Trip Report A trip that never was - And always will be

My emotional state towards writing this trip report is somewhat unique and calls for a different kind of introduction. How so, @wdisney9000 , you may ask? Well, many trip reports begin with people explaining how sad they are to be home and no longer in Disney World. I have had the old "Disney blues" many times myself. It is a gut wrenching feeling. But...not this time. I am not going through that emotional roller coaster of reminding myself that 48 hours ago, at this time of day, I was walking into Epcot heading towards Soarin'. I am glad to be home and leaving Disney World was not difficult nor sad, but not because it was a bad trip or because Disney World is getting old,.... No, no, no. It was one of the best family trips I have ever had, which would make one think that leaving would be even more depressing, yet it wasnt.

We have all experienced that sadness that begins to creep in the last day of your trip. You wake up excited to get to the parks but you are quickly reminded that when you wake up the next morning it will be time to take the walk of shame through the lobby with your luggage and your forced to see cars pulling up and families hop out whose trip is just beginning. You think to yourself, "that was ME just a week ago!!!:bawling::bawling::bawling:!!!!!" But in a strange twist of fate, that did not happen when we checked out. I was actually excited for the families whose Disney journey was just beginning. Normally I would want to smack that ear to ear smile right off their faces so they would be in pain like me. But nope. Not this time. I will explain why in just a bit. But I digress....lets get to the report already, shall we?

My parents decided it best to pick me up around 5 a.m. This would put us in Orlando around noon and we had an ADR for Biergarten at 2:55. I was up at 4:00 am and awaiting their arrival.

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Here is me at 4:55 waiting on the patio. I called my sister as I waited and they were just hitting the road as well. Keep in mind, my father still had no idea they were coming. My parents arrived at 5 and we were off!

We cruised though the city and had good traffic for most of the ride. Aside from my mom having to stop and pee every hour, we were making great time. Even saw some hot air balloons on the way which reminded me of soarin.

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There were about 10 hot air balloons, but this was the photo I got, lol.

I was texting my sister every hour or so to see where they were at and surprisingly we were only about 30 miles ahead of them.

Soon we were in Florida. As we passed all the anti-abortion signs it sparked a small debate on the subject which led to several other small debates, (remember, my father is a lawyer so debating/arguing is what he lives for). It helped pass the time and before we knew it we were pulling up to the toll booth. I texted my sister as we waited to pull up and she tells me they are at the toll booth as well!!!!! I look to my right and there they are.....right next to us!!!! What are the chances? --- We had rented a car, so had my sister, so luckily my dad didnt notice them, but still, we got a little nervous. I will NEVER forget the look on my brother in laws face, who was driving. It was a look of sheer helplessness, lol. We got through first and they slowed down to give us the lead. It was the first of many tense moments to keep it a secret that they were joining us.

Fast forward an hour or so aaaaaaaaand........

BINGO!

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We got to AKL around 12 (noon) and checked in, but the room was not ready.

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Such a great lobby and the smell wafting up from Boma makes it even better when you first walk in.

The CM noticed we had three separate DVC reservations. I explained we had to make 3 separate ones since not all days we available when we first booked so we added the days when they became available. He told he would link the three together so we would not have to change rooms. I thanked him, and then we cleaned up a bit and headed to Epcot for our Biergarten ADR.

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Mom and Dad at the bus stop.

On the bus ride to Epcot my dad started talking about the grand kids and how much fun they would have if they were there. He had even called my sister called my sister a few days before we left and offered to bring them and even pay for them but my sister told them the boys had Lacrosse camp and it was non refundable, (good one, sis!). He stared telling stories of all the memories of prior trips with the young ones. As my dad as deep in thought during his story telling, my mom gave me a quick look with a grin as if to say, "we got him right where we want him", and I slightly nodded back to confirm.

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We arrived at Epcot and there was a light sprinkle of rain which really cooled of the air. IT felt great outside.

Remember in my introduction of the TR when I said I wasnt sad to leave WDW? Well, thats because I did something I havent done in nearly three years. I picked up one of these little beauties ..........

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Yippie!!!!!!! Now I can return often which makes me not sad. Im sure some (or most of you) already figured this out when I said I wasnt sad to leave, lol. Now I can live that @Tuvalu life !!!


It felt like Christmas morning as the CM scanned my band and then proceeded to hand me the pass. Now all I need was a frosty cold one in my hand!!!!

But first...a picture with my old friend...

