Trip Report *Completed* You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home - September 2020

Hello friends, and welcome to another K and J trip report!

We will be returning to Walt Disney World together after basically a year away…more on that later. This is my fourth trip report so I’m sure many of you know us by this point, so I’ll keep the introductions brief…well, brief for me anyway.

Who: Me, Katie

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And my husband, Jason

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We both visited Walt Disney World as kids, but our love for the Disney parks truly blossomed when we went to Walt Disney World together for the first time, for our first wedding anniversary back in 2014. We had the best time and made so many cherished memories, and we loved it so much that we ended up booking our next WDW trip before we even checked out!

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In total, we have been to Walt Disney World together 11 times, and Disneyland twice in the span of 6 years.

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In December 2017, we finally took the plunge and became annual passholders at WDW, and that’s when our trips started becoming more frequent – we average 3-4 Disney trips a year…with the exception of this year. As you may remember, I went on a Disney cruise with my mom, sister, and SIL back in February, and we spent one night at WDW, where I flew solo in Epcot for a couple hours. J and I had plans to do a WDW trip in April, and then COVID-19 happened. April became May, May became June, and then when our June trip was cancelled by Disney, we decided to cancel that trip altogether, and go to the beach in Palm Coast, FL instead. While in Palm Coast, we made a quick trip over to Disney Springs for a few hours. Aside from that time in Disney Springs, Jason and I have not been to Walt Disney World together in nearly a year. In fact, it will have been almost exactly a year when we return. I know we are so fortunate to be APs and be able to visit as often as we do, so I hate to feel like I’m complaining about my champagne problems, but I know many of you have felt the same way we have over the last few months. Being unable to be in our happy place, our home away from home, has been so hard for us, emotionally. We are so beyond ready to be back in Walt Disney World. Speaking of being back…

When: September 8th-13th

We had originally booked our trip for September 9th-13th, but then an Annual Passholder room discount came out in July, and we were able to add another night to our trip and still be paying less than what we were originally going to pay! Since we were going to be going down the Wednesday after Labor Day (the 9th), we were already planning to take the 8th off, since we didn’t see the point in being off work the 7th, working the 8th, and then being off the rest of the week. We’re excited to have a nice long weekend to get packed and prepared for the trip, rather than working all day the day prior, coming home and finishing last minute packing and preparation, and going to bed way too late the night before our trip.

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Where: Pop Century!

We have not stayed at Pop since March 2017, prior to the room renovations, so we are excited to be back. We have stayed in a renovated room at All Star Movies and loved it. I know a lot of people view the new theming as sterile, but we don’t mind it. I view it as a clean, modern look, and we absolutely love all of the added storage and USB portals/outlets. I know many folks don’t dig the “hardwood” floors and prefer carpet, but our entire house is hardwood and tile, so we’re used to it.

Our last (and only, up to this point) experience at Pop was defined by what felt like hundreds of school groups and sports teams staying at the resort at the same time as us, so we don’t exactly look back on our time at Pop with the fondest of memories. It’s not that there was anything wrong with the resort, it can just get frustrating to be surrounded by tons and tons of teenagers any time you go to ride a bus to the parks or eat in the resort food court. None of them were poorly behaved, as far as I can remember (at least not as poorly behaved as the cheerleaders when we stayed at CBR during a cheer competition, but that’s another story for another day)…there were just so many of them, everywhere, all the time…We are excited to make new, hopefully fonder memories at Pop. Jason is very excited about the Skyliner. I….am anxious. If you read my Disneyland trip report from this past December, you may remember that I have a pretty intense fear of heights. I told J that I would try the Skyliner at least once, since it’s important to him. If I absolutely can’t stand it, we’ll have our car with us, so we can drive to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

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Why: We love visiting Walt Disney World in the Fall (and the Spring, and the Holidays, and…). Typically, September/October trips mean Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. While we are totally bummed that MNSSHP is cancelled, we understand why. There will always be other years. As far as Food and Wine…we are actually looking forward to the new, scaled-down version of the festival. I have always felt the usual 30+ booths to be overwhelming, especially if you’re only at Epcot for one day. We’ve already made a big list of things we want to enjoy at Food and Wine, and I know we won’t be disappointed!

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So there’s my “brief” summary of the trip…look forward to more detailed plans coming soon!

