Trip Report From Batuu to the Boardwalk...and Beyond!

We're back from an absolutely wonderful trip that involved many firsts! As many times as we have been to Disney, we are always looking to try new things and find new favorites, and this trip was no exception! If you read my PTR (here) you will know that we actually went on two trips back-to-back; many of you questioned my sanity when I posted about the short trip, but you'll have to keep reading to find out exactly how crazy it was. If you're ready for food, drinks, and DRAMMA, you have come to the right place!

 

[bee]

2-1, cont.

The flight was smooth and uneventful (for once!) and soon we could tell we were getting close!

At one point we had a fairly clear view of Jacksonville (where M and I both grew up).

We landed half an hour early (yay!) and watched as the baggage guys unloaded the suitcases from the plane.

A kid behind us was watching too, and observed that bags with yellow DME tags were going to one side, and those without were going to the other side. We watched as one of our bags was put on the DME side, but we got off the plane before we saw the second bag.

Up next: WE'RE REALLY HERE!!!!

 

[riverside]

In the bathroom I took out my contact and...DROPPED IT. On the floor of the LaGuardia bathroom.

I just dropped one of mine this morning on the bathroom floor when I was going to put it in. Being that it landed on my floor & not a public one I may have tried to salvage it. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it until I came home from my walk a few hours later. It was stuck to the ceramic tile floor. I actually had to peel it off!! Needless to say, it went in the garbage!!

 

[MinnieM123]

Bee, I really like your "in the air" photos!! Those were really interesting -- I like the various angles you used.

 

[Nunu]

The glitter is holographic, so it makes rainbows in the light!

Love your nails!
They look very Kawaii to me

 

[bee]

I just dropped one of mine this morning on the bathroom floor when I was going to put it in. Being that it landed on my floor & not a public one I may have tried to salvage it. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it until I came home from my walk a few hours later. It was stuck to the ceramic tile floor. I actually had to peel it off!! Needless to say, it went in the garbage!!

Nooo! I hate when that happens!

Bee, I really like your "in the air" photos!! Those were really interesting -- I like the various angles you used.

Thank you!! I always have my phone ready around takeoff and landing especially. Either M or I always sits by the window so we are always ready to catch the good shots!

Love your nails!
They look very Kawaii to me

Thank you! I had fun wearing them!

 

[bee]

2-1, cont.

In no time we were off the plane and on the Fonorail!

Good ol' MCO carpet

I took this while moving because I was too excited to get to the bus to stop for a photo; that's why it's blurry!

We checked in and were soon sent to the Pop line. I hadn't yet received a room ready text so I decided to text the room ready number to see if they had something for me!

As you can see, it was not successful.

In a matter of minutes the line started moving! We were sent to lane B44, which is the lane our bus was in the very first time we took DME. I'm guessing it's because that lane is always used for Pop Century and that's where we stayed on that trip.

We sat near the front and departed within a few minutes!

The drive went by fast and then we were HOME (again lol)!

We stopped at AoA first and while we waited I had to take some more nail photos:

Soon we arrived at Pop! Pop has always been a special place for us because it's the first resort where we stayed together as real adults, and where we spent our Disneymoon. We like the retro theming and the memories of our past trips, plus the great location and food court.

Up next: Will we ever get a room ready text?

 

[bee]

2-1, cont.

We got off the bus at Pop and still hadn't received a room ready notification. We were getting hungry so we decided to stop in the food court for lunch while we waited for the text. Yes we had lunch plans later, but we had been up since 4:15, and 1:30 seemed very far away!

No sooner had we picked a booth to sit in, than I received this:

So instead of sitting down we just ordered lunch and took it back to the room! I present: two kids meals!

The mac and cheese was delicious and we saved the yogurt and purse grapes for breakfast the next day, so it was a great value. More room pics:

We really liked the new room! With the new table/murphy bed set up the room felt much larger than the old rooms felt. The modern/retro vibe of the room totally fit in with the theme of the resort. The kitchen area with coffee maker was also a nice touch.

We took about half an hour to charge our phones and then walked back to the front of the resort to catch a park bus!

Up next: Epcot! Where else?

 

[bee]

2-1, cont.

The bus arrived sooner than the app said it would. Woohoo!

And soon we were here:

We had plans to meet my brother (Jay) for lunch in Japan, so we walked through the Canada side of World Showcase to get there. He was waiting in Morocco and we exchanged brief, sweaty hugs before continuing on to Japan. We actually hadn't seen each other in almost two years even though we talk and text regularly, so it was really great to finally see each other in person!

We checked in just before our reservation time at Tokyo Dining and were seated almost immediately. Our server asked if we had allergies or dietary restrictions and I told her we are all three vegetarians. A manager came out to tell us which options were already vegetarian, which could be modified, and which didn't contain meat but were made with shared oil (veggie tempura).

But first...drinks!

