This Trip Report Is Under Refurbishment For Your Future Enjoyment (UPDATED 9/13 with final bonus chapter)

[DLHNYC]

The tribute to Michael the barber is awesome!

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

the skies opened up with yet another 2:00 p.m. Florida Shower. Yes, after three days of jumping the gun, I can only conclude that the daily 4:00 p.m. Florida Shower is now the daily 2:00 p.m. Florida Shower. I blame global warming, or climate change, or whatever they’re calling it these days.

When we were young we would visit my aunt who lived in Florida several times a year. Every day she would send us out to the clothes line around 3 pm to bring in the wash (she did not believe in dryers) before the afternoon rain. Every afternoon right around 4 pm, there would be a downpour. Blame global warming. It seems to be affecting all weather patterns.

Festival of the Lion King is one of the better shows in WDW,

Our favorite show!

Anyway, back to Michael—he now has two sons who both work for Disney. I don’t know their exact jobs, but I believe one works with a lot of their costumes and the other is in graphic design for Imagineering. He left a little tribute to his father as part of the theming in Africa.

How awesome! I will have to look for it next time we are at AK and impress my friends with this knowledge.

Instead of a Dole Whip, Drew got his very first Mickey bar.

Such a cutie. I prefer Mickey bars also.

I love staying at AKL. My two favorites, OKW and AKL, OKW for the peacefulness and AKL for the animals and decor.

Smiles,
Kate

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I'd like that!
I'd enjoy that.
I might even be happy about it.

I like it! I love it! I want some more of it!

Wait, those are song lyrics.

Simple really.
We're all masochists.

Now that would explain it.

Ah! See your point.

But...

I remember with my kids. If they fell asleep in the stroller, they'd wake up cranky. (car seats were fine, though. go figure.)

I guess that's always a risk. Each kid is different. Mine might wake up cranky, but when they see they're in WDW and can go on rides, they seem to perk up fairly quickly.

Then that makes it a good fit for you.

We have a thread for that...

I thought that was the TPA&S thread.

And you'll need a login id.
and a username and password
possibly an account to access the computer

Don't forget the retinal scan and blood samples.

It could. You could be writing it.
Shots fired.

Boom!

I think you could have left out the "... " and the sentence would still have been correct.

And it gets quite nasty
and not much fun
Possibly quite irritable
Sometimes tantrums

The kids sometimes get cranky, too.

Like??? You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.

Nicely done there.

Hah! Nope! I use an abacus.
Jokes on you!

Why does this not surprise me?

Hey! You in the peanut gallery! Pipe down.
Or I'll add you into my next chapter...


hmmmm………….

With photos?

But, but, but... I like ellipsis!

And buts, too!

Wait, that didn't come out right.

Like... (note the ellipsis), what are you, like, trying to like, say?

Like, fer sure. Like, you know. Whatever.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

The tribute to Michael the barber is awesome!

I love that it's there. And that it has a personal connection for me, too.

When we were young we would visit my aunt who lived in Florida several times a year. Every day she would send us out to the clothes line around 3 pm to bring in the wash (she did not believe in dryers) before the afternoon rain. Every afternoon right around 4 pm, there would be a downpour. Blame global warming. It seems to be affecting all weather patterns.

You used to be able to set your watch to it.

Our favorite show!

It is a fun one! And there's fire dancing.

How awesome! I will have to look for it next time we are at AK and impress my friends with this knowledge.

I'm sure they will be amazed! That knowledge plus $17 will get you a coffee at the Starbucks there.

Such a cutie. I prefer Mickey bars also.

Dole Whips forever!

I love staying at AKL. My two favorites, OKW and AKL, OKW for the peacefulness and AKL for the animals and decor.

Smiles,
Kate

I've never stayed at OKW. That one doesn't feel as exotic to me. AKL and WL are my favorites.

 

[pkondz]

I like it! I love it! I want some more of it!

Wait, those are song lyrics.

Plagiarism? You??

I guess that's always a risk. Each kid is different. Mine might wake up cranky, but when they see they're in WDW and can go on rides, they seem to perk up fairly quickly.

Good point!

I thought that was the TPA&S thread.

Uh...”TPA&S”?

With photos?

You maybe saw what I recently did over on Liesa’s thread???

And buts, too!

Wait, that didn't come out right.