Up next: Daily plans
 
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k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Wednesday, September 9th - Continued

After we wrapped up our time in Africa, we were both hungry, and we already knew exactly where we wanted to have lunch - Satu'li Canteen! This has become one of our favorite QS spots in all of WDW. The food is delicious, and so different from anything else in any of the other parks. We mobile ordered prior to leaving Africa, and pressed "I'm Here" as soon as Pandora was in view. To our delight, it took a whopping 30 seconds to get the notification that our order was ready! We headed in to grab our food, and we managed to find an empty table inside, so we were able to dine in the comfort of the A/C.

So, what's for lunch? I had the Grilled Chicken Bowl with rice and beans and the creamy herb sauce ($12.49). J had the Combination Bowl (beef and chicken) with noodles and creamy herb sauce ($16.99). To drink, we both got a bottled water ($3.50/each).

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And for us, a meal at Satu'li Canteen isn't complete without the Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse ($5.29). We split one between the two of us. It is both pretty and delicious!

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Overall, it was another fantastic meal at Satu'li Canteen! We went right after 11:00, so it wasn't peak lunch time, and it was so nice to be able to relax in the A/C for a little bit, without having to fight the crowds for a table.

After our bellies were full, we contemplated heading to Asia to ride Everest, but decided to let our stomachs settle on something a little calmer first. Since we were already in the neighborhood, we decided to hit up Na'Vi River Journey. It's certainly not a must-do for us, and we don't ride every trip, but it is a nice, relaxing ride in the A/C, with pretty sights to admire.

While we were in line, we took the opportunity to grab some more pics of the floating mountains. If you look closely in the second picture, you can see a weaving of the shaman that you meet later in the ride.

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We also grabbed some pics of some of the interesting "plants" and water features in the queue. The things you could easily walk right by if you're not paying attention!

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While we were in line, an older woman in line behind us appeared to have passed out. It seems like she may have overheated. She was sitting on the ground, leaned against one of her family members, and another family member was fanning her. Thankfully, there was a nurse nearby who came to her aid, and a CM brought her some water. It was a tense situation, but I'm glad that people jumped into action quickly. Here is your reminder to DRINK WATER, PEOPLE!!! We drink AT LEAST half a gallon a day, every day (not just at Disney). We also carry handheld fans and cooling neck towels in our backpacks. Central Florida is hotter than you expect it to be, and it can be so easy to overheat if you overexert yourself. Take breaks, hydrate, and wear cool clothing!

Now that I'm off my soapbox...the wait for Na'Vi River Journey was listed at 35 minutes, but we only had to wait ~20. We also got our own boat, which was nice! Since the boats really only seat two parties max on a regular day, it makes sense that they're only loading one party per boat right now. I attempted a bunch of pictures on the ride, but this is the only one that turned out decent. I always forget how massive the shaman is!

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Up next: Disco Yeti
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Wednesday, September 9th - Animal Kingdom Day - Continued

After our leisurely river cruise, we decided it was time to amp things up. We headed over to Asia by way of Discovery Island, determined to conquer the forbidden mountain.

One of my favorite picture spots in AK...

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I can't remember if I saw it on here, or on YouTube, but the tall peak in the center here is the Forbidden Mountain. The shorter, righthand peak is Mt. Everest. The more you know...

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Here we go! The sign indicated a 20 minute wait. Would that be the case? I honestly don't mind waiting a little in the EE queue, there are so many little details to enjoy.

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First, we had to stop by the tour agency to grab some gear...

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Anyone for tea?

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We stopped by the museum on our way out...

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This tent looks like it might get a little breezy at night....

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Soon enough, it was time for our tour. But first, our train needed to be sanitized.

Wheeeee!

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We made it! I knew we would! P.S. Zoom in on the lady in the front row for a surprise...

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We ended up waiting ~15 minutes. Not bad, considering the fact that we got freshly cleaned seats. My only complaint? They had part of the museum portion of the queue roped off, so you didn't go through all of it. One of my friends/former coworkers is terrified of deer, so I always send her a picture of the creepy deer mask when we pass it in the queue, but we didn't get close to it this time. I'm a really good friend...

Up next: A really big kitty cat
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hi friends, sorry this trip report has been progressing sooooo ssssllllooowwwlllyyyy...I was transferred into a different position at work right after we returned from WDW, and then more responsibilities got added to my plate at the end of September, so it's been a little hectic around these parts. November/December is our slow season, so I'm hoping to be able to catch my breath soon. For now, let's get on with the trip report!

