Trip Report Fears, Firsts, and Learning to go with the Flow

Minnie1986 · 2024-07-26T07:50:55-0400

Swissmiss said:
I noticed that “phone” is missing on your park bag lists

Just curious: what is the difference between sunblock and sunscreen on your lists?

I usually never go anywhere without my phone, so between that and the fact that I knew I'd be dealing with MDE, the thought never crossed my mind. Which clearly meant that I wasn't destined to forget it at least once

The one that I use specifically on my face says sunscreen on the bottle, as where the one that I use for the rest of my body says sunblock on it

Minnie1986 · 2024-07-27T00:06:05-0400

Hollywood Studios cont'd:

After visiting everyone's favorite designer, we made our way over to Grauman's. Runaway Railway was still under construction during my last visit, so I was glad that S and I would get to experience it together. While it's crazy to me that it's taken this long for Mickey and Minnie to get their own ride, they definitely made it worth the wait (I do also appreciate the nods to Great Movie Ride). When Goofy puts a hole in the screen, I couldn't help but laugh right along with the kids in the room. The ride as a whole was adorable, and we both loved it; especially when Daisy had us doing the Conga!

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but Disney popcorn just hits different. The amount of it that I eat when visiting borders on absurd, and frankly, I'm fine with that! After purchasing our bucket, and tucking into the first of many servings, it was time to check in on Jessie and the crew over in Toy Storyland. Despite the popcorn break, and with it having been late morning, we were both approaching hangry, so we'd decided to mobile order what would become one of our favorite Disney eats; the breakfast bowl, aka "breakfast tatchos." Oh my sweet lord, that gravy!

(our faces after the first bites

)

S's parents are chefs, and we have been trying to get them to recreate it ever since we got home! The combination of all my favorite breakfast items (why does Disney call them potato barrels?) smothered in that saucy goodness brought forth a new level of happiness. After a few bites, S and I looked at each and knew that one order definitely wasn't going to cut it. After snagging another, we took our first deep breaths of the day, and took in the sights and sounds of Andy's backyard.

I will be the first to admit to having a hard time not speaking up when I see something ridiculous; and rudeness is a huge pet peeve of mine. Halfway through tatcho bowl #2, I noticed a group of people hovering over a family occupying one of the coveted umbrella tables. Granted, yes, the family was wrapping up, and we all "stake claim" on soon to be empty tables, most of us don't stand so close that the ones currently occupying it can't move, and literally tell them to wrap it up.

Turns out they were a vlogger and his "filming crew" (a bunch of people with iPhones and what looked like a mini boom mic), who "needed" a shady spot to film his Woody's Lunchbox taste test content. How do I know this, you ask? Not only were they beaugarding a table during a peak meal time, they were obnoxiously loud about it

. After seeing them rudely shoo away a family of five asking if they were almost done, I couldn't take it anymore! S and I cleaned up from our feast, called the family over to our table, and while S went to return the tray, I made my way over to the vlogger and gave them all a few choice words; sorry, not sorry.

One thing to know about S is that she has a bit of a competitive streak (do not play UNO with this kid if you don't have thick skin), so once we boarded Midway Mania, she garnered what I can only describe as the focused precision of a sniper. Unluckily for her, Auntie knows all of the tips and tricks to this ride, so when we got our final scores, she was not the happiest of campers

. Next up was Alien Swirling Saucers, which saw one of the sides go down; causing our five minute wait to increase to fifteen, but was enjoyable nonetheless. Especially with this being her first trip, I made sure that S and I took our time wandering around and really appreciating our surroundings. Galaxy's Edge was the next section on our list, but in making our way there, we noticed that the next Indiana Jones show was starting in less than ten minutes. One of the videos I'd watched in preparation gave the tip of sitting within the first few rows, and on the left side to get an immersive experience; they were 100% correct! Seeing the facial expressions of the actors as they recreate each scene really pulls you into it, and we loved every second.

