Trip Report Honey, lets take the kids out of school - First December visit 2021

tehSAC · Dec 17, 2021

Day 4, this one is a doozy. I’m not kidding, by the end of this day into the next morning is the most jam packed day of the trip. Not in the amount of things done, but emotionally jam packed. So buckle in, grab the popcorn and enjoy the next few posts.

I woke up to the sounds of my wife sick in the bathroom. Sorry to be so TMI, but it was part of this trip. The day priors activities had caught up to her, and she was out for the count this morning. I took a quick shower (Shower Tally 8) and hopped onto the MDE app and went ahead and booked LL for Mickey and Minnie. Ugh, I really hate this. They have me by the meat and vegetables, as a family who only visits so often. In the famous words of Red Forman “Bob go to hell!” After I had got dressed, I placed a mobile order for breakfast. The girls and I ended up eating breakfast on the balcony. Actually the girls finished their mickey waffles and bacon before I really dug into mine. So there I sit alone on the balcony enjoying Blueberry Pancakes with Lemon Mascarpone Cream. Mmmmm! The photo earlier from the balcony does not show the view to the left. As you stand on the balcony of 8954, if you look left you have the wall of the resort and a bank of windows. Those windows are where the elevators are. If you have been to Topolino’s you most likely have used these elevators. The lobby of Topolino’s is just up and to the left. So I’m sitting there enjoying my food and I glance up, and there are 5-6 people watching me from above, and a floor below is a couple watching me as well. I wave to everyone, and just go back to eating. I’m uncomfortable…… LOL

Breakfast was tasty, I enjoyed the view for a few minutes, and then went in and waited for the girls to get ready. Even with the excitement of last nights Skyliner ride, we decided to go ahead and give it another shot. We jumped right into a gondola, and had a smooth ride to HS. We made it into the park around 9:45, and decided to head straight towards Toy Story Land. This would be a first for all of us. I remember going to the theater to see Toy Story when I was 14, so I practically grew up with the movies. Stepping into the land I was impressed with all of the details, but the size of the area really disappointed me. It was so small and this morning it was PACKED! We decided to go ahead and give Aliens a try. It had the shortest wait at 40 minutes. “Damn it Paul, why didn’t you spring for Genie+?!?” The wait was close to 30 minutes, and we were on.

We all thought it was fun, but not fun enough to consider another ride later that night. Looking at the wait times, the next lowest nearby was Mania, so that’s where we headed. The wait was 55 minutes, and that’s what we ended up waiting. “Tonight I really hope lines are shorter” I said to myself. Ella ended up riding with me, and Lorelai was in the same car behind us. I had only done this once, so I wasn’t confident in my skills. Lorelai was adamant she was going to beat me. Sorry kid, you’re not gonna be this old man. Lorelai scored 64,700, not bad for someone who last did this when she was 4. Dad, well he scored 175,500. Yep, like I said, not gonna beat this old man.

It’s now close to noon, and the girls want to head to Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities to do a little shopping for their lightsabers. Lorelai wanted a yellow and white crystal, and Ella wanted red and green. However I first wanted to stop by the milk stand. As a huge fan of Star Wars, I really wanted to give this a try, so did Ella. The line was short, and soon we had our blue milk. Well lets just say, I tried it. I was NOT a fan and neither was Ella. Soon into the trash it went. Oh well, you never know if you don’t try. We stopped for a Sprite, and then into Dok-Ondar’s. The girls purchased their crystals, and then they mentioned they wanted to try the popcorn they saw Sunday night. We bought both kinds, Ella preferred the green, and Lorelai and I liked the other. We hoped to see some characters walking around, but this entire trip we did not see one. We were all disappointed. Bums me out right now writing that.

Mom sent me a text and said she was up, and watching TV. Ella wanted to go back to the resort, so that’s what we went ahead and did. Oh and you best bet, I took a quick shower to rinse off. (Shower tally 9)

Okay its around 1:30 by then. This day is just getting started……

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tehSAC · Dec 18, 2021

Left off with me taking my 9th shower of the trip, and we are relaxing in the resort having a late lunch. During lunch the girls wanted to swap their kyber crystals and check out the different sounds and colors. I got pretty good at taking them apart and switching said crystals around. About this time, we started to discuss purchasing Lorelai some new shoes. For some reason she brought the most uncomfortable shoes in history with her on this trip. Take a look back and you might see them. The soles are about two sheets of paper thick, and they just don’t breathe well. How do I know that? Well you will see here in a while. Spending the money to get her more comfortable shoes wasn’t a concern, the concern was her wearing new shoes without them being broke in. At this time we were just discussing, so nothing was set.

We packed up and got ready for an evening at HS. I had reservations for Mickey and Minnies for 4:50, so we wanted to be in the park by 4 PM. The girls wanted to do a little shopping, and my wife wanted a slushie somewhere. We hopped on the skyliner, and was inside the park at 4:05 PM. Ella purchased a misting fan, so we stopped at Oscars for some free water to fill it up. Mom found a cherry slushie there as well, so she got her fix. Though it wasn’t the best she said. The girls did some shopping down Sunset Blvd, and Lorelai was considering riding Tower of Terror. This is an attraction I have done once before, but never again. I do not care for drops, but I suck it up for my kids. However this is not one attraction I will ever do again. Lorelai decided to wait until later, so we headed towards the Chinese Theater.

I new nothing of this attraction, so I was excited to experience this new attraction. I was really hoping for no screens for 2 reasons. One for my wife, and the other because I think it’s a quick and simple way to add an effect. Something I just don’t prefer. So if you have experienced this attraction, you know my hopes would be squashed. The start of this attraction, and the areas without screens is what Disney is to me. So many details, it was awesome. The screens and the dancing section gave mom a headache. Ugh, I just want her to have a great time. ☹

As we exited the attraction and grabbed our stroller, Mom saw the signage for Little Mermaid in the distance and asked Lorelai for a photo. Ursula is Lorelai’s most disliked character, so Mom thought it would be funny to have the photo.

Next up was Slinky Dog. Ella was dying to ride it, and she wanted to ride it with mom. Besides this, the only other attraction we “had” to do was Smugglers Run. Unfortunately Slinky was an 80 minute wait, but the line looked like it was moving quick. We were under the main building area in 35 minutes. We killed some time with the Play app, and I made Ella one of Bo Peep’s sheep. LOL Then there was an influx of LL reservations that started to hold us up. It seemed like standby was put on hold and forgotten. Lorelai was complaining about her feet too, so I said “let me see if I can fit into your shoes. If so I will wear them and you can wear mine.” Thinking since I wear a size 12, her shoes wouldn’t fit me. Well to my surprise, they fit. It was a little snug, but she does have large feet. So for the rest of the evening I wore those wonderful shoes…. Can you sense the sarcasm? It took us another 50 minutes before we would make it onto ol Slinky. It was an enjoyable ride, but I would not wait in that line again for such a short coaster. It was almost 7 PM by the time we were back to the stroller and heading towards Batuu. We had 45 minutes to make it towards our reservation at Oga’s. When we made it to the Falcon, the wait was 30 minutes. I asked the CM at Oga’s about being a few minutes late, if we could still get in. She said no guarantee since its such a difficult place to get into. I wasn’t willing to take the risk, but I was also bummed that I might not be able to ride it. Then I noticed there was a single rider line open. I walked over and asked the CM how long of a wait would it be, because I wanted to experience the attraction but also enjoy Oga’s. She said I should be able to walk right on, so Lorelai and I discussed the possibility of not riding together, and she was cool with that. So on we went, and mom and Ella went shopping a bit more.

