Trip Report *Completed* You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home - September 2020

Hello friends, and welcome to another K and J trip report!

We will be returning to Walt Disney World together after basically a year away…more on that later. This is my fourth trip report so I’m sure many of you know us by this point, so I’ll keep the introductions brief…well, brief for me anyway.

Who: Me, Katie

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And my husband, Jason

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We both visited Walt Disney World as kids, but our love for the Disney parks truly blossomed when we went to Walt Disney World together for the first time, for our first wedding anniversary back in 2014. We had the best time and made so many cherished memories, and we loved it so much that we ended up booking our next WDW trip before we even checked out!

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In total, we have been to Walt Disney World together 11 times, and Disneyland twice in the span of 6 years.

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In December 2017, we finally took the plunge and became annual passholders at WDW, and that’s when our trips started becoming more frequent – we average 3-4 Disney trips a year…with the exception of this year. As you may remember, I went on a Disney cruise with my mom, sister, and SIL back in February, and we spent one night at WDW, where I flew solo in Epcot for a couple hours. J and I had plans to do a WDW trip in April, and then COVID-19 happened. April became May, May became June, and then when our June trip was cancelled by Disney, we decided to cancel that trip altogether, and go to the beach in Palm Coast, FL instead. While in Palm Coast, we made a quick trip over to Disney Springs for a few hours. Aside from that time in Disney Springs, Jason and I have not been to Walt Disney World together in nearly a year. In fact, it will have been almost exactly a year when we return. I know we are so fortunate to be APs and be able to visit as often as we do, so I hate to feel like I’m complaining about my champagne problems, but I know many of you have felt the same way we have over the last few months. Being unable to be in our happy place, our home away from home, has been so hard for us, emotionally. We are so beyond ready to be back in Walt Disney World. Speaking of being back…

When: September 8th-13th

We had originally booked our trip for September 9th-13th, but then an Annual Passholder room discount came out in July, and we were able to add another night to our trip and still be paying less than what we were originally going to pay! Since we were going to be going down the Wednesday after Labor Day (the 9th), we were already planning to take the 8th off, since we didn’t see the point in being off work the 7th, working the 8th, and then being off the rest of the week. We’re excited to have a nice long weekend to get packed and prepared for the trip, rather than working all day the day prior, coming home and finishing last minute packing and preparation, and going to bed way too late the night before our trip.

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Where: Pop Century!

We have not stayed at Pop since March 2017, prior to the room renovations, so we are excited to be back. We have stayed in a renovated room at All Star Movies and loved it. I know a lot of people view the new theming as sterile, but we don’t mind it. I view it as a clean, modern look, and we absolutely love all of the added storage and USB portals/outlets. I know many folks don’t dig the “hardwood” floors and prefer carpet, but our entire house is hardwood and tile, so we’re used to it.

Our last (and only, up to this point) experience at Pop was defined by what felt like hundreds of school groups and sports teams staying at the resort at the same time as us, so we don’t exactly look back on our time at Pop with the fondest of memories. It’s not that there was anything wrong with the resort, it can just get frustrating to be surrounded by tons and tons of teenagers any time you go to ride a bus to the parks or eat in the resort food court. None of them were poorly behaved, as far as I can remember (at least not as poorly behaved as the cheerleaders when we stayed at CBR during a cheer competition, but that’s another story for another day)…there were just so many of them, everywhere, all the time…We are excited to make new, hopefully fonder memories at Pop. Jason is very excited about the Skyliner. I….am anxious. If you read my Disneyland trip report from this past December, you may remember that I have a pretty intense fear of heights. I told J that I would try the Skyliner at least once, since it’s important to him. If I absolutely can’t stand it, we’ll have our car with us, so we can drive to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

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Why: We love visiting Walt Disney World in the Fall (and the Spring, and the Holidays, and…). Typically, September/October trips mean Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. While we are totally bummed that MNSSHP is cancelled, we understand why. There will always be other years. As far as Food and Wine…we are actually looking forward to the new, scaled-down version of the festival. I have always felt the usual 30+ booths to be overwhelming, especially if you’re only at Epcot for one day. We’ve already made a big list of things we want to enjoy at Food and Wine, and I know we won’t be disappointed!

