We went back to Disney - A July '19 trip report - Updated 11-27 - THE END

Number one ...first time reader can't wait for more.
Number two....warning please for medical pictures....would I be unkind to say EWWWWW. (even though my DH's arms looked just like that last year, yes I am a
🐔)

Number three.... I believe for your travel days, you should have a shirt made that says YES, I'M A DELICATE FLOWER. Just in case your DH forgets.

Number four....Hope you feel better soon.
💐:flower3::flower2:
 
July 5th - we have arrived!
When we last left off (which seems like forever ago), we had finally arrived on Disney property and passed thru the gates of happiness. I had been steadily receiving text messages from Gold Mobility Scooters to confirm our arrival time which was set for 12:30. According to our GPS, we were on target to be on time (nothing short of a miracle for me). We got to the resort - All Star Music - just as the same time as the scooter dude texted me and said he was in the lobby. Tony had the bellhop unload the van and store the luggage (no room text yet) and I met with the scooter dude.

So if you've read any of my previous reports, you know that Tony and I both use ECV's for our trips. Tony has a long history of serious medical issues and I have the knees of an 80 year old. Those things combined with our fluffiness makes all that walking impossible. This was our first time using Gold Mobility. Their prices were lower and I had read good reviews about the company. I was very impressed with their ECV's. They were fully charged upon arrival. They had cup holders, portable fans, USB charging abilities and included ponchos. The seats were comfortable and they were easy to maneuver everywhere we went. I would not hesitate to use them again.

Tony parked the van and met me in the lobby. I went to the check-in desk to see if our room was ready and to make sure our magic bands had power. We had only received them in the mail a few days before we left. The line was short and the cast member confirmed that our room was not ready it. It was early, so I knew this was a possibility. Our magic bands were working, so we were ready to go.

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There was flavored water in the lobby. I liked the "Hidden Mickey".

We went and grabbed our mugs and filled them up and we were ready to get on a bus to our first destination - Disney Springs. We always do the Springs on our arrival day so we don't waste a park day on what is just a half day.

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So let's talk about Disney transportation. Once I park the van, I don't get back in it until it's time to go home. I've driven enough and I will happily allow Disney to take me from one park to another. I cannot say enough good things about the cast members who are in the transportation department. What I can say is that there are not enough busses and when resorts share busses, it makes things even worse. I am a patient person and more than happy to wait my turn. But there were times that even when drivers called to request another bus come because there were numerous ECV's, they were still crowded upon arrival. I am on team "don't share busses". It is just too difficult.

Tony had a destination in mind once we arrived at Disney Springs. He wanted to ride the hot air balloon. As we were approaching DS, we could see the balloon in the air and I was hopeful for Tony. The balloon does not go up if there is any kind of weather or strong winds. In the 30 minutes it took to get to the parking lot, off the bus and over to the balloon loading dock, they had suspended any further trips. The winds had kicked up and clouds were rolling in. They said it might go up again later, but there were no guarantees. Tony was so disappointed. I wasn't going up in the floating death trap, so my dreams were not crushed. When we went back later that day to check if it had resumed operations, it had not and we never got back to DS for the remainder of the trip. But don't feel bad for Tony just yet - there was shopping to be done and most of it had his name on it. There was no store or dump shop that did not get a glance from the Kellogg family.

Our first stop was World of Disney. I was excited to see it since it had been remodeled, and it did not disappoint. I absolutely love this store. If I had an abundance of money and wanted to turn my house into a mini-Disney, this would be my version of heaven. There was so much cool Toy Story 4 merchandise.

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This was actually outside the movie theater, but goes well with my story!

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And of course, I had to try on some ears!

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I think the ears are cute, but they are expensive. And not very practical when you get home. Just cannot imagine wearing them to work!! After a few purchases at WOD, we just did a lot of wandering around. Like I said, Tony loves to browse and it was pretty hot out that day, so going into stores with lots of air conditioning was fine by me. There were three specific destinations we had to go. The first was for me - jewelry. I really wanted a nice pair of earrings. Nothing too flashy or obnoxiously Disney - just something nice. And sparkly. So we went to "Ever After Jewelry and Company".

