Trip Report We have kids...we just didn’t bring them! A Labor Day weekend Trip Report - COMPLETE

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to our special Covid Labor Day weekend…
I used to post quite a bit on these boards but haven’t posted a trip report in at least 7 or so years so I think an introduction is most definitely in order…

I’m Jess
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A few stats:
Favorite Park – Epcot
Favorite Disney character – Ursula
Favorite Attraction – Spaceship Earth
Least favorite Disney things: Animal Kingdom, Country Bear Jamboree and Piglet.

Traveling with me is my forever adventure buddy – my husband, Bill.
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Huzz stats:
Favorite Park – Magic Kingdom
Favorite Disney character – Pooh
Favorite attraction – Haunted Mansion
Least favorite Disney things: The heat.

A little backstory: So we’ve been together 12 years…married for 7 and have pretty much traveled only to WDW or Disneyland (and a Disney cruise) for most of the vacations over the last 12 years.
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Then in 2018 – we moved to Tampa for my husband’s surgical fellowship. We lived there for a year and went to Disney at least once a week. Well, I went at least once a week – Bill was obviously very busy but luckily I had my Disney bestie to keep me company
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My daughter Cameron…who if you couldn’t tell by the title...did not join us on this trip. Too much going on plus she’s 3 and will not wear a mask and will not not touch ALL the things.
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We had many fun Disney adventures over the year in Tampa. We moved back to Pittsburgh post fellowship (both of our families are here) and we’ve gone back to Disney a few times since…our last trip being in January 2020….
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Baby Yoda…I mean baby William was born in March - about 4 days before the parks closed…he was not happy about it.
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He also did not make the trip because its hot. And he’s a baby. And we’re in a global pandemic. And Mama needed a break. I was craving the magic!
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plaz10

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hollywood Studios continued:
While on our Star Wars high we went to do some smugglin’ on the Falcon. Another “new to us” attraction. Man I can’t remember the last time I went to a Disney park and there were 3 attractions I had never done before!
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The Hondo animatronic was covered with a bag. Disappointing but at least it wouldn’t affect the actual ride.

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We smuggled. We ran.
Obviously just us in our cockpit so we were the 2 pilots. I wanted to jump to light speed so I’m glad I picked the right pilot. And I think we did pretty good. He didn’t yell at us and we got 2 crates of coaxium. I believe our rank was Marauder? Whatever it was fun. But coming off the high of RoR…it pales in comparison. But that’s really not fair.

Slinky’s line that had been out to Woody when we arrived in DHS in the morning was now only about 3 umbrellas back from the entrance to the ride with a posted wait time of 30 min.

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Timing was pretty correct – I believe I clocked us in around 28 min sitting on the coaster.
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But standing in that outdoor queue had done some damage. Ice cream was needed before standing outside again for MMRR – it had gone down earlier in the morning so we didn’t want to miss our chance so decided as soon as it came back up…we’d go to it. And it had upon exiting the Falcon.
 

plaz10

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hollywood Studios continued:

First snacks – then Mickey. Or Mickey then Mickey. Whatever.

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This would be our longest wait of the trip at 45 minutes. And it was exactly 45 min.

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Not to sound like the oldest person ever but is that attraction really LOUD? But it was certainly very cute. And well done. And I’m sure I missed a million things so I definitely look forward to riding that one again.

We didn’t want to eat anything huge because we had a Cali Grill ADR for the evening so we decided a few beers and the charcuterie board from Baseline was just the ticket.
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Just because it’s so good. Believe the hype. If you haven’t watched it on Disney+ stop reading this and go watch it.

We lucked out on finding a freshly wiped table in the shade outside of Baseline.
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Bill had…a beer. And I had the cider. It was hot and they went down cold. And I still say that the charcuterie board is the STEAL of DHS at only $10 and it’s so good!

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Time for an oldie but a goodie. And surely with a physically distant speeder my chances of being the rebel spy would increase…

NOPE. 😠 I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on this attraction in my life but its very high double digits and I have never once been the f’in rebel spy. Bill has. My nephew has. Friends of mine who don’t even like Star Wars have…multiple times! But I’m not bitter or anything…🙄
 

plaz10

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Finishing up Hollywood Studios & California Grill

Time for an AC break with the Muppets. We got in right as they were letting people into the theater which is good but also – no preshow 😕
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We were winding down the DHS day but wanted to walk on Toy Story again since it’s such a fav (and Bill wanted a rematch)
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But you know who won…

As we were exiting we saw quite the crowd waiting at the exit. Nobody wants to get COVID or be near people unless it’s raining. 🙄 Then all bets are off.
We pulled out our umbrellas and got out of there and onto our last destination. We didn’t know it but the rain was ONLY JUST GETTIN’ STARTED! (See what I did there?)
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This is my #1 favorite DHS attraction (not counting RoR – not fair as nothing is in the same category). I was not mad to skip the preshow.