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So there’s my “brief” summary of the trip…look forward to more detailed plans coming soon!

Up next: Daily plans
 
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k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Friday, September 11th - Epcot Day - Continued

After our journey through time, we headed outside of Spaceship Earth to do our usual Spaceship Earth photoshoot, including the new (still covered at the time) spires. Isn't she lovely?

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Once we had taken a million photos, we decided to go cool off in the big, blue world.

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We love the A/C in the line for The Seas. Too bad we didn't get to enjoy it for long, it was a walk-on. After we found Nemo, we enjoyed walking around the Seas pavilion, and stopping to see our pals, Lou and Lil' Joe.

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After the Seas, we hopped over to the Land pavilion for two of our favorite attractions. First up - Soarin'. It advertised a 10-minute wait, which is not bad at all, considering the fact that it was after 12:30 at that point. It was basically a walk-on, all the way up until we got assigned to our rows. Then, it was time for a cleaning cycle, so we ended up waiting more like 20 minutes. Still not bad, I've waited that long with a FastPass before. We got assigned the top row, on the right-hand glider, but we were the two seats closest to the middle. The Eiffel Tower was crooked, but not too crooked.

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This picture reminded me of this meme:

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After our flight around the world, it was time to hit up our other favorite.

Up next: "Just make believe you're a tiny little seed...."
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm loving your trip report. It's the next best thing to having my own WDW vacation.
Thank you for following along!
I’m all caught up! I’m really missing Disney lately so your TR is just what I needed. Plus, the TR for your NovDec trip will be right on the heels of this one! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for reading! Yes, once I finally get this one wrapped up, I'll jump right into the next one!
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Friday, September 11th - Epcot Day - Continued

After our flight around the world, it was time for another favorite, and we didn't have far to go. It was time to Live with the Land! The wait time was posted at 10 minutes, but we walked straight on. It was HOT and getting hotter by the hour, so it was time for the hair to go up and the disposable masks to come out.

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We always say that we're going to live in this house one day.

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I've missed you too!

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@Tuvalu, your shrimp were out this day!

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Veggie Fruit Fruit, Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit...wait, where am I?

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We always like checking out the special displays that they add in for the festivals....

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By the time we got off, we were both starving, so we decided to skip the Imagination pavilion and head straight to the World Showcase to start enjoying the Food and Wine Festival. But first, it's not a trip to the Land pavilion without getting a picture of the balloons...

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Up next: Food and Wine!
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Friday, September 11th - Epcot Day - Continued

By the time we got off Living with the Land, it was around 1:30, and we were both starving, so we decided to skip over the Imagination pavilion, and head straight to the World Showcase to start enjoying the Food and Wine Festival! First, we had to stop in one of the shops at the beginning of World Showcase (I don't remember if it was Port of Entry or Disney Traders) to pick up our Remy's Hide and Go Squeak scavenger hunt map, as well as our gift card wristlet. We've used Disney gift cards to pay for all of our food on our trips over the last few years, but it's always been a pain to have to get the gift card out of my wallet every time we want to get something at a festival booth, so this year we decided to get one of the wristlet gift cards that they sell at the festivals. It ended up being a great decision, having it on one of our wrists was so much more convenient than a regular gift card. Anyway, on to the food!

First up, from the Hawai'i booth, we tried the Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet-and-Sour DOLE® Pineapple Chutney and spicy Mayonnaise – $5.25. We had always heard rave reviews about this one. We loved the flavors, but it was very small for the price.

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Next up, we headed to the Mexico booth. But first, we paused for a picture of World Showcase Lagoon. I'm going to miss this view now that they have the HarmoniUs barges out in the lagoon. I know they plan to use them as fountains during the day, but nothing beats looking across the lagoon and seeing all the different pavilions.

