Trip Report It was the best of times in the worst of times...

Hello All!
We're back from our October 2020 Disney trip, and a crazy time it was!

Like so many others whose trips were cancelled/delayed and changed, ours was too. A year ago before the world collapsed my husband wanted to have a big family blowout trip in November 2020. Our usual companions are my son 20, occasionally daughter 32 and her new husband. He also wanted (for whatever reason) to invite my mother and husband who profess to despise Disney, despite never having been there. His brother and wife, who live in NC and are so reluctant to travel they don't know the restaurants in their own town. He wanted to invite my sister, her husband and son, that he doesn't really spend any time with.🤷‍♀️ I said, "whatever dude" you invite and I'll figure it out.

Invitations went out and 2020 arrived. Our 2020 like many others has been a big pile of 💩 with one shining exception. So, I'm going to list from January to now in a purposely run-on sentence (paragraph) to get the years crap mentioned here and out of the way. It's meant to read fast and forget. The reason I'm going to go into our family's woes is some of this impacted our trip planning/scheduling.

January Scooby (our crazy loving dog) had to be put down and it was very traumatic February Gary's cancer worsened (those of you that have read my other reports know he is fighting stage 4 colon cancer) and they had to increase his chemo Gary gets both cataracts out right before Covid hits February I schedule the Poly for a crap ton of people that of course aren't coming March Seth gets kicked out of his college dorm in Savannah with the Covid shut down and in 48 hours finds an apartment we drive down 12 hours with a Uhaul trailer with donated furniture to help set him up looking like the Beverly hillbillies Aleisha my oldest gets laid off from her job as an interior designer in California due to Covid April we start volunteering at the local food bank because increasing volumes of people are hungry May Aleisha gets her job back and then looses it again due to Covid July I fall in the yard fracturing in multiple pieces my right (dominant) wrist requiring surgery September the day my daughter and her husband are getting ready to put a down payment on a house in California he gets laid off from his job as a lawyer due to Covid.

What, you say, could possibly be the shining exception? In the middle of that mess in April Aleisha and Julio called to tell us that we will be first time grandparents mid December! We're going to have a baby girl!

So, all of that crazy above resulted in my daughter and husband bailing on us for the November trip, and of course none of those in-laws, outlaws etc. were ever going to come, so we rearranged dates around my sons school schedule and planned for a trip in October, and said pooh to the rest of the invitees!

The people who actually ended up going were: Myself-Cindy, Husband-Gary, Son-Seth, Seth's friend from school-John
When: October 21-26th
Where: 1 night Rivera 1 bedroom Villa, and 4 nights at the Polynesian in a Bungalow
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MickeyCB

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
HS day continued-

We (me) made a pit stop in the bathroom in toy story land. I've never been in here before and thought it was neat and on theme.
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This was the start of the line for SDD! And the social distancing markers had nothing to do with the wait. We waited 70 minutes from start to finish!
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Some pics while we waited in line.
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Someone's trash, but I liked the design on the cup.
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Empty car coming by.
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MickeyCB

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
HS day continues-

More SDD line photos. A 70 minute wait gives you a lot of time to take pics!
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And I took these 2 photos to show we were sandwiched between the nicest and not so nicest 2 families in the parks. The first family in front of us was super nice, polite, and their son was so well behaved. The ones behind us for the bulk of the queue kept coming into our little social space and so finally I turned and gave them the stare. That had no effect. So finally I said could you please step back a little and they got rude with me, something along the lines of "what's your problem". And this included the little girl who was trying to out death stare me. I really wanted to show her face because the look wasn't attractive. And her parents obviously had no problem with her glaring at her elder.
Nice family.
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Not so nice family.
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We finally got to ride and because of the awesome CM Liz and her manipulation of our accounts, our ride photos were all coming out individually instead of the group.
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After SDD we went to ride TSM. The line moved pretty quickly and I think we were on in about 20 minutes. I was bummed for a minute because the nice family was right in front of us again for this line and the not so nice family started to get in line right behind us, but then veered off instead. Yeah!
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Seth offered to ride with me. That was a treat!
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And I didn't have the heart to tell him when he was bragging on best in vehicle that my score was a pretty low bar!🤣
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MickeyCB

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
HS day continues-

We decided to head back to Galaxy's Edge to ride Smugglers Run.
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Ready to ride!
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There was a little skit going on with Rey and company that we got to see on our way out. After that Seth and John rode Star Tours while I found a bench to park it for a few minutes.
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After that we got to see a little cavalcade. I was very excited because up till now I had not seen any of the little parades.
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And then my most favorite. But, the entire time he was beside us he was facing the other direction! Do you think Seth would help his mom out by jogging up 10 steps to take a pic when he turned our way? Of course not. So I got a great pic of the back of his head. Mom, you'll have plenty of chances to get another photo of Mickey this trip. Anybody here think that happened? Give you a little clue,
no!
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Doesn't he look like he knew my desperation and was trying to wave to me?!
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Oh well, get over it mom. It's time for dinner and a little shopping!
 

