*COMPLETE* Never Underestimate the Power of the Dark Side - a runDisney Spring Break TR
- Thread starter *DisneyDreamer
- Start date
Following along! I turned 30 the day after Easter on the 17th! I'm looking forward to reading about your trip.
I have never caught the Flag Retreat ceremony but my husband and I are heading down in September and I think I'm going to put that one my must do list!
SarahDisney
So ... Yeah
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2014
MK is the perfect first park!
I love all of your pictures around New Fantasyland! And the carriage photo op is awesome too!
I love all of your pictures around New Fantasyland! And the carriage photo op is awesome too!
*DisneyDreamer
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2007
It was! And I agree about the annual pass. Not that I need an excuse to go back, but it makes next year's Spring Break trip basically a necessity since I'll need to get my money out of the pass! And Haunted Mansion will always be one of my favorites.
Agreed. It wasn't my last park of this trip, but it was nice to do as the first park.
How is that even possible?!?Yeah, I think I might have seen the Flag Retreat once before, but it's nice to see once in a while. My Dad saw it one day later in their trip (after I left I think) and he said he didn't think he'd ever seen it.
Thanks! It was a good night to start the trip with!
How crazy is that? My birthday was the 17th as well. So technically not the weekend, but I celebrated with friends on Saturday so it was included. Thanks for following along!
You should definitely try to catch the Flag Retreat. It was a nice little ceremony.
Thanks! The carriage photo opp was really cool and there was barely even a line! Only had to wait for like one other group.
*DisneyDreamer
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2007
Working on another update - hope to have it up later!
*DisneyDreamer
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2007
Tuesday, April 18, 2017 (Part 3)
After our trip into the Seven Dwarfs mine, it was off to Tomorrowland! We all agreed to take a quick spin on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. I always enjoy this attraction because it’s peaceful and relaxing and it’s fun to just watch the scenes go by.
Once we got off, we still had some time before we could use our last Fastpass for Space Mountain, so we headed over to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin since it was right there and only had a 15-minute posted wait. The line moved fast though and I don’t think it actually took that long. But a crazy thing happened here that just kind of left the three of us shaking our heads. A group of people got in the standby line in front of us but they seemed very confused. They were trying to ask questions to the Cast Member at the ride entrance, but there was obviously some miscommunication and he directed them into the standby line. They continued to seem confused as they moved through, and started saying how they had Fastpasses. So rather than going back out to the entrance and asking the Cast Member again, they just hopped through the railing separating the two lines and cut their way into the FP line. I want to believe that they really had FPs, but it was very rude of them to cut across. The people they cut in front of yelled out at them that it was “not cool,” but the line cutters said they had FPs and just went on their way. The other group looked to us as they went but all of us just kind of exchanged shrugs and unsure looks. But anyway, we got in our ride and I actually managed a decent score! Having a ride vehicle to yourself and under your own control is very beneficial.
(Not looking at the camera, even though I tried to look up and knew it was coming!)
After Buzz, it was time to use our Space Mountain Fastpass so we headed in. There was virtually no line in the Fastpass queue, but it seems our streak of smooth sailing was about to come to an end. Just as we got up to the point where FP merges with standby, the CM directing guests told us to wait and we noticed that the lines in the loading area weren’t moving. Seconds later, an announcement came on saying that there were meteor showers and all flights were temporarily suspended. Bummer. But since we were right up next to the CM, she told us she didn’t think it would be more than 10-15 minutes, so we decided to wait it out for a bit. The lights were turned on and Cast Members started bustling about into backrooms and closed off areas hoping to get the ride back up and running.
Finally after about 20 or so minutes, the lights turned back off and the guests erupted into cheers and applause. Looks like we were going to get our ride after all!
By the time we got off Space Mountain, it was after 8:00. My sister and I exchanged some quick text messages with our Dad who was monitoring the My Disney Experience app back home and offered to try to get us a 4th FP now that our 3 had been used. The messages had been sent a little while earlier though, so because of the delay at Space Mountain, by the time we got them, there really wasn’t much availability left after all. So we decided that the rides we had done were good for us for the evening (after all, it was only my first night – I’d be doing a morning at MK later in the week – and S & E had done a lot of other things earlier since they’d been there since Saturday). So we decided to head back towards Main Street and stake out our viewing spot for Wishes. We had a while to wait, since the show wasn’t until 10:00 that night, but we just found a spot to sit, took in the atmosphere, and got a couple more pictures.
