Bright Suns or (Rising Moons) depending on when you are reading this.
This trip report is unique and calls for a different kind of introduction. As you may realize this is a trip report written for your reading pleasure. This, however, isn't just any trip report due to the detailed nature of this trip (and to be honest the fun of it) I will be formatting this report much like a novel. With chapters and a table of contents...this way we can keep a discussion going in addition to keeping this thread formatted! Just click the link to the chapter you desire to read...the table of contents will be linked at the end of each chapter.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue......Post #1 (you are here)
Chapter 0 The Background......Post #1 (you are here)
Chapter 1 Sleepless in Newark.....Post #7 (https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9075345)
Chapter 2 Soarin' Over Batuu......Post #10 (https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9075727)
Chapter 3 Light-Speed through the Studios......Post #11 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9077441
Chapter 4 Rising with the Resistance......Post #12 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9082769
Chapter 5 Frantic Fantasy......Post #13 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9085510
Chapter 6 Happily Ever Meet & Greet......Post #14 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9088977
Chapter 7 Adventures thru Cyber-Space......Post #15 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9095323
Chapter 8 JUMBO and Sivako......Post #16 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9134381
Chapter 9 An Artists Life For Me......Post #17 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9165723
Chapter 10 The fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy......Post #18 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9389539
Chapter 11 The Studios at Twilight......Post #19
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9399364
Chapter 12 Adventure is Out There......Post #20
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9658196
Chapter 13 Princess Shuffle......Post #21
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9716026
Chapter 14 Nemo’s Last Day......Post #26
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9759483
Chapter 15 Fireworks over the Kingdom……Post #27
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9891103
Chapter 16 A Hollywood Finale……Post #28
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9891611
Chapter 17 Photo Finish……Post #29
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9891668
Epilogue……Post #30
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9897120
Prologue:
So this is my first time writing a trip report...and as such I am learning on the fly on how to format these for your reading pleasure. Please excuse the long read (lots of background to cover here).
As this is my first time writing a report, I didn’t really know pre-trip reports were a thing so...I didn’t prepare one but as you will see their is plenty to say regarding how this trip came to be (more on that in the background).
I’ve also been going back and forth in my head if it is even worth it for me to publish a trip report...but I figured why not? I’m interested to see if anyone is interested to even read my trip report. So the response on this will determine if I decide to make any more trip reports.
With that out of the way...let’s get to the background.
Chapter 0 The Background:
WHO: Myself (25 + year Disney traveler) and two college friends who have never been to Disney
WHAT: Friends first trip to Disney World (as well as the Rise trip)
WHEN: January 16-23 2020
The idea for this trip started...a long time ago like 2015. I was watching D23 2015, and as a lifelong Star Wars fan as well as a huge Disney Parks fan...it was incredible to see a fully dedicated Star Wars Land that wasn’t just set on a new planet but was canon to the universe. I knew I had to plan a dedicated trip down once the land was completed and not just any trip I wanted to go BIG. A little background on me I’m Surferboy567 I’ve been going to Disney since I’ve been 6 months old. Ever since I’ve been a lifelong fan of Disney. Easily taking 20+ trips down to Disney from then to now. The thing was, they were always with my family and I’ve never ventured from a family vacation. Then, college came. It was my first semester of college and I was getting acclimated to a new school. Of course, as one tends to do you make new friends, and as a huge fan of Disney my whole life I tend to bring it up in conversation. I befriended two new college friends (who I will call by their Disney character names as they were on the trip) Nemo & Yoda. As we started to get to know each other we basically immediately became instant friends. And then...it happened they told me they had never gone to Disney before. I was shocked, and immediately thinking about the 2015 announcement of Galaxy’s Edge...I knew this was it the opportunity to plan a grand Disney trip for just myself and friends. Since Disney has been such a big part of my life and going as many times as I did I knew it would be fun to take a first-timer and to see how they reacted to everything. I jumped at the occasion and asked my friends if they wanted to go down to Disney, and what started out as a simple idea eventually became one grand Disney trip...which I am here to recap.
Of course, one thing lead to another and years pass, I’m still in college and regularly hang out with Nemo & Yoda. At this point I’ve been saving for this Disney trip...that seems to never get off the ground. During this time I still take many Disney vacations with my family as we normally do it about once a year sometimes more. I’ll use HWS as an example to show the passage of time. First trip, GMR still stands, Second trip TSL is being built, Third trip TSL is completed...one constant thing remains, those black spires in the distance. For years, I was dreaming what Galaxy’s Edge may be like when it finally comes to HWS. Of course, I’m excited for almost every new addition Disney adds but I knew that Galaxy’s Edge would have to be the one to anchor a trip like this. Every-time I see those construction walls down grand avenue and at the time muppets courtyard I think of the supposed Disney trip I’m planning. It became the unofficial symbol of the trip. Then finally in the summer of 2017...things change and get moving.
