"When I went it was all lights, and music, and Mickey doin' his magic." — Aug. '18 Disneyversary TR — Completed (Finally!!) August 20, 2021

[docsoliday1]

Hey Doc!! I keep forgetting you are local now and can come to the parks at any time! Next time for sure. I think we are planning for March right now, although I'd like to come sooner but it's easier said that done, LOL!

I think you get to the parks more often than me.

 

[Tracy161]

Just seeing that you were in Disney last week! I hope you had a marvelous time

 

[piglet1979]

i just started your trip report. I am loving it so far. We are going to Disney with my parents this summer and your trip will be very helpfully. My mom can't have gluten either and this will be first trip since she was diagnosed with Celiac.

Don't ever pretend you understand something a preschooler says if you don't. They will know the difference, and they will call you on it, and you'll look dumb and/or lose their trust.

This is so true. DS had a speech issue when he was little. He would make everyone repeat him until we repeated exactly what he said word for word.

 

[MeghanEmily]

I loved the cheeseburger pods a couple of years ago! I hope they bring it back to the adult menu. Just one from the kids' size portion isn't going to cut it!

Totally! Hopefully it there's enough demand they'll bring it back.

Man, that causes some anxiety! I'm glad it turned out ok!

It was very anxiety-provoking!

You just look like a Disney expert.

That must be it! #lifegoals

I really like that. I prefer it to Rivers of Light, honestly.

I agree!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Omg I would have had a heart attacked too about the backpack! Glad N was able to run back and retrieve it!

So cute about the boy asking if you worked there!

So many beautiful pics from your tour! Looks like a wonderful time!

It was so stressful misplacing my bag! Glad N swooped in and saved it!

We really did have a wonderful time on the tour! A wonderful splurge

First off, I would have died if I misplaced/lost my bag. That's the worst feeling.
Second, what wonderful pics from your safari!!! The giraffes are so gorgeous!!!

It was the WORST feeling!
And yes, it was an especially nice night for giraffes!

Savor the Savanna sounds like an amazing experience. A perfect middle ground between the safari and the Wild Africa Trek.

Oh my goodness, I'm glad N was able to find your bag right away. What a damper that would have put on the evening had it been lost.

That's what I thought about Savor the Savanna, too. And yes, my goodness it was stressful! I don't want think about what the night would have been like if he hadn't found it. As it was, it was a lovely night

 

[MeghanEmily]

I COMPLETELY know this feeling. I wrote so very differently "back then".

Glad to know I'm not the only one who wrestles with this feeling! I think it's totally normal that this changes over time, but I'm still hoping to get back somewhere close to what once was.

So many really great photos, Meghan! And I'm pretty sure we had most, if not all, of the same actors/actresses you did.

Thanks so much!

Phew!! Holy cow, I'd have had a heart attack!

Oh my gosh, it was very stressful losing my bag! Could have been much worse.

I REALLY want to do this tour!

I think you'd really appreciate this one!

That is a perfect photo!! Nicely done!

Thanks so much! A wonderful lucky shot.

I'd agree, Snoozer, but visually pretty and fun to photograph, just lacking any story or substance whatsoever.

100%.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Woohoo!!!!!! The DIS ain't the DIS without some Meghan in it!

Thanks, Kari! Feelin' the love!

Glad it got better. We've only ever seen it once because we weren't huge fans mainly because of the new music they added to it. We'll have to give it another try though if nothing else in the name of Meghan!

Ooh, the pressure's on! It may not be your cup of tea, but I'm a fan I can see what you mean about the new music though. It does kinda make it feel a little less authentic to the movie or something like that.

Satuli really is a great place. We aren't big quick service plans, but would be if they could all be this good.

Agreed!

Is it weird that this somehow reminded me of something my husband would do?

 

[MeghanEmily]

Very scary moment to not have your backpack, glad it was found.

Savor the Savanna looks and sounds amazing.

I may need to add this to one of our trips. This would be such a nice up and close Safari. I imagine it is less than the African Trek one.

I do enjoy The RoL it is a peaceful show and it fits with this amazing park!

Ooh it was so nerve-wracking! I'm so glad we found the bad quickly.

