“Rise” to the Challenge, FREAK!! Done and new trip report started 5/2/21

[MeghanEmily]

I was a few pages behind again but had fun catching up! What a beautiful room and view at Destino! And how very fun to enjoy a night of Dismeets and Disney with friends. These days especially, nothing sounds better than that

 

[disneyAndi14]

I've never had more appreciation for the joys this site brings me then now

So true my friend!!

Love it! Though one of you should have sat in the back and one in the front just to get full use out of the boa

Ha we should have, we could have laid down and been all cool for the picture.

I think that is Steve doin' his NY fogetaboutit back there

To cool for school

So happy to see so many of my favorite people together. Not gonna lie I'm not sure I would have braved the cold but you all certainly powered through and made the most out of it

The cold made it hard on some of the outside rides, the company was sure nice!

 

[disneyAndi14]

This is a very sad sentence Here's hoping we all get back to our Happy Place as soon as possible!

I agree! We would have been doing the Villians After Hours tonight, whomp, whomp!

I've ridden a couple times and Steve and I rode a couple days later; first thing in the morning and it was FREEZING up there! And yes lol it's hard to get in and out of we felt silly!

It was so cold up there and yes a little hard getting in and out! I can’t imagine sharing one of those. We rode separate and still awkward

Best. Ride. Ever.

We greats think alike.

Might have to do it just for completeness.

Yes you need to for TR and wear your tuxedo while up there.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Yep- we went last January. I would like to maybe try DAH at another park if/when they have it but I also really want to do more tours and just not enough $$ for everything!

I know, I wish I could do so many add ons. We haven’t tried the DAH in any other park yet. The tours are so interesting and I love those also.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I was a few pages behind again but had fun catching up! What a beautiful room and view at Destino! And how very fun to enjoy a night of Dismeets and Disney with friends. These days especially, nothing sounds better than that

The room at Destino was really a nice choice for us! The DAH was so fun with some of the Dis gang and despite the cold we really enjoyed ourselves!
Hey I see your ticker is that for this August? Andi and I are planning to be there staying at BWI from 8/17-8/24. I hope that trip works out since we won’t be going until then at this point!

 

[MeghanEmily]

The room at Destino was really a nice choice for us! The DAH was so fun with some of the Dis gang and despite the cold we really enjoyed ourselves!
Hey I see your ticker is that for this August? Andi and I are planning to be there staying at BWI from 8/17-8/24. I hope that trip works out since we won’t be going until then at this point!

Ooh thanks for the reminder about my signature. Time to take the tickers off! No trips in the works for us now, but I know we'll get there again someday. I hope your August trip works out!

 

[chunkymonkey]

That was a really fun After Hours despite the cold!! It was my first MK one and it's definitely so much fun to do it with friends!! I loved how empty everything was and the Astro Orbiter was surpsingly more than I thought. It's definitely hard to get in and out!!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Sounds like a fun after hours despite the cold!

Love the ride photo on pirates with just you and Andi!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I got a few pages behind, oops!

Your view at Destino was gorgeous. Glad you got the room request.

Your MK after hours sounds like so much fun. I definitely want to try it out once my girls are old enough to hang.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Sounded like a great night. I think next time we are there, I want us to do a DAH event!

 

[Disneyhanna]

Hello Everyone!!

Today is Monday 1/20, Day 7, the arctic cold comes a calling!

We had a nice laid back morning after a very quiet and restful night.

I wanted to check out the breakfast options at the El Mercado. We were not in a hurry this morning so It was a good time to see what was available. It was beautiful outside with clear blue skies, however, a definite chill in the air. We had a pleasant walk to the main building from our room. There are 3-4 different stations at the QS. I went with a kids Mickey waffle meal, this came with a drink, bacon, and fruit. Andi decided on an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. The food was okay, nothing to write home about. My waffles were a little to crunchy for me, I like the more fluffy waffles.

Andi’s sandwich was pretty basic, she was happy with the variety of hot sauces to add to the sandwich. I didn’t take pictures, I guess this morning.
View attachment 482394
We walked over to the new tower, I wanted to check in and pay off my balance with a gift card. It is beautiful over there!
Our room wasn’t ready at this time but I did make sure my request for a high floor was noted. We headed back to our room and packed up again and called bell services, to store our luggage until the room is ready. We had FP+ at AK this morning. We went to the bus stop and headed to AK. The bus arrived quickly and we were off to visit the beautiful AK.

