*COMPLETE* Never Underestimate the Power of the Dark Side - a runDisney Spring Break TR

[*DisneyDreamer]

Thanks to everyone who has read so far and I hope you're still interested! I apologize that it's been over a week since my last update. Time really got away from me. But I finally have another post ready so here we go!

Wednesday, April 19, 2017 (Part 2)

My plan at this point for the late morning/early afternoon was to just take it slow and enjoy the sights and sounds of World Showcase. I took a few more pictures of some of the flower displays.

And I stopped for a solo Photopass picture with the Eiffel Tower in the background while on my way towards France. I’ve seen people with Magic Shots before, and I’m so glad I got this one!

And then it was time to stop for my first snack. I was a bit out of order on a lunch versus dessert, but it’s where I was and I needed one of these macarons! Raspberry with chocolate fudge filling and raspberry jam. So delicious.

I kept walking while enjoying my macaron, and of course took some more pictures of the sights and all the gorgeous flowers.

Next stop was Italy. I noticed that the Via Napoli pizza window was open, and decided a piece of pizza would hit the spot.

It was good, but the pizza you get eating inside at the restaurant is so much better. I prefer the thinner crust over the thick crust that this piece had. While enjoying my pizza, I sent a message to S asking where she and E were. Turns out that they were also in World Showcase, but they had started on the Mexico side while I had obviously started by Canada, so we were heading in opposite directions. We crossed paths briefly after I had eaten my pizza, but otherwise just kept going our separate ways. I have to say that this solo afternoon (which turned out to be the majority of the day) was really great and I enjoyed just taking it easy and going at my own pace.

After pizza, I headed off again. I stopped for a couple more Photopass pictures in Germany and Norway.

And then it was time for hydration – a hibiscus margarita from Mexico. It was very good!

I strolled around the World Showcase plaza area while enjoying my margarita, and while doing so had another message exchange with S. We decided to meet back up to get a quick picture together somewhere before I park hopped over to Animal Kingdom. I had a FP for Rivers of Light that night and the two of them had a dinner reservation at Chefs de France, so they were staying at Epcot. While waiting for them to join up with me, I walked through Mousegear to look for souvenir ideas (S said she’d get my birthday present from Disney, so I came up with a couple ideas for her) and also stopped for a couple sips of drinks in Club Cool.

Once we finally met back up, we got this picture.

And then I headed back towards the main entrance to catch a bus to Animal Kingdom. But not before stopping for this picture at the Figment topiary! A very interesting yet cool shot. I noticed while the photographer was taking it that he got awfully close to me with the camera, and wasn’t sure why, but this is how it turned out.

I said good-bye for the time being to Epcot and then it was time to park hop!

Coming Up: A "wild" afternoon/evening (in more ways than one!)

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

And for your viewing enjoyment, some additional pictures from my afternoon at Epcot.

(I saw the Born in China movie the weekend after returning from this trip and it was amazing!)

 

[SarahDisney]

Sounds like a nice afternoon at Epcot! I love the Chip magic shot! (And all of your other pictures too!)

Confession ... I've never actually had a margarita at Epcot. I know, crazy. But I'm not a huge margarita person in general so I never really make it a priority. I really should get one next time I'm there ... I feel like the Mexico pavilion experience isn't complete without a fun margarita!

 

[cavepig]

Oh so cute with Chip! I've always wondered about that pizza window, forget about it, and so never check if it's open, good to know it's thicker crust, which I do like as long it's not too chewy. Great photos on your World Showcase travels!

A very interesting yet cool shot. I noticed while the photographer was taking it that he got awfully close to me with the camera, and wasn’t sure why, but this is how it turned out.

Cool! We did a picture on the opposite side with the ball and they had the fish eye lens over there. We didn't ever see a photopass by Figment, wonder if the fisheye lens travels back and forth between a couple spots.

 

[rteetz]

I really love all of your Flower and Garden photos!

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

What do you know, I'm back for another update! 2 in 2 days!

