The 999'th Haunt stole my bra Completed 7-20, Final thoughts added 8-20

[PlutosRHM55]

Yay for DHS! Omg the sky does look so pretty in your first PP photos. Totally worth the wait and you both look like you're having so much.

I'm sorry you got a bit lost around Star Tours and didn't get to meet Olaf. That area can get a bit confusing with crowds and if not too familiar since there's a lot of areas that veer off. Hope you got to meet him later, he's always so much fun to meet.

Omg you rode ToT without the seatbelt locked in once?!?! That's not good. I'm surprised the CM didn't ensure you had it in, usually they are really good about that. Yikes. I'm glad at least this time you enjoyed it. I'm shocked you find RnRC so jerky. It was always one of the smoothest coasters Disney has. Then again I like the Matterhorn and MK's Space Mountain so my view of jerky could be different. Oh well, to each its own.

Beer carts in DHS? I'd be down, but I don't think they exist lol Epcot for sure has them in Germany, not DHS tho. Idk prove me wrong. Sorry you didn't get a beer to enjoy during JBJB tho. I agree JBJB isn't that great. I have no issues with it keeping in theme (Prep & Landing is all based around Christmas), it's just... it could've been better (or they could've kept the Osbourne Lights in some form...).

Can't wait to hear about your impressions of POFQ!

 

[mamamelody2]

Joining in.
Super fun TR so far!

 

[thumper*]

Hello all while taking down my Christmas tree last week I took a few pics of some of my favorite Disney ornaments to share with you guys.

But first a photo of my precious Tazzy. *Here is my plug to encourage anyone considering getting a pet to please adopt from the Humane Society or a rescue group.*




Funny we bought this ornament in 2014 and had to search high and low for it. This past December I saw them all over the place. We really wanted an ornament to commemorate our stay at AKL.


We purchased these 2 on our visit in 2010. We try to get an ornament anytime we go some where for vacay. This year we wanted one from the Grand Floridian but after not being able to find one I had to make do with a decorated Ginger Bread cookie. You'll see a pic of it on our last day of the trip.

There's something about the layout that's just not very intuitive.

Yes and I had a hard time seeing in the dark near Star Tours.

I can’t do RnRC to rough for me. I felt like my neck was going to snap off, lol! Love ToT.

Hope you got to meet him later, he's always so much fun to meet.

Unfortunately not but that will give us a goal on our next visit.

MK's Space Mountain so my view of jerky could be different. Oh well, to each its own.

This visit SM was less jerky too me and is still my favorite Disney coaster.

Sorry you didn't get a beer to enjoy during JBJB tho.

That's OK we were so busy it wasn't until I was standing and waiting for JBJB to start that I really started thinking about it. Plus since I didn't drink in DHS no need to stop at busy restrooms on the way out of the park.
Timmy I know you post a lot of gifs. I haven't been able to post any for several weeks are you having any issues with it?

Joining in.
Super fun TR so far!

to the TR glad your here.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Timmy I know you post a lot of gifs. I haven't been able to post any for several weeks are you having any issues with it? .

Not that I know of. I know that sometimes GIPHY and the boards don't work well, you just have to take the time to find gif links that work. It's a bit time consuming, but that might fix your problem.

 

[thumper*]

Timmy HA HA I just asked you about this again on your TR not 1 minute ago.

 

[amazingact21]

Patience won out when it came to your PP pictures; the sky was gorgeous in your photos. And I'm sure you really took a load off that photographer, assuring her you weren't upset by the wait. You never know how guests are going to react nowadays...

Too bad you guys couldn't get to the Olaf Meet and Greet before it closed, but at least you were able to make all your Fastpasses! I thought you used to be able to see both RNRC and TOT from a certain point, too. Hmm, guess it's changed in the last few years.
The TOT photo is great, everyone had great expressions.

I think I read someone else talking about all the carts being closed during the Star Wars fireworks, so DHS must shut them down before the show. Which is kind of silly, because you were definitely not the only guest who would've bought a beer or something else while waiting. A wasted opportunity on Disney's part...

 

[pkondz]

*Here is my plug to encourage anyone considering getting a pet to please adopt from the Humane Society or a rescue group.*

We picked up the nicest Guinea pig about 5 years ago that had been dumped at our Humane Society. Really nice little pig.
Unfortunately, she just was put down (cancer... sucks) yesterday.

