Trip Report It can only go up from here

prfctlyximprct · Jan 27, 2014

Loving your trip report! Your sentiments on the dreaded last day at the World seem on par with my own. I hate that stupid magical express tag! I don't wanna go home! Don't make me! Okay, maybe I'm a little bit more dramatic

FlaggNL · Jan 27, 2014

Lyear said:
I can't think of anything specific during that week. I've never been in October, but have been twice in September, and twice in November, and crowds were never really an issue for me. Hopefully you'll have a similar experience.

When I look around on the internet it looks like it is not that crowded in the week we are there

Let's hope so!

Lyear · Jan 27, 2014

prfctlyximprct said:
Loving your trip report! Your sentiments on the dreaded last day at the World seem on par with my own. I hate that stupid magical express tag! I don't wanna go home! Don't make me! Okay, maybe I'm a little bit more dramatic

Yes, that last day is a killer. You may be a little more dramatic, but not by much! I try to smile on the outside, but on the inside I'm ready to throw a tantrum when I see that tag.

StarBurst said:
outstanding, well written and humorous trip report.

this made me me LOL the most fr some reason...

Seriously, I can't stand sales pitches. And I knew I was in for one. I quickly lamented my decision to walk over to this stand. I try to be courteous, but I can't hide the fact that I just want to get away. The representative was going on and on about how I would get a gift card and special prize if I would attend a 90 minute presentation on the DVC. I remember Sara coming out of the restroom, catching my glance, giving me a crooked smile, and walking the other way. I eventually got away with a card with a number to call if I wanted to attend their presentation. Over 1 month later, I'm still getting calls about this.

That's an awesome compliment. Thanks so much.

FlaggNL said:
When I look around on the internet it looks like it is not that crowded in the week we are there Let's hope so!

Can't wait to hear about it!

Lyear · Jan 27, 2014

Since the Land was the closest to us, we decided to walk in there. We still had plenty of snack credits left, and since our reservations at Via Napoli weren't until 8:30 (it was now about 6), we decided to hit Sunshine Seasons. Sara was looking for something chocolate, but couldn't find anything to her liking. She decided to hold out a bit and get popcorn later. I got a pumpkin cheesecake. Looking back I completely overloaded on cheesecake this trip. I had it at least 4 times. The sunshine seasons version was really good. Sara gave me a little help eating it.

We then made our way upstairs, and into the Circle of Life waiting area. There was a bit of a wait until the next show, but we were thankful for that. We had done a lot of walking so far and it felt good to sit down. It had been so long since I saw this show, that it was almost like seeing it for the first time. I didn't remember the theater for Circle of Life being as big as it was. I'm sure some days in the crowded seasons it gets pretty full, but it wasn't even a quarter filled for our showing. As for the show itself, it's a bit over the top. The message of the film really slaps you in the face. I'm glad that we did it since it had been so long, but I'm not exactly itching to watch it again.

Once this had finished, we made our way out of the Land pavilion, and found a popcorn vendor. Sara loves Disney popcorn, and has it a few times each trip. We always joke that she can eat Disney popcorn at any time. We can walk out of a table service restaurant completely stuffed, yet Sara will somehow find room for the popcorn.

I've never been a big fan of popcorn, so she never needs to worry about sharing it with me. That may be a hidden reason why she gets it. We found a bench to sit on while she enjoyed her snack, and took some time to check in with Luke. Once again he was doing just fine. We were sitting near the monorail, and I was able to get an iphone pic. Once again, I wish I would have thought to pull out the actual camera.

Then a picture of the Imagination waterfall.

After our call to Sara's parents, we used our second fastpasses of the day on...Journey into Imagination. Yes, we really did this. It was another walk on. We sat in the 3rd car this time, and got a much better perspective. And then just a little time of playing in the Kodak area. I'm like a moth drawn to light in there...especially when it's not crowded.

