"You sir, are very kind." - An August Birthday TR

To start things off, this trip was to celebrate my (gasp) 30th birthday. It’s something I never thought I’d do because if falls at the end of August and we try to avoid going in the summer. But when I found out that a Star Wars convention was in town that was more than enough reason for me to book a Disney trip as well!

Ready everybody? ‘Cause here…we….goooo!

8.24 - DEPARTURE DAY Today was the day! Around 5 in the evening we loaded the suitcases in the car and were on our way. I slipped my WDW mix in the CD player and, with the original monorail loop playing in the background, we hit 95N. Needing a pre-flight meal we found an Arbys along the way and I must say that original roast beef hit the spot. The rest of the drive to Dulles was pretty uneventful. Once we arrived we didn’t have to wait long for the shuttle to pick us up and bring us to the main terminal. The only problem was Brandon and I had to walk clear to the other end of the ticketing area to check-in (oops.) Security was fast and easy. There was a lady in front of me who couldn’t get the concept of moving her bag down the line on the conveyor belt. So I tried to push it forward and got caught by the security guy. Heh heh. He said rather loudly, “You do not need to shove the bags.” My bad. Once it was my turn I got a little thrown off because a woman from the other line stepped in front of me with her kid. So the same security guy, who must have noticed my Star Wars hoodie, said to me: “Boba Fett, step over this way.” Thanks dude! Since it’s been a couple of years since I’ve flown I was curious if I’d get the pat-down or the scanner. The scanner won out on this one and it took a total of 10 seconds to do. Not too shabby. Once the shoes and belts were back on we caught the “mobile transport” across the tarmac to our gate. As we disembarked the transport I was hit with the lovely aroma of Dunkin Donuts coffee and knew I had to get some before I boarded the plane. Brandon and I settled in at the gate and I anxiously watched the clock.

Brandon busy with his PSVita

Waiting for a jet plane...

So…the flight landed and they deboarded the passengers but we were still sitting there waiting for a boarding announcement. As it turns out there was a maintenance issue they found after the plane had landed. Oh joy. At this point I called my aunt and uncle who were supposed to be picking us up in Orlando and let them know of the delay. I’m so lucky that they were cool with waiting up for us. Finally we changed gates and were given a boarding time: 11:40pm almost two hours after the scheduled time.This meant that we wouldn’t be in MCO until after 2am. Ugh.

Appropriate MST3K is appropriate "Here we're flying in another trumpet section."

We got on board and after cramming my suitcase in the overhead, I buckled up and was never more ready to take off. The good thing about having a delay that late at night is not having to wait in line on the runway. MCO - here we come! The flight was fairly typical. Once we landed and got the all-clear, Brandon and I retrieved our bags and blearily headed to the tram.

Yup, that's almost 2:30am.

It was so weird riding the tram at night.Every single time I’ve flown into MCO it’s been in the morning so needless to say I was tripping out a little at it being so quiet and well – dark!

Once we got to the main terminal it was strange not heading for Magical Express after we got down to the baggage claim level.Instead we went straight outside and looked for our ride. The trip to my aunt and uncle’s house was short and I thanked them profusely for picking me and Brandon up so late.We chatted for a little bit then it was time to hit the hay because in a mere four hours we’d be heading out the door for breakfast.

8.25 – STAR WARS CELEBRATION AND OUR MAGIC KINGDOM EVENING

It’s amazing how fast time flies when you’re really tired.I awoke to the chime on my phone and took a minute to realize where I was and where I’d be going today…Star Wars Celebration!

My aunt and uncle suggested Cracker Barrel for breakfast, which Brandon and I happily agreed to.I haven’t eaten there in forever…love me some grits!After a lovely meal and some great conversation it was time to head over to Coronado Springs to officially check-in!

Almost there!

We pulled into the drop-off area and said good-bye to my aunt and uncle.I really couldn’t thank them enough.Then Brandon and I made our way to the lobby.

Nothing compares to the first hit of air conditioning when you walk into a Disney hotel.I still haven’t figured out what makes the air so different but I wish I could bottle up that scent.I approached the Online Check-In counter and the CM quickly found my reservation.She stepped away for a moment and came back with my packet along with a Vinylmation. Hmm…very interesting.Turns out it was a gift thanks to the fact that I booked our room as a guest of Star Wars Celebration. Nice!Right before the CM finalized everything, I asked her if she had a birthday button.She smiled and put my name on one.It was ridiculous how happy I was to get that thing and I pinned it right on.We thanked the CM and left the lobby out the back doors to find our way to Casitas 2…our home for the weekend.