Wednesday, September 9th - Animal Kingdom Day - Continued

After we conquered the Forbidden Mountain, we (I) decided to ride an attraction that we very rarely go on - Kali River Rapids! I think in the 11 times J and I had been to WDW together up to that point, we had ridden Kali River Rapids twice. Both times, we wound up being absolutely soaked, which is just not fun. However, I had heard from some magicians that they had toned down the rapids a little bit, so I decided to give it a try, and dragged J along with me. We hopped in the line, which was advertising a 20 minute wait, but we waited maybe 5 minutes. While in line, I took a pic of these statues that I didn't remember noticing before...

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Unfortunately, this was one of the instances where people got uncomfortably close to us in line. There was a huge group behind us, and they were not paying attention to where they were walking. At one point, one man in the group ended up about half an inch away from me. I whipped around and gave him a "BACK OFF" look, and thankfully, he did. At least, a little bit. They still tailed us a little too closely for comfort, but at least they weren't breathing down our necks anymore.

As for the ride? I have to say, it was almost boring without the usual rapids. We were in a raft with a man and his two elementary-age kids, and when we pulled up to the dock to disembark, one kid looked at the dad and said, "That was it?" While I hate getting super wet, I almost think that they toned Kali down a little too much.

After Kali River Rapids, we headed over to the Maharajah Jungle Trek to check out some of the animals. First up was this big guy.

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Then, it was on to my favorite part of this trail - the tigers! Can you spot Sohni in this picture? She is the mama tiger who gave birth to two cubs in 2017.

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There was a CM nearby who told us that Sohni was about to get a snack, and to stick around to watch, and we're glad we did! First, she walked up to this door, and a window opened up so she could get her snack from one of the handlers.

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Then, she walked over to this window, for more treats.

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Wonder if there's any more?

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Back to the original window...

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We both thought that this was hilarious. Tigers really are like big house cats!

After watching Sohni for a few minutes, we made our way through the rest of the trail. We saw a couple of those mutant peacock-pigeon birds in the aviary area, but I wasn't quick enough to get a pic (see @fractal report for pics - those things are HUGE!). I was plenty quick enough to get some pics of the beautiful atmosphere though. We just love how beautifully decorated this whole area is.

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Can you spot the hidden Mickey? Hint: it's in one of the clouds.

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And that was it for our time in Asia!

Up next: Diggin' in Dinoland
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hello yes I am still alive, as I'm sure you've all been wondering. Work has been super busy lately. There are normally three people in my position at work, but one girl was let go back in April, and they have not backfilled that position, so now the two of us that are left are each doing a job and a half. October is one of our busiest months, so I barely have time to use the restroom at work, much less work on the trip report. We keep asking when they plan to backfill that position, and we're told it's "not in the budget"...but they gave each of us a 3% salary increase, so that totally makes up for it. :rolleyes: Aaaaaanyway, where was I?

Wednesday, September 9th - Animal Kingdom Day - Continued

After we wrapped up our time in Asia, it was time to head over to Dinoland! Let's go get that Dino! Dinosaur was a walk-on, and it was so weird not to see the pre-show. I love Dr. Seeker!

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And our ride photo. One of us was wearing their mask inside out. Hint: it wasn't Jason. Whoops!

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After Dinosaur, we browsed the gift shop in Dinoland. We've always loved the theming in there! Afterward, we meandered into the Dino-Rama area, and it was so freaky to see it so empty! The only thing open in that area at the time was Triceratop Spin, so the area was pretty deserted. I have to admit, I won't miss Primeval Hurl Whirl. I liked that one as a teenager, not so much now. I'll be interested to see what they do with that whole area, I doubt they'd keep it open just for Triceratop Spin.

We started to make our way back to Discovery Island, but we stopped in our tracks when we heard music...

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These guys were so fun! I'm glad they've kept some live entertainment in the parks, but my heart breaks for the probably thousands of entertainment Cast Members that have lost their jobs. 😢

Up next - a photoshoot with my favorite park icon
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We leave for our next Disney trip in 17 days, so I guess I had better get serious about this trip report!

Wednesday, September 9th - Animal Kingdom Day - Continued

After we wrapped up our time in Dinoland, we headed back to Discovery Island to enjoy the Tree of Life trails. First stop, of course, we had to check out the Otter Grotto...and, the otters were nowhere to be found. :cry: After that, we made our way around the Tree of Life, checking out the various live animals, as well as seeing how many animal carvings we could spot on the Tree of Life.