When Wishes began at 10:00, my phone was put away and I did not take any pictures. I just wanted to completely soak in the show – my last ever viewing of Wishes! Excuse me while I relish in the memories of this amazing show. I am excited to see Happily Ever After on my next trip, but a piece of my heart will always miss Wishes.
After Wishes, S & E headed back to Saratoga Springs, but I decided to stay for Once Upon a Time, the castle projection show, which was at 10:45. I moved up into the Hub area so I could be closer to the castle. And fortunately, while there were people in front of me, I ended up with a pretty good view (I am a fairly short person, so getting a good view is challenging sometimes!) I thought the show was cute, but I think I liked Celebrate the Magic a little bit better. I liked the music in the beginning and end of that one.
After Once Upon a Time, it was time to say good night to the Magic Kingdom and head back to the resort. It had been a busy day and the magic had only just begun!
Coming Up: First full day and a lot more pictures!
After our trip into the Seven Dwarfs mine, it was off to Tomorrowland! We all agreed to take a quick spin on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. I always enjoy this attraction because it’s peaceful and relaxing and it’s fun to just watch the scenes go by.
Once we got off, we still had some time before we could use our last Fastpass for Space Mountain, so we headed over to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin since it was right there and only had a 15-minute posted wait. The line moved fast though and I don’t think it actually took that long. But a crazy thing happened here that just kind of left the three of us shaking our heads. A group of people got in the standby line in front of us but they seemed very confused. They were trying to ask questions to the Cast Member at the ride entrance, but there was obviously some miscommunication and he directed them into the standby line. They continued to seem confused as they moved through, and started saying how they had Fastpasses. So rather than going back out to the entrance and asking the Cast Member again, they just hopped through the railing separating the two lines and cut their way into the FP line. I want to believe that they really had FPs, but it was very rude of them to cut across. The people they cut in front of yelled out at them that it was “not cool,” but the line cutters said they had FPs and just went on their way. The other group looked to us as they went but all of us just kind of exchanged shrugs and unsure looks. But anyway, we got in our ride and I actually managed a decent score! Having a ride vehicle to yourself and under your own control is very beneficial.
(Not looking at the camera, even though I tried to look up and knew it was coming!)
After Buzz, it was time to use our Space Mountain Fastpass so we headed in. There was virtually no line in the Fastpass queue, but it seems our streak of smooth sailing was about to come to an end. Just as we got up to the point where FP merges with standby, the CM directing guests told us to wait and we noticed that the lines in the loading area weren’t moving. Seconds later, an announcement came on saying that there were meteor showers and all flights were temporarily suspended. Bummer. But since we were right up next to the CM, she told us she didn’t think it would be more than 10-15 minutes, so we decided to wait it out for a bit. The lights were turned on and Cast Members started bustling about into backrooms and closed off areas hoping to get the ride back up and running.
Finally after about 20 or so minutes, the lights turned back off and the guests erupted into cheers and applause. Looks like we were going to get our ride after all!
By the time we got off Space Mountain, it was after 8:00. My sister and I exchanged some quick text messages with our Dad who was monitoring the My Disney Experience app back home and offered to try to get us a 4th FP now that our 3 had been used. The messages had been sent a little while earlier though, so because of the delay at Space Mountain, by the time we got them, there really wasn’t much availability left after all. So we decided that the rides we had done were good for us for the evening (after all, it was only my first night – I’d be doing a morning at MK later in the week – and S & E had done a lot of other things earlier since they’d been there since Saturday). So we decided to head back towards Main Street and stake out our viewing spot for Wishes. We had a while to wait, since the show wasn’t until 10:00 that night, but we just found a spot to sit, took in the atmosphere, and got a couple more pictures.