And yes, Savor the Savanna was a really great tour And more relaxed than Wild Africa Trek for sure. I remember it being a bit expensive, but cheaper than Wild Africa Trek is.

I've been in and out, but your RoL photos look amazing! They look like promotional photos and are so beautiful with all of the colors

Thanks so much! I had fun taking them, and even more fun looking back on them later.

We had Nick on our Wild Africa Trek! He was terrific, and so interesting to talk to!

I have promised Jimmy a Wild Africa Trek in his future, but I hope Savor the Savanna sticks around for awhile because I would love to do that with Rob some day!

Oh Nick was such a great guide! He's so friendly and has so much interesting knowledge!

Both are such great tour options. I bet Jimmy would love WAT someday

 

[MeghanEmily]

Oh! Have a great time!!!

Thanks! We did!

Nice! Two of my favourite people getting together.

It was great to see Su-Lynn and Steve again. We had a nice meet (with some time to catch up during a super long wait for a FP for the safari) and a nice lunch at Satuli Canteen.

I'm thinking "glad" isn't the word you used at the time.

More like, "oh thank gawd!"

I saw/heard him roar once too. So cool!

 

[MeghanEmily]

I get that way too sometimes, depending on what's going on in real life. I have gone through periods where I have completely felt uninspired. Getting back o the DIS does make me feel better and I'm glad you're feeling the same way. It's always nice to have you back on here, Meghan, in whatever form you're able!

It's so nice when you can get back into the swing of things and receive/spread some joy on the Dis! We're back from our recent trip now, and I'm coming to the end of my school term, so hopefully another update coming before too long!

Oh, my. What a lovely dinner and amazing views!

It was wonderful! Such a nice way to treat ourselves.

It is so pretty in photos, and yet, I've been there and skipped it multiple times. Just cannot seem to make myself want to stay for it. Maybe in March...

I'm not sure you're really missing much. I think it's very pretty and peaceful, but not the most thrilling story I've ever seen by any means.

Awesome! Have an amazing trip!!

Thanks! We did! Even though it was a shorter trip with fewer big splurge-y types of additions, it was probably one of the most fun trips we've had in a while!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Too bad...would love to meet up with you and N sometime. Didn't know @chunkymonkey was here either. It would be good to meet up with her and Steve again also.

I should have thought of this! But hopefully we'll make a meet-up happen at some point. I'm not planning for any meets on our next trip in December, but once I take a look at our schedule if I see any days when it might fit nicely I'll be sure to let you know. Meeting Su-Lynn and Steve was a last-minute addition, but it was a really lovely meet!! We had lunch at Satuli Canteen and rode the safari, which was a nice way to catch up! They're such nice folks

 

[MeghanEmily]

Just seeing that you were in Disney last week! I hope you had a marvelous time

Thanks, Tracy! It was so lovely! A shorter trip than some of our others, but so much fun

i just started your trip report. I am loving it so far. We are going to Disney with my parents this summer and your trip will be very helpfully. My mom can't have gluten either and this will be first trip since she was diagnosed with Celiac.

Thanks so much! And to the trip report!

I hope you have a wonderful trip with your parents. I know for me as someone who has to be pretty strictly gluten free, Disney is one of the few places other than my own kitchen where I can both feel safe eating, and also have some really interesting and creative options sometimes! There have been a couple of experiences have have been less-than-stellar in many trips over several years, but for the most part my allergy dining experiences have been overwhelmingly positive.

This is so true. DS had a speech issue when he was little. He would make everyone repeat him until we repeated exactly what he said word for word.

Absolutely! And that's so funny about your DS! He must have been such a bright, confident little guy! Kids are the best, and they know what's up.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

How was your trip? I can't wait to hear all about it!!!

 

[docsoliday1]

I should have thought of this! But hopefully we'll make a meet-up happen at some point. I'm not planning for any meets on our next trip in December, but once I take a look at our schedule if I see any days when it might fit nicely I'll be sure to let you know. Meeting Su-Lynn and Steve was a last-minute addition, but it was a really lovely meet!! We had lunch at Satuli Canteen and rode the safari, which was a nice way to catch up! They're such nice folks

Hopefully.