Our first stop was the beautiful trails. The CM informed us that it was to cold out for the Komodo Dragon and the bats. No wonder I have never seen one in Minnesota I would say it was cool and windy but certainly not cold, yet! I think most of you know how much I love walking these trails at AK, so lovely, even when some of the animals are not out. We did see the mother tiger and some unique birds The monkeys and gorillas were hiding today on the other trail, we did a glimpse of them. We didn’t see Baby Grace today.
View attachment 482398
It was almost time for our Dinosaur FP. We walked to Dinoland and decided to visit Daisy, she was meeting and her line was short. This was a fun meet and greet. Such a stylish duck!
View attachment 482399
View attachment 482401
It was now time for the Dinosaur FP. We had a good time as always. Andi was mad because each picture she is hidden by the fern in the picture, .
View attachment 482403
Andi decided to use one of the anytime FP for Everest. She had a fun ride, she met a girl in line and they were seat mates on the ride. I believe she was with a cheer group. I love watching the rollercoaster from the sidelines instead of riding it. I am sure I saw Andi’s yellow shirt and it was her!
View attachment 482421
View attachment 482415
Once the ride was over we slowly walked towards Pandora, we found a really quiet off the path seating area, I never knew this was here. It is really nice. It is in between Africa and Asia before you would get to Yak and Yeti. I always find new things at Disney!

It was time for FoP FP. I have been on this ride many times and still have yet to walk the stand by line. We had a fun ride as always, minus the um doctor he is annoying!

We decided to have some lunch At Satu’li Canteen. The place was the busiest I have seen it. We barely found a place to sit. Andi had the Tofu bowl with rice and beans and creamy herb dressing.
View attachment 482422
I went for the kids hot dog meal. I love this, the hot dog is tasty and the buttery bun is really good, much better than a plain old bun. The vegetable chips are yummy. It all goes well together.
View attachment 482423
I took a bite before the picture, shame on me!
I got the blueberry cream cheese mousse dessert with the passion fruit curd. I really love this dessert. Andi is not a fan of cream cheese in dessert items so she didn’t have any. Andi was happy to find hot sauce with the condiments, ah the little things! This was a two thumbs up lunch for us.
View attachment 482424
We had a Safari FP coming up. We decided to skip this and head out because we got our room ready text! We were excited to see our tower room at Destino. Spoiler, it is awesome!!

Our room was 9118, this is on the 11th floor not the 9th floor which would make more sense, number wise. I was really happy with the 11th floor. We weren’t very far from the elevators and the room was quiet even close to them. The room was very clean and still had the new feeling to it. The view was wonderful. We could see MK, space mountain and the Contemporary. The lake below us was beautiful to look at. The shower in the bathroom is very nice, rainfall shower head and very roomy. I was very happy with the room. We were also able to cast Disney+ from Andi’s phone to the big screen TV, this was such a nice addition to TV options. I took some pictures and will show them in the next post. I called bell services and our suitcases and goodies arrived quite quickly. We settled in and relaxed for awhile. We had MK after hours later on. Join me soon for a very cold evening filled with fun and Dis friends!

El Mercado breakfast =$17.56

Satu’li lunch =$26.70

Totally agree that the breakfast at El Mercado is just okay! The hot sauce bar is awesome though!

Love the trails at AK! Dinosaur has grown on me a lot, so much fun. AK has so many hidden paths, I find new places to relax every trip. That Satu’li hot dog is my mom's favorite! I haven't had the mousse since I first tried it a few years ago, I remember loving it and definitely need to get it again, so yummy!

The Gran Destino room looks so nice, I love the tower and hope to stay in it sometime. I have a room there reserved for July but things are not looking so great, we'll see...

Hello Everyone!

Today would have been my travel day to WDW, since I won’t be traveling today or anytime in the near future, I will update my report!

Welcome back to Part 2, a very cold evening filled with fun and Dis friends. Andi and I dressed as warm as we could and headed out to MK for the DAH event. This is a ticketed event that allows a smaller amount of people to enjoy MK after the normal closing time. The event was from 9-12.