 

[diddy_mouse]

Erin! Yay! Love your report so far...

Okay, let's see...LOVE: the agent at the airport calling you Boba Fett, your aunt and uncle for picking you up so late (how sweet!), the action figure photo-op and the Muppet Stormtroopers at the Staw Wars convention, and your Coronado pictures! That resort looks so pretty...I really need to stay there someday!

So sorry that Brandon wasn't feeling well, but it sounds like he toughed it out. And that stinks that you couldn't meet up with Shelley!

Glad to read another good review of The Wave. I'm planning on trying it out for lunch in January.

I have to say, you look so adorable in your pictures, especially the ones with you and Br'er Bear/the CM in the Emporium! Too cute.

Shannon! Thanks for reading!

Coronado really was a lovely resort. I had been looking forward to staying there (now I've stayed at all the moderates!) It was very tranquil and I really liked the Casitas. If we had more time we probably would have gone exploring.

Brandon was a trooper at Epcot. He got better as the day went on and by the time we were at dinner he was back to his old self. Oh, and I think you'll definitely like The Wave. There was a black bean soup (i think) I would have tried if we went for lunch. I was surprised how much I liked it there. We're definitely going again.

Thanks for the compliment! I was so stoked to see Br'er Bear (if you couldn't tell) that I shoved the camera at Brandon and said I needed a picture.

Hopefully I'll get some more posted in the next couple of days. Work and school have been daunting, but in my free time it's nice to come back to this and re-live the trip.

 

[jdnetone]

Great report thanks for posting

 

[diddy_mouse]

Great report thanks for posting

Thanks! And thank you for reading along.

 

[KwikE]

Awww that was great

 

[Englebabies]

Love the two handshake so cute. Can you zoom on his name tag you may be able to get his name then. Glad you had a wonderful birthday.

 

[diddy_mouse]

First up was the Tiki Room. I usually avoided this attraction with a passion but since they brought it back as a tribute to the original I just had to check it out.

"My siestas are getting chorter and chorter..."

"Let's all sing like the birdies sing..."

Then we headed over to Pirates. I always seem to have difficulty taking pictures on this ride so this is the best I've got.

Before leaving Adventureland Brandon saw that the Jungle Cruise was running. We’ve never cruised at night before so this should be fun. Our skipper was hilarious. She was so into character and great with reading everyone in the boat to play off of them. Soon it was time to check on wait times in Fantasyland. As predicted Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh were both too long so it was off to the Carrousel.

Definitely sitting side-saddle in this pic.

I wanted to check out the Storybook Circus section and take a spin on Dumbo. That whole area looked great. The colors are so vibrant and the details are really cool. The whole Fastpass thing was a little confusing, but we didn’t have to worry about it.

 

[diddy_mouse]

Just when I think I've seen everything, I seen an elephant fly...


The Tea Cups were next on the list. These are always a blast at night and I always tell Brandon under penalty of death will he spin the cup like a madman. Luckily we have a solid agreement. Still in the Fantasyland mood we took in PhilharMagic. We wandered back to Tomorrowland and debated if we wanted to ride Space Mountain. I love this ride, but I really need to feel like I want to ride it or it’s not too enjoyable (if that makes any sense.) So we went with an old standby….the Peoplemover! With nothing else in Tomorrowland striking our fancy it was off to the Haunted Mansion. Aside from the young lady in the Doombuggy next to us who had to loudly describe all the effects to her companion, we had a nice ride. The night was winding down and we figured one last trip on Big Thunder was in order. Once we got to the load area I asked if we could head to the back car. That’s truly the best place to ride! After laughing our heads off we went back to Fantasyland to see if Peter Pan was worth the wait. Sadly, still too long so we went on the happiest cruise that ever sailed.

Here are some more nighttime pictures around the park as we bounced around between attractions.

With another busy day behind us we trudged our way to the bus stop and were on our way back to Coronado. Funny thing was we would be back at the Magic Kingdom in the morning for the rope drop. First time we’ve ever done it!

