Trip Report The Ferrets Southern Adventure

Howdy Y'all and welcome along to my trip report.
First up a quick introduction to the cast;
Firstly there is me ( Mr Ferret) and Mrs Ferret . Both young at heart disneyholics and this is our umpteenth trip to the world.We live on a small island in the English channel called Guernsey (google is your friend).
So without further ado ,
@figmentfan423 @epcotisbest @betty rose @seahawk7 @MinnieM123 @MOXOMUMD and anyone else i have forgtten , welcome onboard and please keep all hands arms and legs inside the thread until it has come to a complete standstill.

 

[betty rose]

Thank you and well done to you as well

Loving your TR, thanks for posting.

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

May 16
Today was Hollywood Studios and Star Wars Weekend.
Once in the park we headed straight to the back and Darth's mall. We joined the queue for Watto's grotto and about 45 minutes later saw us enter the shop. We both spent a good chunk of change in here and were pleased with the sizing options on the clothing ( much better than regular Disney).
To recover from this we got a bite and a drink from .... The Trolley Car Cafe ( shocking I know). We took this over to near the exit for Beauty and the beast as the seating was shaded and out of the way.
The art of Animation courtyard area was our next stop and we went into the meet and greet for the big cheese himself. I snuck a quick pic of Baymax but we didn't meet him as the queue seemed crazy long and he was off to re-charge very soon.
WE did some more shopping and wandering to see what we could and enjoy the atmosphere then decided to do Toy Story even though it was an hour or so wait. It had air con and that made it bearable. I finally managed to beat Mrs Ferret at something and even got a kitty in the process.
We decided to head back to the resort for a while as the crowds had grown crazy and the heat was intense. On the way out we grabbed a few pics of Boba Fett and also a carrot cake cookie from the writers stop for an afternoon snack.
Later that day we headed back on out. This time to the Magic Kingdom as it was open until early morning. First up was a meet and greet with everyone's favorite mermaid followed by a ride under the sea on a clam shell. Moseying on around we popped into It's a Small World just in time to see the clock go off.
Feeling peckish we stopped in at Pecos Bills for a bite to eat and just as we were exiting we saw the front of MSEP so we snagged a couple of spots right at the last possible place you can stand in Fronteirland and watched from there. It was a blast and as there was no one opposite we got a lot of attention from the cast.
Thunder mountain FP beckoned next and we watched (some of) Wishes from aboard a mine train .
After this we made our way over to the christmas shop in liberty square to wait up for our 10:45 FP with Mr and Mrs Boomer93.We were spotted quite easily (can't imagine how) and we had a good chat before the late running of the parade. It was great to meet Diane and Bob and finally put a face (and accent) to the posts.I hope they enjoyed meeting and the parade as much as we did.And if we are ever passing through we will stop in (am sure y'all have coffee).
After it had all finished we parted ways and headed back into the park. Haunted Mansion called once again (it's much better in the dark

)and then we braved the insane standby queue for 7 dwarves. I wouldn't do this ride on standby again unless the times drastically change next trip.
We were now well past the witching hour so decided to call it a night (or morning) and headed off to bed. Not before posing in front of the castle one last time.

May 16 Mousekeeping

Snow Speeder

Boba Fett

Baymax

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

I forgot to tag @catmom46 , @StarWarsGirl95 and @Goofyernmost

 

[Figgy1]

Great pics to accompany a great trip report. Looking forward to more.
I must say you two are looking slim, trim and happy. I'm down to around 225 from a high of 280 or so.

Woo Hoo CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Figgy1]

I forgot to tag @catmom46 , @StarWarsGirl95 and @Goofyernmost

and @MouseDreaming

 

[Figgy1]

THNX for posting here! Just as good as the last time LOL

 

[Zipadeelady]

Following along! You need to take a pic of Mrs. Ferret's Jasmine tattoo. I got to see Ariel's in your pictures but can't make out the Jasmine in any of them..

 

[Cesar R M]

May 9th
This morning saw us buckle up and motor up to Universal. Once parked up and through bag check we headed over to the left at Citywalk and into Islands Of Adventure.
We headed straight through the park and up to Hogsmeade and The Forbidden Journey ride. The wait time posted was for 75 minutes but as we got closer there was a cast member informing people that the ride was down at the moment but we were welcome to join the Queue but they couldn't guarantee what time it would be active again