Lorelai and I walked right onto the attraction, and we were able to ride together. We were both engineers but I didn’t care. It was a rough ride, because two kids were the pilots. To say I was jealous was an understatement, but we still had a good time. We walked off the attraction and went to find Mom. Well they got lost, and Ella had to help her find their way back. They were at the popcorn shop, so we met up with them there. The girls wanted to go back to Savi’s and check out the spare parts bin. They were considering purchasing some extra parts, but eventually decided against that. After our visit to Savi’s, we headed towards Oga’s, and I checked in through the app.

We walked into Oga’s right around 7:45, and we stood right near DJ Rex. I was in awe. Here I am, in a Star Wars Cantina, next to Rex and with my favorite girls. This was a highlight of the trip for me. We ended up ordering 3 drinks. Hyperdrive (Punch It!), Carbon Freeze, and Blurrgfire to share amongst us. I really enjoyed the Hyperdrive, and everyone else liked the Carbon Freeze. The Blurrgfire was okay, and I finished it, but not a favorite of anyones. Ella was exhausted, and ready to leave after 30 minutes. I finished off our drinks and we headed out. This was one experience we did during this trip, I would do again. I enjoyed it that much!

After this, we decided it was time to head out. The decision had been made to head back to the resort, grab the car and head out for shoes. Mom found a shoe store that did not close until 10PM so that was the plan to head there. So now you are thinking, where is this excitement you spoke about?!? Well you will have to wait for the next addition to this trip report. A wrench is thrown into this day in about 2 hours time…..

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tehSAC · Dec 20, 2021

Note this portion of the report will only have one photo. I also must note, that my times were off from the last post. We had a 7:15 Oga’s reservation, not 7:45.

This trip report left off with us traveling back to the resort via the Skyliner. This would be our last trip on the Skyliner, and honestly I was good with that. After what happened the night before, I would be happy never to use it again. LOL The plan was for Ella and I to head to the car, and pick Mom and Lorelai up outside of the Lobby. It was around 8:00 by the time we got to the Riviera. I remember this as we could hear the faint explosions of fireworks in the direction of MK. Mom said the shoe store was a 10 minute drive away, so I was hoping to be back to the resort by 9:30 at the latest. I did not ask specifics, but I was hoping it wasn’t Disney Springs. My feet were killing me and I just wanted to get the shoes, and get back to the resort. As we made it to the resort exit, the navigation said to turn right. “Crap, is this shoe store in Disney Springs?” I ask my wife. She shrugs and says “Google maps says this is the closest shoe store.” Sure enough, I’m parking in the lime parking garage a few minutes later. Exactly where I DIDN’T want to shop for shoes.

I put on a smile, and we head down to level 2, go through security and head towards our destination. We pass what looks to be the “main” Christmas tree and a show begins. Some music starts playing and then we get to see the only “snope” of the entire trip. The family loves it and we take a couple photos of the girls in front of the tree. Its pushing 8:40 by then, and my feet are screaming in pain. Oh yea, forgot to mention, Lorelai took off my shoes and threw on some slides for this portion of the trip. Why didn’t she bring me back my shoes? That was the biggest question running though my head. Oh yea, its because she is 14……

Okay, shoes, that’s what we are here for right? We make it to the store, and she does a little shopping as I find a bench to give my feet a rest. While Lorelai is shopping, my wife is texting with her brother about a gift for his oldest. Little did I know, we would be heading towards Marketplace Co-Op before we leave. She ended up picking out a new pair of shoes, threw them on, and we were headed back towards the other end of Disney Springs. It was packed tonight, so we had to weave through the sea of people to make it to Co-Op. The girls shopped for awhile, but nothing was purchased. What we were looking for was no longer in stock. On the way back towards the parking garage we stopped inside the World of Disney to do a bit more shopping. A bit more torture to my feet is what I called it. A few t-shirts, and pins were purchased, and finally we were headed to the car. It was 9:30 by the time we got to the car. What happens next is a domino effect for the rest of the night.

When my wife opens her door, she finds a deceased cockroach on the floor board. She was a bit grossed out, I took care of it, and off we went. It was in her head, “where did that come from? Were there more? Are they on me?” Those were phrases going through her head, I know this, because she said it over and over for the next 30 minutes. 30 minutes you say? Isn’t Riviera just down the street from Springs? Yes you are correct, but the kids were hungry, and most specifically, they were hungry for Arby’s chicken. So we were looking for Arby’s and when we found Arby’s, it was closed.

So we found a Chick-fil-a nearby, but Ella doesn’t like their chicken. :Fist bump: That’s my girl! So we get Lorelai some food, and while we were waiting, my wife finds a KFC. This KFC is right next to Fun Spot, just to give you an idea how far away we were from Disney property. We pick up the much needed food at KFC, and head back to the resort. The whole time I’m thinking, “I’m going to eat, take a LOOOONG shower, and get to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day at the MK, and I want us to all get a proper amount of rest.” We listen to chrismas music the drive back, and we are all in great spirits. A decent day in the park, new shoes, and food for our bellies. Oh would I love for that to all have happened…

Grab that popcorn.

We pull into our Resort and park in spot 219 at 10:20 PM. I remember this specifically, because of what happens in the next few moments. You know that little silicone insert for cup holders on some cars? Well this rental had that, and we had drinks in that cup holder between the front seats. My wife pulls out one drink and hands it to Lorelai, and then pulls out the second cup, and this silicone insert pulls out with the cup. At that moment we realize that the deceased cockroach wasn’t random. As roaches fall off the bottom of this insert into my wife’s lap, and the entire cavity in the console underneath said insert is full of roaches. Large ones, small ones, babies. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE! She throws the cup and insert down on the pavement, the girls get out of the car in a hurry, and I get out of the car with a few on my legs. I stomped out their lives of on number 219. The first thing that crossed my mind was when Oogie Boogie’s stitches came undone and you see that he is all bugs underneath the canvas.

My wife says “I am not getting back in that car, you need to do something!” She is visibly upset, the girls are too as well. Rightly so! We check everyone in the lot, and they head up to the room, I stay with the car and get on the phone immediately. The phone rings, and rings, and then someone picks up. I explain what is going on and they transfer me to the front desk at the airport. Except the call immediately goes dead…. Okay the anger is rising. Next call was to roadside assistance, and he says there isn’t anything he can do, to call the front desk again.

Oh boy, turning blood red mad by this point, and that’s a lot for me. It was 30 minutes before I was actually speaking to someone who might be able to help. Nope, they wont bring me a replacement, there is nothing they can do until 10 AM the next morning. BS I say, I’m not going to let this effect my final day in the parks, especially MK! I ask how long they are open till, and he says Midnight. So what do I do? Yep, off to MCO I go!

I wasn’t even to Sea World before I felt them crawling on my legs again. Turn up the tunes, roll down the windows, and try not to focus on that. For those asking, the new Between You & Me album (Goldfish is a great tune) was what I was listening too. LOL I’m on a mission, and nothing is going to stop me! Oh crap do I have enough for tolls? $2.75?!?! yep I’m covered, a cockroach handed me a quarter to make correct change. So I make it to MCO around 11:15, grab my wallet and sunglasses and leave the roach mobile behind me. I’m still wearing Lorelai’s shoes, and almost bust my on the escalator down to the main level. Finally make it to the desk, and not a soul there. Put me out of my misery please…. Down the way is Avis, which are partners with our rental company. He is on the phone, but I slide on down. It’s quite, very few people in this area at this time of night, and I can hear he is talking to his girlfriend or wife. The are talking about personal things, very personal things.