I cannot lie.

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

It's so cool! Try not to think of Alien movies.

I haven't seen them, so easy enough.

Later on you learn that you don't need all that crap. Unless, of course, you decide not to bring it along; then you definitely will need it.

I feel like I've gone through this with my purses. I used to carry a fairly large one and had everything but the kitchen sink. Slowly I've started downsizing and purging and now mine is much more reasonable and only carries the bare essentials.

Oh, like that's an excuse.

It sound impressive, at least.

And I like laughing at other people who get soaked.

The trip before this last one, I made the mistake of introducing Joe to the buttons on the bridge that control the elephant sprays right at the end. And then one unfortunate raft had the bad luck to get caught in a backup--right where the elephants sprayed. It wasn't quite maniacal laughter coming from my husband, but it was close. I think he could have happily spent another hour there had I not dragged him away.

I'm so glad I skipped it.

We did it on our honeymoon with a Fastpass (we were there for 10 days, I had lots to burn). We have absolutely no desire to do it again.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Plagiarism? You??

Never! I have not yet begun to fight!

Uh...”TPA&S”?

Theme Park Attractions & Strategies

You maybe saw what I recently did over on Liesa’s thread???

I think I missed it. Haven't been able to DIS much lately.

I cannot lie.

Nice.

I haven't seen them, so easy enough.

Must...resist...urge...to...link...

I feel like I've gone through this with my purses. I used to carry a fairly large one and had everything but the kitchen sink. Slowly I've started downsizing and purging and now mine is much more reasonable and only carries the bare essentials.

I think we all learn that lesson eventually.

The trip before this last one, I made the mistake of introducing Joe to the buttons on the bridge that control the elephant sprays right at the end. And then one unfortunate raft had the bad luck to get caught in a backup--right where the elephants sprayed. It wasn't quite maniacal laughter coming from my husband, but it was close. I think he could have happily spent another hour there had I not dragged him away.

I think I like Joe.

We did it on our honeymoon with a Fastpass (we were there for 10 days, I had lots to burn). We have absolutely no desire to do it again.

Yep, it's still unanimous! So glad I skipped it.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Chapter 12: Environmental Protection Concerns Overrated at Test Track


As we entered EPCOT on Thursday morning from the parking lot, I snapped a photo of the new ride building for the Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster. As I mentioned in a previous chapter, that ride is going to be absolutely massive. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

It was an Extra Magic Hour morning, so our plan at Rope Drop was to head straight for Test Track once again. Unfortunately, this was everyone else’s plan as well. We were once again backed up out the door, and this time we were crawling along. We stuck with it, though, figuring this was still the best the line was ever going to be all day long. Plus, we didn’t have a FP for the ride.


All in all, it took about 40 minutes to get to the car design center. Ugh.


Drew worked hard once again on his car. We didn’t get a fancy name for it this time, but feel free to come up with one on your own:

Meanwhile, Scotty and I were hard at work. Having successfully re-created the Batmobile on our earlier visit, we were working hard on putting the “Monster” in Monster Truck. And I’m proud to say we totally pulled it off!

In what may be a landmark achievement for Irresponsible American Truck Design, we managed to achieve the Holy Grail: an environmental efficiency score of 8. Single digits! I can feel the ozone layer burning off the earth as we speak. It’s possible that even building one of these trucks is the equivalent of slashing and burning 50 acres of Amazon rain forest.


That’s a darn good design score, though.

I was proud of Drew in that there were no issues whatsoever with the ride this time around. He loved it the whole way through. But once again, we both got Wazowski’d in the ride photo.

We walked across Future World, heading to an eventual planned meetup with my brother’s family at the Living Seas. Along the way, we stopped and listened to these guys a bit.

We had some time to kill, so we detoured and took another ride on Living With The Land. No photos this time around, so you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you that we narrowly avoided the helicopter that crashed through the solarium. That’ll get your heart beating!


We waited outside the Seas building, trying futilely to text my brother and figure out where they were. The hope was that we would all ride the Nemo ride together.


We waited for several minutes before finally getting a response, and it was par for the course for our family communication on this trip.


They’d already been on the ride.


Well, at least we knew where to find them. We all hopped on the Nemo ride and met up with them once we exited into the main SeaBase hub. We all had a Fastpass (not really necessary) to use for Turtle Talk With Crush. The timing worked out so that we didn’t have much of a wait before the show started, so we walked in and sat down in the show room.


