Trip Report **COMPLETED** December 2021 - "I'll Be Home For Christmas"

I just came back today from a short 3 night WDW vacation. It's going to take me a couple of days edit the pictures and get my thoughts together so that I can start writing this report. It was a really fun trip although it wasn't long enough!!! There were some highs and definitely some lows. But, averaged together, it was a pretty good trip. Despite the heat that I wasn't prepared for LOL.

When: December 12-15, 2021
Why: 19th Anniversary Trip, 50th Celebration, Christmas focus, and just to get away from the house kind of trip
Where: Port Orleans French Quarter
Who: Me and the husband (R)

In some ways, I was pleasantly surprised by this trip. But also really disappointed in some of Disney's recent decisions. I don't think R noticed it as much as I did. He has a horrible memory so each trip is almost like his first one

 

[LeighM]

They were even color coded for each park.

I think i know why they did not work!



Following along

Max

They would've worked perfectly if I remembered I had them

 

[Tuvalu]

Thanks for the POFQ pics. Can’t wait to be there again!

 

[LeighM]

For some reason, I love Orange Bird and had to have my picture with the mural.

Notice how perk my red bow was on the Minnie ears? Remember that. The number one priority was to go to the Coca Cola rooftop to get the all important Bibo.

After waiting what felt like 30 minutes in a long line, we finally get up to the register to order only to be told they are currently out of Bibo. They said they are having a hard time getting it from distributors. We got another international beverage as a substitute, forget which one but it was pink, and it was good. But R was very unhappy bc it's one of the biggest things he was looking forward to. We browsed the store and saw a few things we liked. Decided to go back later and buy if we still wanted the merchandise. Our Ohana dinner reservation was at 5:45PM so we just decided to head over early and explore the resort.

I really would like to stay at the Poly. It has such a relaxing vibe to it. And I'll never get tired of taking pictures of these

I liked the Poly Christmas tree but I still miss the fountain in the center of the lobby!

Found a few items in the gift shop I really liked but didn't purchase. Because we didn't have checked luggage, and I didn't want to pay for shipping, I was being selective with my purchases. We decided to see what the wait was for Trader Sam's and it was already 3 hours at 5PM. I decided to ask the CMs at the podium if it would be possible to be checked in early and they did. Soon after, we were called into dinner.

 

[LeighM]

'Ohana dinner has become our must do dinner every trip. I wanted one of the mixed drinks but I knew it would be a repeat of an earlier trip's Lapu Lapu fail and I was already running on fumes. I'm not supposed to have caffeine but I was in an emergency situation and needed something to help me get through the Very Merriest event. So I ordered a cup of coffee. My first caffeinated beverage in years. Soon the food started arriving. Sorry for the bad pictures but I was focused on the food

I always enjoy the salad at Ohana and this version was no different. R and I both loved the citrus vinaigrette. The biscuits were definitely new and a lot sweeter than the bread we used to get. The honey butter was good but the bread was just too sweet for me. R loves bread but he didn't want to get full eating that when there was so much left to come.

I had to take a picture of this sliced cucumber and tomato. Funny fried egg look

We barely started on the salad when my favorite part of the meal arrived - the noodles, pot stickers, wings, and broccolini. I'm not supposed to have gluten, bc it causes severe bone pain and hair loss in large quantities, but I said screw it for this trip and ate what I wanted. I would happily be content with just the salad, noodles, pot stickers, and shrimp. I ate most of the pot stickers, R focused on the wings, we shared the veggies, and I did my best to control my noodle craving. I didn't eat as many as I wanted but I still remembered what happened to me in 2019 when I ate to my heart's content and I still had an After Hours event to get to!

Then the grilled chicken with Polynesian inspired chimichurri sauce. This was good but portions were too big for just 2 people. We left one piece. The sauce was good and it was cooked well with a lot of flavor.

Then they brought out the teriyaki beef. And, again, we were just 2 people - go easy on the serving sizes LOL. These were cooked well. Some pieces were harder to chew but most of it was very tender. I don't eat a lot of beef so 2 of these were left on the serving dish.

