Trip Report JenniferS (and Mike) will be live 9/2-9/13 ... maybe!

Yes, it’s that time of year again, time for another live trip report from two of your favourite Canadians ... which means of course, that another hurricane is headed to Florida.

This will be my fourth live WDW trip report. The “who” and “where” remain the same, but the “how” and “when” are very much up in the air right now.

2016 here: (No, I don’t know how to embed links in a little blue “here”)

Hi, my name is JenniferS, and I am a Disneyholic. I have been accused of being a Pixie Dust snorter. I've been accused of worse, so no biggie.

Once we get home from a Disney trip, I am always in a bit of a funk, and never really up to doing a proper trip report. For those of you who know me, I generally post live over in Chit Chat somewhere. This is my first dedicated live trip report in the actual Trip Report Thread.

The cast:
Me. JenniferS. Just turned 49. Honestly friends, I don't know how that happened. I still feel 27. But, my passport and driver's licence insist I was born in 1967, and I have two 20-something sons, so it must be true.

This is me, on my way to work this morning. All smiles, because this is my last day of work for almost two weeks!
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And this is Hubby. He is not on his way to work today, as he has been off work for 6 months. He is 48 years old and this is the first entire summer he has had off since he was 14. In 31 years together, this is only the second time I have seen him with a tan.

Goofy is his favourite character.
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And last year, he was obsessed with this over-sized "Stitchie". There was no room in our luggage, but this year, I am determined to buy it for him, and bring it home by any means necessary. Actually, I'm just going to bring our big SouthWest duffel bag, and pay for an extra bag coming home.

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This will be our first Disney trip, just the two of us, since 1992!

Okay, that's the Who.
Coming up next - the Where.

2017 here:

This will be my fourth live trip report in a year, and after NYC last week, I thought Hubby had reached his limit, but he says, "No, go ahead, do a live trip report. It lets me control the tv while you talk to your friends." (As we meet more of my WDWDisney friends, he uses finger quotes around "friends" less and less.)

So, here we go, another live trip report. I really don't have the will to do a post trip report, so it's "live" or nothing. Once I'm out of the bubble, I'm out.

Introductions.
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That would be me, Jennifer, on the left. Big Disney fan, big Blue Jays fan, big Hubby fan. Ace, in the middle - although he will always be BJ Birdie to me. Hubby, Mike, on the right. Although Mike is the one who first introduced me to Disney in 1991, it's not really his thing. He goes with me most years to make me happy. And also for the food.

As with our past three trips, we will be spending 11 days, 10 nights at Coronado Springs Resort. We booked a BounceBack offer before checking out last year, before knowing how much construction would be going on. Oh well, it is what it is. And what it is, is my favourite resort in my Happy Place; so it's all good.

We have a Preferred King room booked, which means Casitas 1, 2, or 3. Nonetheless, I think I will be sending in a room preference fax tomorrow asking for a refurbed King room in either 7A or 8A. I'll be happy either way. I am ridiculously easy to please whilst in WDW.

Yes, I am one of those Free Dining parasites. By booking the BB offer last year, we are actually getting the full DDP for free, instead of having to upgrade from QDP. I put great thought and effort into our ADR's. Mike is a big guy and eats a lot. The heat and humidity really kills my appetite, so Mike eats at least half of my meals too. (I've recently packed on 20 pounds, so that may be a good thing.)

Next up, our somewhat loosey goosey itinerary.

2018 here:

Technically this is a pre-trip report, but we’ll be going live in less than a week!

This will be my third live September trip report.
2016:
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/jennifers-is-live-9-7-16-9-17-16.918342/#post-7389286

2017:
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/jennifers-was-live-9-6-17-9-16-17.931263/#post-7871205

It’s going to be a lot of same old/same old, as the cast, location, and ADR’s are pretty much the same. What can I say - we like what we like. And what we like is each other, Walt Disney World, Coronado Springs, and Free Disney Dining.

