Trip Report Even the Ostrich Wore a MagicBand! An August 2013 TR

Welcome back! Some of you may remember reading about my trip a couple months ago filled with cupcakes, cupcakes, and rain (this exciting adventure can be found here). That trip was our introduction to the summer- now it’s time for the real-deal vacation! Before we get on with our adventure, here’s a little info:

Who: Me, Trolley (or Emily), my Mom (@Tuvalu), Dad, and a special appearance by Big Brother at the end of the trip!

When: August 3-11, 2013

Where: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Disney’s Polynesian Resort (go big or go home, in my opinion!)

MagicBands: Prior to leaving for our vacation, I was out of the country for two and a half weeks. While abroad, I got an email from Mom saying we had been selected for the trial of MagicBands and she wanted to know my opinion about participating. Before I had a chance to answer, I got another email saying my band was pink and our FP+ reservations were booked. I totally would have given my mom the green light, but I guess she was so excited to get selected for something, she jumped the gun . Our MagicBands arrived FedEx in a cool package. Initially, I was not in favor of wearing the MagicBand or participating in FP+. However, keep reading and my opinion may surprise you…





Alright, enough talking. Everybody neat and pretty? Then, let’s get on with the show!

August 3: Arrival Day!

We were on the road by 6:20 and made a quick Chick-fil-A stop in Macon (gotta have my biscuit fix!). We didn’t stop again until Gainesville where we lunched at Sonny’s BBQ. Full bellies later, we were back on the road and arriving at WDW in no time.

We arrived at Animal Kingdom Lodge around 2:30. It was a very unusual choice for us, considering we don’t really like animals or Animal Kingdom, but I have this weird desire to stay at every non-DVC resort on property. With the AKL stay, I will have conquered every deluxe! I’m not going to lie, the lobby is beautiful. Not quite Wilderness Lodge standards, but pretty close.

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

Great report! I love all the food pictures. Mama Melrose is a favorite of mine too!

Thanks for reading!

Again, great to follow Nice to see that Mike's still love the trip

Thanks- Mike is essential to vacation now!

More great food, fun, and fotos!

Is Gasparilla's a place you can go without an ADR? If so, good to keep in mind. Your photos of the Grand Floridian brought back some memories that were almost completely buried (for no good reason other than the passing of time) of us wandering around those grounds back in 2000 - we had just stopped off at the GF for a look around. Funny, I'd totally forgotent our wander through the grounds there, I only remembered seeing the lobby.

Yup, it's the GF's quick serve restaurant. I highly recommend it, especially for a midday park break!

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

After our lunch, I suggested we walk back to the Poly instead of taking the monorail all the way around. It turned out to be really nice, as the path was in the shade and there was a nice breeze blowing.



Standing right under the new Villas is a little intimidating, but I thought they did a really nice job incorporating them into the theme of the resort. If you hadn’t been to Disney in a while, you wouldn’t necessarily know that building was new when looking at it from around the 7 Seas Lagoon.







Oh, Tuvalu!





When we got back to the room, we had these lovebirds waiting for us!



Mom and I jumped into our suits and hung out at the pool. It was a great time of relaxation until we looked up and saw giant black clouds heading our direction. We dried off, and then watched the rain come in from our balcony.

The rain came in and out, so Mom and I decided to head off to the Magic Kingdom, as we had some FP+ reservations to use! Dad headed to the airport to pick up Big Brother! BB’s wife was in California for the D23 Expo, so we invited BB to come hang out with us. He flew in to MCO and then drove home with us.

Anywho, Mom and I took the boat to MK. We had FP all in a row- starting with Jungle Cruise!



So glad we have a FP with this wait! Without FP+, we wouldn’t have waited for Jungle Cruise, nor would we have had a paper FP due to the time we left the MK in the morning. Being able to make reservations from our hotel room in the afternoon was wonderful!



Green Mickey means go!



If I remember correctly, our skipper was awful so we were really glad we hadn’t waited an hour! We had time to kill before our next FP, so we hopped on our favorite TTA. Weren’t we surprised when we went through Space Mountain with the lights on!

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

We decided to go around again to see the lights on. That, and TTA is just awesome.

iPhone selfie!





It’s amazing to me how the lights make SM so thrilling. With the lights on, it’s just a dingy roller coaster. We decided not to be gluttonous with our TTA re-rides, so we headed to Buzz for our next FP.



I’m pretty sure my Mom beat me (as always *sigh*). From there, we went to Pinocchio’s Village Haus for dinner. I had the meatball sub and mom had the kid’s pizza. It was your typical quick serve quality. The kid’s meal is a good value, as we got apples and grapes plus the pizza.





We went for our last FP+ at Haunted Mansion. One of my usual favorites.



From there, we decided to head back to the Poly in order to meet BB and Dad. There might have been an ice cream stop thrown in there, too, I’m not sure

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

It turns BB’s flight was delayed, so I decided to do some night shots of the Poly while waiting for him to arrive. I grabbed my tripod and remote shutter release and prepared myself for the stares of other’s watching me stand by my camera.





