Trip Report An attempt to live in the moment

Hello everyone!
Our last trip was in December 2019 before the World shut down. Since then both my husband and I have changed jobs to completely different careers and have never been happier. I was super nervous about this trip because of all the changes that happened at Disney World and also because I kept hearing about issues with flights. My anxiety was on high alert while trying to plan the trip and navigate through all of the new information. The one thing I promised myself and my husband was that I was going to try my best to live in the moment and not focus on what we were going to do next. But would my anxiety let me?

Who: My husband and I

When: November 12-20
Where: Pop Century/Cabana Bay Universal
Why: My 49th Birthday

Some sad news first. I had planned on starting this trip report a few weeks ago but our beautiful boy cat, Loki, passed away. It was completely unexpected and we were devastated. We rushed him to the vet thinking he had a urinary tract infection but the test results showed stage 4 renal failure. He did not show signs until a few days before other than sleeping more and eating a bit less but he was also almost 16 years old. We miss him so much .

 

[Beastly74]

Sunday, November 19 - Our last day

We slept in again and then took the bus down to City Walk for brunch. The bus service was excellent all 3 days we stayed at the resort. We all had a little money left on our gift cards from the event so we went to Cinnabon and Starbucks again. (We all got $15 gift cards each night and they did not expire).

My choice

Brian's

Mike's

Before we went to Starbucks we did a little shopping and Brian's friend Mike bought me a cute little Hedwig that actually moves and makes noises (for my birthday).

We did a little more shopping and then took the walking trail back to the resort. When we were walking back to the room we took some pictures of the pool area that we never used. If I stay there again I will definitely take advantage of the lazy river.




It definitely looked like a beautiful area.

Then it was time to get ready for another fun night .

 

[Beastly74]

We had tickets for the Magic Kingdom Christmas Party. This was not our 1st time attending but I think the last time we went was back in 2014. When we were leaving MK Tuesday after 3pm we noticed that the crowd waiting to get in early to the park for the party that night was HUGE. We asked a cast member about it and she recommended coming at 5 or after to avoid the chaos. I definitely do not remember it being that bad back in 2014 but then again that was 9 years ago. Apparently word got out that you could get in early with a party ticket. So we took her advice and got there for 5pm, thankfully there was not a lot of people all trying to enter at the same time.

Mike drove so we were able to get a better picture of the entrance sign.


We took the monorail over.



Brian and I were surprised when they directed us around the back (instead of going down a crowded Main Street). Mike had never been there so he didn't know any different. They had some good photo ops but the light was not that good.



We also all got a cute little Toy soldier Christmas ornament.

We were hungry so we stopped at Cosmic Ray's which was not the best idea because it was insanely busy but I wanted to see Sonny. It was just after 5 so most places to eat were probably crazy.

The food was only decent but the entertainment was excellent .

 

[Beastly74]

Christmas party guests were allowed to book a virtual queue for Tron and Mike was lucky enough to score an early one so we walked him over to the ride and then Brian and I went shopping. Our number would not be called until much later. After a little shopping we waited for him outside Casey's.


The party was just getting started so we decided to do a some rides and get some cookies. We did Pirates. BTMRR, Haunted Mansion, 7DMT and then Peter Pan. Wait times were fantastic!




It was getting closer to the Fireworks show so I stopped to use the washroom and we found Cinderella and Prince Charming.

 

[erstwo]

The party was just getting started so we decided to do a some rides and get some cookies. We did Pirates. BTMRR, Haunted Mansion, 7DMT and then Peter Pan. Wait times were fantastic!

That is a LOT of great rides in a short amount of time!

 

[Beastly74]

That is a LOT of great rides in a short amount of time!

It was awesome! And we even stopped a few times for cookies .

 

[Beastly74]

We found a spot close to the front of the castle and before the fireworks started there was a cute Christmas show.





Loved it!

Some people may not like this location for the fireworks-being so close to the castle because you have to crane your neck but it is my personal favorite. Maybe it's because I cannot see the huge mass of people behind me so it doesn't look as daunting . Just keep facing forward and everything will be fine.


There she goes!



Just as the show ended our number for Tron was called so off we went. I was nervous that we would end up missing the parade so Mike went to find us a spot but would we be able to meet him in time?

 

[Beastly74]

We got to Tron and kept checking the time and Brian repeatedly told me that we should jump out of line and we started bickering but I was determined to ride Tron one last time. Luckily it worked out and we were able to meet up with Mike again but wow the anxiety was high and I actually think Brian was more anxious than me. Mike found a good place to watch the parade but I made sure to check with the families around us if we could stand there and they said that he had already asked them and explained why we were running late. Everyone was really nice about it . Even so Brian stood behind me so we would not take up too much room. One of the families beside us had a little girl about 8-9 who was so excited and she kept jumping into my pictures but her excitement was so cute that we found it hilarious. I had to do a lot of cropping lol.

Warning - Photo dump of parade pics ahead

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I’m late but big hugs for Loki!

You guys got so much accomplished on this trip! (We are slacking lol.)

 

[Beastly74]

I’m late but big hugs for Loki!

You guys got so much accomplished on this trip! (We are slacking lol.)

Thank you .
I tried my best to take it easy this trip and I was still surprised how much we were able to accomplish in such a short time.

 

[Beastly74]

More parade photos...








After the parade there was just enough time to get a few more cookies and do one more ride.

 

[Beastly74]

Our last ride of the night was Buzz and for the first time I actually beat Brian so of course I had to take a picture .


When we exited the ride it was just after midnight so we slowly made our way out. This time it was harder leaving.


I believe the above picture was taken earlier in the night but I forget when.



We had an amazing night. Mike had a great time too and it was fun to hang out with someone who had never been to a MK Christmas party. We did not take the time to meet characters but sometimes it is impossible to get everything done.
The last picture I took for the night was of the pile of cookies Brian and I collected during the party .