We were getting full at this point but the shrimp hadn't come out yet. Now I can eat some shrimp! I wish they had asked us before bringing out all of the proteins if we were ready for the beef bc we would've skipped it so that it didn't go to waste bc we wanted shrimp. All of these poor little shrimps were happily eaten.

Next up was the dessert. Because we were celebrating our 19th anniversary together, they brought out a cupcake and macarons. The bread pudding was not the same as in past trips. R said the texture was different and there was more coconut in this one. It was still good just different. I took a few bites of the other desserts but was just too full.

Even their sprinkles are Mickey shaped!

After eating, we waddled out of the Poly in order to go see the lobby at the Grand Floridian.

It was a peaceful walk even though we were both miserably full at this point.

Up next, the Grand Floridian Lobby and Very Merriest

 

[LeighM]

Day 1 continued-

The Grand Floridian has always been my husband's favorite resort and we do hope to stay there one day for a couple of nights. Maybe one day when we spend more time at the resorts.

The poinsettias outside were pretty

And, wow, was I impressed!!! And the scent in the lobby is even better than normal. At the end of the trip, I bought a wax melt that smelled very similar to it. I loved the trees and the 12 Days of Christmas theme.

A family stopped us and asked if we could take their picture. They were nice enough to take one of us. We only took masks off for a very brief second. We didn't do Memory Maker this trip so we didn't get too many pictures of us - and the ones we did get didn't turn out that great bc we were in a hurry with taking our masks off and putting back on with getting just a quick pic and a hope for the best LOL. Plus, it was hard to find a place that wasn't packed with people so that was another factor. I'm just not comfortable not wearing a mask around large groups of people. This comes into play on Monday, our Epcot day, when I often had to wear it outside because it was so packed in places.



Even the wreaths kept the theme

This year, I was really excited to visit so that I could FINALLY see the famous gingerbread house.

We went into some of the shops and wanted to get a better picture of the tree from above.

We had more time to waste until 7PM and wearing the mask was causing me to get overheated so we decided to take the new walkway to the MK. We got a little turned around but eventually found it. I'm glad they finally have a pathway there because I would much rather walk than take the monorail, especially when it's crowded. The gates of MK were a zoo and it was difficult to find the line for the Very Merriest event but we were finally able to find a CM who showed us where the line started. I don't know why there wasn't a tall sign but maybe we were too early. We got into line at 6:45PM and were thru right at 7PM.

Up next - Very Merriest After Hours with lots of pictures

 

[ShookieJones]

This was my first time being at Disney during the holidays and I was all types of excited despite watching tons of Disney vloggers on YouTube. I loved the decorations at FQ - it was just so pretty! I got a better picture of the lobby later in the trip. There were just too many people in the lobby at the moment for me to get a clear shot.

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We went to the registration desk so that we could get the 50th celebration room key. I didn't need it bc I still had the magic bands from our cancelled 2020 trip but I still wanted the key lol. We were helped immediately by a fantastic cast member. She made sure our bands were connected and we were off to our room in Building 7. It was the furthest away from the lobby but it was still a short walk to the bus stop. We had a standard room. Originally, we were river view but I didn't want to spend that much since there were no room/package discounts for this trip. I kept checking and was finally able to snag a standard. This was our view.

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The rooms aren't as nice as the remodeled ones at Coronado Springs but it would do fine for sleeping. It was one of the biggest TVs I had seen in a hotel room too

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The pillows were much more comfortable than what Riverside had the last time we stayed in 2016. Those pillows were so bad they were memorable.

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I had to take a quick shower bc I didn't get a chance that morning and it was going to be a very late night. Afterwards, we changed our plans and had lunch at the food court. We were too hungry to wait until DS. At this point it was around 1pm. I think our plane landed around 10AM and we got to the resort around 12PM. The snacks on the plane just didn't do it.

We walked to the lobby and saw this street sign. That's my favorite kind of walk

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Our first meal at Disney was jambalaya (for me) and a boring chicken sandwich for R (I gave him a hard time bc that's mostly what he eats at home) and we had to have welcome beignets with strawberry sauce.

