PeoplemoverTTAs "Not Quite a Trip" Trip Report

PartOfYourWorld · Apr 27, 2012

SO happy you decided to make one!!! We are awesome twitter friends haha :sohappy: Can't wait to hear all about it!

PeoplemoverTTA · Apr 27, 2012

PartOfYourWorld said:
SO happy you decided to make one!!! We are awesome twitter friends haha :sohappy: Can't wait to hear all about it!

Thanks, Jess! My phone battery wasn't doing so well while I was down there, so my Twitter photos and Foursquare check-ins died off after the first day or so :lol:

You have a special mention later in this report, actually. It's not until the end, though - sorry! :lol:

PeoplemoverTTA · Apr 27, 2012

Day 1 - Wednesday, April 11 (Orlando/St. Augustine)

I deliberately booked our flights in the afternoon to give my aunt and grandma plenty of time to get ready. With a 2pm departure, we got to the airport at about 11:45, because we were nervous about my grandma’s wheelchair, oxygen machine and various surgeries, metal objects in her body. All that worry was for naught, as the TSA people at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport were awesome, as was our Southwest Airline rep. Wonderful service!

The flight was rather uneventful - another great flight from Southwest (thank goodness for direct flights!). We arrived a few minutes early, and because of my grandma’s condition and oxygen machine, we had to be last to leave. Then, we stopped at the restroom (This will be a theme during the trip, as my grandma goes to the bathroom about once an hour, and each time takes about 20 minutes. Obviously I’m not mad about this; I was just grateful to get more quality Disney time with my grandma. But it’s still a theme

).

I got a cart for all their luggage (I am a really light packer. My aunt and grandma...not so much). We were so far behind everyone, our luggage was literally the last on the carousel, lol. My aunt sprained her knee and ankle a few weeks prior, so I lugged all the luggage onto the rack and proceeded to the rental counter.

Too many words, gotta get to the pictures! So, we checked in at Avis and found out that I received a free upgrade (they apparently try to offer upgrades to first-time preferred members - score!). So instead of a Chevy Equinox, we had a mammoth Ford Explorer. Black leather seats (but tinted windows so surprisingly, it didn’t heat up terribly), and the best thing of all - a backup assist camera! You still have to check your blind spots for people who are coming close, but all in all, this is a gem! I have the “beep” backup assist on my Chevy Cruze at home, but the camera is amazing. Just a little tidbit

Okay, then, we were on our way to Downtown Disney, before embarking on our 2.5 hour drive to St. Augustine. Why not get a little Disney fix before Saturday?

We were famished by this point, so we decided to eat. I had proposed various places to eat in DTD prior to leaving, and we unanimously decided on...(drumroll please)...Pollo Campero. I haven’t been able to check this place out, and chicken sounded good, so we ventured in:

I was really impressed! All their food was in MyFitnessPal (bonus! I use that every day to track my calories, fiber and sodium especially), which was helpful. And we had great service from the greeter there, who brought us samples of all their sides so we could decide which ones to get with our meal. She also suggested we save money with the family pack (more than enough food for 3 adults!) and let us know to ask for a senior discount. All 3 of us ate, with drinks, for $21 - not too bad!

There was one place I had to check out - Basin.

Love the new look!

I had been watching their Facebook page closely for updates, and I was so glad they opened in time for our visit! I ran out of my Almond Hydrolator (or whatever their lotion is called) and had to stock up. If you haven’t seen the new interior, here’s a decent shot:

I ended up going with the almond body butter instead, because it was 2/$30. Their products all have new packaging as well, and according to their cast member, the products are being made by a different company (which explains why I couldn’t order Almond products from their website for several months). I chatted with the CM about how I first discovered Basin in California back in 2002, and how I have been obsessed with them ever since. Sad, I know

.