After Indy, we headed to our RotR ILL, and with a posted standby wait time of nearly 100 minutes, I'd never been so happy to have spent money. To be honest, both S and I are quite indifferent to anything Star Wars related (I've only seen the very first one to come out, which I think is technically number 4), but we were both having a blast being captured by "The First Order"(the cast member that watches you prior to "interrogation," asked S if she had any rebel secrets to share, and after she cut him some intense side eye, he picked up the phone and alerted the crew that there was a particularly difficult prisoner. I don't know if his voice cracked or what, but he struggled not to break character after their interaction; giggling in between his words, and we all did our best to try and maintain the illusion of concern.

Eventually we were all rescued by The Resistance, and then decided to explore the marketplace, while placing a mobile order for Docking Bay 7. We both ordered the Hot Chicken Tip Yip, and came this close to ordering a third to share. I don't know what it was, but everything we ate in Hollywood Studios this day was getting at least 4 out of 5 stars, and this dish was no exception. Even the rice, which seems like nothing to write home about, helped blend the hot chicken and the corn medley together so well. S had a simple Coke with hers (I'd come to learn that Coke is to my niece what spinach is to Popeye), while I was tempted by the Surly Sarlacc, which was delicious and so refreshing in that heat.

**not my photos**

I don't think we'd realized just how much walking we'd done up to this point, because peeling ourselves away from that table was ROUGH. After giving ourselves a few more minutes, we went to check out the Millenium Falcon, and get our assignments for Smuggler's. Between Anaheim and Orlando, I've now ridden Smuggler's a total of six times; the first time we were assigned "Pilot," but since there were two small children in our group, we decided to switch with them. Each time after that, I've always been an Engineer; which was always a bit lackluster. As luck would have it , we both got assigned the Pilot position, and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't excited about it. How a fake job on an amusement park ride can evoke such an array of emotions, I'll never understand, but I was nervous once we boarded! I somehow never noticed just how much the performance of the pilots can impact the experience as a whole! Thankfully, S and I were up to the task, and together, the six of us successfully completed the mission. After purchasing the lightsaber requested by my sister, we made our way out of Galaxy's Edge...just as the sky opened up. Thankfully, the "Mary Poppins Pack" as S would come to refer to my back pack, was sufficiently stocked with ponchos, water shoes, and lightweight mini umbrellas; as Ms. Mode always says:

We quickly made it to a sort of breezeway at the end of Galaxy's Edge and camped out while trying to decide on our next move. From what I could tell, we weren't too far from Grand Avenue, so after waiting for the rain to die down a bit, it was on to see the Muppets! While it's certainly not as exciting as a lot of the other attractions, this show will always hold a special place in my heart. My grandmother and I used to watch the Muppets constantly, so to be able to relive those memories with S brought me to tears multiple times during the show. Plus, who doesn't love seeing Missy Piggy put on a show stopping performance?

Apparently, tweenagers have the metabolisms of marathon runners, because by the end of the show, S was in desperate need of some food. While it wasn't the best quick service option, it was certainly the closest, so it was off to PizzeRizzo (I know, I know). The Pepperoni and Sausage pizza did the trick for her, while I had the surprisingly delightful side Caesar salad. With the rain having finally ceased, we decided that it was a good time for a resort break. Originally, we planned to go directly to the pool, but by the time we got back to the room, the shower and our beds were calling our names! After some much needed rest, we headed to the Lava Pool, where S joined in on some games, and I enjoyed a well deserved Piña CoLava (mix of a Piña Colada and a Lava Flow

).

With our dinner reservations looming, S begrudgingly got out of the pool, and we headed upstairs to get ready. After an encore of this morning's dance party, we took a Lyft to the Yacht Club, and checked in at Ale & Compass. Surprisingly, this was my first time at both YC and A&C, and they're both quite impressive. I wish I'd gotten our waiter's name, because he, in particular, was amazing, and provided great recommendations, as well as conversation. Dinner for S was the Bacon and Vermont cheddar burger, which she raved about, and I went for the Cabernet braised short ribs (with the duck fat fingerling potatoes instead of the vegetable mash).