We had several FP’s left and we needed to use these up. The DVC ones expire after 4 days. We had 2 left.

We used the first one on JC around 7pm. It was a fun ride and we had a good skipper, she really kept us entertained! There was several guests on board that knew all the skipper lines and the skipper was really quick to change things up and I thought that was great!

Andi wanted to try the jalapeño cream cheese pretzel for her dinner. I know, nice mom, not even getting the kid a decent meal, haha
View attachment 483069
The cart across from Pecos Bills had the pretzels. The pretzel was probably one of the last ones and it was dry and not the best. I wasn’t really hungry. I had some snacks in the room and we would be having popcorn and ice cream soon enough. I had a bite of the pretzel and it was meh

We moved on to BTMRR for our last FP, it was a fun ride as usual.

There was still some time before the park close and PoTC had no one in line. When we got down to the boats, we were all alone and got a boat to ourselves. It was really nice and the CM at the controls above was really enthusiastic and waving at us! Here we are all alone getting our best pirate on for the picture!
View attachment 483077
At the end the CM, was singing, in a really good voice, the pirate song and at the end she says a Pirates life for me now get out of my boat! It was cute and I never heard that before!

The park was quiet in this area, HEA was going on now. We jumped on the magic carpet ride and rode during the fireworks, it was cool!

When you have seen the show as many times as we have, finding a new way to see it, is always fun!

Country Bears was a perfect attraction to warm up in and wait for the 9pm hour. It was cold now, I had several layers on and I was still chilly! We enjoyed the quirky songs with the Country Bear gang!

It was now 9pm and time to start the after hours event. We wanted to ride HM first, except it was down when we arrived, bummer!

The Lantern PhotoPass was open in the Tangled area with only a couple people in line so we decided to do this. The pictures came out okay despite the cold weather.
View attachment 483076
We walked on to Little Mermaid, Dumbo, and Barnstormer with no wait. We headed to Tomorrow Land next and picked up some popcorn and coke. The popcorn was just popped and very fresh, this was nice. We hopped on PM next and Buzz Lightyear after that. I was texting with Molly. She was with Su-Lynn and they were coming to meet us In Tomorrow Land. Andi was excited to ride Space Mountain with them. She usually has to ride alone. The three of them went to ride and I hung out in the gift shop, warming up!
View attachment 483078
We all went on Astro Orbiter and it was cold up there. The ride is a little hard to get in and out of, I felt like an old clutz on this ride

We all went in and rode Buzz a couple times! Andi was a galactic hero again!

Ariane, Jenny, and their husbands were now in the park and we met up with them in Fantasy Land. Andi decided to go meet some princesses and the rest of us rode PPF and then walked over to ride Pirates!
View attachment 483079
View attachment 483082
It was really fun spending time with them! We were all pirates for the picture except Steve, he didn’t get the memo, haha!
View attachment 483081
Molly, Su-Lynn and I went to HM. It was so fun, we practically had the whole stretching room to ourselves. We could stretch our arms out wide. This was a time you could actually do social distancing at Disney! When the lights came on in the stretching room the CM was right in front of Molly, scared us all! I rode alone and the ride was so awesome with so few people! Andi was waiting for us outside of the ride, she had just rode before us.

We all went and rode SDMT as our last ride of the evening.
View attachment 483080
We could have done one more ride but we opted for ice cream bars instead. We saw Ariane and Jenny one more time and said our goodbyes to them. The rest of us walked out together. We watched the Kiss Goodnight and had a few pictures done before we headed out.
View attachment 483070
View attachment 483072
This was such a fun night! Even with the cold weather, it was a blast and the crowd level was very low! We rode everything in the park we wanted to and enjoyed being with the Dis gang!

Andi and I were back to our room around 12:45 and sleeping shortly after that. Day 7 was now in the books.

Pretzel = $7.95

Total today was only $52.21.

Stay tuned for Day 8. “My ears are freezing”

So sad for all of the cancelled trips, it's crazy how quickly things have changed, everything was so normal a month ago!

I love when the skippers throw in more unique jokes, I usually hear at least a few new ones each trip! I've definitely experienced a Disney pretzel that has been left in the warmer too long, the worst .