PeoplemoverTTA · Apr 27, 2012

Day 1 - Part 2
(Does anyone else ever think of the Beatles' movie "Help!" when they read that? Such a fun, yet strange, movie. "End of part 2. Part 3." Someone back me up here :lol

.

It was time to head into World of Disney to do some damage:

Photo op:

My aunt is a funny (and fun!) gal:

If I wasn’t saving for my move, I would’ve bought several of these pillows!:

I was just so happy to be there, I kept snapping away:

There was surprisingly no monetary damage on my part. I was looking for these cool monorail magnets I bought in August, because the red one on my car faded. They were only $6 for two (one red and one blue, but my car is blue so I just used the red one). Alas, they were nowhere to be found (they’ve cut way back on car accessories...plus cat toys and treats, which makes me sad!).

Cinderella is my aunt’s favorite princess:

We’re all just happy to be in Walt Disney World:

My grandma was craving a hot fudge sundae, so despite still being full, we headed over to Ghirardelli.

Have you seen the new register setup there? I think it’s much more efficient than when they were in a single row to the left:

The three of us split a classic hot fudge sundae. I was able to snag a table, but they said it was to-go in case we had to go outside, so no fancy glass (tasted just as great! I only had a few spoonfuls, though):

And with that, we hit the road for St. Augustine. I was the driver for the entire trip, but this was a very easy drive. As expected, we hit traffic on I-4 near Downtown, but once we hit I-95 it was smooth sailing. We stopped once so my grandma could, er, rest, and luckily the gas station had a Dunkin Donuts so we fueled up with some coffee (it was around Daytona, somewhere in Volusia County I think).

We easily found our hotel (I printed out Google Maps directions to every “new” place we’d be visiting this trip, to make it easier), checked in, and hit the hay!

Coming Up: The Most Boring Day Ever (but don’t worry, it’ll be a quick post!).

PeoplemoverTTA · Apr 27, 2012

Day 2 - Thursday, April 12 (St. Augustine)

I’m very close with my family (especially after my mom passed away suddenly last summer), but I was in for a surprise when it came to “living” with my aunt and grandma for a week (they share a house together here in Buffalo). I’m used to traveling with my mom or sister, and we are just so compatible with our travel styles, how long we take to get ready, etc. Not so much this time around

.

It took them about 2 hours to get ready for bed, then my grandma’s portable oxygen machine was on. It literally sounds like a spaceship landing in the hotel room! In a way, it kind of served as white noise, though, lol. But it was really loud.

Then, in the morning, it takes them a minimum of 2 hours to get ready. I told my aunt several times during the trip that I admire how much work it is for her to help my grandma each day. I visit her often, and take her to doctors’ appointments and things like that, but the day-to-day of living with someone who has extra needs...wow, I never realized!

We went down for free breakfast that morning (not bad), and I hit the treadmill to get in a little workout (really nice, actually, with a huge TV and some privacy). The hotel was built in 2010 and literally sparkled. Our room was perfect (except for the low flow shower head - omg it was awful!) and the staff went above and beyond. If you ever go to St. Augustine, I highly recommend it! It was about 15 minutes from the beach.

So, in keeping this short, I’ll say that I worked just about all day Thursday. We went out to Target to pick up some healthy snacks and water for the fridge, but I had several client calls, and while they were at the rehearsal dinner (I’m only a cousin so I wasn’t invited), I worked on my iPad. I left my full-time job to become a freelance copywriter at the end of the year, and business is booming, so I didn’t want to slack off on any project work. This is the only day I needed to work on the trip, though.

Sooooo, that’s it for Day 2. See, I told you it was quick!

I feel badly that there were no pictures on Day 2, so here’s a random one I found in my Photobucket albums. Me, on my 8th birthday (October 21, 1988) at a character breakfast on the Empress Lilly. We stayed at the Viscount, and the trip was amazing! That’s me in the ugly red striped outfit with Minnie:

A few minutes later, the whole room sang Happy Birthday to my brother and I (we’re twins

).

