Our last trip to WDW was during the summer of 2014. We have since visited six European countries and traveled across the USA (more than once), but we are ready to return to Disneyworld! We began planning over a year ago, fresh on the heels or our latest European adventure. We asked our kids where they wanted to go next summer (2020), Europe or Disney, and they chose Disney (thankfully as we would not be allowed to travel to Europe this summer). I have to say, as much as I enjoyed our visits to Europe, I'm very excited to return to Walt Disney World. So many of our early family adventures were to Disney and I'm excited to be there again now that our kids are older. So much to share since our last visit, and so much to say about our upcoming trip. So much has changed since our original reservation, including a global pandemic. Updates soon!
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Trip Report It's been 6 years and a global pandemic, but we are back!
- Thread starter coachwnh
- Start date
slipperalwaysfits
Well-Known Member
Very cute! Crystal is talented!
Inquiring minds want to know....did you see the Space Shuttle land....?
- In the Parks
- No
I’ll update our adventure in a bit (at work now). Sorry
- In the Parks
- No
Shuttle trip flashback continued: So we begin our drive from the Lehigh Valley in PA to Central FL. The worst traffic was near the PA-DE border. From there, the drive was a breeze until AM rush hour in Jacksonville. Thats right! I drove non-stop through the night on very little sleep. The most difficult part of the drive was GA. I pulled into a rest stop and everyone was asleep. I remember coming back to the car and Crystal asking if I was ok. I was seriously thinking of doing a short run to wake up. Dumb thought at 4 AM. I knew if I made it to sunrise I'd be good. So I left and soon enough, the sun was up. The family really wanted to stop at the Florida Welcome Center for OJ, but I was on a mission. We arrived at the hotel at 10:10 AM. 17 hours and 20 minutes later we were in Disney (at the Hotel Buena Vista - we did a last minute reservation right before leaving), but the room was not ready. I really needed a nap. That wasn't happening. The hotel offered us a restroom to fresh up and change in that they said was off limits to guests on their convention floor. I figured, "Great." We'd all get to change and we had decided to get to the parks. Without going into details, lets just say mid-freshing up, someone walked in 
! Who cares. I'd never see this guy again. We headed to Magic Kingdom for a few hours before finally getting a much needed nap at the hotel. The nap didn't last long.however, as we returned to the parks that night (pictures later).
So, to finish up, we DID see the last shuttle land after having a conversation with a great Orange County sheriff deputy. We told him how we were in Disney a week before and had missed the launch and decided to drive back down. We said we wanted to see the landing. After some small talk, he asked' How good are you with directions?" He assured us that were he was sending us would be nobody but Kennedy Space Center employees, gators, and snakes. He said any traffic that passes us would be workers from the space center, and warned us to not get out of the car because of the "wildlife." The shuttle landed in the dark well before sunup. It was so cool to see the glow get bigger as it neared us, then hearing the two sonic booms! We finished that morning by scoring a 7:15 Chef Mickey's breakfast!
! Who cares. I'd never see this guy again. We headed to Magic Kingdom for a few hours before finally getting a much needed nap at the hotel. The nap didn't last long.however, as we returned to the parks that night (pictures later).So, to finish up, we DID see the last shuttle land after having a conversation with a great Orange County sheriff deputy. We told him how we were in Disney a week before and had missed the launch and decided to drive back down. We said we wanted to see the landing. After some small talk, he asked' How good are you with directions?" He assured us that were he was sending us would be nobody but Kennedy Space Center employees, gators, and snakes. He said any traffic that passes us would be workers from the space center, and warned us to not get out of the car because of the "wildlife." The shuttle landed in the dark well before sunup. It was so cool to see the glow get bigger as it neared us, then hearing the two sonic booms! We finished that morning by scoring a 7:15 Chef Mickey's breakfast!
- In the Parks
- No
Just a few flashback pictures from our 2011 last minute trip to see the shuttle land
Our arrival that Monday morning
And Thursday morning at Chef Mickey's after seeing the shuttle land.
After breakfast, we made our way to the Magic Kingdom which had EMHs. We weren't staying onsite and had our APs, so we weren't sure if we would be allowed in. We walked over anyway and we were in! The park was pretty empty, so we took some pictures.
That trip is still one of our favorites since it was totally unplanned! Our current countdown is down to 2!
Our arrival that Monday morning
And Thursday morning at Chef Mickey's after seeing the shuttle land.
After breakfast, we made our way to the Magic Kingdom which had EMHs. We weren't staying onsite and had our APs, so we weren't sure if we would be allowed in. We walked over anyway and we were in! The park was pretty empty, so we took some pictures.
That trip is still one of our favorites since it was totally unplanned! Our current countdown is down to 2!
riverside
Well-Known Member
You're leaving Monday, correct? Just thinking they're cutting it awfully close with the MB's.
- In the Parks
- No
Leaving Monday, and I though the same thing. My wife figured they might have waited until the last minute before shipping them due to late cancelations. That makes sense, but that is only a guess.
slipperalwaysfits
Well-Known Member
Awwwwwwwww, fun memories of an exciting trip! The spontaneous memories are always my favorite, too!
I agree with @riverside ...those magic bands came awfully close to missing you!
I agree with @riverside ...those magic bands came awfully close to missing you!
Loco_driver
Well-Known Member
Hope you guys have a great trip! I’ve enjoyed your flashback posts!
- In the Parks
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Couldn't agree more!
- In the Parks
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Thank you. Can't wait to share. We are all very excited to be staying at Riviera Resort. I really don't know much about the resort, so its going to be a huge surprise.
- In the Parks
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Thanks for following along and for the well wishes!
- In the Parks
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Thanks. The pictures were all dug up by my wife. It was fun remembering those trips!
- In the Parks
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Two more nights of sleep and one more day at work before we leave. Although its not real work. My wife and I are teachers (for rival school districts), but the home projects were overwhelming me (I'm not handy), so I got a part-time job working about 30 hours a week at my favorite beer store. I should have thought of this sooner. My Untappd count is growing faster than ever!
Laurenciaa
Well-Known Member
Safe travels tomorrow @coachwnh (and family)!!
- In the Parks
- No
Thanks. Can't wait!