When Wishes began at 10:00, my phone was put away and I did not take any pictures. I just wanted to completely soak in the show – my last ever viewing of Wishes! Excuse me while I relish in the memories of this amazing show. I am excited to see Happily Ever After on my next trip, but a piece of my heart will always miss Wishes.
After Wishes, S & E headed back to Saratoga Springs, but I decided to stay for Once Upon a Time, the castle projection show, which was at 10:45. I moved up into the Hub area so I could be closer to the castle. And fortunately, while there were people in front of me, I ended up with a pretty good view (I am a fairly short person, so getting a good view is challenging sometimes!) I thought the show was cute, but I think I liked Celebrate the Magic a little bit better. I liked the music in the beginning and end of that one.
After Once Upon a Time, it was time to say good night to the Magic Kingdom and head back to the resort. It had been a busy day and the magic had only just begun!
Coming Up: First full day and a lot more pictures!
Reflections of Earth
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2012
I cannot tell you how many times I witnessed this when I was there during Christmastime. A good number of them didn't have a Fastpass, but CMs let them through anyway.
Oh well, easier than arguing with them I guess!So glad you were able to catch Wishes one last time! What a great end to your first day.
Sailormoon2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2015
I really hope line jumping doesn't become a trend. It is rampant at our local Six Flags-esque amusement park, and it drives me crazy!
It seems like Buzz is problematic with the FP line. I have a foreign family "pretend" to have FPs in front of us and go into the FP line. I was dumbfounded for a moment but realized this must happen often.
I am going to miss Wishes but this new show looks like its going to be great!
I am going to miss Wishes but this new show looks like its going to be great!
lovingeire
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2012
This happened to us too! Except it was hilarious because my BFF and I live in different states so I said she was taking the ghost home!
I have always wanted to catch the flag retreat, but and still haven't to this day. I really want my DH to participate as he was a Marine and even though since retiring he's cynical about his service sometimes I think he would enjoy it.
SarahDisney
So ... Yeah
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2014
Wishes! I'm going to miss Wishes too. I'm sure Happily Ever After will be great, but Wishes will always have a place in my heart.
Wishes & Once Upon a Time is definitely a great way to end your arrival day!
Wishes & Once Upon a Time is definitely a great way to end your arrival day!
*DisneyDreamer
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2007
Happy Friday all! It's almost the weekend, which means I'll have a chance to update. 
Me too. It was a great way to start the trip!
I've seen a couple snippets of Happily Ever After as well and it does look great, so I'm looking forward to seeing it.
You should definitely catch it. I think it would mean a lot to Military veterans.
I'm glad we had this trip before it ended, or I would have been sad to have never gotten a chance to see it for what I knew going in would be the last time. I hope Happily Ever After is just as good.
It was really rude. I felt bad for the people they cut in front of. And of course the second Fastpass tap point wasn't being used (they hardly ever were at any of the rides) so there was no double checking.I cannot tell you how many times I witnessed this when I was there during Christmastime. A good number of them didn't have a Fastpass, but CMs let them through anyway.
So glad you were able to catch Wishes one last time! What a great end to your first day.
Me too. It was a great way to start the trip!
I know, I can't stand it. It's just as bad as people getting in line for a ride while their group is separated and then having people push ahead to rejoin them.
I'm sure it does happen a lot. At other rides as well that have the two lines right next to each other. That's why they should utilize both check-in points - I don't get why they have two because they hardly ever use both.
I've seen a couple snippets of Happily Ever After as well and it does look great, so I'm looking forward to seeing it.
That is funny! It's obviously a MagicBand thing, because I got the same message when I went on a second time later in the trip. Except my sister's said "Texas here we come" when she went on, so either it read someone else's band who was nearby, or it didn't do it that time.
You should definitely catch it. I think it would mean a lot to Military veterans.
Same here. So many memories of watching Wishes, especially last Spring Break when we were able to watch it from our balcony at the Polynesian almost every night. It was a great show.
That's a bummer.I'm going to miss Wishes as well. We didn't even get a chance to see it on our last trip in January.
I'm glad we had this trip before it ended, or I would have been sad to have never gotten a chance to see it for what I knew going in would be the last time. I hope Happily Ever After is just as good.
