Trip Report Magic, Mayhem, and a Mass Evacuation! An 8/31-9-7 trip report

The cast-
Me, Disneyshe 11th trip
Hubby, Disney B 11th trip
DS, Jack 10th trip
DL, Tink 2nd trip
Grandson, Tow Mater 2nd trip
Grandson, Lil Eli (1st trip)

Where- Old Key West, 1 Br Vila

This was our first stay at a Deluxe and I will go ahead and say there is no way, even for a couple of days I think that I could stay even at a moderate again. I loved the space, I loved the atmosphere. Even if we were not DVC, we treated like we were. I cried, when they told us Welcome Home, more than once actually.

We had driven down on 8/30 and stayed at Jekyll Island. We got up at 4:00 am in hopes to get there pretty early and take the kids to Magic Kingdom. Traffic, which is now my worst enemy, did not allow for that. It was miserable and flat out scary! By the time we made it to the resort I was a nervous wreck and could have had 2 breakfast Bloody Mary's or a sedative. This is probably why my husband likes to drive at night. In my defense, now that my son drives, I worry like crazy about him too.

I missed the sunrise going through the gate, I love that, but the good news was we got the text our room was ready!

Volcano Bay right on the side of the road on I-4 was crazy! At least I am assuming that is what this was. Never been to Universal and don't keep up much with news on it.

Arrival

Welcome Home

Loving the Old Key West room!

(Not sure of the photo posts, so continuing)

 

[gdisneyfans]

I don't really know but I definitely had a Clark Griswold meltdown

I'm sorry the party didn't turn out for you But it sounds as though the rest of the trip was going well after that! Enjoying the report and the little guys are so cute!!

 

[DisneyGigi]

I'm sorry the party didn't turn out for you But it sounds as though the rest of the trip was going well after that! Enjoying the report and the little guys are so cute!!

Thank you! I think I just put so much time into it that I stressed so hard at it all falling apart lol. The rest of the trip went way smoother. (Until the Hurricaine traffic, that was insane)

 

[DisneyGigi]

After we finished dinner DS and crew decided to rest and check out the playground and pool at the resort. We decided to go spend the rest of the evening at AK because I wanted to see Pandora at night, not to mention to see Everest and ride it night. We never had the opportunity to do that because the park always closed before dark. I love AK. The atmosphere, the music, just everything.

My first stop was to get a Harambe Cooler made by Bob at the Dawa Bar. I don't remember the first time I got one, a loooong time ago but he made it and has been there every trip since. They took it off the menu a few years ago but he always still makes me one. It is not a Disney trip to we stop here and chat and I have one. Again Cast members at their very best!

After that we headed the back way into Pandora. I really did not care for the movie at all and did not get the land going in at AK- but... after seeing pictures and hearing about FoP, I was looking forward to seeing it. When we were walking in, the cricket sounds I thought were a very cool transition from Africa and the long walk over the bridge was cool too. It really is beautiful. Crazy crowded but very cool how they did the whole floating mountains. I expected it to be bigger though. We took a few pics and then headed to EE since there was no way I was waiting 2 1/2 hours for any ride. We also had FoP fastpasses for the next morning anyway.

It was really too crowded to get any good pics so I planned on taking more the next day with the camera and I just used my phone. Will add those in next post.

EE was a 45 minute wait!! I don't think we have ever waited more than maybe 25. We still waited and the great news was after the first ride it dropped to almost walk on. We rode it 3 more times in a row, in the dark! I am so glad I finally got to do this. It was a completely different ride. The views were beautiful and the mountain was breathtaking lit up like that. I didn't care to see RoL, so we just walked around taking in the beauty of a dark AK, and headed back to see Pandora at night. It was just meh... from pictures I had seen I thought it would be more lit up I guess. It was pretty but we just took a quick look around and headed out to beat the crowds for the tram since we parked at the very back. It was funny there was a management CM and a research CM that asked us how our day was, to which I replied Great. He asked what made it great and I answered with EE at night. I have a feeling that because I did not mention Pandora, they moved on lol. The next person answered Pandora and they continued asking questions.
Traffic was absolutely horrid back to the resort this night, it was backed up like crazy.

