Trip Report Two goofs take a Halloween getaway. Now with bonus Christmas content!

Greetings all! We have recently returned from our short but very busy trip to the world. This trip was much needed for both of us, but especially for A, who has had a very difficult last few months. It was so great to get back to our happy place and see that big smile on her face again. We managed to pack in quite a bit in just four days. Now let’s get to it!

Friday October 25.

We had traveled to some friends of ours house the night before to shorten the drive to the airport. We had a 6 AM flight out of Dallas love field. We were out of bed and on the road to the airport by 4, and through security by 445(we love that airport!). The weather was a little iffy this morning, but our flight boarded and took off without delay. We had a very bumpy flight, including the worst takeoff I’ve ever experienced! Fortunately it’s a quick flight, and two hours later we were in sunny central Florida!

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Getting closer to her happy place!

We made our way over to magical express. It was moderately busy, but we were on a bus as soon as we were scanned in.
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We were staying at pop century! We’d never stayed here before, and were excited to try something new. It was absolutely perfect for this trip, as we didn’t spend as much time at the hotel as we do on longer trips. I really liked the new rooms, they’re very clean feeling, and the Murphy bed makes the room feel very spacious when it’s up. It feels a bit cramped with it down, but still not bad. I got the room ready text the second our bus drove under the welcome sign! We were in the 60s section, building 4 room 4268. Basically the perfect room. A short walk to the food court, bus stations, and skyliner! It’s also right at the hippy dippy pool.

We went straight to our room to put our luggage up and get ready for the parks. There was a bus headed to MK waiting for us when we got to the bus stop. Just after we boarded the skies opened up! Fortunately the rain was over by the time we got to magic kingdom. We were through the gates and on Main Street by 1130, just over 6 hours after we started the day. Not too shabby!

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We took a left at the hub and grabbed some spring rolls at the Adventureland cart. We had an order of hamburger spring rolls and an order of pepperoni. They were really good! I didn’t get a picture of them because at this point we were starving!

We headed to sunshine tree terrace for dessert. We shared a Redds Revenge.

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We both liked it, but agreed that the regular orange swirl float was better, as is the classic citrus swirl.

After dessert it was time for our first ride of the trip. Big thunder mountain! It started lightly raining on our ride, but we had a blast as always! The skies were getting darker as we exited big thunder. I was able to move our next FP for splash up, so we hurried over there, hoping the rain would hold up for us.

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We were successful! We were lucky to get on when we did though, because upon our exit of the gift shop the traditional Florida afternoon monsoon had hit!

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We stood under an awning and watched it rain for about 10 minutes. Eventually we decided to put on our rain ponchos, and make a run for one of my favorite attractions.

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Fun fact time. The voice of Big Al is voiced by Texas native and early country music star Tex Ritter, who grew up not far from where we live. I am related to the Ritter family on my fathers side. This includes deceased actor John Ritter, as well as actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. So basically what I’m saying is that I’m cousins with Big Al!😜

After the show the skies had cleared and the sun was out in full force. It was about 15 minutes before the parade was scheduled to start. We decided to hang around Frontierland and see if the parade would run on time. Unfortunately the announcement came right at 2 that the parade was delayed. No big deal for us! We made a FP for small world that began as soon as we made it over there.
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We used to avoid small world at all costs, because A wasn’t a fan. Fortunately for me, she gave it another chance on our last trip and now it’s one of her favorites! She loves that she finds something new nearly every ride, and has decided the song doesn’t bug her that much anymore! I’ve always been a big fan of the art style, and have always loved the song!
 

Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hope everyone had a great Halloween, and managed to stay warm!
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30 degrees in our part of Texas? In October? Almost unheard of! Anyways on with the TR.

Friday October 25.

We arrived at the Polynesian with quite a bit of time to kill before our 8 o’clock dinner reservation at Ohana. We gladly grabbed a drink from tambu lounge and grabbed a seat in the lobby. We spent a week at the poly back in June, so it felt good to be “home”. We also wandered the grounds a bit, just enjoying the evening. A nap may have even been taken in the lobby at some point!