Up next! Rope drop, rain, four parks, rain, and EMHs!

 

[Englebabies]

Waiting Waiting

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Loving the TR!!! We've talked about trying one of the mods, but I can never decide which one is really us. After seeing some of your pics of Coronado, I think I'm leaning in that direction whenever we go that route.

Your salmon at Le Cellier looks really good...and I hate cooked salmon. Although, the drink at The Wave seriously has me thinking "hmmmmm, what do I have around the house that might come close???"- yeah, nothing close.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[diddy_mouse]

8.27 – THE DELUGE, FOUR PARKS, AND STUDIOS EMHs

After our wake-up call we got ready to head back to the Magic Kingdom. As I was double checking things I looked outside and saw how gray everything looked. Hmm…not a good sign. Once we opened the door it was POURING! Well, we had a park opening to get to. Brandon popped open the umbrella and I pulled up my hood as we walked to get some breakfast from Café Rix.

We got to the MK around 8 as the rain picked up even more and was complimented with gusty winds. Yay. There weren’t a whole lot of people there which I guess was to be expected given the weather. I saw the crowd of people heading over to the far left and being led into the park. These were the early breakfast people I came to find out. Brandon and I then found ourselves right against the rope in front of the train station. This was a big moment for me because I never thought I’d make a MK rope drop. Like...ever! Also I had a little moment when I looked out into Main Street, seeing not a soul, realizing soon I’d be heading down there feeling like I had the park to myself.

I may look miserable in this picture, but I was anything but!


There was a very nice pair of CMs at the rope who were keeping us guests occupied as the crowd started to gather in closer. One of them noticed my birthday button and called the crowd’s attention. “Erin here is celebrating her birthday today. Now I know you don’t want to hear me sing so I’m going to need you to help me out.” Everyone around us ended up singing to me. I couldn’t believe it! And standing in the pouring rain to boot! Some more time passed and I knew that they would be doing the abbreviated welcome show due to the weather. Even though I couldn’t see it, hearing that song was enough to get me smiling and ready to bust out onto Main Street. The countdown happened and then Brandon and I were off and running. Our first stop was Peter Pan.

As we were quickly heading up the street toward the castle I looked around and saw no one else. We waved at the CMs who were opening the shops but other than that not a guest in sight. We headed straight for the castle and through to Fantasyland. I never walked so fast in my life! We ended up being on the first couple of people on Peter Pan that morning. With our visit to Neverland complete we took a quick moment to dry off, then headed to Tomorrowland to ride Space Mountain. I actually have some good video footage of us walking around practically by ourselves. Apologies if the quality isn't too great.






On the way we stopped into Mickey's Star Traders and paid way too much for ponchos. We zipped through the Space Mtn queue and pretty much walked on. Side note: ponchos aren't allowed while riding, so that was fun trying to get organized before boarding our rocket. Afterwards we walked over to the Peoplemover for a spin. We were still pretty soaked from the rain but I saw some characters I just had to get a picture with. Stitch, Chip and Dale were out by the Carousel of Progress so I joined the four other people that were over there.

My first picture with Stitch...ever!

Aww...how cute.

Totally waving goodbye before meeting the chipmunks

I wish this next picture didn't come out so foggy but the rain was screwing with our camera.

Deciding to call it for the morning, we made our way back to Main Street to head out. And after a couple of hours, everything looked just as it did when we arrived.

 

[diddy_mouse]

Hey, I'm almost walking right down the middle of Main Street, USA!

I gotta tell you, this is one of the best ways to spend the day during a Tropical Storm.

As we strolled past the shops Brandon stopped for a moment then motioned to me. Apparently he saw Warwick Davis hanging out under an awning with his family. I made like I was adjusting my bag so I could take a quick look and sure enough he was right! We didn’t say anything to them but it was pretty cool to see him enjoying the Magic Kingdom in the rain. Another nice little moment was standing there listening to the saxophone band playing in the doorway of the Emporium.



As we neared the train station Brandon asked if I wanted to (finally) ride the WDW Railroad before we left. I said sure since I didn’t know when we’d get another chance. We took a nice leisurely trip around the park, snapped some pictures in the station then headed out in another downpour to the bus stop.

Once again, wish the quality of this one was a little bit better.