It was now time for our final fastpass. The top tiered Soarin'. Back into the Land we went, and quickly into the queue. We had ridden two times before on this trip, once in the middle seats, and once on the bottom. This time, we were hoping to get a top seat. As we were being sorted, I pleaded with the cm to get us on the top, and she obliged. We were feeling pretty good about this until we realized we would be on the very end, on the top. The very top corner. We ended up seeing the edge of the screen a little, but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I knew this would be our last time on Soarin', so I was just trying to take it all in. It seemed like the Disneyland shot came way too quick. Once again, we both love Soarin, so we were feeling sad as we exited.

Our dinner reservations were really late compared to other nights, so it seemed like we still had plenty of time. We decided to go to the photo store at the front of the park to pick up our Chase Visa 5x7. I was expecting a long line, but it ended up being really quick. While we were there, we decided we would do SSE again since there was no line.

It was a little before 8pm at this point, so we decided to head towards World Showcase. On the way to Italy, we wanted to stop by the French bakery one last time to use some more snack credits. I got another chocolate chip brioche, and I can't remember what Sara got. We got them to go, with the plan to eat them later that night. We absolutely fell in love with this bakery on our trip. Definitely one we will visit again in the future.

We left France, and made our way towards Italy. The illuminations torches lit our way. Our last Table Service meal awaited at Via Napoli.

FlaggNL · Jan 28, 2014

Lyear said:
Can't wait to hear about it!

Just 258 days/nights to go

Lyear · Jan 28, 2014

Via Napoli was a new dining option for us this trip. It wasn't around the last time we were there. As we were in the planning stages, that was part of its appeal to us. We were excited to try the new restaurant in the Italy area.

Our first impression was that it was crowded. The World Showcase as a whole was crowded tonight. It was an extra magic hours night on a Friday, and it seemed to draw a different crowd. On a typical day Disney always seems to be full of families, with lots of smaller children. Tonight there was much more of a party vibe, with a good number of teenagers and younger adults. Via Napoli seemed to be quite a popular place, and it seemed there were a lot of groups who kept walking up trying to get a walk-in seat.

We waited for about 5-6 groups before we got to the check-in desk. They found us with no trouble and gave us a pager. There wasn't a lot of room to move around in the check-in area, but we found a corner to stand in. The central check-in area is surrounded by windows, giving you an impressive view of the restaurant. The first thing that caught my eye was these ovens. I had never seen anything like this before, and I really liked it.

It was a bit of a wait, probably 10 minutes, before we were led to our table. As we were seated, I noticed these giant lanterns. I couldn't get over how big they were. You could have probably fit a small car inside one. Well I may exaggerate, but you get the idea.

Our server came and got our drink orders, as we scanned the menu and the restaurant. The theming of the restaurant was immaculate. All over the place were little details. A vine painted into the wall, multiple paintings of different Italian cities hung on the back wall, and several decorated jars of olive oil, among other decorations, combined to make it a very unique, and very Italian experience. Another time that I regret not taking more photos.

Our server quickly came to get our order. We had heard good things about their pizza, so we each decided to try it. Sara got the margherita, and I got the broccolini.

Our server left to put in the order. Overall, I wasn't fully impressed with our server. We were eating late, one of the last reservations of the night. It seemed to me that our server was keenly aware that the night was almost over. He was very attentive to us when at out table, but seemed to be more interested in joking around with some other waiters nearby. I wouldn't say we received bad service, just not fully devoted service.

Our pizzas arrived, and they looked delicious. Here is mine...

And Sara's...

I was blown away by how big the pizzas were. They seemed much larger than what I would expect for a single serving. Sara and I could have easily split one and been very happy.

I think at this time, the effects of spending a week eating on the Disney dining plan were taking their toll. The plan provides so much more food than you are used to eating, and it had gotten to where you feel you are literally forcing yourself to eat. In the past I had experienced being stuffed as you walk into a Disney restaurant, and thankfully we weren't at that point tonight. But neither of us walked in with an empty stomach either. So where normally I would say, "Awesome, what big servings," today I was saying, "Whoa, so much food."

As for the taste of the pizzas themselves, they were pretty good. We both thought the bottoms seemed a bit burnt in places, but that may have been the effects of being cooked in the fired ovens. I thought the taste of the toppings on mine mixed really well. We were both able to eat half our pizza. Our server told us that more than half of the customers are able to eat a whole pie. I still find that amazing.