That Pirates picture is awesome! I've never been in a boat alone like that! Awesome Tangled picture as well, I have yet to experience that photo op.

Meeting up with friends for rides is so fun! I am usually a solo rider on big rides since my mom gets motion sickness, but I did a trip with a friend last year and it was so much more fun than riding alone!

Opting for a snack instead of one last ride is always the best choice! Love that you all got ice cream on the cold night! AH sounds like so much fun!

 

[Steppesister]

We would have been arriving today I’m thankful for all our wonderful trips we have had and the ones to come!

No this was across from the tree of life on one of the walkway

I'll have to look for that. It's sounds like a very lovely and quiet area.

we may rope drop FoP one of these trips!

I did last trip and you have to basically speedwalk even in the queue or get run over. It's hard to find a time to both enjoy the queue but also not have to wait forever in it.

Ahh Liesa you are too kind!

Haha!! I wonder how many people get annoyed with me as I add in extra "Ummm..."s just so I can laugh at myself.

It is described as an all beef hot dog, it really is good and the buttery pastry really adds to it!

So, basically like Caseys. Which aren't too bad.

I know why do the rooms on the 11th floor start with 9s?

To make sure guests are completely and utterly confused.

Today would have been my travel day to WDW, since I won’t be traveling today or anytime in the near future, I will update my report!

Best time to update a TR!!!

There was several guests on board that knew all the skipper lines and the skipper was really quick to change things up and I thought that was great!

That is awesome- keeps it fresh and funny for the repeat guests.

Andi wanted to try the jalapeño cream cheese pretzel for her dinner. I know, nice mom, not even getting the kid a decent meal, haha

Wha........?!?! They're back?! It's too bad this one wasn't awesome, but those are my FAVE snack!! Or were before they deep-sixed them a few years ago.

When we got down to the boats, we were all alone and got a boat to ourselves.

Score!

At the end the CM, was singing, in a really good voice, the pirate song and at the end she says a Pirates life for me now get out of my boat! It was cute and I never heard that before!

Okay, that's super funny. I love how they can ad lib a bit to keep it fun!

So perfect!

We all went on Astro Orbiter and it was cold up there. The ride is a little hard to get in and out of, I felt like an old clutz on this ride

I haven't been on it in decades. My fat, out of shape self would probably look worse than an "old klutz".

When the lights came on in the stretching room the CM was right in front of Molly, scared us all!

I love this!!!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Ariane, Jenny, and their husbands were now in the park and we met up with them in Fantasy Land.

That was soooo cool that we got to hang out for a bit and do some rides together. ❤

It was really fun spending time with them! We were all pirates for the picture except Steve, he didn’t get the memo, haha!

HAHA! Poor Steve!

We saw Ariane and Jenny one more time and said our goodbyes to them. The rest of us walked out together. We watched the Kiss Goodnight and had a few pictures done before we headed out.

It was sooooo cold and my knees were shot. We left a bit before you all did I think...

 

[disneyAndi14]

I hope your August trip works out!

Thanks, me too!!

That was a really fun After Hours despite the cold!! It was my first MK one and it's definitely so much fun to do it with friends!! I loved how empty everything was and the Astro Orbiter was surpsingly more than I thought. It's definitely hard to get in and out!!

We had a fun night despite the cold!
Astro Orbiter was a little challenging but fun!

Sounds like a fun after hours despite the cold!

It really was. I am always surprised how cold it can get in sunny Florida!

Love the ride photo on pirates with just you and Andi!

It was cool to be on the boat by ourselves

Your view at Destino was gorgeous. Glad you got the room request.

We really liked it and loved the upper floor view!

Your MK after hours sounds like so much fun. I definitely want to try it out once my girls are old enough to hang.

I think this one is worth it!

Sounded like a great night. I think next time we are there, I want us to do a DAH event!

I think your girls would really enjoy it!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Totally agree that the breakfast at El Mercado is just okay!

Yes not the best it is nice to have all the different choices

Love the trails at AK! Dinosaur has grown on me a lot, so much fun. AK has so many hidden paths,

Ahh I love all those things

That Satu’li hot dog is my mom's favorite! I haven't had the mousse since I first tried it a few years ago, I remember loving it and definitely need to get it again, so yummy!

