Trip Report You Can't Beat This Deal...Two Trip Reports for the Price of One! *COMPLETED*

Hi Everyone!

As some of you may know, it's been a very busy, Disney filled, end of the summer for us! After scrambling to find new vacations plans thanks to Hurricane Lane and having just returned from a solo trip to attend the Disney Institute Approach to Quality Service course, I have almost been able to get all of the photos downloaded and I'm nearly ready to report on our adventures.

Both trips we're remarkably different from what our typical Disney trip would look like but both were fantastic experiences and I'm really looking forward to sharing them with you.

I am planning on uploading the last of our pictures from the camera tonight and will start diving into the details very soon!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Disney Institute Trip – Travel Day

First off, I want to thank all of you who have been reading along and posting comments or liking posts as I’ve detailed our trip. It’s very cool to share our experiences with you and we love that people seem to enjoy following along. So once again, a big thank you from us!

With us returning from the family trip on the Labour day weekend, we had a few days to relax and catch our breath before the kids went back for a new school year and we went back to work. It was a short week for me to turn things around, get packed up again and get ready to fly back to Orlando for the DI course.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2afFPQw]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/QTtjq1]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

It seemed like I barely had enough time to do some laundry and coordinate some “business casual” outfits for the sessions and finalize some of my plans for the downtime I’d have when we were not in class. Thanks to some suggestions from our WDWers on my pre-trip report, I had a few ideas of different things to do that I had yet to experience while in the World. I was looking forward to checking out WDW in a different light and was certainly excited about the course having heard so many good things leading up to it.

After six days at home, September 8th had quickly rolled around and I was ready to head back on another overnight flight connecting through Toronto.

Before heading to the airport, the day was full of time with the family. Kelly had been researching the annual Basset Hound races held just outside of Edmonton which happened to take place on the 8th. It was a bit of a gloomy day but we loaded up the family, and Marty of course, to head an hour out of town so he could compete in his first race.

We arrived in this big grass field to find dozens, upon dozens of Basset Hounds howling and ready to compete in different race categories. At his age, Marty was registered in the senior shuffle, a race we thought he would dominate! We walked around the grounds, met a bunch of other dogs and their owners, and enjoyed some of the festivities including loudest howl and longest tail.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/PfXX4p]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/PfXX9e]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

It was a soggy day which made for a pretty ornery Lennon, but we toughed it out until it was time for Marty’s big race debut. Sadly it didn’t end in a well-earned victory but it was fun to watch him and the other Bassets having some fun. As you will see in this video, Winston’s mom was pretty fired up about the whole thing. According to Kelly I was not vocal enough which cost Marty the race.


After a few hours on the grounds, we called it a day and went back home. We arrived back at the house in time for me to pack up a few things and head to Commonwealth Stadium to help out my dad and watch the first half of the annual Labour Day rematch game between the Edmonton Eskimos and our arch rivals the Calgary Stampeders. Calgary had kicked a last-second field goal to beat us on Labour Day Monday so I was hoping for a better result this go around.

I left the game at halftime to head back home and watch the rest with Kelly and the kids before I had to go to the airport. We were up 31-21 at the half and ended up hanging on for a 48-42 victory after we knocked down a last-second Hail Mary in our endzone at the end of the game. This made me very happy heading to the airport as any loss to Calgary is always a drag.

Sidenote- as we fast forward to current times, Calgary and Ottawa won their respective division final match ups yesterday and will now meet in Edmonton for the 106th Grey Cup game this coming Sunday. These pics were not from that game but from a game in 2017 in which my dad was honoured for working his 1,000th game with the Eskimos.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2d2dzNx]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2bVd2i9]Untitled by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

That concludes your Canadian Football League lesson for the time being.

I helped put the kids to bed and said a tearful goodbye to Kelly before packing up and heading the airport. I had the same flight out as we took a few weeks earlier but little did I realize how little time it would take for me to clear security and customs and all that good stuff on my own without having the kids and all the fun accessories that come accompany traveling with children.

Within 15 minutes of arriving at the airport, I was through security and had quite a bit of time to kill before boarding the first plane. Luckily out airport has an Eskimo themed sports bar so what better place to grab a beer, celebrate a win and wait for my plane.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2baKJxx]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

After what seemed far longer than I had anticipated, our midnight flight to Toronto was ready to take off. I arrive in the early morning, again breezed through customs and found myself killing time before the connecting flight to Orlando. As the boarding time approached, numerous families wearing Disney geared filled the waiting area. Having just been in the shoes of so many with multiple children, bags and the giant strollers, I was beyond relieved to simply have my backpack and that’s it!

The flight from TO to Orlando was super smooth and we touched down right around 10 am. I was the third row on this flight so the time it took me to deplane, grab the monorail to the other terminal and make my way to the check in for the Magical Express seemed like a blink of an eye compared to two weeks prior.

