Trip Report Cheerful Goodbye to 2020 and Optimistic Hello to 2021! Video Trip Report - Updated July 26th 2021

NotZacHoward · May 11, 2021

Chapter 18: Sad Goodbyes But Happy Hellos

We wake up a little later than the rest of the days that preceded this one and had to have an emotional goodbye to Nae, Chris and Jake

They had to get back to the real world and work while the rest of us three got to stay for a few more days in the Disney Magic!

This day was New Years Eve and we were sooo excited to ring in 2021 and say GOOODBYE to 2020, as I am sure most of the world was ready to get out of 2020. We got to walk to EPCOT since the Boardwalk is just so close and so convenient not having to have to wait for the busses. We got to EPCOT right as they started letting people into the park so we wanted to try to get on the big rides as soon as possible.

We stopped and picked up our Festival of the Holidays passport before heading over to Future World to see how long Test Track was this early in the morning. We got to explore the World Showcase a bit as we walked to Test Track which was nice to see all the decorations for the holidays still up and the kitchens being put out. We came across the Test Track line and it looked like it was going to be a long wait because of where the line started but they didn't have all the lines weaving in and out yet so it went by super quickly (about 40 minutes for us, which was a lot better than the posted 120 minutes!)

Then we saw our FIRST character calvacade of the day going through the World Showcase and I just love it so so so much! The characters just really made everything seem so much special. We headed over to Frozen Ever After and it was wayyy past the entrance to the China pavilion, but we knew it was going to be long waits everywhere since it was a holiday.

NotZacHoward · May 14, 2021

Chapter 19: Festival of the Holidays

We start to enjoy the Festival of the Holidays a bit early (before lines got too crazy) and started at the Bavarian Cafe. We got a little bit of everything, especially the drinks

Mom had ordered the riesling but we had been given the hot wine, how we didn't know when we grabbed it I am not sure but it definitely was a shock to mom when she first took sip. It was very good and tasty just a little weird to drink in the Florida heat! We loved almost all of the food we got from this booth, only one plate was just okay - not great but not bad either.

We then headed over to Italy to try the Tuscany pavilion food because I was really wanted a margarita and they had a lemoncello margarita there. We ordered, yet again, one of everything and this time everything was SO good! All the food was delicious and the drinks were super delicious as well. The best part about EPCOT is always the food from around the world.

Next up was to get another cookie pitstop on our cookie stroll and this time it was the Chocolate Crinkle Cookie. Little did we know how much mother would enjoy this cookie. She would not stop ranting and raving about it all day and rightfully so, it was SO good! It had like sugar crystals on the outside and the powdered sugar MM MM MMMMM. We may have came back a few times throughout the day

After our tasting hour, we wanted to now travel through the world, in style! We headed over to the Land pavilion and waited in line for Soarin. Even though the line wasn't very long, it just seemed like it took forever. I am not sure if it was because we were tired or if there just wasn't much to entertain us but it seemed like it took forever! But, even with that line it still was an awesome experience that we all loved, even if Clint is a little afraid of heights lol

Since we were on a world tour, we thought we might as well travel back in time to see where we came from and where we are going

That's right, it is time for Spaceship Earth! A great ride to rest our feet as well as take a quick nap if needed hehe. It was such a great early afternoon had in EPCOT and we got a lot accomplished!

Songbird76 · May 15, 2021

NotZacHoward said:
Chapter 19: Festival of the Holidays

We start to enjoy the Festival of the Holidays a bit early (before lines got too crazy) and started at the Bavarian Cafe. We got a little bit of everything, especially the drinks Mom had ordered the riesling but we had been given the hot wine, how we didn't know when we grabbed it I am not sure but it definitely was a shock to mom when she first took sip. It was very good and tasty just a little weird to drink in the Florida heat! We loved almost all of the food we got from this booth, only one plate was just okay - not great but not bad either.

We then headed over to Italy to try the Tuscany pavilion food because I was really wanted a margarita and they had a lemoncello margarita there. We ordered, yet again, one of everything and this time everything was SO good! All the food was delicious and the drinks were super delicious as well. The best part about EPCOT is always the food from around the world.

