Will I ever actually get there??? A first-time trip to WDW (3/10 - 3/16 2024)

[Keladry84]

8b. Day 6: MK/Epcot
My alarm sounds to end my break in the room. I get up to go to Epcot. It will be my last park of the trip.

My luck with the buses holds out and I am quickly on my way.

Inside the park, I stop first for a couple of photopass pictures I hadn’t seen before. I get the Epcot 360!



Woohoo! I also find the super Zoom, but not sure how to post the “video” from it here.

Quick stop for a shot with Spaceship Earth!



A different photographer nearby gives me St. Patrick’s Day balloons!



And a 3rd one holiday confetti!



All 4 of these photographers were standing only a few feet from each other. While I felt a little silly going to each in such proximity, it was worth it for the different magic shots that they had!

I head over to the Nemo ride. It is cute, although one of the rooms makes me super dizzy and I have to close my eyes to be able to keep from being nauseous.



I think I got followed when I left the ride!

Walking through Epcot, I head towards Figment. I really enjoy the ride! There are small bits of humor throughout, combined with good complementary effects!

I can see why Figment is popular, and wish I could have experienced the original story back in the day.

I make my way towards World Showcase. I plan to try the Cauliflower again, but first a photo stop!



This was a popular spot and one of the longer Photopass lines I had to wait in.



Another fun magic shot! The line to wait here was in the sun. I am looking forward to sitting in the shade to eat.

The cauliflower is just as good as the other day, and I am glad I got it again! I also got the frozen lavender drink from one of the stands nearby. I dislike it, but drink it all as it is cool and helps with the heat.

Next stop: Canada! I get there and purchase maple popcorn to take home with me. I explore the pavilion, finding the Kidcot station tucked in the back. I really like the waterfall and small “trail” that goes by it.

The next pavilion is the UK. I find an old friend – I think he might be hungry!



But all the food I have is the maple popcorn

I keep exploring, meandering through the pavilions. At the international gateway I exchange the eggstravaganza hunt for my “prize.” I only ever saw 2 eggs personally while I was there, and had to use the internet to properly place the stickers. Oops!

Coming back to France, I explore properly. I only peek into the perfume store, as I can’t do the smell. I have a DAS for Remy that is ready, but the LL is way too long so I skip riding again. I do however re-do my magic shots and the results are a tiny bit better:



The next and last pavilion for me to explore is Morocco. I realize I should eat more and make an unplanned foodstop and get the chicken kebab and saffron cake.



Both of these are so, so, so good!!! I can’t believe I almost missed out on these! With the exception of Satuli Canteen, it is my favorite meal of the trip.

Picture limit: Continued in next post!

 

[Keladry84]

Done with World Showcase, I continue meandering around World Showcase, stopping for photopass photographers when I see them.

First stop is Japan.



I am hoping next year to go the World’s Fair in Osaka. While in the country, I of course will need to visit Universal Japan and the two Disney Parks! It will be interesting to see how they compare to the US parks!

Next up is Italy:



Such a cute Mickey! This is actually my second time at this Photopass - I stopped here earlier in the week, but didn't like my expression. Now that I know who will be in the pot, I can react better

Then I make a pit stop in Germany. I still haven’t bought my souvenir, so the shirt I saw the other day will be mine!



It’s perfect for a German teacher to wear, although I do wish the character on the shirt were Mickey instead of Minnie. I briefly talk to the CM behind the cash register in German, asking about how he got to Epcot and his plans for staying. It was interesting to learn about!

I slowly make my way out of the park, making a pit stop in the China pavilion:





I wish I could have gotten this passport magic shot for all of the pavilions! But sadly I wasn’t able to catch a photographer at all of them. This might be something to try for on a future trip!

As I leave World Showcase, the sun goes down quickly. I stop for a magic shot with the Epcot ball lit up in the background.



The photographer catches the monorail as it goes by!

As I leave the park, I wave goodbye to Epcot.



But I’m not done yet. I have one last thing to do: The Monorail.

Instead of heading straight back to the hotel, I take the monorail to Magic Kingdom. While on the train, the Magic Kingdom fireworks are going off and it is a neat vantage point to watch them from. At the TTC, I ask for a transportation card and am in luck – I get one with the monorail on it. Yay!

