was willing to try it. Like you I won't look to eat there especially now that I've had the pretzel and charcuterie at Baseline but at least it stayed down lol!

 

[CruellaNY]

Have never been but... I've heard this before. I have a feeling I too will be disappointed with GMR's demise.

Yeah...if you're a huge fan of the new Mickey shorts I guess you'd love the ride? And kids of course/I'm sure prefer this? But not moi.

No idea what you're talking about.

Back in 2007 I made a thread asking what the worst restaurants in Disney were. ABC won, I believe. Either that or Tony's.

AH they were probably tied lol

Meh. It's a Western. Good guys, bad guys. Bad guys are in white except the boss bad guy who is all black. The end.

You know I thought so! You can tell by the hats........

I would have shoved that whole dessert in my mouth, lol!

Like the coq at the FARTS festival

 

[pkondz]

Yeah...if you're a huge fan of the new Mickey shorts I guess you'd love the ride? And kids of course/I'm sure prefer this? But not moi.

Haven't seen any new Mickey shorts. So I guess that answers that question.

AH they were probably tied lol

Could be.
But I have been to Tony's (a few times!) and while the food isn't stellar... it's okay. Ambiance counts for a lot too.

You know I thought so! You can tell by the hats........

 

[missjackiemcg]

You'll enjoy it because you'll see them enjoying it; I hope you get a BG too! How many days you got reserved there?

Most definitely I think I did 3...definitely 2, with plans to hop over on another day, too. Hopefully we get lucky somewhere in there; otherwise, it's just not meant to be!

Like you I won't look to eat there especially now that I've had the pretzel and charcuterie at Baseline but at least it stayed down lol!

Oh, yummmm, Baseline is definitely on our list, too!

 

[kittylady1972]

Ok so I had not read about the new ABC Commissary Menu but your review makes me feel like we could consider it. Like you I've always opted out of eating there because the QS options were so bad. Last time we Skylinered over to CBR and had a pretty good meal at their food court. The Red Velvet cupcake...oh YUM! Glad you savored it though. Makes me kinda want to go back for Thanksgiving...but maybe in 2022.

 

[kclark9830]

Glad to hear you approved of ABC Commissary. I'm still on the fence about our Sci Fi ADR and I'm leaning toward QS. IDK. We will see . And I WILL be emailing you back eventually. I swear! LOL

 

[CruellaNY]

Most definitely I think I did 3...definitely 2, with plans to hop over on another day, too. Hopefully we get lucky somewhere in there; otherwise, it's just not meant to be!


Oh, yummmm, Baseline is definitely on our list, too!

I think you guys would LOVE Baseline and they have some fun non alcoholic drinks for Jimmy. Plus the pretzel!
I think you have a great chance with 2 days! Plus who knows, by then the whole process could be different......

Ok so I had not read about the new ABC Commissary Menu but your review makes me feel like we could consider it. Like you I've always opted out of eating there because the QS options were so bad. Last time we Skylinered over to CBR and had a pretty good meal at their food court. The Red Velvet cupcake...oh YUM! Glad you savored it though. Makes me kinda want to go back for Thanksgiving...but maybe in 2022.

I want Sebastian's to reopen at CBR as I'm dying to try that! I still think going to Riviera for their qs from HS is a good idea but if you have to eat in HS at least there's a decent option.

Glad to hear you approved of ABC Commissary. I'm still on the fence about our Sci Fi ADR and I'm leaning toward QS. IDK. We will see . And I WILL be emailing you back eventually. I swear! LOL

I know it's really so hard in HS! Is Sci Fi worth it? Should you skip and spend the $$ on another qs? I mean it's a fun place and the food is decent! At least you have the reservation for now and time to decide! And I did get your emails tonight

 

[kastoney]

Great for the boys' first time! Not a real popular opinion but they felt the same way Steve and I did; cute, no need to ever ride again, shouldn't have replaced GMR. But it does not good to lament the loss of all things MGM so on we go!

I'm looking forward to riding this just b/c it is new but it certainly does not seem Great Movie Ride replacement worthy. Its so funny I used to hate that ride but then the kitch and nostalgia took over and I miss it. It was Casey's favorite for a while and sadly she barely remembers it now.

Instead we ended up at ABC Commissary which on previous occasions made me barf but they'd recently introduced a new menu I heard good things about. Happy to say for HS QS food it was REALLY good!

