Trip Report WDW Trip #11 - Unfinished Business

Hi all

It's been a few days since I returned from my latest WDW trip. I'm not 100% settled back into the UK timezone or weather, but I'm getting there! I've just finished transcribing my handwritten notes from my trip and now I'm ready to post my trip report for you all to enjoy. The cast of characters in my story are the same as before, but as a reminder:

• Me - the author, embarking on my 11th visit to WDW
• R - my brother, embarking on his 9th visit to WDW (but he's been to DLP one more time than I have)
• Mum and Dad - known as the Folks, embarking on their 12th visit to WDW (though Dad has visited Disneyland in California at least once)

The posts will include a stats section at the end of each day, listing the number of attractions ridden, the number of new experiences (rides, attractions, restaurants that I've never been to before) and the total distance walked (according to Google Fit on my phone).

Like my previous trip report, I'll make a new post every day, thus reliving the trip in near real-time. But I'll start off with the prologue and first day.

So, sit back and enjoy!

 

[cgersic]

Your photos are sooo good!! Enjoying the trip!

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Saturday, September 28, 2024 (Day 10)

This morning, we had breakfast in our room, consisting of donut holes we bought from Panchito's a few days earlier. We then played Bus Roulette and ended up at Hollywood Studios in time to take advantage of Early Entry. First stop was the Runaway Railway as that had a short wait. This was followed by Toy Story Mania which also had a short-ish wait. Once again, I was defeated by R and I'm still looking for my first victory against him. We then rode Smuggler's Run and joined the standby queue, hoping to avoid being engineers this time. However, this did not work out as planned and we ended up being engineers for a family of 4. We then rode Rise of the Resistance as single riders, though we both ended up in the same ride vehicle. Afterwards, we stopped in Dok Ondar's where R bought a holocron and an additional kyber crystal. We then headed out of Galaxy's Edge and took in MuppetVision 3D again. Following that, we went in search for lunch. At first, we headed towards the market area near the Tower of Terror, but the rain clouds were gathering so we decided to head to somewhere indoors. We ended up at Pizzerizzo and although the pizza wasn't as good as some of the other pizza I'd had on the trip, it was sufficient for lunch and also to get us out of the rain!

We had hoped to see the launch of the Crew-9 Dragon, since we knew that space launches can be seen from various locations across WDW. But our chances were reduced with the low cloud and suboptimal weather. Nonetheless, we tried our best. We managed to get a bus back to Coronado and scoped out a location, as I listened to the live countdown on my phone. However, despite our best intentions, we couldn't see the launch, so we headed back to the room.

Later that afternoon, we headed to EPCOT as we had ADRs for the Space 220 Lounge. Upon arriving at EPCOT, we did Spaceship Earth, then Mission: SPACE before heading to the lounge. I had the short rib sliders and R had the pork belly. The restaurant was pretty impressive and the food and drink was quite good, though I couldn't help but feel a bit rushed through the experience. We were in and out in about 45 minutes. After dinner, we walked around World Showcase, stopping off to share a cookies and cream funnel cake from the funnel cake stand near the American Adventure. We then walked through Journey of Water which is quite impressive when it's lit up at night. Afterwards, we rode Spaceship Earth again and headed back to the resort. We got drinks then went back to the room where this time, I fell asleep in front of Coco.

Stats:

• Attractions ridden: 9 (67 total)
• New experiences: 1 (Space 220) (13 total)
• Distance covered: 12.95 km / 8.05 mi (135.73 km / 84.36 mi total)

Pictures from Day 10:

Oh no, being interrogated again!

Minifig at Space 220

Minifig is now eyeing up my burgers!

Minifig wants some of our funnel cake!

Te Fiti looks good at nighttime too

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Sunday, September 29, 2024 (Day 11)