PeoplemoverTTA · Apr 27, 2012

Day 3 - Friday, April 13 - Wedding Day! (St. Augustine)

Yup, my cousin got married on Friday the 13th. I’m not superstitious, but there’s no way I would get married on that day. We figure they got a massive discount :lol:.

Also, I forgot to mention that late Thursday, my great uncle arrived and checked in across the hall. He was our only family member (other than my aunt and uncle, the parents of the groom) who was able to make it.

Another morning of breakfast and the treadmill (I was being so good!), and we decided to check out the outlet mall that was literally right next door to our hotel. And for those of you who haven’t ventured to other parts of Florida before, I am about to document one of the most awesome places for a Disney fan:

Disney’s Character Premiere (or whatever that store was called).

I had previously visited one in Ft. Lauderdale with my mom in 2008, and I fell in love. Here it was again, and on my limited budget (I had $200 spending money), I. Went. Crazy. Here’s the deal: these stores are WDW outlets, with merchandise from the parks at marked down prices. My family basically had to pry me away. My sister is getting married next month (I’m her maid of honor), and she bought me the Disney “Maid of Honor” shirt. She had ordered the bride one online for $30. $10 here! I called her and told her to return the shirt....I was already in awe of this place!

Here are some pictures of the exterior and some of the merch. I kept calling my sister every two seconds to go crazy about something we saw in August that was now ridiculously cheap

Warning, these were taken with my iPhone 3GS, and the camera is horrible!:

Wanted this shirt (I adore anything retro), but I focused mostly on gifts:

They had a ton of Marvel stuff in there:

The ONE thing I had to buy myself - of course. Only $12.99 - regularly $22! (Although it’s kind of a ripoff of a shirt I bought from a 3rd party about 4-5 years ago, which you’ll see me wearing a few days down the road):

Would you look what I found?! And only $1.99!! (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, take a peek at Day 1, lol):

I’m not into Vinylmation, but you’ll never guess how much they were. 3 for $10 - only $3 apiece! I had to buy some of the 40th ones at that price. I got myself the MK and yellow 40th ones, and I got my sister the DHS one (that’s her favorite park):

I ended up buying my sister, her fiance, and my dad shirts. Plus the vinylmations, my shirt, and the monorail magnets. I think I had something else in there. Anyway, it came to $62. I added up the original prices of everything...would’ve cost me $150. I saved more than half. Totally crazy. And, they had a TON of 40th merchandise in there, including a bag I paid $40 for in August. My family literally had to tear me away from this place. They are all over the state, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for great bargains!

Coming Up: The actual reason I was in St. Augustine - the wedding!

PeoplemoverTTA · Apr 27, 2012

Day 3 - Part 2 - The Wedding (St. Augustine)

After our trip to the outlet mall (which actually wasn’t very nice, but who cares - the Disney Character Premiere store was amazing!), we headed right back to the hotel. My grandma needed a nap before the wedding, and they needed awhile to get ready.

I’ll keep this pretty short, but I’ll put a few pics up so you can get an idea of the evening.

They were married down by the beach in a historic building. The ceremony and bar/dancing were on the roof (overlooking the water), and dinner was inside. The entire building and area were gorgeous!

The weather was perfect for a rooftop wedding:

My grandma and I:

Enjoying the view with my aunt (is it just me, or does that sweater thing make my arms look incredibly stubby?):

First dance as bride and groom:

We left pretty early (about 9:45), because the day was catching up with my grandma. It was a beautiful ceremony, and a lovely reception. Just a wonderful time!

Coming Up: Back to Orlando and some more Disney magic.

fractal · Apr 29, 2012

Very cool TR. Don't know if I could do Disney without the parks - but I guess living nearby makes a big difference.

I always wanted to try Ghirardelli's (not that I need it). Maybe next trip.

Looks like a neat venue for a wedding.