Your mom has good taste, haha! I do like the blueberry dessert, I haven’t tried the chocolate one yet.

The Gran Destino room looks so nice, I love the tower and hope to stay in it sometime. I have a room there reserved for July but things are not looking so great, we'll see...

Really nice room and wonderful view, I hope July works out!

So sad for all of the cancelled trips, it's crazy how quickly things have changed, everything was so normal a month ago!

Very true, it changes daily

I love when the skippers throw in more unique jokes,

I enjoyed this, especially when you have been on it a fair amount of times!

That Pirates picture is awesome! I've never been in a boat alone like that! Awesome Tangled picture as well, I have yet to experience that photo op.

It was fun to be by ourselves and the Tangled photo-op is a good one

Meeting up with friends for rides is so fun!

It was and I am glad Andi rode Space with them and not solo!

Opting for a snack instead of one last ride is always the best choice! Love that you all got ice cream on the cold night! AH sounds like so much fun!

We had to have at least one ice cream treat even on a cold night!

I'll have to look for that. It's sounds like a very lovely and quiet area

It is and we came upon it by accident!

I did last trip and you have to basically speedwalk even in the queue or get run over. It's hard to find a time to both enjoy the queue but also not have to wait forever in it.

I have read about the cattle herding walk over there, not fun when you are short like us!

Haha!! I wonder how many people get annoyed with me as I add in extra "Ummm..."s just so I can laugh at myself.

Ummm, probably a few

So, basically like Caseys. Which aren't too bad.

I would stay a step up from Casey’s

To make sure guests are completely and utterly confused.

Weird I always wanted to go to the 9th floor!

Best time to update a TR!!!

Yes, gives me time to finish this one way before our next trip!

That is awesome- keeps it fresh and funny for the repeat guests.

I totally agree, I love new corny puns and one liners!

Wha........?!?! They're back?! It's too bad this one wasn't awesome, but those are my FAVE snack!! Or were before they deep-sixed them a few years ago.

Yes they are back, hope you get a fresh one!

Okay, that's super funny. I love how they can ad lib a bit to keep it fun!

Really cool

I haven't been on it in decades. My fat, out of shape self would probably look worse than an "old klutz".

You are the furthest thing from fat I have ever seen! Some rides do make me feel like an old klutz nowadays!

love this!!!

The CM’s were really in character on HM tonight!

That was soooo cool that we got to hang out for a bit and do some rides together.

It really was fun to visit with you guys. I loved it!

HAHA! Poor Steve!

Ariane said he was feeling a little under the weather, that was probably the quietest I have seen him, lol!

It was sooooo cold and my knees were shot. We left a bit before you all did I think.

Even a northern gal like me was freezing!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Hello Everyone!
I wanted to let you all know how my trip planning for WDW is going.
March trip no way
April trip nope not happening
August, maybe??

November, please???


My end of April trip that I threw together will not be happening. I am not surprised and wasn’t sure it would happen when I booked it.

I decided to book the Free Dining for August after much Disney math!

We will hopefully be going 8/17-8/24 and staying at The Boardwalk Inn, yay! We will get new AP’s with our tickets from this package and eat a lot of food!!
I booked the California Grill for us at HEA time, excited about this! I may crack and get MNSSHP tickets for the 18th, I love that party even with all the crowds! The parade is so fun and trick or treating like a little kid oh my I love that!
I think we will add a night at the beginning of the trip to spend at US. We will stay at one of the Deluxe resorts for the express pass!
We are also thinking about a November trip for Andi’s 21st Birthday It is hard to believe my baby girl will be drinking age! She wants to drink around WS, responsibly of course!

Our dates would be 11/21-11/28 so a Thanksgiving Trip. I would like to stay in the Epcot area again. The prices are high at this time. The Swan has a good deal compared to the Disney resorts right now. I will keep looking for a good room price. My sister may join us for this one! We would love to do a Candlelight Processional and a Christmas party if there is one.
Let’s keep our spirits up and join together to bring these trips to fruition!!
Stay tune for more of my January trip coming up soon!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Even a northern gal like me was freezing!

