Trip Report Grandma Joins The Resistance ... Dec 9-12, 2019

This trip report will cover our brief visit to Walt Disney World for the Christmas Festivities. For background .. my husband, Lou, and I are DVC members and previously made several trips a year to WDW. But we hadn’t enjoyed a good visit for a few years - both of us had health issues which affected our mobility, and we relocated our full time residence from Florida to Maine - which meant travel to WDW takes more planning!. We are both retired.

While still not 100% on the fitness scale, we wanted to get back into the Disney Bubble, and Christmas time is the perfect time. I planned this trip as a gentle re-introduction for us; just a few days, a few nice dinner ADRs, and the Candlelight Processional. This would be a ride-free trip - or would it? I was nervous about the trip, but started reading trip reports here in the forum, and that helped get me excited about our upcoming adventure.

We arrived at about 3:30 pm on Monday, December 9th. We spent the previous night at the Embassy Suites in Portland, ME, and caught a 7:30 am flight. Our flights were good, and transportation from the airport was with Quicksilver Transportation. Our room was ready when we arrived and I was happy - my only request was a room close to the elevator. We scored 3009! Perfect ... oops, the Boardwalk numbers rooms from the END of the corridor. So we were the fourth room from the end of a very long corridor on the third floor. After a helpful discussion at the front desk, I learned that almost all of the one bedroom units are at the end of the building. How did I forget that? Oh well, we made the trek, had a lovely room, and it worked out fine.

I forgot to take photos of the room, but we had a nice view of the Beach Club and the Yacht Club. Fair warning here ... one of the things I like to do at Disney is take photos, so this will be a photo heavy report.

Our first ADR was at Yachtsman’s Steakhouse, so we soon headed over to the Yacht Club. The silver lining for our room location - we were an Easy walk from the Swan and Dolphin, and Yacht Club if we skipped the elevator and just popped down the stairs to the outside walkway. We saw the start of a nice sunset when we stepped outside:

We stopped to enjoy the views, and I have to say, we were enjoying the beautiful Florida weather.

... continued in the next post

 

[SharonD]

I don’t want to repeat what others have said, but I must: your photos are amazing!

Thank you for stopping in and commenting

All of your photos so far are gorgeous, but I am especially enjoying the bird pics, hope there is more!

Thanks! I think there is at least one more bird.

I love how vibrant the colours are in all of your photos. Such a pleasure to follow along!

Thank You - I try not to over do the processing, but I definitely lean towards brighter photos.

This trip looks amazing!
I am guessing you aren't taking pictures with an old iphone

Thanks! This made me chuckle. Some are taken with my phone, but it is fairly new - the iPhone 11 Pro. Most of the photos are taken with my early Christmas present ... a new Sony A7Riv Mirrorless Camera.

 

[SharonD]

Loving all of the pics. (Well expect for the creepy clown slide one )

Thanks. Haha - I'm not a big fan of that Clown either

 

[SharonD]

It is still Tuesday, December 10th. It was time to go back to Epcot for lunch at The Rose and Crown, and to collect our pass for the 8:15pm Candlelight Processional Performance. I could tell Lou wasn’t excited about heading out so soon ( the gentle snoring might have been my first clue ). My mistake for having made the breakfast ADR. I told him just to hang in the room, I would go over and collect our passes.

Hardly anyone waiting to enter Epcot at noon:

A nice view of the new-to-me area by France:

There was a short line for Mickey -

It is a running joke in our family that Lou and I are never in any of the vacation photos. It isn’t that we need to be incognito, we just never think of having our photo taken. In fact, I searched for a photo of Lou, and the only one I have is from breakfast at the airport on departure day: And I probably took that to capture the Bloody Mary.

Onward to the Rose and Crown. As you can see, Epcot World Showcase crowds were light today:

I enjoyed a Harp Lager in the empty R&C courtyard, then checked in for my 12:45 ADR. No problem at all checking in for one, paying for two (well, you never know...). I hadn’t eaten much breakfast so I was hungry for fish and chips - this has always been good here. My server was excellent, and she was so concerned I was dining alone. She insisted on packing an appetizer and lunch to go for my husband. So nice, and it took the sting out of paying for his ghost lunch

I took advantage of the light crowds and wandered through part of World Showcase. Enjoying some Christmas performances and doing a little shopping.

