Trip Report ** COMPLETED ** You left your babies at HOME? Heck yes we did!

SighI’ve been meaning to start this report for a while! It did happen almost 4 months ago, but with my last trip report dragging on, end of school and an early summer vacation, life had different plans!

Anyway, let’s gooo!

The quick deets:

Who: Me and my wife K

When: February 25 - March 3
Where: GF villas and Wilderness Lodge

As for the why and how we got here: The short story is that we were celebrating our 10 year anniversary.

There is a lot more to it than that though -

We knew for the last 2 years we wanted to go away for our 10 year, but could not figure out where. We toyed with everything from an all-inclusive beach vacation, to England, to our other favorite Cape May and everything in between. We realized though we are not just sit on the beach people anymore - we are busy, and like to be going and doing things. When the pictures of the Wish came out, it seemed perfect. Romantic and fancy, enough of a Disney touch, and we get to get to the beach too. All of our favorite things! So we booked a 4 day cruise, and since we were traveling to a Florida anyway, we booked a 2 night stay at Grand Floridian by renting DVC points (figuring we would never stay there in the near future with kids).

And then a wrench was thrown - the Wish actually sailed, and reviews were less than ideal.

We tried to ignore them, but so many of the negatives were focused on the adult side of things, with the positives being the kids areas. In the end, we just weren’t excited anymore and with the best parts being the kids areas, it did not seem to be a good way for us to spend our money. So we cancelled, but we still had that 2 night stay at GF, and with it being a point rental, we could not really cancel. Luckily, a Disney+ promotion had just came out, and we were able to score a great deal on a WL room! And so the trip was born!

 

[Spash007]

Our stress about wait times now gone, we were able to enjoy the scenery a bit as we walked over to MMRR, which showed a 15 minute wait.

MMRR was an absolute walk on. We didn’t stop once until we were in the pre-show. When in line there was some confusion with an extended family where somehow they didn’t line up to be in the same car. Since they had a young kid, we told them to just skip ahead of us and ride all together. It was nice being able to pay more attention to families and some of the nice guests like that!

You know what Mickey, nothing can stop us now. Look at these wait times, after regular open!!

Even with Slinky down and RnRC closed for refurb, most rides were walk on after regular park open.

We made our way into Toy Story Land as we both were feeling a bit competitive.

We always ride this with one of the kids, so we never went head to head.

No lie, although the score doesn’t show it, this got a bit intense! And both of our hands were quite sore after it. I feel like I might have gotten some carpal tunnel!

I won’t say who won lol

 

[littleroo]

Those sunrise shots are gorgeous! Definitely enjoying this!

 

[Spash007]

We had to get a picture of Buzz for L, who I think may be the only person still watching Lightyear on Disney+

We next made our way into Galaxy’s Edge as I had a DAS for Rise.

As a point of reference for wait times, this picture was at 9:04.

And then we were in the pre-show at 9:10.

While we had the DAS, it was still practically a walk on.

Unfortunately this was the only Kylo animatronic, as the other one was in B mode. This would be my 4th time riding Rise, and I have yet to see Kylo in A mode. One day!

We were feeling a bit peckish as we got off, so we explored Galaxy’s Edge a bit at a leisurely pace while picking up a few things to eat.

I had the breakfast of champions - the Outpost Popcorn Mix, and the Cold Brew Caff. I largely got the Popcorn based on Molly, formerly of AllEars, being obsessed with it, but it was so good! And the coffee was a bit weird because of how much foam was on top, but once I got that out of the way, it was really good too. I’m going to have to figure out if on our next trip with the kids if I want to set this example of this being appropriate breakfast foods….

K went with something much more sensible: a breakfast Ronto Wrap (without the peppercorn dressing). She only had a bite of the dinner one once, and couldn’t stand the dressing. Without it, it’s really just a sausage, egg and cheese.

We popped over to Millennium Falcon next, which was also only a minimal wait.

