Turning 50 and Fabulous... celebrations all around. (Trip 09/02/22-09/12/22)

[igrsod]

I don't usually do trip reports so bear with me. This trip will hopefully be something special.

We are celebrating WDW 50th, my 50th birthday and the first trip that my husband has taken since before the pandemic hit. I cannot tell you how excited I am. We have been hunkered down up here in Canada and can't wait to travel again. We usually take 2-3 trips a year, with WDW being one of them. Hopefully this is beginning of getting back to normal. I've been back to WDW twice with my best friend since the pandemic, but this is my husband's first trip out of the house. This is also our first trip to Disney with just the two of us. Usually we take our kids. But since they are all grown up and have lives of their own now, we start a new chapter.

This is us. Radu (56) and me Christine (49, soon to be 50)


My Favs:
Park - Hollywood Studios
Ride - Soarin'
Restaurant - Skippers Canteen or Whispering Canyon
Character - Pascal and Tinkerbell

Husbands Favs:
Park - Animal Kingdom
Ride - Pirates of the Caribbean
Restaurant - Coral Reef or Tiffins
Character - Donald Duck

Pre Trip Plans:

Sept 2 - Arrival Day, hopefully smooth... but with Air Canada... who knows. Check in at Boardwalk. Heading to Epcot for some eating around the world.
Sept 3 - Transfer to Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House. Magic Kingdom Day. Skippers Canteen for dinner.
Sept 4 - Animal Kingdom Day. Tiffins for dinner.
Sept 5 - Epcot Day (hoping to enjoy evening extra magic hours). Dinner at Sebastians (loved a review of the vegetarian options here... never eaten here so we shall see).
Sept 6 - Hollywood Studios Day. No reservations... husband is working remotely this evening, so I'm flying solo.
Sept 7 - Magic Kingdom Day again. (hoping to enjoy evening extra magic hours). Whispering Canyon for dinner.
Sept 8 - Hollywood Studios Day again. Ale & Compass for dinner. (this is a hidden gem)
Sept 9 - Animal Kingdom Day again. Sanaa for dinner. Bread service here we come.
Sept 10 - Transfer to the Grand Floridian. Epcot Day again. Coral Reef for dinner
Sept 11 - My Big Day! Magic Kingdom Day. Hoop Dee Doo Review for dinner
Sept 12 - Check out and fly home.

If you love food, especially vegetarian, Disney, travel, or Canadians... follow along. Would love any ideas or recommendations to do as just a couple. Also, if you're going to be there at the same time, we would love to hear from you too.


Day 1: https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...-trip-09-02-22-09-12-22.3892039/post-64311682
Day 2 part 1: https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...-trip-09-02-22-09-12-22.3892039/post-64316259
Day 2 part 2: https://www.disboards.com/threads/turning-50-and-fabulous-celebrations-all-around-trip-09-02-22-09-12-22.3892039/post-64319360
Day 3 part 1: https://www.disboards.com/threads/turning-50-and-fabulous-celebrations-all-around-trip-09-02-22-09-12-22.3892039/post-64328334

 

[Hubie]

On Board!

 

[suse66]

Fellow Canadian joining in!

 

[igrsod]

Fellow Canadian joining in!

Welcome fellow Canadian. What part of Canada are you from?

 

[suse66]

I grew up in PEI but currently live about an hour north of Toronto. How about you?

 

[igrsod]

I grew up in PEI but currently live about an hour north of Toronto. How about you?

 

[Ruthie5671]

I am almost finished with my 50 and fabulous report! Looking forward to reading your adventures!

 

[igrsod]

I am almost finished with my 50 and fabulous report! Looking forward to reading your adventures!

Happy birthday. I will check it out. I'm pretty excited to get going. We are just over 2 weeks away.

 

[igrsod]

Just saw the Disney+ Day announcement. I feel mixed feelings about my already planned day at HS on Sept 8th.. will it be too busy now? I picked that day, as I thought midweek would be lower crowds to do all the rides with less wait. On the other hand, I'm pretty excited to be there on a celebration type day to see the extra magic. Overall, it will probably be a great day, just more crowded and less efficient for ride riding.