I walked back to The Boardwalk since there wasn’t a boat coming right away. I think I clicked about 6 miles on this day. Not a lot by Disney standards, but a lot for me, as I have been working through some issues with an arthritic knee. (Lou is still getting used to his Titanium knee ... something I would like to put off for a few years).

10 December - Tuesday Dinner & Candlelight Processional

Lou was awake when I returned to the room, and he appreciated the thoughtfulness of the server. We left the room about 5:30pm to go back to Epcot for our dinner ADR.

It was cloudy and a little dreary out, but no signs of impending rain.

We had a good view of the moon as we arrived at the Epcot Friendship Dock. This was a precursor to what would be the last full moon of the decade, on 12/12.

This was the busiest we saw the IG entrance area, and even this was quick. We did, however, run into quite a few more people once we were into the park:

We pushed on, trying to avoid getting run over by a stroller or scooter, stopping only briefly to admire the Christmas Tree:

Continued in the next post ...

 

[SharonD]

I stopped to take a photo of Mexico, and the moon was peeking out at us still. Mexico holds a special place in our Disney memories; we made our first visit to Epcot the month it opened in October of 1982. While in Orlando, we played golf before going to WDW, and were randomly paired with another couple. Turns out he was one of the architects for the Mexico Pavilion. I also remember how different our touring was in those days. We needed to experience everything, and had no time for meals - I think Lou finally relented and bought me a cold soda pop after hours of touring the park!

We made a stop in Norway to pick up a Frozen souvenir for a friend’s granddaughter, then continued on to China. Our dinner was scheduled for the Nine Dragons restaurant. Now, normally this place is quiet, and it was one of the few still taking evening ADRs during the CP. It was a madhouse tonight! People pushing and shoving to get inside, then arguing with the hostess for a table. We almost gave up, but once we gave our name, we were seated immediately. The restaurant was crowded, and noisy. Uh Oh, would grumpy bear come out tonight? Our luck began to turn, as we again had an excellent server. She quickly calmed the grumbling bear with a cold beer, and chicken dumplings for appetizers. Lou ordered the cold duck salad - he raved about it! I was very happy with my Spicy Honey Crispy Chicken.

Our local Chinese restaurant burned down last year, so this was a welcomed treat for us. Lou made the comment that the restaurant could seat half of our small town’s population.

Whew ... now to find the lovely lineup for the Candlelight Processional. I thought I might stop in Germany for some sweets, but didn’t want to brave the crowds.

We were in line for the show shortly after 7:30pm. They started letting us in shortly before 8pm, which was good as we agreed 30 minutes was about our max standing time. We found a nice seat in the front row of the second group of seats - just outside of the overhang, but we weren’t expecting rain.

Isabella Rossellini was our narrator, and she did a lovely job. As usual, the Voices of Liberty, the Orchestra, the Cast Choir, and the visiting Choirs all did a wonderful job and we thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

A successful night! While we waited to leave the area, we both agreed we would not wait in line a long time for future CP events. We will still buy our dinner package, but we will take a chance and join the line once it starts moving. There were still plenty of seats once they started letting standby people in.

We also remembered our previous experience, when Jodi Benson was our narrator. She sang along, as well as narrated the story. No right or wrong way to do it, just interesting to note the difference. We pick our Candlelight Processional event by our travel dates, and not by who is narrating. Happy to experience many different ones.

It was now Fireworks Time and I couldn’t wait to practice some more with the new camera. But ... I wimped out. I was tired, and after such a nice musical performance, it seemed fitting to stroll back to the Boardwalk and enjoy an early evening. There may have been ice cream involved.

Thanks again for following along, and letting me share our memories - new and old.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Wow, your pictures are excellent! I can't pick any favorite but I do really like the one of the skyway bucket at the International Gateway.