We ended up getting paired with a family of three that were behind us, that had a daughter that was probably around 7. We told them to take the pilot spots and we would just be the engineers, and got to talking. Turns out they also had two younger kids who they left at home, and their daughter was very excited to be a pilot for the first time. Their mom said she didn’t care, and switched with me to be an engineer, so that I was the sole gunner.

Let me tell you, this was my favorite ride I have ever taken on Smuggler’s Run. Even more fun than when my MIL was screaming bloody murder on our last trip. It was just pure pandemonium - the girl could not steer. Like at all. She started covering her eyes, while screaming every time we crashed “I’m too young to drive! I don’t know what I’m doing! I’m sorry, I’m not a good driver!. Because I was the only gunner, I couldn’t shoot down any crates on two ropes, meaning we kept crashing into them. The mom was laughing so hard, that we all just started laughing.

At the end of the ride, the daughter got up and apologized for being such a bad driver, and we reassured her she wasn’t, and that was more fun than we’ve had with our own family. We chatted more on the way out, but then went our separate ways.

Unpopular Disney opinion - times like that, and the sheer madness that can happen in that ride might make Smuggler’s Run my favorite ride in Galaxy’s Edge. Granted I’m also bitter about the canons not working in Rise, but I digress.

 

[Spash007]

I had one more “snack” on my list in Galaxy’s Edge - the green milk.

I was torn between blue and green, and almost got both. But with my popcorn and cold foam caffe, plus the donut I already had this morning, I figured I should be a bit healthier.

The app claimed that Slinky was back up, but crossing over into TSL, it clearly wasn’t. But the Green Army men were performing, and my glory days of high school drum line called me to watch for some time.

With Slinky down, we headed to Sunset Boulevard and take a ride on ToT.

The wait time was still listed as 13 minutes, and we only waited a few minutes here, before getting to the pre-show.

Unfortunately, this was one of the shorter rides I have taken in recent years, so it was a bit of a let down. We decided to try to get back on again later

When we got off, it wasn’t even noon yet, so we caught the 12 o’clock showing of Indiana Jones. K says she never saw this, and the last time I did I wasn’t even in High School.

Overall, a great show and we decided we had to take the kids to see it our next trip.

But, I will go on my soapbox for a minute - you know what I hate? Not kids, but their parents. We had a kid in front of us who just talked (very loudly) the entire show, and the parents did not try to quiet him ONCE. Most times they ignored him, which of course meant he said it louder. Or they would just answer him, and then get back to their own conversation. I may have shushed them a few times, much to K’s chagrin.

Anyway, as much as I wanted to watch the show, I did have ulterior motives coming over here. The one meet and greet I wanted to have this trip was the Rescue Rangers. I was OBSESSED as a kid. Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, and Gargoyles were my life on Saturday mornings. I even had an early video game with the Rescue Rangers. Sigh. Kids these days don’t know what they’re missing.

Anyway, in front of us was one of the cutest kids who brought up a stuffed Chip, and the characters went wild over it.

Then I went up, as a grown-butt man. It was awkward. Super awkward. Just as awkward as these pictures captured.

I didn’t know what to do with my hands, and the fact they couldn’t talk just made it feel weird! I know some adults are good with characters, but I found out I’m not one of them.

But, my younger self was VERY happy.

Too bad the Rescue Rangers needed a break right after me, so the children behind us in line had to wait because I took up a spot.

To free me of the awkwardness I was feeling, we went on another ride we have not done together - Star Tours. Another complete walk on.

K said it was better than she expected, but could take it or leave it. For me, it was so much better than I remembered! I just had a blast.

 

[amjt660]

Loving the "trip without kids"
We never did it when they were younger - our trip in May/June was our second without them.
It definitely has a different feel to it.

Now my girls are both in their 20s but we keep going as a family still
So it did still feel like we left them behind.
And T compensated by buying way too many presents to bring home to them!!

Enjoying your report and following along


Max

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Happy belated anniversary! Looks like you had a fun trip.

