Trip Report A Salute to All Nations, but Mostly America

Hey everyone! @blgauger and I are about to begin our Memorial Day tour of Walt Disney World, and since she is behind on her own report () I'm taking over the reporting for the day (and maybe longer, you never know)
For those of you who don't know me, I'm Brooke. Brittany and I met through this forum when we found out we would be teaching together, and now we hang out at Disney whenever we aren't at school. We've got lots of Disney adventures planned this summer (including a BTMRR challenge with @Tuvalu and @Longers ) so stay tuned!

 

[wishes2013]

Took a short afternoon trip to MK to spend a little more time with my family before they leave in the morning. I beat them there and spent about an hour strolling Main Street. I wandered in and out of the shops...

... grabbed a snack...

... and enjoyed the area’s entertainment.

(The Dapper Dan in purple is an acquaintance of mine, so it was cool to see him in action )

I knew the parade would be heading my way soon, so I headed up to the train station.

Aaaand then my family came, so I left my spot. They headed for Space Mountain, and I ended up staying behind with one of them to catch the parade from Main Street

We met them at Space, then headed towards Pooh. 5 of us decided to head for Splash instead of waiting 45 minutes for Pooh. We stopped for Dole Whip and it started storming. Everything closed, so we headed for Hall of Presidents once the rain let up. We ended up having to wait 20 minutes, and then I had to get home, so I didn’t even get to stay for the show
Ride-wise today was a bust, but I’ll be back soon! I’m just grateful for the chance to see family I don’t usually see more than once or twice a year

 

[fractal]

Today @blgauger and I didn’t go to Disney

But, we did something related to Disney AND teaching, and it was amazing, so I’ll share quick here

We went to a conference (EdcampMagic) that is super cool. Teacher people need to check out EdCamp in general. They happen all over the country. Anyways, this one is focused on bringing the Disney spirit and creativity to your classroom. Guest speakers today included Brian Collins, a former engineer, and Jeff Barnes (Dr. Disneyland) who teaches a college class on the History of Disneyland. It was super cool, and I would highly recommend looking them both up and checking out their websites/Twitter/books View attachment 289046View attachment 289047View attachment 289048View attachment 289049View attachment 289050

super cool indeed!

 

[wishes2013]

Spent today at Epcot, followed by a little MK time: here are the highlights:
Thanked the Phonecians

Rode Soarin’
Also, totally saw @lostpro9het near the entrance to the Land. I was with people who would definitely not understand the forum and how I know y’all, but next time I will stop you
Hopped on Nemo and stopped at the exit for a while

Bought a poncho like a total tourist

Got a frozen margarita- mango and strawberry- yum!

(Notice the puddle it is sitting in, it poured for most of the afternoon)

Had the chicken wrap from Morocco. I’ve been wanting to try this place after all the reviews. Definitely did not disappoint

Rode TT and headed to MK, where I saw Once Upon a Time for the first time.

Side note: MK monorail was down, they said it was struck by lightning

Rode a few things and took the bus back to Epcot. The bus stopped in the middle of the parking lot, which was an unexpected surprise for our tired feet

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I was at Wpcot on the 21st as well, too bad we didn’t bump into each other.

 

[wishes2013]

Spent about 15 hours in the parks on Tuesday, and honestly I’m still recovering

My best friend was in town for a few days, and the plan was to hit AK and MK. Before our Sunday trip to Epcot and MK, it had been 8 years since her last Disney trip

I wanted her to ride FOP, so that was our first stop. It was about an hour from rope drop to us getting off the ride.
I am convinced that the wait would have been 30 minutes if people didn’t stop every 10 seconds for selfies and family pictures. I get it- it’s cool, but how many family pictures do you really need of the same thing? This was the first time I saw a cm in the room with the floating avatar telling people to keep moving. She was just as annoyed as we were. I was so tempted to just walk past the people who were stopped. I’m here to ride! Rant over.

I have no pictures other than the photopass ones I do know we waited an hour for a safari and did Everest single rider.
We got to MK and made some FP+ at the kiosk. We hopped on the TTA...

Then we headed for Frontierland to see the parade before our BTMRR FP. The approaching storm cancelled the parade and closed the ride, so we headed for Pirates where we could wait out the storm. (We’re the weirdos in the back row)

We timed it right, and the downpour was over by the time we were done. We grabbed dinner

I love this place- kids rice bowl is my go to for dinner!
Then we used our FP on Big Thunder. We stopped in the bathroom, where I noticed this sign. How cute is this?

We met Mickey and walked through the castle.

My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I know we did Small World, People Mover again, Buzz, and Winnie the Pooh before our Peter Pan FP. The family in front of us on small world was filming the entire ride, one of them with the flash on, and another on Snapchat. Again, LIVE IN THE MOMENT! No one is going to watch all of that, find it on YouTube.