I’m starring daggers into this man…. He says something in Spanish, hangs up the phone, and with a huge fake smile asks “how can I help you?” I ask if he know if anyone from our rental company is around. He tells me that they left an hour ago. Explains why I couldn’t get anyone to answer. He asks if he can help me again and I tell him the predicament I am currently in, and he says I quote, “oh hell no! Let me get ahold of Wilbur for you my man!” He picks up the phone, says a few things in Spanish, and then tells me to head back out to the area where I dropped the car off. So back to the garage I go, I’m so happy I didn’t rent off of airport property. Wilbur is waiting for me in the Preferred kiosk, and I once again explain what is going on. He was sympathetic, and asked for my paperwork. Oh sugar honey iced tea, my paperwork…… My inner Jiminy Cricket takes over.

I take a deep breath and with a smile I say “I have no idea where that is Wilbur, can I give you my details to find it in your system?” He shakes his head no, but says to grab the keys out of the car and he might be able to pull it up that way. I run to the car, my lard butt RUNS to the car and grabs the keys. My feet hurt, and I just want this nightmare to be over with. He pulls up the details, we go back to the car to look for roaches, he witnesses said roaches, and back to the kiosk we go. Wilbur and I become good friends, it was a real bonding moment. He calls the night manager to come speak to me. She is very sympathetic, even after what Wilbur says he witnessed, and she gives me a hefty discount. Also says she will give us a new rental, but I was informed by my wife that was not something she wanted. However we called her and both of us spoke with her. I was given the choice of three vehicles and was told I could inspect them until I was satisfied with their cleanliness. A car was chosen, new paperwork filed, and I was leaving the garage at 11:55 PM.

Pull up the Bluetooth, pair my phone, and crank those tunes again. I was back to the Riviera by 12:20, but had to chill in the car for a few minutes as the sprinklers were running at this time. I specifically chose not to park in 219 as well. LOL Remember how I mentioned earlier the layout of our room and how close we were to the elevator shafts? Well when I returned my wife asked me to take off all of my clothes, except my pants of course, on the balcony. It’s 12:35, and as I’m pulling off my shirt I notice a man and his child watching me through said window. I just had to laugh and wave. If they only knew what I had just went through. HOT SHOWER #10 was next, then cold chicken, and then bed. I was wiped out, and in 6 short hours I needed to be up to make our first Genie+ reservation…..

Would we make it to MK by rope drop? Would we sleep in and make the best of the next day? Well that will all have to wait until the next post.

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meggo819 · Dec 20, 2021

What a nightmare! I’ve never heard of a car getting infested with roaches

tehSAC · Dec 20, 2021

meggo819 said:
What a nightmare! I’ve never heard of a car getting infested with roaches

I know, neither had I.

ladydi · Dec 20, 2021

Unfortunately I had. It happened to us on the Big Island in Hawaii! Something I’ll never forget…

tehSAC · Dec 20, 2021

ladydi said:
Unfortunately I had. It happened to us on the Big Island in Hawaii! Something I’ll never forget…

Ugh! I'm sorry to hear that.

LeighM · Dec 20, 2021

Your trip, so far, is making the things that went wrong with my trip look good

Mine did not include sore feet or roaches LOL.

tehSAC · Dec 21, 2021

Day 5, our final park day! Today the plan is to head to MK and try to experience all that our favorite park has to offer. However with the late night, rope drop would not be happening today. Before I fell asleep last night, I purchased Genie+ for our day at the Magic Kingdom. Something I should have done for at least HS as well, but that day is behind us. I set my alarm for 7 AM, to not only grab a LL for Jungle Cruise, but since we were not going to RD, I set that for 1:00 PM. I also purchased ILL for Seven Dwarfs at 2:15. After that I set the alarm for 10, and went back to sleep. Everyone was up by 9:45, so I hopped into the shower (shower tally at 11), and then got ready for the day. We finally left the resort around 11:30 AM that morning. Arriving at MK there was not many at the gates to park, so I was hopeful today wouldn’t be too bad crowd wise. I knew we would have 11 hours until park close at this time because it was EMH for Deluxe Resort guests. I was hopeful we would be able to do the attractions we all really wanted to do. On the skyliner back to the resort the night prior, before the wonderful roach encounter, we all discussed one attraction we had to do and a backup attraction if those were completed.

Ella: 1) Mad Tea Party 2) Peter Pan

Lorelai: 1) Splash Mountain 2) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Mom: 1) Small World 2) Jingle Cruise

Myself: 1)Pirates 2) Haunted Mansion

We ended up parking in Simba 123. Basically the back of the lot, and with no trams, this was going to be a long walk. Not counting the steps this morning, I was at 63,241 steps since I got up at 5 AM on the 4th. So obviously I added to the tally, but come on Disney. As I write this the Trams are back up and running, but this was unnecessary, but that is Disney these days. We parked at 11:52 am, after the walk, security and a bathroom break, we were finally on the ferry to the MK at 12:22. 30 minutes exactly.

How Ella felt about parking in Simba 123. I feel ya kid!

That was annoying, but I did hear something funny while waiting for the girls in the bathroom. Two women, I’d say in their early 20’s are standing behind me. One asks, “Can I recycle this?” talking about her disposable Starbucks cup. The other woman says “Yes, but you need to empty out the ice beforehand. They cannot recycle it with the ice still in there.” Palm, meet face…. LOL

Okay, okay, where were we? Oh yea, stepping on the ferry, and off to the Magic Kingdom we go. The ferry was not that full, then again it was 12:30 in the afternoon, so I did not use this as an indication of the crowds. I was just happy to be walking up to the Magic Kingdom. It was a beautiful, sunny day, best weather of the trip so far. This park is my favorite park, not because of the attractions, castle, or theming. My love for this park is all because of memories. Memories of trips of my youth with mom, grandma, and sisters. All the fun we would have in this park, it felt like it was built for us. I was also excited to see the MK with all of its Christmas decorations.

We stepped in, and Ella was saying “I want to see the castle dad, hurry up!” You know what kid, so do I, so lets go. First was a stop at the Christmas tree. It was beautiful, but it also felt like something was missing. Honestly, MK just felt like it was missing something decorations wise. HS blew me away with their decorations, and it was the best by far in my opinion. I’m not sure if it was the missing toy soldiers or lights on the castle, or the mixing in of the 50th gold in the decorations that threw me off. Seeing photos of past decorations had me wanting more. IF that is my biggest gripe, it’s pretty minimal really. We took our time walking down main street, before taking a left towards adventure land. Walking by the Sunshine Tree Terrace, Lorelai saw a painting of one of her favorites, the Orange Bird. So we stopped to take a photo.

By the time we parked the stroller, and made it down to the Jingle Cruise, it was 1:15 PM. So we checked in and waited 10 minutes before we were on our boat. The boat ahead of us was the wheelchair accessible boat, so that took a little bit of time to accommodate their passengers. Otherwise it would have been a walk on for LL. The wait for standby at this time was 80 minutes, but we overheard someone say they had been in line 2 hours. YIKES! As we were waiting, I made our next LL selection for HM at 2:45. I realize we were doing some crisscrossing of the park, and so did my wife. Unfortunately return times for attractions in the areas we were in were for much later in the day. I was trying to maximize the $60 bucks I spent. My belief was if I could get 4 LL reservations between 1PM and 8PM it would have been worth it for us. You will have to see if I accomplish this. What kind of a report would this be if I spilled the beans now?!?