Like that one.

 

[pkondz]

DHS and no Beer????

The four question marks speak volumes.

I responded with it gave us a prettier sky for a back drop. She beamed out a huge smile and seemed so thankful for that.

Nice of you.

And yes. The sky is beautiful.

You got it!

awwww...

On my last visit the belt wouldn’t fasten and I couldn’t get the CM’s attention before they started the ride,

What?!?!??!!?

I will say that it is terrorizing not knowing what is going to happen and afraid you’re going to fly out of your seat.

No kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's a whole lot of funny going on there!

The little girls behind me and two down are sisters and were mentally challenged. I thought they would be screaming the entire time, but oh no they giggled the whole time. Still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.

After barely surviving an out of control elevator it was time to go to an Aerosmith concert. Had I known we would be running late for this concert I might have said later but as a fan I couldn’t let the band down and got in the limo they provided.

Very nice of you to think of them.

next time I’d probably skip RR as it is so jerky it hurt my neck

Sorry to hear that.

enjoyed the snoap that was falling.

snoap! That's what it's called!

I was under the assumption that there were beer carts all over DHS and I kept looking but didn't see any. Either I'm blind or I was mistaken.

I don't drink beer... but I don't remember seeing any either.

It was a cute show but I think many of the projections are a waste of time as they really don’t pertain to Christmas.

Hmm... odd.

 

[kastoney]

This picture was definitely worth the wait. That sky is gorgeous!

After TSM we got lost trying to find Star Tours.

I'm sensing a theme here

n my last visit the belt wouldn’t fasten and I couldn’t get the CM’s attention before they started the ride, so I tried to tie it in a knot and hold on for dear live. I will say that it is terrorizing not knowing what is going to happen and afraid you’re going to fly out of your seat. This time it was so much more relaxed and I could raise my arms in the air. I liked it a lot more this time around.

OMG I would have died. Like literally died!!!!!!! What a horrific experience. I'm not sure I would ever ride again and after reading your experience, I'm not sure I'll ride myself now.

I wish I had planned to spend more time here as it was a great atmosphere even if it was packed. I felt that I literally ran to the rides and then we quickly left to see JBJB. We did stop for some PP on the way with the snoap falling.

I thought the same thing. I generally trash MGM, but they did an amazing job with Christmas. Really surprised me.

offered to share it with him because it was huge but he didn’t want any. I ended up eating the entire thing by myself. I was under the assumption that there were beer carts all over DHS and I kept looking but didn't see any.

We had this same trouble. I guess we are the only people who wanted to Jingle Beer Jingle Bam

This ended up being Marks favorite night time show of the whole week. He was even bragging on it at our family Christmas dinner. I really enjoyed the fireworks.

I'm with Mark. I'm still shocked how much I loved it.

But first a photo of my precious Tazzy. *Here is my plug to encourage anyone considering getting a pet to please adopt from the Humane Society or a rescue group.*

Oh, she is precious! We have we 2 rescues ourselves and there is no other way to get a dog

his past December I saw them all over the place. We really wanted an ornament to commemorate our stay at AKL.

I've go this same ornament. We got it to commemorate our AKL stay too.

 

[thumper*]

I think I read someone else talking about all the carts being closed during the Star Wars fireworks, so DHS must shut them down before the show. Which is kind of silly, because you were definitely not the only guest who would've bought a beer or something else while waiting. A wasted opportunity on Disney's part...

Of all of Disney's money grabs I was surprised, as it is a wasted opportunity for more revenue.

Unfortunately, she just was put down (cancer... sucks) yesterday.

I'm sorry to hear always such a sad time when we loose a furry family member.

snoap! That's what it's called!

yeah a combo of snow and soap, since it's made out of soap.

Hmm... odd.

I'd estimate about 2-3 minutes of video montage of different Disney movies that aren't related to Christmas.

I'm sensing a theme here

it would have been funny to blame it on being drunk but we weren't.

OMG I would have died. Like literally died!!!!!!! What a horrific experience. I'm not sure I would ever ride again and after reading your experience, I'm not sure I'll ride myself now.

As an adrenaline junky and attending theme parks for about 50 yr's that was a first. But have to admit my adrenaline was racing even if it wasn't a fun adrenaline.