First, the who.
Me, JenniferS - Uber planning, pixie dust snorting Disney-aholic, 51 year old kid at heart (despite what the mirror says).
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This is Hubby. He likes the Tar Heels, the Blue Jays, food, beer, and me. Not necessarily in that order.
The words most often heard coming out of his mouth are “Whatever you want, Baby.”
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This is us. We are adorable together. We’re each other’s ride or die.
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Last year, we were celebrating my 50th birthday (as much as women celebrate these “milestones”).

This year, we are celebrating Mike’s 50th (both of us born in August, so it’s close enough to count) AND our 25th wedding anniversary earlier this year.

We have children, but we don’t bring them to Disney very often anymore. If they decide to get married and start giving us grand-babies, I will re-visit this decision. But for now, they stay home. We are on Jen and Mike time.

After two live trip reports, I’m not sure how wordy this report will be, but it will be heavy on pics, most especially of food! As Mike says - I’m only here for the food.

To be continued ....

To be continued ....

 

[JenniferS]

Giraffe 48.

 

[NYwdwfan]

Leaving in 5 to go get J & K, and then we’re off to AK.

First stop - Starbuckies, so that tells you how our morning went.

The plan is to spend the typical 5 hours at AK, and then back to the resorts to change and de-funk. (Why is AK so bloody hot?!?)

Dinner is at the Yachtsman - one of our favourites, and then J wants to go to ESPN to watch some football. Because I am a kind, flexible, accommodating sister, I will leave the three sports enthusiasts at ESPN and meander into Epcot if time permits.

Catch at the entry plaza, just after 12:00.

Something tells me that despite getting dessert at the Yachtsman there may be a certain tall Canadian meandering over to Ample Hills during halftime.

 

[King Panda 77]

Leaving in 5 to go get J & K, and then we’re off to AK.

First stop - Starbuckies, so that tells you how our morning went.

The plan is to spend the typical 5 hours at AK, and then back to the resorts to change and de-funk. (Why is AK so bloody hot?!?)

Dinner is at the Yachtsman - one of our favourites, and then J wants to go to ESPN to watch some football. Because I am a kind, flexible, accommodating sister, I will leave the three sports enthusiasts at ESPN and meander into Epcot if time permits.

Catch at the entry plaza, just after 12:00.

Why is AK so hot ?



I blame ESPN

 

[JenniferS]

Something tells me that despite getting dessert at the Yachtsman there may be a certain tall Canadian meandering over to Ample Hills during halftime.

It’s like you KNOW him.

 

[NYwdwfan]

It’s like you KNOW him.

He really, really likes Ample Hills. I knew he would.

That's ooey gooey butter cake on the bottom, and you guessed it, strawberries and cream on top.

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I gave it all a pass. Seriously, I don't know where he puts it.

Ample Hills. Hubby was a big fan!

First visit - Strawberries & Cream
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Second visit - Sally Sells Seashells and Strawberries & Cream
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Third visit - Ooey Gooey Buttercake & you guessed it - Strawberries & Cream
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Hubby: You want to go for ice cream?
Me: Where?
Hubby: The Boardwalk.

He sure did like Ample Hills. I knew he would.
I'm surprised he didn't suggest staying at one of the Epcot resorts next year.

Hubby was addicted to this ice cream during our most recent vacation. Three visits in five days. He was sad that I hadn't introduced Ample Hills to him earlier in our trip.
I thought it was excellent, although I can take or leave hard ice cream generally.

We went whole hog, and paid OOP for the cookie cones the first time. After that, we just used snack credits. Hubby loooooooved the cookie cone. It was just way too much for me.

Quick breakdown of Days 2-6

9/7 - MK to start. Lunch at BOG
FP's for Space, 7 Dwarfs, and Big Thunder.
Evening at Epcot. Dinner at Garden Grill.

9/8 - Looks like DHS for the whole day.
FP's for TSMM, ToT, and the Frozen Singalong.
Mike will be at the Tune in Lounge while I visit Arendelle. Be sure to seek him out. My 50-year old pathetic, middle aged self LOVES the Singalong. I will sing. I will have a good time. I will embarrass myself. I will not care.