Now, everyone loves Cinderella Castle, and many people think that Spaceship Earth is the prettiest girl in school, but may I present to you MY favorite park icon...

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While we were admiring the Tree of Life, I noticed a couple cast members standing nearby, and then heard music playing. As soon as I could say "Wait...are they about to do the bird show?" there were birds everywhere.
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They didn't do the full show (no talking), but the macaws landed on their posts, got snacks, and then flew away. We always love to stop and watch the show when we happen to be in the area, and it was fun to see all of the beautiful, brightly colored macaws, even if we didn't get to hear the spiel about why they don't make good pets.

We spotted the kangaroos...

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It was so nice to be able to take our time admiring and getting pictures of the Tree of Life without tons of people around. It really is a stunning piece of architecture.

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After we had gotten all of our pictures, we started making our way to the park exit, stopping to admire some of the animals in the Discovery Island Trail along the way, including the gorgeous black swans and the anteaters. On our way out, we stopped into Guest Services. We double checked that they weren't currently selling annual passes - they weren't, so we asked to downgrade Jason's ticket from a park hopper to a base ticket. A little background on this...back in 2017, a week before Christmas, we purchased our original Annual Passes. December/January is always the most expensive time of year, with both my mom and sister's birthdays, Christmas, and then Jason's birthday right after Christmas, so paying to renew them in 2018 was rough. So, in 2019, we decided that we would just renew mine, since I was going on the Disney Cruise and doing one day at WDW in February. We did so with the thought that we would purchase a 4-Day Park Hopper Ticket for Jason for this trip, and upgrade it to an annual pass when we got there. Then, they "paused" the sale of annual passes (come on Disney, it's been MONTHS!). So, I am currently the only annual passholder in the family, and my expiration date was extended from December 2020 to May 2021. If they're not selling annual passes by the time we go back in a few weeks, this may be our last trip for a while. It is getting really expensive to keep buying Jason tickets for each trip.

Annnywayyy, we were in and out of Guest Services in about 10 minutes, and we exited the park and made the trek out to the car. But, we didn't have far to go....

Up next: More animals, and dinner!
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Wednesday, September 9th - Animal Kingdom Day - Continued

After we exited the park, we headed out to our car, but we didn't have far to go. Our destination?

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Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Village! We had a dinner reservation at Sanaa, and we were about 45 minutes early, so we meandered around a little bit, admiring the animals outside, and eventually stumbled upon an empty porch facing the Savanna, where we settled in to wait for our table to be ready. While we were out there, we got to see some zebra, including the cute little one you see on the left, who was running in circles around his mama.

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We also saw some giraffes...

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Some...Watusi cattle?

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And this big guy! He was huge!

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Soon enough, our table was ready, right around our reservation time. I am the worst at remembering servers' names, but our server was nice, although a little soft-spoken, so he was hard to hear through the mask and face shield. Jason ordered a poblano margarita, which he enjoyed. I tried a sip of it, and wasn't a fan, but I generally don't like spicy drinks. Of course, when you're at Sanaa, you must get the bread service...

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We have only ever shared this between four people, and it's a lot for two people, especially if you plan on having entrees, so we only ate about 2/3 of it. For our entrees, we both got the Potje. I got the Butter Chicken with Aloo Masala (potatoes), and Jason got the Braised Beef with Aloo Masala. In the past, I had gotten the Butter Chicken with Paneer Tika, which I loved, but it was not available. It seems like they have cut the menu down a good bit since reopening, which is understandable.

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Jason loved his braised beef. I liked my butter chicken, but it wasn't as good as I remembered. I don't know if they've changed the recipe in the last couple years, or if I'd just built it up in my head to be better than it was. Overall, it was still an enjoyable meal, and we always love an excuse to go over to Animal Kingdom Lodge. We declined dessert at Sanaa, because we had something else in mind...I had heard through the grapevine that they were selling Zebra Domes in the gift shop at Kidani Village, and we hadn't had them since we stayed at Jambo House back in 2017, so we had to go see if they were there. Sure enough, they were! We grabbed a 4-pack, and were on our way back to Pop for the night.

We were at Pop by 6:30 pm, and it was nice to have plenty of time to shower and relax before turning in for the night. Of course, before we went to sleep, we enjoyed a late-night dessert of Zebra Domes. 😋

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It had been a fun but exhausting first day in the parks. Time to get some rest to gear up for tomorrow's fun!

