Trip Report Might As Well Be Walking On the Sun - June 2024

Hello Friends!

We've been back for a couple of weeks now, so it's time to get this TR rolling!

Who: Me (Ali, rhymes with Sally), my husband Jim, Gwen (16) and Ethan (13)
What: 11 sweaty days celebrating Ethan's 8th grade graduation & our 19th wedding anniversary
Where: Cocoa Beach & a Sheraton time share
When: June 4th-14th 2024

This was our 6th Disney World vacation, but our first time with just our family of 4. We've had one or both of the grandmas with us on every prior trip, including a big family trip for my MIL's 70th birthday.
We wanted a less scheduled, more spontaneous trip this time, so we decided not to purchase Genie+ or ILL's. No regrets on that one. None.
I told Jim I wanted to treat our park days like a trip to Great America (the Chicago area Six Flags park) in the 90's. Feel happy just to be there, and take it one ride at a time.

Day 1 - Tuesday June 4th

After a nearly sleepless night for me, (thanks, travel anxiety!) we were up and on our way by 6:30.

I REALLY don't enjoy flying, but thankfully our flight was smooth. I watched LaLa Land to pass the time. It's one of my favorites, and it never fails to make me happy.

Once we arrived, we grabbed all of our carry-on luggage, picked up our rental mini van and headed for the Cocoa Beach!
We booked an ocean view balcony room at Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach.
At check in, the man at the front desk asked where we were traveling from, and was surprised when we told him the Chicago area. "I was sure you were French or maybe German"

The room was clean and spacious but unremarkable.
We were there for the view

Everyone was eager to get to the beach, so we did a quick change and headed down.

Meta tortoise friend on the beach path

Gwen's tiny shell collection

I had hoped to have dinner on the beach, but we found a dockside grill that had live music. Good enough!
After dinner we made a quick stop at DQ for ultimate cookie Blizzards for the kids (because ice cream every day), then headed back to the room for an early night.

Day 2 - Wednesday June 5th

We chose our vacation dates months ago and planned to visit the Kennedy Space Center on our first full day. As luck would have it, there was a launch scheduled for 11 o'clock the same day!
I have always wanted to see a launch in person, and for the kids to see one, so it was an exciting morning!
We had a quick complimentary breakfast at the hotel, and were on our way by 8:30.

Once at that visitor complex, we boarded the bus to the Saturn V Center. I was expecting the same 40 minute tour of the facility that we had back in 2016, but now that KSC is once again an active space port, and this was a launch day, it made sense to not take bus loads of people around the launch pads.
After a 10 minute express ride to the site, we quickly found a spot on the bleachers. Only 15 minutes to launch time!

Our timing could not have been more perfect! The group in front of us had been waiting for two hours!
It was already scorching outside. I don't know how they tolerated it for so long!

Just before the countdown, they played an address from the 2 astronauts aboard the Starliner, followed by the National Anthem. It was a beautiful and uplifting moment. I'm so glad we were there
All systems go for launch!

To say it was thrilling would be an understatement. It was exhilarating and awe-inspiring.

We were so full of excitement, and we weren't even at Disney yet!

 

[MerMom1981]

Day 6 - Sunday June 9th
Hollywood Studios

In case you were wondering, those bath bombs from Basin WORK. I had taken a post park soak the night before and woke up feeling really great. No sore knee or feet or back!
I was also feeling good, because I didn't have to stress about a virtual queue this morning.

We made it to DHS ahead of park opening and joined the crowd to await rope drop. We were once again under a heat advisory, and it was already feeling intense.
The shade umbrella came out pretty quickly.

Once inside, we veered left and headed for Galaxy's Edge. We had never ridden Rise of the Resistance before, so that was our top priority. As we passed through the tunnel, we heard a CM saying that Rise was not yet opened, so we headed for Smuggler's Run instead.
On our way, we spotted Mando!

I think the posted wait time was 15 minutes. It felt like 5

Rise was now open, so we hurried to join the queue. After only about 20 minutes, we were here

I couldn't wait for Ethan to see the hanger!

I feel like the last Disney fan on Earth to ride Rise. After all the stress and disappointment of missing out on our last trip, I was shocked we got on so quickly.
It was a big hit with my family. Jim was particularly impressed with the show quality of the entire experience. More of this please!