We got to experience one very neat effect during dinner. Via Napoli has a number of windows throughout the restaurant, including several near the roof as you face the lake. This added a dynamic atmosphere during the Illuminations show. While we couldn't see Illuminations, we could clearly see the colors lighting up the windows, and hear the sound of the fireworks as they exploded. It added a very cool dynamic to the meal.

It was then time for dessert. Had this been any other restaurant in any other part of the world, there would have been no way I ordered dessert. But since we're in Disney and it's included in the dining plan, we both ordered some. Sara ordered these ricotta cheese fritters, and really liked them.

I ordered the apple almond cake...

I was honestly too full to even think about enjoying it. I got about half of it down. And you'll notice in the photo there is a second dessert. Yes, our waiter had noticed my birthday pin. He had originally came and placed our desserts and left, and I thought I had avoided this little "honor." But sure enough, a minute later he comes through with 3 other singers, and I properly get wished a happy birthday. Sara helped me with the birthday dessert.

Overall, I would rate our experience at Via Napoli as ok. The décor of the restaurant was top notch, and I really liked the ovens. Our server was a bit disappointing in that it seemed he would rather have been hanging with his co-waiters than helping us. The food wasn't as great as I was expecting, but I'd give them a pass on this since we weren't very hungry going in. I would imagine we'd eat there again, but it won't be one we "must do" in the future.

We walked out of Via Napoli, with me feeling like I had gained 5 pounds in one meal alone. Our night was still young. Extra magic hours were upon us.

FlaggNL · Jan 29, 2014

Napoli really looks great, have to go there in October

Tidbit · Jan 30, 2014

Lyear said:
Via Napoli was a new dining option for us this trip. It wasn't around the last time we were there. As we were in the planning stages, that was part of its appeal to us. We were excited to try the new restaurant in the Italy area.

And Sara's...

I was blown away by how big the pizzas were. They seemed much larger than what I would expect for a single serving. Sara and I could have easily split one and been very happy.

I just got back from Italy, and we had this same pizza while we were there! It looks just like this too! I just might have to give Via Napoli a try!

Lyear · Jan 30, 2014

By the time we waddled out of Via Napoli, Illuminations had long been over. The world showcase was still pretty crowded. Not so much the result of the show just ending, just crowded in general. There were a lot of people out tonight. Our plan was to get to future world. After one quick stop in the Norway bathrooms, we were ready.

I still wanted to ride Test Track again, and Sara was game as long as the wait wasn't too long. As we arrived, we saw a 30 minute wait. Sara begrudgingly agreed. Her big goal for the night was to hit up MouseGear. It was about 9:50 as we got in line. Plenty of time before the 11pm park closing, or so I thought.

The first part of the line moved pretty quick. It was only about 10 minutes before we were placed on a square, waiting to be let into the design room. We were the last people in our row that would be let in. There was actually a free square behind us that wasn't used. I don't know why the cm's didn't fill that one. But you know what that means...extra design station.

Yes, the competition was on. As everyone filtered forward, Sara and I got the last 2 computers and got to work. The time seemed to go much faster this time, even though we had a better idea of what we were doing. I designed a small green car running on fuel cell techology, with flaring tire covers. Sara designed a mid size blue car with more power, but slightly less efficiency. The clock stopped and the doors opened, and we were herded out of the design center.

Then we waited. For some reason the line to get to the loading station was running really slow. We never really found the reason for this. It took 15 minutes from when we left the design room to when we made it to the queue. When we magic band touch area before you board, ror some reason my car wasn't loading on the little screens. I thought I must have done something wrong. It must have just been a problem that computer though, because it showed up during the ride and at the end.

Sara and I were neck and neck throughout the ride. We went back and forth through the different sections. At the end, I ended up winning by 1 point. Go me!!! We both did better than our previous pink monster truck. I enjoyed Test Track the second time through, but had much more fun the first time. I don't think this had anything to do with the ride, just the fact that it was more fun for me to design a car with Sara, than by myself. It was quite a fun experience to laugh so hard together. Something to remember for next time.

