Trip Report Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever! **COMPLETE**

Greetings ! My father @Big Hair and I have been talking about trip reports our last 3 trips. I finally joined the forums and have been scoping things out to give it a shot. A little background were michiganders with a love for magic,food, and spirits. Dads a big time planner and has drilled the Disney plans into us from the beginning. My wife and my sister make up the rest of our magical pirate crew. Dad being DVC we go more often than most but always do new things and cross things off the Disney bucket list. Our trip in late Oct into Nov we did alot but this trip was to see how much we could do in two park days....and not die!

Pre-trip must do's
The Edison ( my wife and i have been waiting for over a year)
Blizzard beach ( hit typhoon last time )
Big thunder at night ( one of my personal favs )
Maximize our quick service
Trader sams

Anytime we can drag dad to downtown disney ( we still call it that ) is a win. He's not so much into the new vibe.



Cheap airfare and trying out a value resort new to us ( all star sports ) enabled us to book a 3 night stay and getaway from the mitten ! Dad also discovered my wife and I had a day left on our park tickets from our previous trip in February. My wife and I were incredibly ill 3 days of a 10 day trip the previous February. But if you have to be deathly ill 2 days in a beach club 2 bedroom villa at Disney isn't the worst place


So the stage has been set for a whirlwind trip of laughs and magic ! Our two favorite things with our fantastic 4 of Disney junkies !

my wife Laura and sister ciarra

Myself and the infamous BIGHAIR



The stage has been set. The big lady was warming up and we couldn't wait to give it all we had !
Watch our Disney the Ricciardi Party is coming in hot !

 

[Pardonmypixiedust]

We made good time heading to Grand Rapids. No lay-overs this time. GR is a nice smooth airport. Not much foot traffic and was recently remodeled. Two nice bars. It was finished after our last trip so it was nice, shiny, and new ! We had TSA precheck so we were through in a matter of minutes.

We were 25 mins early for boarding so we all had our preflight adult beverage. My wife and sister grabbed a quick bite while we scoped out our A-boarding area. Which for the record is worth the $15 to us. Always good be up front when you in a hurry to chase some magic !

We arrived at all star sports a little after 8 pm. My phone was dead from the flight ! Rookie mistake.....
We decided to hit some quick service which I think all star sports has a good bang for your buck! It was chaos. We all knew what needed to be done so grabbed a que and waited patiently. 3 of us in different lines to get the most expensive and best sounding food. Worked like a charm. Dad was overcome by the chaos and ended up at the bar for a drink. He of course collected all the napkins and condiments prior to scurrying away and letting us kids take care of the rest.
#TEAMWORK

it's rather amazing we did this really with little communication. It dawned on me this trip that we are quite the well oiled machine. Once you've had the strollers rammed in your heels and dealt with a mass of people who didn't plan you adapt and move forward.

We grabbed a drink and headed to the room. I initially went up to check the room before we grabbed our QS. Oh! And plugged my phone in!!
We had a few bites and decided to goto the poly for trader sams !

Our taxi was great! Still haven't had a bad one from mears. Great convo heading into the poly was a plus! One thing about being DVC is when you get to a resort they always say welcome home. We mentioned this on the way to the poly. No one said welcome home yet ! LoL! The guard who let us in saved the day. A quick glance at the taxi ID and....

WELCOME HOME !

The magic flows strong in that one !

Phone charged and now some pics finally.

Just something special about the poly. Truly a special place for us. Onward to trader sams ! Last time we only got to sit outside it was so busy. This time were in!

My wife's favorite ! Trader sams potsrickers! We tried them last trip when we sat outside on the patio. FYI those chili's are Hottt! I ate the one last time.....FIYAH!

Hot dang! They were hotter this time i swear! Tis' tradition now =-) Shipwreck on the rocks to coooool the palate!

After a few drinks and good laughs with bartender Nathan he used some Disney magic to pull off a trick!