After Rise, it seemed only fitting to complete the Star Wars ride trifecta. To Star Tours we went.
I know it's nothing special, but I love the outdoor portion of this queue. It gives such nostalgia

It was almost time for Ethan's appointment at Savi's, but Jim needed a coffee fix. I offered a few nearby options, but he had to have Starbucks. I directed him to The Trolly Car Cafe while the kids and I headed for Savi's.
We approached a CM stationed under an umbrella and showed our reservation info. We were directed to a second CM who asked for the same info and directed us to a third CM. This one confirmed payment info and gave Ethan hardware options for his lightsaber. On to a fourth CM to wait to be called inside.
I have to say, the check-in process was redundant, but at least it gave Jim time to hustle back to us and finish his coffee in time to join Ethan in the workshop.

Gwen and I browsed the shops for a bit before cruising though Docking Bay 7 in search of a table. It was just about noon, so the place was pretty well packed. We decided it was too hot for an open-air situation anyway and headed for an air-conditioned hideaway. Pizza Rizzo.
The upstairs dining room was all but empty. We chose a booth near the door and enjoyed a view of some Muppet caricature drawings.

Especially Pepe

I texted Jim our location and they joined us, lightsaber in hand about 15 minutes later. We unpacked our sandwiches and made plans for what do do next.
Muppet Vision?
Toy Story Mania?

 

[MerMom1981]

Day 6 continued:

The Muppet vibes at lunch led is over to Muppet Vision

From there, we cut through Galaxy's Edge on the way to Toy Story Mania.

The day was really heating up, so Slinky Dog Dash and its outdoor queue did not look like a good time to us.
We stopped by to meet an absolute icon instead

Next up for Jim & the kids was Tower of Terror. I was not feeling up to it, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity for a solo stop at One Man's Dream. Unfortunately, the attraction was not open. The app didn't list it as closed.
I figured the closure had to do with the excessive heat. I seem to recall hearing the temperature had to be kept consistent to preserve the artifacts on display.

I opted to spend my solo time gift shop hopping along Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards,
I kept spotting this pillow but stopped myself from buying it because
1. I didn't have room in my suitcase, and
2. While pleasantly weighed, the texture was not as soft and cozy as it looks.

I decided I would crochet my own from some buttery soft yarn.
Let's go Pinterest!
I once again came across this mug

I had already decided I wanted this mug, but didn't feel an urgency to buy it at the moment since we saw it at Disney Springs earlier in our trip.
Fool.

The thing that kept catching my eye in every shop was all the strollers! In every corner of every shop I found families with babies camped out in the a/c. I really felt for them. You can't fool around with babies in such extreme heat.

Jim sent me a text as they exited ToT and we met up right in front of Hollywood Scoops. We all agreed that we deserved a frozen treat. Jim grabbed himself a lemonade bar from a nearby cart while the kids and I ordered and rapidly consumed ice cream and sherbet. Even if I had been on top taking photos this trip, now was not the time. In the time it took us to walk to the corner of Sunset & Homewood my sherbet was basically soup!

Everyone was ready for a break from the heat, so we headed out of the park to rest and recharge at our resort.

We decided to grab dinner before returning to DHS for the evening.
We ended up at The Cheesecake Factory, which I know gets a lot of hate on the Internet, but you guys, I had the best dinner of our trip.
The Vegan Cobb Salad was so pretty and colorful, I actually took a picture!

With the weather we had been enduring, this salad was absolutely perfect! It was light and refreshing, but also full of protein (quinoa, avocado, white beans and pumpkin seeds). I wish I could've found something like it on a Disney menu. I could eat it all summer long

We returned to Hollywood Studios with our sights set on Fantasmic!
But first, a couple of selfies.

This was our first time seeing Fantasmic(crazy, I know!), so we wanted to be sure to get good seats. We only waited about five minutes before we were allowed inside.

It was a long sweaty wait, but fully worth it!

We all agreed that the horned hell-beast and Jafar's giant face would've scared the bejezus out of our kids when they were younger.
"Thanks for not giving me Disney nightmares, Mom"

It's a small thing, but I loved the nighttime atmosphere as we exited the park. All the buildings lit up and the retro music loop
I basically danced my way out of the park.

Back to the resort for another Basin bath and a chance to sleep in tomorrow!

 

[erstwo]

Day 5 continued:

We strolled up to The American Adventure just in time for the noon performance of The Voices of Liberty.
View attachment 804430
I love love LOVE this group, but I miss their historical costumes. The current look adds nothing to the performance.