I guess we are the only people who wanted to Jingle Beer Jingle Bam

Love that Jingle Beer Jingle Bam

I've go this same ornament. We got it to commemorate our AKL stay too.

Great minds think alike.

 

[pkondz]

I'm sorry to hear always such a sad time when we loose a furry family member.

Yeah... She was a really nice little pig, too.

yeah a combo of snow and soap, since it's made out of soap.

So much easier than saying "Simulate snow that is really just soap".

 

[CaseFace5]

Love the Sunset pictures! The sky is so beautiful!

The moon looks so cool!

I can see how it's tricky to find TSMM. I used to get lost in there too! Especially since they blocked off the area behind/to the left of Pixar Place. I feel like it used to be one big circle? Glad you enjoyed the rides!

Love your pictures with the Snoap!

Hi pup!!

 

[thumper*]

Sat Dec 2’nd

Alligators, Shrimp and a Duck

Part 1 a gator, speeders and tolls

After waking up refreshed we packed up our things as today was our move to Disney property. Our stay in the condo was fine and we would do it again to save money but there is something special about being on Disney property. After packing up the car and setting our GPS for Titusville Fl. We were on the road to meet some of my cousins and an elderly aunt that live in New Smyrna beach area. At the stop light near our condo we had an alligator sighting in another StayBridges pond.

Note the gator sign on the right side of the photo.

Here's the same image blown up.

Mark was surprised to see one in the city. It was pretty large (7’-8’) in my limited experience, large enough to eat a full size human. Just ask Cap't Hook. Oh wait that was a crocodile. When we told my cousins, they said it is rare to see a larger alligator in the city, but that soon someone would most likely being calling to have it removed. Glad that someone else has that job, gator wrestling isn’t my thing.

We quickly find our way onto FL-528 for our 1 hr drive to the Space coast. As we continue on our way Mark starts getting frustrated with all of the tolls and then what poor condition the road was in. He actually complained to a toll booth operator about how bad the roads were and was quite rude to her. Humm seems to me she has no control over the condition of the road and of course that was a highly energized discussion between us. We continue through several more toll booths and it gets to the point I just left my wallet open so I wouldn’t have to keep digging it out of my purse. As we’re cruising down the road Mark and I get startled as a motorcyclist loudly sped by us. We’re cruising at about 75MH and he must have been going at least 100 MH, but he at least he wasn’t weaving in between cars like the crotch rocket on day one. Mark starts to loudly complain nonstop about it. It took about 5 minutes to get him to calm down and then all of sudden it happened all over again. This time a convoy of about 5 Corvettes and Porsches raced by at about 100MH. Kinda scary being pulled over to their side of the road with the suction from their speed. At this point we start to think we must be on a race track. Reminded me of our driving an RV on the Autobahn and being passed by speeding exotic sports cars. This was not our last encounter with a speeding motorcyclist. On our drive home to Indy we were passed by another motorcyclist weaving in between traffic in Atlanta.

The remainder of the drive ended up uneventful thankfully and after about $6 in tolls we arrive at Dixie Crossroads restaurant. We were about 25 minutes early and the fam wasn’t there and the restaurant had not opened yet. We decided to go for a quick drive to check out the coast. We stopped at an observation deck for Kennedy Space Center and I got out and took a few pictures.


Our visit to the coast lasted about 15 minutes and we headed back to the restaurant. The family was there and we had a great visit. Everyone had a shrimp dish of some sort. Rock shrimp were in season and the majority of our party of 6 ordered them and loved them. On a side note does anyone know anywhere to order these for delivery at a reasonable price. We’re finding them at about $22 a lb and of course I would like them cheaper. I can by center cut fillet mignon cheaper so not willing to pay $22 for shrimp. I ordered the shrimp and grits as I have wanted to always try them. It was good but way too much food. Mark and I just drank water for lunch but had to laugh at one of my cousins, she had ordered a margarita on the rocks took a drink and exclaimed loudly did you guys put any tequilla in here. Yep that’s what I come from. On occasion Mark gives me a hard time if I have a beer or Bloody Mary before noon saying “Well that’s a Smith (not my real my maiden name) for you”. What can I say I inherited that drinking gene and my cousins are no different.

All to quickly our visit was over and it was time to head back to the Disney bubble. After stopping to visit several more toll booths we were back in Orlando and checking into Port Orleans French Quarter.

Continued in next post.