MickeyCB

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I know I have read from several other people that everyone in your party needs to be trying to get a boarding pass. And wasn't it @Darstarr who said that when she went to the CM, they asked if they had all been trying, and she said yes, and the CM said sometimes that happened when multiple people tried to get it at the same time? I don't think there's anything that says you aren't supposed to do that.
Yeah that's been the general consensus.
In the RoTR boarding group thread on here, someone posted the new email people are receiving, but even it does not prohibit it, but says something about it may cause problems. I don't remember the exact language.
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Yeah that's been the general consensus.
In the RoTR boarding group thread on here, someone posted the new email people are receiving, but even it does not prohibit it, but says something about it may cause problems. I don't remember the exact language.
Here’s the email. Note the boldface type under Tips for getting into the virtual queue

Enter the Virtual Queue for Rise of the Resistance before you arrive at the Park​
We're excited about your upcoming reservation to visit Disney's Hollywood Studios!
It will come as no surprise to our Guests that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is one of the most popular experiences at Walt Disney World Resort and the virtual queue itself has become equally popular. To make the virtual queue process even more convenient and help Guests plan ahead, we will be piloting a new approach starting Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Here's how it will work:​
  • Guests with a valid ticket or pass and a Disney Park Pass Reservation for Disney's Hollywood Studios will be able to access the virtual queue system starting 7 a.m. on the day of their park reservation to check for an available boarding group. This can be done before you leave your Resort hotel or wherever else you happen to be nearby at that time.
  • Just as we do today, a second round of virtual queue inventory will still be released at 2 p.m., to anyone who wasn’t already able to join a boarding group earlier in the day.
  • For people who receive a later boarding time or are waiting for the second round of virtual queue inventory, we encourage them to take their time in getting to the park. Go back to sleep, have breakfast, check out the pool and relax a bit before journeying over to Disney's Hollywood Studios.


Tips for getting into the virtual queue
  • By the day before your visit, make sure you have done the following:
    • Have an account in My Disney Experience
    • Download the My Disney Experience mobile app* on your smart device or ensure you have the most updated version of the app before arriving at the park
    • Link and assign your tickets to a My Disney Experience account
    • Have a valid Disney Park Pass reservation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the day
  • Virtual queue is only accessible via the My Disney Experience app. You must use the app on a smart device rather than using a browser when attempting to enroll in virtual queue for the 7 a.m. inventory drop.

  • Please keep in mind, only one guest per traveling party should attempt to enroll in virtual queue. Multiple Guests and devices to enroll the same party could complicate securing a boarding group.
    As a reminder, in order to be eligible for the 2 p.m. virtual queue enrollment, all Guests in a party must already be inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

  • Guests who need additional help joining the virtual queue for the 2 p.m. enrollment time should seek .out a Guest Relations or Guest Experience Team Cast Member at Disney's Hollywood Studios.


Please keep in mind that joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. To accommodate physical distancing, there are a limited number of admissions for Guests to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. The virtual queue for this popular attraction tends to fill quickly.
If you need further assistance joining the virtual queue, the following options are available to you:​
  • Call the Disney Reservation Center at (407) 939-4357 for website support, (407) 939-1936 for reservations, or use the chat feature on DisneyWorld.com
  • To aid in physical distancing efforts, Resort Guests and Disney Vacation Club Guests can press "0" from their in-room phone or use the chat feature within My Disney Experience. Disney Vacation Club Guests can also call DVC Member Services at (800) 800-9800.