EE

The sky was gorgeous right before dark!

Sunburned Yeti Faces-

Will continue with pics from camera of EE, as soon as I get them on computer, before moving on to Tusker House breakfast and FoP and more AK!

 

[wdwfamilynh]

I don't really know but I definitely had a Clark Griswold meltdown. Being the planner for a whole family within a family is hard, when things don't go right. Especially when you are needing to different things because not everyone likes the same things.

Very sorry to hear that all you planned didn't quite work out But I really appreciate what you said about the meltdown! I've been in the same boat twice now (coordinating my family, my in laws and my parents in 2015 and for later this year), trying to get everyone's different likes, park speed, dining preferences etc into a trip where you actually spend time together . Glad to hear things got better! Can't wait to read the rest!!

 

[wdwfamilynh]

And then because we never cared even in the heat to walk like crazy, we turned around to get a sampler card for my drinks and to give to DS for later

Thoughts on the sampler card? Yay or nay? Thx.

 

[DisneyGigi]

Thoughts on the sampler card? Yay or nay? Thx.

We had the dining plan so I bought it just for the drinks. It isn't a savings or good deal if used on beer or wine. Beer flights are not included. The higher priced cocktails it saves you 15 or so bucks. It would be hard to save on food since most things are around 5-6 bucks. It comes with a pin too though, so that was cool.

 

[wdwfamilynh]

We had the dining plan so I bought it just for the drinks. It isn't a savings or good deal if used on beer or wine. Beer flights are not included. The higher priced cocktails it saves you 15 or so bucks. It would be hard to save on food since most things are around 5-6 bucks. It comes with a pin too though, so that was cool.

Thanks!

 

[DisneyGigi]

Thanks!

You're welcome!

 

[DisneyGigi]

We had an early reservation for Tusker House breakfast. It was Tow Mater's 5th birthday. He isn't too much into characters but I switched seats with him when he got a little afraid of Donald. The baby loved them!

Being the huge Disney fan I am, I have a room dedicated to Disney. He loves to kiss all the Mickey's I have (and his) on his nose. He calls him MeeMee, and he of course kissed his nose.
Gigi had to get a pic with Goofy of course!

Tow Mater was very happy with his birthday cupcake and card signed by the characters.

Then it was time to go ride FoP, we had fastpasses and took turns with rider swap. DH and I went first. The line was crazy long regular line but we literally breezed through so fast I could barely get any pictures.

Continuing in next post!

 

[DisneyGigi]

We tried to call and let them know not to go too far away since the wait was shorter than we thought but there was absolutely no phone service once we made it in. I giggled and said duh, we are on Pandora.

I wasn't all that impressed with the land itself, but this was by far, the best ride I have ever been on! The visuals, the smoothness, the feeling, just everything, was mind blowing amazing.
We swapped out and got the babies, so DS and DiL could ride and I want to point out to taller people riding - my son is 6'5 and wears a 12 shoe,very long legs. He said he had to push feet all the way forward and it constricted his knees a little but other than that, no problems. He wasn't too fond of it the first ride, because he is not keen on heights. He loves roller coasters but not feeling suspended.
2 of our fastpasses that had to be fixed, when MDE lost some, were for anything - so they got to ride twice! He was much more relaxed the second go around and agreed it was amazing.
We all went on the Safari and then we took boys through Maharajah. I will have to come back and add those photos later. After that they decided to go nap with the kids while DH & I stayed to see Festival of the Lion King. My absolutely can not miss show.

I have an emotional attachment to this film and anything to do with it. I went to see it twice when I was pregnant with DS. I always swore he was so familiar with it . that he adored it as a baby-toddler. If he was fussy all we had to do was pop it in the vcr, or play the soundtrack and he would smile and fall asleep. I still have his stuffed Simba and his sheets. <3

We wandered around for a bit, went to see Bob at Dawa Bar for a Harambe Cooler then headed to Epcot for more Food & Wine and dinner at Coral Reef.

 

[DisneyGigi]

Back to Epcot!
We rode SE, and I didn't realize I didn't get to ride it with my boy, til now. We both rode it a couple of times, just not together.