 

[igrsod]

I am back and ready to report. What a fun 10 days. The magic is slowly returning. I am having trouble getting photos from my new phone to upload to my computer... but when I do I will share with you all.

 

[igrsod]

Day 1 - Travel Day - Will Air Canada Come Through For Us?

I can't believe it's finally here.

We decide that we are going to take advantage of only needing warm weather clothes and having an Owner's Locker, to allow us to travel with just our carry on luggage. For me, this isn't a problem, for Radu it is so difficult. He is the diva in our family. After hours of packing and paring down and repacking, he went to sleep for 2 hours. We get up at 1:30 am to be on the road for 2:00 for our 3 hour ride to the Montreal airport. I really hope he is able to sleep on the plane. I want to hit the ground running.

Along the way we have a weird tire pressure light come on, but we nervously press on... we are not missing this trip for anything.
We make it through check in... no covid test required or vaccine check done as with past trips this year. We make it through a very long US customs line. Off to our gate.... alarm goes off. For a moment I had forgotten why I had set this alarm. But then I remembered and was so glad. I set it to remind me to get a virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy. With all the excitement of travel, I would have forgot. I ended up getting boarding group 102 right at 7 am. The estimate the app gave put us around 5:00 pm for our time... PERFECT.

We board the plane and are delayed due to a computer problem.... hoping and praying we are not delayed too long. It feels like forever when you just want to get going... and we are adults, I feel for those travelling with wee ones. My heart always goes out to the parents.
Anyways, after about a 45 minutes delay, we are off. WOO HOO
Thankfully, an uneventful flight (thank you Air Canada). We land, take the first monorail ride of the trip to the B side, and go straight to Mears and check in.


Radu on the airport monorail, so much to look forward to

The whole Mears experience was quick and easy. It was exactly a 1/2 hour from getting off the plane to getting to Boardwalk. Now we were lucky to be the first resort of 4 to be let off, but it still was very efficient. I do miss the video with GUS the bus driver and the park tips and clips. I swear my daughter and I have that whole video memorized. It really set the tone for a vacation in the Disney bubble. Now, it feels less all inclusive and special.

While on the bus, we get a message that our room is ready. I can't believe it, 1:00 and the room is ready. That's some incredible pixie dust there.

We are staying our first night at Boardwalk, and moving to Animal Kingdom Lodge the next day, due to a mix up with our booking early on in the planning process.
I see it as a fun opportunity to have Radu stay at a new resort, and to be close to Epcot. We check in with a very friendly cast member named Cameron. He took so much time chatting with Radu. He answered every question and was so kind. We gave our first cast member compliment on the app.
We got our new Magic Bands and decided to charge them all night in our room so as to give the battery a full charge before using.



Here is the Boardwalk resort activity guide for anyone interested


We drop off our bags in the room, and as tempting as it was to lie down on the bed and take a nap.... we get a notification that our boarding group is ready.
OH MY, we need to rush to get all to way from Boardwalk to the front of Epcot, hopefully eating along the way, as we have not had lunch yet.

We do our first of many Disney speedwalks, looking at Food & Wine menus along the way. Radu settles on pho and I cannot find anything that is vegetarian that appeals to me along the way. He thinks he can eat it on the run... silly guy.

We get there with minutes to spare and head into the line up... we are told Radu can keep eating until he gets to the room where everyone gathers together. Out of breath but happy we made our window, Radu takes a moment to finish his food. We have since learned, although not officially, that you can arrive anytime after your boarding group is called. I wish we knew that, as we would have walked at a reasonable pace and took our time eating.


Radu eating his soup in a quiet corner in the GotG line up

After finishing his lunch, we go on the ride. I had to talk him into this prior to the trip and do lots of research on where to sit so as to offset motion sickness. Radu was game to try the ride once as he loves Guardians and didn't want to miss out on the newest ride at WDW. So my research says, don't ride on an empty stomach, take motion sickness meds, sit in the center of the train and on the left side of the car, and as much as possible look forward towards the track, even though the cars rotate. We did all of that and I'm happy to report that he did not throw up... but he said it was a one and done for him. I loved the ride, it's very fun, although I wouldn't pay for a LL to ride it.