Eventually we checked in for our reservation about 15 minutes early. We waited about 15 more minutes for a table.
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The bread this night was really good! Although I only ate a small piece. Don’t wanna fill up on bread! Our server was cousin Kevin. Kevin did a phenomenal job! Our glasses were never empty, and the pace of the meal was perfect! Ohana is so busy that it can sometimes feel like they’re rushing your meal. Not the case tonight!

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We told Kevin not to worry about bringing us salad, and instead started with the appetizer skillet. Those noodles are outstanding! As are the potstickers 🤤.

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The electrical water pageant came by at some point!

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The look on my face perfectly sums up my feelings about this meal.

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We did somehow manage to have room for dessert! All in all it was the best meal we’ve had at Ohana in years, possibly ever! So glad I was able to find a last minute reservation!

Eventually it was time for us to waddle out of the restaurant. We headed down to the bus stop. A DHS bus arrived shortly after we walked up. It was mostly full of Grand Floridian guests, but we managed to squeeze in. After everyone got off at the grand we had the bus to ourselves back to DHS! The park was closing upon our arrival, but we were here to try something else.

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We were here to take the skyliner back to our hotel of course! The DHS skyliner station really looks great! Even at park close, there was no line, and we boarded immediately in our own gondola.

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Skyliner selfie!

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This was my favorite one!

We had a great first experience with the skyliner! It took 18 minutes to get from the DHS station to unlocking our room door! Really beats taking the bus!

We grabbed a quick shower and quickly crashed for the night. We’d had a busy but fantastic first day.

Up next: A visit to a galaxy far away, and a whirlwind of other shenanigans!
 

Minnesota disney fan

Well-Known Member
Here I am late again, sigh...………..
If I only knew how to insert a gif about always being the last one or always being late, I would do it.
However, since I can't even put a picture in my name spot, what do you expect??????
I admit, I am technically challenged. My grandson sets things up for me, but where the heck is he when I need him??????
Anyway, glad to be back to one of your great TR's:)
 

Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Just noticed your t-shirt in the gondola selfie 🤣
I think A made me that shirt to wear for the Disney villains after hours this summer, it got a lot of comments all day. Even the TSA agent at the airport that morning liked it. One lady asked where I bought it so she could get one for her husband!

Here I am late again, sigh...………..
If I only knew how to insert a gif about always being the last one or always being late, I would do it.
However, since I can't even put a picture in my name spot, what do you expect??????
I admit, I am technically challenged. My grandson sets things up for me, but where the heck is he when I need him??????
Anyway, glad to be back to one of your great TR's:)
Here ya go!

Thanks for following along, I hope you enjoy!
 
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Nunu

Wanderluster
Premium Member
The look on my face perfectly sums up my feelings about this meal.
OmG!, I've seen that blank stare, spaced out expression on Frank's face after a meal there. "Ohana Face" is real! :oops:😆

I got room 4257 at Pop last August, very close to yours. Location and views were great. Unfortunately the Skyliner was still on testing phase, glad you had the chance to ride it!
 

Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
OmG!, I've seen that blank stare, spaced out expression on Frank's face after a meal there. "Ohana Face" is real! :oops:😆

I got room 4257 at Pop last August, very close to yours. Location and views were great. Unfortunately the Skyliner was still on testing phase, glad you had the chance to ride it!
“Ohana face”! I will be using that from now on!
 
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Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Saturday October 26.

Before we went to bed the night before, we had discussed doing the super early extra magic hours at DHS. We decided to try it, and set an alarm for 5 AM.

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We finally got moving around 10 after 5, and were out of the door shortly after. Upon our arrival to the bus stop we noticed we’d just missed the bus to DHS. We opted for a Lyft instead, and made it to DHS about 15 minutes later.

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Bag check took no time at all, and we were quickly through the front gate as well.