I’ve always really enjoyed Turtle Talk on the few times I’ve seen it. I admire the improvisational abilities of the actors, even though I’m sure they have a lot of canned lines prepared for various questions they might be asked. As it turned out, when it came time for audience questions, Drew raised his hand and was the first kid chosen to speak with Crush. With no stage fright whatsoever, he told Crush that his name was Andrew and asked, “What is your favorite color?”


Crush responded, “Well, dude…I have GREEN skin and a GREEN shell, and the food I eat is GREEN, and my little dudes are GREEN. So my favorite color is orange.”


After the show, we fed Drew to the sharks again.

We then took a short walk, and for the sake of completion to give Drew the full Disney World experience…


…sigh…


We entered the Journey Into Imagination. I hope you’re sitting down when you read this, but there was no line whatsoever.


This was another ride I had successfully managed to avoid for well over a decade. That’s not a complaint. I’ve always found it ironic that Journey Into Imagination is possibly the least-imaginative ride in all of Disney World. They’re trying to send the message that your imagination is limitless, and for inspiration you get…an upside-down room. Skunk spray. A couple of mirrors.


Anyway, the ride still stinks.

Thank goodness they still have the jumping fountains outside. These have never failed to keep my kids busy for less than 20 minutes as they get themselves completely drenched.


From 2006:

From 2010:

And 2018:

Now that the kids are older, they have the added benefit of being able to torture their younger brother here.

Next, we walked into World Showcase and headed to Mexico. We all piled inside the pyramid and rode It’s A Small Mexico together. I don’t remember a whole lot about it except that it was air-conditioned, which was nice.


It was now time to waste use our Tier 1 Fastpass on Frozen Ever After. This was chosen mostly to entertain the little kids and as a way all 13 of us could ride together. This was everyone’s first time on the Frozen ride.

My take: it was fine. You get a dark ride, some of the kids’ favorite characters, and Let It Go gets stuck in your head. Now having been on it once, there’s no way I’d ever use the Fastpass on this over Test Track. But I also think it’s a huge improvement over the Maelstrom, the previous ride that inhabited this space (again, apologies to those of you who were fans of the Maelstrom). Like The Great Movie Ride, the Maelstrom was another one that I categorized as a Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Ride. In other words, I had no idea what was supposed to be happening on that ride. You got in a boat, trolls popped up, you went backwards, and then you saw a painting of an oil rig. Huh?


So, compared to that, I thought Frozen was a lot better. But still just an ok ride.


We split up after the ride, as my brother’s family and my parents were staying in Norway to eat lunch with the Princesses. We had plans to stuff our faces somewhere else.


The Florida rain storms were approaching early again, so we hustled along until we reached Germany. We were early for our lunch ADR, and Drew had been begging to do more Agent P spy missions, so we let him run around with my phone in pursuit of Dr. Doofenshmirtz once more.

Rain had just started to fall when we decided to walk over to the desk at the Biergarten and check in early. It wasn’t crowded, so they had no problem taking us in.

This was our “big” meal for the day. Buffets are expensive at Disney, so we were trying to cut costs a bit by paying for the lunch menu instead of the dinner menu. This is a bit like ordering a Diet Coke with your Double Quarter Pounder Meal at McDonald’s in order to cut down on calories.


Julie and I had been to Biergarten before, but not the kids. Since they are now teenagers, we typically have no fear of getting our money’s worth out of a buffet.

We were seated way down in the far corner of the restaurant, on the floor close to the stage. They were really doing their best to hide us from the other guests.


We all got in line and piled up our plates with food. I tried to stick with a light lunch, staying away from meats and starches and leaning towards lighter foods and mixed greens.

I failed.


I enjoyed the food, though. The pork schnitzel was my favorite dish on the menu. Overall, I’d rate the buffet at Boma a little higher than this one, though. One bright spot is the ability to order Mezzo Mix to drink. That’s the German version of Coke, with orange flavoring mixed in. It’s really good. They used to have it at Club Cool, but it wasn’t there on our last visit.


We also enjoyed the performers. I got a kick out of them ringing the handbells, especially when they started messing with each other by moving bells, reaching across the table, and finally kicking the table away from each other as they played.