All of a sudden ciarra realized she had come down to earth!! Boy did we have a good laugh at this!!!
As you can see they catch you having a good time and pull a classic trader sams trick !

Well our midnight curfew was upon us...
Back to the resort via mears taxi we went. Another good driver and smooth trip ! Also for sayings sake the taxis always show up very quick. A few times we've also happened upon one waiting for instant departure.

After taking care of the rest of our QS dad so strategically planned earlier (for after sams consumption) we laid heady down for the magic that awaited us the next day !
AK here we come !!!

I was the last one awake. This is magical music to my ears at Disney! Often when im missing disney i pull a loop of this up on youtube. Always makes me smile ! a great bit of pixie dust to slip into neverland with =-)
Nah night to day one.

 

[Pardonmypixiedust]

Day 2 AM
AK

Dad and I were on the bus at 8 am. Late start but we were optimistic. Arriving at the park we didn't wait by the bridge before the tree. We were now more optimistic we would get on FOP in decent time. After a quick left, beating feet I noticed something going over the bridge to avatar. To my right I noticed people along the walkway in the distance heading to Africa. Didn't think much of this at first and mentioned to @Big Hair must be a tour.

Didn't take long to realize that was the cue. About 845 the wait time was almost 2.5 hrs. Ours would of been well over 1.5. We mutually admitted defeat and texted the girls to meet us at Starbucks on way to Africa. After some espresso, coffees,and some subpar breakfast wraps onward to FP #1.

The Safari.

The wife got a great pic of the new baby hippo!
We learned she was pregnant on our last trip on Halloween last year. Very cool to see the calf so young.

A quick look at dad's favorite gorilla we were on our way to FP #2

The Expedition ( family fave )

We grabbed some chocolate covered pineapple on the way from Zuri's Sweet shop ( family must do! )
Quick restroom stop and were on our way.

Cool note. This area was cleaned up in October. Disney traditions live on.

It was about an hour until our final FP. We decided to walk through dinoland and check the Quick service restaurantousaurus. We were about 45 mins early for their opening. I always use the restroom over there waiting for or getting off dinosaur. It's always playing "it's the end if the world as we know it " of course it did not disappoint

So minor change of plans. Heading to a bugs life

Always nice to go on things at different times and trips. Alot of Disney Ques are more impressive every time.

Another constant giver at Disney is children's reactions to the attractions. We had a large group of young kids. Most of the fun is listening to their waves of emotions throughout the experience. My daughter really enjoyed this when she was 4, her first trip. I always try and prepare for the stinger...to no avail

Time has come for that last FP. Right on time.

I was able to catch one of favorite pictures while at Disney.

Belly laughing trex

Just after 12 pm were discussing QS options on the way out.

Day 2 part 2 has a wild card up it's sleeve.

Stay tuned.

 

[Big Hair]

Great trip report! It's almost like I was there with you, oh wait, I was, and it was fabulous.

 

[Bullseye1967]

following along

 

[Pardonmypixiedust]

following along

I appreciate that bullseye.

 

[Pardonmypixiedust]

Day 2 pt.2

After finishing up at AK we decided to knock two things off our Disney bucket list. Blizzard beach and the QS they have there. Got lucky and caught a bus in less than 5 mins from AK to BB. Another great helper at Disney is the app. We use it countless times during our Disney trips. Upon boarding the bus we were quickly going through the menu on the app.

Upon arrival we found a ghost town. It was 82° with decent amount of humidity. What a stroke of Disney luck !

I spy SUMMIT PLUMMET !

We had a very nice lunch. We did well maximizing our QS with a mid-priced menu! My dad and sister got to take advantage of the new QS beverage option and had a beer !

The legend of BLIZZARD BEACH !

We changed and packed our stuff into one large locker. $15 for a large made it hard to spring for a second. Took a few tries but she locked.Water park means no phone. I would bet the park was at less than 10% capacity. We had a run of the place. I was doing my best to talk the crew into doing the PLUMMET. Ended up everyone but my wife taking the plunge and I did it twice. Man what a RUSH !
We probably did 95% of slides and the lazy river twice. It was truly awesome !!! I mean what luck !
Mid 80s and we had executive access!