Now I have to admit, Jungle Cruise is not a must for me. Its not an awful attraction, but it really shines when you have a great skipper. The past 3 times I have rode this attraction I had skippers that were off their game. However our skipper today was great! At one point she mentioned the name Paul, which is mine, and Lorelai pointed to me. She asked me if my name was Paul, I shook my head yes, and then I was picked on for the rest of the ride. Haha, thanks Lorelai! When we were disembarking, she even called out to me, saying “thanks for not laughing at my jokes PAUL! Yes I noticed, lets hope the next Paul is better than YOU!” LOL Okay that made up for the past 3 cruises.

Now I am a huge fan of the Dole Whip. Honestly there is no better snack in all of WDW in my opinion. So while we were waiting for the boat ahead of us to remove their wheelchair passenger, I placed a mobile order for a dole whip. The plan was to head across the park to the Mad Tea Party next, as Ella was dying to do this. I thought, I will walk and have my Dole Whip on the way over, and then get on a spinning ride. A FANTASTIC idea! :Skipper in my head: GREAT IDEA PAUL, I HOPE YOU GET SICK FOR NOT LAUGHING AT MY JOKES! Unfortunately for my tastebuds and hungry stomach, this would not happen at this time. The mobile order wait line was quite a bit longer than I wanted to wait. Seems like everyone wanted that Pineapple Heaven at the same time. So I canceled my order and we made our way over towards the Mad Tea Party. This was a walk on without LL. Good deal! We all piled into one cup. To accomplish this, our legs had to be twisted together like a pull and peel twizzler. Painful, and spinning in circles. Wow, what a wonderful ride…. LOL Ella loved it.

Another favorite of Lorelai’s

We survived, but our stomachs were starting to growl. Mobile order to the rescue!!! Honestly we loved the Mobile Order while in the parks. We’d find a spot out of the way of everyone else, pull up the menu, and order. By the time we made it to our restaurant, our food would be ready, or at least a very small wait for our food. So the closest restaurant was Cosmic Rays, and that’s where we chose to dine. Cheeseburgers, Chicken, and Chili Cheese Fries were on the order for us today. Mom also ordered a frozen Strawberry Lemonade. She said this was the best drink of the trip, and miles above the Cherry Slush she had at HS the night before. We enjoyed lunch in the AC, and then packed up to head towards Seven Dwarfs. It was close to 3 PM by this time. We had to get to fantasyland by 3:15, and then over to HM before 3:45. Looking back on this, a lot of rushing was happening in the next hour and a half, and this is something I will touch on more after I finish this report.

However for now, this is where I will leave my report. There is plenty more to come!

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Zipadeelady · Dec 21, 2021

tehSAC said:
Note this portion of the report will only have one photo. I also must note, that my times were off from the last post. We had a 7:15 Oga’s reservation, not 7:45.

This trip report left off with us traveling back to the resort via the Skyliner. This would be our last trip on the Skyliner, and honestly I was good with that. After what happened the night before, I would be happy never to use it again. LOL The plan was for Ella and I to head to the car, and pick Mom and Lorelai up outside of the Lobby. It was around 8:00 by the time we got to the Riviera. I remember this as we could hear the faint explosions of fireworks in the direction of MK. Mom said the shoe store was a 10 minute drive away, so I was hoping to be back to the resort by 9:30 at the latest. I did not ask specifics, but I was hoping it wasn’t Disney Springs. My feet were killing me and I just wanted to get the shoes, and get back to the resort. As we made it to the resort exit, the navigation said to turn right. “Crap, is this shoe store in Disney Springs?” I ask my wife. She shrugs and says “Google maps says this is the closest shoe store.” Sure enough, I’m parking in the lime parking garage a few minutes later. Exactly where I DIDN’T want to shop for shoes.

I put on a smile, and we head down to level 2, go through security and head towards our destination. We pass what looks to be the “main” Christmas tree and a show begins. Some music starts playing and then we get to see the only “snope” of the entire trip. The family loves it and we take a couple photos of the girls in front of the tree. Its pushing 8:40 by then, and my feet are screaming in pain. Oh yea, forgot to mention, Lorelai took off my shoes and threw on some slides for this portion of the trip. Why didn’t she bring me back my shoes? That was the biggest question running though my head. Oh yea, its because she is 14……

Okay, shoes, that’s what we are here for right? We make it to the store, and she does a little shopping as I find a bench to give my feet a rest. While Lorelai is shopping, my wife is texting with her brother about a gift for his oldest. Little did I know, we would be heading towards Marketplace Co-Op before we leave. She ended up picking out a new pair of shoes, threw them on, and we were headed back towards the other end of Disney Springs. It was packed tonight, so we had to weave through the sea of people to make it to Co-Op. The girls shopped for awhile, but nothing was purchased. What we were looking for was no longer in stock. On the way back towards the parking garage we stopped inside the World of Disney to do a bit more shopping. A bit more torture to my feet is what I called it. A few t-shirts, and pins were purchased, and finally we were headed to the car. It was 9:30 by the time we got to the car. What happens next is a domino effect for the rest of the night.

When my wife opens her door, she finds a deceased cockroach on the floor board. She was a bit grossed out, I took care of it, and off we went. It was in her head, “where did that come from? Were there more? Are they on me?” Those were phrases going through her head, I know this, because she said it over and over for the next 30 minutes. 30 minutes you say? Isn’t Riviera just down the street from Springs? Yes you are correct, but the kids were hungry, and most specifically, they were hungry for Arby’s chicken. So we were looking for Arby’s and when we found Arby’s, it was closed.

So we found a Chick-fil-a nearby, but Ella doesn’t like their chicken. :Fist bump: That’s my girl! So we get Lorelai some food, and while we were waiting, my wife finds a KFC. This KFC is right next to Fun Spot, just to give you an idea how far away we were from Disney property. We pick up the much needed food at KFC, and head back to the resort. The whole time I’m thinking, “I’m going to eat, take a LOOOONG shower, and get to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day at the MK, and I want us to all get a proper amount of rest.” We listen to chrismas music the drive back, and we are all in great spirits. A decent day in the park, new shoes, and food for our bellies. Oh would I love for that to all have happened…

Grab that popcorn.

We pull into our Resort and park in spot 219 at 10:20 PM. I remember this specifically, because of what happens in the next few moments. You know that little silicone insert for cup holders on some cars? Well this rental had that, and we had drinks in that cup holder between the front seats. My wife pulls out one drink and hands it to Lorelai, and then pulls out the second cup, and this silicone insert pulls out with the cup. At that moment we realize that the deceased cockroach wasn’t random. As roaches fall off the bottom of this insert into my wife’s lap, and the entire cavity in the console underneath said insert is full of roaches. Large ones, small ones, babies. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE! She throws the cup and insert down on the pavement, the girls get out of the car in a hurry, and I get out of the car with a few on my legs. I stomped out their lives of on number 219. The first thing that crossed my mind was when Oogie Boogie’s stitches came undone and you see that he is all bugs underneath the canvas.