The rain had died down for the moment so we took the opportunity to roll out of the Studios. It started up a bit as we were getting in our car…and POURED so hard on the way home it was hard to see. Thank goodness for parking garages.

We took showers and a nap before heading back out to my all time favorite restaurant – California Grill.

Temp checks followed by an empty elevator ride up to the 15th floor. That calls for a selfie.
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I am particularly fond of my dress for the evening – Little Green Men aliens dressed as favorite Pixar characters.
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Come on that’s adorable.

We ordered the cheese plate as usual. We love a cheese plate. They’re just so fun to eat and discuss and discover new flavors with different pairings. No pictures but it was great.

We both got the filet. Here’s a less than great picture of it.
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I’ve had this filet with the gouda mac and cheese before so I knew it was good. Last trip Bill got the scallops and said it was good but his bite of mine assured him he would not make the same mistake again.

Even without fireworks this meal is worth every penny. We checked out the observation deck anyway because DUH.
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Back to our room and straight to bed as we had to be back at the Contemporary in less than 12 hours.

Next Up: A FULL day at MK!
 

newhorizons1

Well-Known Member
Reading along, although I haven't caught up yet. As a mom of a 4 year old and 1 year old, I absolutely get the need and desire to get away with just the hubs!
 

plaz10

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Great TR so far and a no kids trip (we’ve had a few of those)...bonus!!! I’ll be following along.
Thank you! I’m so torn when I’m away from the kids...half the time I think “I’m so glad to be away!” And the other half is “ugh I miss my kids I wish they were here.” Parwbting

Reading along, although I haven't caught up yet. As a mom of a 4 year old and 1 year old, I absolutely get the need and desire to get away with just the hubs!


Right? Parents deserve the magic too! And sometimes that magic is big kid rides, beers and sleeping in! Haha!
 

meggo819

Well-Known Member
She’s really a great big sister which surprised me - I thought she’d hate sharing time with the baby but now her first words in the morning are “Let’s go get baby!” And when she sees him “Hi handsome boy!”

That's adorable! My 3-year-old is hit or miss. Sometimes she loves her baby sister and wants to hug/kiss/hold hands. Other times I think she's just annoyed that we can't help her with something, because we're taking care of the baby.
 

Minnesota disney fan

Well-Known Member
I can give a hint on how to be the rebel spy on Star Tours, LOL.
I have been picked many times.
I have been told that if you quickly buckle up and sit still, you have a better chance of being picked. I never knew that, and that is exactly what I do without any planning. They only have a very short time to pick the spy, and if you are done and sitting still you might just be picked:)
 

Ghostdog

Well-Known Member
[
Thank you! I’m so torn when I’m away from the kids...half the time I think “I’m so glad to be away!” And the other half is “ugh I miss my kids I wish they were here.” Parwbting

I’m right there with you! When I started missing the kids my husband would always look at me and say “What kids?” 😂 We’ve been empty nesters now for 3 weeks with both of our kids away at college. My husband is now right there with me saying how much he misses our kiddos. 😂❤️ Enjoy your little ones; time really does fly by. Cherish those getaways when you can!!
 

newhorizons1

Well-Known Member
Caught up now! I have the EXACT same strategy for Rise. There is no way I’m getting in a line before 10 AM.

That charcuterie board looks fantastic! That is an absolute steal at Disney.

I’ve never been the Rebel Spy either. They probably know I’d be a horrible one. Too much nervous laughter.
 

plaz10

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I can give a hint on how to be the rebel spy on Star Tours, LOL.
I have been picked many times.
I have been told that if you quickly buckle up and sit still, you have a better chance of being picked. I never knew that, and that is exactly what I do without any planning. They only have a very short time to pick the spy, and if you are done and sitting still you might just be picked:)

OMG THANK YOU. I will do this every single time for the rest of my life!