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I was able to move up the time on reservation at Biergarten so we only had about 20 minutes before it was a time to eat. I stopped off in Karamell-Kuche to tease @sheriffwoody and ser her a few photos of where I was.

Soon it was time to eat, and I had my had 1 liter hefeweizen in hand, cheers @lostpro9het !

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to be continued.........











 

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blreinsel

Well-Known Member
No way, thats crazy! Ive always wanted to bump into somebody from the forums while I'm at WDW. I hope I did not look unapproachable or mean, lol. I had taken a nap before we left for Pandora and I can be quite grumpy when I wake up. Next time you an Dylan see me at WDW, you better say something! Drinks are on me!! Unless we are at MK, and maybe you can have a some of my "water" that I pour into some orange juice:eek::cool:.

:hilarious::hilarious::hilarious: You didn't look mean, no worries! I'm just weird about initiating conversations lol. I'll definitely take you up on the drink offer, even if it is just "water." :p
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
Day 2 continued.....


My brother and I stayed in the room to have a few cold ones while the family ate lunch at Mara. When they returned, my mom was still a little edgy from the luggage fiasco. She said to my brother and I (in a snarky tone) that he and I did not have time to eat because the kids wanted to get to AK. Not sure why she said that because we mentioned nothing about wanting to eat. She made a few other snippy remarks which the kids picked up on and got very quiet since they could tell nana was upset. She was mostly being fussy with me because she was furious about the luggage fiasco, (rightfully so) and had really wanted to give them a piece of her mind, but my father and I insisted she let it go. With the excitement being somewhat diminished, I took action to get this trip back into a more magical vibe!!!

The song that the Shaman sings at the end of Navi River Journey is somewhat hypnotic and sticks with you. I had been chanting it throughout the day and even though the little ones had not ridden it yet, they already knew the tune as they heard it most of the morning from me. So I grabbed the kids hands and we started a circle of singing and dancing to the Shamans song....



Ill be darned if the vibe of the family gets too negative, so this little song and dance definitely helped elevate us back to a better state of mind. You can even see mom getting into it in the background. That vid is from my sisters FB page as she was the one who filmed it, which I did not she was doing at the time, but it gives you a good insight as to how silly my family is:D

Sorry, for short post, computer issues
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
my mom was still a little edgy from the luggage fiasco. She said to my brother and I (in a snarky tone) that he and I did not have time to eat because the kids wanted to get to AK. Not sure why she said that because we mentioned nothing about wanting to eat. She made a few other snippy remarks which the kids picked up on and got very quiet since they could tell nana was upset. She was mostly being fussy with me because she was furious about the luggage fiasco, (rightfully so) and had really wanted to give them a piece of her mind, but my father and I insisted she let it go.
I am quite fluent in "Mom snark." :D I completely understand where she is coming from.

And I much prefer your family's version of the Shaman song to the real thing......:p
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
Day 2 contd....


With the family back in high spirits we headed off to AK. My niece told us on the bus ride that she was ready to ride Everest for her first time. The boys had not ridden either so her bold decision put them in a pickle as they were on the fence about it. They had little time to make up their minds because Everest was going to be our first stop!

Only about 20 minute wait so as we made out through the line the boys decided they would do it. Now came the task of the kids figuring out who they would ride with. As they all went back and forth, my niece finally decided that she wanted to ride with me! I was very surprised and I thought she would definitely choose my dad. She then carefully explained to me "the requirements" I had to abide by since I was the chosen one. I was not allowed to put my arms up. I must hold onto to her at ALL times. I must tell when the big drop is coming, and I absolutely must tell her where they take your picture. Soon, we were boarding our train!

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All three of the kids had their eyes closed but at least she, (my niece) was prepared for the picture. My nephew in the front was not having it, but it was his first time so its understandable.

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Mom and Dad were in full party mode for the disco show!

Next we headed to Dinosaur and were entertained by the kids gushing over their excitement of finally riding Everest. This was a big step for them and thrill rides would prove to be somewhat addicting over the rest of the trip.

We all love Disnosaur and even though access was denied by Dr Marsh, we had Dr Seeker on our side to over ride the system so it was a great time travelling journey coming back with one additional passenger...Extra Large. Lucky for us we had another ride vehicle equipped with a phone so my nephew decided to call some friends from the Paleozoic Era.

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After Dino we rode Primeval Whirl but Iwas not about try and get a picture on that bad boy whipping around.