 

MickeyCB

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Here’s the email. Note the boldface type under Tips for getting into the virtual queue
Enter the Virtual Queue for Rise of the Resistance before you arrive at the Park​
We're excited about your upcoming reservation to visit Disney's Hollywood Studios!
It will come as no surprise to our Guests that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is one of the most popular experiences at Walt Disney World Resort and the virtual queue itself has become equally popular. To make the virtual queue process even more convenient and help Guests plan ahead, we will be piloting a new approach starting Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Here's how it will work:​
  • Guests with a valid ticket or pass and a Disney Park Pass Reservation for Disney's Hollywood Studios will be able to access the virtual queue system starting 7 a.m. on the day of their park reservation to check for an available boarding group. This can be done before you leave your Resort hotel or wherever else you happen to be nearby at that time.
  • Just as we do today, a second round of virtual queue inventory will still be released at 2 p.m., to anyone who wasn’t already able to join a boarding group earlier in the day.
  • For people who receive a later boarding time or are waiting for the second round of virtual queue inventory, we encourage them to take their time in getting to the park. Go back to sleep, have breakfast, check out the pool and relax a bit before journeying over to Disney's Hollywood Studios.


Tips for getting into the virtual queue
  • By the day before your visit, make sure you have done the following:
    • Have an account in My Disney Experience
    • Download the My Disney Experience mobile app* on your smart device or ensure you have the most updated version of the app before arriving at the park
    • Link and assign your tickets to a My Disney Experience account
    • Have a valid Disney Park Pass reservation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the day
  • Virtual queue is only accessible via the My Disney Experience app. You must use the app on a smart device rather than using a browser when attempting to enroll in virtual queue for the 7 a.m. inventory drop.

  • Please keep in mind, only one guest per traveling party should attempt to enroll in virtual queue. Multiple Guests and devices to enroll the same party could complicate securing a boarding group.
    As a reminder, in order to be eligible for the 2 p.m. virtual queue enrollment, all Guests in a party must already be inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

  • Guests who need additional help joining the virtual queue for the 2 p.m. enrollment time should seek .out a Guest Relations or Guest Experience Team Cast Member at Disney's Hollywood Studios.


Please keep in mind that joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. To accommodate physical distancing, there are a limited number of admissions for Guests to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. The virtual queue for this popular attraction tends to fill quickly.
If you need further assistance joining the virtual queue, the following options are available to you:​
  • Call the Disney Reservation Center at (407) 939-4357 for website support, (407) 939-1936 for reservations, or use the chat feature on DisneyWorld.com
  • To aid in physical distancing efforts, Resort Guests and Disney Vacation Club Guests can press "0" from their in-room phone or use the chat feature within My Disney Experience. Disney Vacation Club Guests can also call DVC Member Services at (800) 800-9800.
Thanks @Tuvalu.
It will be interesting moving forward to see if people adhere to this, and if not, does it indeed complicate things.
In the future I will probably just hand my phone to nimble fingers Seth.
 
Last edited:

Darstarr

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
I know I have read from several other people that everyone in your party needs to be trying to get a boarding pass. And wasn't it @Darstarr who said that when she went to the CM, they asked if they had all been trying, and she said yes, and the CM said sometimes that happened when multiple people tried to get it at the same time? I don't think there's anything that says you aren't supposed to do that.
What @Tuvalu said!😂
I suppose the CM’s won’t help you out anymore if there is a glitch?? Time will tell.
After that Seth and John rode Star Tours while I found a bench to park it for a few minutes.
A bench!?!
A bench?!?
@ajrwdwgirl , please inform @MickeyCB the best place to wait for your party when they are riding Star Tours.
 

Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
All right @Zipitidoda , these pics are for you! You had inquired a few pages back about Gary's pin trading addiction collection.
The last photo are mostly ones I've added to the collection. Resorts we've stayed in, park pins, a few favorite rides.
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WOW ❤️. Gary does have an obsession doesn't he? ;). Actually, I'm quite jealous. I see a couple that my kids have and one that I have and quite a few that we've traded over the years. Each of us only have a lanyard full. Nothing worth anything, just ones that mean something to each of us. We have a few favorites but tend to swap out the others after a while. I'm kind of in love with all of mine right now, not sure if i'll trade any out soon. I'll keep looking but it'd have to be a really good one.

Thanks for taking the time to take pictures and share. Tell Gary I approve. 😁
 

MickeyCB

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
What @Tuvalu said!😂
I suppose the CM’s won’t help you out anymore if there is a glitch?? Time will tell.
It will be interesting.
A bench!?!
A bench?!?
@ajrwdwgirl , please inform @MickeyCB the best place to wait for your party when they are riding Star Tours.
A bench!!! The best place to wait is Baseline Taphouse!
She whispers with head hung in shame...I don't know where that is.
All right already, tell me when we're meeting and a good time shall be had by all!
 