Next up was to get another cookie pitstop on our cookie stroll and this time it was the Chocolate Crinkle Cookie. Little did we know how much mother would enjoy this cookie. She would not stop ranting and raving about it all day and rightfully so, it was SO good! It had like sugar crystals on the outside and the powdered sugar MM MM MMMMM. We may have came back a few times throughout the day

After our tasting hour, we wanted to now travel through the world, in style! We headed over to the Land pavilion and waited in line for Soarin. Even though the line wasn't very long, it just seemed like it took forever. I am not sure if it was because we were tired or if there just wasn't much to entertain us but it seemed like it took forever! But, even with that line it still was an awesome experience that we all loved, even if Clint is a little afraid of heights lol

Since we were on a world tour, we thought we might as well travel back in time to see where we came from and where we are going That's right, it is time for Spaceship Earth! A great ride to rest our feet as well as take a quick nap if needed hehe. It was such a great early afternoon had in EPCOT and we got a lot accomplished!

How did Clint like SSE? I love that one, but I was looking forward to the refurb because it IS a bit outdated. Hopefully they'll do it eventually.

Soarin' is my absolute favorite at Epcot, and I can ride it over and over. I get motion sick, but not on Soarin' for some reason. And I am terrified of heights, but since I know what to expect and I know it's not really as high up as it looks, I'm ok on it. I couldn't do an actual hangglider over any of those places, but Soarin' is the perfect way to enjoy it without actually having to do that! I skipped it on our first trip with the kids, back when it was the California one, because of my fear of heights, but people kept saying you HAVE to do it once just to experience it, and it was the most popular ride. I'm SO glad I gave it a chance on our next trip, because now I love it.

Did you not go on Living with The Land while you were over there?

Gluhwein is a really popular thing over here. (pronounced like "glue vine") You can also get candy with the taste of Gluhwein. I'm not a wine drinker, so I don't particularly like it, but it is a big thing around Christmas here, kind of like hot apple cider would be to us.

NotZacHoward · May 15, 2021

Songbird76 said:
How did Clint like SSE? I love that one, but I was looking forward to the refurb because it IS a bit outdated. Hopefully they'll do it eventually.

Soarin' is my absolute favorite at Epcot, and I can ride it over and over. I get motion sick, but not on Soarin' for some reason. And I am terrified of heights, but since I know what to expect and I know it's not really as high up as it looks, I'm ok on it. I couldn't do an actual hangglider over any of those places, but Soarin' is the perfect way to enjoy it without actually having to do that! I skipped it on our first trip with the kids, back when it was the California one, because of my fear of heights, but people kept saying you HAVE to do it once just to experience it, and it was the most popular ride. I'm SO glad I gave it a chance on our next trip, because now I love it.

Did you not go on Living with The Land while you were over there?

Gluhwein is a really popular thing over here. (pronounced like "glue vine") You can also get candy with the taste of Gluhwein. I'm not a wine drinker, so I don't particularly like it, but it is a big thing around Christmas here, kind of like hot apple cider would be to us.

He actually liked it a lot a lot! He enjoys that stuff quite a bit so it was definitely up his alley - although he agreed that it is ready for a refurb and face lift lol

I love Soarin as well! It is honestly so much fun. That is so awesome that you don't get motion sickness on that one - weird thing is my sister does but she doesn't on Flight of Passage. So weird how the brain and motion sickness picks and chooses when it decides it wants to get sick. So glad that you listened to every saying you must experience it because it truly is a unique experience that I think can't be found any where else!

We didn't go on Living with the Land, the line was actually really really long and my mom isn't the biggest fan of that ride. If Jake was still with us he would have made us ride that ride as he loves everything that deals with earth and plants.

Definitely makes sense that it is a Christmas time drink! The taste was super good, just not exactly what mom was expecting when she first took a sip lol

could totally see us loving that on a cold winter night back home!