I already had my new MagicBand on and scanned it as I got to the DME check-in. They pointed me to the proper line and I was immediately scanned again and sent right on to the bus to take me to the resort. After a short wait to allow some other guests to board the bus, we pulled out of the stop and I was on my way back to WDW!

Everything looked so familiar on the way back but I think this was the first time I’ve ever been able to snap a quick pic of the entrance gates!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b9CCKk]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I was back!

 

[PacNWTigger]

If I had been Winston I might have run the other direction! Props to Marty for running a good race.

 

[Tiggertoo56]

Thank you #Tuvalu, we are home now and will contact disney.

Ours came up the same day but we have 1 missing from Everest and I'll take @Tuvalus advice and contact asap now that we are back home. We only had 1 missing from the whole trip.
Lovely TR - we just had 3 weeks at POFQ and got back to a dreary UK on Friday. Been reading it through to keep the vibes alive.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Loved the 1st part of the report your family are lovely, looking forward to the 2nd half of the report.

Thanks so much for reading along! I'm enjoying recalling the trips.

Beautiful family; beautiful report! You will enjoy coming back to this report for many years.

Looking forward to the solo trip report -
Just remember to bring back The Misses her gift!

I have to do more of that, look back at old reports. I always look at the photos but rarely seem to review the reports I've done. Good advice!

And of course, how could I overlook such a subtle hint!

Thank you for sharing your family vacation with us! Despite the changes in Hawaii plans, I'm so happy you were able to pull off this trip and have an amazing time. Looking forward to your solo DI trip!

It did turn out really well. We got over the Hawaii trip pretty quickly once we arrived. Well, at least the four of us did. The moms took a little more time to come around

If I had been Winston I might have run the other direction! Props to Marty for running a good race.

Right?! She was directly beside me too. That was a very long 46 seconds.

Ours came up the same day but we have 1 missing from Everest and I'll take @Tuvalus advice and contact asap now that we are back home. We only had 1 missing from the whole trip.
Lovely TR - we just had 3 weeks at POFQ and got back to a dreary UK on Friday. Been reading it through to keep the vibes alive.

Hope you guys had a great trip!

 

[susan lees]

This is great! Good for you and your parents for always having such a positive outlook. We've always tried to paint the same picture with Ella and she has never once felt embarrassed about having to wear her pump. She's just been so inspiring since day one and she continues to be proud of who she is, even if there are the odd eyeballs staring at her now and then when they see her pump or CGM.

I agree so much about this. Our daughter has had diabetes for 16 years and is a regular contributor to diabetes UK facebook page and has appeared on BBC's the social explaining the condition in a very positive way. Most people are kind and interested but a few times she has been told to go into public toilets to take her insulin!! And just recently being asked to remove her pump going through airport security. She always handles these situations with dignity.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I agree so much about this. Our daughter has had diabetes for 16 years and is a regular contributor to diabetes UK facebook page and has appeared on BBC's the social explaining the condition in a very positive way. Most people are kind and interested but a few times she has been told to go into public toilets to take her insulin!! And just recently being asked to remove her pump going through airport security. She always handles these situations with dignity.

Kudos to her for not just living with it, but owning it! I'm sure we are going to have our battles with Ella as she gets older and eventually takes on more of her own management but I'm hoping she will always keep this "bring it on" attitude and not feel ashamed about who she is.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

DI Day One – Animal Kingdom / EPCOT / The Grand Floridian

Now that I had passed through the gate I had officially arrived! I was pretty excited to be back so soon and very excited about getting to the Grand. I had yet to receive a notification that I had a room waiting for me, it was pretty early in the day, but I was holding out hope that when I got there and checked with the front desk they might be able to work some magic.

The DME bus made its first stop at Fort Wilderness to drop off a few guests. From there we made a quick stop at the Poly, then on to the Grand!

I was already feeling the effects of yet another overnight flight in the last couple weeks but as I stepped off the bus and walked through the main entrance to the lobby of the Grand I felt a rush of energy. Luckily there was no line at the check-in counter so I was able to greet a CM pretty quickly and go through the process. I had checked in online already, which she confirmed, but sadly I didn’t get lucky right off the bat. No rooms were available but she told me to keep checking the app.

I assumed I would be roomless when I arrived and had packed a change of clothes and some toiletries in my carry-on bag so that I could freshen up before heading to my first park. It would have been nice to keep my bag in the room instead of hauling it around with me but oh well, I would manage.

I made a pitstop in the washroom to freshen myself up then walked to the bus stop to hitch a ride to Animal Kingdom. The window for my first FP had already opened so I had to make it to Everest quickly. I FaceTimed the family while I waited at the bus stop. They were happy to see I had arrived a-ok but the girls were most upset that I was heading to Everest without them! I made a deal that I would send Ella pictures while I was away so she could keep tabs on what I was doing.