 

[thumper*]

Sat Dec 2’nd

Alligators, Shrimp and a Duck

Part 2 Revelers Row POFQ

I had done early check in online several months in advance and had requested a first floor corner room with an early arrival of about 9am. I still had not received a room ready text yet so we headed directly to POFQ. It was 2pm when I checked into the front desk and they still did not have our room ready yet. The CM who waited on us was very nice and even made up a Celebrating my birthday button for me. I told him that yes I was celebrating my birthday but it was a month early. He says it’s always the right time to celebrate your birthday at Disney. I of course had to put the button on. I head back out to the car to tell Mark our room isn’t ready yet and have him park in general parking. We change into proper walking shoes and head into the resort to check it out. We regrettably only take a few pictures in the lobby and then head out the back to check out the grounds.

Guess he thought the stern face was going to make a point.



Humm I guess I felt I could wrestle this gator. Well he is smiling after all.



We discovered the pool bar and got a couple of Heinekens. The bartender sees my button and wishes me a Happy Birthday I’m caught off guard, but thank her. She asks Mark if he’s doing anything special for my birthday and I look at him and ask if he got me a birthday cake. He says no he forgot that it was my birthday. I give him a hard time and tell him he’ll have to make up for it.

Off we go to roam around the resort with beers in hand and I discover these tiles in concrete.

I thought about laying on the concrete with my head next to it and the beer in my hand but didn’t. I now regret not doing it because it would have been a great preview for the rest of our day as Revelers.


As we were walking around we discuss our plans for the day. Our original plan was to take the boat to Disney Springs and then come to the hotel change clothes and then head over to Epcot to snack around the world. Since we were right by the boat dock and a boat had just pulled up we downed our beers and jumped on it to DS. I enjoy this ride so much. Makes me miss our pontoon boat that we winterized a few months before. I’m telling ya April and decent weather can’t get here soon enough.

Come back to see what DS has in store for us.

 

[disneyAndi14]

That was a big alligator, I love your pictures with the FQ gators! They are much nicer than Florida gators! We loved the boat ride to DS so relaxing! I hope you get your room soon, lol. I guess early check in not happening.

 

[MeghanEmily]

That was quite a gator you saw!!

Unfortunately that seems to be a pretty common occurrence with the crazy speeding traffic. We drove all the way down the east coast and saw some of the worst driving we'd ever seen, especially in New England and in Florida.

I love POFQ! Your post is bringing back good memories of the time I stayed there! I hope it worked out well for you.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Omg wow @ the gator. I lived in Florida for five months and never saw one gator and this was immediately following what happened with the toddler at the Grand Floridian. But yeah, that was quite the gator!

Sorry you had to deal with a ton of crazies on the road. Florida has some wild drivers, it's terrifying. Glad you arrived at your family event in one piece. Jealous there was a lot of shrimp going around, definitely sounds like my kind of family lol

YAY for POFQ! And of course one should always celebrate their birthday at Disney whether early or late. Love all your photos with the gator statues, they are so photogenic. Can't wait to hear about your DS adventures!

 

[CaseFace5]

Wow that's a big Gator! My aunt lives 2 hours north of Orlando and at her house once we got to see the gator team come and take it away, it was so neat!

Glad you had a great visit with your family! My family is the same way when it comes to alcohol so that part made me laugh!

Love POFQ. We stayed at POR two years ago, and my Husband's favorite part was the boat ride over to DS. It's such a nice little ride over.

 

[Lesley Wake]

At the stop light near our condo we had an alligator sighting in another StayBridges pond.

Nope, nope nope nope nope!

s we’re cruising down the road Mark and I get startled as a motorcyclist loudly sped by us. We’re cruising at about 75MH and he must have been going at least 100 MH, but he at least he wasn’t weaving in between cars like the crotch rocket on day one.

I hate these guys so much and even worse, a couple years ago they actually made it LEGAL in CA! Yup, so if you ever come out to LA, expect to see plenty of motorcycles weaving in between cars! The worst is when it's during bumper to bumper traffic and then they get mad at me when I'm trying to switch lanes!

I thought about laying on the concrete with my head next to it and the beer in my hand but didn’t. I now regret not doing it because it would have been a great preview for the rest of our day as Revelers.

Hahaha!

 

[RedsDrew]

Great trip report! Love that photo with your head in the gator's mouth! PRICELESS!