I cannot believe these words are coming out of your mouth. Must have been a vast improvement. We ate here once on Casey's first trip and it is still the worst Disney meal we've ever had. I can still remember the "chicken" sandwich I had where I'm pretty sure leather would have been easier to chew.

Ricky went with the fancy buffalo chicken grilled cheese while the rest of us got tacos; shrimp for Steve and pork carnitas for Chris and I. I rarely meet a taco I don't like and happy to say I'd eat these again on the off chance I find myself needing a quick meal in HS.

Dare i say it this looks really good. Not sure I can ever get Jason to walk through the doors again but if I can me buffalo grilled cheese sounds delicious.

Steve and I feel no need to ride again but since we have a HS reservation for June we'll probably try to get a BG and see if we like it any better the 2nd time around.

We have not one, not two, but 3 different days planned at MGM just so we can hopefully get a boarding group. If we can't for some reason expect to hear screaming from Jason all the way up in NY

 

[Steppesister]

That is a great wait. It was consitently 60+ mins last 2 trips for me and DEF not worth that.

Great for the boys' first time! Not a real popular opinion but they felt the same way Steve and I did; cute, no need to ever ride again, shouldn't have replaced GMR. But it does not good to lament the loss of all things MGM so on we go!

I'd ride it again, but ADORED the GMR. I will still lament.

Instead we ended up at ABC Commissary which on previous occasions made me barf but they'd recently introduced a new menu I heard good things about. Happy to say for HS QS food it was REALLY good!

This I DID NOT KNOW!!!! Totally putting that as an option for Sept trip!

 

[CruellaNY]

Could be.
But I have been to Tony's (a few times!) and while the food isn't stellar... it's okay. Ambiance counts for a lot too.

We ate there a few times; once before we knew better so to speak and then once last minute when it was all that was available. We never thought it was terrible BUT, being Italian and having wonderful Italian restaurants in NY it's definitely somewhere we've never felt the need to return to.
Of course now we have it booked for lunch next month so there's that!

I'm looking forward to riding this just b/c it is new but it certainly does not seem Great Movie Ride replacement worthy. Its so funny I used to hate that ride but then the kitch and nostalgia took over and I miss it. It was Casey's favorite for a while and sadly she barely remembers it now.

I think Casey will like it so you'll like it because you'll see her enjoying it. Chris LOVED GMR and Steve would take him on that while Ricky and I did RnRC; they both remember it obviously. There's way too much MGM missed in HS now!

I cannot believe these words are coming out of your mouth. Must have been a vast improvement. We ate here once on Casey's first trip and it is still the worst Disney meal we've ever had. I can still remember the "chicken" sandwich I had where I'm pretty sure leather would have been easier to chew.

Dare i say it this looks really good. Not sure I can ever get Jason to walk through the doors again but if I can me buffalo grilled cheese sounds delicious.

LMAO! I know! I think the only reason we even tried it was because the menu had JUST changed like 2 weeks before we went so it was all over social media plus 2 teens that need to eat NOW. The burger I had there was literally like eating a 10 day old pile of dog poop so it was a big trust issue going again!

We have not one, not two, but 3 different days planned at MGM just so we can hopefully get a boarding group. If we can't for some reason expect to hear screaming from Jason all the way up in NY

OK at least if I hear far off wailing I know why!
But with 3 days and 6 chances you GOTTA get it

That is a great wait. It was consitently 60+ mins last 2 trips for me and DEF not worth that.

Totally not worth it. Again I don't think we'll ride it unless we're with people who haven't ridden before OR the wait is like 10-15 minutes and we're trying to fill our time. I rather sit at Baseline with a drink and a pretzel

This I DID NOT KNOW!!!! Totally putting that as an option for Sept trip!

Yes do! I mean hopefully the quality hasn't gone downhill since Nov. but when we walked by last month it was all still on the menu.

 

[pkondz]

We ate there a few times; once before we knew better so to speak and then once last minute when it was all that was available. We never thought it was terrible BUT, being Italian and having wonderful Italian restaurants in NY it's definitely somewhere we've never felt the need to return to.

It's... Italian fast food-like? I've had worse (can you say Olive Garden?)

Of course now we have it booked for lunch next month so there's that!

 

[CruellaNY]

Since my last update was all about what a great day we had in HS last November, I thought I'd share some throwback HS pics. They aren't TOO throwback as they're from 2017 and 2018 but alas they are photos that you no longer would be able to recreate.



