Trip Report Completed: March 5-14, 2020: Our Return to WDW and the "Hips and Elbows People, Hips and Elbows!" edition

Hello everyone! It has been one month since we made our return to Walt Disney World, it was 593 days since we had been there. We hadn't been without Disney trips, we were annual passholders of Disneyland during that time. More info in my pre-trip report. Needless to say we were were excited to return. I was a little apprehensive for a few reasons: 1. what if I didn't like WDW as much any more after being away so long and maybe I had fallen too much in love with Disneyland. 2. I was slightly worried about this corona virus thing (maybe I should have been more worried), but I was hopeful we would get through the trip without having to think about it.

In case you don't want to go back to my pre-trip report let me give you a few more details:

Who: Amy and Brad (my husband)
Resort: Pop Century



Let's begin:

March 5, 2020

We had an early morning flight, it is a pain getting up at 3 am but we do like getting to our destination early and being able to spend a lot of our day at our vacation destination. Plus we were early birds so it wasn't too bad. Luckily there wasn't a snow storm and our flight out of Minneapolis was on schedule!

Not much was open so early but Caribou coffee!

Coming up more of our journey and lots of fun, food and beer!

 

[MinnieM123]

I should have gone for a wider shot but I think it still looks cool. I also couldn't see the screen as I was taking it because I was flush against a construction wall, so this was the best of my attempts.

Is this something new, or has it been there for many years? I really like (what I can see of it) and cannot imagine how in heck I've never noticed this before?!

 

[Zipadeelady]

Thank so much for the report. Especially now!

 

[cgersic]

Saturday March 14, 2020

We ended up at the end of Main Street by the train station and rode the Omnibus back up Main Street and got the top floor front seat! It was a beautiful ride. The welcome show started a few minutes later and it is no train station welcome show but it is a nice welcome for the day.
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The Omnibus gives a GREAT second floor view! I hope this still runs after reopening - I'll be up there for sure!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Just wanted to say a big, Thank You, for the tr and beautiful pictures. The castle pics were amazing as were the fireworks! You really have a feel for the interesting shots, and I am amazed that you only use your phone! Mine never turn out that good, and I'm even thinking of getting a camera to use at Disney.
It's funny, but the pic of you guys eating at LTT brought back memories of the two of us eating at the small table behind you, by the stairs!
I love LTT's food, and the pic of the roast beef made me hungry
Your pin collection is awesome. I especially liked the lacey flower and garden one, in white! We aren't pin collectors either, BUT a few visits back we decided to pick ones that meant a lot to us. Roger is a wood worker and bowl turner, and he made me a bowl with the pins imbedded in round cut outs and covered with clear epoxy. I absolutely love it. It has all my favorites. If I could figure out how to post pics I would put it up for you to see.

We got back from WDW on the 5th, just when things were starting to heat up with covid. Like you, I am so glad that we got to be at WDW and experience it like it's supposed to be. Your tr and pictures brought back wonderful memories I didn't take many pics this last trip, as I have so many and I just wanted to take it all in this time. I hope your August trip happens for you. I know we wouldn't be able to take the heat with the masks too, so we won't be going back until all is back to normal.
Sorry for rambling on, and thanks again for the memories!

Thanks for reading and your observations (not rambles at all!). I will say I never intended to be a pin collector. As a kid I collected the old pin-back buttons, they were a cheap souvenir for me as they were usually under $1. Then pins became popular and pin-back buttons started to go away and I was upset but then I started to like some pin designs. The purchasing began!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Your photos are fabulous!

Thanks so much!

Thank you for sharing your trips with us. I really enjoy all of your pictures .

I'm glad you enjoyed the report and the pictures.

It's so funny, when I came to this picture I could just hear the swish quiet noise they make as they go by!

I know what you mean, I like that monorail pictures too. Usually I don't have good luck with monorail shots but I lucked out this trip.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

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Is this something new, or has it been there for many years? I really like (what I can see of it) and cannot imagine how in heck I've never noticed this before?!

It has been there for quite a few years now. Usually there are a lot of people walking on it, so to get a good view you have to be there early or really late.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Thank so much for the report. Especially now!

I'm glad you enjoyed the report!

The Omnibus gives a GREAT second floor view! I hope this still runs after reopening - I'll be up there for sure!