I arrive at the park just as the fireworks crowds are leaving. It’s medlam! I briefly consider entering the park for a couple of last rides, but I’m completely done in. I join the mass of people leaving and head to the bus stop.

Just as I am arriving the bus to POFQ pulls out. I’m stuck waiting over 20 minutes for the next one….guess my mid-trip luck with transportation is at an end…..that doesn’t bode well for my travel day tomorrow!!

A bus finally comes, and I make it back to my resort and crash into bed.

 

[awrites]

Sorry you missed out on Remy, but it looks like a great time at Epcot regardless! The saffron cake and kebab look delicious.

Hope the delay with the POFQ bus isn’t a harbinger of travel woes in getting home! You had more than your fair share flying out.

 

[Keladry84]

Sorry you missed out on Remy, but it looks like a great time at Epcot regardless! The saffron cake and kebab look delicious.

Hope the delay with the POFQ bus isn’t a harbinger of travel woes in getting home! You had more than your fair share flying out.

Thanks! I did get to ride Remy earlier in the trip, albeit with some strangers hair in my face the whole time - I had been hoping to re-ride without that, but I did still get to experience it at least!

RE the delay - that is exactly what I was thinking while waiting for the bus back to POFQ!! I'll be posting about my travels home and finishing the report this weekend!

 

[Keladry84]

9. Day 7: travel day
Waking up in the morning, I hurt all over, and am really glad I am not going to a park – I don’t think I would make it. As I get ready and pack, I check my flight – it’s on time! So far so good!

I finish packing and get ready to head over to get breakfast, AND ask a CM if there is anything that can be done about my unused park day. I’m about to leave and get a text message from Southwest.

Flight delayed by 1 hour.

Sigh. It starts again. I pause – do I want to wait a couple of minutes before heading over to get food now that I have more time?

A second text arrives, less than a minute after the first.

Flight delay of a further 2 hours. Now leaving at 2 pm.

What? $&#^&^*

Seriously? Hmmm…if the delay is that long, do I want to risk heading to a park and use my last ticket day?

I sit down for a couple of minutes.

A 3rd text from Southwest comes. Flight delayed now by 6 hours (leaving at 5 pm).

What on earth is going on???? This is crazy. All thoughts of trying to go to a park with the delay leave my mind. Nevermind that. I need to get to the airport because something ODD is going on. Looks like it will be a very frustrating day.

I get up to head out for breakfast.

A FOURTH text comes in.

Flight now on time, leaving at 11:00 am.

I don’t know if I should trust it or not, but do need to continue with my original plans.

In the main POFQ building, I start looking for a CM. I am nervous. I really don’t like asking for things that are exceptions – the rules on my ticket state all days need to be used within x number of days. I decide this is how I will approach the conversation:

1. Find a CM
2. Ask if I need to do anything to check out (as a conversation starter). When they answer no, then:
3. State I have another question
4. Reference what the check-in CM said (“The check-in CM said I should ask someone on check-out day about my tickets. This is what happened)
5. Explain situation

It took me most of the week to think of my script/what I would say, and I rehearsed it in my head multiple times. Still, I wasn't sure if I was going to use it or try to ask until the morning of my departure.

The first CM I see is an older guy – I was hoping for a younger female near my own age, but we make eye contact. Ok, here goes.

The conversation goes pretty much exactly like my script. He listens and double-checks I am flying this morning (yep…or at least I think I am!), and then scans my magic band. He looks around on his I-pad for about 5 minutes, says hold on, and then disappears into a back room for 5-10 minutes. He comes out, AND: I have a 1 day comp ticket!

He has me double-check it is showing in my account, and notices it is only good for 1 year (it was supposed to be 2). He offers to go try and change it, but after thinking for a couple of seconds I say no, it’s fine as is. My main concern is I don’t want to some how loose it after getting it! I figure: I’ll be in Orlando several times this year anyways due to my Universal annual pass, and if for some reason I can’t make a day over to Disney, I can call and see if they can add a year extension to the date seeing as it was supposed to be 2 years to begin with!

I thank the CM and head to get breakfast – Mickey waffles and bacon! I can’t believe I didn’t get this before during the trip, it is delicious!



After eating, it is time to say good bye to POFQ and Disney. I am sad.



I take my last pictures of the trip.



And hop in an Uber to the airport.