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From the Mexico booth, we got the Ribeye Taco: Ribeye Steak with Ranchera Salsa in a Corn Tortilla topped with Onions, Chives, and a Lime Wedge - $6.95, as well as the Pork Tostada: Fried Corn Tortilla topped with Chipotle Black Beans, Roasted Pork, Fresh Salsa Verde, Onions, and Cilantro – $6.75. We always say that Mexico hits it out of the park at every festival, and this was no exception. We both loved both dishes, but I preferred the taco over the tostada, and Jason preferred the tostada over the taco.

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Next, we decided to pop in to the Epcot Experience, right there in the Odyssey Building. We enjoyed watching the showcase of all of the new attractions/areas to come, although it's a bummer that some of them have been postponed indefinitely. We also walked around and checked out the attraction posters they had displayed of Epcot attractions, past and present.

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After the Epcot Experience, we popped in to the Mexico pavilion to enjoy the AC and ride the Gran Fiesta Tour. The wait for the ride was about 5 minutes. We waited behind (and ended up sharing a boat with) a couple with three young boys. Their middle child (maybe 3 years old?) was a little rambunctious in line, as boys that age are, running back and forth in the empty rows of stanchions, trying to escape his parents, etc...So we were surprised when we boarded the boat and the parents chose to sit together in the middle of the row, and let their kids (including the aforementioned middle child) sit on the outside. I was just waiting for him to jump out of the boat the entire ride.

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After exiting the ride, we headed back out into the heat. We considered riding Frozen Ever After, but the line stretched all the way to China, and we don't care much for the shops in Norway, so we found the Remy in that pavilion and headed on to China. At the China booth, we got the Mongolian Beef Bao Bun – $6.75. This ended up being one of our favorite dishes of the day. The bun was soft, and the filling was tender and flavorful.

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I also stopped by the Joy of Tea kiosk to get the Tipsy Ducks in Love drink, which consists of iced coffee, iced black tea, chocolate syrup, milk, bourbon, and whipped cream. I had heard people rave about the drink for years and finally decided to try it this time around. Well, I guess I had a temporary lapse in judgement, because I didn't think to stir the drink when I got it. The first half of the drink was quite enjoyable. Once I got toward the bottom? Straight bourbon. Jason ended up having to finish it for me! After we finished the drink, we took some time walking around the pavilion, checking out the shop and taking some pictures.

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Up next: More Food and Wine!
 

Sbk1234

Well-Known Member
I take it that little boy managed to stay in the boat for the whole ride, and didn't end up taking a swim. It's probably for the best, but it would have made a generally relaxing, gentle ride into quite the E-ticket.
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I take it that little boy managed to stay in the boat for the whole ride, and didn't end up taking a swim. It's probably for the best, but it would have made a generally relaxing, gentle ride into quite the E-ticket.
Yes, he did stay in the boat the entire ride! 😂
 

Back!Elbow!Shoulders!

Omnia mutantur, nihil interit
Premium Member
I also stopped by the Joy of Tea kiosk to get the Tipsy Ducks in Love drink, which consists of iced coffee, iced black tea, chocolate syrup, milk, bourbon, and whipped cream. I had heard people rave about the drink for years and finally decided to try it this time around. Well, I guess I had a temporary lapse in judgement, because I didn't think to stir the drink when I got it. The first half of the drink was quite enjoyable. Once I got toward the bottom? Straight bourbon. Jason ended up having to finish it for me! After we finished the drink, we took some time walking around the pavilion, checking out the shop and taking some pictures.

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Lol. I mean is probably better if you stirred it but if I had done this- I would have be elated to end on that surprise.
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Friday, September 11th - Epcot Day - Continued

After China, we headed over to the African Outpost area to the Refreshment Port to get the Frozen Slushy Coca-Cola® or Minute Maid® Lemonade in a Souvenir Spike The Bee Sipper Cup (non-alcoholic) – $15.00. I had my eye on this sipper back when the Flower and Garden Festival had started, and then abruptly ended, back in March, so I was glad that they had kept it around!