My wife says “I am not getting back in that car, you need to do something!” She is visibly upset, the girls are too as well. Rightly so! We check everyone in the lot, and they head up to the room, I stay with the car and get on the phone immediately. The phone rings, and rings, and then someone picks up. I explain what is going on and they transfer me to the front desk at the airport. Except the call immediately goes dead…. Okay the anger is rising. Next call was to roadside assistance, and he says there isn’t anything he can do, to call the front desk again.

Oh boy, turning blood red mad by this point, and that’s a lot for me. It was 30 minutes before I was actually speaking to someone who might be able to help. Nope, they wont bring me a replacement, there is nothing they can do until 10 AM the next morning. BS I say, I’m not going to let this effect my final day in the parks, especially MK! I ask how long they are open till, and he says Midnight. So what do I do? Yep, off to MCO I go!

I wasn’t even to Sea World before I felt them crawling on my legs again. Turn up the tunes, roll down the windows, and try not to focus on that. For those asking, the new Between You & Me album (Goldfish is a great tune) was what I was listening too. LOL I’m on a mission, and nothing is going to stop me! Oh crap do I have enough for tolls? $2.75?!?! yep I’m covered, a cockroach handed me a quarter to make correct change. So I make it to MCO around 11:15, grab my wallet and sunglasses and leave the roach mobile behind me. I’m still wearing Lorelai’s shoes, and almost bust my **** on the escalator down to the main level. Finally make it to the desk, and not a soul there. Put me out of my misery please…. Down the way is Avis, which are partners with our rental company. He is on the phone, but I slide on down. It’s quite, very few people in this area at this time of night, and I can hear he is talking to his girlfriend or wife. The are talking about personal things, very personal things.

I’m starring daggers into this man…. He says something in Spanish, hangs up the phone, and with a huge fake smile asks “how can I help you?” I ask if he know if anyone from our rental company is around. He tells me that they left an hour ago. Explains why I couldn’t get anyone to answer. He asks if he can help me again and I tell him the predicament I am currently in, and he says I quote, “oh hell no! Let me get ahold of Wilbur for you my man!” He picks up the phone, says a few things in Spanish, and then tells me to head back out to the area where I dropped the car off. So back to the garage I go, I’m so happy I didn’t rent off of airport property. Wilbur is waiting for me in the Preferred kiosk, and I once again explain what is going on. He was sympathetic, and asked for my paperwork. Oh sugar honey iced tea, my paperwork…… My inner Jiminy Cricket takes over.

I take a deep breath and with a smile I say “I have no idea where that is Wilbur, can I give you my details to find it in your system?” He shakes his head no, but says to grab the keys out of the car and he might be able to pull it up that way. I run to the car, my lard butt RUNS to the car and grabs the keys. My feet hurt, and I just want this nightmare to be over with. He pulls up the details, we go back to the car to look for roaches, he witnesses said roaches, and back to the kiosk we go. Wilbur and I become good friends, it was a real bonding moment. He calls the night manager to come speak to me. She is very sympathetic, even after what Wilbur says he witnessed, and she gives me a hefty discount. Also says she will give us a new rental, but I was informed by my wife that was not something she wanted. However we called her and both of us spoke with her. I was given the choice of three vehicles and was told I could inspect them until I was satisfied with their cleanliness. A car was chosen, new paperwork filed, and I was leaving the garage at 11:55 PM.

Pull up the Bluetooth, pair my phone, and crank those tunes again. I was back to the Riviera by 12:20, but had to chill in the car for a few minutes as the sprinklers were running at this time. I specifically chose not to park in 219 as well. LOL Remember how I mentioned earlier the layout of our room and how close we were to the elevator shafts? Well when I returned my wife asked me to take off all of my clothes, except my pants of course, on the balcony. It’s 12:35, and as I’m pulling off my shirt I notice a man and his child watching me through said window. I just had to laugh and wave. If they only knew what I had just went through. HOT SHOWER #10 was next, then cold chicken, and then bed. I was wiped out, and in 6 short hours I needed to be up to make our first Genie+ reservation…..

Would we make it to MK by rope drop? Would we sleep in and make the best of the next day? Well that will all have to wait until the next post.

.

I'm very sympathetic and grossed out but I can't stop laughing.

Sorry you had to deal with it.

tehSAC · Dec 21, 2021

Zipitidoda said:
I'm very sympathetic and grossed out but I can't stop laughing.

Sorry you had to deal with it.

Thank you. I'm happy you are laughing. My hope was to write it in such a manner were people would laugh.

LeighM · Dec 21, 2021

The ice story reminded me of what I heard on the monorail at MCO. A mom was telling her son that because it was so warm in FL year round the trees never lost their leaves so they were green year round. I had to look out the window to see what she was referring to. Any guesses? It was pine trees. Next to almost bare deciduous trees :facepalm:

tehSAC · Dec 22, 2021

I left off with us having our bellies filled with Sonny Eclipse, and headed back towards Fantasyland. Our next attraction would be Seven Dwarfs. I have done this attraction once, and wanted the girls to finally experience it. That was another reason I purchased the ILL. Well that and not wanting to wait in such a long queue and missing out on other attractions. Its pushing 3PM at this point as well. We checked in, and waited less than 5 minutes and standby was at 70 minutes. If we were AP holders, or visited more often, I would have not paid the $9 per person to do this. Heck we might even skip it. Thirty Six dollars for a ride that is around 2 minutes is insane to think about now, but alas we chose this route. We were placed in the back of the train, which I wasn’t too excited about, but Lorelai loved the idea. However I found out that I loved it! My first experience was in the front, and the back was so much more enjoyable. Everyone seemed to enjoy our trip through the mine, and we hoped to enjoy it again later during after hours.

Even though we just ate, the family was craving some ice cream. So we stopped at Story Book treats for some treats.

Lorelai chose the Heigh-Ho Sundae, Ella had the Snow White cone, and Mom had a dish of vanilla soft serve. I chose not to order anything, because I knew Ella would not finish hers, and I was correct. After a few minutes with the lemon dole whip cone, Ella passed it off onto me. This was definitely a flavor of dole whip I wanted to try, so I was happy to take it off her hands. Speaking of hands, she had sticky ones. So mom asked me to get into her bag and grab the wipes for Ella. I’m digging with my right hand, and holding a cone in my left. Well my hulk like grip, crushes the cone in half while looking for the wipes. Well that’s wonderful….. I find the wipes, scarf down the remaining cone, and then proceed to ask for wipes for myself. LOL Other than that the lemon dole whip was tasty, but not a go-to. Pineapple is where its at, or is it? Hmmm…

Before handing it off to Dad

Off to the Haunted Mansion we go. We had almost a half hour to get there and tap in, so no rush. However when we get close to the attraction there is a sea of people. Where is the line for LL I ask a CM. He points me in the direction of the Liberty Square Riverboat entrance. The end of the LL line was past this, and curving towards Liberty Tree Tavern.

Crap, are we going to make it before 3:45? I tell Mom and the Girls to chill out, and I will wait in line. They do a little shopping in Momento Mori while I am in line. Said line moved at an okay pace, but it still took us 25 minutes before we were in the stretching room. After I tapped in, I went ahead and made our next LL reservation. We would have to cross the park again, but it was the only option. My wife said, “okay this is the last time, if there is nothing available in the area we are in, then don’t make the reservation.” You got it boss! Our next stop would be Buzz in Tomorrowland.