The waiter brought be some extra sauce since I mentioned loving it so much, and I swear, had I not been in a restaurant, I would've put a straw in the dish and drank it. Since we couldn't decide between the Apple Cobbler and the 12 layer chocolate cake, the waiter convinced us to just get both and share; best decision we'd made all day.

You may have noticed that we skipped Slinky Dog during our day in the park. That's because riding it at night seemed like an experience not to be missed, so after dinner, we made our way to the dock, and took one of the Friendship boats back to Hollywood Studios

After reaching HS, we strolled down Hollywood Blvd, and made our way to Toy Storyland. We can all agree that TSL is nothing short of awesome, but experiencing it at night, with everything lit up, takes it to a whole new level. By this point, S was a rollercoaster pro, and didn't hesitate for a moment as we made our way through the Lightning Lane. I can't put my finger on what exactly makes Slinky Dog a near perfect ride, but it really is; you can't help but smile from ear to ear by the time it's over. After our ride, S insisted on a TSL after dark selfie session, so as we (slowly) made our way back towards the entrance. It was creeping up on 8:45 PM, and since we planned on catching Fantasmic, I had to request that S put some pep in her step; "but why Auntie, the show is at 9:30, and it's not even 9. We don't need to be there 30 mins early)!"

Once I managed to stop laughing, I told S to trust me, as we stopped at the same popcorn cart as this morning, and made our way back down Sunset. It was at this point that we reached the theater, and S quickly realized two very important things; just how steep the climb is to reach the seats of the amphitheater, and to never question my Disney wisdom

. To this day, I don't understand how it could possibly still be that humid at night, but thankfully we'd grabbed our water bottles before leaving for dinner, and filled them before getting to the theater. Fantasmic is, hands down, my favorite night time show; so by 9:30, the excitement level for both us was off the charts. I don't care how many times I've seen it, and in different iterations, it just checks all of the boxes...so you can imagine the disappointment felt by everyone when the show stopped right before Frollo starts antagonizing Mickey(ugh)! One way to tell Disney newbies from veterans(or perhaps those with small kids who don't want to risk it, which makes total sense to me) is by watching the people who exit the theater when things like this happen. To be honest, after checking the weather app for an impending storm and finding nothing in the forecast, I was shocked at how much the show had emptied out. While waiting with baited breath, it, thankfully, took less than ten minutes for the continuation announcement to be made to thunderous applause.

The older I get, the more I realize that each passing year really does make a difference in how much your body can take. By the end of the show, I felt like the Tin Man before Dorothy oils his hinges, and getting back onto Sunset Blvd from our seats was a STRUGGLE. But, once we were back in the bright lights, I (thankfully) got a second wind. Instead of making a mad dash for the transportation depots, we decided to check out the shops on Hollywood Blvd; S got herself the first of many sweatshirts, and I picked up a Clarabelle cow t shirt for my friend's daughter, and the matching pants to S's shirt for myself. Does anyone else suddenly get crazy tired as soon as you get back to your resort at the end of the night? It was like we were toys and Andy had suddenly appeared, because the second we got inside the lobby, we stood there like mannequins for a few minutes. Once we gathered the will to move, we made it back to our room and got ready for bed in record time. S and I recapped the day, and just before we both passed out, she thanked me for bringing her to such an awesome place

.

Next up: Day 3- EPCOT

Swissmiss · 2024-07-27T00:37:35-0400

Minnie1986 said:
I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but Disney popcorn just hits different

My daughter definitely does.

Ellen Ripley · 2024-07-27T08:55:22-0400

Enjoying your trip report very much

Trip Report Fears, Firsts, and Learning to go with the Flow

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