Steve and @chunkymonkey are indeed good people. Sadly, my time with them (as with many of the folks on the Epic Girl's trip) was limited. Stupid work getting in the way of my Dismeet time.

 

[MeghanEmily]

How was your trip? I can't wait to hear all about it!!!

Ooh it was so much fun! A short trip, with fewer "extras" than some of our other recent trips, but probably one of the most fun trips we've taken in a while! Just the boost I needed to get through the rest of my semester at school

 

[pkondz]

It was great to see Su-Lynn and Steve again. We had a nice meet (with some time to catch up during a super long wait for a FP for the safari) and a nice lunch at Satuli Canteen.

sounds pretty good.

 

[MeghanEmily]

I was about to start a new update on this trip report, but then I decided it would be more fun to do a quickie post about the fun things we just did less than two weeks ago!

So yes, we just went to WDW again. (And yes, we're going again in less than a month. Try explaining that to my in-laws!) We stayed offsite at my grandmother's timeshare, and she graciously gifted us some of her points again, so we saved a whole lot of money there. We also tried renting a car with a hotwire hotrate for the first time, which also resulted in some money saved, as well as a much cooler rental car than we'd normally drive! (Can you say, "Mercedes-Benz?") We decided that if this trip was going to happen, we'd have to keep the budget pretty tight, so that meant only one table service meal per day (...yeah...we cheated on that a little bit once we got there...) and not going too crazy with added extras like we like to do. I did purchase tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party for Nov. 12th, and I also bought us tickets for a very exciting off-site encounter in Crystal River, Florida's famous home of the manatee. I was on my school study break, and N had been away for work, so we both flew out of the different cities we were in at the time, and met up in Orlando for a week of relaxation and fun! Here's a quick CliffsNotes trip report...

Day 1 (Travel Day):
I arrive in Orlando first. N will follow the next day. I get in in the evening, pick up my fancy Mercedes, pop quickly into a Walmart for some supplies, then hit up Disney Springs. I check in just in time for a very late dinner ADR at Morimoto Asia, sending N a selfie from my table, captioning it with something along the lines of how I'm actually feeling something akin to contented happiness that night, something that's been elusive to me as of late as I've been living with a lot of depressive/anxiety symptoms. I'm feeling a seemingly paradoxical simultaneous combination of energized AND peaceful. I nosh on some late-night wings and sushi, and it's delicious.

Day 2:
I have a solo day while I wait for N's flight to arrive that night. I set foot in four parks over the course of the day, pop over to Sam's Club in between, and end my day at Disney Springs to pick up some gluten free treats for us to have a sweet breakfast the next morning. My day starts at Animal Kingdom. It's toasty! I note the highest temperature is around 28C (82F). I get to take some cute pictures, have an animated character meet, and try my hand at drawing Scar. Then I go to DHS, then MK. I end my day at EPCOT, where I have a fun Garden Grill dinner with mediocre food, neutral-to-poor service, and wonderfully memorable character meets. I get to see the EPCOT Forever fireworks show and get misty when the Tapestry of Nations music comes on and the fire-kites fly. N's connecting flight in NY is delayed due to poor weather in Detroit. He gets in to the timeshare by Uber around 1-2am, and I awake to a phone call that he can't get in to the unit even though he picked up his extra key at the front desk because I've accidentally left the door latch in the locked position.

...continued... ​

 

[MeghanEmily]

...continued...

Day 3:
We take it slow in the morning after my busy day and N's late arrival. This will be another late night because we have our Christmas party in the evening. We leave the timeshare around noon. Originally we were going to eat quick service and grocery-type-stuff until our Skipper Canteen dinner that night, but suddenly a table service lunch is starting to sound good. We decide on sandwiches from The Wave, which ends up being a delicious lunch with excellent service. We head to the MK and ride some rides, then get steak and chicken from Skipper Canteen, which is reasonably good. When the party begins, we do an adorable character meet, test out the holiday overlay at the Speedway, and snag our favourite spot for the Christmas parade in Frontierland. I get to watch what I think is probably my favourite parade—I think Boo to You is objectively a better parade, but I enjoy the Christmas parade more—and I absolutely unashamedly fangirl over the toy soldiers and the reindeer. We do some browsing the merch, and I pick up a coveted limited release pin. We catch the new fireworks show, which we deem to be enjoyable, but nothing special, more of a compilation of Christmas tunes with some pretty fireworks worked in nicely. We end the night with the holiday version of the Monster's Inc Laugh Floor show, then head out about an hour early because we are both feeling a bit too sleepy to hang in any longer.