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Tell me again why I cannot be a millionaire???

The very nice cast member helped me find what I can only describe as the best pair of earrings ever.

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The stone is blue topaz, there is a gold Mickey head right above that and tiny diamonds all the way to the top. And the box they came in is just so cute.

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Yes, I was a happy camper.

Up next - shopping for Tony and dinner!
 
AWESOME! Ive always wanted to go to a cracker barrel (and a Sonic!!). Hmmm...maybe Ill see if there is one in Orlando. I have a couple off site meals to plan before the Disney portion of our trip!

Glad you didnt fall asleep at the wheel! Cant wait to read and see your next update!!

Edit...just looked at Cracker Barrel locations and saw they have one in Kissimmee 7 miles from where I will be staying!! So excited :) Now I need to find a Sonic (seen commercials my whole life, but there are NONE around me!! Ill probably hate it, but I just want to try the tots and mocktails) !!!

Cracker Barrel is a must do when driving on vacation. They seem to be around every corner. I'm not sure if there is a Sonic in the area. We have one close to the house, so we got there for the half off milkshakes after 8:00 PM. They are to die for and perfect in hot weather.

I'm so happy to see another one of your trip reports. I read your other reports and loved them. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.

:welcome: - I'm glad to have you reading along. Thanks for being patient during my sick leave!

Fantastic start...i too am a large child and yes may have cried a time or two with Disney magic...:tink:

See Tony doesn't understand why I get all misty eyed when we pass the sign. Or watch a parade. Or fireworks. Or see kids with characters. He has learned to just smile and pat my back.

You're off to a great start! For me Cracker Barrel = vacation. They have the best pancakes. Glad you took a break when you got sleepy. But you made it to Disney - yay!

Driving under that sign is just the best vacation moment ever!

Following! Looking forward to hearing about your trip.
Cracker Barrel hash brown casserole....Mmmmmm!

:welcome: - the hash brown casserole is just so delicious. It seriously makes me want to order some before I go home tonight!

Hope you are on the mend and get stronger every day!

Thanks - I am feeling better. A week in the hospital is challenging to recover from!

I hope you're feeling better.

I am feeling better - thanks so much!

Number one ...first time reader can't wait for more.
Number two....warning please for medical pictures....would I be unkind to say EWWWWW. (even though my DH's arms looked just like that last year, yes I am a
🐔)

Number three.... I believe for your travel days, you should have a shirt made that says YES, I'M A DELICATE FLOWER. Just in case your DH forgets.

Number four....Hope you feel better soon.
💐:flower3::flower2:

:welcome: - I'm glad you're reading along. Sorry about no warning before the pictures. They don't phase me, so I just didn't think that they would bother anyone else. I promise only happy Disney pictures from now on. And feel free to say EWWWWW! And I think I do need a delicate flower shirt. Because to be honest, it does not just apply to road trips. I'm a delicate flower on your average Tuesday!
 


I hate to hear you've been sick :(. Hope you mend fully, asap.

We haven't been to DS in several years, but I am definitely planning it in on our next trip. I also love World of Disney!
 
Sorry about your medical issue! Hope the worst is behind you. On a positive note, your first day is going well!
 


Sorry that you have not been well, but I hope you are feeling better.

I loved Toy Story 4 and can't wait to see all the Forky and Bo Peep merch in a couple of weeks! :D

Those earrings you picked are just perfect, I love them!
 
July 5th - Disney Springs - continued
I found a few more super cute pictures of Toy Story 4 merchandise from World of Disney that needed to be captured before I moved on!

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So much cute stuff.