Now that we got that all out of the way, I could settle in and find the Earth Eats booth. I have always had good luck finding good eats at that booth.
We ordered one of everything to split: the impossible burger slider, the impossible meatball and the strawberry freeze.



They were excellent portion sizes and everything was delicious.
It started to rain as we were finishing up... little did we know this was the daily norm for this trip. We decided to head to Mexico and "duck" inside to ride the Three Caballeros. I love this ride, it's simple but cute.

We decided to keep going from country to country, trying to stay dry (we were not successful at that). Along the way we ate an Almond Kringla (highly recommend), Caramel Popcorn (also highly recommend) and we also bought a baguette with butter to take back to the room for a late night snack. What was great about this trip, is the return of the international cast members. That is always a highlight of our time in Epcot and has been a true missing piece throughout the pandemic. Those cast members bring charm and authenticity to World Showcase. When our kids were little, they would try to learn a new phrase from each country, or ask a question about food, weather... you name it and the cast members were always so eager to interact and teach us about their home. Not all cast members working are from their representative countries, as Radu found out trying to order en français in France to the girl from Michigan. So he tried to teach her some French instead. lol
By this time we were exhausted and soaked from the rain. We decided to head to the room for a rest, a change of clothes and a business call for Radu.

We woke up around 8:00 pm in time to head back to Epcot for a little more fun.

Radu spent a few childhood years in France, and loves the atmosphere and food in that pavillion, so back we went for dinner at the quick service there.
We split a quiche, bread with warm crispy cheese and a chocolate mousse. Radu was in heaven. He could eat like this every night and never get bored.
All this hanging out in France reminded me of our honeymoon in Paris... very romantic, and very apres pos considering this was our very first Disney trip as a couple without any other family or friends.





After dinner, we tried to get into line for Remy right before park close, only to find out he was broken down.
So we staked out a good viewing spot for Harmonious. I couldn't believe how empty it was. Probably the rain had scared others off, and the show was delayed by a 1/2 hour due to weather. We got a great spot near the American pavilion. It was Radu's first time seeing this show and he loved it so much. I have mixed feelings about the show. I LOVE the music and the tying in of all the languages. I LOVE the fireworks, they are beautiful and plenty. But what I don't really like are the barges and projections. I don't think they really add that much to the show and they are a huge eyesore throughout the day.






Anyways, I can't help but dance through most of the show and I was happy to see this young man near us with the same dancing affliction. When I hear good music I can't help but move. I guess it's a good thing I became a dance teacher as my career.

After the show we saunter back to our lovely cold room for some much needed rest.


DAILY THOUGHTS:

Myself: I'm so happy to see the magic returning.
Radu: Even though we only ate food, watched the fireworks and rode 2 rides, it was the best day ever.


THINGS WE LEARNED:

1. Boarding times for GotG are not good estimations... it's going to be much earlier.
2. You can enter your boarding time anytime after it's been called.
3. Romance can be found at WDW... it's not just for the kids.



Up Next: Day 2... A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY!
https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...-trip-09-02-22-09-12-22.3892039/post-64316259

​

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[igrsod]

On Board!

Welcome.

 

[igrsod]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

Excited to have you along for the ride.

 

[igrsod]

Day 2 - A Very Merry Unbirthday

After a really peaceful sleep at Boardwalk Villas, we were up early, repacked and off to Animal Kingdom Lodge.



This cracked me up. He looks like he's packed his bags and is running away to Walt Disney World. It's funny to me, as he is such a prim and proper guy in real life, but put him in Disney and he's a kid wearing the ears.