A quick check of the time...Whoa! It's 10:45. We need to move pronto. Thankfully MouseGear was right there.

We had been going into stores throughout our time at Disney, looking over what we liked. Tonight was when all that preparation would pay off. We went through and gathered what we wanted. I got a coffee mug and magnet to take to my workplace. Something to remind me of Disney when I'm stressed out at work. I also got a new T-shirt.

We got Luke a Disney World Railroad train featuring Mickey, and another shirt.

Sara got a hooded zip up sweatshirt, and a few other things as well. Sorry no pictures to post, I may get to those at another time.

Even though we had somewhat prepped for what we wanted to buy, it still took us almost an hour to finish in the store. It was 11:40 as we walked out. So long Epcot, we love you.

Leaving Epcot was a very hard thing to do. First, there was the emotions of it. Epcot is Sara's favorite park, and probably tied for my favorite (with Animal Kingdom). It's always the park we start with on our Disney vacations, and always the park we end our last night at. Something about leaving that night made the end of our vacation seem that much more real.

So leaving was hard from an emotional standpoint, but also from a practical standpoint. We were walking out of Epcot close to 12am. We made a left towards the bus stop, and got there just in time to see a Coronado Springs bus pulling away. So we waited. A few buses were pulling in and out, but except for those waiting to get to the Ticket and Transportation Center, there weren't a lot of people there. It was still the time that the buses were supposed to be running.

After a bit, a group of 4 college age women got in line behind us. It seemed they had been drinking around the world tonight.

They waited with us for about 5 minutes, then decided to take a cab. So once again it was just Sara and I.

After about 20 minutes, and seeing more and more people leave, and more and more buses pass us by, I talked with one of the guards, and he said he would radio us a bus. We waited another 5 minutes. Buses were pulling into the circle, going the whole way around and leaving without picking anyone up. I was getting beyond frustrated. Finally, I tracked down another guard who was stacking cones. He asked where we were going, and I told him. After another 5 minutes, a Coronado bus finally came to us. There was only one other bus stop with people still waiting when we left. But at least we got our own private ride back to the resort.

When we got back to the room, we put everything down and crawled in bed. We were both extremely tired.

We were finished with Epcot for this trip...or were we???

Lyear · Feb 3, 2014

That last day. That day you keep hoping won't come. That day that is filled with inner dread. That day was upon us.

Since we had been out so late the night before, the plan was to sleep in a little, but not too much. We wanted to squeeze all the Disney magic out of this day that we could. It was around 7:30 that we ended up rolling out of bed. We got ready and began packing our things. We always come back with so much more than we left with. It always seems we won't be able to make it all fit, but somehow everything always winds up fitting in our suitcases.

After I had finished packing, and while Sara was still getting ready, my assignment was to finish the Via Napoli pizza from the night before. I was able to eat most of it. Couldn't get through all of it. I will say it tasted pretty good cold, but then again I'm a sucker for cold pizza.

I opened our door to find a new envelope hanging from our door. This one was all about express check-in for our flight. This is a service we had never used before. We decided we would take advantage of it this morning.

Off we went with our luggage.

Each morning you would always see at least one family walking towards the main lobby with their luggage. I knew exactly what they're going through. I would look at them with a sense of pity. "You poor unfortunate souls, your vacation has come to an end." I just wanted to reach out and give them a hug. I never did, that would have been weird.

Today it was our turn. As I'm walking, I saw all these people around me just going about their day. Their vacation would keep going, ours was ending. A few seemed to look at me with that same sense of pity.

At least it wasn't a pouring rain today. It was actually a beautiful day.

We made it to El Centro, and walked through the lobby and out the front door. We made a right towards the express check-in location. We hit this at just the right time. When we got there, there was one person ahead of us. When we left, probably 6 families were waiting. The cast member was very patient with us as she explained the process to us first timers. When she looked us up, she could only find my flight info. I went into a state of panic, thinking that somehow I had not booked Sara as a passenger when I had booked our flight home. Sara, in contrast, became almost giddy. "Well, I guess I can't leave," she said. "Guess you'll need to go home without me while I stay in Disneyworld." In less than a minute however, Sara's information had been brought up. We checked our luggage, and stored our carry-ons with bell services.