Tony was eager to move on. He had appeased me as much as he could tolerate at one time. While I could spend hours strolling thru WOD, my sweet hubby had seen enough and was ready to move onto the more trendy stores that he had on his list. Most specifically, Oakley. Now let me tell you my dear DIS friends, Tony has champagne taste on a beer budget. He likes his name brands and nicer things. I had told him early on that his spending budget was a set amount and if he wanted more to spend he either needed to save up some of his own money or do a little more butt shaking downtown. Whichever option he chose, he was able to save up enough money for the coveted blue, UV ray blocking, has some kind of super power sunglasses. And I have to admit, they are really nice. We had a lengthy conversation about how he has a tendency to lose things and if he loses these glasses, I might have to kill him (it's like talking to a child). He was very happy.

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After that, we went over to the men's shaving place (it has a real name, I just don't know it) and Tony picked up some shaving things and specifically some aftershave stuff for his sensitive skin. They really have a nice selection of scents and options. It can be expensive, but it lasts a long time. They also have a barber there, but we didn't have any time for that. Because it was time to eat!!! For this trip, like previous trips, we did the dining plan with one counter service, one sit down meal and two snacks per person per day. It works for us very well as we can just order whatever we want without worrying about costs involved. Other than tips, everything is paid for and it is just one less thing for us to fret about. Our goal for this trip was to try as many new restaurants as possible. Considering how many new places open up at Disney, this was not a challenge.

Tonight's dinner was The Edison.

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Not my picture - thanks Google! And I rarely take food pictures, cause that is just weird. So I'll find what I can from the internet and give you the details of what we ate! This was supposed to be a replica of a speak easy and they did an excellent job of pulling you into that time. There was music from that era playing and movies shown in different areas of the restaurant. It has two levels and when you walk in, you are in the top level. We checked in for our 6:30 reservations and for some reason, they had me down with two separate reservations at the same time. My app was not reflecting that, but it was no big deal. They took our name and we waited about 15 minutes for a name to be called and we were seated downstairs. They nicely asked if we wanted to take the stairs or elevator, and we opted for the elevator. The ECV's were kept outside. It should be noted that the restaurant - and about every restaurant we went into - was freezing. I know it was blazing hot outside and it is impossible to keep everyone comfortable, but it was really, really cold. So much so that Tony brought his jacket with him from then on just for when we went into a restaurant.

We were pretty hungry by this point and were tempted to order an appetizer. But we learned from trips past that the serving sizes are quite generous and we would just need to wait. I ordered a diet coke and Tony got a beer that was on tap (I don't remember which one - sorry). Each sit down meal comes with the option of an alcoholic drink. Tony ordered "Oh Bacon Baked Mac and Cheese - our famous crispy maple black pepper bacon baked with cavatappi pasta, melted fontina, muenster, cheddar and alpine swiss". He was able to add shrimp. It came in a cast iron skillet that was so deep I honestly thought they were refilling the skillet from under the table. And I cannot find a picture anywhere. It was so delicious. As for me, I ordered "Queen Cut Prime Rib - boneless 14 oz, au jus, horseradish cream sauce, selection of potato, popover".

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This is a pretty good representation of mine - except not near as rare. The prime rib was so delicious and tender I was able to cut it with a butter knife. I got a loaded baked potato, which was fine. The popover was weird as it wasn't really a roll, because it was practically hollow inside. So it was mostly crust. But I wasn't there for the bread!

Although we were so full from the main entrée, desert was part of the meal plan. We both got "Cherry Cheesecake Trifle - cheesecake filling, vanilla pound cake, amarena cherries, whipped cream". I can't find a picture (sorry!), but it was a huge glass bowl filled with everything described in layers upon layers upon layers. Neither one of us could make a dent. We settled up the bill and basically waddled out of the restaurant. We were miserable. Earlier in the afternoon we had received the text that our room was ready. We decided that it was time to head back to the resort and get settled in. We headed over to the busses, waited our turn and made our way back to All-Star Music.