PeoplemoverTTA · Apr 30, 2012

fractal said:
Very cool TR. Don't know if I could do Disney without the parks - but I guess living nearby makes a big difference.

I always wanted to try Ghirardelli's (not that I need it). Maybe next trip.

Looks like a neat venue for a wedding.

Thanks, fractal! Warning, spoiler alert: there may very well end up being a park in this report. There, I said it. But still, I'm not living nearby yet - it was hard not spending the entire week in the parks

.

Less than 3 months, though, until I am officially a local. I can't wait :so happy:

Wow, I can't believe you haven't tried Ghirardelli - although I missed it in August, we try to get there once a trip. Just one of those things we always end up doing (well, plus we get the free square inside - I hope you at least get the freebies!).

I'll be getting to the good stuff soon enough (later tonight, hopefully). Coming up: Lapu Lapus and stops at all the monorail resorts, plus that spoiler I hinted at.

PeoplemoverTTA · Apr 30, 2012

Day 4 - Part 1 - Back to Orlando (Finally)!

We started off the day by meeting the parents of the groom (my aunt and uncle) for breakfast, before hitting the road and heading back to Orlando. We made 4--count ‘em--4, pit stops on the 2-hour drive. So it ended up being a 3-hour drive. Ah well, we weren’t in a rush!

We checked in to the Country Inn & Suites in Calypso Cay (off 535 and Poinciana as well). I stayed here with my mom back in 2008, and we had a great stay. The hotel staff was outstanding, the location was fantastic (5 minutes to WDW property), and the price was reasonable (We paid $94 this trip, which included free breakfast for 3 people and saved us a bunch each morning).

Our room was older (looked like it hadn’t been remodeled since it looked new to me in 2008). Not dirty at all, but worn. They were remodeling the fourth floor rooms while we were there, so I expect that by the next time my family comes (since I’ll be a local), the rooms will be completely remodeled.

Then, after a brief snooze, we went monorail resort hopping!

Where did we start off, you ask? Why, for dinner at our favorite restaurant:

An instagram photo from my iPhone. It’s the same picture you’ve probably seen 100 times, but it felt so retro WDW to me. Right out of the 70s:

We started off the meal with something I wanted to try so badly in August, but didn’t have the chance. Does this picture give you a hint? Look closely...

Okay, I can’t resist. Here is the delectable beverage to which I am referring:

It was amazing, and thankfully the three straws were put to use (or I would’ve been hard to get home, lol).

We decided to split three appetizers and snack a little later, so we ordered (I forgot to take pictures, sorry!):

Lump crab cakes with Asian tartar and pineapple relish
Polynesian Barbecue Pork Ribs
Fried Rock Shrimp with Passion Fruit-mustard sauce

I have never had crab cakes before, and these were amazing! I’m not a huge fan of fish, but they were just delicious. The ribs were good also (but small), and the shrimp was also outstanding.

Oh and the bread. The amazing bread. With macadamia nut butter...which literally melts in your mouth.

Needless to say, I stopped entering my food into MyFitnessPal that day (diet was off for a few days, folks!).

To burn off a lil bit of our meal, we decided to do some shopping:

***Now, I must interject here. While my aunt and I were unloading the truck at the Country Inn & Suites, I mentioned that I was sad we weren’t going to MK. She agreed, and said we should talk to our grandma (since it would take a lot out of her...and she was likely going to pay, lol). My grandma has been saying for 3 trips that she thought it would be her last trip to WDW (yet she’s still here!), so we figured she’d go for it

.***

So, we went shopping in the Polynesian, and my grandma told me to pick something out, since she wanted to buy me a gift. I saw my chance.

“Well, Grandma. Aunt Mar and I were talking earlier, and...” I trailed off, “If you really want to buy me a gift, I’d really love to go to the Magic Kingdom tomorrow. Aunt Mar would too.”

“Oh okay!” grumbled my grandma, half-jokingly because we all knew she wanted to go there anyway.