.
At this point we decided to switch things up and head on over to Uni Studios via the Hogwarts Express. I wont go into detail of this ride so as to keep the surprise for others but keep an eye on the window and your carriage doorway. We exited at kings cross and headed across into Diagon alley.
This area is awesomely themed and due to the high buildings it is completely immersive.
First up was a ride on Escape from Gringotts. This has a very deceptive queue area as you enter through the front of the bank you go down into an outside area that can take more than an hour to clear before you get back into the bank for another 30 minute or more queue. The inside section has more to see and do including a photo section. The ride itself is pretty cool and uses screens and other things to complete the experience.
Once we had done this we re-lockered our bags and went back in for a second ride.
After this the queue time had grown to well over an hour and a half so we decided to get some refreshment. We decided on ice cream and went into Florien Fortesques. We both went for a waffle cone,mine with sticky toffee pudding flavour and Donna had apple crumble. We parked outside to eat the cones and watch the dragon on top of the bank. Both flavours were very nice and the dragon fire is exceedingly hot (even in the Florida sun).We spent a good while investigating all around the alley and also in knockturn alley before heading back out into the main park.
We ventured over to Men in Black and Donna proceeded to beat me ...
Next up we ventured into Springfield and to the Krusty burger. The line to get to the food stations was out the door so we went around to the Starbucks location for coffee and a sandwich and shared a cheese danish. We sat outside to eat and watch the world walk by.
By this time all the rides had seriously long queues so we hit up the shops and left for the day. Not before we had seen Bumblebee

and Megatron

We headed back to the resort to rest up for later as the temps were in the upper 90's.
Later that day we headed out to the bus stop and boarded for the Magic Kingdom.
Once there we went right into the Tinkerbell meet and greet. By the time we had been returned to our regular size we headed over to Arrundelle to meet with the frozen sisters.
The poor photographer in here was doing a great but busy job as he was covering all the families meeting both sisters by himself as the other camera person had issues with her card reader. First up was Anna and then Elsa.
We followed this with a trip "under the sea" on the little mermaid ride.
Our first FP+ of the day was due so we headed into tomorrrowlad and boarded our astro blasters to go "to Infinity and Beyond".Continuing the trend of the day Donna beat me by achieving a perfect score.
After this we headed of for another trip around the dead centre of the park. Upon exiting we popped into Memento Mori for a "special" portrait from here. We took these with us and due to a mix up and (in their words) an unnecessary long wait we received a free FP+ for any ride. We took this and swiftly headed over to 7 dwarves mine train for an unexpected ride.
Winnie the Pooh was next as it was only a 10 minute wait for the standby line. Next up was a spin through space on the mountain and this time we got the other side of the ride (this one seems a little jerkier).
Casey's corner was our next stop for a quick top up before our next FP+
THE JUNGLE CRUISE

... This is my all time favourite ride and skipper Louis didn't disappoint with a few new jokes thrown in with the old ones. The refurb looks good and the ride is looking nice and clean with a few new bits thrown in. From here we went next door to Pirates and rode this again. I do feel they shouldn't have pushed the refurb back as it is a shame to see some of the things that need fixing. We decided at this point that we were both done for the day and headed off for some well deserved rest.

May 9th Mousekeeping

Florien Fortesques

Springfield

Gringott's Dragon

Bumblebee

seems Donna is a champ!!!

 

[seahawk7]

May 4th
Our Transatlantic day started early as the previous occupants of the room had set the alarm for 5:30 am

Once up and ready we headed straight to security and breezed through in about 5 minutes.Whilst walking through the duty free shop Donna spotted her second celeb of the trip ... Bertie Bassett.From there we headed up to the V-room and got a window seat to watch the flights taking off and enjoy the free breakfast.
We noticed that there was a high proportion of Easyjet flights compared to anything else.
we got the call for our flight and boarded "Pretty Woman".We settled in for an 8hr 29 min flight.We both watched John Wick and then i watched American Sniper with Donna watching Mockingjay part 1 and The Theory of Everything.After that we both watched Russel Brands Messiah Complex.
When lunch was served they had run out of our meal choice by the time they got to us and as we were nice and polite and were not too fussed we ended up with a beef stew and cake combo off the first class menu

We also were served an afternoon treat of Fab lollies.
Once we had landed and cleared customs and immigration we chose our noble steed for the fortnight and headed off to our resort.We arrived not too much later and with only a little getting lost.We were given a room in Magnolia Terrace with a view of the pool and a short walk to the bus station.
Once we had got in the room and unpacked we headed of to the boat dock and proceeded down to Downtown Disney Springs for tea.EOS beckoned and we obliged with a holiday turkey sandwich and cupcake each.
After a stroll through the shops we cruised back to the hotel to get some much needed sleep as we had been up for around 24 Hrs

Our Transatlantic Plane

Our Hire Car !!! (couldn't resist the upgrade)

Our hotel room

Following along! By the way, is that a corvette?