When the reservations were made, we requested a fully accessible handicapped room and that request was granted. We were in the Jazz Building, third floor, room 9603. Tony was a little irritated that we weren't on the first floor. He started to want to go to the front desk to see if we could be moved, but I reasoned with him that as long as we had elevator access (which we did), what difference did it make? Sometimes husbands just need a little guidance. The only thing was that both of the ECV's could not easily fit into the elevator, so we had to take turns. No biggie. Once we got to the room, we adjusted the furniture to have enough rooms for the ECV's and called to have our luggage brought up. That took no time and I got us unpacked and situated. Shortly thereafter we were in pajamas and snuggled down in the bed. The room was nice and cool and it was nice to relax.

Up next - our first park day and am I the lost princess??
 
Joining in!
Sorry you had such a tough health issue, but glad you're feeling better!

I am thankfully feeling better. Gaining strength every day.

Oh Ruthie I sure do hope you feel better soon.

I am doing better!!

I hate to hear you've been sick :(. Hope you mend fully, asap.

We haven't been to DS in several years, but I am definitely planning it in on our next trip. I also love World of Disney!

I am on the mend. It is just taking some time and patience is not my best virtue! Disney Springs is so much fun. There are always new stores and things to look in. I can "dream shop" all day long!

Sorry about your medical issue! Hope the worst is behind you. On a positive note, your first day is going well!

The worst is finally behind me. Once the fever left and stayed away, I started to feel better. Now it's just about getting my energy back. Our first day was really good. But not the #bestdayever. That will come later . . . stay tuned!

Sorry that you have not been well, but I hope you are feeling better.

I loved Toy Story 4 and can't wait to see all the Forky and Bo Peep merch in a couple of weeks! :D

Those earrings you picked are just perfect, I love them!

I adored Toy Story 4. I liked how things were wrapped up.

I am feeling better!
 
I think having your arrival day a non-park day is smart. Sounds like a fun shopping day. My DH also likes expensive sunglasses. I'm always nervous he's going to leave them somewhere. Maybe the fear of my wrath helps him keep track of them :rotfl2:Your meal looks amazing!
 
July 6th - Part 1 - EPCOT
There is nothing better than waking up after a fabulous nights sleep knowing that you don't have to go to work, you don't have to do chores, you don't have to run errands - you just get to have fun because you're in Disney World. Yes, I'm that person. We (really me, because I'm the planner) chose EPCOT as our first park day because we had planned two days for this park. Day one was going to focus more on future world and just strolling thru the countries and the second day (our last park day) would be reverse. I had also tentatively planned on seeing Illuminations twice, but we would absolutely catch it on our second day there no matter what. Would these plans actually come true?? You'll have to keep reading (and I'll have to keep typing) to find out!

After getting ready and heading outside, we got a much better look at the Jazz Building.

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Our room was to the left of the saxophone. We did a full tour of the resort later in the trip - I'll show you those pictures later. The resort was cute and has a similar layout to the other All-Star resorts. We have now stayed at all three and to be honest, I'm ready for something different for our next trip. Yes, I'm already mentally planning our next trip. I am also that person. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the food court before heading to the parks.

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Not my picture and it was never, ever that empty. We both got cheese omelettes, bacon and fruit. Nothing too fancy, but it was good and used up a counter service credit. I do have to say that Disney has the best fruit ever. No matter what season, their fruit is always fresh and yummy. A container of grapes is a snack credit. I did that quite a bit over our time there. After breakfast, we waited for a bus and headed over to EPCOT.

Just an added note. I participated in a memory maker share group this trip. I did it last time and it was so easy and so much less expensive. I love taking photo pass pictures (poor Tony) and this way I could force, no wait, convince, no wait, bat my eyes and ask nicely to stop every five feet for yet another picture with Spaceship Earth. Which is exactly what we did as soon as we got off the bus, went thru bag check and security. Holy long lines Batman, they really need to do something about the logjam that is in that area. I know it is under construction, but it is just endless.

Back to pictures. As we were approaching the first photo pass photographer, a cast member passed us and commented that we did a great Disney Bound today. I was surprised, as my attempts to have matching and/or coordinating outfits this trip failed miserably and I was just hoping we were appropriately covered and cool enough for the weather. The cast member said that we were a perfect bound for Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder. Wait - are you telling me that I am, in fact, the lost princess??? And my husband is a thief with a heart of gold???