While waiting for the Lyft driver, we took a selfie. It's the only way I will be in a picture.
The Lyft process for switching resorts is so quick and easy. It only cost around $11 and our luggage comes with us. I hate having my luggage transfer left up to others, so this is the way we always do it.
We arrived at Jambo House, dropped our luggage off at Bell Services and checked in at the front desk. Obviously our room wasn't ready this early in the morning, and because we had a Value Studio, we didn't make any requests. The lovely cast member there made me a cute birthday button with a '50' on it for all to see how old I am...lol.



We decided to go down to the Mara for a quick breakfast. While we were there, we met Justin. If you get the chance to meet Justin, you will be better for it. He was a ball of energy and a treasure trove of Disney facts and trivia. He came over to our table and BELTED out the Unbirthday Song from beginning to end including all spoken parts in the song. Amazing.



Off to Magic Kingdom we go, but not without our traditional picture in front of the Welcome Home sign. This is our DVC home and we adore it, our only regret is that we didn't purchase sooner.



After a very easy bus trip and front entrance process, we were in and what do we see right away, my favourite thing in the Magic Kingdom, the Dapper Dans.
They were on the trolley going up Main Street. We were too late to hop on, but happy to see them.

Since we missed rope drop due to switching hotels, we decided to go left, as all the early entry people were mostly in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Off to ride Jungle Cruise. I'm not sure why, but over the last few trips we have noticed that wait times for this can get up there during the day, so we try to knock it off the list early. The wait time said 25 minutes, it was actually 4 minutes.... no word of a lie. We had a very hard time hearing our skipper, that can make or break a cruise, but what can you do? We make our way to Pirates, one of Radu's favourites. It was a total walk on.
Next we were off to Haunted Mansion. This is one of my favourites as well as my daughters. We waited a whole 5 minutes.



These friendly guys followed us home.

As we make our way into Fantasyland, Radu comments on how he has never rode Peter Pan. I let him know it's because with the old FP system, it was a tier 1 ride and we had others that were more of a priority. Peter Pan is always so lined up, that we always skip it. It said 45 minutes, and with all the inflated wait times we had experienced, we decided to chance it. The wait was actually 30 minutes, but it was a fun queue and Radu really liked the ride. While waiting he also pointed out that he didn't know the story of Peter Pan at all....
Backstory... Radu's childhood was spent in communist Romania and so he has no real Disney knowledge. All he knows is what he's learned as an adult from us. So I put it in my mind that we will have to watch Peter Pan in the room tonight on Disney+.

We continue in Fantasyland, It's a Small World and Mickey's Philharmagic, and then decide it's time to figure out lunch.
Radu loves Columbia Harbour House, but there is nothing there as a vegetarian that I like. We decide to order a plant based sausage at Casey's and then take it to Columbia Harbour House for Radu to get his food there.



We place our order at Casey's and Hannah Grace is the one getting everyone's orders for our line. She is kind and sweet with everyone. As it gets to be our turn, she wishes me a happy birthday. We tell her our lunch plans and she informs us that she can package up my meal in a to go container to make it easier to transport.



She also gives us the mint lemonade slushie as a birthday surprise. So very thoughtful and sweet of her. Speaking of sweet, that drink was so sweet, but a really good solution was splitting it in half in another cup and adding water. It was perfect and really refreshing that way.

During lunch we get a number of notifications: 1. Owners Locker is delivered, 2. Food from Garden Grocer is delivered, and 3. Our Room is ready (1:30 pm.... wow)
We decide it's getting hot and humid, so a trip back to the resort to set ourselves up for the week is a great idea. We love to meander out through the shops on Main Street, mostly for air conditioning, but I really love looking at all the merchandise. I ended up buying a new set of ears and a 50th anniversary puzzle.

As we step out of the shop, guess who we bump into... the Dapper Dans. Obviously we stop and watch their set. They are so entertaining and worth the time. Everytime I see them it's different. They even incorporated some Halloween humour into the act this time.



They were down a member today, so I offered to step in. I'm not a strong singer but my tap dancing skills are great.
They took me up on my offer (just for the picture sadly).
We make our way to the buses for check in and a nap.

Things We Learned:

1. Quick service food can be packaged up to go
2. Ride times are really inflated, especially in the morning
3. I need to colour coordinate my outfit to the Dapper Dans next time, just in case I'm needed.