We grabbed some treats. This may be my new favorite thing. Soooo yummy!

Then we headed to find a spot for HEA. 5 minutes into the show a group shoved themselves in front of us. There wasn’t space, and guess what they were doing?
If you guessed recording you were right. One of them was unsuccessfully trying to connect to Instagram live and missed the entire show.

Then we headed for Splash and it started raining. Out came the ponchos

BTMRR was 10 minutes, so that was our last stop of the day. We headed for the exit as it continued to rain even harder, and waited foreeeeverrr for the ferry back to the TTC.

It was a great day with my best friend, who I don’t get to see much at all. We got a lot of rides in, and managed to avoid most of the rain!

 

[blreinsel]

We grabbed some treats. This may be my new favorite thing. Soooo yummy

I just discovered this too and am obsessed. Looks like we found our new go to snack stop.

 

[wishes2013]

Yesterday I decided I would head to MK for the 4th of July fireworks. I headed to the park around 5, and as soon as I walked in I knew I was in for an adventure, especially when the fireworks were over.
Monorails were down, so I took the ferry. As I headed towards the turnstiles, I was surprised to see all the gates they were putting up

Everyone had to go to the right side and through the right tunnel. There were tons of red vested cms directing people

Upon entering Main Street it was clear that Disney had done this before, and the cms were getting ready. I could not believe the amount of cms that were visible, knowing how stressful their jobs would get as the crowds grew.

People were already camped out, but I headed for the People Mover first. Then I headed back towards the hub to find my spot. I ended up finding a spot near a family saving a big space. The kids offered plenty of entertainment and the adults were fun to talk with.

It was probably around 6:30 when I sat down. They had a dj pumping up the crowd with all sorts of music. He kept announcing the post fireworks dance party, and how it would be better than sitting in your car or waiting for the monorail. I thought having him there was a great idea, and people were loving singing and dancing along.

 

[wishes2013]

Eventually we all stood up, and thankfully the people who had been there for hours respected personal space I was expecting a big push forward, or someone pushing in front, but somehow, the only thing in my way was the lamp post

WOW! What an incredible show. Nothing crazy in the way of projections- so I’m wondering if those will come soon. I’m always amazed by the way Disney can choreograph their fireworks to music, this was no exception. And those 360 fireworks during the finale wow.
I headed for my FP with Buzz. Can Disney please do something to fix the FP+ line issues. Every time I’m on it, the FP line wraps around and around. No one knows where it starts and it goes on forever.
I took another spin on the People Mover and then headed to my next FP

Then I started heading for the exit

 

[wishes2013]

The dance party was still going strong. I was really surprised by the amount of people still hanging out on Main Street

This was the sound booth, it’s hard to see, but they put little potted trees all around it

Even the fountains were patriotic! (Ignore the terrible photo)
As I left I was again amazed by all the crowd control prep that had been done.

Why don’t they use these all the time?
I decided to go with the bus. And it was a great choice.
Again, plenty of guidance to make sure people were heading the right way near the bus stop

I ended up jumping right on to a fancy charter bus and took a comfortable ride back to the TTC

 

[blreinsel]

Countdown to the @wishes2013 snd @blgauger reunion next week.

 

[wishes2013]

Countdown to the @wishes2013 snd @blgauger reunion next week.

I CANNOT WAIT!
(And then I’m going to Ohio we need to coordinate schedules next summer)

 

[blreinsel]

I CANNOT WAIT!
(And then I’m going to Ohio we need to coordinate schedules next summer)

I literally just said that to Dylan last night. We have at least two outfits that need to be worn before you leave though.

 

[wishes2013]

Yesterday I planned on getting to MK early and relaxing with my book for a few hours. I ended up getting there around 10 with my Dunkin’ in hand
The lady in front of me at bag check had a metal bottle of Bud Light with her. She was trying to convince the security guards or was water, but they didn’t buy it
I took the Ferry and was soon enjoying this view...

I saw the Trolley show, and just missed seeing a proposal. I heard all the cheering and saw the couple taking pictures afterwards

I had a FP for Pirates and Jungle Cruise, so I headed over there. Originally I planned on heading out, but then I remembered Tom Sawyer Island would be open!

I found a new spot to read, and it was out of the sun. I spent a few hours here reading before deciding to move on.

I took a quick trip Under the Sea and then decided I’d had enough of the heat. I headed for the car just in time to avoid some rain!
It was the perfect way to spend a day!

 

[DisneyJeff]

The lady in front of me at bag check had a metal bottle of Bud Light with her. She was trying to convince the security guards or was water, but they didn’t buy it

IDK... some would say that there isn't much of a difference between Bud Light and water!!!

 

[sheriffwoody]

IDK... some would say that there isn't much of a difference between Bud Light and water!!!

That is exactly what I was thinking!!