*DisneyDreamer
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2007
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Good Morning Saratoga Springs Resort!
Our day began with a very quick breakfast in the room, and then it was off to Epcot! There were no Extra Magic Hours or anything there on this day, so the park opened at its regular time of 9:00. So we decided to head down to the bus stop around 8:00. We were hoping to get a bus quickly to make it to Epcot before rope drop, but it turns out that we were in for a frustrating wait. When we first got down to the bus stop, the TV monitor that displays anticipated arrival times for the different buses did not have a time for Epcot. We were a bit confused by this, since it was within an hour of when the park was opening, so we figured the buses were running. And within a very short time of when we arrived, buses for all of the other parks came by. Finally a time for Epcot was posted, but it was like 15 minutes away. And it kept being pushed back a minute or two at a time. And in the meantime, we continued to see multiple other buses for every place except Epcot. Ugh. But FINALLY, after about a 25-30 minute wait (so much for getting to the bus stop early) an Epcot bus finally came and we were on our way.
Because of the delay, by the time we arrived at Epcot and made it through bag check, people were already being let into the park. S, E, and I decided to split up to start out – the two of them wanted to go to Test Track and I was heading to Soarin’. Before heading over there though, a stop for some quick pictures at the entry topiary display. So much love for the Flower and Garden Festival.
My wait at Soarin’ ended up being about 10-15 minutes. I really enjoy the new Soarin’ and as much as I loved the original, I think switching it up was a good idea. I think the “Around the World” aspect fits in better with Epcot, whereas California made sense for Disneyland. My only complaint about this ride is that I was seated 2 seats from the end on one of the sides and the picture in some of the scenes was very crooked and distorted. The girl sitting next to me noticed and made a comment about it at one point, but it obviously didn’t bother her or affect her overall enjoyment of the attraction. I heard her say at least 10 times how it was “so cool.”
After Soarin’ it was time to meet back up with S & E. They got in their ride on Test Track and now E wanted to ride Mission: Space. But my sister hates most motion simulators and refuses to ride it, so I went with him so he didn’t have to go alone. I enjoy this ride but by this point I was starting to get a bit of a headache (I think from lack of eating much over the past 24 hours – the dinner at Cosmic Ray’s the night before and a small bowl of cereal for breakfast was all I had had) so it was a bit harder to enjoy that morning. It’s the type of ride that just aggravates any existing headache. Despite that, we made it through our ride and then met back up with S. It was then back off to Test Track since I wanted to ride it now. And S & E didn’t object to riding again, so we hopped in the single rider line. Our wait here probably ended up being around 20 minutes.
Not sure what's going on with me here - I swear I enjoy this ride, but it doesn't really look like it.
After Test Track, my headache was still bothering me and was starting to get a bit worse, so I knew I needed to take some time and just sit down. S, E, and I separated again and they went off to the Character Spot while I headed to Starbucks. Once I had my drink, I found a place in the shade to sit and just relaxed and people watched. Although I had the headache, the weather was beautiful that morning and I couldn’t get enough of the atmosphere.
After sitting for a while, my headache started feeling a bit better but I knew I still needed to eat something, so I headed off again. I didn’t know where S & E were, but by this time it was after 11:00, so I started to make my way towards World Showcase, thinking I could always meet up with them later. Along the way, I stopped and took in a few more of the flower displays and got some more pictures. Again, I just love this time of year at Epcot so much.
Coming Up: Snacks around the World!
Good Morning Saratoga Springs Resort!
Our day began with a very quick breakfast in the room, and then it was off to Epcot! There were no Extra Magic Hours or anything there on this day, so the park opened at its regular time of 9:00. So we decided to head down to the bus stop around 8:00. We were hoping to get a bus quickly to make it to Epcot before rope drop, but it turns out that we were in for a frustrating wait. When we first got down to the bus stop, the TV monitor that displays anticipated arrival times for the different buses did not have a time for Epcot. We were a bit confused by this, since it was within an hour of when the park was opening, so we figured the buses were running. And within a very short time of when we arrived, buses for all of the other parks came by. Finally a time for Epcot was posted, but it was like 15 minutes away. And it kept being pushed back a minute or two at a time. And in the meantime, we continued to see multiple other buses for every place except Epcot. Ugh. But FINALLY, after about a 25-30 minute wait (so much for getting to the bus stop early) an Epcot bus finally came and we were on our way.