Obligatory alpenhorn shot.

Biergarten got a solid six thumbs up from the family, but it was in the middle of the pack for restaurants on this trip.


Coming Up Next: Random wanderings in Epcot. And do we really want PB&J for dinner?

 

[pkondz]

Never! I have not yet begun to fight!

Good to hea….. wait.

Theme Park Attractions & Strategies

Ah!

I think I missed it. Haven't been able to DIS much lately.

The page turned anyways.
She had posted that she could use the Mech body armor (or whatever it's called) from Avatar to get herself a Dole Whip. I posted this:


Liesa visits Aloha Isle...

 

[pkondz]

As we entered EPCOT on Thursday morning from the parking lot,

That walk seems to go on forever... and then you get to the world's longest bag-check line.

As I mentioned in a previous chapter, that ride is going to be absolutely massive.

I dunno… I looked at your photo and... from what I can see it's only about an inch and a half tall.

Plus, we didn’t have a FP for the ride.

Stupid tier system...

Drew's Cabin Crew Crewser.

Meanwhile, Scotty and I were hard at work. Having successfully re-created the Batmobile on our earlier visit, we were working hard on putting the “Monster” in Monster Truck. And I’m proud to say we totally pulled it off!

In what may be a landmark achievement for Irresponsible American Truck Design, we managed to achieve the Holy Grail: an environmental efficiency score of 8. Single digits!

Yay! Bring on global warming! It's cold up here!

It’s possible that even building one of these trucks is the equivalent of slashing and burning 50 acres of Amazon rain forest.

And you can haul the lumber out with it!

But once again, we both got Wazowski’d in the ride photo.

Note to self. Front row.

Along the way, we stopped and listened to these guys a bit.

I like those guys... but only for a little while.

We had some time to kill, so we detoured and took another ride on Living With The Land. No photos this time around, so you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you that we narrowly avoided the helicopter that crashed through the solarium. That’ll get your heart beating!

I like when the shark jumps out at you too.

We waited for several minutes before finally getting a response, and it was par for the course for our family communication on this trip.


They’d already been on the ride.

I’ve always really enjoyed Turtle Talk on the few times I’ve seen it.

Me too... been at least a decade, though.

Crush responded, “Well, dude…I have GREEN skin and a GREEN shell, and the food I eat is GREEN, and my little dudes are GREEN. So my favorite color is orange.”

After the show, we fed Drew to the sharks again.

Alas, poor Drew. We knew you well...

Well, enough.

We entered the Journey Into Imagination. I hope you’re sitting down when you read this, but there was no line whatsoever.

This was another ride I had successfully managed to avoid for well over a decade. That’s not a complaint.

I believe you. I've seen it more recently than Turtle Talk and... That's too often.

I’ve always found it ironic that Journey Into Imagination is possibly the least-imaginative ride in all of Disney World.

But... you just used your imagination in describing it, so... those sneaky Imagineers!
"Let's make it really boring. We'll force them to use their imaginations!"

Anyway, the ride still stinks.

Thank goodness they still have the jumping fountains outside. These have never failed to keep my kids busy for less than 20 minutes as they get themselves completely drenched.

Those are great. I've always seen kids playing with them.

From 2006:

Cute.

From 2010:

Holy crap, dude! What a great shot!!

And 2018:

It was now time to waste use our Tier 1 Fastpass on Frozen Ever After.

Stupid Tier system. Did I already say that?

My take: it was fine.

That's about my take, too. I'd ride it if there was no, or little, wait. That's about it.

But I also think it’s a huge improvement over the Maelstrom, the previous ride that inhabited this space (again, apologies to those of you who were fans of the Maelstrom).

Have to agree with you. I have no nostalgic attachment to Maelstrom. So I think it's an improvement too.

This was our “big” meal for the day. Buffets are expensive at Disney, so we were trying to cut costs a bit by paying for the lunch menu instead of the dinner menu. This is a bit like ordering a Diet Coke with your Double Quarter Pounder Meal at McDonald’s in order to cut down on calories.

Since they are now teenagers, we typically have no fear of getting our money’s worth out of a buffet.

Oh! Of course. I was thinking more about myself. I don't think I have the appetite anymore to really make it worthwhile... or at least advantageous to myself.

They were really doing their best to hide us from the other guests.

I told you Disney was smart.