And with that, I literally started jumping up and down like a 10-year old in the middle of the Poly gift shop. And I’m okay with that. Not even a little embarrassed.

PeoplemoverTTA · Apr 30, 2012

Day 4 - Part 2 - Back to Orlando (Finally)!

We left Poly and headed over to the Contemporary.

See, she is totally glad we’re going to MK:

I kept snapping away outside the monorail windows:

Avengorail (looked weird to me to see that at MK):

Yes, you heard that right - see you tomorrow, MK! 

At the Contemporary, we hit a few shops, and I saw this cool, retro-looking sign (I love anything retro):

My aunt wanted some coffee, so we looked for the coffee stand. Now the last time I stayed at the Contemporary (2003, I think), the coffee stand was right next to the escalators. So I was super confused when I couldn’t find it! I stopped at the concierge desk and he told me it was up by the main entrance.

“Oh,” I said, “A few years back, it was next to the escalators, right over there.”

“No, it was never there. I’m sorry that you’re mistaken,” was his reply.

Umm, okay?

Anyway, I passed on coffee, but my aunt picked some up for her and my grandma at Contemporary Grounds (which was not here back in 2003, lol):

The seating area here was really comfy!

After the contemporary, we completed our trip by stopping at the Grand Floridian. I have been here before to eat and explore, but never at night. The band was playing, an elderly couple was dancing, and the ambience at night here was just outstanding (and yes, there were many lights out outside).

Cool detail on the floor near the tea party area:

After picking up a few items (not me, as I am saving for my move, but my grandma and aunt did some damage), we headed back to Poly to get our car and head back for a good night’s sleep.

But first, I stopped for one of these beauties:

And it was amazing.

Coming Up: Yes indeedy, we see some theme park action!

PartOfYourWorld · May 1, 2012

PeoplemoverTTA said:
Thanks, Jess! My phone battery wasn't doing so well while I was down there, so my Twitter photos and Foursquare check-ins died off after the first day or so :lol:

You have a special mention later in this report, actually. It's not until the end, though - sorry! :lol:

Awwww it's okay! I hear ya..my phone barely lasts me a day too, now it's better since I've had to replace it, but still smart phones let me tell you...keep ya glued to the phone all day lol.

And I do???

Can't wait to read!!! :sohappy:

And those pillows...I saw those when I was there in Feb and I could have seriously done some damage with those...but they were super expensive!!!

I have to say also..your grandma is so cute

And (wow I have alot of ands) I was so happy for you when I heard you were going the MK!!!!!! :sohappy:

Edit: I forgot to add!!! That outlet store...I would have been in heaven! And vinylmations so cheap!!! I would have been ALL over that. Love collecting those! Speaking of which I just bought a ToT one that came out in 2010 off ebay for $40 I apparently missed it when that one came out and now it's retired and you can't get it anymore lol Oh the things we do for Disney!

PeoplemoverTTA · May 2, 2012

PartOfYourWorld said:
Awwww it's okay! I hear ya..my phone barely lasts me a day too, now it's better since I've had to replace it, but still smart phones let me tell you...keep ya glued to the phone all day lol.

And I do??? Can't wait to read!!! :sohappy:

And those pillows...I saw those when I was there in Feb and I could have seriously done some damage with those...but they were super expensive!!!

I have to say also..your grandma is so cute

And (wow I have alot of ands) I was so happy for you when I heard you were going the MK!!!!!! :sohappy:

Edit: I forgot to add!!! That outlet store...I would have been in heaven! And vinylmations so cheap!!! I would have been ALL over that. Love collecting those! Speaking of which I just bought a ToT one that came out in 2010 off ebay for $40 I apparently missed it when that one came out and now it's retired and you can't get it anymore lol Oh the things we do for Disney!

I saw somewhere else on Twitter that you can take your phone to Guest Relations and they'll charge it for you. I wonder if that's true.