From there we made our way to Germany. We'd be having dinner in Italy, so we skipped it for now.

After browsing the Christmas shop and knocking on the hollow wall, we continued our bread quest with a giant pretzel (and free ice water)
View attachment 804431
The only available table was in direct sun and burning hot to the touch. Luckily, one in the shade opened up shortly after our pretzel photo, so we were able to enjoy lunch in relative comfort.

We all needed to cool down before continuing around the world, so we hopped into the nearest gift shop.
We were admiring the cuckoo clocks and realized it was 5 minutes till 1pm. We thought it would be cool to see them all go off on the hour, but then realized they were all set to different times, and none were correct!
View attachment 804432
Another guest happened to ask the CM to set off one of the clocks, (which had not occurred to me) and then she did a second one for us.

It wasn't until 1:01 that I remembered what else happens at 1pm!
"Wait! The Guardians VQ drop is right now!"
Jim was the first to open the app and was assigned a boarding group with no trouble.Whew!

We stepped back out into the blistering heat (did I mention we were under a heat advisory?) and made our way to China. Once again needing to cool down, we headed for the gift shop where we found something bread-adjacent
View attachment 804433

We headed for Norway and joined the extended queue for Frozen Ever After. The wait was posted at 60 minutes, 15 of which were outdoors in air fryer conditions.It was at this point that Jim first pulled out the umbrella for the shade. Brilliant man! I know this is a thing that is done, but it never felt necessary for survival before.
Between the umbrella and my little fan, we kept ourselves comfortable enough.

As we waited, I heard a mother and her adult daughter asking aloud "What happened to fast pass? What is Lightning Lane? How do you get in that other line?"
I couldn't stop myself you guys.
I gave them a brief explanation of the paid system, and we all mourned the loss of the free fast pass system together.
As we chatted, they shared that their family had bought a DVC membership back in the 80's, before Old Key West was even completed! So, they won at DVC.
They had been using their points at Vero Beach for several years, and this was their first time in WDW since before covid. I forget that not everyone follows Disney news and discussion forums.
They also didn't know about the virtual queue system and were eager to call their family to share the Intel.

I may have embarrassed my family a little, but I like to help when I can, and the conversation helped pass the time.

After a delightfully chilly ride, Ethan humored me with a photo opp.
View attachment 804434
We finished our tour with a stop in the Mexico pavilion and a quick ride on the Grand Fiesta Tour.
I love the marketplace atmosphere in this pavilion, and I usually like to spend a good bit of time shopping, but the queue for La Cava Del Tequila was so long, it was snaking through the entire space, and there was just no room to browse.

From there we took the Odyssey path towards Test Track. Ethan had been angling for something sweet, so when the path ended at Refreshment Station, he had to have an insane candy-topped slushie.
View attachment 804435
Test Track was up next. We opted for the single rider line and walked directly to the boarding area without stopping.
The kids wanted to ride Mission Space next. Green mission was a walk-on, but I walked right thru to the play area and gift shop. I've ridden Mission Space once before, which is how I learned I have claustrophobia.

We made our way around Future World (yes, Future World) with stops at Spaceship Earth, Nemo and Living with the Land. All walk-ons.
We were nearing our dinner reservation and still waiting for our boarding group to be called. After grabbing more free ice water from Sunshine Seasons, we decided to check out Creations shop. It was fine.

I had the brilliant idea to take the Friendship boat across World Showcase lagoon, not realizing that the Mexico to Germany boat wasn't running. Canada to Morocco isn't as ideal, but it was still a more restful option than walking the entire way.

We checked in at Via Napoli, and had an absolutely wonderful dining experience!
View attachment 804436
The food was fantastic, of course, but the CM's made the experience. Every person we interacted with was delightful.

After dinner, we started heading towards Guardians, which worked out perfectly as our boarding group was called on the way!
View attachment 804437
I sat this one out, which was perfectly fine with me. I got to watch SSE light up and tried unsuccessfully to capture a photo of the monorail passing by.
While I waited for my family, I saw several parties turned away from the queue because they didn't know about the VQ or ILL system.
One father and son in particular broke my heart. They were chatting excitedly as they walked up, and looked absolutely crushed as they walked away. Not a magical end to their day

We were ready to call it a night. Luminous was still over an hour away, and we were wall too wiped out to wait.
Bye for now Epcot!
View attachment 804438

My 'old lady stomach' is SO JEALOUS of the ability to eat nothing but bread, a candy slushy, topped off with pizza and a spin on Guardians of the Galaxy! Oh to be young! LOL

Loving the trip report.