We ended up soaking up the sun and burning 3.5 hrs there. We got some good rays and had an even better time. We now have typhoon and blizzard beach off the list in our last 2 trips. Hopped on a bus at around 4 pm to head back to the room for a little ciesta before late night EPCOT!

Shortly after arriving back at the room there was a knock at the door. We received a nice card and some Magic Disney chocolate !

Sometimes its the little small things that Disney does that you remember the most. Some may say they do this for everyone but our trip was going so well it really made smile. Nothing like a cherry on your magic sundae to give you that extra pep heading into the evening.


Day 2 part 3 coming soooooon

 

[Pardonmypixiedust]

Day 2 part treeee

While leaving AK in the late morning @Big Hair picked up a FP for soaring at 7:05. Late night magic hours and a family must do led to EPCOT calling our name.

Soarin is one that never disappoints. I was lucky enough for our first trip in 2011 to "smell" the oranges. The new one is very good but I will always prefer my first experience.

Onward to Canada

One of the biggest reasons we are able to come to Disney is my dad. One of the biggest reasons he bought into DVC was my step mom of 25 years, Rae. Rae passed away in August of 2016 after a battle with ALS. One of the things they always did at EPCOT was stop by Canada and have a shot of maple crown. Tradition and remembrance unite for a toast to a woman who was deeply loved, and terribly missed.

Keep moving forward as Walt would say....

Tangerine cafe

Wasn't busy and got our food fast. We often order and share with each other at new places.
We ended up ordering 4 different things

Shawarma chicken and lamb platter
Lamb wrap
Falafel wrap
Mediterranean sliders

Dad got a wine and Ciarra a beer. Very cool to be able to do this towards your QS now =-) Overall we were fairly unimpressed. The lamb was better than most gyro places I've had. If you like gyros definitely stop by here. If not carry on.

We were just finishing up and heard the 15 mins until illuminations. We grabbed some jofferys and posted up on a nice rail between America and Italy.

My wife's first time seeing the show. Cross it off the bucket list. Rather underwhelming but the point still stands strong.

My sister and I wanted to ride mission space because the wait time was so low. Dad wanted to hit 3 caballeros and get a avocado margarita. For some reason I've always called it 3 bandoleros!
And bandoleros it shall be =-P

Quick stop in Italy for one if my favorite spots at the showcase.

Poseidon is a great sight at night.

We were going to hit the movie in China but it wasn't open during late night hours. Dad however didnt miss the photo-op.


Arriving in Mexico we went in the side door where I noticed this beautiful piece of Mesoamerican art.

The Mexico stop in the showcase is very neat. We always enjoy the artwork. I always say I'm going to buy a skull but there so darn expensive! The wife and I decided to spring for two small skull keychains this time for my daughter. For $9 a piece LOL!

On to the ride!

My favorite bandoleros!

After the ride @Big Hair got his margarita and Ciarra tried one of there seasonal promotion drinks. Some special tequila drink for $21. Don't think it was quite worth it she said but an experience nonetheless!

While making our way to mission space we came across an abandoned stroller....i suggested to the wife to hop in. Photo-OP!

Fits like a glove! A little fun on the run =-)

We got to mission space with about 30 mins left before park close. Ciarra was the only one that would go with me ! Of course she's always down for fun with her brother ! We had a really neat experience. A little girl was celebrating her birthday with her dad. They were the other 2 in our crew. After noticing her birthday badge I wished her a magical birthday! Her dad and I talked a little and I informed her that she was in charge. She was the captain and we were at her service. This was her first time and she went right for the more intense side. She was a trooper! We were all playing the part shouting out our orders and 10-4s. We really played it up at the end for the landing. We really got dramatic and then all claps when we didn't go off the cliff. A truly magical experience and her dad thanked us afterwards.

This picture will always have a great story behind it. Truly a great experience!