Bathroom flower photos, that I looked for because of @Tuvalu

A ride on Nemo, then off to Coral Reef.

I got a Habanero Margarita and DS a regular, I think his is first, mine second. I had horrid heartburn after and he did not..

The menu seemed better last year, to everybody but me, I ordered well. Shrimp and Grits, it was excellent. So much flavor.

DS got the Salmon, he liked it, but I have to point out - his path was culinary, before he went down love's path.. lol anyway, he requested salt and pepper, as did DH and DiL. Mine had andouille, so plenty of flavor. They all thought what they ordered was bland.
(This was our 7 or 8 time eating here, and nobody ever thought it was bland before.)
DiL and DH got the Scampi, again, they said it was bland. (And it something we eat a lot, both regular and Mexican, We make it at home too.)

We all got the cheesecake for dessert.

Back to the resort and a few night pics, before an early and full day at Epcot, and back to the Beach Club, for Cape May Cafe and Illuminations!

 

[fractal]

Happy belated Birthday to Tow Mater!

Glad you like FoP - it is incredible. Pandora seems to be very polarizing. I thought it was really well done but as I look at my photos more and more I can understand people feeling otherwise. It is a very "strange" land.

Also love FotLK!

 

[Tuvalu]

Love the bathroom pics.

 

[DisneyGigi]

Happy belated Birthday to Tow Mater!

Glad you like FoP - it is incredible. Pandora seems to be very polarizing. I thought it was really well done but as I look at my photos more and more I can understand people feeling otherwise. It is a very "strange" land.

Also love FotLK!

Thank you!

I thought it was beautiful, I just thought it would be more spread out maybe. I think I just thought that more of the landscape would be lit up at night maybe. Your photos were gorgeous! I think that was part of my problem, your photos were better than the real thing but it was so crowded we couldn't really move around that much to see or take many pictures.

 

[DisneyGigi]

A brief trip report interruption to say even though the walking was a bit more high geared, than 10 miles flat at Disney how glad I am we have a true fall here! The trees are just starting to turn- As much as I love it there, it felt really good to walk all day up and down, and not sweat! I probably won't be saying that come December but right now it feels good.

And on a kinda of Disney note... Chip, at least I named him Chip, came to snack on some suet on my porch the wind blew down! Poor Mickey's nose got broken off, and we have to glue it back..

 

[DisneyGigi]

Back to the report-

We went back to Epcot, all of us that morning to ride Soarin' again. Tow Mater absolutely loved it and because we did rider swap, so we could take turns riding he rode again with us. I was so impressed with the new film, not sure if already said that but it was so much clearer. I did miss the orange and pine smells but the dirt and grass were a cool addition. Did I imagine it - or when the Taj Mahal scene comes on, I swear I smelled something like Zum Bar Frankincense and Myrrh? Or perhaps someone beside me had used it lol I don't know. While we waited for our turn to ride Soarin' we took the baby on Nemo. He loved that ride. We rode Figment with the boys and then headed off for some snacks!

We did Club Villain last year and the Voodoo Sticky Pig Wings were to die for so we both wanted to try these. They were amazing! The sauce was a bit different but still very good.

We also got the Corned Beef. The chips and cheese were really good but I like a slower roasted brisket. The meat was tough. Tow Mater loved the cheese and chips though!

I decided to try the Swine Brine for some insane reason. I did not know it had a huge hunk of pork plopped on it, and DH ate that but not before some of the fat dripped into the drink and ice and made little pork fat blobs in the drink. As I said before, I am southern to the tip of my toes and I love pork fat- it makes any dish better but it makes a cold drink disgusting. I threw it away.

I got the Seared Scallops from Coastal Eats. It was okay but the Scallops were overcooked and chewy. Kind of like when someone tries to cook a Bay Scallop the same amount of time they would a Sea Scallop. You can even see in the pic, they look tough.

We continued to the Showcase, stopping along the way for Tow Mater to get some facepaint.

Not sure why I call him Tow Mater when his favorite is Lightning Mcqueen... oh well!
The facepaint didn't last very long in the heat but it made him happy to get and that is all that matters.