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Up next: Magic Kingdom Day!
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thursday, September 10th - Magic Kingdom Day

Magic Kingdom opened at 9 am this day, so we were up and at 'em at 7:00, with the intention of leaving the room around 8:00 to catch a bus to MK. We left the room shortly before 8:00, walked up to the bus stops, and....nope. The bus line for MK stretched all the way around the front entrance of the main building and around to the resort airline check-in area. We would have been lucky to make it onto the fifth bus, so we decided to take our car instead. Luckily this time, Jason had remembered to put the keys in his park bag, so he didn't have to make the mad dash back up to the room to get them. We hopped in the car and headed to Magic Kingdom, where we were pulling up to the parking booth around 8:30, and then it took us a few minutes to make it all the way up to our spot and make the long trek up to the TTC (seriously, I miss the parking trams!). The line for the monorail was crazy, so we hopped in line for the ferry, and were quickly boarding the Admiral Joe Fowler right at 8:45. Would we make it into the park in time for the 9:00 opening?

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It took a few minutes to get everyone loaded onto the ferry, make the trip over to MK, and get everyone unloaded. Once we got off the ferry, we scanned into the park right at 9:00, and I was taking this picture of the new castle paint job at 9:01.

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Like many, we have mixed feelings about the new paint job. I don't mind the pink as much, but the blue/purple color on the spires clashes with the pink. I wish they had either kept the gray and just added the gold accents and painted the spires, or painted the body of the castle pink, added the gold accents, and kept the old blue color on the spires. Either way, we both hope that this isn't a permanent change. As iffy as we were about the paint job, we were both thrilled to be back in MK after a year away. We didn't take much time to soak it in though, as we were on a mission to Liberty Square. Were we headed to Haunted Mansion? Nope. Hall of Naptimes Presidents? Nope. We were headed to Sleepy Hollow on the hunt for the Madam Leota Sipper. Jason had fallen in love with this sipper the moment he saw a picture of it online, so I knew we had to get one for him. We figured the line would be the most reasonable first thing in the morning, and when we arrived, it was stretched about halfway down the bridge between Liberty Square and Main Street USA. At one point, they started a separate line for those just wanting to purchase the sipper, so that thinned out the herd a little bit, but it still took about 40 minutes from the time we got in line until we were getting our sipper and our food.

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We decided to split the Nutella Fruit Waffle, as we'd heard rave reviews about it for years. The seating at Sleepy Hollow was full, so we walked over to Liberty Square Market, which was completely empty, and we were able to enjoy a nice, peaceful breakfast. The waffle was delicious, by the way! But I am glad that we got a couple bottled waters as well, because it was pretty rich. After our breakfast, we popped over to Haunted Mansion to pay a visit to Madam Leota herself. We waited 10-15 minutes, and it was so bizarre not stopping in the stretching room.

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After we got off Haunted Mansion, we took some pics with my Haunted Mansion ears, and Jason's Haunted Mansion mask.

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Then, it was time to visit the prettiest potties in all the land...

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After our bathroom break, we headed over to Frontierland to start working through the park clockwise as we normally do, but we were pleasantly surprised to see our first Character Cavalcade on our way over.

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Up next: It's the truth, it's actual...
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thursday, September 10th - Magic Kingdom Day - Continued

After we got off Haunted Mansion and had our bathroom break, we decided to head back to Frontierland to start our normal clockwise park touring routine. First stop, Splash Mountain. I am excited for the new "Princess and the Frog" theming, although the recent announcement that Disney is planning to fast track the re-theming has me worried that they won't give Princess Tiana the excellence that she deserves. I hope they prove me wrong.

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We figured that this may very well be our last time riding Splash Mountain in its current form, so we made sure to take plenty of pictures in the queue, and we had plenty of opportunity to do so, as the line stretched almost all the way to the entrance of the queue.

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We loved the Wanted Posters and all of the different bird houses! After waiting about 20 minutes (wait time posted was 35 minutes), we were in our raft and on our way. They sat us in the front row, which I wasn't thrilled about as I hate getting my hair and clothes wet, but I let it go, as this could have been our last time riding. We enjoyed singing along to all of the catchy songs, and it was hot as heck so we didn't even mind getting a little wet. I tried to get more pictures on the actual ride, but this is the only one that turned out decent. I love Princess Tiana, but I have to admit that I'll miss this little rascal.