I guess they actually had some lights on in the new DVC building.



Goodbye, boat!



I can see our room!






It was about this time that I passed Mom, Dad, and BB walking to Captain Cook’s. I took a few more shots and then joined them.









We chatted while Dad and BB ate dinner. Then, we headed back to the balcony for the nightly showing of Wishes!













We then reminisced in our room with BB about all our old family vacations where five of us (I have BB2 that did not come) would stay in one Poly room. Soon we were in bed preparing for our big day tomorrow!

 

[Tiggerish]

Gorgeous photos, especially the night shots around Poly and your first try at fireworks photos--I thought those came out really well! The IASW photos are so realistic that I almost thought I saw the hips moving on the Polynesian dancers!

The new GF DVC building seems huge, not only from standing right next to it, but also the shot from across the water--maybe because it's in the foreground of the photo, but it seems to look more imposing than the rest of the GF buildings, and it seems to be at a different angle to the water than the others. Not that I doubt your word that it blends in nicely with the rest of the resort, I'm sure being there in person gives a much better perspective. Either way, I know I'll be trying to book a visit there when it opens up!

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

Gorgeous photos, especially the night shots around Poly and your first try at fireworks photos--I thought those came out really well! The IASW photos are so realistic that I almost thought I saw the hips moving on the Polynesian dancers!

The new GF DVC building seems huge, not only from standing right next to it, but also the shot from across the water--maybe because it's in the foreground of the photo, but it seems to look more imposing than the rest of the GF buildings, and it seems to be at a different angle to the water than the others. Not that I doubt your word that it blends in nicely with the rest of the resort, I'm sure being there in person gives a much better perspective. Either way, I know I'll be trying to book a visit there when it opens up!

Thanks for the compliments . From the perspective of the Poly, the GF DVC does seem huge. When you look at it from the Contemporary, it's not as imposing. While I might like the original skyline better, they did a new job of incorporating the DVC building into the theme of the resort. It looks weird just because I'm so used to seeing it without the new building, but if you haven't seen it in awhile (or ever) you may not notice the difference.

 

[fractal]

Wonderful pictures. Love the night shots of the Poly!!

FP+ seems to be working out well for you - despite all the doom & gloom talk about it.

 

[PineapplePrincess]

Just caught up on your report. I think your fireworks shot are beautiful! We are DVC members, but it's still my dream to stay club level at Poly. Would you mind telling me where you got your camera strap? It looks really comfortable. I have the usual one you can buy in the parks, but it is uncomfortable and falling apart!

 

[OrderMuppet]

August 4: Hanging with the Animals


Hulllllooooo Zeeba Neighba! (Pearls Before Swine? Anyone?)

I love PBS and seeing it here made me laugh out loud. Great trip report! You are such a talented photographer!

 

[Lexi]

So glad we have a FP with this wait! Without FP+, we wouldn’t have waited for Jungle Cruise, nor would we have had a paper FP due to the time we left the MK in the morning. Being able to make reservations from our hotel room in the afternoon was wonderful!

We will be using FP+ in October and have been debating whether or not to make our selections now or make them each morning while we are there. Where you able to get FP for everything you wanted when you were waiting until the afternoon to make your selections?

 

[FlaggNL]

Love the fire works pics! It's so different from the fireworks in DLP. We have Disney Dreams as closing show of the day! That's all, only on several themes there is a special firework, but mostly its with Disney Dreams!

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

Wonderful pictures. Love the night shots of the Poly!!

FP+ seems to be working out well for you - despite all the doom & gloom talk about it.

Thanks! I'm honesty a little tired of the FP+ doom and gloom from people that haven't tried it yet. I was not a fan of the idea of it at first, but we got lucky when testing it. No problems and the system really worked for us. I'm not going to stop going to Disney, so I might as well jump on board!

Just caught up on your report. I think your fireworks shot are beautiful! We are DVC members, but it's still my dream to stay club level at Poly. Would you mind telling me where you got your camera strap? It looks really comfortable. I have the usual one you can buy in the parks, but it is uncomfortable and falling apart!

Thanks for reading!! Club level at the Poly is nice, but not necessarily the be-all-end-all. The service was nice and the food was good, but its not necessarily something I need every trip, ya know?

I got my strap off etsy. I love it because it's long enough to go across my body. If you want to know the seller, I'll PM you.

I love PBS and seeing it here made me laugh out loud. Great trip report! You are such a talented photographer!

YES! I knew there had to be another PBS reader. My mom and say that all the time to each other at home, so it fit perfectly at AKL! Thanks for your sweet compliments and thanks for reading!

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

We will be using FP+ in October and have been debating whether or not to make our selections now or make them each morning while we are there. Where you able to get FP for everything you wanted when you were waiting until the afternoon to make your selections?

Make your selections now. All of ours were made ahead of time and then we changed them when we got there. We found there were more times available when you change them after the initial booking. Also, you can choose the times for the individual FP instead of the three you have to book originally. Basically, having the three to change is more flexible when we experienced it. We were also there when not many people were using it, so it may not give as many times when it goes live. Still, I would suggest booking a basic idea of what you want now. You can even change the park the morning of if you haven't used any yet.