Sometime in 2017 (I forget when) I remember Disney announced Galaxy’s Edge was slated to open sometime in 2019. I finally had a timeframe to start scouting potential dates. We settled on possibly doing it in August 2019. Then of course, in 2019 Nemo & Yoda graduate college and their schedules become a lot busier making trip planning difficult. Then we FINALLY came to a date that we could all agree on January 16th-23th 2020! This aligned with my desire to want to schedule the trip when the major E-Ticket ride was open (only simply named Battle Escape for the longest time). We even thought that possibly the Runaway Railway would be open for our trip as a bonus we also saw that the festival of arts (a favorite of mine) was also running during our dates. Being the Disney veteran I am, and a bit of an avid planner I started to plan out the trip in Excel. Assembling a budget sheet, park breakdowns by day, Fastpass booking planning, the works. Then 120 days out from the trip...the reservations start to become booked and this trip becomes tangible as I finally have reservations down. I booked a Savi’s, Droid Depot, Oga’s Cantina and a Sci-Fi Dine-In (a family favorite) reservation. We decide for the first time we will purchase memory maker (more on this later) as it’s their first trip and is bound to be a special one. Then 60 days out and Fastpass booking commences and the hotel has been decided on The Swan and Dolphin this hotel is the place I ALWAYS stay at when we go to Disney in our 20+ times so it was a no brainer. With that all sorted out, I get lucky and manage to snag several prime fast passes including the likes of FOP, Slinky, and Seven Dwarfs. Everything is coming together and I’m determined to make this the ultimate Disney vacation for my friends who have never been. Finally, my journey from an idea in 2015 before college to eventual trip right before my LAST semester of college in 2020 is about to transform into the trip I’ve been waiting so long for.
THEN...the night of January 15th begins...
------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End--------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS (aka Post #1):
forums.wdwmagic.com
This trip report is unique and calls for a different kind of introduction. As you may realize this is a trip report written for your reading pleasure. This, however, isn't just any trip report due to the detailed nature of this trip (and to be honest the fun of it) I will be formatting this report much like a novel. With chapters and a table of contents...this way we can keep a discussion going in addition to keeping this thread formatted! Just click the link to the chapter you desire to read...the table of contents will be linked at the end of each chapter.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue......Post #1 (you are here)
Chapter 0 The Background......Post #1 (you are here)
Chapter 1 Sleepless in Newark.....Post #7 (https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9075345)
Chapter 2 Soarin' Over Batuu......Post #10 (https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9075727)
Chapter 3 Light-Speed through the Studios......Post #11 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9077441
Chapter 4 Rising with the Resistance......Post #12 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9082769
Chapter 5 Frantic Fantasy......Post #13 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9085510
Chapter 6 Happily Ever Meet & Greet......Post #14 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9088977
Chapter 7 Adventures thru Cyber-Space......Post #15 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9095323
Chapter 8 JUMBO and Sivako......Post #16 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9134381
Chapter 9 An Artists Life For Me......Post #17 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9165723
Chapter 10 The fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy......Post #18 https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...n-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9389539
Chapter 11 The Studios at Twilight......Post #19
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9399364
Chapter 12 Adventure is Out There......Post #20
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9658196
Chapter 13 Princess Shuffle......Post #21
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9716026
Chapter 14 Nemo’s Last Day......Post #26
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9759483
Chapter 15 Fireworks over the Kingdom……Post #27
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9891103
Chapter 16 A Hollywood Finale……Post #28
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9891611
Chapter 17 Photo Finish……Post #29
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9891668
Epilogue……Post #30
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/till-the-spire-a-trip-report-five-years-in-the-making-january-2020.963504/post-9897120
Prologue:
So this is my first time writing a trip report...and as such I am learning on the fly on how to format these for your reading pleasure. Please excuse the long read (lots of background to cover here).
As this is my first time writing a report, I didn’t really know pre-trip reports were a thing so...I didn’t prepare one but as you will see their is plenty to say regarding how this trip came to be (more on that in the background).
I’ve also been going back and forth in my head if it is even worth it for me to publish a trip report...but I figured why not? I’m interested to see if anyone is interested to even read my trip report. So the response on this will determine if I decide to make any more trip reports.
With that out of the way...let’s get to the background.