 

[fractal]

Nice sunset shots! Straighten the horizon and they'll be perfect.

I'm astounded by the low crowds! Love the Smuggler's Run story -

Wait till your kids get older and you want to get a meet-and-greet. "Hi Dad getting a picture with the Rescuers."

 

[Spash007]

Loving the "trip without kids"
We never did it when they were younger - our trip in May/June was our second without them.
It definitely has a different feel to it.

Now my girls are both in their 20s but we keep going as a family still
So it did still feel like we left them behind.
And T compensated by buying way too many presents to bring home to them!!

Enjoying your report and following along


Max

Just taking out the normal parenting worry/parent mode is a nice break in itself. And I bet no matter how old they get, that will never go away!

Happy belated anniversary! Looks like you had a fun trip.

Thank you!

Nice sunset shots! Straighten the horizon and they'll be perfect.

I'm astounded by the low crowds! Love the Smuggler's Run story -

Wait till your kids get older and you want to get a meet-and-greet. "Hi Dad getting a picture with the Rescuers."

I don’t want to say how many different pictures I took of that sunset trying to get the horizon straight lol

I definitely can see my daughter doing that in a few ears! She already acts like a teenager sometimes!

 

[Spash007]

We mobile ordered some lunch from ABC Commissary that I swore I took pictures of but apparently not.

We split the Mediterranean Chicken Salad and the Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese. Wow. This was the surprise of the trip and was definitely a top meal!

Normally a QS salad would be pretty underwhelming, but this was great, fresh and filling. And the Buffalo grilled cheese. Seeing Cream Cheese in the ingredient list was a bit off putting, but OMG. It was so creamy and great! Definitely adding this to our usual rotation now.

We finished up a little bit after 1, and started to head out of the park. And guess what, it was still completely empty! We were wondering if the lack of crowds in the morning had to do with the race, but figured by now some people would be showing up, but nope!

We said hello to Edna on the way out.

We got out, and took the bus back to the room. We had thought about going to the pool, but weren’t in the mood if that would be crowded, so we decided to stay in the room for a bit. K was tired and wanted to take a quick nap, and I was in the mood to just enjoy the weather and read.

We also talked about just how much we got done in the morning. Obviously the lack of crowds played into it, but we felt like there was more to it. We knew not doing many characters or having to do rider swap saved time, but we just felt efficient if that makes sense. We decided that when the kids are with us, the stopping for bathrooms, snacks, and just trying to make plans with more people eats up way more time than we ever realized. Even just K and I trying to make decisions with the kids takes so much longer since we too worry about so many other variables. With the two of us, we just kind of went with it. It sounds cheesy, but it brought us back to before kids, before even being married and how we knew we just clicked.

When we started getting ready for the evening, I noticed these pictures on the wall.

K has always loved Happiest Millionaire, but it’s such an obscure movie these days to be seen, that it was a weird coincidence. I’ll admit it is a great movie though, and if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it!

Anyway, we were thinking of taking a bus to DHS, and then boarding the Skyliner to get to dinner, but decided to get an Uber instead to save some time.

Our destination - Topolino’s!

This was our first time eating here, and we’re especially excited because it was right around sunset as we sat.

Our table wasn’t window side, but had a great view.

Definitely an A+ for atmosphere!

On that note, there was a group of 3 runners who came in with their medals, as well as their race shirts. Most people were dressed somewhat nicely, so they very much stood out. I’m all for celebrating a good race, but is the shirt necessary when you have the medals?

Also, is it just me, or do guys usually take off their caps in restaurants? Especially nicer ones? My dad always did that, and we were a fairly standard blue collar family that did not follow some standard manners (I’ve since found out lol). But it was just understood that at a restaurant of any kind, you remove your cap. But here there were a number of guys with their caps on. Just seemed out of place.

Our food soon came out, and we started with the gnocchi that had a braised lamb ragu. Holy cow this was good!