[

I’m right there with you! When I started missing the kids my husband would always look at me and say “What kids?” 😂 We’ve been empty nesters now for 3 weeks with both of our kids away at college. My husband is now right there with me saying how much he misses our kiddos. 😂❤ Enjoy your little ones; time really does fly by. Cherish those getaways when you can!!

We have a wedding next month in Minnesota to a couple we met when living in Tampa. We don’t know them THAT well but we aren’t missing a chance for another weekend getaway without kids!

Caught up now! I have the EXACT same strategy for Rise. There is no way I’m getting in a line before 10 AM.

That charcuterie board looks fantastic! That is an absolute steal at Disney.

I’ve never been the Rebel Spy either. They probably know I’d be a horrible one. Too much nervous laughter.

Ugh I was just too nervous. And I’m already nervous for the next time and we don’t even have a trip planned. Just thinking about the process gives me anxiety.

I almost don’t want to shout from the rooftops how much of a steal the charcuterie board is in fear that Disney will realize and bump the price but I can’t help it! If you order the pretzel too - that’s a full lunch! For 2 people! Plus beers of course ;)
 

plaz10

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Saturday Sept. 5 - Magic Kingdom

My huzz was excited that with late park openings we’d actually get to sleep in a bit on this trip. True of yesterday and tomorrow but not today! We had ADRs at The Wave for breakfast at 8. We dined here a LOT when living in Florida – a buffet therefore ready to eat breakfast is nice with a toddler. Plus we find the food to be always delicious and reasonably priced for a buffet. All of that but mostly parking at The Contemporary to walk over to Magic Kingdom. Obviously no buffet but a full menu. I started with the refillable mimosa (a steal for $18 if you ask me).
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This one was with orange juice. I noticed a few other patrons drinking straight POG (passionfruit orange guava) juice and inquired about getting POG mimosas. The subsequent 2 (or 3?) mimosas I drank were POG style. And heavy handed on the champagne (not complaining) but made me wonder if they had pitchers of mimosas and since I special ordered they were made fresh. I don’t know but I didn’t mind.

Food – I had Mickey waffles and Bill had the American breakfast. No complaints from either of us.
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Onto the Kingdom! We walked in about 9:15.
Ok guys don’t hate me – but I like the new castle.

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Yesterday’s mission was 3 new rides. Today had only 1 absolute MUST DO will stand in line for hours if I have to…
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plaz10

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Magic Kingdom continued:

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Our ride photo never showed up! :cry:
I will miss this attraction very much. I love Tiana and am not surprised an attraction is getting an update with a more current and popular movie ala The Living Seas, Maelstrom and El Rio de Tiempo to name a few. My biggest hope is that this attraction is done WELL. Splash is so detailed with so many animatronics – I hope the same detail is paid to the new attraction. So Disney if you’re taking Splash, please put in the time and work and money into making it another amazing attraction. I don’t want you to rush it with screens and such just to get it done. [Hops off soap box]

The sign had said a 45-minute wait but we only waited 25. When we got off it was up to 60. Big Thunder had about a 35-minute wait and we weren’t feeling the outdoor queue for that long so we bailed out of Frontierland. (Don’t come at me with pitchforks but we never did hit Big Thunder this trip and neither of us really minded…it’s really my least favorite mountain) 😬


We went to see some grin grinning ghosts instead! They were using the extended queue but it was constantly moving.
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Gotta shout out my haunted mansion shoes while “waiting” for the attraction. And I’m now realizing I never took a picture of my star wars shoes with a star wars physical distance marker. Well…here’s a pic of the shoes I wore to Studios.
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Back to regularly scheduled haunting
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I took a video of the walkthrough of the stretching room. It was actually nice to walk into a very empty queue instead of the clusterf*ck that usually happens when the door opens

On to Fantasyland! Small World and Peter Pan both had lines outsides. We’ll be back.
Only a 20 min wait for the silly ol’ bear. (Only took about 10)
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There was a large (in numbers) family in front of us. The mom was facetiming in queue. Her (I’m guessing) 2 year old...with no shoes on...kept just running away into the queue. And no one noticed. The crowd was all “ok honey go back to your mom” and also thinking “don’t touch me” and “COME GET YOUR KID” And put on some shoes. Once they can and are walking - ya need shoes.
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plaz10

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Magic Kingdom continued:
Snack time! We had a popcorn bucket. Cameron LOVES Disney popcorn…
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I think Disney lost money on Cam’s refills...

But now they give you a container to pour into the bucket. I was super pleased because the Mary Blair containers are adorable!
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