MickeyCB

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
WOW ❤️. Gary does have an obsession doesn't he? ;). Actually, I'm quite jealous. I see a couple that my kids have and one that I have and quite a few that we've traded over the years. Each of us only have a lanyard full. Nothing worth anything, just ones that mean something to each of us. We have a few favorites but tend to swap out the others after a while. I'm kind of in love with all of mine right now, not sure if i'll trade any out soon. I'll keep looking but it'd have to be a really good one.

Thanks for taking the time to take pictures and share. Tell Gary I approve. 😁
Yeah, first it starts with a lanyard.....

I'll share that with Gary!
 

ndsu84

Member
Great trip report! I’m really enjoying it!

Some discussion a few pages back about how can anyone not plan out a trip. My wife and I never planned. For our honeymoon, we flew to Anaheim for a week with no plans. That was our first Disney vacation together. We tried to do a little planning with a travel agent 30 years ago but the agent knew nothing about Disney.

We prefer having no plans to follow but have discovered Disney almost requires it now. Once our kids were in their twenties, we told them they should make all the plans. One trip to Disney that way and they all said, Dad, you make the plans and tell us what we’re doing so we don’t have to work everything out with each other. Ha!
 

MickeyCB

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Great trip report! I’m really enjoying it!

Some discussion a few pages back about how can anyone not plan out a trip. My wife and I never planned. For our honeymoon, we flew to Anaheim for a week with no plans. That was our first Disney vacation together. We tried to do a little planning with a travel agent 30 years ago but the agent knew nothing about Disney.

We prefer having no plans to follow but have discovered Disney almost requires it now. Once our kids were in their twenties, we told them they should make all the plans. One trip to Disney that way and they all said, Dad, you make the plans and tell us what we’re doing so we don’t have to work everything out with each other. Ha!
Thanks for following!

And my current line is "Disney has become a competitive sport". Some planning and strategizing is a must!
 

MickeyCB

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
HS day continued-

It's time for some Prime Time!! I love this place, and it was fun because some of the hi-jinks were back! Our waitress Janice was cute and had just that fine edge of snark and humor which I love!
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We shared an order of onion rings that were really good.
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Seth had chicken and corn, I had the same except I think I had mac n cheese. John had the meatloaf.
We all thought it was excellent and left very satisfied. As I'm typing this, these photos are making my mouth water! I can't remember if I said this earlier in my report, but we haven't sat down in a restaurant since March and it was heavenly!
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After dinner the guys wanted to ride rockin roller coaster and ToT but I was ready to bail and headed out of the park.
Later they told me that the coaster was down, but they got to ride ToT. Their ride photo.
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Hah! Sort of the front of Mickey!
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Ok, I'm number one and done! Long hot/fun day in the park!
Gary earlier had txtd me as excited as a kid because when he left he had the entire bus to himself and thought it was awesome.
He had never heard of the Shirley status thing.
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Photo of the construction of the front entrance, not the nicest view.
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But, a pretty walk on the way back to the room, and ahh, home sweet home where a comfortable chair awaits!
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Or so I thought! When the guys got back they wanted to go to Disney Springs. (Forever to me Downtown Disney), sorry!
Gary said he was tired and didn't want to go so we hopped in Seth's car and headed out. We experienced our first time driving there and using the parking garages. It was really full and there were several large groups of mostly women, as we headed for the escalator without masks that were giving the CM's at the top a hard time. Young, hip, it's Friday night and we're going to party gals. I felt bad for the CM's.

Our shopping adventure here was sort of a blur also. We hit Uniqlo and the Lego store. I went into the Christmas store to get a new ornament for our tree. I like to get one of the large Mickey head ones each year. I also got one for the baby I'll show you in the next post.
We tried to go into World of Disney but the line to get in was almost an hour and so we bailed. Seth got a few cupcakes at Sprinkles before we left. And this was another one of those he is growing up moments. He told me, "mom, I got dad a carrot cake cupcake", which Gary loves. Doesn't sound like much but it is gratifying to start seeing unselfish and thoughtful behavior!
This is a blurry shot as I tried to take it as I was walking, but to give you an idea of the crowds at 9pm.
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On the way back I gave the guys a choice on how to start our day tomorrow. It is to be our AK day and it opens at 8. So I told them we can rope drop it, get a jump on the crowds, or just sleep in a little since we had been pounding it out so far. They opted for a little sleep in which was fine. And as it turned out, that became a very good decision when at breakfast Gary revealed a little something to me that he felt the need to hide the day before.
 

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