We took a break outside before our entrees came. The weather was absolutely perfect!

I probably could have spent the whole evening out here.

For our entrees, K had the Filet, and I had a scallop special with a corn risotto. Both were great, but K’s was the winner. It was cooked perfectly and literally sliced like butter. It made up for it being served with broccolini

 

[Spash007]

Between our dinner and dessert, the sun actually set, so we had to head back outside.

If you can’t tell, I love pictures of sunrises and sunsets!

For dessert, they brought out a little celebratory madeleine (nice to be different than the standard cupcake!), and we also got the Vanilla and Citrus creme brûlée.

Ever since one of our earlier anniversaries when we went to a steakhouse in NYC and got the most amazing raspberry creme brûlée, we usually will get one if it’s on the menu. This one was very very good. Not as good as that NYC one, but a close second I’d say.

Overall this was a great meal, and might have been the best of the whole trip (possibly best we’ve had at WDW)

After finishing up, we made our way downstairs to the Skyliner.

Even at this time, around 7:30, it was hard to get a gondola at Riviera. Most people were continuing on from Epcot, so we had a bit of a wait.

Nothing too bad though, and soon we were back in Hollywood Studios.

 

[Spash007]

I really wish they would put a Moana or Encanto show in here.

We were on our way to Toy Story Land!

Hi

First up, Slinky. I’m not ashamed to admit how much I love this ride. Those little hills in a row get me smiling every time. And it really is even better at night!

After this, Mania was a walk on so I challenged K to a rematch.

And lost again.

But not for lack of effort. After the games ended we both just started laughing and holding our shooting hands which were spasming from going so fast.

We were considering the inappropriately named ride that we could know joke about without the kids present, but decided to press on.

We wanted to get a second ride on Rise again, and the wait was low so we headed there.

As this shows, crowds were LIGHT

We practically walked on to Rise. It seems like everyone was at the earlier showing of Fantasmic, which was very much working in our favor!

Once again Kylo was in B mode. One day I will see A mode!

It was now around 8:40, and we wanted to head towards Fantasmic for the 9:30 show. The Movie Magic show was finishing up so we stopped and watched a bit, since we really haven’t before.

It was fine, very fitting for the park, but nothing worth seeing every time.

As we went down Sunset, there did not seem to be a lot of people heading into the theater, and ToT was showing 13 minutes so we figured we would chance it.

We got on fairly quickly, and this was a much better ride than the morning one, with lots more drops. But even better, right before we did the first drop, someone screamed out “Hold on to your butts!” and got the whole car laughing through the first fall.

We got out around 9:10, and went right into the theater. We got seats in the second section from the center, and the show ended up not filling completely.

 

[Spash007]

Funny story, as I was going through Instagram later this night, someone who I follow had put up that she got stuck on it, they had to turn the lights on, and lower them down. Looking at the time stamp, it looks like she was on less than 10 minutes after us. We’re glad we got to go on when we did, or we would have missed Fantasmic!

The show of course was great, but it was the first time we really missed the kids. They both love this show, and so it was a bit harder to enjoy it.

We now have a joke in the house that whenever we play the music from the show, if anyone who hears it will run into the room waving their arms like Mickey. Ok, it’s really a joke to see if I’ll do it (which I always do lol)

After the show, I had my mission to take pictures with our “fancy” camera of a near empty park at night. And quickly decided that in the 9 years of technology, the iPhone takes better pictures at night than the Nikon. Everything was coming out blurry, no matter what settings I tried. My goal was to get the MMRR marquee legible, but I gave up and just used my phone on the way out.

I love DHS at night!

We left the park around 10:20, got on the bus and headed back to our room. We were quite tired, but had to continue our tradition of watching Naked and Afraid on vacation before falling asleep lol

Next up: Epcot!

 

[fractal]

Great updates and yes, anything above a fastfood joint you should take your hat or cap off in a restaurant.

 

[cgersic]

The Topolino's dinner looks amazing!! Definitely doing this one next time!