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Up next was Germany, where we skipped over the food booth, but we headed into the pavilion to check out the shops (some of our favorite in the World Showcase). Of course, we had to make a stop in Karamell Kuche, both for the smells, and for a Caramel Butter Bar to enjoy later. While we were inside, the sky, which had been looking pretty ominous for most of the day, opened up and it started pouring rain. We took shelter in the Christmas shop, where we browsed the ornaments as we waited for the rain to let up. Once the rain had subsided, we headed out of the pavilion, stopping on the way out for Jason to get a Schofferhofer Grapefruit Beer. We also admired the trains for a few minutes.

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After Germany, we skipped over the Italy pavilion, as we almost always do. Unless we're dining at Via Napoli, the Italy pavilion just doesn't do it for us. We did find the Remy for the scavenger hunt before continuing on our journey. Next up was the American Adventure pavilion. At the Hops and Barley Booth, Jason got the New England Lobster Roll: Warm Lobster with Fresh Herb Mayonnaise and Griddled Roll – $8.25, and we both split the Freshly Baked Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Icing – $4.25. I was honestly surprised to see Jason order the lobster roll, as he's not normally a lobster eater, but he said he enjoyed it. However, we both thought that the carrot cake was the star of the show. We had enjoyed it in 2019, and it was just as good this time around!

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After scarfing down our food, we headed in to the pavilion to catch the 4:30 showing of the American Adventure show. Unfortunately, the show ended up being cancelled due to technical difficulties, so we browsed the American Heritage Gallery before heading out. The current exhibit showcased some of the different Native American groups.

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Next up was the Japan pavilion, which is another one of our favorites. At the food booth, we got the Teriyaki Chicken Bun: Steamed Bun filled with Chicken, Vegetables, and Teriyaki Sauce – $6.00. This had been one of our top items from Food and Wine in 2019, so we were excited to see it back on the menu for 2020.

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After enjoying our delicious teriyaki chicken bun, we headed into the Mitsukoshi store, where we always enjoy browsing. We were also on the hunt for the Remy in the Japan pavilion, which we never ended up finding. We looked all. over. the entire pavilion for a good 20 minutes before we gave up and moved on to the next pavilion. Next up was Morocco, where we skipped over the food booth, but browsed through the shops and found the Remy for the scavenger hunt.

After Morocco, we stopped by the Brazil booth for one of our recurring favorites - Pão de Queijo: Brazilian Cheese Bread – $4.50 .These little cheesy breads are so simple, yet so delicious, year after year.

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Next up was France. I would normally stop by the food booth to get whatever the seasonal alcoholic slushy is, but we were in a rush to catch the next showing of Impressions De France. We love love love this film, and it had been over a year since we had seen it, so we made it a priority to watch that day. We made it into the theater just in time to watch the film. I'm glad we watched it, as I'm afraid that this show might be next on the chopping block, since they've changed the films in Canada and now China. Before we left France, we stopped by to see Remy and show him my foodie ears. We're excited to see the Ratatouille attraction open, hopefully very soon!

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Up next: Finishing up Food and Wine
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Friday, September 11th - Epcot Day - Continued

After France, we headed into the UK pavilion, where all of the shops were still closed at the time. We found the Remy for the scavenger hunt, and went on our way. Our next stop was the World Showplace Pavilion, where they had several booths set up for the festival, as well as merchandise, and tons of seating. Our first stop was the Mac and Cheese Booth, where we split the Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese with Boursin® Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese topped with Herbed Panko – $4.50. Holy moly this stuff was good! We could have easily each eaten our own!

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Next up was the Desserts & Champagne booth, where we split the Liquid Nitro Chocolate Cake Pops with Crumbled Twix® Chocolate Bars – $4.00. We both thought this was delicious, but pretty large and very rich, so we were glad we split one.

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Our last booth of the night was the Festival Favorites booth, where we got the Kielbasa and Potato Pierogi with Caramelized Onions and Sour Cream, Poland – $5.50 and the Guinness Baileys Milkshake – $11.00. The pierogi was definitely more up my alley, but Jason did enjoy the sausage. We had gotten the Guinness Baileys shake back in 2018 and loved it, so of course we had to get it again, and it was just as good as we remembered!