It is my favorite vehicle on Main Street, the trolley being second (unless the Dapper Dans are on the trolley then that's my favorite). I hope the vehicles are running on Main Street too at opening or shortly after, it makes the area even more special.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Well, I was able to got park reservations for all the days we wanted in August. But for only one day of our November trip, it seems I hit the AP glitch with that. Hopefully it will be fixed soon. It's annoying but I'm glad I didn't get the AP glitch that only let people book 3 days.

 

[MickeyCB]

First thank you for sharing your adventures, it was wonderful following along. You take the most amazing photos!

And regarding this photo, it brought back "a memory". About 5 years ago I tore some tendons in my ankle and had to wear a boot to Disney and we rode this vehicle (or a similar one) up Main Street, and as I got off my boot caught in those rubber ridges on the floor and I face planted, and it wasn't till later that we realized when I looked at a photo I took while riding that my face missed that gear shift by about 2 inches!! The CM kept asking are you all right, are you sure? Now I know why! I almost had a souvenir to take home embedded in my skull! But, it was a great ride!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

First thank you for sharing your adventures, it was wonderful following along. You take the most amazing photos!

And regarding this photo, it brought back "a memory". About 5 years ago I tore some tendons in my ankle and had to wear a boot to Disney and we rode this vehicle (or a similar one) up Main Street, and as I got off my boot caught in those rubber ridges on the floor and I face planted, and it wasn't till later that we realized when I looked at a photo I took while riding that my face missed that gear shift by about 2 inches!! The CM kept asking are you all right, are you sure? Now I know why! I almost had a souvenir to take home embedded in my skull! But, it was a great ride!

I'm glad you enjoyed following along. Crazy story about your fall, I'm glad you weren't hurt and you seem to be able to chuckle about it now. I am a total klutz and I have a couple scars on my right leg from falls I've taken at WDW, one on Main Street where I misjudged the curb and another when I tripped over a parking stopper in a stall in the Caribbean Beach parking lot. I actually took this picture of the Omnibus because it had the Epcot logo in the steering wheel, the driver was telling others on the bus that it had been used in Epcot.

 

[MickeyCB]

Epcot logo in the steering wheel, the driver was telling others on the bus that it had been used in Epcot.

Isn't Disney's attention to detail amazing?!

 

[fractal]

Another great report @ajrwdwgirl !

thanks for taking us on your vacation with you. Really enjoyed the photos and stories!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Another great report @ajrwdwgirl !

thanks for taking us on your vacation with you. Really enjoyed the photos and stories!

Thanks! I'm glad people have enjoyed following along. I'm looking forward to your trip report, perhaps there will be some more magic beer for you!

 

[Spash007]

Thank you for another great report! The pictures were great, I loved seeing the progress of the castle, and while I know it wasn't an enjoyable part of your trip, it was very interesting to read the perspective of pre-closure while at the parks.

 

[Rista1313]

The end of another trip report... it makes me sad!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Thank you for another great report! The pictures were great, I loved seeing the progress of the castle, and while I know it wasn't an enjoyable part of your trip, it was very interesting to read the perspective of pre-closure while at the parks.

Thanks so much for the kind words. It was interesting to see the castle progress. I liked seeing the old color next to the new color. At the time I thought it would be fun to see pictures of the progress as it continued from either bloggers or people's trip reports here, but that didn't happen. I did enjoy seeing some pictures online the other day with the castle now basically all done. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person, hopefully in August.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

The end of another trip report... it makes me sad!

I know it made me sad too. But with the parks opening up soon hopefully we will get some more going soon and if my August plans pan out I'll report again. And knowing me it will stretch out from my return home until right before I go back again!

 

[k8einwdw]

The welcome show started a few minutes later and it is no train station welcome show but it is a nice welcome for the day.

I’ve always thought that they should have done a modified version of the old welcome show on the castle stage, the new one just isn’t as magical!

Well, I was able to got park reservations for all the days we wanted in August. But for only one day of our November trip, it seems I hit the AP glitch with that. Hopefully it will be fixed soon. It's annoying but I'm glad I didn't get the AP glitch that only let people book 3 days.

If you haven’t tried again yet, try now to get more days! I ran into that glitch myself on Monday, but was able to get it fixed yesterday.

Thank you for a great trip report! I had fun following along, and I hope you have an awesome trip in August!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I’ve always thought that they should have done a modified version of the old welcome show on the castle stage, the new one just isn’t as magical!