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It's the truth, it's actual...everything is satisfactual!

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After Splash, we planned to head toward Big Thunder, but the wait time posted was 40 minutes, so we decided to come back later, and move on to Adventureland.

Up next, Pirates, Dole Whips, and Castle Pics, oh my!
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thursday, September 10th - Magic Kingdom Day - Continued

After we got off Splash, we started toward Big Thunder, but the 40-minute posted wait time scared us off. In hindsight, we probably should have just gotten in line. We decided to leave Frontierland and head to Adventureland to continue our park touring. Our first stop was Pirates, which had a posted 70-minute wait. Jason was ready to bail, but I pointed out that the line was so far up that you couldn't see it from the outside of the building, so there was no way it was even close to 70 minutes. I was right, as always. 😉 It was practically a walk-on. I think they had bumped it up to 70 minutes, because they had just finished a cleaning cycle.

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After we battled the pirates, we were ready for a refreshing treat, and we already knew exactly what we wanted. I placed a mobile order at Aloha Isle for the Kakamora Float, because we were both intrigued by the coconut Dole whip.

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I am so glad we got this one, because it was delicious. The soft-serve was creamy and delightfully coconutty, the pineapple juice was cold and refreshing as always, we savored every bit of this float. The only thing we both said we could have done without was the chocolate cake pop. It was good, but it was a little rich, compared to the light, refreshing flavors of the pineapple and coconut. I wish they would have done a coconut cake pop. Either way, we both agreed that this was one of our favorite snacks of the trip, and we are so bummed that they took it off the menu for the holiday season.

After our float, we headed over to Jungle Cruise, which was about a 15-minute wait. Our skipper was good, but it's so awkward having so few people on a boat, because there's not as much laughter. It makes you feel bad for the skippers. After our cruise, we were both ready for some lunch, so we decided to start making our way out of the park. On our way out, we stopped to take some pictures of the new paint job on the castle.

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We also spotted a PhotoPass photographer with a short line, so we decided to take advantage and get some pictures. He was awesome, and really spent time on each group, getting plenty of pictures. This is just a sampling of the pictures he took for us.

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I'm thinking that last pic was supposed to be a magic shot with balloons, but they never got added in. I laugh every time I see this one. 😂

Once we were done with our photoshoot, we made our way out of the Magic Kingdom. We had our hearts set on getting some pulled pork nachos from Captain Cook's for lunch.

Up next: Heartbreak at the Poly
 

k8einwdw

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thursday, September 9th - Magic Kingdom Day - Continued

Jason and I left Magic Kingdom around 12:45, already dreaming about Captain Cook's Pulled Pork Nachos. We hopped on the monorail over to the Poly, and I pulled up the menu while we were en route, only to find that our beloved nachos were not listed. Wait...where did the pulled pork nachos go? I KNOW Disney Food Blog said that they were back! So, we hopped off the monorail, headed down to Captain Cook's, and asked the bouncer CM at the door if they were still serving them. Nope. 💔 We turned around and sat down on one of the benches outside the restaurant to decide what we wanted to do. I told Jason that if I had known they weren't serving the nachos, I would have just stayed in MK and gone to Pecos Bill's, but I didn't want to turn around and go back at this point, so we stuck it out with Captain Cook's. We placed our mobile order, and it was ready within 5 minutes. What did we get?

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Chicken nuggets. I know, I know, there are more unique items on the menu at Captain Cook's, but none of them are as good as our beloved pulled pork nachos. I checked the other night and they appear to be back on the mobile order menu now, so we're planning to stop by when we're there in a couple weeks. If they've taken them off the menu again, I may actually cry. While we were eating our lunch, the skies opened up and it began to downpour. It was at that moment that I was glad we didn't go back to MK. We took our time eating lunch and checking our PhotoPass pics, since we didn't see anyone waiting for a table. @Tuvalu we sat near your sign, but there was a couple sitting in front of it, and I didn't want to be that creeper taking pics of strangers. 😂 After lunch, we meandered around the main building, visiting the gift shops and taking in the sights (and smells) of an empty Poly.

I love Hula Minnie, and I want to find that Adventureland Steel Band album!

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Gotta love these three, this display always makes me think of the gift shop at Riverside.

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And it's not a visit to the Poly without getting a pic or two of Maui! I'll be interested to see if they keep him after the refurb, or change it to Moana's version of Maui.

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Up next: Back to Magic Kingdom
 

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