I tried to stick with a light lunch, staying away from meats and starches and leaning towards lighter foods and mixed greens.

Uh, huh.

I failed.

And I'm sure you tried really hard.

One bright spot is the ability to order Mezzo Mix to drink. That’s the German version of Coke, with orange flavoring mixed in. It’s really good. They used to have it at Club Cool, but it wasn’t there on our last visit.

Huh. Didn't know that.

We also enjoyed the performers. I got a kick out of them ringing the handbells, especially when they started messing with each other by moving bells, reaching across the table, and finally kicking the table away from each other as they played.

Biergarten got a solid six thumbs up from the family, but it was in the middle of the pack for restaurants on this trip.

Pretty much my assessment too. Middle of the pack. Not bad, just kinda… a good place to stuff yourself.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Joining in on this TR! I'm really enjoying reading about your family's WDW adventure. Looking forward to reading more!

--Alison

 

[Jenn_28]

Great trip report so far! So glad I started reading it, I love your writing style. We are doing a trip with 17 people (4 families) in December so it's nice to see that you're rarely together and thats okay too.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

It was an Extra Magic Hour morning, so our plan at Rope Drop was to head straight for Test Track once again. Unfortunately, this was everyone else’s plan as well. We were once again backed up out the door, and this time we were crawling along. We stuck with it, though, figuring this was still the best the line was ever going to be all day long. Plus, we didn’t have a FP for the ride.

Very similar to my predicament with Test Track. Stupid tiers. Have we mentioned that before?

In what may be a landmark achievement for Irresponsible American Truck Design, we managed to achieve the Holy Grail: an environmental efficiency score of 8. Single digits! I can feel the ozone layer burning off the earth as we speak. It’s possible that even building one of these trucks is the equivalent of slashing and burning 50 acres of Amazon rain forest.

Nice job. I didn't know the environmental went that low.

But once again, we both got Wazowski’d in the ride photo.

Crush responded, “Well, dude…I have GREEN skin and a GREEN shell, and the food I eat is GREEN, and my little dudes are GREEN. So my favorite color is orange.”

I didn't catch that show in August. We've seen it two or maybe three times before. I did enjoy it and it is well done.

We entered the Journey Into Imagination. I hope you’re sitting down when you read this, but there was no line whatsoever.

I actually had a small wait for it, I think 10 minutes. I get little enjoyment out of that ride. I just feel like we should visit that corner of the park. And I like Figment as a character. I have fuzzy memories as a 9 year old riding with Dreamfinder and Figment on the original ride which never should have been destroyed.

It was now time to waste use our Tier 1 Fastpass on Frozen Ever After. This was chosen mostly to entertain the little kids and as a way all 13 of us could ride together. This was everyone’s first time on the Frozen ride.

Sadly I also had to waste a FP on that ride. I need more testosterone in my family. Less princess. More speed. Test Track good.

But I also think it’s a huge improvement over the Maelstrom, the previous ride that inhabited this space (again, apologies to those of you who were fans of the Maelstrom).

I actually never rode Maelstrom. Attempted several times, even to the point of having a paper FP in hand, but though a series of events, never did it.

Since they are now teenagers, we typically have no fear of getting our money’s worth out of a buffet.

I still have a hard time with that. I do OK of course, but both my DDs are a bit picky and light eaters. Except when it comes to ice cream.

We all got in line and piled up our plates with food. I tried to stick with a light lunch, staying away from meats and starches and leaning towards lighter foods and mixed greens.

I see that. Well done.
I have never gone to Beirgarten. I'm not sure my girls would enjoy it. I really think I would. A lot.

 

[wvgoofyfan]

I want to learn to multi quote so bad, but I'm old and decrepit and senile so I will just say....there you go with Drew again....feeding that precious young man to the sharks...I told you I would rent him......

And about your plate at the "stinky place" which is what my grandkids called Biergarten the 1st time I took them there (they cleaned their plates, by the way, twice)...I applaud your restraint...and don't you understand that you always put butter and brown gravy on your spaetzle and sauerkraut makes everything taste better...Did you not eat about 10 pretzel rolls?

My father's family was of German origin and I love German food. Dad always delighted in telling a great German joke, but I will let you decide......

" Do you know what the Germans used to make sauerkraut during the war"
















" Cabbage"

Still reading along and still enjoying it all.......