The security lines are a madhouse. I am very glad to have my TSA pre-check: The standard line has an estimated wait of 45 minutes! I am through in 10-15, even with being randomly pulled over for extra screening :/ :/ :/ (the extra random screening defeats the purpose of WHY I purchased pre-check in the first place!!)

Inside the terminal it is also crowded. I was hoping for an early lunch, but the lines are gigantic! Noping that! I find my gate, and there is a small food stand with almost no line across from it! Woohoo! I go over and find they have a chicken salad wrap that sounds good. I take my food to the gate and have enough time to eat half of it before boarding starts.

The flight leaves ON TIME!!

I have no idea what was up with those texts earlier in the morning, but I’m glad they weren’t accurate!

Back at my home airport, I pick up my car:



Hello again E12!

And drive back home. I have a couple of hours to relax, and then my Dad stops by – he is in town for the night, so I get to see him!

I make him try some of the caramel popcorn, the king cake, and sample both my Gideon’s cookies that are left from the trip. It is fun to share with my Dad, and is the perfect conclusion to my trip

 

[Keladry84]

10. Wrap-up/final thoughts

Overall, I had a really wonderful trip. I got to do almost everything at Disney I wanted to despite the travel delay. I am still frustrated to not have gotten to go to Universal Mardi Gras (AND I will really miss not having been able to purchase the food discount card when I am at Universal for future trips!). The extra day at Disney would have also afforded me a slower pace and I wouldn’t have been as burned out (in theory).

I’m really glad I applied for and qualified for DAS – it made a HUGE difference. Eyeballing the standby queues as I walked by, I think there is very little that I would have been able to do without the DAS, and I would have been effectively cut out from most attractions. As it was, I had to bail on 2 different LL after entering, elect not to try 3 different ones, and barely made it through the Pooh line. Those were all lightning lanes, I don’t want to imagine how the standby would have been!

The last wrap-up is the Memory Maker. I really struggled before the trip on whether or not to purchase it, and am very glad I sprung for it! The pictures and magic shots were my favorite part of the trip, hands-down! I don’t know if I would purchase it on a future trip or not, mostly due to the cost, but I am really glad I had it for this one!

Now comes the hardest decision: When to use my Comp ticket, and what to do/which parks to visit??

The items I’d most like to do are:

Animal Kingdom:
- ride Kali River rapids (it was being refurbished during my trip)
- eat in Satuli
- re-ride FoP
- I’d also probably ride Dinosaur/Everest and like to see Pandora at night, but those aren’t must-dos

Hollywood Studios:
- ride Slinky Dog dash!
- I’d probably re-ride ToT, but not a must-do

Magic Kingdom:
- ride Tiana
- ride HauntedMansion/Pirates (re-do ride photos!)
- Tom Sawyer Island
- misc. other things like Dumbo, teacups, etc. (not must-dos)

Epcot:
- revisit only if there is a unique festival (for example the holidays)

I'm having some trouble deciding when to go and how to prioritize what I do. I technically have time during my trip to Universal in a couple of weeks (late May), BUT Tiana's isn't open yet, the DAS is being re-vamped so will probably be more chaotic, and it will be hot. I'm debating instead to do a trip in late December after Christmas - getting to see the Disney Christmas decorations would be awesome!

The other difficulty is that I wouldn't be able to do an afternoon break on my 1 Disney Day because of needing to Ueber over from Universal. 3-4 parks with no break in one day is too much for me, so if anyone has any suggestions for how to break down and navigate the above, I'd love to have the feedback!

Well, that’s the rest of my trip. I had a great time, and enjoyed sharing the adventures with all of you. Thank you for reading, the feedback, comments, and likes!

 

[NH-to-FL]

Well, that’s the rest of my trip. I had a great time, and enjoyed sharing the adventures with all of you. Thank you for reading, the feedback, comments, and likes!

And thank you for so deeply sharing your experience.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Enjoyed your report!
Would you be able to add a night to your Universal trip so you could spend one day at Disney before you start your Universal trip?
We do that often in the opposite direction, we add a night so we can spend a separate day at Universal!
Just a thought! Either way have a wonderful trip to Universal!

 

[jrmint427]

Thank you for sharing about your trip! I'm glad your travel home was much smoother despite those odd texts. And it's great you were able to get a comp day for your unused ticket. Can't wait to hear how you decide to use it!