 

[fractal]

Day 6 continued:

The Muppet vibes at lunch led is over to Muppet Vision
View attachment 806641

From there, we cut through Galaxy's Edge on the way to Toy Story Mania.
View attachment 806643
View attachment 806644

The day was really heating up, so Slinky Dog Dash and its outdoor queue did not look like a good time to us.
We stopped by to meet an absolute icon instead
View attachment 806645
Next up for Jim & the kids was Tower of Terror. I was not feeling up to it, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity for a solo stop at One Man's Dream. Unfortunately, the attraction was not open. The app didn't list it as closed.
I figured the closure had to do with the excessive heat. I seem to recall hearing the temperature had to be kept consistent to preserve the artifacts on display.

I opted to spend my solo time gift shop hopping along Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards,
I kept spotting this pillow but stopped myself from buying it because
1. I didn't have room in my suitcase, and
2. While pleasantly weighed, the texture was not as soft and cozy as it looks.
View attachment 806646
I decided I would crochet my own from some buttery soft yarn.
Let's go Pinterest!
I once again came across this mug
View attachment 806647
I had already decided I wanted this mug, but didn't feel an urgency to buy it at the moment since we saw it at Disney Springs earlier in our trip.
Fool.

The thing that kept catching my eye in every shop was all the strollers! In every corner of every shop I found families with babies camped out in the a/c. I really felt for them. You can't fool around with babies in such extreme heat.

Jim sent me a text as they exited ToT and we met up right in front of Hollywood Scoops. We all agreed that we deserved a frozen treat. Jim grabbed himself a lemonade bar from a nearby cart while the kids and I ordered and rapidly consumed ice cream and sherbet. Even if I had been on top taking photos this trip, now was not the time. In the time it took us to walk to the corner of Sunset & Homewood my sherbet was basically soup!

Everyone was ready for a break from the heat, so we headed out of the park to rest and recharge at our resort.

We decided to grab dinner before returning to DHS for the evening.
We ended up at The Cheesecake Factory, which I know gets a lot of hate on the Internet, but you guys, I had the best dinner of our trip.
The Vegan Cobb Salad was so pretty and colorful, I actually took a picture!
View attachment 806648
With the weather we had been enduring, this salad was absolutely perfect! It was light and refreshing, but also full of protein (quinoa, avocado, white beans and pumpkin seeds). I wish I could've found something like it on a Disney menu. I could eat it all summer long

We returned to Hollywood Studios with our sights set on Fantasmic!
But first, a couple of selfies.
View attachment 806649
View attachment 806650
This was our first time seeing Fantasmic(crazy, I know!), so we wanted to be sure to get good seats. We only waited about five minutes before we were allowed inside.
View attachment 806651
It was a long sweaty wait, but fully worth it!

We all agreed that the horned hell-beast and Jafar's giant face would've scared the bejezus out of our kids when they were younger.
"Thanks for not giving me Disney nightmares, Mom"

It's a small thing, but I loved the nighttime atmosphere as we exited the park. All the buildings lit up and the retro music loop
I basically danced my way out of the park.

Back to the resort for another Basin bath and a chance to sleep in tomorrow!

Night time is great at DHS!

 

[MerMom1981]

My 'old lady stomach' is SO JEALOUS of the ability to eat nothing but bread, a candy slushy, topped off with pizza and a spin on Guardians of the Galaxy! Oh to be young! LOL

Loving the trip report.

Thanks so much!
To be a kid again, right?

 

[MerMom1981]

Night time is great at DHS!

It hits all the right notes! I would love to do an after hours event at DHS

 

[MerMom1981]

Day 7 - Monday June 10th
Rest Day

While I didn't actually sleep in(my body just doesn't do that anymore), it was nice to have a slow, quite morning. I took my kindle and cold brew out to the balcony and enjoyed a peaceful hour of reading.

We were all looking forward to a day at the pool, but there was rain forecasted for the afternoon, so we had to hustle.
We got a couple of hours of pool time in before clouds started to roll in.

We got back to our room before the rain hit, and it was over by the time we were all showered and changed.
A quick stop at Subway for lunch, and we were off to Disney Springs to finally get me that mug!

I felt sure we had spotted the mug at World of Disney, but we searched the entire store and couldn't find it!