Because of the delay, by the time we arrived at Epcot and made it through bag check, people were already being let into the park. S, E, and I decided to split up to start out – the two of them wanted to go to Test Track and I was heading to Soarin’. Before heading over there though, a stop for some quick pictures at the entry topiary display. So much love for the Flower and Garden Festival.
My wait at Soarin’ ended up being about 10-15 minutes. I really enjoy the new Soarin’ and as much as I loved the original, I think switching it up was a good idea. I think the “Around the World” aspect fits in better with Epcot, whereas California made sense for Disneyland. My only complaint about this ride is that I was seated 2 seats from the end on one of the sides and the picture in some of the scenes was very crooked and distorted. The girl sitting next to me noticed and made a comment about it at one point, but it obviously didn’t bother her or affect her overall enjoyment of the attraction. I heard her say at least 10 times how it was “so cool.”
After Soarin’ it was time to meet back up with S & E. They got in their ride on Test Track and now E wanted to ride Mission: Space. But my sister hates most motion simulators and refuses to ride it, so I went with him so he didn’t have to go alone. I enjoy this ride but by this point I was starting to get a bit of a headache (I think from lack of eating much over the past 24 hours – the dinner at Cosmic Ray’s the night before and a small bowl of cereal for breakfast was all I had had) so it was a bit harder to enjoy that morning. It’s the type of ride that just aggravates any existing headache. Despite that, we made it through our ride and then met back up with S. It was then back off to Test Track since I wanted to ride it now. And S & E didn’t object to riding again, so we hopped in the single rider line. Our wait here probably ended up being around 20 minutes.
Not sure what's going on with me here - I swear I enjoy this ride, but it doesn't really look like it.
After Test Track, my headache was still bothering me and was starting to get a bit worse, so I knew I needed to take some time and just sit down. S, E, and I separated again and they went off to the Character Spot while I headed to Starbucks. Once I had my drink, I found a place in the shade to sit and just relaxed and people watched. Although I had the headache, the weather was beautiful that morning and I couldn’t get enough of the atmosphere.
After sitting for a while, my headache started feeling a bit better but I knew I still needed to eat something, so I headed off again. I didn’t know where S & E were, but by this time it was after 11:00, so I started to make my way towards World Showcase, thinking I could always meet up with them later. Along the way, I stopped and took in a few more of the flower displays and got some more pictures. Again, I just love this time of year at Epcot so much.
Coming Up: Snacks around the World!
SarahDisney
So ... Yeah
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2014
So many beautiful Flower & Garden pictures!!! That time of year really is so special at Epcot. I love how beautiful the park looks!
Simba's Girl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2000
Where did your sister get that amazing Wishes T? Wishes is very special to me and DH because of our youngest DD. Long story...
*DisneyDreamer
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2007
Yeah, our room was in a good location. It was quiet and close enough to the main building that it wasn't far to walk, especially the mornings of the races for the race buses.
Thanks!
And you should go during F&G!Yeah, it seems to happen to me at least once a trip. Fortunately this trip I got it taken care of and it didn't nag me for the rest of the day like it sometimes does. And we did - got in all the major rides.I hate that headache feeling when you know its because you haven't eaten much and are riding rides! Hopefully the snacking around the world will help that
I highly recommend it. It's my favorite time of year at Epcot! To me, it's like Christmas at the Magic Kingdom in terms of all the displays and special decorations to take in.
Thanks! And it is. It's so colorful, and even more beautiful on nice sunny days, which we fortunately had a lot of on this trip. In the past we've had days where it was cloudy a lot and it just isn't quite the same (at least for pictures, which I love too much!)
It's from a shop called Happily Ever Tees. Follow them on Instagram or social media though because it's important to pay attention to when they restock. Their shop is only open occasionally for a couple hours at a time. I am beginning to think I need to get the Wishes tee myself but sadly I missed their last stock of it. They say they're not retiring it but it won't be available again for a while.
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