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My jambalaya was fine but nothing special. I ate it all with no complaints. The strawberry dipping sauce for the beignets was really good and the beignets were better than I remembered. The last time we ate there they weren't Mickey shaped. After eating, we hopped on a boat to DS. How I have missed riding these boats to DS!!!! One of the things my husband was most looking forward to was Bibo from the Coca Cola Store so off we went.

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Up next - continuation of Day 1- Disney Springs, Ohana Dinner, Grand Floridian visit, and Very Merriest After Hours

Thanks for these awesome pics of the resort. POFQ was our resort of choice for many many years and we haven't been back in while I didn't realize how much I missed it until I saw these pics! Following along!

 

[LeighM]

Thanks for these awesome pics of the resort. POFQ was our resort of choice for many many years and we haven't been back in while I didn't realize how much I missed it until I saw these pics! Following along!

That's how I felt after we visited Riverside. As soon as we stepped into the lobby, we realized what was missing from the trip. French Quarter was really nice but it just wasn't Riverside. My moderate resort rankings are: POR, CSR, POFQ, then CBR.

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

And I'm always last

I usually am IRL. Sometimes my erratic work hours work well for these TRs though.

My moderate resort rankings are: POR, CSR, POFQ, then CBR.

Agree!

 

[LeighM]

Day 1 continued - Very Merriest After Hours

Keep in mind, that my husband were both up around midnight because of a storm in the area that woke us up and the excitement/nervousness of the upcoming trip kept us awake until 4:45AM - when our alarm went off at 5AM lol. The coffee I had at Ohana was helping to power me thru but could we make it until 1AM? Stay tuned

This will be a picture heavy section with tons of castle shots - I will do my best to control myself and only upload my favorites. As soon as we entered the park, Main Street was already packed with people waiting to watch Enchantment. I was able to get a picture of the train station and large Christmas tree.

I knew there was no way I could wait in the massive crowd so I was able to get a picture of the castle in holiday projections before going to Tomorrowland.

I love every WDW park at night and Tomorrowland in MK is one of my favorites! It just comes to life after dark and it has an energy to it that is missing during the day.

These projections were on the rocks around the bridge

MDE said that the wait for Buzz Lightyear was only 20 minutes so we hopped in line. The wait soon crept up to 40 minutes but we probably waited 25. It didn't bother us because it was extra time in the park. After R kicked my butt in the game (I'm horrible at it!) we got in line for the PeopleMover (one of my favorites in MK). The line was moving quickly until it just came to a stop. Probably waited 5-10 minutes for whatever issue it was to get cleared. While we were on, Enchantment started and I was able to get great video of it. It was a very unique perspective.

The fireworks seemed to go on forever because it was still going after we finished with PeopleMover.

And kept going as we were walking towards the Teacups

We stopped here, outside of the Speedway to watch. After the fireworks ended, it was 9PM and the start of the party. I don't remember the order of the rides that were mixed with the holiday offerings but we did Little Mermaid, Winnie the Pooh, Haunted Mansion, Pirates, and the Carrousel with no wait. Peter Pan had the longest line we waited in at a very slow moving 20 minutes. It's another one of our favorites so we couldn't miss it. We originally planned on the new to us attractions such as BTMR and Splash but we didn't have enough time. We stopped to get the "free" hot chocolate and cookies. The cookies were fine but the amount of hot chocolate we received was piddly. Not even worth the cups they used to give them out LOL. At some point, I did get a "free" popcorn but I didn't get a picture. I was too in the holiday zone at MK

Next - more fireworks and the parade

 

[LeighM]

Because I got to the MK after dark, I didn't get to see the castle during the daytime, but I loved it at night. I wish the white lights were on the castle this year, because it's something I've always wanted to see in person. Maybe I'll get a chance to go back during the holidays after the 50th and see the usual Christmas lights on the castle.

Back side of castle

Side of castle. I wish we could've gotten a better angle but a large family wouldn't move from the better picture spot so we made do.

And another

And finally the front side of castle

 

[LeighM]

Originally, we were going to do the second parade but we were crashing hard and I wanted to make sure that I got to see it. So we moved to the tree at Main Street and sat down to wait for the parade to start. It was my first time experience snoap. It was a magical experience - until the snoap bonded to my contacts LOL. The next few entries will be very picture heavy because it's mostly the parade and fireworks and those speak for themselves.