Wednesday, April 19, 2017 (Part 3)

I left Epcot and made my way to the bus stop to catch a bus to Animal Kingdom. I was hoping to get out of the sun for a little bit since it was mid-afternoon and starting to get really warm, but unfortunately the bus stop for AK wasn't under one of the shelters and instead in the middle of the parking lot where they have some of the charter buses. I had to wait about 10 minutes in the beating sun and it was really hot. I guess it could have been worse, but needless to say I was very happy when the bus came and I was able to get out of it.

I arrived at Animal Kingdom pretty quickly and went through bag check. Before making it through the turnstiles, though, I came across Terk and got a photo.

My first stop once inside the park was Festival of the Lion King! I was so excited to see this show again since it's one of my absolute favorites. Unfortunately, this is where the other meaning of "wild" from my teaser comes in. The show started without issue, but then during the tumble monkey sequence, one of the performers came down from a trick and landed awkwardly. He immediately went down and one of the other monkeys was motioning for help from the side. The medical team or whatever came out to attend to the guy and they asked all the guests to leave. I was bummed to not get to see the full show but I know safety is more important and I know I'll get another chance to see it sometime. I just hope the performer was okay - from the way he landed I'm thinking that he probably did something to his knee or ankle.

The early exit from FotLK meant an earlier ride on the Safari. It was already inside my FP return time window, so since I was right there, I headed right in. The highlight of this safari was getting to see a couple young giraffes up close, and we also got a view of a baby elephant (no good pictures though since it wasn't very close).

After my safari expedition, I made my way over to Asia to use my FP for Expedition Everest. On the way, I snapped a couple more pictures. It was a beautiful afternoon!

I got in my ride on Everest and then headed to Dinoland to ride Dinosaur. When I arrived over there, the posted wait time was I think 45 minutes, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to wait. I almost left, but I noticed that there wasn't even a line outside so I didn't think the wait could be that long. I decided to check it out thinking I could always get out of line if it was too long, and it's a good thing I did - we literally walked right through and immediately into a pre-show room. And even once we got out of there, there were barely any people in the loading area. The whole process from getting in line to being off of the ride could not have taken more than 15 minutes.

After Dinosaur, I decided it was time for dinner. My place of choice was Yak and Yeti counter service, since I've heard good things about it and really wanted to try it. I got the Honey Chicken and an egg roll and enjoyed both. I just didn't finish it all because it ended up being a lot.

At this point, it was getting to be around 6:30. It was still way too early to head into the seating area for Rivers of Light, so I walked over to Kali River Rapids and watched some of the rafts go by. I then walked back over towards Everest since I figured if I was going to sit and relax, I might as well be close to the Rivers of Light area.

After sitting for a little bit, I decided to utilize the single rider line and got in another ride on Everest. When I got off, I'm not sure what time it was, but it still was not within the time window that the FP designated for Rivers of Light. However, it seemed like people were going in, so I decided to grab a Mickey ice cream bar and then went in myself.

The show started at (I think) 8:30 that night. So as not to spoil it for people who don't want to see anything, I'll post only a couple pictures, and I'll put them in a spoiler tag.

Spoiler: Rivers of Light

Overall, I enjoyed the show. It wasn't the spectacle that some of Disney's other shows are, but I knew it wasn't really meant to be. The floats, music, and imagery were all beautiful. I'll definitely see it again someday, but I don't think it will be a must-do on every trip.

After the show, it was back to Saratoga Springs, since it had been a fun, but very busy day!

Coming Up: Hollywood Studios and Dark Side Half Marathon Expo Day!

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

Sounds like a nice afternoon at Epcot! I love the Chip magic shot! (And all of your other pictures too!)

Confession ... I've never actually had a margarita at Epcot. I know, crazy. But I'm not a huge margarita person in general so I never really make it a priority. I really should get one next time I'm there ... I feel like the Mexico pavilion experience isn't complete without a fun margarita!

It definitely was! And thanks - I love it too. Chip is so cute!

This is actually the first time I've had a margarita there as well. This particular one ended up being from the "outdoor kitchen" set up in Mexico for Flower and Garden.

