Trip Report A New Hope, A New Day *COMPLETED*

That’s not a Star Wars reference.

Longtime readers of my trip reports know Star Wars isn’t my thing (although I immensely enjoy Rise of the Resistance.)

Fireworks are my thing. Like a moth to a flame, I am instinctively drawn to bursts of brilliant sparkles and colors in the sky. Just ask my family how quickly I’ve stopped whatever I’m doing to find the source of nighttime booms! I have serious fireworks FOMO.

Disney fireworks....especially Magic Kingdom fireworks....always flood me with nostalgia, happy memories and hope. After a long pandemic year, I know I am not alone in my yearning for hope of better days ahead.

Every step we take
Brings a new hope
A new day

The return of Disney fireworks, for me, is a sign that things are improving. Hooray!!

But there won’t be any pyro on my upcoming trip. And that’s ok. This vacation was booked with the assumption there would be no nighttime entertainment. (However when rumors began to suggest fireworks in July…..well let’s just say there might be another reservation in MDE for us.)

Who’s us?

Mother/daughter travel buddies, Tuvalu and Em. We last visited together in early April. We were there the day the mask mandate was dropped for stationary pictures.

Today the mask mandate for all those vaccinated has been suspended and we couldn’t be happier! We won’t have to be shrouded in a daft disguise again this summer!

I am not planning to do a full live report but may post a daily update. I’ll fill in the details when our vacation is over.

T-minus 3 days.
June 19 - 26, 2021
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Will any other Magicians make an appearance? Stay tuned.

 

[ArmoredRodent]

I became a little panicked as time ticked by. Would we be doomed to be stuck on IASW forever?

A cliffhanger!! Yes! Excellent.

 

[MinnieM123]

Thank you guys!
The kids did the best, Thank God but still had coughs and high fever, they kicked it faster though. It was/is horrid stuff.All the adults, even vaccinated ones had it really rough. I have double pneumonia now but thankfully the meds they gave me are helping now and I did not have to be hospitalized. Today is the first day I have been out of bed for more than a shower or to go to doctor in 2 weeks I lost almost 20 lbs. in 2 weeks.

Sending best wishes to you for continued recovery from the virus. Sorry you're dealing with this, and glad to hear that you're on the mend.

 

[DisneyGigi]

Prayers for a full recovery for all of you!

Thank you @Tuvalu and stay safe! I didn’t mean to highjack the thread, but you had tagged me twice and just wanted you to know why I have been absent from reports.

Praying for a full recovery for you all.

Thank you so much! We are finally on the mend!

Oh my! That sounds terrible! If that's not an endorsement for vaccines, I don't know what is! Had you already been vaccinated? My kids have one more week before they can get their 2nd shot and I'm just hoping we don't get it in the mean time. Hope you are back on your feet soon!!

I wasn’t vaccinated because I had it awhile back, and with my autoimmune disorders, was a little afraid. I will be getting it 6 months from now, that is what my doctor recommended. Waiting until the high viral load I had is gone. Thanks so much, this stuff is so much uglier this go around. Stay safe!

Sending best wishes to you for continued recovery from the virus. Sorry you're dealing with this, and glad to hear that you're on the mend.

Thank you so much, we are all gaining ground now finally! Stay safe!

 

[Captain Barbossa]

What!!!! Did you just say leprosy???? Is that a joke? I heard it from my brother who lives in Tn and has alot of armadillos. I thought he was teasing me.

Nope, not a joke unfortunately. Over half of the armadillo population here in the southern/southeastern U.S. carries the bacteria that causes Hansen’s Disease. (Aka leprosy) Best to steer clear of them.

 

[Tuvalu]

Day Two, con’t

With less than 10 minutes to showtime Em and I hustled from the IASW exit to our favorite place in Liberty Square to watch the fireworks.

We don’t care about missing the castle projections and we enjoy not having to rub shoulders with others gathered in the hub.

When the opening notes played, it was a surreal moment for both of us. Had it really been almost a year and a half since we’d last stood here in awe?

BOOM!

Yes, we’d found our Happily Ever After again. And for those brief moments, all our worldly troubles faded away.
Life was perfect.

 

[Tuvalu]

The park was open until 10 pm so as soon as HEA ended we headed for one last ride.

Another attraction best experienced at night, right @tonystark?

Guess what.

I finally have a semi-decent ride photo of myself to post!