 

[Steppesister]

It was an Extra Magic Hour morning, so our plan at Rope Drop was to head straight for Test Track once again. Unfortunately, this was everyone else’s plan as well. We were once again backed up out the door, and this time we were crawling along. We stuck with it, though, figuring this was still the best the line was ever going to be all day long. Plus, we didn’t have a FP for the ride.

You only had one choice then.


and although the line was 10 minutes more than I'd (knowingly) agree to wait for ANY ride, I'd have waited it out too.

In what may be a landmark achievement for Irresponsible American Truck Design, we managed to achieve the Holy Grail: an environmental efficiency score of 8. Single digits! I can feel the ozone layer burning off the earth as we speak. It’s possible that even building one of these trucks is the equivalent of slashing and burning 50 acres of Amazon rain forest.

I noticed the 8 first thing and then you wrote ^

We walked across Future World, heading to an eventual planned meetup with my brother’s family at the Living Seas. Along the way, we stopped and listened to these guys a bit.

They're so great, it's hard to NOT stop for a bit.

We waited for several minutes before finally getting a response, and it was par for the course for our family communication on this trip.


They’d already been on the ride.

We then took a short walk, and for the sake of completion to give Drew the full Disney World experience…


…sigh…

\
oddly, I usually take a short walk to the bathroom to get my "full Disney experience". It's just not a complete trip without using every single one.

Sigh...

So, compared to that, I thought Frozen was a lot better. But still just an ok ride.

And yet, I'm FiPping it so Mom can see it. Everyone should go on it once to say they have.

This was our “big” meal for the day. Buffets are expensive at Disney, so we were trying to cut costs a bit by paying for the lunch menu instead of the dinner menu. This is a bit like ordering a Diet Coke with your Double Quarter Pounder Meal at McDonald’s in order to cut down on calories.

.... because water would be far too expensive AND no calories.

We also enjoyed the performers. I got a kick out of them ringing the handbells, especially when they started messing with each other by moving bells, reaching across the table, and finally kicking the table away from each other as they played.

The page turned anyways.
She had posted that she could use the Mech body armor (or whatever it's called) from Avatar to get herself a Dole Whip. I posted this:


Liesa visits Aloha Isle...

I laugh every time I see it!

 

[franandaj]

It was an Extra Magic Hour morning, so our plan at Rope Drop was to head straight for Test Track once again. Unfortunately, this was everyone else’s plan as well.

That's pretty much how it works out, either that or they are all at Soarin.

Plus, we didn’t have a FP for the ride.

Of course not. I used my Tier 1 FP for Frozen once.

Drew worked hard once again on his car. We didn’t get a fancy name for it this time, but feel free to come up with one on your own:

I'm sure your name would be far more creative than my own.

Meanwhile, Scotty and I were hard at work. Having successfully re-created the Batmobile on our earlier visit, we were working hard on putting the “Monster” in Monster Truck. And I’m proud to say we totally pulled it off!

Why even make a vehicle in TT if it doesn't have massive power and strength?

In what may be a landmark achievement for Irresponsible American Truck Design, we managed to achieve the Holy Grail: an environmental efficiency score of 8.

At least it was a virtual rainforest you destroyed.

But once again, we both got Wazowski’d in the ride photo.

That's awesome! I have a bonus feature coming up where I'm gonna steal that phrase.

No photos this time around, so you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you that we narrowly avoided the helicopter that crashed through the solarium.

I like when the giant cobra comes forward to attack you...oh wait that's Indiana Jones! Doh!

We waited for several minutes before finally getting a response, and it was par for the course for our family communication on this trip.


They’d already been on the ride.

It's so wonderful how you planned this trip together and you're getting so much family together time.

After the show, we fed Drew to the sharks again.

Nice. I think I need another one of these, the last one was 10 years ago.

We entered the Journey Into Imagination. I hope you’re sitting down when you read this, but there was no line whatsoever.

I'm shocked, absolutely shocked.

Thank goodness they still have the jumping fountains outside. These have never failed to keep my kids busy for less than 20 minutes as they get themselves completely drenched.

Cute pictures! In the 2010 one I totally thought Dave was Drew. It's amazing how much all your sons looked alike in the younger years.