Day 4:
We start our day at AK. N—an artist by trade—is seemingly jealous that I tried the animation experience without him, and we go again so he can try it, too. This time, I draw Hopper. We do some serious Pokemon battling while we wait for the train to leave. We get to catch up with good Disfriends, Su-Lynn (@chunkymonkey) and her DH, Steve, and we all wait in a super-backed-up FP line to ride a very bumpy safari ride together. We're feeling peckish, and the Chunkys are headed toward Pandora for a FP anyway, so we all grab lunch at Satu'li Canteen. Su-Lynn and Steve tell us about their meal earlier in their trip at Takumi-Tei, and N, who has wanted to go there for some time, is enthralled. I can already feel my pocketbook getting significantly lighter as I prepare myself mentally to book this ADR for the incredible-but-pricey tasting menu experience for the last night of our trip. Later, we check out some monorail resorts' gingerbread decor, and do some pin trading. That evening, we head to the Dolphin for a wonderful dinner at Shula's in a belated celebration of N's 30th birthday.

...continued...​

 

[MeghanEmily]

...continued...

Day 5:
It's an early morning as we drive the fancy Mercedes out to Crystal River to meet our manatee friends. We share a tour with another couple from California. They're perfectly friendly, but the manatees like N and me better! (Sorry to those folks if you happen to be reading this TR!) Nobody touches the manatees unless they get up in your grill and initiate with you first. The first encounter with a manatee happens between me and a precious baby. The water is a little chilly, but there are tons of manatees just newly arriving from the gulf at this time of year. The other couple gets out of the water and back onto the boat to warm up, and as soon as they leave there are probably a dozen more manatees coming in. One of them literally hugs N, and keeps rolling over and basically throwing himself at us for belly rubs. We leave feeling peaceful and honoured. We try a new dinner for us that night at the Boathouse and are absolutely blown away. The food is perfect, and our server is one of the best we've ever had. N has oysters that make him swoon, and I try not to lick the plate of my garlic-y rosemary'd steak and crispy fries.

​

 

[MeghanEmily]

...continued...

Day 6:
Today is our last day before we fly out early the next morning. We start at Ohana for breakfast and share some fun interactions with the characters. The food is quite good, the service slow and inattentive, and we wait a very long time after the food is gone to get our bill and get the heck outta' there. We play at the MK for a bit, pin trading, hitting a few rides, and playing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. In the afternoon, we move over to EPCOT for more rides and that Takumi-Tei reservation I'd booked. We do the 7-course tasting menu, mine being modified slightly for allergies. It's super expensive, but the service is fabulous, and we love learning little tidbits about Japanese cuisine, art, and culture. The food is to die for. The sushi dish is simple but elevated, the flavours are paired so nicely, and it's probably my favourite sushi I've ever had. The main course is a comparison of US and Japanese wagyu beef, and the marbled Japanese wagyu melts luxuriously in our mouths. I get a chance to stop in to the new temporary Character Spot, have great interactions, and love the backdrops. We end the night with EPCOT Forever, which is N's chance to see it for the first time. He enjoys it as much as I do. We both feel this show is a wonderful placeholder, but can't wait to see what comes next.

Day 7 (Travel day):
We get up very early and drive to the airport. We fly out of the same terminal, but on different flights to different locations.

All in all, this trip ended up being one my recent favourites, despite it being shorter than most of our WDW visits. We did a few special things, but also just enjoyed the typical park experiences that we sometimes miss out on by trying to cram our days full of splurges and new extras: riding favourite rides, pin trading, and just walking through the parks and enjoying the atmosphere. We didn't kill ourselves trying to get everything done, even during the Christmas party, and I think it really contributed to how much we enjoyed the trip. We're heading back to WDW next month, and I'm feeling super excited to see what that trip holds! ​