Snoap flurries while waiting for the parade to start

The sudden stop of snoap made me think the parade was arriving soon.

These pictures are in no particular order and are completely at random

I could smell the gingerbread scent they were piping from this float even through my mask. It was wonderful!

 

[LeighM]

More random photos from the parade

This one of the Mad Hatter was made blurry bc my camera kept trying to focus on the snoap

We were so close, we were actually able to see the wire that hooks Goofy to the structure

Santa was the sign the parade was ending

 

[LeighM]

After the parade rode some more rides and took random pictures like this one of the riverboat before it was time to get a spot for the fireworks.

Around this time we got the "free" snickerdoodles and hot chocolate. I was finally able to find the "free" popcorn stand. Enjoyed that before the start of the fireworks. We were able to get a pretty decent spot. But then a Mr. Big Head got in front of me at some point in time. He'll be showing up in many of the following photos LOL.

I tried to get a picture of Tinker Bell flying but my phone kept trying to switch settings. It would be a problem I would have the rest of the trip.

 

[LeighM]

If you don't like pictures of fireworks and castles just skip the next two entries Below are pictures from the Very Merriest fireworks.

 

[LeighM]

 

[LeighM]

 

[LeighM]

After the fireworks, we went to Adventureland to ride PotC and Jingle Cruise. Pirates was a walk on but Jingle Cruise still had a 55 minute wait. At this point, it was after midnight and we were running on empty so we skipped Jingle Cruise. We had been awake for over 24 hours plus traveling and the day had caught up to us.

We saw a couple of characters

Got my picture taken with another Orange Bird. Remember my upright and perky bow from earlier in the day? Look at it now



My friend saw the picture and she asked what happened to it. I was like "Disney happened."

On the way out of the park, I was able to get this picture without any people in it.

And we were handed a couple of "free" Mickey marshmallows

The wait for the bus back to POFQ wasn't bad and we were looking forward to sleep. But first, pictures!

For those wondering what my notecard plans were this day:

1. Stop by the eggroll cart - DID NOT DO
2. Have either a citrus swirl or Dole whip - didn't matter which - DID NOT DO
3. Sleepy Hollow Funnel Cake or Casey's Corner Corn Dog Nuggets - DID NOT DO
4. Ride attractions I haven't had a chance to do - Jingle Cruise, Dumbo, BTMR, Splash, and the Carrousel - ONLY DID ONE

I also didn't get a chance to see the Reindeer Wranglers or the Merry Memories show. Overall, we did get a lot accomplished. The crowds weren't too bad either. Would I pay that much to go to an abbreviated Christmas Party or a regular After Hours event? No. It was good to do once and it took the place of a park ticket for us. I would rather do the full Christmas Party or a cheaper After Hours. Back in 2019, we did the After Hours at HS and thoroughly enjoyed it and felt like we definitely got our money's worth.

It was about 1AM when we got back to the resort. I had to be awake at 6:55AM to make the danged ILL and/or virtual queue for Ratatouille. I was cursing to myself as I was falling asleep.

Up next - Monday, Dec 13th - Epcot and Festival of the Holidays

 

[LeighM]

I'm still trying to edit the pictures from Epcot. So here's an intro until I have them ready. I hated the resort guest procedures at Epcot because it wasn't very clear at the gates and the CMs either had an attitude or did not understand my questions at all. Finally, I just threw up my hands and said screw it. No doubt people thought we were trying to cut in line or something. But, seriously, I was just trying to find someone to answer my questions We got into the park about 10AM and were waiting for them to let us in. I actually have no idea what time they let us through although we were held near the Land and Seas Pavilions until the park opened to resort guests at 10:30AM. For however long we were there, we had to listen to the CMs continually tell guests to stay away from that side of the area so that employees could enter. I actually went into the day with a relaxed mindset despite things going wrong starting at 7AM when the Disney app kept erroring on my Android phone while I was trying to buy ILL for Ratatouille. It worked on on husband's iPhone - this comes into play on Tuesday, as well. This reminds me that at MK at the end of the day I was going to order something from Casey's Corner but I was having an error on my phone - I should've suspected I would run into issues the next day. I went inside to see the menu and a CM wanted me out of that line bc it was for Mobile Pick up (no one was there) but I was trying to get close to be able to read it. It was frustrating and I was tired so I decided corndog nuggets after midnight was a bad idea anyways and I left just since I didn't bring any Tums with me LOL. Now, back to Monday and Epcot - I was also able to get a virtual queue boarding group for Remy. I got boarding group 76 with an estimated return time of 1PM. I felt like this wouldn't be possible with the crowds I had been seeing so that's why I also purchased an ILL. I cancelled all of that days ADRs just in case - including my highly anticipated reservation at Boma. I rescheduled it to a Wednesday breakfast.