We stopped in at Marketplace Co-Op hoping maybe they'd have it, but no luck.

We couldn't resist the waffle cone aroma coming from the Ghirardelli shop, so we treated ourselves to chocolate-dipped waffle bowls

We like to buy a Christmas ornament each trip, so we headed over to Days of Christmas to look for something special. Nothing caught our eye, but this fake fireplace with Netflix yule log made me giggle.

Since we were right there, we took a buzz though Art of Disney to admire the sketch art.
We are a Lego-loving family, so we headed for the Lego Store next.
I was especially impressed by this Lord of the Rings set
Lego Fellowship

Wanting to leave no stone unturned, I asked my family if we could check Disney Style for my mug. They sweetly agreed, but I foolishly led them across The Landing area, which has no shade to speak of. We were ducking into random shops, and even stepped into the public restroom just to get out of the heat!
After an arduous journey, I came up empty-handed
Feeling fried and defeated, we trudged back to the Lime Garage and returned to our resort.

For dinner that night, Jim made a reservation at Benihana on Hotel Plaza Blvd. The location near us is a favorite birthday dinner spot for Ethan, so he was excited to hear there was one nearby.
Unfortunately, we didn't end up having dinner there.
I don't fully understand what went wrong. We arrived on time for our reservation and checked in with the host. We were told they just had a convention group of 30 arrive and were running and 40 minutes behind. We were surprised and a little annoyed, but we weren't starving, so we said we'd wait. Except that when we checked back with the host, we were told they didn't have our reservation at all?
I don't know where the disconnect happened, but we'd had enough nonsense.

We ended up back at DS in search of something quick. I paused at The Polite Pig, but it was beginning to rain and the only available seating was outdoors.
We settled for D-Luxe Burger and its covered patio seating.
The burgers were fine. We were all glad to find something fast and uncomplicated as well as shelter from the now heavy rain.

As soon as we were able, we hurried to the car and back to the resort for an early night.

 

[MinnieM123]

We couldn't resist the waffle cone aroma coming from the Ghirardelli shop, so we treated ourselves to chocolate-dipped waffle bowls

OMG -- those look delicious!!

 

[MerMom1981]

OMG -- those look delicious!!

They were the highlight of the day my friend!

 

[MerMom1981]

Day 8 - Tuesday June 11th
Epcot
(Also our 19th wedding anniversary!)

I was up early again this morning, tapping like mad for a Guardians Boarding Group, but I wasn't fast enough! I was shocked to be boxed out in seconds, since the 1pm drop was available for whole minutes a few days prior.

Epcot is(was?) our favorite park, and World Showcase makes it the most romantic park, so it was a natural choice for our anniversary day.
We had just passed the entrance fountain when Jim realized he'd left his backpack (with our lunch and umbrellas) in the car. While he ran back to the parking lot, I grabbed our celebratory buttons

He returned quickly, and we finally started our day with a ride on SSE.
There were storms in the forecast, so we decided to single rider Test Track while we could.
The kids then rode Mission Space while Jim and I checked out the new gardens.
What a disappointment! I don't know how you make a space full of living things feel lifeless, but they did! I LOVE plants. I keep 70+ houseplants, I garden regularly and I'm a member at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Even I was bored with the plants on plants on plants. I think it's down to the plants they selected. Too much repetition, not enough variation, and everything looked so basic. Like they cleared out the Home Depot garden center.

We met up with the kids in the breezeway between Connections and Creations, then made our way to France. We all wanted a second ride on Ratatouille and we were not put off by the 45 minute posted wait.

As we exited, we ran into a log jam of people held back by the downpour outside.
My brilliant husband had gone on a Walgreens run when he saw the weather forecast, so we were ready with umbrellas.
We squeezed past families trying to wiggle into ponchos and made our way towards the front of the pavilion. I made an executive decision and led the way to the Beauty and the Best Sing-a-long. I think we are all in agreement that this is a terrible show, but it got us out of the rain, and I enjoyed the costume displays in the lobby.

It almost goes without saying that we stopped at Les Halles for another baguette. I treated myself to a ham & gruyere quiche as well.

The rain stopped during second breakfast, so we decided to double back and explore the UK pavilion.
Recreating another fave photo

I always enjoy a stroll though the gardens and a stop at The Tea Caddy.

I found a chocolate tea that sounded interesting as well as an entry in our bread quest. No scones or English muffins to be found.

This Jane Austen teapot got me in my book-loving heart!