I had a beer...Kirin or Sapporo? I don't remember. M had a shandy, which was a glass of beer plus an entire half grapefruit for her to juice herself and add to the beer. I tried it and it was really good!

Jay had an Iced Blood Orange cocktail: "Gin, a Hint of Blood Orange and Sparkling Water. A slightly Bittersweet Sparkling Cocktail"

M and I shared the tofu appetizer.

M and Jay each had the veggie udon.

I had the veggie tempura.

Jay also had the veggie sushi roll but apparently I didn't get a picture of it.

Everything was really good! I liked that my veggie tempura included some pieces of tofu, and the flavored salts (the three powders at the bottom of the photo) were a great addition! It took me awhile to figure out the "nest" underneath the tempura, but I think they were just dried noodles meant to absorb excess oil while looking prettier than a paper napkin.

We were all very happy with the food, drinks, and service and would definitely recommend Tokyo Dining!

Up next: More WS and meeting up with more family!

 

[dizfan917]

Trip 2, Day 1: Saturday, August 24

That 4:15 alarm came way too soon! We brought premade coffee with us and the plan was to grab breakfast at the airport. All we had to do was get dressed and grab our stuff and leave.

The Lyft ride to LaGuardia only took 33 minutes since it was so early. We arrived a little after 5:00 and there was a very long line to drop off our bags at the Southwest counter. It took half an hour to get through the line, and then we had to face morning LGA security.

There was a woman yelling at all kinds of employees about how she was going to miss her flight because of the lines. What time was her flight? 6:00am. What time did she arrive at the airport? 5:00am! Whose fault is it if you miss your flight??? (And miss it she did. We saw her later running around the gate area).

Security was absolutely atrocious and we waited a full forty minutes. Finally, with just a few minutes before boarding, we made it to "the other side!"

@Darstarr takes photos of elephants, I take photos of giraffes for my MIL

We decided to get breakfast sandwiches at the Shake Shack near our gate. My right contact started really bothering me so I went to the bathroom to clean it and put it back in which M waited on line to order. In the bathroom I took out my contact and...DROPPED IT. On the floor of the LaGuardia bathroom. Luckily I ALWAYS travel with two extra pairs in case of such mishaps, so I threw out the floor one and put in a brand new one.

Soon after our sandwiches were ready and they were actually quite good!

M and I both got early B group numbers. In case you aren't familiar with the SWA boarding procedures, the planes have open seating and everyone is assigned a boarding number: A 1-60, B 1-60, and C 1-60. Passengers line up in the order of their boarding number and the A group boards first, followed by B and C. Between the A and B groups they allow family boarding, which lets families with children under 6 board together early in the process, regardless of their assigned boarding group with a maximum of two adults per family. This is done so that families can sit together without having to ask other people to move later. Usually the gate agents announce a few times that family boarding is ONLY for families with children under 6 and really enforce the two adults rule, but today it was a total free-for-all. There were multiple families with kids who were definitely middle school age and up, and there were families with one or two kids and up to SIX adults with them. Why have rules if they're not going to enforce them?

Anyway, we FINALLY boarded the plane and we did get seats together.

Somehow we managed to depart early!

Up next: In the air!

I WAS SO MAD AT THE "FAMILY BOARDING GROUP" ON OUR TRIP HOME. Oooooh!

For our flight down I paid the $100.00 for Kevin and I to get the Early Bird Check In on Southwest. Flight was at 6:30a and I never know what I'll be doing 24 hours prior to departure, so I bit the bullet to insure we had seats together. We got A-54 and A-55, I think. I was somewhat disappointed cuz I usually get single digit B boarding group numbers when I DON'T pay an extra $100.00. I even called customer service that morning to see if the Early Bird thing worked (turns out, I WAS awake at 6:30a Friday after all and touched the CHECK IN button on my phone...). I wondered if my "checking in" somehow bumped the Early Bird cuz the numbers I got were so close to the B group. I was told that I was indeed checked in 36 hours prior to my boarding time.

Heading home, I touched CHECK IN at 6:25p on Friday night (exactly 24 hours prior to departure) and got B-5 and B-6 positions (see, I told you!). Once we arrived at the airport, we watched the A group board and watched the Family Boarding Group continue to grow and grow and grow... We lined up in the B-5 and B-6 spaces and dreaded what was to come... No one lined up in front of us.

We then watched 52 people board the flight ahead of us in "Family Boarding". FIFTY TWO! Kevin overheard at least two of those parties commenting on how they forget to check in for the flight, so they were really pleased to be in the Family Boarding Group. AAAARRRRGH!!! I was m-a-d mad. I checked in on time. I did what I was supposed to do and yet I had to wait for basically an entire boarding group to skip us... A woman in that group was fighting with the gate agent because "she told me we could all board together because there are so many of us..." it was chaotic. erg. I understand that families would like to sit together. I get it. If everyone checked in when they can, they'd all get to sit in the order they checked in... I'm all about rules and when the rules don't seem to make any sense, I get frustrated.