Songbird76 · May 16, 2021

NotZacHoward said:
He actually liked it a lot a lot! He enjoys that stuff quite a bit so it was definitely up his alley - although he agreed that it is ready for a refurb and face lift lol

I love Soarin as well! It is honestly so much fun. That is so awesome that you don't get motion sickness on that one - weird thing is my sister does but she doesn't on Flight of Passage. So weird how the brain and motion sickness picks and chooses when it decides it wants to get sick. So glad that you listened to every saying you must experience it because it truly is a unique experience that I think can't be found any where else!

We didn't go on Living with the Land, the line was actually really really long and my mom isn't the biggest fan of that ride. If Jake was still with us he would have made us ride that ride as he loves everything that deals with earth and plants.

Definitely makes sense that it is a Christmas time drink! The taste was super good, just not exactly what mom was expecting when she first took a sip lol could totally see us loving that on a cold winter night back home!

Oh weird....I get motion sick on FOP...I had to close my eyes a few times because it really made my head spinny. But I don't have that at all on Soarin'.

ferbtones · May 16, 2021

Great update.

I’m with Clint on the fear of heights, but I feel so safe in Disney that it doesn’t bother me, lol.

My daughter is drooling over the cheese fondue, she loves cheese. Apparently we need to go to Epcot immediately.

Being from the UK that is tricky right now.

Will continue to watch, looking forward to your next update.

meggo819 · May 17, 2021

Another fun update! Was the guy as you entered the land just checking how many people you had?

Looks like y’all had the prime seats on Soarin’ with not much distortion! Nice for Clint’s first time!

NotZacHoward · May 17, 2021

Songbird76 said:
Oh weird....I get motion sick on FOP...I had to close my eyes a few times because it really made my head spinny. But I don't have that at all on Soarin'.

So interesting how different rides effect people so differently! Craziness

ferbtones said:
Great update.

I’m with Clint on the fear of heights, but I feel so safe in Disney that it doesn’t bother me, lol.

My daughter is drooling over the cheese fondue, she loves cheese. Apparently we need to go to Epcot immediately. Being from the UK that is tricky right now.

Will continue to watch, looking forward to your next update.

Thank you! His fear of heights is more when his feet are dangling like that lol but he made it through and I told him that exact same thing - Disney is safe so all should be okay! Omg, it really was SO delicious. Hopefully they have it again for you and your daughter when you can come back this way

If not, I will try to sneak you all some next time I am there and they have it lol!

meggo819 said:
Another fun update! Was the guy as you entered the land just checking how many people you had?

Looks like y’all had the prime seats on Soarin’ with not much distortion! Nice for Clint’s first time!

Thank you! Yes, I think they were trying to keep the capacity within the land down as well. I completely agree about Soarin and I was super happy about it too! Something those further edge seats really can cause some viewing issues

NotZacHoward · May 24, 2021

Chapter 20: Space and Imagination Make For A Great Combo

We continue our incredible ride escapade and head over to Mission Space. I was a bit nervous for this ride for Clint and Mom since the ride can sometimes take some people out (motion sickness and what not) so we decided to stay safe and go on the green side. It was a great decision but Clint and Mom did say that they would go on the orange side next time so we will definitely see if they actually do that lol.

After that ride we were starting to get a bit tired and our legs and feet were hurting by this point. So we decided to head back to the World Showcase to get another cookie for our cookie stroll (the peppermint one) and just sat around for a bit to enjoy the music and people watching. The cookie was super yummy but I definitely wish there was more of a peppermint flavor; however, I do love peppermint so it probably was fine to most. We were also trying to snag a last minute dinner reservation since it was New Years Eve and wanted to do something a little special but I am sure you can guess that we were not the most successful in trying to get a last minute ressie.

After a bit of a break we headed over to the Seas to see Nemo and friends! Clint got to experience the best song on property, the Big Blue World!! It is such a staple in my family to sing the song and we will constantly call each other just to sing it to each other haha.