The closing of GMR so close to our trip is sad, but it just means we'll visit Indy for the first time in a few years. We will also stroll over to the Boardwalk so Mike can get some Ample Hills ice cream. He ONLY got to go there four times! last year, poor baby.
Lunch MAY be at PizzeRizzo. Dinner ADR is at Cape May. Should be done in time to make it back to see Star Wars fireworks.

9/9 - The day that should have been my Daddy's 70th birthday. Smoking is bad, people. Don't do it.
Today we are sleeping in. First FP's aren't until 3:00, so we'll probably have a late breakfast and hang out at the pool - weather permitting. Tonight is our Tusker House/ROL dining package. Eating at 4:45. Ugh! FP's are for Dinosaur, FOP, and KS.

9/10 - Back to MK.
FP's for 7DMT, PPF, and Space Mountain. We love Space Mountain. It ain't Disney if you're not crippled by the end of the trip.
Evening ADR's at Chef Art's Homecoming in Disney Springs. During our Spring Training trip in March, we spent the better part of two days at Disney Springs, so less time will be spent here as compared to last year.

9/11 - It's an early morning for us. We are doing the Wild Africa Trek at 8:45. This is a first for us. Mike doesn't like heights, but I just got him up to the top of One World Observatory and Top of the Rock last week, so he should be fine. REMIND ME TO PACK RUNNING SHOES!
FP's are for FoP, Dinosaur, and Expedition Everest.
I have a rest planned for the afternoon. Rest is code for nap. After our rest, we are headed to DHS. ADR's are for Sci Fi Diner. The food is pedestrian, but the atmosphere is fun, and boy oh boy, I do like milkshakes.
Maybe done in time for Fantasmic!; if not we'll watch the SW fireworks again.

This was his Ample Hills night. If things get messed up, that’s on him.

Also, I was able to change lunch at LTT from 1:00 to 1:50.

Pretty sure that makes this a “breakfast at Gaston’s day”. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Monday, 9/10:
Yay, more time with @Eric1955. “But first” (that's only funny if you’re a Big Brother fan - if they’re smart, they’ll evict Haleigh before Fessy), we’re headed to Epcot. Not early. Maybe 10:30. If you’ve read previous trip reports, you know, “or not”.

First FP’s aren’t until just before noon, so 10:30 is a pretty optimistic guesstimate at best.

FP’s today include LwTL, SSE, and Frozenstrom. Stand-by will include Soarin’, Figment, Nemo, and some WS offerings. Darn you Epcot, with your stupid “tiers”.

Lunch will be either at Sunshine Seasons again, somewhere in WS, or just using snack credits throughout F&WF. Whatever we do, we must not get too full, as we are going to HDDR tonight. Tier 1 seating for the 6:15 show. Eric has never been, and we are so excited to share tonight with him. This is always such a fun evening, and the food ain’t half bad.

This is from 2015. Even my son who wrecks every picture by scowling or making a stupid face, is clearly having fun.
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Plans indicate that we’re leaving Epcot by 4:30, so we can freshen up and drive to FW with time to spare.

We have no plans for after dinner, so we’ll see what, if anything, Eric wants to do. Either way, I’m driving.

Tuesday, 9/11:
I hate typing the date that way. The memories are not good. For anyone.

Today is an MK morning. We are planning on getting there at 9:00’ish. Not rope drop per se, but certainly not too much later. Or that’s the plan anyway.

Brekkie at Gaston’s. We’ll split the ginormous cinnamon bun.

FP’s start at 10:00, and include 7DMT, Splash, and PPF.

Lunch is just before 2:00 at Liberty Tree Tavern. Mike can use a TS credit, I’m just getting salad. We’ll split this:
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We were originally headed to Epcot by 4:00 for an early’ish ADR, but then a week or so ago, Mike mentioned that he was sad that we weren’t eating at “Mexico”; prompting me to drop a 6:20 Chefs de France and pick up San Angel Inn. At such short notice though, the best time I could get was 9:00. We generally eat late at home, so no biggie.