Next we made our way to Pandora. And my computer is acting fnny again. Ill sum up Pandora quickly. Kids absolutely LOVED it! My phone waas dying so i didnt get photos. Next up, day three!
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
Day 3

I had a great nights sleep again on the pull out sofa. For some reason that particular sofa was way more Comfortable than others on past trips. I was up around 7 am. Grabbed a shower and packed my backpack for the day. Mom and Dad were still sound asleep so I snuck out and ventured to HS to have some solo time.

First I stopped Mara and grabbed a latte. It was pretty good. Price was about $4 if recall correctly
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Made my way to the bus stop and shortly after I was at HS.

It was cloudy with a nice breeze. I decided to grab an iced machiatto from Starbucks. I only order it when Im at Disney. I always want to get one when back home but I resist the urge so it makes them even more enjoyable when I finally get one at WDW.

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Im sure others have seen this and Ive most likely ranted about it before but it is annoying when you stand in line at a Disney quick service spot for 5-10 minutes and the people in front of you walk up to the register and THEN decide to look at the menu. Then comes the "uh, uh,uh, Im not not sure what I want" or they ask each other what looks better. smh

Anyway, I strolled into the camera shop and asked about micro sd cards as I needed one for my camera ( i brought a go pro style camera with me). He tells me they have a 32 gb card for $65!!!! I politely declined. Even the CM admitted that the price was outrageous. I later found one on Amazon for about $17.

I casually walked around enjoying my coffee and came across some storm troopers who took a moment form interrogating people to take a selfie with me.

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People were lining up to get a photo but there was a CM telling people that it was NOT a photo spot and the Troopers were on "patrol" and not staying in any particular area. The people continued to line up tough, lol. I just walked up to them and asked for a selfie and they obliged, but told me "make it quick" in a playful manor.

Next I somehow found myself next to Tune In Lounge and figured that it was time for a beer (at 10 am, lol).

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A few minutes later I hear a familiar voice ask, "whatcha drinking?" It was my brother. I had messaged my sister an hour prior to let them know I was heading to HS but that was all. I asked how he found me. He said my sister and the kids wanted to ride TGMR and he figured he would check Tune In Lounge first to see if I was there. Good guess, brother! We had another beer each and met up with my sister and the kids.

We ran into another SW friend

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I had a beer in my hand as we approached and he gave a stern look and tilted his head towards the beer. Message received Mr Fett! I appreciate body language since it is a tool we use with dog training.

Next we watched the March of the First Order. I thought it was pretty cool. My parents had joined us by now and we all made our way to Launch Bay. I must admit I was pretty skeptical about Launch Bay and figured it was just M&G's with Star Wars things on display, but we wound up having an AWESOME time in there! Which will be up next!
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
Day 3 continues......

Made our way over to Launch Bay and browsed around the main room with all the cool Star Wars paraphernalia. But the real fun was awaiting in the next area! So in case anybody is not aware, they have Jawas roaming around and you can trade with them. They get to choose whether they accept the trade or they can deny it. It is very fun to interact with them and I must say, they are picky about what the want!

Here is my nephew attempting to make a trade. He tries a quarter and gets denied, lol. Then he offers his magic band and the Jawa seems pretty interested, but my nephew backs out, haha. In hind sight, we figured they cant accept money of any form as it probly opens up some form of liability or gives some crazy guest a reason to sue them for taking their money.



We had some fun attempting trades with various items like a band aid and other random things we had in our bag. Then, the Cantina Song started playing and the Jawa invited everybody to dance. Of course all the other families were too shy...but not us!!!! How many people can say they got 'turnt up' with a Jawa?


Afterwards we walked around interacting with the characters.

Next we met Kylo Ren. After the picture, he kicked us off the bridge when we said we were friends with Rey.
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From here, we headed out of Launch Bay. We all agreed that with the construction and closures in the park, they have done a great job with all the interactive characters and elements to make up for it. I thought we would probly spend 10 minutes in Launch Bay and be done with it, but we were there for over an hour at least and had a lot of fun. Dont miss out on Launch Bay if your visiting soon! We LOVED it.


to be continued....
 

MegRuss626

Well-Known Member
Day 3

I had a great nights sleep again on the pull out sofa. For some reason that particular sofa was way more Comfortable than others on past trips. I was up around 7 am. Grabbed a shower and packed my backpack for the day. Mom and Dad were still sound asleep so I snuck out and ventured to HS to have some solo time.

