Trip Report “It’s Pinnie the Pooh!!” November 2020 trip

Hi everyone! We got back this past Sunday from our quick trip and it already feels like it was forever ago....too soon to go back? 🤔 All of our pre-trip details are in my pre-trip report...I finally just learned how to post a gif in these reports so you will not find a link to it here 😂 My husband, our 3 year old daughter, and myself were there November 5th through 8th. We stayed at Art of Animation and spent two days in the parks. Lets get this show on the road to find out what rides Ryleigh loved and didn’t love....how were the crowds....did frozen open in time for our Epcot day...was eating hard....and most importantly, did my husband get his 🤬 egg roll???

Thursday, November 5th
We got up around 7:15 which was fun after I didn’t finish packing until after midnight. My own fault I know 🤷🏻‍♀️ Ryleigh was bursting with excitement which only made me more excited. We had breakfast, packed up the car, and was on the road to the airport by 8:20.

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We got to the airport around 8:45. I learned a week or so before that you can pre-pay for your parking and it gives you a discount. We took our checked bags into the airport to drop off first. There was no issues with a wait or weight. We went back to grab our carry-ons and the stroller from the car and we were on our way to TSA.


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There was no wait and no drills like our 2018 trip. We made it to our gate around 9:20 which gave us about an hour to hang out.

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Our flight was right at lunch time but it was too early to do lunch so we opted for a few snacks to hold us over. (spoiler alert - this plan would come back to bite us in the butt a few hours later.) We did a potty trip before we boarded. This is where I played my first round of “Don’t touch that” in the bathroom. We potty trained Ryleigh during quarantine (only took 3 days 😦) so she hasn’t had much experience with public bathrooms yet. I sprayed down the toilet with my travel Lysol, put her travel seat down, and she went. Then it was my turn and she insisted on trying to touch everything. The sounds from our stall were “Don’t touch that!” “Can I touch this” “No that has germs too.” “Can I touch this?” “No....don’t touch the floor!!!” We played this game every bathroom trip during the trip. We started boarding around 10:30 and took off on time at 11. Lesson learned....the $8 Southwest WiFi does not work for streaming. I watched The Notebook from their free movies and Ryleigh watched the new trolls, colored, and looked out the window.
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We landed on time around 1:00. Ryleigh LOVED the landing!

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MegRuss626

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We were off the plane quickly and our way to pick up our bags. We were starving because lunch time had passed. We skipped all the smells of the food court because we wanted to get to the ME.
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My only complaint about getting your own luggage now is why does it have to be on opposite sides of the airport. #firstworldeprobs Despite the walk, getting our luggage was quick and easy. We took our hungry butts over to the ME and we were met with our first line of the day!
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We let Ryleigh snack on some Cheetos in her stroller while we waited. When it was our turn, we were politely reminded of Disney’s newest policy of no eating in line. Small dose of “eating in Disney is hard”. We were also told that our wait could be up to 45 minutes. Its not like we’re hungry or anything right? Should have stopped to eat in the food court 😒 Our wait ended up being not too bad and soon we were on the ME.
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From the time we got in line to our hotel with the first stop being the Riviera, it was about an hour and thirty minutes. We had received the “your room isn’t ready” text when we landed so George went in to check with the front desk. I was tasked with waiting with the luggage.
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Everyone packs this much for 3 nights right??? We got our room ready text around 3:12 and it was time to make the trek. Now, I know I’ve read that the LM rooms are far from the lobby. I was prepared to have a walk. I was not prepared for what this walk. Holy hike! Our room is where the little blue dot is.
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If you came here for lots of room pics, prepare to be disappointed. Here are the 3 whole pictures I took.
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MegRuss626

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
First!

Can’t wait to hear what Ryleigh thought of the atomic flush Disney toilets....😉

Yayyy! And I was worried about that too but she oddly had no issues with them. She was just interested in trying to touch everything or letting herself out while I was going so she could find Daddy 🤦🏻‍♀️


Welcome and this gif made me giggle! 😻

Yay! Here. 😀

That trek to the LM looks pretty dang long- especially with a little one.

It really was quite the walk. Thankfully we had the stroller for it because her little legs slowed down towards the end of the day.
I'm in! That does look like a long hike to your room.

I went into it knowing it was a walk but it was farther than I thought. Ryleigh is still talking about how much she loved her mermaid room so it was totally worth it!
 