Oh so cute with Chip! I've always wondered about that pizza window, forget about it, and so never check if it's open, good to know it's thicker crust, which I do like as long it's not too chewy. Great photos on your World Showcase travels!

Cool! We did a picture on the opposite side with the ball and they had the fish eye lens over there. We didn't ever see a photopass by Figment, wonder if the fisheye lens travels back and forth between a couple spots.

Thanks!

At first I wasn't sure what I thought of the fish-eye photo, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. It's very unique and different from the rest of my pictures. And is just fitting for Figment!

I really love all of your Flower and Garden photos!

Thanks!

 

[rteetz]

That sucks that the FOTLK show was cut short. It's my favorite show on property. Safety is number one priority tho.

Animal Kingdom is my favorite park due to the many experiences you can have, the safari being one of them.

Glad you like RoL, I'll get to see it in a couple weeks. Some I think were expecting to much for a park that isn't going to do fireworks.

 

[cavepig]

Oh no poor Monkey, hope he was okay. Yeah we were there at AK like at the same time and used our Dinosaur FP but didn't need it but might as well use it. We were sitting just to the left of you in the FP section that night. We didn't want to sit forever and were surprised to see it already filling up so early, but held off sitting till about 8:10 I think, guess the FP time is more of a guide but doesn't matter. Rivers of Light is really beautiful & has great music, I liked it even though I thought it was a little flat.

 

[L_MD]

Following along! Great pictures, and it doesn't seem like you had many issues with crowds (yet!)

 

[Reflections of Earth]

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.

I couldn't agree more!

I absolutely love all of your Flower and Garden pictures!

FOTLK is my favorite show as well, so it's a bummer that it got cut short. But of course safety comes first.

I cannot wait to see RoL soon, glad you enjoyed it!

 

[SarahDisney]

Oh wow ... I hope the tumble monkey was okay! It's definitely scary to see something like that happen, and it's disappointing that you didn't get to see the whole show ... but I'm glad that Disney takes safety concerns seriously. That's never a bad thing.

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Rivers of Light! I haven't been to WDW since it started, but I really hope I do get to see it soon. Even if it's not the big spectacle that some of the other nighttime shows are (which is perfectly fine with me), I like that they're trying to make Animal Kingdom someplace you can enjoy at night too.

 

[docsoliday1]

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!

This (in my mind) is one of the huge disadvantages of the magic band vs. printed fast passes. With the printed fast passes, it was quite easy for ANYONE to verify whether you had a fastpass or not.

When we were there in Feb, I didn't know they were getting rid of wishes and since I'd seen it many times (and I was tired), didn't feel like fighting the crowds. In retrospect, wish (pardon the pun) I had.

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

That sucks that the FOTLK show was cut short. It's my favorite show on property. Safety is number one priority tho.

Animal Kingdom is my favorite park due to the many experiences you can have, the safari being one of them.

Glad you like RoL, I'll get to see it in a couple weeks. Some I think were expecting to much for a park that isn't going to do fireworks.

I think it's my favorite show too. The performers are wonderful and I love the Lion King music.

The safari is always a great experience. You never know what you're going to get. We went on once and had a delay for about 10 minutes because a giraffe was right next to the road right in front of our vehicle. It was cool.

Hope you enjoy Rivers of Light!

Oh no poor Monkey, hope he was okay. Yeah we were there at AK like at the same time and used our Dinosaur FP but didn't need it but might as well use it. We were sitting just to the left of you in the FP section that night. We didn't want to sit forever and were surprised to see it already filling up so early, but held off sitting till about 8:10 I think, guess the FP time is more of a guide but doesn't matter. Rivers of Light is really beautiful & has great music, I liked it even though I thought it was a little flat.

Oh how cool. And I agree that maybe it could have had a bit more.

Following along! Great pictures, and it doesn't seem like you had many issues with crowds (yet!)

No, we didn't at all. We did rides first thing in the morning and used Fastpasses and really didn't have many long waits. The longest wait we probably had was when we got stuck in the delay at Space Mountain.