The bus was empty and aside from an overly-chatty driver it was a nice, dry, quiet ride back to Coronado. Once I had a well-deserved hot shower and a change of clothes we were back at the bus stop waiting to go to Animal Kingdom. The rain had slacked up a little bit by this point which was nice.

Our first stop at AK is always Everest. I was happy to see a wait time of about 15min, which seems to feel shorter than it is. We boarded the front car of the train and were off to find that yeti. Even though things still weren’t fully operational it was as great ride nonetheless. So good in fact we got right back in line and rode it again. Next stop was Dinosaur then we grabbed a pretzel to snack on somewhere between Asia and Africa. I remember taking pictures on a bridge. My goal was to get more details on this trip.

Oh! As we walked through Asia I saw some Thai CMs making palm leaf animals. One of them offered me a fish that she had made. Pretty cool if I do say so myself!

I was starving by this point so we thought about lunch. Originally we were going to go to Flame Tree but opted for something smaller since we planned on a bigger dinner. I saw a stand that had edamame and summer rolls with a peanut sauce. I went with the latter. We were close enough to Africa that we found a quiet spot to sit down tucked away in a corner.

After our delicious light lunch I knew the next thing I wanted was a Mickey Premium Bar.

We were headed to Festival of the Lion King, my favorite show at AK. Brandon grabbed a funnel cake while we waited to queue up. Now, I did go a little crazy taking pictures of the show but we were on a good side of the theater. Also it made up for the fact I hadn’t taken pictures of it in like 5 years.

 

[diddy_mouse]

Tumble monkeys in action!

You *better* be prepared

Definitely one of my favorite segments of the show

Last FOTLK picture! I really like how this one turned out.

 

[diddy_mouse]

We left the theater and I wanted to meet some characters. Mickey was on a break and Goofy’s line was a little too long. Luckily Donald was available! He noticed my button and gave me some applause then planted a big ‘ol smooch on my cheek. I was laughing like a little kid.

My favorite character shot of the the trip

Close-up!

I checked the time and knew we should probably start making our way out so we could go to EPCOT. I wanted to see Tough to Be a Bug before we left the park. I took a few more pictures as we headed over. Cue standard Tree of Life shots......NOW!

I always like It's Tough to be a Bug and forget how low those spiders drop from the ceiling. Also the Hopper AA looked better than the last time we saw him a couple of years ago. After being honorary bugs, we meandered through the Oasis on our way to the exit.

Brandon enjoying his espresso


I don’t know what it is about the bus stops at AK but they seem like a mile away from the entrance. I originally wanted to take the bus to the TTC and catch a monorail. But an EPCOT bus pulled up first. After we arrived we headed straight to World Showcase to ride Grand Fiesta then get something to eat at La Cantina de San Angel (our favorite counter service spot in WS)

I adore these nachos! Looks like you can reach right out and touch them...

Mmm...tacos and chips...

 

[Englebabies]

Great TR looking forward to more

 

[diddy_mouse]

We took the time to wander through the pavilions as we figured out a game plan for the rest of the afternoon/evening. I wanted to hit the Studios and check out Star Tours even though I knew we’d be there for EMHs that night. At the same time I really wanted to see IllumiNations because we were leaving the next day and this would be the only opportunity we had to see it. So it was decided that we’d finish up at EPCOT then catch the boat to the Studios, ride Star Tours, head back to EPCOT for the fireworks, and then back to the Studios to close out the night. Sounds doable, right?

Definitely a cloudy day at EPCOT

I liked seeing both SSE and the Earth Globe in the same shot

With our plans decided, I was on a mission to get a Gran Marnier Slush. This was on the top of my “must-try” list given all the great feedback I’d heard. We shopped around Mitsukoshi and picked up some candy that we always look forward to then we walked over to France. I think I was a little too happy to step up to that kiosk and the girl working it didn’t seem too excited to fix my drink. I had even planned on ordering it in French. Oh well… I had my delicious orange goodness and I was going to enjoy it.

The first sip was awesome and well worth the wait. I wanted to find a spot to sit down so we could take a little break. There was an inviting corner across the bridge near the tea shop in the UK. We settled in for a little bit, just people watching and listening to the end of the British Revolution set.