After Nemo, we were walking pass Journey into Imagination and I remember having riding this quite a while ago but didn't really remember how it went. We weren't quite sure what it was going to be and the line seemed super short so we decided why not. Well, let me tell you, the ending of that ride scared ALL of us to our core! I did not remember the wall falling with the loud push of air/noise. Be prepared to hear a loud scream if you watch the vlog because we were not ready!

ferbtones · May 25, 2021

Thanks for the update.

Me and my daughter loved your reaction to Figment. The first time she rode she said what was that, so when she heard you she said ‘see’.

Sorry you didn’t manage to get a sit down meal, but quick service and drinks in Disney is still a win. Hope you enjoyed your choices.

NotZacHoward · May 28, 2021

ferbtones said:
Thanks for the update.

Me and my daughter loved your reaction to Figment. The first time she rode she said what was that, so when she heard you she said ‘see’.

Sorry you didn’t manage to get a sit down meal, but quick service and drinks in Disney is still a win. Hope you enjoyed your choices.

Hahaha, we definitely were not expecting all of that (and I had rode it before so obviously I just don't remember that at all lol) I agree with quick service and drinks at Disney! Sometimes though when my mind is made up that I want to do something, I won't stop obsessing over it for a very long time hehe

Songbird76 · May 30, 2021

I love that you turned the camera for the upside down part so we got to see it right-side-up....I've never seen it that way before! Brilliant!

meggo819 · May 30, 2021

Songbird76 said:
I love that you turned the camera for the upside down part so we got to see it right-side-up....I've never seen it that way before! Brilliant!

I was thinking the same!

NotZacHoward · Jun 1, 2021

Songbird76 said:
I love that you turned the camera for the upside down part so we got to see it right-side-up....I've never seen it that way before! Brilliant!

meggo819 said:
I was thinking the same!

Thank you both! I honestly don't know what made me do it, I just thought it would be cool so I am glad you both enjoyed it!!

NotZacHoward · Jun 29, 2021

Chapter 21: New Years Eve at EPCOT!

We decided to stop obsessing over getting a reservation for dinner and decided to just get some quick service food. I got the amazing nachos from the quick service restaurant in the Mexico area of the World Showcase. We then headed to the American area so mom and Clint could get the Regal Eagle as they wanted some yummy bbq. Clint got the BBQ burger that looked amazing and mom got pulled pork, garlic bread and some yummy mac n cheese. All the food was super delicious and we really enjoyed everything on our plate.

After dinner, we had to revisit a few places we already had been to so we could get a crinkle cookie again for mother dearest and also finish out our cookie stroll. We went over to Frozen Ever After again because the line was not long at all, about 35 minutes, and we just had to do it again. It also is moms favorite ride so she was super excited to be able to ride it again with a short line. After Frozen, we decided to head over to Test Track again to get some thrill and fast moving going on, and Clint really loved that ride so we said why not.

We had time for one more ride so we said, why not lets go over to Soarin again as our last ride for 2020. We still had about 30 minutes before EPCOT closed so we decided to head to the France pavilion to get a cookie and a nice drink. We got a blue cosmo (and it was super strong) and a black and white cookie that was super good. I then ran to the front of the World Showcase to get our free cookie because we HAD to get the free cookie, why else would we have done the stroll!?

EPCOT closed at 10:00 pm so we headed back to the Boardwalk to just chill out and ring in the new year together. We went to the general store and got some bottles of wine (that actually wasn't too expensive) to enjoy in the room. Unfortunately, Clint started to feel really bad, he thinks it may have been food poisoning, and we were asleep before it even hit midnight, hehe.

MickeyCB · Jun 29, 2021

Very belated Happy NewYear!!
And I got tired just watching this video!

You guys put on the miles!!

Songbird76 · Jun 30, 2021

NotZacHoward said:
Chapter 21: New Years Eve at EPCOT!

We decided to stop obsessing over getting a reservation for dinner and decided to just get some quick service food. I got the amazing nachos from the quick service restaurant in the Mexico area of the World Showcase. We then headed to the American area so mom and Clint could get the Regal Eagle as they wanted some yummy bbq. Clint got the BBQ burger that looked amazing and mom got pulled pork, garlic bread and some yummy mac n cheese. All the food was super delicious and we really enjoyed everything on our plate.