I couldn't agree more!

I absolutely love all of your Flower and Garden pictures!

FOTLK is my favorite show as well, so it's a bummer that it got cut short. But of course safety comes first.

I cannot wait to see RoL soon, glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks!

Oh wow ... I hope the tumble monkey was okay! It's definitely scary to see something like that happen, and it's disappointing that you didn't get to see the whole show ... but I'm glad that Disney takes safety concerns seriously. That's never a bad thing.

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Rivers of Light! I haven't been to WDW since it started, but I really hope I do get to see it soon. Even if it's not the big spectacle that some of the other nighttime shows are (which is perfectly fine with me), I like that they're trying to make Animal Kingdom someplace you can enjoy at night too.

Me too. It was scary to see. It happened so fast and I'm sure some people didn't even see what happened.

This (in my mind) is one of the huge disadvantages of the magic band vs. printed fast passes. With the printed fast passes, it was quite easy for ANYONE to verify whether you had a fastpass or not.

When we were there in Feb, I didn't know they were getting rid of wishes and since I'd seen it many times (and I was tired), didn't feel like fighting the crowds. In retrospect, wish (pardon the pun) I had.

For the most part I like FP+, it has allowed us to do a lot of afternoon rides that we wouldn't have been able to do without it, but it does have some issues. We've seen a lot of people who misunderstand how it works, like thinking they can get more than one ride with same FP.

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

World's worst trip report updater back for another post! Haha. I can't believe it's already been over a month since my trip. Anyway, here we go:

Thursday, April 20, 2017

It’s Dark Side Half Marathon Expo Day – race weekend is officially beginning!

Before the expo opened, S, E, and I were heading to Hollywood Studios for rope drop. After the headache nuisance of the morning before, I didn’t want to risk that happening again, so I knew I needed more of a breakfast to start out the day. While S & E got ready in the room, I headed down to the Carriage House. When I got there, I noticed that race weekend signage had emerged!

I went into the Artist’s Palette and grabbed a chocolate chip muffin and a coffee. I also got a banana to keep in my bag for a bit later. I ate the muffin there while I waited for a message from my sister – I told her before I left to let me know when they were heading out and I’d go to the bus stop at the same time. It turns out that we had a bit of miscommunication though and my sister had a blanking moment – when the Hollywood Studios bus got to the Springs stop and I got on, I was surprised that S & E were not there, since the buses stop at Congress Park first. My sister sent me a message back that she forgot that it would obviously be more convenient for me to hop on the bus at the Springs, so the two them hadn’t gotten on the bus since she thought I was coming back. Oops. We planned to meet back up at the park and everything ended up working out fine.

S & E ended up still getting to the park before it officially opened, so we met back up on Hollywood Boulevard. Once the crowd was released, our first stop was Toy Story Mania! It’s one of my favorites, and always a must-do first thing in the morning. On this ride, we got our first experience utilizing the newly-added third track.

After Toy Story, it was off to ride another favorite, Rock ‘n Roller Coaster!

We hopped in the single rider line and the wait was probably about 20 minutes or so.

When we got off of Rock ‘n Roller Coaster, I headed off by myself to the Star Wars Launch Bay with one goal in mind – to meet BB-8!! S & E had already met him a couple days earlier, so they didn’t need to go again. I’m not sure where they ended up going.

I wasn’t sure what to expect for the BB-8 wait, but it turns out I had perfect timing! There was only one other group in front of me, so I got in very quickly. BB-8 asked me if I had seen R2-D2 around and I sadly had to say no, but that I’d keep an eye for him!

After meeting BB-8, I looked around at some of the Star Wars displays inside the Launch Bay.

Then it was off to grab a drink at Starbucks, before heading in to see the 11:00 show of Beauty and the Beast. This is another one of my favorites, and having just seen the new movie a few weeks earlier, it was a must-do on this trip. Before the show they had a little ceremony with a father and a daughter up on stage which was really cute and sweet. A guy sang the song “How Does a Moment Last Forever?” and then the father presented the daughter with a rose.