The park was closing and we were a bit hungry. Our long walk to the all star bus stop outside epcot took 84 years. Well you know that not to be true but boy that baby is out there ! Didn't wait long. Less than 10 mins. We arrived back at the resort and hit the QS before heading back to the room. The buffalo chicken sandwich is very good. The pork tenderloin as well. Ciarra tried to tackle the double bacon burger. She got about 75% done and gave. I don't blame her. I would have my battle against that monster the next night.

It was a truly awesome day. 3 parks. All the laughs and good times with my favorite Disney bandoleros!


Next up day 3
Including hollywood studios, the Edison, baylake fireworks with a fellow forum member, and our last night-late night at MK.

Thanks for following my first trip report. Your likes and views are apperciated =-)

 

[*Flynnderella*]

sounds like you had great fun in mission space! I went on alone last time because none of my family can stand the spinning and I had a really boring team could have done with your enthusiasm great report & looking forward to reading more!

 

[Pardonmypixiedust]

Day 3 pt.1

No early hours so a little sleep in and non-hurrying morning is always good. Heading to Hollywood studios. My wife's favorite.
On the bus just after 8 am. Arrived at the park about 8:25.

Pretty good spot for rope drop. I hate it when people think they're smooth and try and walk down the sidewalks past you before rope drop. A CM had to tell 20 different people to go back. Then of course they try and squeeze in with or around you. It's just so irritating. After the drop we best feet to rockin' rollercoaster. Less than 10 mins with the walk.

Always working in our poses!

Onward to a family fave!

I am the worst selfie taker in the world.

We had sometime before our FP for toy story. Waited in line for 10 mins outside TOT @ jofferys for our caffeine fix. One girl working. No rush.
Ahhhhh espresso!

We decided to do one man's dream as it's a tradition, and we had to see chewy again of course because my wife LOVES HIM!!!

While waiting for Walt's movie we did meet & greet with starlord and groot. Only a little disappointed it was baby groot. Very neat experience nonetheless!

Enough time had passed for our FP so away we went to toy story.

We saw this little guy taking a water break. Gotta stay hydrated at Disney !

A little back story my dad and I are in fierce competition on this ride. He is known as Mr.Disney in our family. Therefore he has a reputation to uphold. I beat him last time so I'm looking for my first winning streak. The Que was different due to construction. We of course had some competitive banter during our wait for the ride. The time was drawing near.

Who would win ? @Big Hair or the son gunning for the throne???

Yeah I smoked him! As you can see my "spray & pray" battle plan is 2-0

After reattaching my wrist we headed to the baseline taphouse before our last FP. Dad highly recommends this place. It's a great atmosphere with good drinks and great small plates.

We ordered the Bavarian pretzel & California cheese and charcuterie plate. My wife had a negroni. Ciarra the California sunset. Water for me please ! Not much of a day drinker at all.

Mr.Disney had the create your own beer flight.

I highly recommend this place. The charcuterie plate was exceptional ! The 3 amigos said the drinks were great as well!

 

[Pardonmypixiedust]

Day 3 pt.1 continues

Just outside baseline we snagged a pic of Mr.Disney is his natural habitat

Star tours was the last FP of the day.

I have never sat and watched the show outside of star tours but boy the kids always seem excited. Put that on my list for next trip.

Star tours is my least favorite ride at HS. I just find it incredibly underwhelming. When in rome....

We did have a mother and a younger daughter ( 6 maybe ) and looked to be 10 year old son in front of us. The entire wait to get on after lined up the girl was crying and yelling. When we boarded it got worse. For the first time in my Disney journeys I witnessed a CM remove a party from an attraction. The CM did say if she couldn't get her to quiet down she was going to have to ask her to step off. The CM handled the whole situation with class and politeness. The poor little boy was rather upset. I felt bad for the mother but worse for him.

After the ride we hit the family tradition on the way out

The tune in lounge!