 

[SharonD]

Wow, your pictures are excellent! I can't pick any favorite but I do really like the one of the skyway bucket at the International Gateway.

Thank you! Yes, that was a lucky find, with the moon. Probably worth setting up the tripod, but we were in a hurry

 

[SharonD]

This post is the start of the reason I decided to do a Trip Report ...


11 December, Wednesday Morning

Do you ever feel a bit discouraged? Upset that you can’t do more when at Disney? Knowing you perhaps haven’t been working out as much as you should? Well that was me when I woke up Wednesday morning. The plan was to get up early and go over to the Beach Club area for photos, but the skies didn’t seem to be cooperating.

After grumping a bit, I got my lazy self up and out the door a few minutes before 6am. Had a flash. Why not walk towards Hollywood Studios? While I probably wouldn’t be lucky enough to get in to the new Rise of the Resistance attraction, I could take some early morning photos around the Studios. So I started walking in the dark.

I was surprised when I got near the DHS entrance at 6:15am:

There was virtually no line through security, and bag check was a breeze. I edged towards the right hand turnstiles, and found more people. But I was still no more than 15 people back from the tap stand ... sorta kinda, as people were squishing and cutting into the front somewhat.

Backstory - I am a huge Star Wars fan, but I was actually disappointed when they announced Rise of the Resistance would open as scheduled on December 5th. I figured this would make DHS a madhouse, and ruin my chance to wander around SWGE and ride the Millenium Falcon for the first time.

Fortunately, I had followed the news links here on wdwmagic.com, and knew about the Boarding Groups. They started letting people in around 6:30am, and I had my Boarding Group at 6:40am ...

I really didn’t know how long it would take to get to Boarding Group 24, because I hadn’t been tracking reports closely during the last couple of days. I knew I had all day, so wasn’t concerned. At this point, I was in shock that I was here, in the park, with a virtual Boarding Group that might actually get me on the ride

I took a deep breath and headed towards Galaxy’s Edge for the first time. I didn‘t know what to expect, because I hadn’t researched much, thinking I would miss out this trip.

First, a sneak peek inside a shop. Why was I surprised the shops were open at 6:40am?

My first look at the entrance to SWGE ... (you may want to skip the rest of this post and the next one if you don’t want to see anything about the Star Wars area. I won’t share any ride spoilers, but I will be posting some general environment photos of stuff you might see just wandering through the land.

I kept walking past the entrance to the RotR queue, heading towards the Millenium Falcon. I was probably grinning like a 12 year old, just taking it all in.

I found the theming to be immersive, and everything I had hoped it would be.

This is a good place to stop. Will I board the Millenium Falcon? Will I join the Resistance? Or will I just sit in awe, wondering how this ol’ grandma found her way into such a far, far away place?

 

[Loco_driver]

Love your photos! Great job! Can’t wait to see how it turned out for you!

 

[MickeyCB]

So excited to be following along! Your photos are stunning, and I have several favorites!
And, as I have been following the Resistance thread since opening I can't wait to hear how it went for you!

 

[SharonD]

Love your photos! Great job! Can’t wait to see how it turned out for you!

Thanks ... more coming up now.

So excited to be following along! Your photos are stunning, and I have several favorites!
And, as I have been following the Resistance thread since opening I can't wait to hear how it went for you!

Thank you! You report was another that helped get me excited about our trip.

 

[SharonD]

Oops ... didn’t mean to leave so long after the last post, but I fell asleep after a quick lunch! Still recovering from the trip.

I kept walking towards Smugglers Run, and then I saw it ... Wow . My inner nerd was excited.

A quick panorama with the phone shows there were relatively few people around at 7am.

The ride was a walk on, and I didn’t have much time to absorb the details. I also chose the single rider line, which meant I still have more to see the next time I go in the ride.

Here are a few pics from the queue - I don’t think these are spoilers, since I have seen many people posting similar pics. I liked the theming, and they do a good job with creating the Smugglers Run atmosphere. You do miss some of the story info going through the Single Rider Line.

I played Photopass Photographer here and took photos for some of the people waiting for the ride to start. We really didn’t have a lot of time to play around in the waiting area.