Btw, this must be the most boring TR ever, lol, but that's okay. I'm committed to it now!

I have a similar pillow that I bought around 2005 or so. It has retro graphics and says "Walt Disney World" in a postcard typeset. I love it! I'd like to get some of the new ones to fill out my collection, but all in due time, I guess (they'll probably be at the outlet in a few months anyway

).

Seriously, I cannot stress enough that people here could spend HOURS in that place. It was a treasure trove! I will totally be visiting these stores more often once I'm down there.

My mom was really into pins (I told my sister she can have my mom's massive collection of 1500+ pins - she liked to wear them, she wasn't a "collector"), but I never really got into them, and while I like Vinylmations, I don't know if I'll really get into them. Still, the ones I bought were cute - and dirt cheap! They do trading for vinyls too, don't they? Might be fun to try that sometime.

I'll post some MK pics tonight, plus the last day (we finally went to Raglan Road, but I don't want to spoil my post, lol). Time to wrap this TR up and focus on June 21-24 (when I'm going down to find an apartment)!

diddy_mouse · May 2, 2012

I like reading the "short but sweet" trip reports.

Nice to see pictures of Downtown Disney, especially that shot of the Ghirardelli's ice cream. :slurp: I haven't been there in years but I might have to fix that come August. The brownie sundae was my nighttime treat of choice.

I loved your reaction when your grandmother OK'd the MK visit. I think I would have reacted the exact same way! Look forward to seeing those pictures!

PeoplemoverTTA · May 2, 2012

diddy_mouse said:
I like reading the "short but sweet" trip reports.

Nice to see pictures of Downtown Disney, especially that shot of the Ghirardelli's ice cream. :slurp: I haven't been there in years but I might have to fix that come August. The brownie sundae was my nighttime treat of choice.

I loved your reaction when your grandmother OK'd the MK visit. I think I would have reacted the exact same way! Look forward to seeing those pictures!

Thanks, diddy_mouse! I know this is somewhat of a sleeper compared to my regular reports, but it was a really nice trip. Glad you're enjoying it

PeoplemoverTTA · May 2, 2012

Day 5 - We’re finally here; we’re finally here! (MK Day)

So, when I last left you, we were finishing our monorail resort hopping and preparing for an unexpected day of fun at MK. But before we headed to the park, we had breakfast ADRs at Kona Cafe (it really is my grandma’s favorite).

Woo hoo (I have no idea why this picture is so big, lol)!

Taking random pictures at TTC:

While my aunt and grandma took a pit stop (lol they'd be so mad about the detail I'm giving here), I went to buy the tickets. The CM asked what brought us to WDW, and I explained that my cousin got married in St. Aug and we just had to have a little Disney in our trip. She gave me three "I'm Celebrating" pins, which I thought was nice. My aunt and grandma were thrilled, and wore them the entire day.

Ready for breakfast? My grandma bought new sunglasses at the Grand Floridian the night previous. They were aviators with little Mickey's on them - love em!

Okay, I’m trying to remember what everyone ordered here. I think my grandma had the Two Eggs Your Way:

My aunt had the blueberry pancakes:

And I, the one who has lost 64.2lbs and was so good for the first part of this trip...had the big kahuna (let a girl live a little):

It was totally worth the extra hard workouts I had when I got home - and this is only the beginning of some splurges. Hey, my trainer gave me permission to splurge, and I knew that I would be working hard when I got home again. I decided to enjoy myself. And I am totally a “breakfast person.” Some people can have a cup of yogurt and be on their way. Not me - I love a big breakfast! And thus, the big kahuna. Of course, I had some smooth Kona decaf to go with it as well

.

Here’s a bit of foreshadowing...I was totally going to work off that big kahuna!

PeoplemoverTTA · May 2, 2012

Day 5 - Part 2 (MK Time!)

VIP Entrance For My Grandma:

Sorry to see you go, Snow! 

So glad to be here! 