Waiting for the girls to smoke we spotted the new Disney Skyliner location under construction

This will be pretty neat ! Hoping we will be able to buy into the Rivera DVC when it opens ( maybe ! )

I finally got to ride the Thor bus!!

We are on our way to Downtown Disney for our LONG awaited stop at the Edison. My wife and I have been waiting impatiently for quite some time for this to be open!!!!

Next up an in depth middle class review of the Edison

stay tuned

 

[Pardonmypixiedust]

Oh my LANTA! @Big Hair almost had my head.
Dad got this elusive non-redcard on toy story

 

[Pardonmypixiedust]

The Edison

We arrived at Disney springs shortly after 1 pm. Wanted to arrive a little early to check out the place.
We really enjoyed the architecture and vibe throughout the experience.

FINALLY!!!

We sat at the lower level with a view out the window of Saratoga.

We really enjoyed the "steam punk" feel

Ricciardi party famous "Disney Pose"

The "gents" restroom. Very neat.

The stage where they have live music and other acts.

Love the bar!

 

[Pardonmypixiedust]

The foooood and spirits!

I got the mocktail "the apple propellant"

The wife got the " Time Turner " she enjoyed it.

Dads Strong "city of light"

Ciarra got "the Edison" strong and potent.

We were pretty hungry so we HAD to try some appetizers.

My personal favorite calmari!
It was pretty decent. 8/10

These were a treat! Lamb meatballs. DELICIOUS!!!
10/10

A Few sips, a few bites, and taking in the atmosphere. It was very quiet, low lit, and relaxing. It was a good wind down from the morning.

Lunch is served !

My wife had the organic tomato soup and gooey grilled cheese. It was stellar.
9/10

The Greek salad for me. Needed some greens in my Disney diet plus i ate half of the calmari. Nothing exciting. Edible.
6.5/10

Ciarra got "The Edison" burger was excellent. Fries leave something to be desired. Burger 9/10

Impossible burger. @Big Hair read about it and had to try it. Honestly it was amazing. Burger 10/10

We really had a nice meal. Lunch here like I stated was quiet and peaceful. Might have just been the day but it will definitely have repeat business from us. Especially if we have time at night to check out late night festivities.

Heading back to the room to relax for a minute then head out to the top of the world for fireworks. Meeting up with a fellow wdwmagic forum member and late night LAST night @ MK.


Thanks for following =-)

 

[sheriffwoody]

enjoying your report! I definitely want to get a meal at the Edison sometime. The atmosphere there at night was incredible!

 

[Pardonmypixiedust]

Quick ciesta and were off to fireworks at the top of the world! Met fellow forum-r @RedNoseMickey around 730 so we could get a good table. Some refreshments and appetizers along with a great chat!

SM flexing in the distance. One of my favorite views at night. After HEA ( which my favorite part is robins voice ) we traveled with rednose in the for our last hooorah of the trip. Late night at MK.

I eagerly anticipated my favorite MK night attraction. Big THUNDA mountain wail woad. A first for rednose. A Disney MUST doooo!

I truly get giddy riding this at night.

@Big Hair @RedNoseMickey having in depth discussions of Disney folklore and scripture.

The inside scoop on the "tangled" loo by your restroom correspondent Lou. This was brought to my attention by @RedNoseMickey that @Tuvalu would enjoy this thoroughly. @Big Hair has been requesting I finish this report for weeks just for This, Lol! I hope it brings some smiles.

Last ride was Peter pan. I had not been through the long cue. The end of our whirlwind journey. 5 parks 3 days. It was a slow walk out of the kingdom.

Saying our good byes to the magic we love so much. I suppose it's not goodbye but see you soon....

Ps- a nice treat for our 30 min wait for a bus. My first double! And we definitely rode in the middle !

 

[Pardonmypixiedust]

Alas! The final photo !

 

[Tuvalu]

The men’s room has FRYING PANS???!!!!!

 

[Big Hair]

Tangled restroom light fixtures pic was a special nod to @DocDisney.

 

[Rista1313]

A new view... the mens room! We usually only get to see the Ladies room!