Close your eyes ... I did get one on-ride photo and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone ...




I was in and out of the ride within 13 minutes:

I enjoyed the experience, and definitely see where it has appeal for repeat rides - to get each role, and to improve your scores. I was still all smiles, and a lonely Photopass Photographer asked if she could take my photo. What the heck? I was already at my quota of one pic per trip, but this was a good opportunity to memorialize my special day.

Wandering a bit ...

It is hard to express how much fun I was having - just being in the area was an experience, and I was definitely feeling the Disney Magic.

Next up ... some nourishment before Grandma gets up the courage to take on the Resistance.

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

The combination of your storytelling style and incredible pictures makes this TR so much fun!!

 

[SharonD]

The combination of your storytelling style and incredible pictures makes this TR so much fun!!

Thank you very much!

 

[SharonD]

We left off with me being somewhat amazed, dazed and confused as I came off the Millenium Falcon. I definitely have to go on it a few more times to see everything I missed.

I thought it would be a good idea to try one of the foods I’d read about. I went for the Ronto Wrap - the regular one, not the breakfast one with eggs. I like all of the individual ingredients, and was curious how they went together. Since it was only 7:15am, I skipped the fancy drinks and went right for a good ol’ Diet Coke. I was thirsty, as it was pretty humid out this morning.

How was it? Let’s just say it has potential . The Pita was on the crispy / stale side - maybe these were fresh last night? But the filling was good, and I would definitely give it another go. As I sat down to eat, my phone buzzed with my notification that Boarding Group 24 was ready to go! Let’s just say I didn’t give my full attention to my breakfast snack because I was too excited. I am laughing now as I write this ... you would think I’d just won an all expenses paid trip to the Outer Galaxy. I was in the midst of a text exchange with my husband, and I had to interrupt with “sorry dear, gotta go join the Resistance.” He thought it was funny and we agreed to meet up on my return - if I survived!

A few more photos from Ronto Roasters and the adjoining Black Spire Market.

There was no need to rush, but I couldn’t wait, so I made my way back to the queue to join the Resistance. There was no one in the first part of the queue at all - I stopped just after entering the cave area to capture a photo and the time - 7:24am...

I thoroughly enjoyed the immersive experience as we made our way through the line, and there are lots of photo opportunities. I won’t share any here, because I’d rather not spoil it if someone is scrolling down the report. There were definitely some “Oh Wow” moments for me, and I can see wanting to ride this attraction many more times in the future. A definite from me.

It was exactly 8:24am when we arrived back on Batuu - so essentially one hour for the wait and the ride. Definitely worth it, especially since the ride itself is 18+ minutes. And, I’d only waited an hour for Boarding Group 24 to be called - while I was free to visit other attractions. Obviously, I loved the way the process played out, but can understand why some might not like it.

Welcome back to Batuu ...

Lots more to see in SWGE - I missed Oga’s Cantina, the Droid Depot and Savi’s Workshop. Lots to do next visit! I wanted to go back to the Boardwalk to meet up with Lou. Still smiling, I worked my way back to the entrance, stopping for another dose of caffeine:

I snapped a few more photos on my way to the Friendship Dock. It would have been faster to walk back to the Boardwalk, but my knees were feeling the 3 miles already clocked this morning.

Up next ... someone wants to see a castle ...

 

[SharonD]

After coffee and a snack at the Boardwalk Bakery, Lou suggested going over to the Magic Kingdom. We took the bus over and enjoyed a walk through Main Street and Tomorrow Land. We were shopping for some Stitch merchandise, but Stitch seems to be waning in popularity these days. And, of course, a lot of the space is taken up with Christmas stuff. We did find a few items, before heading back to the Boardwalk.

Magic Kingdom was crowded since this was not a party night.

We didn’t wait long for our bus, and were soon back in the room. We relaxed, maybe napped, and got cleaned up for dinner. First, we stopped by the Belle Vue Lounge for a pre-dinner cocktail. I can’t believe I didn’t take any photos ... since I seldom miss an opportunity to take a photo of drinks.