Feeling pretty good from my drink I knew I wanted to walk some of it off before getting back on the boat. So it was back to Future World. We checked the time for SSE and walked right in. Once thing I did this go around was the “Mckayla Is Not Impressed” face when it takes your picture. Brandon and I had a good experience with it on Everest and I just had to try it again. I wasn’t sure how it turned out and OMG was it hilarious! I couldn’t stop laughing during the little video at the end. It was a nice way to end our day.

We went back to World Showcase and walked down to the friendship landing for a horrible boat ride to the Studios. Ugh. No A/C was on and there were way too many people crammed in there. Once through the turnstiles we headed straight to Star Tours.

 

[diddy_mouse]

I beyond excited to ride this thing! We missed it on our last trip because it was right at the beginning of the refurb. The Jedi Training thingy was going on as we headed for the queue and managed to catch Vader as he was walking out to the stage.

The queue looked great and before we knew it we were ready to board our starspeeder. I love how the pre-show kept some of the original stuff.

We found our seats and, not gonna lie, but I was secretly hoping I’d be the Rebel Spy. No such luck on this trip. For our first flight we saw Vader, the Podrace, Yoda, and Coruscant. I loved every minute of it! Afterwards I think we went over to MuppetVision then headed out of the park.

We took the Friendship boat back to the EPCOT resorts and did the smart thing and got off at the Swan.

As we walked around the lake I got some nighttime shots.

I was bummed this came out blurry

I really like this area at night and was glad when we hung out on one of the swings for a little while, resting our feet and just watching the water. Soon we had our shoes back on and finished up the walk into EPCOT. I found a spot on the bridge near the UK and was hoping that it wouldn’t get too crowded.

Ready for some more sub-par fireworks shots? You got it!

IllumiNations was great as usual and “We Go On” still makes me get all misty-eyed. We waited for the people to thin out then it was back to the Studios for some Extra Magic Hours.

The first stop was Toy Story Mania. Surprisingly enough the wait time was posted at 100min but something in the back of my head told me that wasn’t true. We jumped in line and I suddenly became anxious that I was really, really wrong about that wait time. The line was moving which was promising but I was still worried. I had a nice chat with the dad and his kids in front of us while we waited. His wife had stepped out of line to double check the time and luckily was able to swim her way through and meet up with him. They hadn’t gotten a chance to ride in about 3 years and I told him it was the same situation for us. I knew it would be worth the wait.

Finally we got past Mr. Potato Head and when we reached the split one of the CMs saw my button and said: “We’ve got a birthday here!” Next thing I know we were told to head to the right and sure enough we were about 10 feet away from the load platform. Wait time SLASHED! We had a great ride and I won! Not the best score, but not too bad for a first ride.

Woo! Player 1 aka Me with the win!

 

[javy2004]

wow!! all 4 parks and hopping 6 times in one day? sounds like an awesome and exhausting final day at the parks. Do you remember how long you actually waited in line for TSMM? Its a great ride, but it blows my mind that ppl wait soo long in line for it. Awesome trip report. loved the pics with br'er bear and chip n dale (dale's my fave character as a kiddo). i didn't know about citrus swirls before this TR and now it's a must do for me on my next trip that star wars celebration was amazing!! that rancor must have looked awesome up close. how long before you two recovered from these marathon-like days at the parks?

 

[diddy_mouse]

I loved the details of the ride and queue

Standard 3D glasses pic!

This was too cute!

As we were leaving Toy Story Mania I saw some plush figures in the gift shop across the way. And I finally decided on a little Losto plush I kept seeing. He was too cute to pass up! Then we left Pixar Place and made our way back to Star Tours to see how many rides we could get in.

With little to no wait we were back on board, anxious to see what this next ride had in store. We saw Kashyyk, Admiral Ackbar, and Coruscant and we got right back in line. Our final ride was probably the best so far…Vader, then Hoth, Boba Fett, and Vader again. So much awesomeness! I almost wanted to do a third go but we were really really tired by this point and it had been a very long day. So we knew it was time to head out.


I snapped some pictures on our way and realized I still don’t spend enough time at this park. I really like all the details but when we do a short trip it’s hard to get in extra time at the Studios.

Good night Hollywood Studios

We wearily made it to the bus stop and luckily didn’t have to wait long for a Coronado bus. Soon we were back in Casitas 2 and I hated the idea that I had to pack. But tomorrow was the last day and we planned on hitting the ground running (again.) I stepped outside and took a few more nighttime shots of our courtyard.