While we were waiting we also noticed that the sun was starting to fade away, and it was starting to become overcast. The radar showed some showers, but I was hopeful they would stay away. Mainly because there was two outdoor rides that we wanted to do, that may be effected by a storm. Two rides that were on Lorelai’s list of to-do’s. Okay back to the Mansion. I love HM, but I could tell that this might be something Ella wasn’t going to enjoy. She chose to ride with Mom, and Lorelai and I rode together. We had 3 ride stoppages during our trip though, but overall a great time. Ella asked as we left, “Can we not do that again? I really did not like that dad, there were REAL ghosts in there!” You got it kid, maybe one day when you bring your kids, you will enjoy it.

Next up was Buzz, with a reservation of 4:25. It is 4 PM by now, making great progress, and I am 1 attraction away from meeting my quota. We still have 4 hours to go, before fireworks, and 5 before afterhours. 3 hours in, and we have experienced 4 attractions, and also had lunch and ice cream.

An experienced WDW park goer would have turned right, and then left past Hall of Presidents to head towards Tomorrowland. Us, nope, we turned left. Not because I wanted too, but because Ella wanted to go through the castle. Okay kid, we can do that! She enjoyed looking at the murals, and being able to go though the castle. It’s the little things right? As we got to the hub we took a couple pictures, and then off to Tomorrowland. We parked the stroller near the old Stitch attraction, and went to tap into Buzz. We tapped in 5 minutes early, and the girls decided to ride together. They were determined to beat us, but I knew the secrets. My goal was to finally score 999,999, and I let mom in on the secret. The wait was less than 5 minutes. Basically the time it took us to walk onto the ride is how long we waited. The standby was at 45 minutes FYI. I wasn’t able to get the high score, and I blame mom. She would spin the car at the wrong time! Ugh I’m still disappointed with her, LOL. I did end up scoring 721,700. Lorelai was floored, asking how I did that. I didn’t let in on my secret, but she found out later at dinner, because she looked it up on Youtube. Hahaha.

When we exited Buzz the wait for Astro Orbiter was 40, and the People Mover was 30 minutes. Pass, we will go sit in the Laugh Floor theater in 15 minutes. The skies were gray, and it was starting to spit a little rain, so I was happy the stroller was in covered parking. While waiting for the Laugh Floor I booked our next reservation. Peter Pan was sold out, Dumbo was a late return, Splash had none, and Big Thunder was late as well. So it was Small World for us. The wait time for Small World did not go under 30 minutes all day, so that’s why we chose this one. At this time, we had only ticked the boxes of three “Must Do” attractions for us. Lorelai was bummed that Splash was gone for the day, and asked why I had not tried to get one earlier. This had put me in the dog house with her, but I promised her, we would experience it. I even said to mom, “If I need to add another day to our ticket, and come for a half day tomorrow I will do that for her.” She was on board, but we both agreed we would do our best to get it done today.

It was a short wait for Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, and the girls chose the back row. While we were waiting for the show to begin, a bright light shined on us. Nothing was said to the girls, but I believed that one of us would be a part of the show. The show began, and sure enough Ella was one of the audience members shown on the screen. She was “Boo”, and thankfully no speaking parts, because she was very shy. She just waved and nodded her head. Haha. The show was a nice break for our feet, and when we exited the show, it was still overcast, but the sun was trying to peek through. I asked Ella what she wanted to do next, and she mentioned Dumbo, so to Storybook Circus we went. We had time to kill, as our next LL reservation was at 6:25, and it was right around 5 PM at this time.

Upon entering Storybook Circus, we noticed the wait for Dumbo was 40 minutes, but the wait for the Barnstormer was 15. The plan was to hit this up first, before going back to Dumbo. Now for the past couple of years my weight has fluctuated a ton. Basically right now I’m Pete, but wishing I was Goofy. Because I’m ol Pete, ive been suffering from Meralgia paresthetica. Basically I have a pinched nerve, and the side effect is a numb thigh. Too much activity I have shots of pain go up my thigh to my hip. Basically feels like a white hot knife cutting up my thigh. This week, I had not dealt with it other than a numb outer thigh. However waiting for the Barnstormer, that pain reared its ugly head. It was awful, but I pushed through. However it would get worse as the night went on. SO I had that going for me, yay!! Anyway, we were placed in the back of the “Plane” and off we went. A quick and simple ride. In the amount of time it took to experience this, the wait for Dumbo dropped to 20 minutes.

The ladies headed towards the Standby entrance, and I ran and grabbed a diet coke and sprite for them at Big Top Souvenirs. I caught up to them a few minutes later inside the tent area. The line moved fast enough to skip the play area, so the wait was way lower than 20 minutes. For the most part during this trip, the wait times seemed to be inflated. Doesn’t surprise me, those shareholders want a part of everyone’s wallet these days. It was fun to ride dumbo in the early evening. The lights are beautiful for this attraction. It’s a must see if you never have.

We have a few hours left in the MK, but for now this is where I leave this report.

tehSAC · Dec 22, 2021

The last post had us riding elephants, with large ears, in a continuous circle for a few minutes. Time was around 6, and we had 25 minutes to kill before Mom’s favorite, It’s a Small World. The wait for Little Mermaid was around 20 minutes, so we hopped in line. Ella teased Lorelai a little, saying the ride was going to stop right in front of Ursula. If you remember, Ursula is Lorelai’s dreaded enemy. Well fictitious enemy, LOL. While we were in the queue, I checked the app for wait times using the Tip Board. Now what happened for me, may not happen for everyone else. I saw there was a LL for 7:45 at Big Thunder, and I just tapped to see if it might work. Well the seas parted, and the Genie gods allowed me to book another LL. Unfortunately no Splash passes were available, so I’m hoping some magic happens later in the night. As far as the Little Mermaid, well its just what it is. There is some great animatronics, but I really don’t feel like it’s a must do. However Ella did not remember this ride from our 2017 trip, so we went for her. The funny thing, the ride did stop, but not in the right spot. We were two “Shells” past Ursula when we stopped. Haha Lorelai was still a bit peeved as she could still hear Ursula behind her.

Next up was Mom’s favorite. I could put her on this ride and she would ride it over and over, and not get bored. I enjoy it for her. The wait was 35 minutes, but our overall wait was just over 5. Again LL was working out for us. It just SUCKS that I had to drop $60 plus tax just to accomplish things I used to be able to do before COVID, and corporate greed. Eh, we will get back to that at the end….. Our cruise was great, Ella was pointing out all kinds of different things she enjoyed. Personally my favorite is the Cactus playing the guitar. Mom took a photo on her phone just for me.