We were originally scheduled to try the new Japanese Restaurant in Epcot - Takumi Tei. Given the rain forecast, I had switched our ADR to Trattoria al forno - this would keep us in the Boardwalk area and be an easy end to our trip.

This was our first time here, and we were not disappointed. The food was good, and the service was excellent. Flying Fish used to be our go to, but the last few tries didn’t go well - long waits to get seated, and the food didn‘t live up to the hype and price.

We were seated in the middle of the dining room, with a view towards the Trattoria large open kitchen.

I know next to nothing about Italian wines, but Lou was quite impressed with the wine list.

The bread service was quite nice, and it came with a tasty olive tapenade. Lou ordered the calimari to start, and a strip steak for his main. He complimented the steak, but said he would have liked some heartier sides. I went with a delicious pizza - the Pizza de Oliveri. It came with lots of parma prosciutto, basil pesto, goat cheese, caramelized onions, and tomatoes. This was excellent, and I saved my leftovers for breakfast. Todd was our server and he was top notch.

An interesting aside ... during our dinner conversation, I commented that, while I loved dining at Yachtsman’s Steakhouse on arrival night, my filet was not as tasty as usual. Lou echoed my thoughts - neither one of us had said anything as we didn’t want to spoil what was otherwise a great evening. It turns out our dinners at Nine Dragons and Trattoria tied for our favorite meals.

I inquired about breakfast service at Trattoria, because I thought they only did a character breakfast. Turns out they also do an a la carte breakfast with no characters and no ADRs needed. This will be good for future trips.

No room for a big dessert, but we did make another stop at the Belle Vue Lounge. This retro drink has become a traditional way to end vacation stays ... Grasshoppers!

This pretty much concludes our trip report. Quicksilver Transportation picked us up on time the next morning and we had two easy flights back to Maine. Our dogs were waiting for us, and it was good to be home.


Final Thoughts

I was nervous before this trip ... we had been away from our regular Disney Rotation for a few years, and I knew we wouldn’t be able to walk as much as we would like. I purposely try to pick our travel times when crowds will be lower, but we all know some days can be crazy. Reading trip reports here helped get my anticipation up, and I appreciate the great information shared on this site.

I never did get back to Epcot to take photos of Epcot Forever. And we didn’t do a single ride in Epcot. BUT, we loved the Candlelight Processional, we had some very good meals, and it was nice being in the Florida sunshine for a few days.

Of course, my magical morning at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge was the definitive highlight for me. I will always remember my excitement when I got my Boarding Group, and then entered Batuu for the first time. I can’t wait to go back and spend more time wandering through the land.

Thank you for following along, and for allowing me to memorialize our adventures. Our next trip is scheduled for April, and will be a split stay between Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Grand Floridian. In the meantime, I hope to keep checking in to follow The Disney Travels of all who take the time to post their reports and reviews. Thanks again!

 

[fractal]

Some of the best photos I've seen of Galaxy Edge!

Is that a Sony camera I see hanging on your neck? Are you shooting RAW and processing these or JPEG?

 

[Nunu]

Enjoyed all your pictures and commentary.
Looks like Lou and you, had a great time! Thank you for sharing your trip with us.

 

[SharonD]

Some of the best photos I've seen of Galaxy Edge!

Is that a Sony camera I see hanging on your neck? Are you shooting RAW and processing these or JPEG?

Thanks! I think Galaxy’s Edge is a Disney Photographers Dream. Yes, it is a new Sony A7riv. I mostly used it with the Sony FE 35mm 1.8 lens. A lot to learn with these new cameras!

I shot raw, then processed in Lightroom. It generally didn’t take much processing. I am really loving the camera - performance wise and reduced weight compared to my Canon DSLR

Enjoyed all your pictures and commentary.
Looks like Lou and you, had a great time! Thank you for sharing your trip with us.

Thank you, Nunu. We are not as active as you and Frank, but we do what we can

 

[riverside]

Your photos are absolutely stunning!! I enjoyed them & your TR! Thank you for sharing!!

 

[Tuvalu]

I enjoyed this very much. Thank you, Sharon!