We then went back inside, and went through a very fast check out process. We actually never made it to the front desk. We were checked out by a cm with an ipad. Very convenient.

Then it was another trip into Café Rix for mug refills. Yet another sweet tea for Sara, green tea for myself. It was then time for the park.

Where to go? That was a loaded question today. The plan all along had been to spend the day at Magic Kingdom. But I was feeling like we had done a good bit in that park already. We had just done Epcot yesterday, but I knew it was Sara's favorite, so maybe we should go there. We were going back and forth. At one point, I suggested Animal Kingdom, but got a quick stare from Sara, and a lecture as to why we don't do Animal Kingdom on the last day.

AK is clearly Sara's least favorite.

In the end, we decided to stick to the plan, and head to Magic Kingdom. We arrived at the bus station, which surprisingly wasn't too crowded, and waited.

The first bus that came was an Epcot bus. "Are you sure you don't want to go to Epcot?" I asked. We were sure. We then saw a Hollywood bus and Animal Kingdom bus come. Still no sign of a Magic Kingdom bus. As we waited, we started talking about how it might have been faster to take the Epcot bus, and then ride the monorail to Magic Kingdom. Just then, another Epcot bus pulled up. Sara and I both had the same idea. We briefly nodded to each other and jumped up. We boarded the bus towards Epcot.

Lyear · Feb 4, 2014

Truth is, we didn't have a choice about going to Epcot. Sara didn't get to say goodbye.

GOODBYE!!!

"Ok, I'm good"

Seriously, I've watched too much Cars. If you don't get that reference, try having a two year old boy who loves the movie.

Who knew that in order to get to the monorail from the bus station you need to go through bag check??? Well, we do...now. A small, unexpected delay. Then it was up the ramp to the monorail.

A few shots from the monorail.

Our last glance at Epcot...or was it??? (Ok, yes it was)

And the Magic Kingdom entrance (I was a split second too late for getting a good angle).

Sara remembered this time that we had to change monorails at the TTC this time. We decided to try something different and take the resort monorail. I had never seen the inside of the Grand Floridian, and we thought we would sneak inside, take a few pics, then get back on the monorail.

But as soon as we loaded, there was trouble. The monorail ahead of us was having some sort of mechanical problem, so that meant long delays at each of the stops, starting with the TTC. We would wait between 5-10 minutes before pulling from a stop, and stop a few times between the stops as well. By the time we had made it to the Grand Floridian, it had already been 40 minutes, and we decided to just head to the park. One day I'll see the inside of GF. Based on pictures I've seen, it's quite immaculate.

We offloaded at the Magic Kingdom, along with a herd of other people, and were led down the ramp. A second trip through a bag check, and we were in the MK.

This show greeted us as we entered. It was about 9:45.

Very cool to see them. They did a really good job. I was feeling bad for them in the long sleeves though, it was already getting hot. After the show, it was time to put the horsey away.

We then started our trek down Main Street. A selfie on the way? Why not...

Then some kind woman was nice enough to take a photo of us with the castle in the background. I like how it turned out.

We had originally had Haunted Mansion fastpasses for between 9:30 and 10:30, but when we were stopped on the monorail, I changed it until 12:30-1:30. I really like that feature of the fastpass+ and my Disney experience. It is very good at accommodating a last minute change of plans. It wouldn't be our last time making such a change. Our first fastpasses were now for the Little Mermand from 10:30-11:30. We had a few minutes until then, so we made the right at the hub, and headed into Tomorrowland.

Tink0102 · Feb 5, 2014

I am really enjoying your trip report so far (I'm only on page 3), especially your AK day! We went in June for our first trip and AK was our 4th day. It was my worst day ever. I was hot, tired, my feet were swollen to the size of Elephant feet (which was appropriate when we went to see FOTLK and found out we had sat in the Elephant section). Basically that day I had shut down emotionally and physically. We got there for an 8am breakfast at Tusker House and left right around 3pm and in all that time all we did was the Safari ride, Hubby and Son rode EE twice (once while I sat in front of one of the little misting fans glaring at anyone that dared to come between us and once again while I stood in line to meet Mickey and Minnie) and we saw the FOTLK. That was ALL we did there. Oh and I met Pooh and Tigger, but that was it. We didn't do any of the trails, no dino land, no bugs life, nothing! I honestly don't know how we didn't get more accomplished that day, but your trip report (and the America's Destinations show I watched on AK last night) makes me so sad that we didn't see and do more.
We are going back this October and AK is planned for our 2nd full day so maybe it will be a better visit for us this time!
Can't wait to read the rest of your report! Your pictures are wonderful!!