As requested by the Folks, I got up and managed to secure us all a virtual queue slot for Tiana's. This time, we ended up with boarding group 64. All four of us then went to El Mercado for breakfast, where I had pancakes with bacon, R had bagel with cream cheese again, Mum had waffles and bacon and Dad had a sausage egg McMuffin (or whatever the equivalent is). We all went to Magic Kingdom together and rode Pirates of the Carribbean, followed by the Haunted Mansion which experienced an extended stoppage just after we came out of the stretching room. We then rode Buzz Lightyear and due to the multiple stoppages on that ride, I managed a score of over 800,000. Next stop was the People Mover and the the Laugh Floor. When we entered the theatre for the Laugh Floor, our party was on either side of an aisle. Dad ended up being on the end of a row and said to me he didn't want to be on the end of a row as you often get picked for audience participation if you're on the end of a row. I offered to swap, but he said no. Well, guess who Betty Boil picked on during the "telepathetic" sequence? Yes, that's right - despite Dad not having his hand up, but R having hsi hand up, the monsters selected Dad to think of a number and participate with the monster. He took it well and seemed to enjoy it and we all had a good laugh about it afterwards over some ice cream floats at Auntie Gravity's. Afterwards, Dad went to ride the Carousel of Progress by himself while the rest of us looked at the shops. We all met up afterwards and headed towards Tiana's which, unlike the other day, opened on time, but did have some downtime during the morning. On the way to Tiana's, I stopped at the spring roll cart and got a cheeseburger egg roll and a pepperoni pizza egg roll. Both I quite enjoyed. Our boarding group was called about 1445 and we joined the line straightaway. There were a number of long stoppages in the queue, including one just before we were going to board. Happily, the ride started up again and we were soon on our way. On the final drop, we all got absolutely soaked - more so than any other time!

Once Tiana's was over, we went our separate ways. R headed to the popcorn place at the back of Main Street Confectionery and got himself a treat. By this time, it was past 1600, so the Halloween guests were being allowed in. We went back to the resort and relaxed for a bit, then went to Disney Springs. We looked at some shops and grabbed some food at the Daily Poutine. By the time we finished there, it was getting a bit too busy, so we took the bus back to the resort. The bus was fairly empty so we grabbed seats towards the back. On the way back to the resort, the bus driver slammed on his brakes suddenly. This caused me to collide with the pole located nearby and R was launched out of his seat and went down the aisle. We were OK, but I think some passengers near the front came off worse. I think one of them had a head injury, but I didn't stop to look. We got off at the Destino Tower and R headed to Panchito's to resolve an issue with his new MagicBand+ he bought the other day. They gave him a brand new one no questions asked. We then went for a beer in the Barcelona Lounge and returned to the room where this time, I made it to the end of Moana!

Stats:

• Attractions ridden: 6 (73 total)
• New experiences: 1 (The Daily Poutine) (14 total)
• Distance covered: 12.73 km / 7.91 mi (148.46 km / 92.27 mi total)

Pictures from Day 11 (sorry, I didn't seem to take many pictures this day!):

Not a bad score on Buzz Lightyear, but was aided by the frequent stoppages!

Barcelona Lounge at Coronado Springs

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Monday, September 30, 2024 (Day 12)

This morning, I managed to secure a virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy for myself and R. We ended up with boarding group 73. We then had breakfast at El Mercado where I had another cronut and R had a cinnamon roll that was about the size of Spaceship Earth. After breakfast, we headed to EPCOT and made a beeline for Ratatouille, but the line was too long and already at 0900, it was too hot to stand outside in the queue, so we walked around World Showcase instead. We rode the Gran Fiesta Tour, which had no line and there was only one other party in our boat. This was followed by Soarin', Living with the Land, Mission: SPACE (I was Navigator, R was pilot), Imagination and Spaceship Earth. By this point, our boarding group was near, so we went and sat in the shaded area located near the entrance of Guardians of the Galaxy. Our group was called about 1330 and we waited about 45 - 50 minutes to get on the ride. There were no problems in the preshow; no-one shouting "alcoholics!" nor a mass stampede towards the boarding area, which online communities suggested that was the norm. Everyone was well behaved. The ride was quite a lot of fun and when it was over, we returned to Coronado for a rest.

Later on that afternoon, we met the Folks and took a bus to Magic Kingdom as this evening, we had an ADR at 'Ohana, which I was looking forward to and it was a nice way to spend the last full day at WDW. When we got to the Magic Kingdom, we took Monorail Red to the Polynesian resort. We got to the resort early, so took a look around. I had never visited the Polynesian before, but the Folks had. We checked into 'Ohana at 1745 for our reservation at 1800. They called up soon after and it wasn't long before the food started flowing. The food was really good and the atmosphere was pretty amazing. I was also surprised at the size of 'Ohana; it seemed much bigger than I thought it would be. The only downside was unfortunately, for some reason, I just wasn't feeling that hungry and couldn't make much of a dent in my share of the dinner. But I did give it my best shot and I was able to take the remaining pot-stickers back to the room with me to snack on later.

We took Monorail Red back to Magic Kingdom and then the bus back to Coronado where we started packing for the departure tomorrow.

Stats:

• Attractions ridden: 8 (81 total)
• New experiences: 1 ('Ohana) (15 total)
• Distance covered: 13.56 km / 8.43 mi (162.02 km / 100.70 mi total)

Pictures from Day 12:

Spaceship Earth as seen through the Torii gate in the Japan showcase

Outside Cosmic Rewind

Almost dinner time!