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After our feast, we perused through the merchandise that was set up inside the pavilion, and bought a couple items (which I will share at the end of the report). Afterwards, we headed into Canada to find the last Remy for the scavenger hunt. We contemplated watching the new show, but there wasn't one starting soon, so we decided to wrap up our time in World Showcase. We headed back to the shop where we got our scavenger hunt map to turn it in and exchange it for our prize - a Figment water bottle. Afterwards, we headed into Mouse Gears (have I mentioned that I hate the temporary Mouse Gears?) to browse through some merch, and bought a shirt that I had been looking for the entire trip. We also stopped to get a picture of this cute topiary on our way out - Flower and Garden is our favorite Epcot festival, so we were glad that they had kept a couple of the topiaries out for this festival.

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After that, we were done for the day. It was shortly after 7:00, and the park closed at 7:00, so as you can imagine, there was quite the line at the Skyliner station. This is when we noticed quite a few people in line with their masks off or not on properly. There was even a guy in front of us in line that not only had his mask off, but was smoking in line. I guess 8 hours of drinking around the world will alter your judgement. It ended up taking us about 30 minutes to get back to Pop after exiting the park, which isn't bad. The Skyliner line moves very quickly, so long lines can be deceiving.

We arrived back at Pop around 7:45 or so, and we changed clothes and rested in the room for a bit. Around 9:00, we decided we were hungry again, so we mobile ordered from the food court, tapped "I'm Here" before we even left our room, and it still took forever for our food to be ready once we made it all the way up to the main building. We also discovered that there is some confusion among the cast members as to how the line outside the food court works. On our first night, we were told not to get in line outside the food court until our order was ready. This night, we were told that once our order was ready, we didn't need to get in line, we could just walk right in. Nevertheless, we got our food, and found a table to sit down and enjoy it. I got a chicken finger kids meal, which came in this cute bag. Jason got a bacon cheeseburger, which came with a side of fries w/ garlic ranch. I wish we could have gotten 4 cups of the garlic ranch, it was so good!

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After our fancy dinner, we contemplated stopping by the pool bar to get the Halloween drink that they were offering, but the line was crazy long, so we headed back to the room. Once in the room, we showered, got ready for bed, and enjoyed our Caramel Butter Bar that we had bought in Germany earlier, before hitting the hay. It had been a long, hot day, and we had an early morning to look forward to the next day.

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Up next: Hollywood Studios Day
 

Sbk1234

Well-Known Member
Yes, he did stay in the boat the entire ride! 😂
A little story involving a boat that you may enjoy. More than 25 years ago, I was in WDW. A large crowd of people had just got onto one of the boats from what at the time was called Dixie Landings, now Port Orleans Riverside to Pleasure Island. It. was evening, so dark outside, and all the lights were on. The tour guide was pointing things out. In the horizon, the sky would glow as lightening flashed. This is Florida summer, after all. One little kid about 5 or 6 probably started panicking, TERRIFIED of lightening. The mother calmed him down by telling him. the flashes were only the light show from one of the theme parks. It didn't take long for everyone on the boat to realize that this kid better not realize that an electric storm was coming, or he'd flip. During the 15 minute or so ride the kid fell asleep. But then it really started raining and the lightening REALLY started flashing up the sky. We actually had to cut. the boat ride short, due to the lightening. (That worked out for me, because the new exit location was closer to where I wanted to go.) As we docked and started to get off, in what became an absolute downpour, the kid woke up, and started the biggest screaming fit I've ever seen anyone ever give just about anywhere.
Not trying to make fun of the kid, because he can't help what he's afraid of, but it made for a memorable boat ride.
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
That garlic ranch at POP is delicious!
SO good!!! 😋
Not trying to make fun of the kid, because he can't help what he's afraid of, but it made for a memorable boat ride.
And to think the kid is probably 30 now!
It sounds like you had a wonderful day together in Epcot! I loved those Liquid Nitro chocolate coated cake pops!!! Your Spike Sipper Cup is so adorable. :)
It was great! We really appreciate the more relaxed nature of Epcot. And those cake pops were so good!
 

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