Lyear · Feb 8, 2014

Tidbit said:
I just got back from Italy, and we had this same pizza while we were there! It looks just like this too! I just might have to give Via Napoli a try!

I'd be interested to hear your impression of how it stacks up with actual Italian pizza.

Tink0102 said:
I am really enjoying your trip report so far (I'm only on page 3), especially your AK day! We went in June for our first trip and AK was our 4th day. It was my worst day ever. I was hot, tired, my feet were swollen to the size of Elephant feet (which was appropriate when we went to see FOTLK and found out we had sat in the Elephant section). Basically that day I had shut down emotionally and physically. We got there for an 8am breakfast at Tusker House and left right around 3pm and in all that time all we did was the Safari ride, Hubby and Son rode EE twice (once while I sat in front of one of the little misting fans glaring at anyone that dared to come between us and once again while I stood in line to meet Mickey and Minnie) and we saw the FOTLK. That was ALL we did there. Oh and I met Pooh and Tigger, but that was it. We didn't do any of the trails, no dino land, no bugs life, nothing! I honestly don't know how we didn't get more accomplished that day, but your trip report (and the America's Destinations show I watched on AK last night) makes me so sad that we didn't see and do more.
We are going back this October and AK is planned for our 2nd full day so maybe it will be a better visit for us this time!
Can't wait to read the rest of your report! Your pictures are wonderful!!

Thank you Tink. I cannot overstate the difference it made going to Animal Kingdom early in our trip. We actually had energy to go on trails, walk around, etc. Whenever we would visit it as our last park, we were both pretty tired and didn't get that much out of it. It seems like AK requires the most walking of all the parks, so it's a good idea to hit it while you're fresh. I hope you find that going in October is a little cooler than June as well.

Lyear · Feb 8, 2014

As we walked into Tomorrowland, I could tell it was going to be a busy day. It seemed fuller than any other day this week. More and more people, everywhere you looked. We decided to start at Buzz Lightyear's spin. Again, I cannot state how fun I find this ride. Certain rides have a special place to me. Soarin' is very majestic, TOT and RNRC are great thrill rides, and Buzz Lightyear is just plain fun. We are both super competitive, so we enjoy seeing who can get the high score. I'm usually in charge of the joystick that spins the car, so Sara ALWAYS accuses me of sabotaging her. I don't know what she's talking about.

Today, the ride was packed. The line was out the door.

You can't tell from this picture, but we actually had to go left from here, turn around a little ways back, then come back up toward the entrance. Certainly a much longer wait than we had on our previous MK day. I found it funny how a continuously loading ride like this can have such long times where the queue does not move. Ok, maybe funny is the wrong word. How about perplexing?

We make our way inside, through the extended queue area, and board the ride. Maybe it was the long wait, or the fact that it was still morning, but I was off my game today. My final score was a paltry 167000. Really??? That low??? Sara enjoyed this immensely. She had scored just short of 600000. Unfortunately the line was too long for a rematch, but this was not over. I made my way to the fastpass distribution and got fastpasses for later in the day. This was not how my Buzz experience was going to end.

After this, we decided to take a quick trip on TTA, at least we thought it would be quick. We boarded, and I started trying to shoot a few pictures from our moving car.

Then we made our way towards the Space Mountain area. Once inside, in what would become a theme of the day, our car stopped. It was apparently a serious enough problem that they turned the emergency lights on, but there was no evacuation or anything like that. I tried to get a photo of the inside, but it was really poor quality.

After about 5 minutes, we got moving again, only to be stopped again after 10 seconds. This wait was about the same length as before. I guess the third time was the charm, because after we got moving again, we made it the whole way back.