We popped out of Small World around 6:40, and we are hungry. Stomachs rumbling, and need theme park food now! Mom says “What’s that place where I got nachos last time? Is that place still open? Can we go there?!” Yes honey, Pecos Bills is still open, and that sounds good to me! However I had other plans…. Open up the App, scroll to Aloha Isle, place order. Yes, my dinner was going to be Dole Whips. Don’t judge me, I’m on vacation. Okay judge me, cause I ordered two. Yes you read that right, two. The Tropical Serenade and the OG Dole Whip float. Here this part of the night gets a little messy. I waited to place the order until we got to Bill’s, cause mom wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted on the app. So she went ahead and ordered in person. She told me to go ahead and head off and grab my “Dinner” so off I went. Walked right up to the window, picked up my order and back towards Bill’s I went. Now it was close to 78 degrees, and the coconut whip started to melt like it was on the surface of the sun. I’m holding this one in my left hand, the pineapple in my right. Here I look like super dad bringing his kids a cold treat, but little do these people know, these are for my lard butt! LOL

Now here is where I screwed myself. I had pulled my mask down underneath my chin, and I have to have it up going into a building. There is a CM by the main door, but I can’t walk up to him and say “hey my man, can you pull up my mask for me?” Yea I think CM’s are great, but no way will that be happening tonight. So next step is find a trash can, place melting Whips on it, use non sticky hand to pull up mask, and head indoors. I should have went in the back entrance near Golden Outpost, but then again your reading a trip report from a guy carrying two dole whips for himself! That says a lot. As I start to walk towards the entrance I hear “hey are those Dole Whip’s? Where did you get them from?” from some guy across the way. I say “Oh yea buddy, and just down the way past Country Bears!” I sure hope that guy got his Dole Whip. Okay, so I make it in, find the table, and head back to the main counter to help mom with our food. Oh and to grab some straws. By the time I get back to the table, there is a puddle around the Tropical Serenade whip, but nothing around the OG whip. The coconut soft serve was amazing, and with that POG juice, it was an amazing treat. Boy would I love to have one right now. The pineapple was great, but Disney has changed the formula. It’s not as creamy as it once was, and that was a let down. Oh well, a sweet dinner, but it hit the spot. This wasn’t supposed to be my only Dole Whips of the trip, but that’s how it worked out. On our first day, we were planning on going to the GF and Poly to check out decorations, and I was going to get a whip that night too, but other things got in the way.

The family enjoyed their nachos, and I had a couple bites too, and then we cleaned up our mess and took a bathroom break. While we were sitting at dinner, we discussed skipping fireworks, and trying to accomplish Big Thunder and Splash while crowds were lite. However Ella and I were starting to pull the chicken card. Again I am not a huge fan of drops, and Splash has always been that ride that I’ve avoided. On past family vacations I would wait for family to ride not only splash, but Big Thunder too. My time would be spent exploring Tom Sawyer Island on my own, and this was something I missed doing this trip. As for me, my first go round on Big Thunder was in May of 2018 with my sister and I was eager to go again. Ella was excited to ride as well! We loaded up, and off we went. As we were headed up the second lift hill, the fireworks began. A very awesome thing to see, but hard to take good photos. Riding at night is an experience, but having those flashes of light from the fireworks was an added bonus. As far as the ride, Ella had her hands in the air the whole time, and loved every second. So much she expressed a desire to ride it again.

So now onto the topic of Splash Mountain. Ella was certain she did not want to ride, almost defiant she wasn’t riding. Honestly I was okay, it gave me an out. LOL As we watched the fireworks, Lorelai and Mom decided to go ahead and get in line. Ella and I went back onto Big Thunder, and sat in the front this time. We saw the end of the fireworks this ride, but the front flipped my insides all around. Wow was it a rough ride in the front. The middle of the train is my preferred spot. Anyway, we were not even done with the third lift hill and Ella was asking to go again. It was starting to sprinkle at this time as well. I remember this because she almost fell running back up the hill to ride again. Anyway we rode Big Thunder 4 times in a 25 minute period. As we were climbing the second lift hill I received a few photos from my wife, and her pleading that we needed to ride Splash with them. The both loved it. Lorelai said it was the best attraction of the trip!

It’s close to 8:45 by now. It’s now or never for us, because Splash is not an attraction open for EMH. Mom and Lorelai convince us to hop in line with them. My stomach is in knots, not only from my anxiety, but you know… Dole Whips. LOL Will I chicken out? Will I evacuate the Dole Whip in an unpleasant way? Will I enjoy the attraction? Those questions will be answered in the next post.

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tehSAC · Dec 23, 2021

Okay, two dole whips in my belly, four rides on Big Thunder Mountain, and now we are in line for Splash Mountain. The dole whips are not bothering me, its this ride. Just something about it that makes me a ride wuss. Anyway, Lorelai is having a good time ribbing me. She keeps saying “dad its not that bad” while she is snickering behind my back. During the wait we are talking about other attractions we want to experience, and how mom wants to do a little shopping. Unfortunately we missed out on the Christmas Shop, and she wasn’t happy about that. I asked the CM before she gave us our seat assignments if The Emporium would be open during the EMH hours. She assured me that they would be open, and then gave us our seat assignments. Lorelai and I rode together, and Mom and Ella had the back. The ENTIRE ride Lorelai giggled and kept telling me the drop was coming. She loved seeing my reaction. Anyway, I honestly don’t remember much about the ride, as my nerves were getting the better of me. My chin was in my chest for the final drop, and my eyes were closed. As I write this, I still regret how I treated this attraction with Lorelai. If there is anything I’d wish for is one more go around with her.

Ella was not a fan, and says this was the worst ride of the trip, she was ready for another round on Big Thunder. While we were in the show building for Splash there must have been a quick shower as the ground was wet, and the cover over Ella’s stroller was holding some water. After Splash, we were now in EMH’s and CM’s were scanning bands. Ella hustled to the entrance of Big Thunder and we were quickly on for our 5th and final ride of the night.

So we were at the point that Mom and Lorelai’s must-do’s have been accomplished. Ella and I both had one more attraction on our list, Pirates and Peter Pan. The crowds had dispersed, and man was that so nice to not have to dodge people standing in the middle of walkways, or scooters cutting you off. It was almost as nice as the shower at the Riviera. It was a short stroll to Pirates, and not a single person was too be seen in Adventureland from Tortuga Tavern to Tiki Room. I have never seen a land or the Magic Kingdom so empty. Parked the stroller, scanned in, and walked to the boat. I know there are far better versions of this attraction, but I’ve never experienced those, so this is my favorite. The area where the Pirate is with the Cat, there is a scent that Lorelai and I found familiar. If you are ever lucky enough to visit Tokyo DisneySEA, ride Sinbad. There is a part of this attraction where they pump in the smell of ripe bananas. Now the smell on Pirates isn’t as strong, but we both mentioned Sinbad’s as we passed this area of the ride.

We left Pirates, and its close to 9:50 by then. Time files in the Magic Kingdom! We decide to take the path past Tiki Room towards our final attraction, Peter Pan. However Lorelai noticed the entrance and asked if we could see her favorite show in the MK. I looked at my watch and said I was good with it. We waited for a few minutes and then we were ushered into the show room. Now I ask, who has had the entire show room to themselves? I’m sure someone has, but we all thought it was pretty cool. The 4 of us, and a CM. However that show was much longer than I remember. LOL

So, its 10:20, Ella wants to ride Peter Pan, mom wants to shop, and I really want to do Seven Dwarfs again. The wait time for Peter Pan was 25 minutes, and Seven Dwarfs was 60. Guess it’s Peter Pan, and my feet were okay with that. I had not seen the new queue, so that was pretty neat to see, and soon enough after that we were on our ship to neverland. Ella and I enjoyed riding together, and she especially thought the part with Hook at the end was funny. So that’s it, our last attraction of the trip finished, damn that’s a bummer then and now. On our walk towards main street, its starting to hit me. I’m heading towards the exit of my favorite park, a park full of so many memories. Somewhere where all of my stresses of work, and life melt away. A place that brings me its own stresses, but the joy outweighs them. Pushing that stroller through the castle, I’m trying to soak up every second. We stop for a few photos, and then make our way to the Emporium.

Nothing is really on our “must have” list, but we spend a good half hour in here. The girls purchase some pins, Mom finds a couple odds and ends, and I purchase an awesome water bottle. It’s pink, but I don’t care.