Next, we walked into World Showcase and headed to Mexico. We all piled inside the pyramid and rode It’s A Small Mexico together. I don’t remember a whole lot about it except that it was air-conditioned, which was nice.

At that time of year, that's important!

It was now time to waste use our Tier 1 Fastpass on Frozen Ever After. This was chosen mostly to entertain the little kids and as a way all 13 of us could ride together. This was everyone’s first time on the Frozen ride.

And unless the line chills out it may well be the last. As I said I wasted used a Frozen FP once.

So, compared to that, I thought Frozen was a lot better. But still just an ok ride.

I can completely agree with that.

Drew had been begging to do more Agent P spy missions, so we let him run around with my phone in pursuit of Dr. Doofenshmirtz once more.

I might want to try one of these some day!

This was our “big” meal for the day. Buffets are expensive at Disney, so we were trying to cut costs a bit by paying for the lunch menu instead of the dinner menu. This is a bit like ordering a Diet Coke with your Double Quarter Pounder Meal at McDonald’s in order to cut down on calories.

Fran uses that kind of logic.

I tried to stick with a light lunch, staying away from meats and starches and leaning towards lighter foods and mixed greens.

Yeah, I bet you tried hard. I don't see any broccoli.

Biergarten got a solid six thumbs up from the family, but it was in the middle of the pack for restaurants on this trip.

I can agree with that. I love German food, but I think I'd rather have it served to me than do the buffet. Schnitzel is my favorite too....and now I want Scnitzel.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

That's fantastic! And I want one!

That walk seems to go on forever... and then you get to the world's longest bag-check line.

Every time I visit Epcot I think there has to be a better way to do the security line.

I dunno… I looked at your photo and... from what I can see it's only about an inch and a half tall.

Well, when Disney shrinks you down, it's still going to look huge.

Stupid tier system...

I feel like we could do a drinking game with that phrase, but it could be dangerous.

Drew's Cabin Crew Crewser.

I like it!

Yay! Bring on global warming! It's cold up here!

Hang on, I'll go out and spray some more aerosol cans in the air.

And you can haul the lumber out with it!

It's one-stop shopping for all of your earth-destroying needs.

Note to self. Front row.

Only if you want to prove you were on the ride! My kids wouldn't let us take the front seats.

I like those guys... but only for a little while.

I can see that.

I like when the shark jumps out at you too.

I think we're mixing up theme parks now.

Me too... been at least a decade, though.

I like the fact that it can be slightly different each time you visit.

Alas, poor Drew. We knew you well...

Well, enough.

Eh, I've got three other kids.

I believe you. I've seen it more recently than Turtle Talk and... That's too often.

Amen. That ride is just a complete swing and a miss.

But... you just used your imagination in describing it, so... those sneaky Imagineers!
"Let's make it really boring. We'll force them to use their imaginations!"

So...bravo? We've probably already spent too much time thinking about it.

Those are great. I've always seen kids playing with them.

The kids absolutely love them. I hope they never get rid of them.

Holy crap, dude! What a great shot!!

Thank you! Julie gets the credit for that one. It's easily one of our Top 10 Favorite Photos we've ever taken.

Stupid Tier system. Did I already say that?

*drink*

That's about my take, too. I'd ride it if there was no, or little, wait. That's about it.

Sounds about right. I will never use another Tier 1 Fastpass there, that's for sure.

Have to agree with you. I have no nostalgic attachment to Maelstrom. So I think it's an improvement too.

I always expected a ride called "Maelstrom" to be, you know, exciting.

Oh! Of course. I was thinking more about myself. I don't think I have the appetite anymore to really make it worthwhile... or at least advantageous to myself.

I'm there with you. I just can't eat that much anymore. I still see myself going back to Boma and O'hana, though. I guess I just figure I'm getting gouged no matter where I eat at WDW.

I told you Disney was smart.

And I'm sure you tried really hard.

Extremely hard. I'm exhausted just from the sheer effort.

Huh. Didn't know that.

I really like Mezzo Mix. Maybe I should travel to Germany sometime.

Pretty much my assessment too. Middle of the pack. Not bad, just kinda… a good place to stuff yourself.

I doubt it would crack my Top 5 or even Top 10 at WDW. But I don't regret eating there.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Joining in on this TR! I'm really enjoying reading about your family's WDW adventure. Looking forward to reading more!

--Alison

aboard! Thanks for reading!