If you haven’t tried again yet, try now to get more days! I ran into that glitch myself on Monday, but was able to get it fixed yesterday.

Thank you for a great trip report! I had fun following along, and I hope you have an awesome trip in August!

I thought the same thing about the welcome/castle show. I was able to get the rest of my reservations on Monday night around 9pm I saw someone post on FB that the AP glitch was fixed so I was able to pop on and grab the rest of what I needed, but thanks.

 

[Laurenciaa]

Saturday March 14, 2020 and random thoughts

After the castle viewing we headed to the bus stop to go back to the Pop to get our bags and ride the Tragical back to the airport. Shortly after we arrived at our bus stop at the MK the bus actually showed up. Usually I get there on my last day and have to wait about 40 minutes for the bus, it has happened the last 3 times at least. So we had a little more time to kill at the Pop than we planned for but that was fine.
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Waiting at the TE stop.
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The ride was uneventful to the airport and soon we were killing time at the airport.
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The new design of the story is okay very bright. We also got dinner in the food court, no pictures but I tried Firehouse Subs for the first time. And let me say their Italian sub was very good. Also while at the airport I found someones passport in the bathroom. I waited for a few minutes with it and tried to decide if I should leave it or take it to someone. I figured if it was mine I would want someone to turn it in instead of just leaving it in a bathroom. So I asked a security type guy where to take it and he said the information desk so I dropped it off there. I hope the person got their passport back.
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Our flight and drive home was fine and luckily uneventful and the next morning I was able to pick my pup (Kapono) from my sister's house and I got a lot of kisses from her. The dog that is not my sister! Actually my sister is a bit of a germaphobe so with all the shut down stuff, she didn't want a lot of contact so the dog and I were soon on our way home.
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Here is a picture of the pins and the placemat I purchased. I am not a pin trader, I just buy the ones I like.
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Did anyone else take some screen shots of the closure stuff at the start? I am a nerd that did, it was still just so weird that it was closed. It still is weird to be honest. As you can see we had a plan for June, guess I won't be making that pre-park open Garden Grill reservation.
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Monday after we got back I made us Mickey waffles using the Golden Malted waffle mix that Disney uses. Not as good as being there but we put on the Mickey shorts that they play in the Pop dining area so it was kind of like being there. If you look close you can see Kapono and she was waiting impatiently by Brad for her part of the Mickey waffle!
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And about 2 weeks after we returned from WDW we got our passholder magnets in the mail. This was a shock that they actually mailed them to us without us calling to get them. It was proof to me that getting the annual pass at Disney Springs was the way to go because it didn't get messed up like it did when we got them at Epcot.
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So folks that's it. That is the story of our return to Walt Disney World after spending a year as annual passholders at Disneyland. So now ask me which is better? And you know what I still can't tell you. I love them both. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. I think that is okay that I can't choose because that means I get both. If you haven't visited both please do, Disneyland and Walt Disney World are enchanting places.

Tomorrow should have been our departure day for our summer trip to WDW we would have been there June 21-July 5. We would have been able to celebrate both of our birthdays, our 15th anniversary, and the 4th of July there. We were hoping to meet up with @Tuvalu and @Laurenciaa at some point and maybe some other members here. But as we all know that isn't happening. Early after our return I decided to book a back up trip for August so we do have that. I guess we will see what happens with that, I hope we are able to return in August. I am not looking forward to wearing a mask in the August heat but I'm thinking that once school returns I will have to wear a mask at work so I'm viewing WDW as training.

Thanks for following along. I feel extremely lucky that we were able to take our spring break trip and I feel sad for all of you that have had your trips cancelled or postponed. I also hope that all of you have been taking care of yourselves in these scary and sad times. I wish all of you good health, peace of mind, and hope that our world can return to "normal" and stronger for all of us.


Oh and if anyone is there early-mid August and wants to meet up let me know! Brad and I are nerds but we feel we are fun nerds!

yep we cancelled our trip a month ago.... breaks my heart knowing that normally by tomorrow I was departing in Brussels for a two-week trip.. We have not yet booked another trip for 2021 as it is still unclear what the future might be for EU-citizens flying to the US. Hoping that we maybe can start planning another trip by the end of this year for July 2021.... we‘ll see!!