Trip Report Lounge Lizards Love Luxuriating

I'm back from a recent 9 day trip with DH @MSUJafar and DD @StupidJudy98. First though I'd like to go back in time to May for a trip I like to call "A farewell to all the things that are leaving, but mostly the Muppets."
The May trip was just E and I. We stayed at Saratoga Springs.

E with his favorite horse. I'm going to be honest...I was a really lazy picture taker on this trip which is why I chose not to do a full trip report for it. Actually I was a pretty lazy picture taker on the August trip as well compared to the amount I used to take.
Anywho, let's get the May portion started!
We had really good luck with transportation and we ended up being the very first guests at Magic Kingdom on our first morning there. They even made a big deal about the guy in the red shirt being the first one there.
Unfortunately E got pulled over and searched.

In hindsight, I should not have been polite and waited for him. If I had left him, I could have been the first one at the tapstiles. As it happened, we were only the third group of people in.
We were the first ones at the tapstiles on our HS day.

And we rope dropped ToT and were on the first elevator.

I'm getting off track here. This TR is just supposed to be about the things we'll miss.
Our last visit to see the Muppets. They had a PP photographer out by Miss Piggy's fountain. Finally showing her the respect she deserves!

They tried to hire us on the spot due to our obviously superior acting skills. We turned them down though. We had some Muppets to see!

 

[Minnie1986]

I tried to take in as much as I could before the show started.
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The movie posters have always amused me!

Thank you so much for posting these photos. I miss the Muppets so much, and am very grateful to have gotten to experience it with at least one of my nieces.

 

[Minnie1986]

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It was time to enter the theater.
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I wish this wasn't blurry.
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"Sorry lady!"
We enjoyed the show as always. I don't think I've ever made a trip to HS and NOT seen this show. It was one that absolutely everyone in our family loved. Yes, I cried on the way out.

I snapped some goodbye photos on our way out. I can't believe I forgot Pizza Rizzo and Gonzo's Royal Flush!
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[Minnie1986]

On our MK day, we prioritized one last ride on the Liberty Square Riverboat.
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We opted to not make one last trip to Tom Sawyer Island. E is still kind of salty that they don't hide the paintbrushes anymore! For those who don't know, paintbrushes used to be hidden on the island at the beginning of the day. If you found one, you would trade it for Fast Passes for your group to either Big Thunder or Splash Mountain.
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I can't remember the exact year, but it was probably 2009? My "silver fox" was not silver yet!

E is still kind of salty that they don't hide the paintbrushes anymore!

Tell E that I share in their annoyance. The "kids" in our family used to LOVE looking for those!

 

[Minnie1986]

My alarm went off at some ungodly hour so we could rope drop AK. I am a fan of early entry, but with AK's starting at 7:30 during the summer, it's like getting up for work!
Of course we followed the masses to FoP.
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After our Banshee flight, we made our way to Africa for a safari. The wait was not very long at this point. It was a lovely safari although the lions weren't out yet. The giraffes were just coming out and they were walking very close to the vehicle.
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We looked at the gorillas for a few on the way out.
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The most beautiful tree.
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Dinoland was next on the agenda.

but with AK's starting at 7:30 during the summer, it's like getting up for work!

S thoroughly agrees with you!!

 

[Minnie1986]

Now that I'm thinking more about it (I didn't take notes) we went back to Pandora to use a Single Pass for FoP. I didn't purchase Multi Pass for either AK day, but we knew we would want to ride FoP again. We also ate at Satuli Canteen, but I did not take any photos.
After lunch, Dinosaur was only a 10 minute wait, so we headed over there to see Dr. Seeker.
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After Dinosaur, we put our name on the walk up list for Nomad Lounge. I received the table ready text almost immediately. Sitting at the bar is preferable to us, but those are on a first come basis. They tried to seat us in the overflow area which I believe is technically part of Tiffin's. I politely asked to be seated elsewhere since part of the reason we go there is for the vibe and it's just not the same back there. We were sat at one end of the very long table which was fine.
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I don't always love the cocktails here. I decided to try Jenn's Tattoo and I really enjoyed it. We sipped our drinks and had some churros before heading out for the day.
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Celebration at the Top was on tap for tonight, so we went back to BLT for a nap and a quick swim before getting ready. E and I went early to get in line whilst A finished up. We snagged a lovely table by the window. I didn't take many photos as I really just wanted to enjoy the experience. Here is our first round of drinks and my first plate of food.
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This is an experience that we book any time it is offered during our stay. Fireworks weren't until 10:00, so the experience was scheduled from 9:00-11:00. Typically the savory items are available for the first hour and then they bring out the desserts for the second hour. They will leave out whatever savory items are left though. The service is top notch and the gentlemen who work the event go above and beyond to make it extra special. Fireworks are enjoyed from an area used just for those who booked the event.
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Tonight was made even more enjoyable because we didn't have far to go to get back to our room. Tomorrow would be our first MK day.

Good to know about Celebration at the Top; definitely adding it to the list for next time

 

[Minnie1986]

Our plan was to have lunch at the Steakhouse 71 bar, rest up and go back to see the Starlight Parade. Everything went according to plan.
E and I shared the burger, A had mac and cheese. Our fabulous bartender Cameron made the best Sea Breeze I have ever had! Whilst waiting for our food, I went to the lobby to see about getting a button. Some of my work friends had been texting me to tell me that the teacher ahead of me on the seniority list had retired. This meant that I was now number one on the seniority list! I've been waiting for this for a couple of years now, saying that when it happens I'm going to put a one on the back of all of my staff t-shirts. So it's become kind of a running joke.
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Lunch was wonderfully relaxing, especially because we ended it with this little beauty.
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The three of us managed to finish most of it.
Back in the room, E and A napped whilst I relaxed on the balcony. We had dinner at Contempo Cafe before making our way back to MK. My memory is not serving me well, but I believe we used a LL for Peter Pan before staking out our spot in front of Country Bears. It was a great viewing spot and we enjoyed the parade. However, we all agreed that it wasn't worth the amount of time we spent waiting. I don't know how to do spoilers, so scroll by quickly if you don't want to see parade photos.
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During the parade we witnessed something that really made us smile. There was a group across from us that were cheering on and hyping up all of the dancers. It was super cute!
We used one more LL for Pooh before heading out. I do remember there being some urgency upon exiting the ride to make it out before Happily Ever After ended. We managed to make it out and back to our room without much of a wait.

It makes me so happy to see that MK has a night time parade again. It used to be one of my favorite parts of past trips from my childhood.