MegRuss626

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We were borderline hangry at this point so we changed into shorts and mobile ordered dinner. We walked around the gift shop and made some purchases. My 3 year old had better self control than me. 😏
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Mobile ordering went fairly easy but seeing the food area all closed off was kind of sad. It wasn’t the usual bustling atmosphere. Even the drink area was quite different than usual.
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In addition to being terrible with room pictures, I’m equally as terrible with food pictures. I had the Alfredo pasta with meatballs...it was pretty good. George had the bacon cheeseburger and Ryleigh is 3 so Mac n cheese it is! We were hungry when ordering so naturally we got both cupcakes they had.
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The real standout of the meal was finally finding my favorite Disney snack that was nonexistent during our 2018 trip.....a PLAIN Mickey Rice Krispie treat! 😍
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After we finished eating, we look our Lightning McQueen loving girl to see the cars section.
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MegRuss626

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After our tour through Radiator Springs, we headed back to the room. George and Ryleigh got suited up for swimming. I suited up to make the long trek back to bell services because of course Instacart would deliver after we get back to our room. I was smart and took the empty stroller with me because no one wants to carry a case of water on the trek. After I got back, I went to join them at the pool. On the way, I took the only photos I took of the mermaid section. I really dropped the ball on such a cute resort.
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We went back to the room because we all had an early day and we were starting to lose steam. Here’s my one piece of advice on showering in the LM rooms at AoA. I don’t know if it was just our room but beware of the shower. I feel they modeled it after the hurricane scene in the Little Mermaid. The water came out with such force that it hurt and was all over the place. Mix that with the shower curtain that wouldn’t stay flat and was constantly enveloping me. Def one of the most interesting showers I’ve had in my 34 years! The trick we learned is don’t pull the shower lever thing all the way out and it controls it some. After my brush with drowning, we all turned into bed early. Our plan was to sleep in a little, arrive to the Magic Kingdom a little after RD, and stay as close to 9 as possible. Sounded like a good plan until morning!
 

Swissmiss

Premium Member
I love your TR title (probably because it reminds me of a mispronunciation my own daughter did at the same age - though not of the same word 😉)

First!

Can’t wait to hear what Ryleigh thought of the atomic flush Disney toilets....😉

This made me laugh. My daughter had only been out of diapers for about 2 months the first time we went to WDW and these terrorized her so much that each time we would go back to the states getting her to use a public toilet was such a struggle. Then one day (I think another Magician) suggested covering the sensor so that it wouldn’t flush until she was off. What a game changer 😉
 

Tuvalu

Premium Member
This made me laugh. My daughter had only been out of diapers for about 2 months the first time we went to WDW and these terrorized her so much that each time we would go back to the states getting her to use a public toilet was such a struggle. Then one day (I think another Magician) suggested covering the sensor so that it wouldn’t flush until she was off. What a game changer 😉
Grandma Tu had flashbacks of terrified toddler Em when Tuvalette first used the potty. By the next day, she was an expert at keeping the sensor off while both tinys used it. 🤣
 

MegRuss626

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Friday, November 6th

We all slept great from our travel day exhaustion. At home, Ryleigh goes to bed around 9:30 and sleeps until around 9. Hence our plan of sleeping in a bit. Imagine our surprise when the magical excitement got to be too much for Ryleigh and she woke up around 7:45 ready to get the day started. So our take our time morning turned into let’s rope drop then come back for a midday nap. We were out the door by 8:35 and took some pictures right outside our room hence the no masks.
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A MK bus was pulling out as we got there but another one came within a few minutes. We had maybe 4 other people on the bus with us. Had to take a selfie with my ears!
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We made it to bag check by 9:10 and were in the park by 9:15.
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We took our time so we could take in some Main Street sights. Ryleigh was in awe of the big Christmas tree and GASPED when she saw the castle! 😢 And is it a 2020 trip report if an opinion of the castle paint job isn’t given? My pre-arrival opinion was I do not like change and don’t support messing with such an iconic landmark. I wasn’t impressed with the pictures I had seen online. My after opinion....I don’t hate it. I do NOT like the pink. It’s not cinderella to me. I didn’t mind the gold and darker blue.
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MegRuss626

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We took the obligatory castle selfies.
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(A little comparison from 2018 and now. Where does time go?? And I sure wish I could see her smile under that mask!)

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I had to document my hidden Mickey nails and send it to the girl who does my nails.
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Ryleigh had requested that the Little Mermaid ride be our first of the day so off we went. The lack of crowds had me feeling optimistic.
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MegRuss626

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We walked onto the ride around 9:30. Another must do selfie....the shel-fie!
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I also taught Ryleigh that we wave to Ariel on the way out!
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If you read my pre-trip report, Ryleigh loves the WDW commercial on Disney Jr and wanted to ride “Bumbo” like they do on the commercial. So that was our next stop! We technically walked on but had to wait while they sprayed down the ride and air dried them.
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We did the Barnstormer next since it was right there. We walked on around 10 and were the only ones on the ride.
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This was the first ride of the day that Ryleigh did not care for. She informed me in the middle of riding that it was scary and declared upon finishing that she would never ride it again. We made a stop at the relaxation station back in that area. It was empty and the air conditioning with no mask felt nice.
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Our next stop was the Tomorrowland Speedway. The posted wait was 15 minutes and we waited around 10. I rode by myself which isn’t very exciting but I did manage to get a construction photo!
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We decided it was time for some snacks and shopping at Star Traders. Ryleigh picked out a stuffed Mater and some of the BOGO candy!

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