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

Love the fire works pics! It's so different from the fireworks in DLP. We have Disney Dreams as closing show of the day! That's all, only on several themes there is a special firework, but mostly its with Disney Dreams!

Thanks for your kind words. I've seen pictures of Disney Dreams and it looks awesome!! Thanks for reading

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

August 9: Blast from the Past

It had been over two years since BB was in the World. Since he wasn’t getting park hopper tickets, we decided to go to his favorite park first- Epcot. It was a day where we had very few plans, so we let him pick the order of attractions. We did have a couple FP+ reservations, but only had 3 bands so my mom and dad alternated giving their band to BB so he could ride (and the ride operator’s didn’t care that the band was a woman’s name when BB used my mom’s).





We ate breakfast in the lounge and then arrived at 9 am. We pulled a “rookie” maneuver and went to Spaceship Earth first. We chose it because it had no line and was convenient. While we were on it, we noticed that all of the cleaning lights were on. Hmm, okay, I love florescent lighting in my dark rides.



BB wanted to the Seas with Nemo and Friends next. After the ride, we went up to the observation deck and caught it right at feeding time. We saw them drop a “salad bar” (PVC pipe full of lettuce leaves) for the turtle to eat. Too bad a lot of the fish were enjoying it, too!







Next, BB wanted to visit his old friend Figment.





BB’s a pretty big goof, too.





BB was really excited about riding Test Track 2.0. We had a FP+, so Dad opted to sit out and gave his MagicBand to BB. I gave my camera and my phone for my dad to hold, which ended up being a big mistake.

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

BB designed an awesome black truck as our Simcar. I actually used my MagicBand instead of the cards they give out. Soon enough, we boarded our vehicle and took off on the Simtrack. We had barely made it over the hill to the straightaway when the ride violently stopped. Then the auxiliary lights came on with an announcement that our ride had been “suspended.” I didn’t have my camera or phone, so I had to settle with pictures from my mom’s old phone.



Soon a technician came out to the car in front of us and evacuated the people from the car. We then watched several cast members push the car off the track.



Throughout this time, we were continually being told that our ride was suspended and to stay seated in our vehicles. Um, I’m locked in a seatbelt, I’m not going anywhere! BB and Mom decided to goof around while waiting:





Pretty soon they made an announcement that our ride had been terminated. We actually got really excited because that meant we had to be evacuated! Pretty soon a CM came around and unlocked our seatbelts. We had to walk along the track (though were told multiple times not to step on the track) until we reached an exit. We walked through the hot/cold rooms of the old TT and then went down several flights of stairs.

We were given a return FP to ride, which was good because TT2.0 was the only attraction BB really wanted to ride. We met up with Dad and he said he heard a CM say it takes an hour to reset the ride. We were thirsty after our evacuation so we walked to Mission:Space.

Why did we walk to M:S, you ask? Dad works for HP, so we get access to the employee lounge full of sodas and a nice bathroom

Plus, all the HP gear you could want.





Hello, all you people waiting in line!


They also escort you to the FP line if you want to ride. We didn’t , so we left after a restroom stop and headed to BB’s choice for lunch!

BB wanted to try out the new La Patisserie (French Bakery). We really like the new efficient line, but unfortunately there were very little tables so we had to stand to eat our lunch.



I had the ham and cheese croissant which was warm and delicious! Mom, Dad, and BB had the turkey BLTs. The Baguette was really good on their sandwiches.



For dessert, BB got the chocolate mousse and I got the chocolate tarte. The tarte had a surprise caramel filling! We loved the food from the bakery, but it was really unfortunate to stand and eat. If it was cooler, we could have eaten outside (which could be an option on our trip in December).

 

[jkl2000]

It's a little late to mention it now, but during the Magic Band testing don't you also get regular key cards which you can ALSO use for paper FastPasses that your brother could have used? I guess your ride times would be out of synch though? Anyway, the TT evacuation looks cool!

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

It's a little late to mention it now, but during the Magic Band testing don't you also get regular key cards which you can ALSO use for paper FastPasses that your brother could have used? I guess your ride times would be out of synch though? Anyway, the TT evacuation looks cool!

Yes, he could have gotten a paper FP but it was just easier because matching the times would have been impossible. Since my parents go at least five times a year they were fine with sitting some rides out. This way he got to experience the MM+ testing, too. And the TT evacuation was cool! It was my first ride evac, though the ride is definitely all smoke and mirrors. It does not nearly look as cool with the lights on!

 

[jkl2000]

And the TT evacuation was cool! It was my first ride evac, though the ride is definitely all smoke and mirrors. It does not nearly look as cool with the lights on!

I haven't been on TT yet (at all!) and I just can't get the idea of what the ride is like at all. Does it ever actually go fast? Or does it just fool you into thinking it's going fast?

 

[Tuvalu]

Yes, TT goes very fast (up to 64.9 mph) once your vehicle leaves the interior of the building and circles the outdoor track.