The bus arrived so I said goodbye and soon enough I was rolling up to the entrance to AK.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2a5eLiC]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I scanned my band hoping to see that green glow which was immediately followed with purple and a hearty “Welcome Home” from the CM. I said thank you very much as I passed through and off I went towards Everest.

I could already see that this trip, even with only two park days, was going to be a pretty quick pace simply because it was just me. While I didn’t stop for any PhotoPass pictures, I did try to seek out unique or interesting shots that would catch my eye as I toured through Disney. I made sure to send this to Ella to let her know where I was heading.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b8Zb37]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I arrived at Everest with minutes to spare on my FP window and strolled through the FP queue.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2a7Pcx7]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

It was busier than it was just a week ago but as I waited I may have found a new calling.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b8XjxC]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I was seated on the ride with another single rider and just like that, I was whisked off on my first of many attractions. My new ride mate seemed like he was having a lot of fun on the ride but didn’t quite scream like Kelly always does. I already missed my usual ride mate!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2a1arFF]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

It was the perfect ride to wake me up and get me going again. I may have slept for a few hours on the plane but I was pretty much rolling on no sleep over the last 36 hours. Fine by me though, I was in Disney!

From Everest, I was heading over to Pandora to cash in on my next FP for the River Journey. As I made the leisurely walk from Asia, I stopped to watch the monkeys for a bit. They were much more active than we saw them last week.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28ppvq9]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I arrived in Pandora through the back entrance and made my way over to the ride. The FP queue on the River Journey is always super quick and before I knew it I was seated with a couple and we were ready to explore.

I had my phone out to take a few photos of the ride and at the same time use the mobile ordering option to put in a request for my lunch from Satu’li Canteen. I had yet to eat anything from this restaurant and I was excited to try something new.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/P5BW1U]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2bdnX4R]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/MpkzMa]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I always seem to pick out new details on the River Journey and I was happy to take a few decent pics along the way but by the time I was finished I was absolutely starving. I made the walk over to the Canteen and hung around the mobile order counter. I picked up my order and was ready to get my first taste of the Chopped Wood-Grilled Chicken Bowl…and since I enjoyed it so much the week before, a refreshing Mo’ara High Country Ale.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2a4LX7q]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I wasn’t so sure how this might taste at first sight but it was amazingly good. The chicken, the sauce, the sweet potato, all really, really good and quite a large portion too. I enjoyed my meal in the dining area before figuring out my next plan of attack.

Since I still had the majority of my beer I figured I would slowly enjoy it while I waited standby for Flights of Passage. The posted wait time was 80 minutes and while I didn’t have enough beer for the entire wait, I made my way through as I really didn’t want to pass up the ride. As this was my first time through the standby queue, I was really impressed with the theming throughout. Certainly, a lot of detail to catch your eye as you make your way through which did help make things move a little quicker.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28smicj]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b9DgBB]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/P35fud]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/P5CLJA]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b6oujQ]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/29PZ3W2]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

By the time I was at next to be loaded into my flight chamber, the wait was probably only about 65 minutes. Not too bad and it gave me some time to keep tabs on the early scores from the opening week of the NFL.

I was very pleased that I waited for FoP as the ride is still just as fun as it was the first time I rode it.

After getting the full experience of Pandora, including the cuisine, my next FP had me heading back over to Africa to ride the Safari.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2b5ZAVb]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

 

[John Dulmage]

I'm hoping to hear a story about you getting upgraded to The Cape Coral Suite again, and then you inviting the entire DI class over for a big Disney bash!!

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

YAY! You got an extra solo park day! Sounds awesome so far! I know I'm always so tired at Disney because we are up so late but it's worth it and there's so much going on at Disney, I hardly notice how tired I am!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I'm hoping to hear a story about you getting upgraded to The Cape Coral Suite again, and then you inviting the entire DI class over for a big Disney bash!!

Ha! I won’t lie, I was hoping for the same good luck but the Cape Coral Suite wasn’t in the cards this trip. Doesn’t mean I didn’t get a nice surprise when I finally got back to the hotel later in the day.

YAY! You got an extra solo park day! Sounds awesome so far! I know I'm always so tired at Disney because we are up so late but it's worth it and there's so much going on at Disney, I hardly notice how tired I am!

I can totally relate. Disney is exhausting but somehow it doesn’t seem to hit you while you’re there. That’s usually one of the reasons I spend so much time in the hot tub during these trips...gotta recharge the legs!

 

[Zipadeelady]

I love going to Disney with my family and sharing all the joy that it brings, but spending time by yourself, going at your own pace doing exactly what you want is a little bit of heaven.

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I love going to Disney with my family and sharing all the joy that it brings, but spending time by yourself, going at your own pace doing exactly what you want is a little bit of heaven.