On the way, we decided to try to get a selfie of us with space mountain in the background. This did not work out (I'm not even sure it's possible), but we had a lot of laughs trying to move around and make it happen.

Fine...if I can't get a picture from TTA, I'll just take one when we're back on the ground.

At this point, it was time for our fastpass+ to the little mermaid. On our way, we looked up and saw this...

I had never seen a skywriter live before. It was a bit too windy out though. His words were blowing away before he was finished. Never found out what the final product was. My guess is it's something about love.

We got right into the Little Mermaid with our bands, although apparently this was harder for some. The cm at the final band sensor was yelling over and over "Mickey to Mickey, Mickey to Mickey." I can see how you might lose your patience doing this all day. The ride itself was the same as before. We had made our fastpass+ selections a few weeks before, and at the time we figured this might be a good one since we had never ridden before. In hindsight, this was one we should have changed.

After this, we still had a good half hour before our Haunted Mansion window, so we decided to grab some lunch at Cosmic Rays, another tradition of ours.

Lyear · Feb 9, 2014

We first decided to check out Cosmic Rays on our first trip to WDW, mainly because it was a counter service place that had veggieburgers. Since then, we've gone at least once at least each trip. It's not that the food is that great, it's your typical quick service meal. I'm honestly not sure what it is that brings us back here, but we seem to enjoy it each time. For some reason, I get a kick out of the animatronic keyboard guy. It's super cheesy I know.

While at lunch, we reviewed our remaining fastpasses (Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain). For some reason, Sara had thought we had a Space Mountain Fastpass instead of Big Thunder. She was excited about doing Space Mountain. So I pulled out the MDE app, and what do you know? Very easy change. We now had a space mountain fastpass instead of big thunder mountain. I hear the complaints about the new system, but instances like made me a big fan.

After our quick lunch, it's off to Haunted Mansion. We decided to go through the hub.

Before HM, I just had to touch the liberty bell. No picture included of the actual event, just the bell.

I love the Liberty Square area. I wish we would have spent more time here. It just seems so quaint.

We made it to Haunted Mansion.

The standby line was about an hour long, but that didn't effect us. We were able to walk right in.

We made it through the stretching room, and then weren't able to make it out of the stretching room. Apparently they were having trouble keeping this ride going today. The hallway leading to the doom buggies was completely packed with people. Nothing like getting to know those next to you intimately. Eventually the ride starts moving again, only to stop about 2 minutes later. Around this time, the next stretching room crowd is coming down, and the process starts all over again. We continued patiently waiting, and after about 10 minutes of this we made it on the ride. It stopped about 2 times for us while on the ride, both relatively short (are you sensing the theme of the day yet?).

We now had about an hour left before we had to leave. With our remaining fastpass+ and paper fastpass in tomorrowland, we headed that way. It was clear the Thanksgiving crowd had arrived at DW (this was the Saturday before Thanksgiving).

65 minutes for It's a Small World??? Really?? 50 minutes for the princess meet and greet? Every table at the friar's nook was full. Pooh was shut down, which meant 3/4 of the walkway in front of the entrance was backed up with confused guests not knowing what to do since they couldn't get on Pooh.

75 MINUTES FOR MAD TEA PARTY???? Oh wait, that IS a mistake. It's only 15. The 1 had an extended swoosh on it. My mistake!

After fighting the crowds, we made it to Buzz. This time we were on our game.

That's more like it. Ok...the ride stopped in a very fortuitous spot for us (continuing our theme), but we still felt good about it. Go us!!!

Once finished with our final Space Ranger Spin, we were again reminded of just how crowded the park was. The TTA queue was rushing outside of it's boundaries, causing a snaking effect back towards Carousel of Progress. But our objective was beyond this. Space Mountain. As we approached, I could tell something was wrong. As we got closer, it was clear the ride was shut down.

No!!! This was supposed to be our last ride! What are we going to do now? Was there any magic left for us?

Tidbit · Feb 10, 2014

Lyear said:
I'd be interested to hear your impression of how it stacks up with actual Italian pizza.