Magic Kingdom entrance at dusk

 

[cgersic]

I love to just walk around the Polynesian - especially the route from TTC. It's such a great vibe! I'm bummed this is the last day - I've completely enjoyed this report!

 

[The Mighty Tim]

I love to just walk around the Polynesian - especially the route from TTC. It's such a great vibe! I'm bummed this is the last day - I've completely enjoyed this report!

We didn't walk to/from the Polynesian this time, though perhaps it can be a new experience for my next trip!

And thanks - I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far. But there's still the departure day to come!

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Tuesday, October 1, 2024 (Day 13)

Alas, our final day at WDW had arrived. Once we finished packing, we went to El Mercado for breakfast where once again, I had a cronut as did Dad. R went for waffles and sausage and Mum went for a bagel with cream cheese. After breakfast, we returned to the room, gathered our bags together and called Bell Services to collect our luggage and hold on to it while we spent one final morning in the park. This park was Magic Kingdom. The park was quiet again this morning, due to it being a party night. We headed for Pirates in the first instance which ended up being a walk on. We then rode Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear and the People Mover before returning to Pirates as our final ride of the trip (reverting to tradition).

We then returned to the resort and we each had a chicken basket meal for our lunch at El Mercado. We then collected our luggage and got changed into travel gear and then waited for the Mears bus to pick us up. The Mears bus arrived exactly when it was scheduled and as Coronado was the final stop, we got to the airport in plenty of time; just under 4 hours before our flight was due to depart. We were still able to drop off our bags and then we looked at some of the shops in the terminal. As final tradition dictates, Dad bought donuts at Dunkin' Donuts for us all (as per tradition) and then we sat around some more before heading through the TSA line and on the little train to our gate area. At the other end, we bought some final snack souvenirs consisting of things we can't get in the UK including Chex Mix, Gardetto's snack mix and Cheetos. R and I got an Auntie Anne's pretzel each and we sat at the gate until our flight was called. The flight left on time and arrived back at LHR early. Arrivals was fairly straightforward and we got back home about lunch time.

So that wraps up my trip. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had on it. For those who want more adventures, word on the street is that a 12th installment is on the cards and could potentially be greenlit next year for a 2026 release. So watch this space!

For now, thanks for reading!

Stats:

• Attractions ridden: 5 (86 total)
• New experiences: 0 (15 total)
• Distance covered: 9.58 km / 5.95 mi (171.60 km / 106.65 mi total)

Pictures from Day 13:

One last look at the Destino Tower

I'll be back one day, hopefully!

Final ride of People Mover

Minifig poses on an Adventureland cannon on our way out of the park

 

[erstwo]

This was so great to follow along. I particularly liked your experience counters. And wow - over 100 miles in the parks! I found that fascinating as well.

Being in the US, I also have a hard time imagining how I would handle the long flight home after a Disney trip. Not sure I have the fortitude for that! International trips are hard enough for me (sitting still that long is not easy!) But I'm sure it's nice to know that you get to sleep in your own bed at the end of the long flight!

Thanks again for the report!

 

[The Mighty Tim]

This was so great to follow along. I particularly liked your experience counters. And wow - over 100 miles in the parks! I found that fascinating as well.

Being in the US, I also have a hard time imagining how I would handle the long flight home after a Disney trip. Not sure I have the fortitude for that! International trips are hard enough for me (sitting still that long is not easy!) But I'm sure it's nice to know that you get to sleep in your own bed at the end of the long flight!

Thanks again for the report!

Thanks! When you're walking and talking, you actually don't notice the 100 miles or so. Though I admit there were some gruelling times in the Florida heat. Especially on one of the walks between Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.

The long flight is a bit of a mission, don't get me wrong. But it's not so bad once you get used to it. It's actually a shorter flight on the way home due to the jet stream; it's an about an hour or so shorter.

I've done a couple of flights longer than 13 hours before (with potentially some more next year), which is an experience!

 

[Zipadeelady]

Thank you for posting your vacation. Your photo taking skills are really good, I enjoyed your photos.

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Thank you for posting your vacation. Your photo taking skills are really good, I enjoyed your photos.

Thanks for the compliment! Glad you enjoyed the report and the photos!

 

[Tiki Traveler]

Thank you for taking the time to share your trip! As others have mentioned your photos were very enjoyable too!

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Thank you for taking the time to share your trip! As others have mentioned your photos were very enjoyable too!

Thanks for the compliments! Much appreciated!

 

[rshell68]

Thank you so much for sharing your very enjoyable trip with us!! Sounds like you had a great time and I'm super impressed with all the new things you were able to get to!