We left The UK and headed for Morocco in search of more bread.
I'd just had that quiche, so I wasn't hungry yet, but the warm flatbread with hummus, chermoula and zhoug was so tasty! I had some cherries and apple slices from our cooler and called it lunch.

We were on our way to Germany when I spotted a custodial CM having fun on the job

Just after that I realized it was just after 1pm. 1:03pm to be exact.
"Oh no! We did it again! The Guardians virtual queue!"
Amazingly, Jim was able to get a boarding group!
I guess the lesson is don't stress about the morning VQ drop and grab it in the afternoon.

 

[MerMom1981]

Day 8 continued:

No trip to Germany is complete without a visit to Tiny Town

We also had to return to the Christmas shop. We saw some beautiful blown glass ornaments on our first Epcot day, and nothing else compared.
This one reminded me of a peacock feather, so

And this Santa Mickey was too sweet to pass up!

As we approached Norway it started to sprinkle. I thought we might go for a second ride on Frozen, but the queue stretched way past Akershus and the rain was turning into a full on storm.
Perfect time to visit the god of thunder!

We waited it out with Odin & sons for a little while but headed out when the rain lightened.
Jim was keeping an eye on the radar, and it looked like we'd have steady rain for at least the next hour. I led us to The Land pavilion where we could easily pass the time.
We headed for SOARIN' first, and only waited 20 minutes.

Living with the Land was up next, and as we exited, Jim found a souvenir he'd been searching for since we took the Behind the Seeds tour in 2016.

"Happy Father's Day!"

We were in no hurry, so we stopped to catch Awesome Planet for the first time.
Having done all The Land things, we hurried over to The Seas.

We then made our way though steady rain to ride Figment for the first time. Crazy, I know!

Only, we hated it.*dodges rotten tomatoes*

I know there's lots of love and nostalgia out there for this ride, but it did not land with us.

We made a quick U-turn into the theater

I've seen all of these shorts before, but this was the first time we made it to the film festival. It was a fun way to stay dry!

Back out into the rain, we passed by the now open Communicore Hall without even noticing it and headed to Club Cool for another first for our family.

We all agreed that cucumber Sprite was the favorite!
A very sweet CM noticed our buttons and offered to add the years/ears art

Looking for more indoor things, we made our way around World Showcase to take in Reflections of China.

 

[fractal]

Day 8 continued:

No trip to Germany is complete without a visit to Tiny Town
View attachment 810712
We also had to return to the Christmas shop. We saw some beautiful blown glass ornaments on our first Epcot day, and nothing else compared.
This one reminded me of a peacock feather, so
View attachment 810713
And this Santa Mickey was too sweet to pass up!
View attachment 810714

As we approached Norway it started to sprinkle. I thought we might go for a second ride on Frozen, but the queue stretched way past Akershus and the rain was turning into a full on storm.
Perfect time to visit the god of thunder!
View attachment 810715
We waited it out with Odin & sons for a little while but headed out when the rain lightened.
Jim was keeping an eye on the radar, and it looked like we'd have steady rain for at least the next hour. I led us to The Land pavilion where we could easily pass the time.
We headed for SOARIN' first, and only waited 20 minutes.

Living with the Land was up next, and as we exited, Jim found a souvenir he'd been searching for since we took the Behind the Seeds tour in 2016.
View attachment 810716
"Happy Father's Day!"

We were in no hurry, so we stopped to catch Awesome Planet for the first time.
Having done all The Land things, we hurried over to The Seas.
View attachment 810717
We then made our way though steady rain to ride Figment for the first time. Crazy, I know!

Only, we hated it.*dodges rotten tomatoes*

I know there's lots of love and nostalgia out there for this ride, but it did not land with us.

We made a quick U-turn into the theater
View attachment 810718
I've seen all of these shorts before, but this was the first time we made it to the film festival. It was a fun way to stay dry!

Back out into the rain, we passed by the now open Communicore Hall without even noticing it and headed to Club Cool for another first for our family.
View attachment 810719
We all agreed that cucumber Sprite was the favorite!
A very sweet CM noticed our buttons and offered to add the years/ears art

Looking for more indoor things, we made our way around World Showcase to take in Reflections of China.
View attachment 810720

Yes, I don't need to ever do the current version of Figment again.

 

[MerMom1981]

Day 8 continued:

We stepped out into the continued rain and headed towards Canada. We still had a little time before our dinner reservation at Lee Cellier, so we caught a showing of Chanda Far and Wide. Am I the only one who misses O Canada?