You got it! I'll be going in March!

Lyear · Feb 11, 2014

The cm's in front of the Space Mountain entrance had become quite popular. A crowd had gathered around them, and I could hear them telling everyone over and over that yes, the ride was down, and no, they didn't know how long it would be until it was operational again. Sara and I grabbed a seat. We were hoping the wait would be on the short side.

I always feel the need to be super careful about our magical express pick up. On our last day, I constantly think about what could go wrong. "We might wait 20 minutes for a bus back to the resort." "There might be a big line at bell services to get our carry on luggage." "Mickey might suddenly decide to hold a impromptu Main Street concert that is so popular it effectively blocks the exits out of the park and we're stuck in MK." Ok...not a big chance of that last one happening, but you get the idea. I always think of what could go wrong, and try to be sure to build in plenty of time to the schedule.

Our pick up time was at 4:15 today. My plan was to be exiting the park by 2:30. I figure that even if we do wait an extended time for a bus at MK, we are still back at the resort by 3 or 3:10. Enough time to get our carry ons, for Sara to change into warmer clothes, and attend to any last minute details that always seem to come up

The space mountain delay was cutting into this. As we sat there, it was now 2:10. I realized that a long delay meant we would need to pass on Space Mountain, and with the wait times, we couldn't realistically ride anything else before we had to leave.

Luckily, we had some pixie dust left. Right around 2:15, we noticed some radio communication between the cast members, and saw them going for the rope. We jumped in line, and were among the first 10 into the fastpass line. And here's what was waiting for us...

So our last ride of our trip was Space Mountain. A fitting end on a classic ride. Sadly, we now had to exit.

Everyone knows how you feel as you head down main street for the last time, yet it's so hard to put into words. A million things were running through my mind, and I was trying to take in as much as I could, knowing tomorrow I wouldn't be here. Disney World would continue to run, Mickey would continue to greet people, it's just that I wouldn't be there to experience it.

We still had 2 snack credits to use. Sara suggested a dole whip. I knew the line would be impossibly long, but told her she could go for it if she wanted. She decided against it since there would be no time to sit down and enjoy it. We ended up at the confectionary, I got another chocolate peanut butter cookie, and Sara got a Mickey head cake pop.

As we exited the confectionary, the dapper dans were singing across the street. I had never seen them before, but just wasn't in the mood to watch. We made the left and headed for the tunnel. Sara turned back for one last look, I never can.

All these people coming in, some possibly just starting their Disney vacation. Just 7 days ago, that was me.

There was a Coronado bus waiting for us, and we made it back to the resort pretty quickly. Getting the carry ons took a bit of time, and Sara ate her cake pop while we waited. Sara changed into warmer clothes, and while she did this, I enjoyed my cookie.

At this point, we had about 10 minutes before the bus came. We walked aimlessly around the lobby. It's funny how the same images that held so much promise a week ago, now filled me with sadness as I realized it was my last time looking at them. We then made our way to the ME pick up location, and were on our way.

The trip back was fairly uneventful. We were flying on American, using some points, which meant a 2 hour layover in Miami. It was 12am before we landed in Baltimore, 2am til we made it home. Sara wants to add that the flight to Baltimore was very turbulent (I slept for most of it so can't comment on this), and going from 84 degrees to 19 degrees was a real shock to the system (which it was, especially when all you have is a sweatshirt). When we arrived home, I hadn't eaten anything since we left WDW, so I enjoyed my chocolate chip brioche we got the night before at Boulangerie Patisserie. Not quite as good as it is fresh in WDW, but tasty none the less.

And that's the end of the play by play portion of my trip report. I hope to be back with an overview and some final thoughts in a few days. Thanks to all who followed along!

fractal · Feb 11, 2014

Great,great report! loved the pictures and all the details - felt like I was there with you. Love how you squeezed every moment out of the trip!

jlsHouston · Feb 12, 2014

Gosh...loved your trip report, love the poignancy you captured of the last day, the last ride, the last snack, and moments at WDW.

FlaggNL · Feb 12, 2014

Still a great report! Hope I can build such a TR after the October trip

Trip Report It can only go up from here

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