As we exited from our last ever ride on GMR, August 2017, and some of our last interactions with Citizens of Hollywood in Feb. 2019





Ah those were the days!
​

Now back in February we did not spend our last day in Hollywood Studios. In fact we didn't spend it in any park!

After that amazing dinner at Bull and Bear we had what was supposed to be our last nights' sleep in Disney-until the snow started falling in NY! The day before our flight had been cancelled so we booked an extra bonus night at a different resort and planned our bonus day. That bonus day started with breakfast at Trattoria Al Forno and a mimosa:



And an interesting birthday treat I'd never gotten in Disney before:



It was a chocolate chip muffin with frosting and sprinkles; it was ok and I appreciated the gesture for sure.
And it was really a beautiful day around the Boardwalk!



We did need to go back to Gran Destino and grab our bags; we also had friends waiting there to send us off!

​

We grabbed our bags and waved good-bye; got in our Uber and they got in their van:



And we moved to our next location:



Saratoga Springs! We hadn't stayed here in YEARS; since 2011 to be exact. We wanted to move from GDT just for a change and since our plan for our bonus day didn't involve parks, SSR was perfect to try again. Plus it was a preferred room and they'd all recently been refurbed; and they're adorable! Also the grounds really are pretty:



I'll post a few more photos of our room in my next update along with what we did with our day!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Bonus days are always good! I think SSR would be perfect for a non-park trip. Having downtown Disney so close would be great.
Love your throwback photos. Hope the citizens return soon.

 

[pkondz]

they are photos that you no longer would be able to recreate.

Yes. These people no longer exist, so recreating this photo would be impossible.

some of our last interactions with Citizens of Hollywood

Sad. They were some of the best things about DHS.

In fact we didn't spend it in any park!

You what?

That bonus day started with breakfast at Trattoria Al Forno and a mimosa:

Any day that starts with a mimosa is a good day.

It was a chocolate chip muffin with frosting and sprinkles; it was ok

Of course it was just "ok". If it had been a chocolate chip cupcake with frosting and sprinkles...

we also had friends waiting there to send us off!

"Go away! Go away!"

Huh! Never seen that before. But I'm sure it's not brand new as of Covid?

Saratoga Springs! We hadn't stayed here in YEARS; since 2011 to be exact

Never been! Looking forward to photos.

 

[kastoney]

Wow! I cannot believe this was just 4 years ago. Who are those boys even?

Now back in February we did not spend our last day in Hollywood Studios. In fact we didn't spend it in any park!

We grabbed our bags and waved good-bye; got in our Uber and they got in their van:

I was so confused I thought you'd met up with Jenny and Joe again and then I'm like what is that van. That puts the Minnie Van to some serious shame

 

[CruellaNY]

Bonus days are always good! I think SSR would be perfect for a non-park trip. Having downtown Disney so close would be great.

It is! Since we had no park scheduled for that day anyway the idea of a more relaxing day was really appealing.

Love your throwback photos. Hope the citizens return soon.

Ugh I wish, I believe they were actually let go as opposed to furloughed But I guess with Disney we should never say never! They were truly one of the things that made the park special.

Yes. These people no longer exist, so recreating this photo would be impossible.

I am DONE creating people!!!!!

You what?

Yup.
Nope.
Not a one

Huh! Never seen that before. But I'm sure it's not brand new as of Covid?

It is! Apparently it's a repurposed van....from an old Epcot cavalcade that used to happen I believe? And they started using it specifically to take characters around the resorts for a few months. I haven't heard any reports of them being there for a month or so, so it's something they may have already stopped but it was super cute when they were going around to all the resorts.

Wow! I cannot believe this was just 4 years ago. Who are those boys even?

Especially Chris! He looks like a little baby there and he's a full fledged man now

I was so confused I thought you'd met up with Jenny and Joe again and then I'm like what is that van. That puts the Minnie Van to some serious shame

LOL. Yes but us regular folk can't ride in that van.

Speaking of Minnie vans did you see that they put up signs for them again in HS? may be returning!

 

[pkondz]

I am DONE creating people!!!!!

It is! Apparently it's a repurposed van....from an old Epcot cavalcade that used to happen I believe? And they started using it specifically to take characters around the resorts for a few months. I haven't heard any reports of them being there for a month or so, so it's something they may have already stopped but it was super cute when they were going around to all the resorts.

Well now I know!