Now I’m just snapping with reckless abandon:

My favorite eatery in all of MK (with a spiffy reflection of my aunt and I...plus my grandma’s white hair!):

I asked my aunt if she would ride Splash with me, so we headed over there to get a FP. The return time was 40 minutes away, so we did a little shopping (no surprise there!).

Have you ever looked up in this store?

I found this abnormally amusing, I don’t know why:

I grabbed a frozen lemonade (yum!), and before we knew it, it was time to head back for our FPs:

We parked my grandma by the Splash restrooms (there was a Pooh and Tigger MnG over there too...I would rather see Brer Rabbit!), made sure she was okay for 10 minutes or so, and headed over to ride.

First ride of the day!

When I rode Splash in August, the entire finale was dead...it was spooky, and not fun. But thankfully, the finale was in perfect working order. One of the fishing birds was keeled over, though, the laughing place turtles weren’t “riding” the water, and the jumping water was still broken. Progress (I think?), but I still miss riding Splash in the pristine condition I was used to for the first 12 years of its existence!

PeoplemoverTTA · May 2, 2012

Day 5 - Part 3 (More MK)

Backed up a bit at unload so I took this shot with my iPhone:

You’ll never guess what we did after Splash.

Okay, if you guessed shopping, you’d be right

. They like it, so I’m not complaining (uh, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m in MK - no complaining here!).

We decided to head next to HoP (I love the new show). I usually sit in the front row to look at the details for each president, but wheelchairs are in the back now (didn’t they used to be up front?). Really different perspective, and I enjoyed seeing the show from the back.

We went into the Christmas store in LS, and I noticed this ornament:

When’s that campaign from - 2005? 2006? I saw a TON of merchandise with that slogan on it, as well as stuff with “Where Magic Lives.” That’s embarrassing, imho.

We decided to mosey on over to Haunted Mansion next, and there was a change here as well. In August, we skipped the stretch room because of my grandma and went ride to unload (to, uh, load). This time, they said we should go in normally, then we actually went into the stretch room...where it was so dark, my grandma ran over my foot (better mine that someone else’s!). She was mortified, especially because she uses one at home and is a really good “driver.” I felt badly that she was so upset (it realllllyy hurt, though).

I have to say, I’m all for integrating all guests into the experience, but it was crazy to put an ECV in the stretch room. The logistics were awful, people were confused, and it seemed dangerous (not just to my foot). Just an opinion from someone who’s gone through it both ways.

The ride looked as awesome as ever, though!

After HM, we stopped for lunch at Pecos Bills. I had a hamburger kids meal (with water, lots of fresh veggies and grapes for the side). My aunt and grandma each had a bacon cheeseburger. They were restricting seating to guests with food, and the system worked quite well. Instead of desperately combing each room for food, you were seated immediately and directly. Very nice! Of course some idiot literally pushed a girl out of the way and sat down...couldn’t believe it. Seriously, mister, you couldn’t wait 2 minutes for your wife to get her food? That’s how the system works!

Sorry for the lack of pictures for a bit - my aunt had a sprained ankle, and my grandma and her alternated between the chair and a rented ECV (think I forgot that). My aunt can walk, but I told her she shouldn’t walk in MK, because it was very swollen and she didn’t bring her air cast (it’s like I’m the “old one” here!). Anyway, I ended up pushing a chair for most of the day, so it was hard to take a lot of pics.

Next, we headed to PoTC:

My grandma can’t get in and out easily, so we parked her by the benches next to the Tiki Room and headed to the queue. After about 10 minutes in line, though, there was an announcement that it had shut down. Darn it - no PoTC this trip! Ah well, I’ll be back!

So, we decided to see the Tiki birds again:

But - they already filled their wheelchair seating for that show (that’s a first!). We weren’t having much luck in Adventureland, lol:

We decided to go check out the new part of Fantasyland instead. No riding here, just pics. It was extremely crowded (despite being the week after Easter, the crowds weren’t too bad overall; this area was packed, though).