There was supposed to be an after dinner stroll to Ample Hills today, but instead, we’ll go before dinner. Mike is obsessed with the ice cream here. I don’t care for hard-scooped ice cream, so I could take it or leave it. Given that we’ll be going BEFORE dinner, I’ll probably “leave it”.

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No plans for after dinner. Probably just some swimming, as Wednesday is not an early start.

 

[JenniferS]

The best part of waking up is Starbuckies in your cup!

In a 15 minute SB line for NRJ, and then lunch at Satu’li.

Empty stand-by queue. Boo ya!

 

[JenniferS]

Except you do actually know him.

 

[NYwdwfan]

Except you do actually know him.

I do - but it was still fun finding the posts!!

 

[JenniferS]

NRJ actually was 15 minutes. Yay.

 

[JenniferS]

Satu’li - hot, flavourful food, AC, and beer. What more could you ask for?

Mine. I seemed to get the well done ends. That’s okay.

Mike got the chicken & beef combo.

J & K’s libations.

For some reason they gave J a 16 oz blond, but gave Mike and me 22 oz. I swapped one of ours for his, ‘cause I am his favourite sister!

2 of these are Mike’s. 2 are mine.
I’ll leave it to you to sort it out.

J got the noodle base with chicken & beef combo.

K got exactly the same as me, but with a different sauce.

 

[JenniferS]

Sometimes you gotta kiss a lot of frogs ...

... before you find your prince.

 

[JenniferS]

Not too much happening on the Safari.
Too hot. Wrong time of day. Wrong side of vehicle.

An elephant can hold 4-5 gallons of water in its trunk. You think that’s impressive? I can hold 4-5 oz of water in my bladder. Sometimes.

No shakedy bridge today. Better for K’s back anyway.

 

[JenniferS]

 

[JenniferS]

For Pete’s sake!

 

[trr1]

For Pete’s sake!

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magic bands from the Yeti eating people?

 

[JenniferS]

After our Yeti encounter, we went back in time.
Sorry, this ride is too dark to be all that much fun. I can’t see anything. (And no, I wasn’t wearing my sunglasses.)
Also, we had four hysterical shriekers behind us. They literally screamed through the whole thing. Good grief.

Kevin!

Back to Pandora.

Some kind of cool refreshing slushy drink ... with popping boba balls. I nearly asked the server to skip the balls, but I’m glad I didn’t. They were good. One drink for each couple.

Lumpia. ❤ Nobody else wanted any, so I didn’t have to share.

 

[JenniferS]

We dropped J & K back at Pop, and then returned to our resort to go swimming. No pics, because hey, a promise is a promise.

We are showered, and dressed in completely clean clothes, and smelling fresh as a daisy ... on the way to pick up J & K for dinner.

Yachtsman pics up next. I already know what I’m getting. Onion pull aparts, more onion pull aparts, meat, maybe another onion pull apart, and probably bread pudding for dessert. That’s a lot of carbs right there, so I’ll make sure to enjoy every single bite.

 

[NYwdwfan]

We dropped J & K back at Pop, and then returned to our resort to go swimming. No pics, because hey, a promise is a promise.

We are showered, and dressed in completely clean clothes, and smelling fresh as a daisy ... on the way to pick up J & K for dinner.

Yachtsman pics up next. I already know what I’m getting. Onion pull aparts, more onion pull aparts, meat, maybe another onion pull apart, and probably bread pudding for dessert. That’s a lot of carbs right there, so I’ll make sure to enjoy every single bite.

Can’t wait for the photos.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

For Pete’s sake!

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Ugh!!! We can't someone take a broom out there and sweep it all away!? And why do people think this is a cool thing to do?

Lovin' your report, by the way.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

We dropped J & K back at Pop, and then returned to our resort to go swimming. No pics, because hey, a promise is a promise.

We are showered, and dressed in completely clean clothes, and smelling fresh as a daisy ... on the way to pick up J & K for dinner.

Yachtsman pics up next. I already know what I’m getting. Onion pull aparts, more onion pull aparts, meat, maybe another onion pull apart, and probably bread pudding for dessert. That’s a lot of carbs right there, so I’ll make sure to enjoy every single bite.

You had me at onion pull apart....