Here is what I had on my Epcot day notecard:

1. Ride Ratatouille, Living with the Land for the holiday overlay, Spaceship Earth (bc R didn't remember it), and Soarin (my first time)
2. Festival of the Holidays
A. Olaf Scavenger Hunt
B. Holiday Kitchens (I even had a separate notecard to remind me of everything I wanted to try at Epcot)
C. Storytellers
3. See Spaceship Earth as the Beacon of Magic and the special Christmas display

I had already decided not to do the Cookie Stroll (waste of money and calories LOL) and had cancelled my dining reservation for Candlelight Processional. So the entire day was go with the flow with exception of Remy ILL return time of 11:45-12:45 and boarding group 76. Pictures and more detail tomorrow.

 

[LeighM]

So once we were let into Epcot at 10:30AM on the dot, we were led to the Land Pavilion. Some people were running and going alternate routes. I guess they had a full day ahead of them or something. By the time we moseyed to Soarin, it was only about 5 minute way and most of that was waiting for the next show. This was my first time on Soarin'. I have vertigo so I try to avoid anything with heights and I was very lucky to get the bottom row. No, the view wasn't the best but I didn't really care. I made sure to close my eyes during the lift and for scenes that could quickly trigger the vertigo like the Paris one. I really enjoyed it!!! And I could still get the piped in scents thru my mask. After Soarin' we rode Living with the Land, one of my favorite attractions at WDW.

Afterwards, we went to Port of Entry to buy the Olaf Scavenger Hunt.

The CM told us to pick out and take our prize then bc they would probably be sold out by the end of the day. The choices were between the plastic Mickey kitchen sink and this bowl thing that we chose. Can anyone tell me what exactly it is and what it was used for??? (And I'm glad my bedroom is clean since it's making a surprise appearance lol)

By the time we finished, it was 11AM and time to start eating around the world - at least until 11:45 when it was our ILL return time for Ratatouille.

We started off at Mele Kalikimaka. This was R's must do this day. We ordered the Kalua Pork, Haupia, and sparkling pineapple wine.

Everything was sooo good. R even enjoyed the sparkling wine, which surprised me bc he doesn't usually like any sparkling beverage. We walked thru Mexico, Norway, and China in our search for Olaf.

We were going to go to the holiday kitchens in Mexico but the line was too long and the pavilion was too crowded. Instead, I remembered something I wanted to do this trip (and was not on the notecards - go figure LOL). I wanted to try a new food, snack, or beverage from the China and/or Japan pavilions this trip. So this is what we did:

The Mango fruit jelly is very true to the fruit and R really enjoyed it. He loves mango and I do not. Those Lay's Spicy Crayfish were mine. And I thought they were very good and I finished the bag later that day. We sat outside in the shade for a while enjoying our free cup of water and the snacks. We were not prepared for the heat this day and knew I would have to adjust my plans for the day because I was already struggling wearing the mask. You know how refreshing it is to go inside frigid WDW buildings when it's hot as the sun outside and just feel that cold air blowing on your face and you instantly cool down? Yeah I didn't get any of that with the mask. The heat just followed me wherever I went

After our break, we started walking back to the France for our return time but not before stopping at a few more holiday kitchens. R went to the Refreshment Port to get the Coquito Soft Serve Waffle Cone and another free cup of water while I went to Yukon in Canada. I had the Seared Scallops and the overpriced Chateau des Charmes Icewine.