Chapter 0 The Background:
WHO: Myself (25 + year Disney traveler) and two college friends who have never been to Disney
WHAT: Friends first trip to Disney World (as well as the Rise trip)
WHEN: January 16-23 2020
The idea for this trip started...a long time ago like 2015. I was watching D23 2015, and as a lifelong Star Wars fan as well as a huge Disney Parks fan...it was incredible to see a fully dedicated Star Wars Land that wasn’t just set on a new planet but was canon to the universe. I knew I had to plan a dedicated trip down once the land was completed and not just any trip I wanted to go BIG. A little background on me I’m Surferboy567 I’ve been going to Disney since I’ve been 6 months old. Ever since I’ve been a lifelong fan of Disney. Easily taking 20+ trips down to Disney from then to now. The thing was, they were always with my family and I’ve never ventured from a family vacation. Then, college came. It was my first semester of college and I was getting acclimated to a new school. Of course, as one tends to do you make new friends, and as a huge fan of Disney my whole life I tend to bring it up in conversation. I befriended two new college friends (who I will call by their Disney character names as they were on the trip) Nemo & Yoda. As we started to get to know each other we basically immediately became instant friends. And then...it happened they told me they had never gone to Disney before. I was shocked, and immediately thinking about the 2015 announcement of Galaxy’s Edge...I knew this was it the opportunity to plan a grand Disney trip for just myself and friends. Since Disney has been such a big part of my life and going as many times as I did I knew it would be fun to take a first-timer and to see how they reacted to everything. I jumped at the occasion and asked my friends if they wanted to go down to Disney, and what started out as a simple idea eventually became one grand Disney trip...which I am here to recap.
Of course, one thing lead to another and years pass, I’m still in college and regularly hang out with Nemo & Yoda. At this point I’ve been saving for this Disney trip...that seems to never get off the ground. During this time I still take many Disney vacations with my family as we normally do it about once a year sometimes more. I’ll use HWS as an example to show the passage of time. First trip, GMR still stands, Second trip TSL is being built, Third trip TSL is completed...one constant thing remains, those black spires in the distance. For years, I was dreaming what Galaxy’s Edge may be like when it finally comes to HWS. Of course, I’m excited for almost every new addition Disney adds but I knew that Galaxy’s Edge would have to be the one to anchor a trip like this. Every-time I see those construction walls down grand avenue and at the time muppets courtyard I think of the supposed Disney trip I’m planning. It became the unofficial symbol of the trip. Then finally in the summer of 2017...things change and get moving.
Sometime in 2017 (I forget when) I remember Disney announced Galaxy’s Edge was slated to open sometime in 2019. I finally had a timeframe to start scouting potential dates. We settled on possibly doing it in August 2019. Then of course, in 2019 Nemo & Yoda graduate college and their schedules become a lot busier making trip planning difficult. Then we FINALLY came to a date that we could all agree on January 16th-23th 2020! This aligned with my desire to want to schedule the trip when the major E-Ticket ride was open (only simply named Battle Escape for the longest time). We even thought that possibly the Runaway Railway would be open for our trip as a bonus we also saw that the festival of arts (a favorite of mine) was also running during our dates. Being the Disney veteran I am, and a bit of an avid planner I started to plan out the trip in Excel. Assembling a budget sheet, park breakdowns by day, Fastpass booking planning, the works. Then 120 days out from the trip...the reservations start to become booked and this trip becomes tangible as I finally have reservations down. I booked a Savi’s, Droid Depot, Oga’s Cantina and a Sci-Fi Dine-In (a family favorite) reservation. We decide for the first time we will purchase memory maker (more on this later) as it’s their first trip and is bound to be a special one. Then 60 days out and Fastpass booking commences and the hotel has been decided on The Swan and Dolphin this hotel is the place I ALWAYS stay at when we go to Disney in our 20+ times so it was a no brainer. With that all sorted out, I get lucky and manage to snag several prime fast passes including the likes of FOP, Slinky, and Seven Dwarfs. Everything is coming together and I’m determined to make this the ultimate Disney vacation for my friends who have never been. Finally, my journey from an idea in 2015 before college to eventual trip right before my LAST semester of college in 2020 is about to transform into the trip I’ve been waiting so long for.
THEN...the night of January 15th begins...
------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End--------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS (aka Post #1):
Trip Report - Till the Spire, a Trip Report five years in the making (January 2020)
Bright Suns or (Rising Moons) depending on when you are reading this. This trip report is unique and calls for a different kind of introduction. As you may realize this is a trip report written for your reading pleasure. This, however, isn't just any trip report due to the detailed nature of...
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