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The crowds weren’t too bad, and after about 10 minutes, they escorted us back to SWGE. The way they handled this I thought was very well done. They slowly walked us back towards the ride, and sort of just slowly funneled people into a single file line the closer we got.

Soon we had arrived at SWGE!

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The land looks phenomenal, especially at night! Even though I was super sleepy, I was also in awe that after years of anticipation, I was finally here!

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My little nerd heart skipped a beat when we came around the corner and saw the millennium falcon! I remember sitting in the living room as a kid with my older brother watching the original trilogy over and over, and now here I was at a life sized version of it. So cool!

We waited about 10 minutes before getting our assignments for the falcon. We were engineers. The ride itself was better than I thought it would be. I will echo others thoughts though, that the interactive elements do take away from the experience a bit, if you’re not one of the pilots. All in all I still enjoyed it quite a bit.

After our ride on the millennium falcon, we explored the land for a bit. Pictures really don’t do this place justice. Imagineering did a fantastic job at making the land feel like an entirely separate living place. You really do forget you’re in a theme park.

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So exhausted, yet so happy to be there!
 
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Super late but finally here!! Been busy getting ready for my trip in 2 days!! Sounds like lots of fun--following along!!

Fun fact time. The voice of Big Al is voiced by Texas native and early country music star Tex Ritter, who grew up not far from where we live. I am related to the Ritter family on my fathers side. This includes deceased actor John Ritter, as well as actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. So basically what I’m saying is that I’m cousins with Big Al!😜
That's pretty cool!! I thought John Ritter was hysterical in Three's Company!! I remember him guest starring in an early Law & Order SVU episode as a doctor who killed his wife's baby. It was a creepy role but he played the part amazingly well!!
 

Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
The nighttime (well, early morning) pictures are really neat.
Thanks! It was exhausting getting up that early after a long travel day, but worth it! It really is cool to see everything lit up!

Super late but finally here!! Been busy getting ready for my trip in 2 days!! Sounds like lots of fun--following along!!


That's pretty cool!! I thought John Ritter was hysterical in Three's Company!! I remember him guest starring in an early Law & Order SVU episode as a doctor who killed his wife's baby. It was a creepy role but he played the part amazingly well!!
Glad to have you here, can’t wait to read your next TR! Where are you staying? 😜 I’ll have to go look up the SVU episode and watch it, he was quite talented!
I'm late as well and I am ashamed to say that I don't know how to post a gif either! Enjoying your report so far!
Thanks for following! Not late at all! Also there’s a tutorial somewhere around here on how to insert .gifs! It’s not too difficult!
 

Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Saturday October 26 Contd.

We exited Star Wars though toy story land. Slinky was showing to have a 20 minute wait, so we got in line. The wait ended up being about 10 minutes.

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We may have forgotten where the picture was taken. Slinky was fun as always. Toy story land is really special at night, not so much in the day time when it’s hot with no shade and no indoor activities. This was clearly designed by someone who had no knowledge of Florida, but I digress.

After slinky we made our way over to sunset boulevard.

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This side of the park was dead. Tower of Terror was a “13” minute wait, which of course is their way of saying it’s a walk on! We took 2 rides!

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ToT is still my favorite attraction. Everything from the que, to the pre show, to the ride itself, and even it’s placing at the end of sunset is just so flawlessly executed. The cast member working in the pre show this morning was so creepy and fun! He scared the bejeezus out of a young lady next to us, it was hilarious!

The sun had risen when we exited tower the 2nd time. We knew a stop at Starbucks was a necessity. Fortunately it wasn’t crowded and we quickly had some much needed caffeine running through or veins. We were also getting very hungry, so we ventured back into TSL. Andy’s lunchbox was moderately busy, but we managed to find a seat.

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We each had a half of s’mores sandwich, and a half smoked turkey and egg sandwich. The turkey sandwich was outstanding! The s’mores sandwich was good too, but was a bit dry around the edges.

At this point it was still about an hour before park opening. We headed back to batuu to see it in the daylight. This is when the land and it’s inhabitants really shined through for us.