 

[seahawk7]

May 6th
Animal Kingdom
Todays adventures saw us stop first thing for breakfast at Pizzafari. We both got the bounty platter with coffee which was very nice Including Donna's first try of french toast ( except the coffee

)
We wandered around to Everest and went through the standby line for our first ride of the day.
Next in our sights was Dinosaur which was our first FP we had a vehicle with two "younger Explorers" who didn't take too well to the dark. Once we had come out of the exit we headed straight back in as there was only a 10 minute wait on the standby side of the ride.
After another successful time travel mission we headed on over to Africa and a three week safari around the plains. What at first appeared to be an abandoned Savannah turned into a good ride with a lot of animals hiding in the shade a little further on.
We checked the times and took a stroll over to Nemo the Musical which we thoroughly enjoyed.
We then browsed for a while just enjoying the park before heading back to the Riverside.
We jumped into the trusty steed and went off down to Wallmart (don't judge y'all) to get some supplies etc. When we returned we took a nice gentle stroll down to French quarter and back for the evening before stopping at the foodcourt for an evening meal.

May 6th Mousekeeping

Safari Donald

It's OK folks , She has packed her trunks ...

Stripey Pajama horse

Gotta get those power naps in when you can.

You take great pictures! I love the pose you make on the rides.

 

[seahawk7]

May 7th
EPCOT
We decided on a bit of a later start today as the heat was unseasonally high and our FP selections were not until later in the day. Donna found the coffee machine in the room worked well and the Joffereys supplied had a good taste.
Upon arriving at the bus stop the Avengers themed bus turned up promptly and whisked us away to the park.
After a quick photo stop at the entrance we went straight on over to the left hoping to hit up Test Track. As we got closer we saw this wasn't going to be an option as the wait time was 95 minutes.
We window shopped in Mousegear on the way over to world showcase. Stopping for another photo opportunity in front of the fountains and golfball. Hanging a right at the start of this half of the park we stopped at the refreshment outpost to share a Cronut. We both agreed it was very nice indeed. Meandering through the worlds we found ourselves in Morroco and decided to stop in and meet with it's most famous resident,would be rude not to.
However Abu had gotten into trouble with Aladdin and they had had to stay at the palace so we "made do" with Jasmine

.
She loved Donna's tattoo of her and asked for a picture with just the two of them.
Next up was Japan and a stroll through the always interesting and often weird department store before crossing the border back into 'Merica. Here we stopped and listened to the American Sound Machine ( an acapella fivesome).They were very good and make a nice addition to this land.
Next to be visited was the temporary stand "the smokehouse" for a Pigglicous Maple bacon cupcake and iced lemonade. Both were very nice indeed.
We strolled around the next few lands for a while and bought some treats for back home in Caramel Kuche before stopping off in Norway.
Here we got the fabled School bread and iced french vanilla latte and had them in the bakery's nice and shaded seating area whilst mourning the loss of Malestrom

Next was a short stroll through the butterfly garden and over to the imagination pavillion. After a ride on Journey to imagination we watched the sneak peek of Tomorrowland (it looks very good).
Whilst over this side of the park and in no rush we went Soarin on standby.
Our timeslot was here for the character spot so off we went to meet Mickey Minnie and Goofy.
Dinner was at Sunshine seasons and we both had the sweet and sour chicken with Jasmine rice and shared a NY cheesecake and strawberry shortcake.To burn off this we went for a trip to the eac and visited with Nemo and friends.
Next we did some shopping at Mousegear and art of Disney before doing our spaceship earth FP.
We headed back to the resort and hopped on a boat to DTD and watched Home at the AMC before a late night sailing back.

May 7th Mousekeeping

Jasmine and my Princess

@ Norway

Metting the Big Cheese

Outside the Land

Not our boat but very cool

Your princess is beautiful.

 

[MinnieM123]

This is a fun report to read! There's quite a bit here to comment on, but I'll share just a few thoughts. The fact that you like the Country Bear Jamboree indicates you have great taste in entertainment! (I know it's an older silly show, but I always laugh when I see it.)

All of your photos are very good. By the way, was it you or Mrs. Ferret who picked out your stylish shorts in the picture of the both of you, posing with Jedi Mickey?

Love the designs on the daily envelopes to Mouse Keeping! Those are adorable!!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Looks awesome. I've only had a chance to skim through it; will have to give it a thorough read-through later.

I think your wife and I would get along as the two movies she picked were two of the ones I picked when I went out to Hawaii in June-July.

My two favorite Mousekeeping signs are the Dumbo and the Olaf, though they are all adorable.

And this probably goes without saying, but the Star Wars stuff is awesome. So jealous that you've gotten to do Star Wars Weekends.