Great trip report so far! So glad I started reading it, I love your writing style. We are doing a trip with 17 people (4 families) in December so it's nice to see that you're rarely together and thats okay too.

I'm glad you're enjoying it! I think it's good to have the understanding that you don't need to spend every waking moment together. That being said, I was kind of shocked at how little we saw my brother's family on this trip.

 

[pkondz]

That's fantastic! And I want one!

I'll see what I can do.

Every time I visit Epcot I think there has to be a better way to do the security line.

I think I read that with the upcoming refurb they were going to redesign the entrance. Here's hoping they've figured that out.

Well, when Disney shrinks you down, it's still going to look huge.

I thought it was just your wallet that got shrunk.

I feel like we could do a drinking game with that phrase, but it could be dangerous.

Exactly how drunk do you want to be?

Hang on, I'll go out and spray some more aerosol cans in the air.

Heh. I remember years ago (obviously after they stopped putting CFCs in them) reading a book where the character in a novel heard a woman (seriously) complaining about aerosol cans hurting the ozone. He said "If I ever hear you say that again I will track you down and vomit on your shoes."

It's one-stop shopping for all of your earth-destroying needs.

Win win!

I think we're mixing up theme parks now.

oopsie!

Eh, I've got three other kids.

This is true. Always good to have spares.

So...bravo? We've probably already spent too much time thinking about it.

Yes. Moving on.

*drink*

I always expected a ride called "Maelstrom" to be, you know, exciting.

Yes! I expect to come out soaked... with the occasional drowning from time to time.

I'm there with you. I just can't eat that much anymore. I still see myself going back to Boma and O'hana, though. I guess I just figure I'm getting gouged no matter where I eat at WDW.

Still haven't been to O'hana. High on my list and... doubt I'll ever get there. Maybe if I ever make it to a DDC?

I really like Mezzo Mix. Maybe I should travel to Germany sometime.

Heh. And I've never seen it there.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Very similar to my predicament with Test Track. Stupid tiers. Have we mentioned that before?

*drink*

There appears to be universal hatred for the Tiers. Not surprising. I much preferred the days of getting multiple rides on Test Track.

Nice job. I didn't know the environmental went that low.

I feel like this was a real accomplishment that required recognition.

I didn't catch that show in August. We've seen it two or maybe three times before. I did enjoy it and it is well done.

I think the improv skills of the actors are very impressive.

I actually had a small wait for it, I think 10 minutes. I get little enjoyment out of that ride. I just feel like we should visit that corner of the park. And I like Figment as a character. I have fuzzy memories as a 9 year old riding with Dreamfinder and Figment on the original ride which never should have been destroyed.

10 minutes is way too long for that one. I actually want the 10 minutes I spent riding it back.

Sadly I also had to waste a FP on that ride. I need more testosterone in my family. Less princess. More speed. Test Track good.

(grunt) I feel like you need a do-over trip with your buddies or something.

I actually never rode Maelstrom. Attempted several times, even to the point of having a paper FP in hand, but though a series of events, never did it.

Trust me, you didn't miss anything.

I still have a hard time with that. I do OK of course, but both my DDs are a bit picky and light eaters. Except when it comes to ice cream.

I have one son who is very picky. So I tell him even if he just wants the pretzel bread, eat a lot of it, since it costs so much.

I see that. Well done.
I have never gone to Beirgarten. I'm not sure my girls would enjoy it. I really think I would. A lot.

If you like meat and starches, it's the place for you!

I want to learn to multi quote so bad, but I'm old and decrepit and senile so I will just say....there you go with Drew again....feeding that precious young man to the sharks...I told you I would rent him......

We'll just have to negotiate a price.

And about your plate at the "stinky place" which is what my grandkids called Biergarten the 1st time I took them there (they cleaned their plates, by the way, twice)...I applaud your restraint...and don't you understand that you always put butter and brown gravy on your spaetzle and sauerkraut makes everything taste better...Did you not eat about 10 pretzel rolls?

Well, I didn't eat 10 in one sitting. But don't worry, the pretzel rolls will make another appearance.

My father's family was of German origin and I love German food. Dad always delighted in telling a great German joke, but I will let you decide......

" Do you know what the Germans used to make sauerkraut during the war"
















" Cabbage"

Ok, I actually laughed at that one.