Not a whole lot in the world makes me mad, but this did. I mentioned to the gate agent that "these boarding groups really don't mean much, do they?" she said "sometimes we have a lot of families traveling".

sigh... LET IT GO.

 

[bee]

2-1, cont.

While we were at lunch, M's parents and brother were just arriving on property (they drove down that morning) so we were trying to coordinate a meeting. We decided to meet near the front of the park, but it would be awhile before they arrived so M, Jay, and I continued around World Showcase. We stopped to smell the bees. Er, we stopped to smell the flowers. We stopped to watch the bees smell the flowers??

Reminds me of my beloved Swolphin!

When in China...

...one must get a Tipsy Ducks in Love! Actually it seems they changed the recipe and it's sweeter and less bourbon-y, so not sure if we'll get this one again.

We passed by Norway, but didn't ride Frozen because we'd be back later.

@imahistorygeek and @lostpro9het, look who was there!

We went inside the shops briefly for a few minutes of AC, and we actually saw Mr. Ness himself!

"Ooohh, winter beverage!...NON-ALCOHOLIC??? NO THANKS!"

My in-law's ETA was still a bit away, so my brother and M and I rode the Mexico boat.

*chants* FRONT OF THE BOAT! FRONT OF THE BOAT! FRONT OF THE BOAT!

Up next: An interesting Spaceship ride...

 

[LadyBelle]

*chants* FRONT OF THE BOAT! FRONT OF THE BOAT! FRONT OF THE BOAT!

This reminds me so much of a certain vlogger's bus comments.....

 

[imahistorygeek]

I can't believe I've never tried Tipsy Ducks in Love. I'm not even sure what it is, but you said bourbon and well...that's good stuff.

So should I try or skip?

 

[bee]

I can't believe I've never tried Tipsy Ducks in Love. I'm not even sure what it is, but you said bourbon and well...that's good stuff.

So should I try or skip?

Do you like sweet stuff? Coffee and chocolate? All mixed with bourbon? I’m not sure if it was just an off day or if they have changed the recipe, so I don’t want to be responsible for you trying something you won’t like, but I will say try it at least once. I will give it one more shot at least.

 

[imahistorygeek]

Do you like sweet stuff? Coffee and chocolate? All mixed with bourbon? I’m not sure if it was just an off day or if they have changed the recipe, so I don’t want to be responsible for you trying something you won’t like, but I will say try it at least once. I will give it one keep shot at least.

I like all of those things, so I'll give it a try. The name alone is worth it!

 

[bee]

 

[Spash007]

Do you like sweet stuff? Coffee and chocolate? All mixed with bourbon? I’m not sure if it was just an off day or if they have changed the recipe, so I don’t want to be responsible for you trying something you won’t like, but I will say try it at least once. I will give it one keep shot at least.

Those are probably all of my favorite things. I have no idea why I've never tried this!

 

[bee]

Guys. I took a Lyft today and the driver was wearing almost the same Mickey shirt as me.

 

[bee]

2-1, cont.

While we were in Mexico we got the text that the rest of the family had arrived. We met in the front of the park and the two sets of siblings rode Spaceship Earth. I don't remember for sure why M's parents didn't join us, but maybe they needed to eat?

Commence bad SSE photos...

I have two photos of the above animatronic not just because she's my favorite, but because we were stopped here for an extended period of time. In fact we stopped several times during the ride and kept hearing announcements over the speakers to please remain seated and our vehicles would move again momentarily. It was definitely the LONGEST SSE ride I've ever taken!

And now, for the first time ever, I show my actual face, from the ride photo. Drumroll, please!

Oh wait. That's not me. Not even close.

Up next: Our return to Frozen. Will we actually ride the whole thing this time???

 

[bee]

2-1, cont.

After Spaceship Earth we met up with MIL and FIL again and the now six of us (M and me, our respective brothers, M's parents) walked over to Norway to ride Frozen with a FP. On previous trips, M and I have gotten Frozen FPs a total of three times. On one occasion, the ride closed and never reopened that day so we didn't get to ride at all. On another, the ride broke down while we were with M's parents and we had to evacuate; we all used our new multi-experience FP on Soarin' instead of waiting and hoping that Frozen would reopen. And one time of the three, we actually rode it all the way through. So needless to say, we did NOT have high hopes for this time...

Glittery "snow"

WE MADE IT!!!

Up next: MY FAVORITE RIDE!

 

[bee]

2-1, cont.

After our successful (FINALLY) ride on Frozen, all six of us walked back to Future World to ride my FAVORITE ride in all of WDW!

Hey! This had water in it three days ago!!!

LIVING WITH THE LAND!!! I didn't get a picture, but our boat was number 33, which was the same number as our Gran Fiesta boat earlier.

MIL and I love to sing along with the music at the end (the fast flute runs at the end).


(Not my video)

Up next: Food! And wine! But not Food and Wine...