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

May 17th

After last nights shenanigans we had a late start today. We fired up the motor and rolled out up to Universal.
First up (for me)was a trip on Rip Ride Rock It whilst Donna waited below in the sunshine. As we had started late it was already lunchtime so we popped into Springfield and into the Krusty burger. Now conventional wisdom would be to get the signature dish here but since when have we been normal.
I went for the chicken waffle sandwich ( waffle top and bottom,fried chicken in the middle with lettuce and mayo .. and maple syrup) with tater tots on the side. Donna went for the interestingly named Chicken Thumbs (with tater tots).Both of us had the Buzz Cola (sugar free cherry cola).
Suitably refreshed we headed over to diagon alley and spent some more time sightseeing before joining the queue for Gringotts. The posted time was 1 hour but,knowing what the queue length is we got out of the queue after 20 minutes or so as there was no way we were getting to the inside section in an hour let alone on the ride.
To make up for this we went to Mr Fortesques ice cream shop once more and both had the peanut butter and strawberry flavour in a cone. This was just as nice as the other ones we had the other day.
We spent some more time browsing the park before exiting, picking up a bottle of pumpkin juice and bottle of Gilly water to try later, as the crowds had grown and the wait times were all insane. One Valencia orange Starbucks each and we were good for the trip back to finish packing.
Once that was done we boated over to Downtown and caught Pitch Perfect 2 over at the AMC.
Dinner was at EOS on the way back to the boat and we both went with the holiday turkey ( would be rude not to ).

May 17th Mousekeeping

Rollercoaster

Ice-cream

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

May 18th

Sad day today as we said goodbye to the resort and motored over to the Virgin check in at Downtown. We got upstairs seats for the flight back and once we had our tickets and had waved bye to the luggage we wheeled over to EPCOT.
Our first ride of the day was Figment and it was a FP.We were the first FP people of the day and the "lab assistants" were very pleased to greet us. We had the entire ride to ourselves.
Next up was breakfast which we grabbed at sunshine seasons. We both grabbed a breakfast platter and apple crumble pie thingy. The platter was awesome (as usual ) and the pie was nice but a little heavy.
We had a FP for soaring next and we asked for and got the front row. Next up was Nemo the ride on standby and then on over to the World Showcase for a last wander and stop in Norway. I had the Troll horn and Donna had the Mousse Kiss (seems to be new on the menu). Both were very nice indeed.
We had one last Valencia orange from Starbucks before grabbing a last photo and exiting.
We buckled up for the las
t time and headed on up to the airport. With a tearful goodbye (to the hire car).We boarded the tallest escalator in the world and went through security.
We took the monorail straight over to the gate area and with some time to kill Donna had her nails done at the Xpress spa.
Soon enough it was time to board and we got back on to Pretty Woman for our flight back to the UK.
The flight was a little lumpy at points but not too bad overall. Movies were watched and food was consumed but due to lack of sleep I can't remember exact details.

May 18th Mousekeeping

Last photo at Disney

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

May 19th

We touched down early am in the UK and got our bags. We had booked a room at the Yotel for a few hours and went there to relax and refresh a bit before our afternoon flight back to Guernsey. It is a nice "pod" style hotel and great for a short relax but a little small in size for an overnight stay in our opinion. We checked out of the hotel and checked in for our flight then headed straight through customs.
A few last minute presents were collected from duty free before we headed to Frankie and Benny's for a last holiday meal. After being promptly seated we sat there for an age with no server even saying hello. So we got up and walked out. Another couple also did the same as they had been sitting before we were shown in. YAY back to good old British service.
We grabbed a coffee and a sandwich from Costa instead and before we knew it we were boarding our flight back across the little pond to our waiting chauffeur (my dad) and the real world.

BOOO

Hope you enjoyed our little adventure,Y'all come back now real soon.

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

Following along! You need to take a pic of Mrs. Ferret's Jasmine tattoo. I got to see Ariel's in your pictures but can't makeout the Jasmine in any of them..

Here you are ;

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

Following along! By the way, is that a corvette?

OH YES

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

Your princess is beautiful.

Thank you

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

This is a fun report to read! There's quite a bit here to comment on, but I'll share just a few thoughts. The fact that you like the Country Bear Jamboree indicates you have great taste in entertainment! (I know it's an older silly show, but I always laugh when I see it.)

All of your photos are very good. By the way, was it you or Mrs. Ferret who picked out your stylish shorts in the picture of the both of you, posing with Jedi Mickey?

Love the designs on the daily envelopes to Mouse Keeping! Those are adorable!!

Can't beat "Blood on the floor"

Thank you.Mrs Ferret does have some input on my clothing choice but not all lol

The envelopes were done by our Tattoo artist for us (except for the 18th as she did one too few of them and i had to do one of my own)