First I stopped Mara and grabbed a latte. It was pretty good. Price was about $4 if recall correctly
View attachment 213486
Made my way to the bus stop and shortly after I was at HS.

It was cloudy with a nice breeze. I decided to grab an iced machiatto from Starbucks. I only order it when Im at Disney. I always want to get one when back home but I resist the urge so it makes them even more enjoyable when I finally get one at WDW.

View attachment 213487

Im sure others have seen this and Ive most likely ranted about it before but it is annoying when you stand in line at a Disney quick service spot for 5-10 minutes and the people in front of you walk up to the register and THEN decide to look at the menu. Then comes the "uh, uh,uh, Im not not sure what I want" or they ask each other what looks better. smh

Anyway, I strolled into the camera shop and asked about micro sd cards as I needed one for my camera ( i brought a go pro style camera with me). He tells me they have a 32 gb card for $65!!!! I politely declined. Even the CM admitted that the price was outrageous. I later found one on Amazon for about $17.

I casually walked around enjoying my coffee and came across some storm troopers who took a moment form interrogating people to take a selfie with me.

View attachment 213488

People were lining up to get a photo but there was a CM telling people that it was NOT a photo spot and the Troopers were on "patrol" and not staying in any particular area. The people continued to line up tough, lol. I just walked up to them and asked for a selfie and they obliged, but told me "make it quick" in a playful manor.

Next I somehow found myself next to Tune In Lounge and figured that it was time for a beer (at 10 am, lol).

View attachment 213489

A few minutes later I hear a familiar voice ask, "whatcha drinking?" It was my brother. I had messaged my sister an hour prior to let them know I was heading to HS but that was all. I asked how he found me. He said my sister and the kids wanted to ride TGMR and he figured he would check Tune In Lounge first to see if I was there. Good guess, brother! We had another beer each and met up with my sister and the kids.

We ran into another SW friend

View attachment 213491

I had a beer in my hand as we approached and he gave a stern look and tilted his head towards the beer. Message received Mr Fett! I appreciate body language since it is a tool we use with dog training.

Next we watched the March of the First Order. I thought it was pretty cool. My parents had joined us by now and we all made our way to Launch Bay. I must admit I was pretty skeptical about Launch Bay and figured it was just M&G's with Star Wars things on display, but we wound up having an AWESOME time in there! Which will be up next!

So I had to laugh at the memory card part. When we went in 2015, our camera memory card decided to be filled up right before dinner at 1900 Park Fare. So my husband goes into the GF gift shop and comes out with a new memory card like it was nothing and knowing Disney I asked how much it was..... :banghead: I'll blame my grumpiness I had with him for paying that much on being hangry.....
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
Continued...

After Launch Bay we headed over to TSMM.

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Then we trekked over to Tower of Terror. Once again, my niece stepped up to the plate and decided to ride ToT which put the boys on the spot. The younger of the two boys decided to ride and my sister sat out with him. The kids were very nervous but excited also. I was chosen by my niece again and she was sure to reiterate the rules once more that I must hold on tight and tell her when they take your picture.

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After the first few drops, I feel my niece tugging at my arm and I told her, "dont worry, I wont let go". She tells me, "no, let go, Im ok, I wanna put my hands up!" They had already taken the picture prior to that but I was very proud of her.

We attempted to take a picture as "dead bellhops" but it came out looking like we were more confused/sleepy.
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After we headed out, the wait for RnR was not too bad so we decided to take a spin. This time all 3 kids wanted to ride which was another first for them (roller coaster). Everest had put the bug in them for roller coasters which was great because someone always had to sit out before when we rode any of the coasters. On the way in my nephew noticed the hidden mickeys on Steven Tyler in the sign.
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Next we grabbed a quick snack at the outdoor food court

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Nothing fancy, just some quick food we all snacked on before heading to Star Tours.......

hit the upload limit, to be continued...
 

wdisney9000

Truindenashendubapreser
Premium Member
Original Poster
Great videos!

I hope the kids enjoyed Tot and RRRC!
They loved it a little too much. It is a double edged sword. I love that they will ride the big rides, but Now the slow easy rides are"boring". All they wanna do is ride thrill rides. smh

Dead bellhops :hilarious:
Looks more like constipated bellhops

What is it with you and that crazy phone that you lug around with you, on your WDW trips?! :p I've lost count at this point, as to how many times you've "been on the phone" during rides, (from your previous TRs and now this one). :D
It is the presort room phone. After the first time i did it, the kids now insist we bring it each day at the park.
 

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