You’re right about that! Even though most of the trip was spent in the DI sessions, the time I had on my own was very different than I’m used to. It was a really nice change of pace and while it felt a little odd without Kelly or the girls there, it was a lot of fun!

 

[amjt660]

I can totally relate to your going solo trip
My first was TDS in 2006
My girls were 11 and 9 at the time
Mixed feelings all around regarding getting to go to a new park but not with them
The magic was not the same
But during the entire day..
1) no arguments over what the next ride will be
2)no arguments over where and what to eat
3) only 3 restroom breaks ALL DAY!!

you travel with 3 girls so you must get the last one!!

Max

 

[Matt and Kelly]

I can totally relate to your going solo trip
My first was TDS in 2006
My girls were 11 and 9 at the time
Mixed feelings all around regarding getting to go to a new park but not with them
The magic was not the same
But during the entire day..
1) no arguments over what the next ride will be
2)no arguments over where and what to eat
3) only 3 restroom breaks ALL DAY!!

you travel with 3 girls so you must get the last one!!

Max

Sorry for the delayed response. We had guests staying with us this past week and we took the time off to hang out and show them around the city.

It took some getting used to that I could pretty much do what I wanted when we weren't in session but it was a cool feeling to be able to go at my own pace.

Might be the last time I get to do that but it will always be a great memory!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

Apologies for the lack of posts recently. We had guests staying with us last week for the Grey Cup (the CFL’s Super Bowl) and on the day they left we found out that our boy Marty has cancer and only has up to a year left with us if some of the medication he’s on actually works.

To say it’s been a hectic week is an understatement but I figure looking back at the trip and getting back into the report will be a good distraction. So here goes…

As I slowly made the walk from Pandora to Africa, I was enjoying the ambiance of the park and soaking in all the detail throughout Animal Kingdom. Between the long night of travel, the sun, the big meal, and the beer, I was feeling pretty worn down at this point but had yet to receive notice that my room was ready so I forged on.

I arrived at the Safari ready to take a ride through the animals.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/29PYVP6]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I scanned my band and was sent through the FP queue. I may have waited about 5 minutes before being seated with a few fellow Canadians which was a nice coincidence. Once everyone was seated we set off on our journey.

The animals were out and all over the place. Once again the lions were sleeping somewhere out of sight but other than that we had some great photo opportunities throughout the safari. The elephants were the highlight of this trip for sure.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28ppMRW]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28snkq5]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/29LYdbp]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/29PYh9X]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2baeuwM]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/MsqQva]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2a4epam]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

When the ride ended I was notified my room was ready to roll. I thought for a few minutes on whether to head back to the hotel to check out the room and relax for a bit or do I keep going and head over to EPCOT to hit up a few attractions before my Le Cellier dinner reservation.

As I tried to decide, I found our gorilla friends once more. Not quite as prominently displayed as last week but I was able to spot a few of them in some cool hiding places.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2a5g3EJ]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2a4dKsC]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/29MqH5K]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I decided it might as well head over to EPCOT as I thought if I went back to the hotel I would likely get lazy and just hang out there for the rest of the night. I walked slowly through the park taking pictures along the way as I headed toward the exit. Animal Kingdom really is a beautiful park. I was sad to say goodbye but was hoping maybe I’d get back during the DI course for some “field work”.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2bbRd5w]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/29MkzRg]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]
[url=https://flic.kr/p/P5C49G]WDW 2018 by Matt Mandrusiak, on Flickr[/URL]

I found the EPCOT bus stop and waited to hitch a ride over to the next park. It was pretty cloudy at this point but no rain yet. The skies looked like it might open up at any time but I was hoping it might hold off so I could stay dry as long as possible.

The bus arrived and I hopped on and grabbed a seat. I was looking forward to arriving to see if I might be able to sneak on Test Track since we missed it during our family trip.

 

[Spash007]

So sorry to hear about Marty - hoping and praying that the medications do everything they can and more!

 

[Matt and Kelly]

So sorry to hear about Marty - hoping and praying that the medications do everything they can and more!

Thanks very much. Kelly is taking the news very hard but we're really holding out hope that he's gonna be around a little longer. Christmas wouldn't be the same without him.

 

[mlegerto]

Matt, I am SO sorry to hear about Marty. We went through the loss of our cats a few years ago (one went in January and the second in May, but they were a ripe old age of 22 and had a wonderful life), so I know the pain this can cause. Thinking of you guys and I hope you have the most magical Christmas with him! Just remember to keep loving him every minute!

 

[riverside]

I'm so sorry for all that you & your family are going through with Marty(& for what he's going through also). I hope the medications do their thing!!

 

[sheriffwoody]

SO sorry about Marty I hope the medicine works for him!! He's a cutie pie <3