After dinner, we had to revisit a few places we already had been to so we could get a crinkle cookie again for mother dearest and also finish out our cookie stroll. We went over to Frozen Ever After again because the line was not long at all, about 35 minutes, and we just had to do it again. It also is moms favorite ride so she was super excited to be able to ride it again with a short line. After Frozen, we decided to head over to Test Track again to get some thrill and fast moving going on, and Clint really loved that ride so we said why not.

We had time for one more ride so we said, why not lets go over to Soarin again as our last ride for 2020. We still had about 30 minutes before EPCOT closed so we decided to head to the France pavilion to get a cookie and a nice drink. We got a blue cosmo (and it was super strong) and a black and white cookie that was super good. I then ran to the front of the World Showcase to get our free cookie because we HAD to get the free cookie, why else would we have done the stroll!?

EPCOT closed at 10:00 pm so we headed back to the Boardwalk to just chill out and ring in the new year together. We went to the general store and got some bottles of wine (that actually wasn't too expensive) to enjoy in the room. Unfortunately, Clint started to feel really bad, he thinks it may have been food poisoning, and we were asleep before it even hit midnight, hehe.

So did you get the free hat things or not?

Did I hear you say Epcot was only open until 10? Is that normal for New Years? I figured they'd have extended hours with some sort of special activities going for New Years. Did it close early this time because of corona, or do they never stay open on NYE?

I love your mom's sweater!! So cute!

NotZacHoward · Jun 30, 2021

MickeyCB said:
Very belated Happy NewYear!!
And I got tired just watching this video!
You guys put on the miles!!

Happy belated new year to you as well!! We definitely walk a LOT lol Mom and Clints feet were feeeling it hahah but we just wanted to get so much done we couldn't stop lol

Songbird76 said:
So did you get the free hat things or not?

Did I hear you say Epcot was only open until 10? Is that normal for New Years? I figured they'd have extended hours with some sort of special activities going for New Years. Did it close early this time because of corona, or do they never stay open on NYE?

I love your mom's sweater!! So cute!

No

I have no idea where people were getting them, but we unfortunately did not. They did not stay open until Midnight this year due to corona. The latest park was Magic Kingdom which closed at 11 pm. Usually they are open late with fun fireworks and dance parties and everything! I loved it as well! She always has the cutest clothes haha

ferbtones · Jul 2, 2021

So sorry to hear Clint felt ill. Hope it was temporary.

And glad you all enjoyed your quick service, I like the sound of the best burger in Disney.

Looking forward to following along in The Studios.

NotZacHoward · Jul 26, 2021

Chapter 22: Back to the Studios!

After a wonderful New Years Eve, it was time to celebrate New Years Day at Hollywood Studios! We woke up early (even though it was super tough getting out of bed) and got an amazing boarding group, got ready and headed over to Hollywood Studios. When getting the boarding group, mom wasn't apart of our group but i had read to not worry about that and just keep going to get the boarding group. We got boarding group 9 so that was a super nice surprise early in the morning as well.

We got there right before they started letting people in to the park and decided to head straight to Tower of Terror because during this trip they were loading the cars super low capacity and the line never really moved. Since it was so early we barely had to wait and decided to ride it twice (wanted to make sure mom was super happy

).

Mom and Clint got some Joffreys coffee to wake up just a little bit. They need their caffeine to wake up in the morning, I am more of a natural caffeinated person hehe. The park was not super busy which is what we expected since we figured most people would go to Magic Kingdom for New Years Day.

Our boarding group was called and it was super cool because the line we went through was super short and super different than the other line we walked through the other day. We were all super excited to be riding this ride again, especially since we knew kinda what to expect and wasn't just going in blind.

After Rise of the Resistance, we headed over to Smugglers Run to test our luck again and switch up the assignments we all had so we could try a different thing out.