 

[amjt660]

We were considering the inappropriately named ride that we could know joke about without the kids present,

The ride name is fine - it is the acronym that could be considered inappropriate if you allowed your immature mind to allow it to happen.

A$$

Max

 

[MickeyCB]

We decided that when the kids are with us, the stopping for bathrooms, snacks, and just trying to make plans with more people eats up way more time than we ever realized. Even just K and I trying to make decisions with the kids takes so much longer since we too worry about so many other variables. With the two of us, we just kind of went with it. It sounds cheesy, but it brought us back to before kids, before even being married and how we knew we just clicked.

So true!
When we had our first baby someone gave us a card that on the outside it said, now that you've had a baby don't forget....
And on the inside it said, the diapers, the bottles, the bag, the clothes, the stroller........!

Prior to kids when you wanted to leave the house you said, let's leave the house, and you picked up your purse and walked out the door!

 

[Swissmiss]

So true!
When we had our first baby someone gave us a card that on the outside it said, now that you've had a baby don't forget....
And on the inside it said, the diapers, the bottles, the bag, the clothes, the stroller........!

Prior to kids when you wanted to leave the house you said, let's leave the house, and you picked up your purse and walked out the door!

That didn’t bother me (too) much, because at least I was "in control" of where all those items were left. It‘s the teen years where you have to "remember" where various items are - even though you have no clue because they are never left where you tell them to leave them.

True story: my teen lost her house key for more than 4 months (and it is quite possible it was more than half a year) IN HER ROOM. At the time, I asked her if she went through all her pockets, etc. When she finally found it, I asked where - "Oh I put my hand in my jacket pocket and it was there".

I had even gone down to the city lost and found one day - went through multiple boxes of keys for the date period the key went missing (although in her defense, she did keep saying she was the one who had opened the door when we came home so she "knew" they were inside somewhere). I was SHOCKED by the number of keys, especially car keys, that were there and never claimed. There was something like 3-4 larger than shoe box size boxes per week; since by the time I went down to lost in found I couldn’t remember the exact date she lost the keys I ended up having to go through 2 weeks’ worth.

 

[Spash007]

So true!
When we had our first baby someone gave us a card that on the outside it said, now that you've had a baby don't forget....
And on the inside it said, the diapers, the bottles, the bag, the clothes, the stroller........!

Prior to kids when you wanted to leave the house you said, let's leave the house, and you picked up your purse and walked out the door!

That didn’t bother me (too) much, because at least I was "in control" of where all those items were left. It‘s the teen years where you have to "remember" where various items are - even though you have no clue because they are never left where you tell them to leave them.

True story: my teen lost her house key for more than 4 months (and it is quite possible it was more than half a year) IN HER ROOM. At the time, I asked her if she went through all her pockets, etc. When she finally found it, I asked where - "Oh I put my hand in my jacket pocket and it was there".

I had even gone down to the city lost and found one day - went through multiple boxes of keys for the date period the key went missing (although in her defense, she did keep saying she was the one who had opened the door when we came home so she "knew" they were inside somewhere). I was SHOCKED by the number of keys, especially car keys, that were there and never claimed. There was something like 3-4 larger than shoe box size boxes per week; since by the time I went down to lost in found I couldn’t remember the exact date she lost the keys I ended up having to go through 2 weeks’ worth.

It was so mentally freeing (and physically!) to not have all their stuff

We are seemingly right between those two phases. C would literally forget her head sometimes if it wasn’t attached, and we are in a battle of “do we remind” or “do we let her miss” many times. L tends to have a good memory for his age, but is at the age he’s realizing he can make his own decisions. We got a “but it’s my stuff; so why do I have to put it away” the other day. And he said it so innocently because I think he really was wondering!

 

[sheriffwoody]

Following along! Looks like a perfect anniversary so far!

 

[Spash007]

Following along! Looks like a perfect anniversary so far!

Thank you! It really was a great trip!