The scallops were freshly made and extremely good. I dropped half a scallop on the dirty table and still ate it. Didn't care about the germs and I still don't - no scallop left behind (esp at that price!). The icewine was for R but he said it wasn't the best ice wine he's ever had and that Jackson Triggs was much better.

The coquito soft service was a hit! I was only allowed one bite from my Puerto Rican husband but it was enough to confirm that, yes it was very good indeed. The picture was after he had already eaten 1/3 of it.

After enjoying our snacks, our return time had opened and time to go to France. But first we had an Olaf to find - see him in this picture?

Up next - Ratatouille and more Festival of the Holiday

 

[ShookieJones]

So once we were let into Epcot at 10:30AM on the dot, we were led to the Land Pavilion. Some people were running and going alternate routes. I guess they had a full day ahead of them or something. By the time we moseyed to Soarin, it was only about 5 minute way and most of that was waiting for the next show. This was my first time on Soarin'. I have vertigo so I try to avoid anything with heights and I was very lucky to get the bottom row. No, the view wasn't the best but I didn't really care. I made sure to close my eyes during the lift and for scenes that could quickly trigger the vertigo like the Paris one. I really enjoyed it!!! And I could still get the piped in scents thru my mask. After Soarin' we rode Living with the Land, one of my favorite attractions at WDW.

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Afterwards, we went to Port of Entry to buy the Olaf Scavenger Hunt.

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The CM told us to pick out and take our prize then bc they would probably be sold out by the end of the day. The choices were between the plastic Mickey kitchen sink and this bowl thing that we chose. Can anyone tell me what exactly it is and what it was used for??? (And I'm glad my bedroom is clean since it's making a surprise appearance lol)

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By the time we finished, it was 11AM and time to start eating around the world - at least until 11:45 when it was our ILL return time for Ratatouille.

We started off at Mele Kalikimaka. This was R's must do this day. We ordered the Kalua Pork, Haupia, and sparkling pineapple wine.

View attachment 609042

Everything was sooo good. R even enjoyed the sparkling wine, which surprised me bc he doesn't usually like any sparkling beverage. We walked thru Mexico, Norway, and China in our search for Olaf.

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We were going to go to the holiday kitchens in Mexico but the line was too long and the pavilion was too crowded. Instead, I remembered something I wanted to do this trip (and was not on the notecards - go figure LOL). I wanted to try a new food, snack, or beverage from the China and/or Japan pavilions this trip. So this is what we did:

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The Mango fruit jelly is very true to the fruit and R really enjoyed it. He loves mango and I do not. Those Lay's Spicy Crayfish were mine. And I thought they were very good and I finished the bag later that day. We sat outside in the shade for a while enjoying our free cup of water and the snacks. We were not prepared for the heat this day and knew I would have to adjust my plans for the day because I was already struggling wearing the mask. You know how refreshing it is to go inside frigid WDW buildings when it's hot as the sun outside and just feel that cold air blowing on your face and you instantly cool down? Yeah I didn't get any of that with the mask. The heat just followed me wherever I went

View attachment 609047

After our break, we started walking back to the France for our return time but not before stopping at a few more holiday kitchens. R went to the Refreshment Port to get the Coquito Soft Serve Waffle Cone and another free cup of water while I went to Yukon in Canada. I had the Seared Scallops and the overpriced Chateau des Charmes Icewine.

View attachment 609048

The scallops were freshly made and extremely good. I dropped half a scallop on the dirty table and still ate it. Didn't care about the germs and I still don't - no scallop left behind (esp at that price!). The icewine was for R but he said it wasn't the best ice wine he's ever had and that Jackson Triggs was much better.

The coquito soft service was a hit! I was only allowed one bite from my Puerto Rican husband but it was enough to confirm that, yes it was very good indeed. The picture was after he had already eaten 1/3 of it.

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After enjoying our snacks, our return time had opened and time to go to France. But first we had an Olaf to find - see him in this picture?

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Up next - Ratatouille and more Festival of the Holiday

I totally would have done the same thing with that scallop, the floor may even been considered! LOL.
Also this past trip, for the first time found myself searching for a snack in the shop at the China pavilion and found all the varieties of Lay's chips. The family and I picked a few, shared and and gave our reviews to each other. We decided it would be new tradition. Following along!