Day Two... To Be Continued.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...-trip-09-02-22-09-12-22.3892039/post-64319360

 

[nascargirl]

Hoping on board. Boardwalk if our favorite resort but we love to visit and have dinner at the Animal Kingdom

 

[igrsod]

Hoping on board. Boardwalk if our favorite resort but we love to visit and have dinner at the Animal Kingdom

Welcome, happy to have you aboard.
Boardwalk is really fun. We loved being able to hop into Epcot so easily. I also love the feeling of being right in the action.
Animal Kingdom lodge just feels so cozy. While it is farther away from the the action, it feels like a vacation within a vacation when you stay there.

 

[footballmouse]

 

[igrsod]

I hope you're willing to share the popcorn. lol

 

[igrsod]

Day 2 Continued....

We go to our room and low and behold our value room has a parking lot view. We have stayed in these rooms many times, and this is the first time we have had this view, so I cannot complain. A little disappointing though. It's ok.... the point value of these rooms is incredible and allow us to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge for less than the price of staying at the All Stars. We will just get our animal fix in at the look out areas.

We call down to have our luggage, groceries and Owner's Locker brought up, and they arrive in short order. We always order food for breakfasts in the room, saving time and money each day. The Owner's Locker is a trial for us this year to see whether it is worth it for us. Not checking in luggage saves us money, and it's nice to leave items in Florida that we don't use on any other vacation.

After unpacking and a rest, we head back to Magic Kingdom. We have dinner reservations at Skippers Canteen. We decide to do the Enchanted Tiki Room to kill time waiting for our dinner time. The show is so cute and I have to do it on trips without my daughter, as the singing tikis really creep her out.



We head over to the restaurant, excited for some good food. I really love the corny jokes and the atmosphere. We eat here every trip since it opened, as we don't really like any other table service restaurant in the park.



Here is Radu in front of the "great wall of china".
We decide to split everything, as we want to try so many things but can't possibly eat full portions of everything.



Starters were the Jungle Green Salad and the Falls Family Falafel. We both felt the salad was delicious and fresh, necessary after all the junk food we ate the day before. The falafel is one of the best things in WDW in my opinion. I can't explain it, but it really is so delicious.



For dinner we ordered Skipper Dan's Dan Dan Noodles. It comes with pork, but they will substitute tofu if you don't eat meat. The noodles were ok, not my favourite thing I've had here.



When at this restaurant you need to order the Kungaloosh! for dessert. I wish there were more bananas, but it really is delicious. We polished it off easily. Our server was not quick and made a few mistakes along the way, causing the meal to take way longer than it normally would. We didn't mind however, as it was pouring outside. We were happy to stay dry.

After dinner we decide to go see the Hall of Presidents. Even as Canadians, we love this show and the history. It was fun to see the changes since last time.
After the show, the rain had slowed. We decided to stake out a spot for Enchantment. I don't particularly like this new show, but Radu hasn't seen it yet, so why not. I'm truly hoping for a return of Happily Ever After.



Had to take a selfie in front of the castle with the fireworks crowds. The energy is so great when you are waiting for the show to start. Just like the night before, the show was delayed due to weather. We decide that we are tired from our first full day at the parks and it's a better idea to head back to the resort. We take the opportunity to soak our tired muscles in the hot tub. After which, I put on Disney+ and cue up Peter Pan on the tv in the room. It's awesome that the new tvs allow you to bring up your streaming content.

As always I fall asleep about 30 minutes into the movie... I learn the next day that Radu found the movie cringy. He was shocked at the portrayal of Tinkerbell, Tiger Lily, Wendy etc. I reminded him that times were different back then, and to be aware of how far we have come.

DAILY THOUGHTS:

Myself: I love being here!
Radu: I'm out of shape!

THINGS WE LEARNED:

1. Splitting meals is plenty of food.
2. Some old Disney movies now come with disclaimers.
3. The new tvs allow for them to put a personalized greeting in your room... so special.