Cool details in the ground:

The restrooms were really nice here as well. Sure, I’ll say it. It matters! Really well themed also. The railroad looked great...everything nice and spiffy. I can’t wait to see the next section opening soon (I’m not trying to rub it in, but it will be so cool to be able to check out this stuff as soon as it opens - less than 3 months to go!).

PeoplemoverTTA · May 2, 2012

Day 5 - Part 4 (MK Finale)

Next, we made our way into TL. It needs some TLC, but it’s still my favorite land in MK (of course!). We saw CoP first (You know, I never actually bought a laserdisc player....), then we parked grandma in the shade and rode your favorite, and mine:

Of course

We joked with my grandma that she would fall asleep and be kidnapped while we rode (actually not funny, but we’re weird). And we were so right (see the white-haired lady with her head hanging down?! Yup - sleeping! Gotcha!):

Always get a castle shot from the TTA:

After the Peoplemover (I know this is going by fast, but we stopped at pretty much every store in between. We don’t eat meals every 90 minutes, lol), my aunt and grandma were hungry and said they wanted chicken, so I suggested Cosmic Rays. This is one of those places I never really visited much, but everyone here raves about it. During my October weekend, I had tasty chili fries there (not as good as Figaro Fries, though, lol), so I thought they’d like it.

They went to the chicken bay, and I decided to splurge and get a chili cheese dog (I have never in my life had a chili hotdog. Weird, I know. So I figured, “What the heck.”). I didn’t get a side, though, to save money and calories.

See my aunt way over at the other bay? These things amuse me:

They wanted to sit and enjoy some tea (Nestea apparently has real tea bags - who knew?), so I went over to Space Mountain (oops, I grabbed a FP about an hour previous, after TTA, I believe).

Why do I ride Space Mountain? I always fear for my life and feel like I need a massage after. Oh, and I noticed the new games for the first time. No one was playing them, though. The line wrapped around strangely, and went through the exit/cast members hallway (my friend used to be a Space CM and I have been in their break room, it was close to that area). The line wasn’t very long, so this was really strange!

I emerged from Space (relatively) unscathed, and met my family back at Cosmic Rays while they enjoyed their tea. We walked around a bit, did more shopping, and by 7:45 my grandma was spent. She was hoping to make it long enough to see MSEP, but she’s in rough shape, so I was proud that she made it 10 hours straight without a break!

We decided to stop at Sleepy Hollow on the way out. My mom (who passed away very suddenly last June) adored Sleepy Hollow, and always insisted that the cookies there tasted better than cookies from anywhere else. So in August, and now this trip, we had to stop there (I’ll stop there every visit to MK now...just one of those things).

Love you, Mom:

Now she would just get a cookie, but I (remember now, I abandoned the healthy eating for a few days) went with the sandwich:

I eat about 1450 calories per day at home. I figure almost all of them were in that sandwich. Cookies were about 450 each. Ice cream about 400 maybe. Yeah. Did some damage there. Totally worth it.

We stopped on Main Street for some shopping on the way out (ended up actually leaving MK a little before 9...could’ve seen the parade!).

They had a ton of cool railroad merchandise in the cinema:

Enjoyed this sign in the emporium:

And...that ends our MK day. It’s not a typically Diana MK day, to be sure, but it was a nice one with my aunt and grandma. Let me tell you, though - pushing a wheelchair around a theme park on an 85-degree day is HARD WORK! My grandma could really only see shows, shop and eat, but she just loved being there. Just loved it. But I do not envy people who have to push wheelchairs for 5- to 7-day trips. I was so exhausted. Props to those who travel with people who have special needs. In all seriousness. Such hard work.

Coming Up: Tomorrow is the last day of the trip, and doesn’t have too much excitement. But there is a first-time meal ahead!

PeoplemoverTTAs "Not Quite a Trip" Trip Report

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