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We tried out the mobile checkout option, which worked awesome! I suggest you give it a go next time you are in the parks or Disney Springs. Man, if I said that on camera, and posted to youtube could I be a famous vlogger? Nah, don’t need this mug on Youtube. Anyway, mom’s doing some final shopping, and I head over to the main Christmas tree, and look back down mainstreet at the castle. Here I am a grown adult man finding myself teary eyed. I’m remembering all of the vivid memories made in this park over the past 35 years. Riding the Skyway in 1996, witnessing the inflatable candles on the 25th anniversary castle sway in the wind. Grandma sitting in the Hub hours before Spectromagic because she knew how much I loved that parade. She would sit there and people watch and we would bring her water and snacks while my sisters and I crisscrossed the park during the day. The first time we took Lorelai and Ella to the parks. A day in the park with my sister in 2018. So many memories I wont clog this report with, but each hold a special place in my heart. Disney has to make some major changes in the next few years for us to consider coming back, and I knew that may never happen. So instead of thinking of the negative, I decided to think positive and remember all the great times.

When I leave the MK I always have to give one last look back down main street, then a glance back at the train station, and then ride the ferry to the TTC watching the castle become smaller and smaller. This time it would be different. No looking back, only looking towards the TTC. Mom made her way out of the Emporium, and we headed out of the park. It was 11:20 when we started the walk to the ferry. There was a total, not including us, 10 people on the ferry going back. Most would head off towards where uber and other busses pick up/drop off. I spoke with the guy next to us, and he mentioned he was a local. Said he just walked around during the after hours event and people watched after a day in the park. He knew he couldn’t experience any attractions, but also knew the CM’s wouldn’t push him out. It seemed like the perfect night to me if I was a local.

I knew the walk from the ferry was going to be a long one, and we all guessed how long. I said 12 minutes, Lorelai said 20, and Mom and Ella said 25. When we disembarked, I started the timer. It was 11:32 and my goal was to be back to the Riviera by 12:15 at the latest. When we passed security, they had a tram there, but maintenance was working on it. Not sure what was going on there, but it gave me a false sense of hope….. After we went through the tunnel, I realized we might be one of the last cars in the lot. As we left the area of Aladdin, and crossed the bridge into Simba, I was pretty much spot on. There were more wheelchairs in the parking lot than cars. To be exact, there was our rental, and one other. The other left a few moments before we reached our car. So we were the last car in the parking lot and had to take a photo to mark the occasion.

Well unless you count the trams you can see behind the trees.

Oh and I was closest without going over. From ferry to car, it was just over 14 minutes. Paul from Indiana, COME ON DOWN!!!!

We made it back to the Riviera around 12:10 AM. We made it up to the room, and I let the girls clean up and get ready for bed. While I was in the shower (Shower tally 12) Mom and Lorelai packed a few bags for me to take down in the morning. Tomorrow will be a busy day, and we decide to set the alarm for 8:30 AM.

It will be a few days before I continue this report. Have a wonderful holiday however you choose to celebrate!

.

cgersic · Dec 23, 2021

Your descriptions standing by the tree, looking down Main Street and all of the memories you have brought tears to MY eyes! So sweet to hear about all of them! Merry Christmas!

Zipadeelady · Dec 25, 2021

What a great day at MK!

LisaBelle · Dec 25, 2021

I’m so glad your MK day went so well! I LOVE evening extra magic hours!

tehSAC · Dec 28, 2021

Thanks to everyone who is still around. Hope you all had a great holiday with friends and family!

Welp, the dreaded final day. Mom was ready to get home, and she was up with us at 8:30 to get ready for the day and to finalize packing. As they were packing, I took the dreaded last shower of the trip. Oh my friend, you were good to me, but you had to witness my naked but way too many times. Thirteen to be exact. After my shower, I finished getting ready for the day, and started to pack up the vehicle. I finished packing the Jeep around 9:30, and we did a final sweep of the room before heading out the door. It felt like I heard the shower calling my name as we were shutting the door, but I will never know. LOL

The plan was to head out and go check out decorations at the GF and Poly. However I failed to remember that I needed a darn reservation to visit. Ella was pretty upset, almost to the point of tears. She wanted to see the Gingerbread house, and honestly so did I. We considered parking at the MK, but the lot was already half full, and with no trams that was more walking than we wanted to do. So, what to do now? Well we do have an ADR at the Beach Club at noon, but its 10:15 AM. What will we do at the BC for over an hour and a half. I had no idea, but that’s where we headed.

The beach club was a resort I had heard a lot about, but had never been too. So I was excited to see something new on Disney property, so off we went. The gingerbread carousel was the selling point for Ella.

We pulled in, parked a little ways from the main lobby, and took our time making our way there. We walked into the main lobby and was greeted by said carousel. I knew it was going to be big, but I was taken back by its size. The girls loved looking at all the details, and so did Mom and I.

After that we had time to kill, so we went to the main shop at the Beach Club. The girls did a little shopping, and I found a spot outside to sit and relax a bit. They found a few snacks to hold us over until lunch, which might hamper a challenge us later in the day. We sat in this area for a little while before making our way towards Beaches and Cream. I was hoping to get a good look at the pool that everyone talks about. There was also some hope that maybe we could get seated a little earlier than our Noon reservation. After lunch we had a few hours to kill before heading towards MCO to fly home.

Anyway, lunch…. Once again I had heard a lot about this restaurant, and was happy to land this reservation. We kept this one mainly as we had nothing else going on, and not in a park. The view of the pool was minimal in this area, so not much was seen unfortunately. So I went up to the podium and asked if we might be able to be seated early. She checked us in, and within 10 minutes we were seated. Basically we were sat 15 minutes earlier than our reservation. Better than nothing!

Mom had the tots, Lo had a cheeseburger, Ella had Mac & Cheese, and I chose the Chili. We ate lite, because we wanted to give something a shot. Yep, the kitchen sink! Lorelai was nervous, because she didn’t want to be embarrassed. Mainly because I told her about the lights and announcement I read about. So when they finally brought it out, nothing happened. We were all a bit disappointed. Why have they stopped this? Does it cost a dollar per revolution on the lights? Man those shareholders must have disliked that! Okay, moaning aside, we chose the Chocolate version of the Kitchen Sink. I cannot write what my mind was thinking when it was sat in front of us. Trust me, not kid friendly, hahaha. Mom gave me a look, and I said “lets go for it!” The waiter mentioned he had a woman come in the day before that ate a cheeseburger, fries, and a whole kitchen sink by herself. I was a confident the four of us could do this, if one person could do it on their own. Wow was I mistaken! The four of us could only eat half of this monstrosity. What a complete fail, I was ashamed.

We waddled out of there soon after, and made it back to the car. On the way we came across a bird walking on the sidewalk. The girls came within 3 feet of him before he popped into the bushes. They really thought it was cool, and Ella said if Lo wasn’t around she could have grabbed him. LOL

At this point I will stop for now. Have a little extra fun encounter/story for the final part of this trip. Nothing close to the cockroaches, but it was quite an interesting thing to witness. That will be the final post of this report, but I will have a follow up post/s after that with my thoughts and reasoning why we will choose to not come back to Disney as a family. So stick around, and until then take care!

LeighM · Dec 29, 2021

Looking forward to hearing your final thoughts. I'm still trying to process mine

Trip Report Honey, lets take the kids out of school - First December visit 2021

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