 

[Mich123]

Great report! I’m glad you didn’t believe the SW texts—they are dangerous and I wonder how many people miss their flights when that happens. I’m also glad you enjoyed your trip.

For your next trip…I recommend a holiday visit—the decorations are so well done.

 

[awrites]

Awesome report! I’m glad your return home went more smoothly than the arrival!

I’m not sure how I’d tackle using your comp ticket! I will say Kali might not be as enjoyable in December, at least not without planning how to stay dry/leave the park quickly to dry off inside. (For that matter depending on how wet Tiana’s Bayou Adventure gets, it might pose the same difficulty!)

And it’s not the same as a true break at the resort, but maybe it’d be an option to find a quietish table service restaurant and have a leisurely meal there?

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I enjoyed your report! Thank you for sharing your experience. I appreciated understanding more about how your autism impacts your day-to-day life while traveling. Disney can be overstimulating and I (without autism) find I need to pay attention to the cues my body sends, especially regarding taking breaks and hydrating, but I don't have the physical response you do when I ignore those signals. I just get grouchy.

As for your plans for using your one day ticket, one suggestion I have is to find a deluxe hotel lobby to take a quiet break - but not the Polynesian; that place is usually busy! Here are some ideas:

• The Yacht Club has some window seats in the hallway leading from the lobby to the gift shop and it's usually quiet there.
• The Beach Club is a little busier, but I swear I always see people taking a nap while I'm there; there's also the Solarium room down the hall from the lobby.
• The Contemporary has a conference center on the second floor, and there are several couches. It's a very quiet spot if there is not an event happening.
• Animal Kingdom Lodge (both buildings) have multiple seating areas with animal viewing spots, and the building is kind of dim. Wilderness Lodge has multiple spots to sit in the lobby, and not just on the first floor - there are comfortable spots on multiple floors that overlook the lobby, and the adjacent DVC building has a small lobby and a little room off of it that is often quiet and has comfortable seating.

In the parks, Magic Kingdom has a few benches behind the Christmas store in Liberty Square and it's usually quiet, as are parts of Tom Sawyer Island.
Epcot has that new area near the front with lots of seating and trees. The theater show in the American pavilion is possibly an option as well.
Animal Kingdom has lots of quiet little nooks and crannies tucked away.
DHS might be the worst for finding a quiet spot, although Backlot Express has a large seating area that is often pretty empty when it isn't a meal time, which is also true about the seating areas along Sunset Blvd where the little food market area is.

If the weather is okay, you could also use some of the lounge chairs that are set up on beaches at resorts. Beach Club, Polynesian, and probably some others have them (they are outside the pool areas). Also, some resorts have hammocks - I think Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach, although it's a gamble if one is available.

 

[Keladry84]

And thank you for so deeply sharing your experience.

Thank you for reading all the way!

Enjoyed your report!
Would you be able to add a night to your Universal trip so you could spend one day at Disney before you start your Universal trip?
We do that often in the opposite direction, we add a night so we can spend a separate day at Universal!
Just a thought! Either way have a wonderful trip to Universal!

I've thought about that.....but will probably just do a day trip sandwiched in the middle of my trip. 2 of the 3 times I've flown to Orlando, my flight there got cancelled and I arrived over a day late (my first trip to Universal in 2022 was similar to this one with flights and I lost a full park day then too, albeit the reason there was a thunderstorm in Dallas (layover city) - at least then I was flying out of the airport 15 minutes from home!)

Btw, I've really enjoyed your trip reports on both Disney and Universal!

Thank you for sharing about your trip! I'm glad your travel home was much smoother despite those odd texts. And it's great you were able to get a comp day for your unused ticket. Can't wait to hear how you decide to use it!

I was panicking by the 3rd one! It was so odd....I'm wondering if they accidently posted for the wrong flight, tried to fix it, but kept getting the wrong flight several times!

Great report! I’m glad you didn’t believe the SW texts—they are dangerous and I wonder how many people miss their flights when that happens. I’m also glad you enjoyed your trip.

For your next trip…I recommend a holiday visit—the decorations are so well done.

The holidays are what I'm leaning towards! It will be expensive (hotels are over 200 per night :/) but I think worth it!