As usual, Em nails it. I’m claiming I did too, since the reflection in my glasses from the camera flash hides my eyes.

 

[Tuvalu]

MK was now officially closed. We crossed the Liberty Square bridge towards the hub.

Cindy’s castle looked exquisite in royal blue, which is THE color for the 50th celebration.

The “50” medallion on the castle (hard to see in pic above) was a new addition since our June visit.

Upon first glance Em remarked: “How will I know what time it is? They’ve taken away all the clocks!”

That Em is a funny girl.

The WL bus was pulling into the gate just as we got there. We were at back in our room at 10:15 pm and went to sleep with smiles on our faces. It had been a great day.

 

[93boomer]

Day Two, con’t

With less than 10 minutes to showtime Em and I hustled from the IASW exit to our favorite place in Liberty Square to watch the fireworks.

We don’t care about missing the castle projections and we enjoy not having to rub shoulders with others gathered in the hub.

When the opening notes played, it was a surreal moment for both of us. Had it really been almost a year and a half since we’d last stood here in awe?

BOOM!

View attachment 580171

View attachment 580172

View attachment 580173

Yes, we’d found our Happily Ever After again. And for those brief moments, all our worldly troubles faded away.
Life was perfect.

View attachment 580170

We find a secret spot to stand too.
Oh the fireworks are still breathtaking!! I can’t believe it’s been that long!

 

[Rista1313]

Oh gosh... all the feels.... when that opening tune starts... the waterworks start. I am so sad they are changing it already!

 

[Tuvalu]

Oh gosh... all the feels.... when that opening tune starts... the waterworks start. I am so sad they are changing it already!

I’ve seen some rumors that HEA might return after the 50th celebration ends….much like the numerous MSEP resurrections after it was declared finis.

 

[LSV]

We also preferred non-hub watching. If someone would figure out how to make fireworks smokeless I would love them even more.

 

[Tuvalu]

Sunday, July 25 ~ Day Three

A noisy delivery truck woke me at 3:30am and I had difficulty falling back to sleep.

Why?

Because I knew I had to be up and ready before 7am to play the RotR boarding group lottery! Just lying there in the dark thinking about it gave me butterflies. If not for the truck, I probably would have slept peacefully until my alarm went off.

I did wake a few minutes prior to said alarm. Em was up soon after. We were going to try simultaneously for the elusive prize. Panic always sets in during the final 30 second countdown. It sounds so silly….it’s just a theme park attraction after all….but it’s something we enjoy and wanted to experience this trip.

When the clock strikes 7 you have to be FAST. Join, Join, Continue….just three finger taps and it’s over.

I got the Sorry screen.

Em got this.

My hero!

We were able to enjoy our Entenmann’s breakfast with relaxed spirits. About an hour later we made our way to the bus area. Had to stop for a lobby pic first.

There was a large crowd at the bus stop. There was a bus in the Epcot slot with a MK destination sign. No one was on the bus and no one even approached the bus. The driver was in his seat and after a couple minutes he disembarked. In heavily accented speech - through a mask - he announced the bus was going to Hollywood Studios.

Whatever. Em and I were Studios bound so we climbed aboard. Once the confused crowd realized the Epcot/MK bus was really a DHS bus, they raced over to board. The bus ended up being standing room only, and there wasn’t much room to stand.

It was a not-so-good sign that Disney was returning to “normal.”

 

[93boomer]

Sunday, July 25 ~ Day Three

A noisy delivery truck woke me at 3:30am and I had difficulty falling back to sleep.

Why?

Because I knew I had to be up and ready before 7am to play the RotR boarding group lottery! Just lying there in the dark thinking about it gave me butterflies. If not for the truck, I probably would have slept peacefully until my alarm went off.

I did wake a few minutes prior to said alarm. Em was up soon after. We were going to try simultaneously for the elusive prize. Panic always sets in during the final 30 second countdown. It sounds so silly….it’s just a theme park attraction after all….but it’s something we enjoy and wanted to experience this trip.

When the clock strikes 7 you have to be FAST. Join, Join, Continue….just three finger taps and it’s over.

I got the Sorry screen.

Em got this.

View attachment 580197

My hero!

We were able to enjoy our Entenmann’s breakfast with relaxed spirits. About an hour later we made our way to the bus area. Had to stop for a lobby pic first.