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I AM THE LOST PRINCESS!!! Minus the frying pan, chameleon and tiara. This was an exciting moment for me, as I had never done a Disney Bound and certainly never accidentially fallen into one, so I was super excited and took more pictures.

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This is our best thinking pose. We really do not do magic shots very well. Tony may or may not look like he is picking his nose. But I'm the lost princess, so pick away honey!!!

Our first fast pass for the morning was one of Tony's absolute favorite rides -

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Sadly, I am too fluffy for this ride (I learned this the hard way on our last trip). So we do our own version of rider swap. Tony uses his magic band and rides the ride and comes back out and takes my magic band and rides again. It takes a little while for this process, but I'm happy just people watching and I like knowing that he can have a lot of fun in between my constant picture taking and acting like a five year old. Our next fast pass was literally around the corner to go on Living with the Land. I adore this ride. Tony was a bit grumbly about riding it, saying it was boring. However, by the time we were done, he was convinced he could start growing things in our extra bedroom at home. Sure sweetie, whatever you think you can accomplish.

Another side note - this was another opportunity to ask a cast member for a little extra assistance. As with most boat rides, the step down into the ride and then eventually the step up out of the ride is a little steep. I knew that there was a boat that would accommodate a wheelchair and so we asked the cast member if we could wait for that particular boat. Tony transferred into a manual wheelchair and he rode in that and I was able to sit beside him in a regular seat without having to step down. The cast members were very nice and gave us all the time we needed to transfer and move about. Do not be afraid or embarrassed to ask for additional help.

After these rides, our next stop was Spaceship Earth. Yes, to ride the ride, not to take more pictures. We did not have a fast pass for this ride, but for ECV and wheelchair riders, you do not need one. Instead of going thru the regular line, we enter thru the side door that is marked for wheelchair entrances and we actually go in thru the exit. There is a moving walkway, which we ask them to slow down to a crawl or even stop and there is a ride vehicle with a larger door entrance so us fluffy gals don't get stuck. I wish I had taken a picture of our future because we decided to do our best puffer fish faces when it came time to take the ride picture. We are a hot mess sometimes.

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I am the lost princess!!

Our third fast pass for the morning was another one for Tony -

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There is no way in the world you will get me on this "I'm gonna puke on you" ride. Tony loves it, but not enough to ride twice. While he was getting jostled around in space, I was poking around the construction areas.

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I know that for some people, construction is irritating. I like that Disney is always trying to build new things and improve upon what is already pretty fantastic.

I'm out of room for pictures so I'll stop here for now. Up next - the biggest pretzel in Germany!
 
That meal looked yum!!!!

It was absolutely delicious. I would definitely go back there again if for some reason we couldn't find a new place to go.

I think having your arrival day a non-park day is smart. Sounds like a fun shopping day. My DH also likes expensive sunglasses. I'm always nervous he's going to leave them somewhere. Maybe the fear of my wrath helps him keep track of them :rotfl2:Your meal looks amazing!

I seriously gave him a five minute lecture about losing the glasses. I know he doesn't do it on purpose, but if we are going to drop mega bucks on sunglasses, he needs to know where they are at all times. And to his credit, so far, they are safe and secure.

I really like a non-park day for our first day. I always worry about arriving late due to traffic our just our crazy luck and then I've wasted a day of our tickets.

Following along! Congrats on finally completing your husband's conversion to Disney obsessed!

I really think that he is a full convert now - not just loving the parks, but parades, character dining, fireworks, the whole shebang! He is one of us now. I will teach him the secret handshake!
 
Of course Tony needs those glasses.....do you really want people fainting all around from his famous smoulder.

And now you need a shirt that says....
I'm a delicate flower /lost princess.
 
:eek::eek::faint::faint::faint: I just realized you have the same color and style of Rapunzel after her hair is cut.

You are the lost princess!!!
 

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