We journeyed on around to France! DiL had some really cute Silhouettes of the boys made while I enjoyed a ginormous Grand Marnier Slushie and DH a whatever French Beer. 1664 maybe?? DiL and Ds both had the Passion Martini Slush.
Since I had two of the Grand Marniers, I felt I should post both pictures. :-D

So sinfully good! We then made our way back to Mission Space... Did I finally ride the Orange mission??

 

[DisneyGigi]

My son has begged me for years to ride the intense version with him. I have promised two different trips and chickened out. I have vertigo and high blood pressure so I have always been afraid to do it. I love rollercoasters, love Star Tours, love ToT but cannot do fair rides, Ferris Wheels, or even stand on the many lookouts in the mountains. I can't walk on a dock, or pier with the slats, if I ever look down I get so dizzy I will fall, or sit down and refuse to move. This time I was going to do it, he rode first with Tink and he comes up to me and says Mom, you don't have to ride this ride, it apparently felt a bit stronger to him this time, or he just didn't want me to throw up my Grand Marnier Slushies and Piggy Wings on him... anyway, I didn't ride it. I would have if he had not said that, but I am thankful I did not have to. He rode twice back to back, once with his wife then with his dad. Here they are meeting back up with us.

I may be partial, but I have some pretty handsome fellas. <3 Cracks me up how much taller he is than his Daddy. Dad is a little over 6 ft. and I am barely 5'4 (5' 3- 3/4 inches, if we want to get technical) I guess I ate really well with him. Can't wait to see how tall the baby is when he is grown.

But back to the trip, while they were riding Mission Space, I made a trip into a pavilion, I had never had the opportunity to go inside.

Even though we have been going to Walt Disney World since 1998, we went again in 2000, we skipped Epcot then, in favor of the parks that had more for the kids. We did not go back until 2/2007 and Wonders of Life had shut down the month before. In the many trips that were to come for our family, Epcot became a favorite. I always took pictures and obsessed over that building I never got to see.

A really nice CM answered my questions about where the rides had been, told me that Body Wars, mostly was gutted, but Cranium Command was almost intact, as it had been left. (I had read that on these boards, but cool having the conversation with him.) I jokingly said, you don't want to give a magical moment, and let me take a tour??I wish I had remembered his name, I very much appreciated him taking the time to tell me about it and show me where the attractions were , plus..it was amazing enough for me to be inside the building. Few pics..

And although this was just something we did every few years, it made me a little sad to see the water drained from UoE

I hope she gets her *robot* back.

Jack, Tink, Tow Mater, and Lil' Eli went back to rest at the resort. DH and I were planning on shutting it down, old school style like we always did, so we stayed and went back to have a few more F & W treats! That coming up, plus we had to know "Who Let the Dogs Out?" And back to Cape May Cafe and the Beach Club to watch Illuminations.

 

[DisneyGigi]

Disney B, had to have more piggy wings, he had two. By this point, I had acid from heck, so I skipped, did have a Zinfandel, it was really good.

I got the Scallops, cooked perfectly, not rubbery at all, and also the Duck, DH, went into not feeling the duck. He was amazed when he tasted it. I adore scallops cooked right, which these were, but he agreed the pulled duck confit, kicked the scallops hiney. That says a lot for seafood lovers.

And it was at this point I knew, I was the Epcot Commando! Eat to the Beat concert, Baha Men. I went into this only knowing Who Let the Dogs Out, because my son at 5, back in 2000, requested this hit clip for his Easter Basket, that and Sugar Ray lol. They put on an amazing show, it did not matter if you knew all of the songs. I loved it! DH was just sleepy. :-/

This lady was awesome.

Wish I could add video, they were awesome!

 

[susan lees]

Your grandsons are so cute. Shame about the Halloween party but the costumes you made were brilliant

 

[DisneyGigi]

Your grandsons are so cute. Shame about the Halloween party but the costumes you made were brilliant

Thank you! Hoping they get to use them for Halloween, our family gets into dressing up, so maybe, it wasn't a total bust.