 

[Keladry84]

Awesome report! I’m glad your return home went more smoothly than the arrival!

I’m not sure how I’d tackle using your comp ticket! I will say Kali might not be as enjoyable in December, at least not without planning how to stay dry/leave the park quickly to dry off inside. (For that matter depending on how wet Tiana’s Bayou Adventure gets, it might pose the same difficulty!)

And it’s not the same as a true break at the resort, but maybe it’d be an option to find a quietish table service restaurant and have a leisurely meal there?

That's a good point re the water rides in December!! I will have to consider that in my decisions. The table service is a good idea, but will need some research (would be horrid to find a crowded/loud one for a break!)

 

[Keladry84]

I enjoyed your report! Thank you for sharing your experience. I appreciated understanding more about how your autism impacts your day-to-day life while traveling. Disney can be overstimulating and I (without autism) find I need to pay attention to the cues my body sends, especially regarding taking breaks and hydrating, but I don't have the physical response you do when I ignore those signals. I just get grouchy.

Thanks for the comment and insight! I don't think I had consciously registered that it was giving me a physical response, but now that you said that in black/white, that is true. Some people with autism have difficulty recognizing cues for hunger/thirst/etc. until it is extreme, which I think is what happens to me. It means I need to be proactive in planning for those, but any number of things throw that off track. By the time I realize I am hungry, I'm actually very hungry and it is difficult to make decisions or manage to get good food in time. It is interesting to see that others without autism also struggle with responses to the same needs.

 

[Keladry84]

As for your plans for using your one day ticket, one suggestion I have is to find a deluxe hotel lobby to take a quiet break - but not the Polynesian; that place is usually busy! Here are some ideas:

• The Yacht Club has some window seats in the hallway leading from the lobby to the gift shop and it's usually quiet there.
• The Beach Club is a little busier, but I swear I always see people taking a nap while I'm there; there's also the Solarium room down the hall from the lobby.
• The Contemporary has a conference center on the second floor, and there are several couches. It's a very quiet spot if there is not an event happening.
• Animal Kingdom Lodge (both buildings) have multiple seating areas with animal viewing spots, and the building is kind of dim. Wilderness Lodge has multiple spots to sit in the lobby, and not just on the first floor - there are comfortable spots on multiple floors that overlook the lobby, and the adjacent DVC building has a small lobby and a little room off of it that is often quiet and has comfortable seating.

In the parks, Magic Kingdom has a few benches behind the Christmas store in Liberty Square and it's usually quiet, as are parts of Tom Sawyer Island.
Epcot has that new area near the front with lots of seating and trees. The theater show in the American pavilion is possibly an option as well.
Animal Kingdom has lots of quiet little nooks and crannies tucked away.
DHS might be the worst for finding a quiet spot, although Backlot Express has a large seating area that is often pretty empty when it isn't a meal time, which is also true about the seating areas along Sunset Blvd where the little food market area is.

If the weather is okay, you could also use some of the lounge chairs that are set up on beaches at resorts. Beach Club, Polynesian, and probably some others have them (they are outside the pool areas). Also, some resorts have hammocks - I think Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach, although it's a gamble if one is available.

Thank you!!! These are excellent suggestions. Having the detail of areas/places that would work well makes it much easier for planning. If I used one of the hotels, I could choose something that would make a good stop-way for parking hopping (ie. bus from ak to contemporary, break, monorail to MK - just a random example) Or maybe I will actually make it out to Tom Saywer's island and just hang out there for a bit Do you know if there are any benches or good places to sit there??

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Thank you!!! These are excellent suggestions. Having the detail of areas/places that would work well makes it much easier for planning. If I used one of the hotels, I could choose something that would make a good stop-way for parking hopping (ie. bus from ak to contemporary, break, monorail to MK - just a random example) Or maybe I will actually make it out to Tom Saywer's island and just hang out there for a bit Do you know if there are any benches or good places to sit there??

There are (were?) a couple rocking chairs on Tom Sawyer Island, but it’s a gamble if they’re available or not. They are on the porch of a defunct quick service restaurant - I think directly across from the big riverboat dock.

I can’t remember the bench situation on TS Island, but it generally is much less crowded than the main part of the park. It’s also quite well shaded. The little rafts can be a slow process both directions, so keep that in mind.