Trip Report JenniferS Is Live - 9/7/16 - 9/17/16

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! :jawdrop:

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

Scoppin

Well-Known Member
JenniferS said:
Day 3.
(Not too busy at work yet, can you tell?)

Epcot - in the AM. Rope drop? Probably. Or pretty close to it anyway.

FP's:
Soarin' - 11:45
Spaceship Earth - 12:45
Mission Space - Green (Hubby won't do Orange anymore. Dramatic sigh this time.) - 2:00

No actual lunch today as dinner is outrageously early. As in 4:30! I'm more likely to eat lunch at this time, but there you have it - the perils of booking ADR's at the 130 day mark vs the 180 mark.

Anyways, back to that outrageous 4:30 ressie time ... Tutto Italia.
While not the same restaurant, this is the same location (and mural from the Original Alfredo's) where we shared our first ever meal in WDW, way back in October of 1991.

Pasta at 4:30 would surely make me sluggish and ugh for the rest of the day, so I am planning on the shrimp risotto. Time will tell if I actually stick to the plan. Hubby, I'm guessing will go for a chicken parm if they offer it (can't remember, because it was never on MY list) or lasagna. That's my bet, anyways.

After dinner, we plan on heading to DHS for EME. This is also the night to see the SW projection show/fireworks thingie. We're not huge fans of Fantasmic, so if we can only catch one or the other, I'd rather be well positioned for the show I haven't seen.

I will miss Frozen, Frozen, Everywhere at DHS. I was in my glory last year. I must have belted out "Let it Go" a dozen times. Plus, the Frozen fireworks were absolutely wonderful!

Other than the SW show, we will be playing DHS by ear. ToT will be ridden. Hopefully multiple times. R'nRC will depend upon how the risotto is sitting.

Late night tonight. Some kind of snack/light meal will be had at DHS at some point.

And that's a wrap for Day 3.
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You had difficultly getting your ADRs? I am not sure if it was beginner's luck but was able to get the majority of what I wanted for the kids when I finally booked the trip in late May. (We will be there about a week after you). I believe this put us about 2 months past the 180 day mark. But then again, I was looking for different ADRs than you, mostly character dinning.

how you getting to DHS from Epcot? I am planning an afternoon at Epcot then evening at DHS in order to catch Fantasmic and a few other shows.
 
S

Scoppin

Well-Known Member
JenniferS said:
Day 6:

AM - Epcot. Early. Rope Drop? Who knows, although that is the plan. For us, FP+ has eliminated the need to hit rope drop. Our days are much more leisurely. Also, it doesn't hurt that we will be visiting during two of the quietest weeks of the year.

FP's:
Spaceship Earth - 9:35
Turtle Talk - 10:35
Frozenstrom - 11:50

My calendar indicates that I am planning on hitting Soarin' at Rope Drop, and I wouldn't want to argue with my meticulously planned calendar, would I?

I also see a notation that this is Ample Hills day. Hubby loves scooped ice cream. I just love the name Ample Hills.

QS at Epcot, so this means Sunshine Seasons or Kringla in Norway.

The plan is then to hit MK just before 3:00, in case my FoF parade plans did not pan out on the first day.

Rides will be ridden. Attractions/shows will be viewed. Which ones exactly - who knows?

From MK, it is a leisurely walk over to the Contemporary for a 7:00'ish ADR at The Wave. This is our current favourite 1 credit TS restaurant. Oh wait, did I mention that we are doing the DDP. Free. (And yes, I know it's not "free".) And yes, I know that I am the reason that the food has declined so drastically, while prices have escalated so dramatically. How dare I take advantage of a Disney Promotion?!

I dare.
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I have noticed you like Spaceship Earth. Is that the third time I have seen a FP for it?
 
S

Scoppin

Well-Known Member
JenniferS said:
Day 8:
Our trip is winding down, which is why I have reserved the ADR big guns for last. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself ....

Wednesday, September 14.
AM - Epcot
This is at least the third time that we are starting off the day at the same park we closed out the night before. It's a scheduling thing. I am bucking Josh's advice by attending the EME park the night before, but following his advice regarding the park the next day. Josh doesn't know I have ParkHopper Passes. Someone really should tell him.

FP's:
Spaceship Earth - 9:50
Frozenstrom - 11:20
Imagination - 12:45

This is the first day of Food & Wine Festival. I am not a fan of F&WF. But for the crowds, Hubby is.

I'm sure he'll have a few libations before dinner at the Yachtsman at 6:40. I'm sure there's a reason I chose to eat this early. *Shrug*

Oh wait, it's EME at MK again. Guess where we'll be. Even better, guess where we start Day 9. :facepalm:
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Okay four times, but maybe there will be more.
 
JenniferS

JenniferS

When you're the leader, you don't have to follow.
Original Poster
Scoppin said:
You had difficultly getting your ADRs? I am not sure if it was beginner's luck but was able to get the majority of what I wanted for the kids when I finally booked the trip in late May. (We will be there about a week after you). I believe this put us about 2 months past the 180 day mark. But then again, I was looking for different ADRs than you, mostly character dinning.

how you getting to DHS from Epcot? I am planning an afternoon at Epcot then evening at DHS in order to catch Fantasmic and a few other shows.
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We'll drive. Slight hassle in the afternoon equals zero hassle at the end of the night.