We arrived a few minutes early for our ADR, and checked in for our first dining experience at this fan favorite spot.
Our server was so friendly and helpful, and not at all stingy with the bread!

I had a wedge salad and shared the filet with Gwen while the boys shared a strip steak and an extra order of fries.
Our server noticed our buttons and brought out a celebratory dessert!

How cute is this chocolate moose mousse?
Our boarding group for Guardians was called while we were enjoying dessert, so we quickly settled the bill and headed out.

Thankfully, the rain passed while we were at dinner. It was nice to be umbrella free for a change!

Jim and the kids enjoyed their ride to the tune of September while I finally got my photo.

The kids were ready to leave, but it was only 10ish minutes till fireworks, and I really wanted to see the new show.
Turns out it was the perfect time to check out Dreamers Point

We found a fair spot on the edge of the crowd just as the show began. It was ok until the narrator started talking about death and loss. What? Music does an amazing job of evoking emotion on its own. I think I would've enjoyed the show more without the awkward instructions on how to feel feelings.

We decided to head out before the finale. We were more interested in staying ahead of the crowd.
Farewell Epcot

 

[mpaulam]

Great shot with SSE and the monorail!

 

[MerMom1981]

Great shot with SSE and the monorail!

Thanks! Timing this shot is what kept me entertained while my family rode Cosmic Rewind.
They had their fun and I had mine

 

[MerMom1981]

Day 9 - Wednesday June 12th
Animal Kingdom

None of us were up in time for an 8am rope drop this morning, but 9 o'clock seemed like the smart play anyway. No lines at the parking plaza, no line at the gate, and no crowds as we entered the park!

I like to start an AK day with a safari ride, but Jim & the kids needed coffee first.
I had brought iced coffee with me, so I did my best to be patient with them.

Soon enough

We waited about 20 minutes, which was basically a slow shuffle through the queue.

We had a great safari! The animals were all so active!

From there we headed towards Asia.
Stopped for a selfie with the back of The Tree of Life.

We jumped in the single rider line for Everest and were pulling out of the station in under five minutes.
Such a great ride!
The kids both wanted another go, so Jim and I waited in the exit shop. I had fun watching everyone coming though. Most of the kids were feeling the post-ride adrenaline rush and begging to ride again.

Next up was another family first:
Finding Nemo!

I've heard mixed reviews of this show, but having never seen the previous version, I felt free to love this one! It was adorable!

We made our way to Dinosaur for our final ride. I don't remember the posted wait time, but it felt like a walk-on

Everyone was feeling hungry, so we claimed a nearby picnic table.
As luck would have it, Dug came by as we were finishing our lunch!

He was so much fun!
My favorite line was "I have just met you, and I love you"

We were passing through Discovery Island when we spotted Kevin!
We did our best to snap a photo with him

So awkward

From there we made our way to Pandora.

Fight of Passage had a posted wait of 60 minutes.
Accurate, but fully worth it!

Nobody wanted to test the accuracy of Navi's 65 minute wait time, so we headed for Africa

Next up: another family first

 

[Zipadeelady]

We were passing through Discovery Island when we spotted Kevin!
We did our best to snap a photo with him
View attachment 811984
So awkward

From there we made our way to Pandora.
View attachment 811985

I love the picture with Kevin! Doesn't seem awkward at all. And the picture of Gwen and Ethan with their arms around each other is so sweet. I would call it an extremely lucky day if my kids showed affection towards each other when they were that age.

 

[cgersic]

Totally agree with @Zipadeelady!! I love Kevin and it's a fabulous photo They are ALL great photos and your descriptions are so fun! Keep it comin'!

 

[Zipadeelady]

And....... I hope it's ok to say this, but every time I look at a picture of Ethan, I see a young Rick Moranis!

With all the gif's I looked at I forgot how many funny movies he's been in. Now I need to go back and watch some 80's classics.

 

[MerMom1981]

I love the picture with Kevin! Doesn't seem awkward at all. And the picture of Gwen and Ethan with their arms around each other is so sweet. I would call it an extremely lucky day if my kids showed affection towards each other when they were that age.

Oh! Thank you! It felt super awkward trying to get that photo, so it's probably just in my head.
And yes, those sweet moments between siblings are precious! My kids tend to draw closer to each other on vacation. I'm so thankful!