Tomorrow I will write a little about the trip as a whole-both the good and the bad. Thanks to everyone that has hung around this long. I have enjoyed sharing our adventures.

 

[Tuvalu]

Tomorrow I will write a little about the trip as a whole-both the good and the bad. Thanks to everyone that has hung around this long. I have enjoyed sharing our adventures.

What a fun read! Thanks for taking us along on your adventures.

 

[littleroo]

Loved your trip report! You 2 and 3 are real commandos. Great pictures and details! Looking forward to the wrap up.

PS We stayed at the Cabana in 2021 and loved. The lazy river was one of our favorite parts. Check it out next time.

 

[Beastly74]

What a fun read! Thanks for taking us along on your adventures.

Thank you . I have definitely loved following your trip reports over the years. Like everyone else on this site I was sad when you announced your "retirement" and then relieved when it was short-lived.

Loved your trip report! You 2 and 3 are real commandos. Great pictures and details! Looking forward to the wrap up.

PS We stayed at the Cabana in 2021 and loved. The lazy river was one of our favorite parts. Check it out next time.

Thank you . I find the commando comment funny because this was actually me trying to take it "easy". I was so much crazier 4 years ago .
I definitely hope to have a chance to experience the lazy river at Cabana in the near future.

 

[Beastly74]

Sorry but this is going to be a bit long and unfortunately sad.

This trip was the shortest and most expensive one that we have ever done. It was not just the rising cost of everything but as Canadians we also have to deal with a scary exchange rate. To put it in perspective the Disney portion of the trip (hotel and tickets) was about a $1000 more than the quoted U.S. price. It did not stop me from wanting to go back but it did force us to cut it shorter than I would have liked.

I think we picked an excellent week to go to Orlando because crowd levels were manageable so we were able to get a lot done and we never felt the need to buy Genie+. The weather was not great most of the week but I believe that helped keep the crowds away. Thursday was really the only full rainy day and the nicest day was Sunday.

I had heard a lot about unpleasant guests and rumors of unmagical encounters with cast members. We only witnessed one instance of a guest being rude on a ride and that is when one side of FOP broke down and the person was demanding to know what was happening . It pains me to say this but we did notice more cast members being not necessarily rude but less welcoming which surprised me. Although I did see a GOTG cast member roll his eyes at a lady when she asked which way to go at the entrance to the ride. Looking back most of the moments happened at Epcot.

So I shocked myself, Brian and my friends when I announced plans for our next trip. It will not be a Disney Trip but we will still be going to Orlando. Say what?! Mike mentioned that he really wanted to attend another Orlando Informer event and he wants us to come with him again. I will be turning 50 in November so we agreed to try and make it happen because we honestly had an amazing time. I cannot afford another combo trip, however we would like to attend the MK Christmas party again so I guess there will still be some Disney time. I also want to visit Disney Springs of course. Who knows maybe I will win the lottery before then and become a "snow bird" lol.

Now for the sad part. As I mentioned at the first of this trip report we lost our boy cat, Loki, to kidney failure in December. We noticed that his sister, Rin, was not feeling well last month so we took her to the vet. My beautiful girl was diagnosed with cancer 2 weeks ago. It is in her lower intestine and has spread to her lymph nodes so she is terminal. She is on an appetite enhancer and a steroid to help her feel better. We are just taking it day by day and are thankful for each day with her. She has put on a bit of weight and she seems to be doing better than expected but we know that her time will come all too soon. This will be the first time in over 20 years that there will not be a pet/furry family member in our home when she goes. I don't even know how to process that right now.


Our little Princess (her stomach is shaved because she had to have an ultrasound) . She just turned 16 on February 4th.

Sorry to dump that on everyone. I was going to mention it when we first found out but I was not ready.
Thank you again for following. I appreciate it so much.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

My beautiful girl was diagnosed with cancer 2 weeks ago. It is in her lower intestine and has spread to her lymph nodes so she is terminal.

 

[Swissmiss]

Sorry to hear about Rin. It puts in perspective the recent glaucoma diagnosis in one of my cats. She may not like getting daily eyedrops, but she should still be around for a long time.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

 

[MinnieM123]

@Beastly74 , thanks for sharing your interesting TR with us. I haven't been to WDW in over 5 years, so it's fun for me to vicariously "visit" and enjoy the attractions there with others. Your photos were very good as well. Glad that you and your husband had a good time.

As for the medical news about Rin, I am sorry to hear that. Hoping that she will at least be comfortable in the days ahead, and enjoy whatever time she has left with you.

 

[Beastly74]

I cried a little when I read your trip report. It never gets easier when you lose a furry family member or care for a sick one but I would gladly do it all again because they bring such joy to our lives.

@Beastly74 , thanks for sharing your interesting TR with us. I haven't been to WDW in over 5 years, so it's fun for me to vicariously "visit" and enjoy the attractions there with others. Your photos were very good as well. Glad that you and your husband had a good time.

As for the medical news about Rin, I am sorry to hear that. Hoping that she will at least be comfortable in the days ahead, and enjoy whatever time she has left with you.

Thank you .
I loved sharing our trip with everyone and I am glad you enjoyed it.

Sorry to hear about Rin. It puts in perspective the recent glaucoma diagnosis in one of my cats. She may not like getting daily eyedrops, but she should still be around for a long time.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

I hope that all your cats live long and happy lives .
I am glad you enjoyed my trip report. Thank you for following.

 

[Wicked Sisters]

Our hearts go out to you as we know how heartbreaking it feels losing our fur babies. Pleased that Rin is feeling better in herself and she definitely knows she is so loved. Also thankyou for your brilliant report you achieved so much.