It seemed like everywhere we went there was a storm trooper, or a resistance fighter up to something. Cast members walked about with droids or creatures on them. The cast is what really set this place apart!

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Sunrise on batuu is beautiful.

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A interesting idea for a photo.

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Chewie was out working on an A wing.

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He was having fun with the condensation on the ship, and was flinging it on his handler.

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What little crowd there was tended to be mostly around the falcon attraction.
 

Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Saturday October 26 contd.

We continued to explore galaxy’s edge

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We had these goofy smiles on our faces the entire time!

After we took this photo A went to pick up our things and somehow missed chewie running up behind her to hide from some storm trooper beneath us. When I told her what happened she didn’t believe me! I took her the direction he had left to show her he was down there.

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He had met up with Rey! It was great to see the characters in the land interact with each other. When they run into each other it feels so natural. They’ll talk for a bit, then be on their way to some other task. Also whoever they found to be Rey is absolutely phenomenal, a dead ringer for Daisy Ridley. She is great with guests as well!

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Rey headed to the marketplace, while Chewbacca did some work on the millennium falcon.

We headed over to the milk stand to try some blue milk.
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Not bad, but certainly not as noteworthy as butterbeer. Which I’m sure is what they were hoping for. I’ll try green next time.

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The photographer told us to look serious. This was the best we could do! 🤣

Before we knew it, we had spent an hour in Galaxy’s Edge! The park was now officially open. We exited through TSL and walked on to midway mania. Even though we got no photographic evidence, I must admit that for the first time ever, I lost to A at TSMM. Not my finest moment. I guess that made us even for me finally beating her score on buzz the day before!

It was just after 9 at this point and we had done every attraction we wanted to do that day. Before leaving we decided to go do the darth Vader meet, since it was only showing to have a 5 minute wait.
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A’s face! 🤣 Darth Vader is so creepy, but we really had fun! This meet does have the stupid robot photographer. Fortunately the handler volunteered to take pictures with my phone, and got some nice candid shots.

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He was telling me I looked very strong, and would be a good asset for the empire. I politely declined the offer. He let me know he’d be keeping a close eye on me!

When we left our meeting with the dark lord we noticed there was no line for Chewbacca, so we went there next.

Chewbacca is our favorite character greet! He’s always so animated and energetic! We told him that we had just met Darth Vader, and he was so happy we’d made it out alive! He then took us back to explain how Vader had destroyed the planet Alderaan with the Death Star.

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He also decided that I must be part Wookiee, because I’m so tall, and furry! 😂
 
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Loco_driver

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Saturday October 26 continued.

It was only around 930 AM and we were all done with DHS. We headed for the exit. We ordered a Lyft to AK, where we’d made fast passes for the day.

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10 AM and we were on our 2nd park of the day!

We had a FP for Navi river journey that would soon be expiring, so we quickly made our way to pandora.
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We enjoyed our gentile ride down the river, and spent a few minutes checking out pandora. I like pandora, but it always feels so cramped and crowded to me. Maybe I’m always getting there at the wrong time? I also think flight of passage is overrated, but I’m clearly in the minority on that.

Our next fastpass was for Everest, so we started the long trek across the park. We saw a PP photographer in front of the tree of life with no line, so we stopped for a picture.

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This picture is a perfect summary of much of WDW right now. Beauty, with construction walls in front.

Anyways, moving along past the tree of life we saw a short line to meet Russell and Dug, I knew there was no way we were passing that up.

Dug and Russell were so excited about A’s bag!
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Dug needed to pet it! 🤣

We did finally make it to Everest
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After Everest we decided to check out maharajah jungle trek. It’d been about 3 years since we’d done the trek. A used the play Disney parks app here, and it was pretty neat, it gave some extra info about the animals and displays.
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Maharajah jungle trek has some of the best theming on property!

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I loved checking out all the murals.

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It was nice to escape the crowds take it slow for a bit.

Up next: The new wildest ride in the wilderness!
 
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