Parking is free if you're staying on site. Else wise, you only pay once/day. Once you've paid at Epcot, you can park free at any other park for the rest of the day.
 
S

Scoppin

Well-Known Member
JenniferS said:
Alrighty then, Day 9.

AM at, wait for it ... MK. (Thanks for playing along.)

But not until we have brekkie at Kona. Going out on a limb here, but I'm predicting Macadamia Nut Pancakes for me, and the Big Kahuna for Hubby.
Hubby will insist we share a French press pot of Kona coffee. As long as he doesn't think he's getting a $6 glass of juice. (I'm frugal. Can't help it. Nothing without alcohol should cost six bucks. Add in exchange, that's eight bucks!). This meal is OOP.

And lookie here, a different FP!
Peter Pan's Flight - 11:35
Space Mountain - 12:35
Mine Train - 1:40

I think an afternoon break is in order, before heading to Disney Springs. I am beyond excited that I get decent ressies for Chef Art's Homecoming. I'm having the chicken and mashed potatoes. (And then probably a heart attack, but we have good traveller's insurance, so it will all be worth it.)

The rest of the evening is slated for DS. Another "Flex Day" tomorrow AM, so we can stay as late as we like.)
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We will be checking in sometime this night after making it from Tampa.
 
S

Scoppin

Well-Known Member
JenniferS said:
Day 10. Gasp, I hate the double digits. It means it's almost time to come home ... and start planning next year's trip.

AM - Flex Day. If we are not overly tired, we may hit DHS in the late AM. I have a decided shortage of Rod Serling and Steven Tyler on my schedule.

Last park day, and late afternoon is scheduled for MK. Hooray, hooray, IaSW reopens today (fingers crossed), but I'm really hoping to catch a soft opening before then.

FP's:
Really shaking things up here. :joyfull:
Haunted Mansion - 3:00
Mine Train - 4:05 (Despite this ride really crushing Hubby's obnoxiously long legs, we've really come to love it.)
PotC - 5:10

Best ressie for last. Narcoossee's at 7:30'ish. I may push this back to half an hour later, but this is also pack up to go home night, so we'll see.)

Magic 8-ball predicts 2-lb Maine lobster for me, Surf 'n Turf for my bigger half.
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This will be our first day at the parks and MK it is. We may be walking in with you, after being there earlier in the morning and heading back to the hotel to get ready for the party that night.
 
JenniferS

JenniferS

When you're the leader, you don't have to follow.
Original Poster
Scoppin said:
Okay four times, but maybe there will be more.
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Spaceship Earth is a FP filler. Stupid tiers at Epcot and DHS. Hopefully they are eliminated once DHS is fully fleshed out with the SWL and TSPL expansions.

Epcot's problem is that it has 3 bona fide Tier One attractions which actually require the use of FP, and a whole bunch of lesser attractions that do not need FP at all.

For us, it's pick Frozenstrom or Soarin' from Tier One, and just go eenie meenie minie mo for the other two. Seriously, I FastPassed Turtle Talk. :facepalm:
 
Donillary Crumpton

Donillary Crumpton

Well-Known Member
JenniferS said:
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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Goofy is the one on the left, I assume (?) :confused:

Have a safe trip down to Florida. Cannot wait to hear about your live adventures as they unfold. Have a blast, and remember that you don't care for Kona's sausage. You must order bacon.
 
JenniferS

JenniferS

When you're the leader, you don't have to follow.
Original Poster
Not a big deal, but I forgot the "How".
(The "Why" goes without saying.)

We will be waking up at 3:30'ish. Generally this means that I won't sleep at all, as I am seldom asleep before 2:30 anyway. We are flying out of Buffalo, which is our preferred airport. It's just about the same distance from home as Pearson, minus the hassle and the over-priced parking fees. Even with the atrocious rate of exchange, it's still cheaper to fly out of Buffalo.

One extra bonus, by clearing Customs and Immigration by land, we have no hassles once we land. It's just a matter of grabbing our bags and going.

We plan to be on the road by 4:00. Hubby is always late with our "on the road by" times, except when it comes to leaving for an airport.

JetBlue is our preferred airline due to the extra leg room (for Hubby) and the individual tv sets on the back of the headrests. Sadly, you have to pay for each checked bag vs SouthWest's two free bags/person, but this is one of those occasions where I have to put my cheapness aside.

This is a pic from last year's take-off - 8/22.
That plume of smoke/steam on the right, is actually the mist rising from the Horseshoe Falls - aka the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. I think I reserved seats on the opposite side of the plane for tomorrow's flight, so I will not be able to capture this shot again.

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We should be in the air by 7:30 AM and rolling into MCO by 10:00.

Despite this being my 13th Disney vacation, I am as excited as the first trip back in 1991, probably more so, because I know what to expect, and I've planned it all myself.

P.S. - Hubby insists you need to know that he has been with me on 10 of my 12 trips, plus another 11 before he met me. So yay, he wins.

Of course he wins, he has me. :joyfull:
 

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