View attachment 580198

View attachment 580199

There was a large crowd at the bus stop. There was a bus in the Epcot slot with a MK destination sign. No one was on the bus and no one even approached the bus. The driver was in his seat and after a couple minutes he disembarked. In heavily accented speech - through a mask - he announced the bus was going to Hollywood Studios.

Whatever. Em and I were Studios bound so we climbed aboard. Once the confused crowd realized the Epcot/MK bus was really a DHS bus, they raced over to board. The bus ended up being standing room only, and there wasn’t much room to stand.

It was a not-so-good sign that Disney was returning to “normal.”

Isn’t it crazy that we get like that for a ride?! I literally am shaking by the time I hit that button!

 

[Tuvalu]

Through the gates and here at 8:40am, twenty minutes prior to official opening.

We immediately got in line for MMRR. Love the tapestry in the entrance.

Onboard at 9am.

Thanks for a fun ride, Goofy!

 

[Tuvalu]

Em requested Rock ‘n Rollercoaster next. Though I’m unable to take the very fast limo to The Forum, I was happy to keep her company in the queue line.

The queue began in the courtyard but the actual wait was only 45 minutes.

International tour groups have returned. We saw lots of teal backpacks in the parks this visit.

Behind us in line was a party of 5, two mothers with their teen daughters. One of the mothers clearly did not want to ride (motion sickness) and was having an angry discourse with her daughter (“you’ll be fine, Ma.”)

“You’re SURE this ride doesn’t go upside down?”

“It doesn’t go upside down,” the teen assured her, rolling her eyes.

I imagine neither one of them had a good day after that.


Why look, I’m a stage mom!

And while Em was off doing this….

….I got to go here.

 

[Tuvalu]

My partying was cut short. Our boarding group had been called.

We were sent through the Fastpass queue.

We experienced both pre-shows before our capture.

We triumphed over the First Order despite all the working special effects! (Well except for cannons #2 and #3, but they’ve been broken for months….RotR’s version of the Yeti.)

 

[Tuvalu]

Em and I did not walk through Galaxy’s Edge (sooo crowded!) but exited the way we’d entered, via Grand Avenue.

We went to play with Andy’s friends.

See the sign for Slinky Dog? Yeah, we weren’t gonna wait 90 minutes in the summer heat.

We knew we’d eventually reach a/c in this attraction.

And after a HOT 35 minutes, we did. Of course we still had 20 more minutes of waiting.

(What’s up with this area? Anyone know?)

As we traversed the switchbacks, our eyes caught sight of a very funny T-shirt on a very large man. Other fans of The Big Bang Theory might also chuckle at what was written on it:

Soft Wookiee Warm Wookiee
Little Ball of Fur
Hairy Wookiee Sleepy Wookiee
Grr Grr Grrr

WHERE’S MR. POTATO HEAD??!!!

Now comes the usual picture where I gloat about having highest score.

Except I wasn’t Player 2. Em beat me during the “It’s your last chance!” round.

 

[Swissmiss]

I bet if any writers from Big Bang Theory see the Soft Wookie t-shirt that they kick themselves for not working it into the show

 

[Songbird76]

Em requested Rock ‘n Rollercoaster next. Though I’m unable to take the very fast limo to The Forum, I was happy to keep her company in the queue line.

View attachment 580437
The queue began in the courtyard but the actual wait was only 45 minutes.

International tour groups have returned. We saw lots of teal backpacks in the parks this visit.

View attachment 580438

Behind us in line was a party of 5, two mothers with their teen daughters. One of the mothers clearly did not want to ride (motion sickness) and was having an angry discourse with her daughter (“you’ll be fine, Ma.”)

“You’re SURE this ride doesn’t go upside down?”

“It doesn’t go upside down,” the teen assured her, rolling her eyes.

I imagine neither one of them had a good day after that.


Why look, I’m a stage mom!
View attachment 580439

And while Em was off doing this….

View attachment 580442
….I got to go here.

View attachment 580441

View attachment 580440

Awww.....you didn't clue the mom in that she should take the chicken exit because it does indeed go up-side-down? Poor mom!! I wonder if the daughter was that clueless, or whether she just wanted to trick her mom into going on it.

 

[Songbird76]

I bet if any writers from Big Bang Theory see the Soft Wookie t-shirt that they kick themselves for not working it into the show

Penny, song soft Wookie to me.