Tale as old as time...

Once the show let out, I met back up with S & E. There was a Star Wars show going on on the stage in front of the Chinese Theater, so we hung around to watch that.

Once the show was over, we headed out of the park – it was time to make our way to Wide World of Sports for the race expo!

(Continued in next post)

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

Thursday, April 20, 2017 (Part 2)

To get to the race expo, we decided that the easiest thing to do would be to walk over to the Boardwalk and catch their expo bus, that way we wouldn’t have to take one to our resort and then one to the expo. As we were leaving the park, though, a boat was just arriving, so we chose to take that instead.

When we got to the Boardwalk, I snapped a quick picture to send to my parents and other sister and told them the resort was waiting for them – they were set to arrive there later that afternoon.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to really appreciate the Boardwalk and it’s now one of my favorite places in all of Walt Disney World. It’s usually always a must-do to spend part of an evening there, taking in some of the sideshows and getting pizza and ice cream. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to do that this trip since my days were so jam-packed. Oh well, next time.

We waited about 15 minutes or so for the expo bus and once on, got to Wide World of Sports pretty quickly. First stop was for photos at the race banners set up outside.

10K

Half

Challenge

Then it was off to bib pick-up in the HP Fieldhouse, which went very smoothly and quickly. There were very few people in line at this time (it was probably around 1:00 or so).

With bibs in hand (and race shirts for me – challenge runners got theirs bundled together in the fieldhouse), it was off to the Jostens Center where the vendors and an official merchandise area were located (as well as shirt pick-up for individual races). We ran into Stormtroopers on the way and they let me take a picture!

We didn’t spend too long in the actual expo - S & E got their shirts, we looked at a few vendors, and I purchased a Dark Side Challenge pin from the official merchandise area. Once we had all our stuff, we boarded a bus back to Saratoga Springs for an afternoon break. I had a minor freak-out while waiting on the bus that my race shirts were going to be too small, even though they were the same size I’d gotten from Wine and Dine, since I heard someone mention that they were running small and they had had to exchange theirs. I didn’t want to go all the way back so I opted to just take a chance and try them on as soon as we got back to the room. Fortunately they ended up fitting fine – phew!

We got back to the resort around 2:00-2:30 and headed to the room. The next plan for me was to meet up with my parents once they arrived, so I just took it easy while I waited for word from them.

Coming Up: It's back to Epcot!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I remember reading that same comment about the shirts running small! I had no problems with mine either.

Looks like a productive morning at HS and an efficient expo trip! We probably arrived as you were leaving!

 

[Gemini1131]

Looks like fun. And I love the one with the force shirt. Where did you get it?

 

[TXMNie]

Beautiful photo! These colors are gorgeous.

This looks so good! I will have to try this sometime!

Is it just be or does this look more like a casserole? That is one thick piece of pizza!

How I got through Epcot without one of these I don't know. Looks great!

The medical team or whatever came out to attend to the guy and they asked all the guests to leave. I was bummed to not get to see the full show but I know safety is more important and I know I'll get another chance to see it sometime. I just hope the performer was okay - from the way he landed I'm thinking that he probably did something to his knee or ankle.

Uh oh! How scary! I always wonder how they don't hurt themselves with all of that stress so frequently. I hope he is okay!

Then it was off to grab a drink at Starbucks, before heading in to see the 11:00 show of Beauty and the Beast. This is another one of my favorites, and having just seen the new movie a few weeks earlier, it was a must-do on this trip. Before the show they had a little ceremony with a father and a daughter up on stage which was really cute and sweet. A guy sang the song “How Does a Moment Last Forever?” and then the father presented the daughter with a rose.

Melt my heart. This sounds so precious.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to really appreciate the Boardwalk and it’s now one of my favorite places in all of Walt Disney World. It’s usually always a must-do to spend part of an evening there, taking in some of the sideshows and getting pizza and ice cream. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to do that this trip since my days were so jam-packed. Oh well, next time.

Love, love, the boardwalk! Great report!

 

[Sailormoon2]

I love your Force shirt