Funny thing happen when I took my jewelry off as I was getting ready for bed. I looked down at the dresser and saw I created a hidden mickey. Seriously! It was so nutty to me that I had to take a picture to prove I didn't imagine it.

8.28 – LAST DAY…EPCOT AND SOME FINAL MAGIC KINGDOM MAGIC #sadface

The phone rang at 7 o’clock, once again and we quickly got ready then triple checked all of our stuff. That’s the one good thing about packing the night before, lowers the risk of leaving anything behind. I took one last look around the room and followed Brandon out the door. We walked to the lobby to check out, print boarding passes, hold the luggage, and grab breakfast.

Today we ate by the lake and I tried to soak up every bit of Coronado that I could before we went to the buses. First stop was EPCOT.

I love EPCOT in the morning. For some reason I didn’t take as many SSE shots as I usually do, I guess I was really focused on what I wanted to do that day. We headed to The Land for a Soarin FastPass, as per usual. Before leaving we grabbed some coffee from Seasons and I had such a horribly rude experience when I tried to get an iced coffee. I was waiting at the counter trying to catch the eye for the CM working in the back. He wasn’t seeing me for some reason. I stepped back for like a hot second and this couple with a set of parents came up and were served immediately. I was pretty offended. Part of my brain was like: you don’t have to take that! But the other part was like: forget it, it’s not worth it at this point. The latter won out and I huffed a little and walked away. I met up with Brandon, who got a nice and easy regular coffee and we headed out to visit The Seas.

 

[diddy_mouse]

Still grumpy from my coffee experience I started to mellow a little once we took a ride on Nemo and Friends. Then we explored the rest of SeaBase Alpha. The manatees were out and about and I finally got some good pictures of them.

At the bottom of the beautiful briny deeeeep....

With a sufficient amount of sea life pictures taken, we bid the Seas adieu. As we were leaving I saw the cutest plush…it was one of the seagulls with a beak full of fish and each one had mine written on it! I knew I had to own this toy.

Since we still had time to kill before Soarin it was off to Future World East for Mission Space. Green Team was a go!

There was a nice dad and his son in our capsule who had never ridden before and I could tell the son was a little nervous. I assured them that this wasn’t the spinning version and that if they rode Star Tours already they’d be fine. The dad breathed a sigh of relieve because I think he was worried that he’d brought his kid on a ride that would ruin the rest of the day. Once it was over they seemed to have had a good time. While in the gift shop I waffled between two types of Vinylmation and went with the 2 pack that had a theme park character and Mickey as the Brave Little Tailor. The theme park guy was an alligator from Typhoon Lagoon. I almost held on to him but was bit by the trading bug and wanted to swap. I’ll get into that a little later…

Here's the Typhoon Lagoon guy...sadly he was to be traded

Why hello there Energy!

World Showcase was calling and you know what that means…Gran Fiesta boat ride time! I was starting to get hungry and I suggested getting something to eat in Japan. We decided on Katsura Grill and I’m very glad we did. I got the udon and tempura shrimp and Brandon got the curry rice. Both dishes were a pretty good size and very satisfying. I loved the flavor of the broth with my udon noodles. So yummy! Oh, and the azuki ice cream was ah-mazing! Definitely, definitely going back on our next trip.

Feeling totally full it was time to cash in our Soarin FastPasses.

It was then I realized that this would be our last EPCOT ride of the trip. *tear* We slowly started to head out of the park. I zipped into Club Cool to get my favorite sample, Smart Watermelon from China and we walked past SSE to the exit. *sigh* We decided on taking the monorail one last time and surprisingly ended up with a complete car to ourselves. It made for a nice quiet final trip on the highway in the sky.

It’s an unofficial rule with us that the MK is our last stop before we head back to the resort. As soon as we walked in I noticed Main Street looked more orange than it did at the start of our visit. Then it dawned on me that the Halloween decorations had gone up! I was actually really happy to see them because it reminded me of our anniversary trip a couple years ago.

 

[tehSAC]

Loving your report so far and the added star wars photos. Must say I love your "duck" t-shirt and that killer Boba hoodie! I want one!


Looking forward to more of your report.