Caroline, at times, I couldn't feel my fingertips. I was soooooo cold. LOL!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Caroline, at times, I couldn't feel my fingertips. I was soooooo cold. LOL!

I know!! My neck was so cold on Tuesday. I had to cut our day short, I was so cold

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I know!! My neck was so cold on Tuesday. I had to cut our day short, I was so cold

Disney, when it's cold out, is rough!!!

 

[disneyAndi14]

It is Day 8, Tuesday 1/21/20. “My ears are freezing “

Today was an Epcot day! We didn’t rush since we turned in late the night before. I think we arrived at the park around 9:30 am. I’m not going to lie, it was cold out! I should have bought a hat. I am not fond of hats even if it is a necessity. I have lived in Minnesota all my life and I have not worn a winter hat since I was a kid. Stubborn I am! My curly hair and face shape don’t look good in a hat . I don’t even own a winter hat. I didn’t feel like buying a hat today and my ears and neck paid the price! It wasn’t too bad in Future World but World Showcase was so windy and cold Brrrr.

We started off on SE, of course! We then went to The Seas, we found Nemo, Bruce, Dory, and Marlin as we rode in our clamshell.

The divers were getting ready to feed the fish in the aquarium and we really enjoyed watching this. It was the first time we experienced the feedings. Our timing was perfect. We took our time looking around the aquarium before heading out.

We decided to head into the WS and slowly make our way to Italy. Our plan was to do a walk-up at Via Napoli right at opening. We spent some time in America and I found a really nice print of Epcot. It is small and perfect for my shelf at home.

We also went across the Delaware with George Washington. We looked around the Pavilion until it was time to head to Italy.

We were a little early and spent time looking in a few of the shops, mainly to get out of the wind! I have to say I had never entered any of the shops in Italy I mean really what is wrong with me. We really only shop in Japan and Morocco It was fun looking around the little shops.

It was time to check in at Via Napoli. We were able to get in with a very minimal wait. We were starving at this point. We hadn’t eaten much this morning.

We decided on a small margherita style pizza with mushrooms and olives. I also ordered the ciabatta bread with olive oil and balsamic.

The bread came quickly, thank goodness, since I was ready to eat anything at this point! We had a very nice waitress, she was earning her ears and was doing a great job. The bread was very good.

Our pizza was so yummy We both really enjoyed this.

I was feeling so much better with pizza in my tummy! We headed out and the wind was cold.

We had a few pictures done in Morocco and worked our way to the Festival center.

I stopped to buy the Pop’t Art at the Pop Eats booth for our dessert. This is the modern design sugar cookie with strawberry filling. It was so windy waiting for this, I was cursing myself for not getting a hat.

We did enjoy this treat. I think it would have been better warmed up.

The festival center had images of the new Epcot and it was fun to look around at all the changes that will be happening to the park.

There was a 3D demonstration of all the new areas. I enjoyed watching this. It made me excited to experience all these attractions in the future. Ahh writing this makes me a little sad especially missing Flower and Garden this year. Another favorite we miss, Maelstrom


It was time for our FP+, it was towards the end of our Soarin one so we did this and were able to jump on Lwtl right after with the 2nd FP. The Land was very busy today, most likely because of the cold. Guests were inside warming up.

We went out and saw the Living statues and the Butterfly wall. We passed some time in the temporary MouseGear. I’m not going to lie this was a sad excuse for the real MouseGear! We love the original one, this one not so much.

It was time for our SE FP. It was nice and warm inside SE, love this ride even if it stops frequently.

It was time to head out for us, mainly because of the cold. We left around 3pm.

This evening was a quiet one for me. I never left the room. I relaxed and stayed warm watching TV.

Andi left me around 6pm to meet her friend at DS, they did some shopping and went to the movie. I’m not sure what movie it was.

I ate snacks in the room. I had cheese and crackers, chips, and candy. Perfect TV watching food. It was a well needed lounge night at the resort for me.

Stay tuned for a Palooza in the next post!

Food costs today

Donuts from Cafe Rix=$7.44

Via Napoli=$41.00 (tip and AP discount)

Pop Eats=$4.50

Total=$52.94, cheap day again

Andi bought me the Star Wars refillable mug this trip. She surprised me with it at OKW. She felt bad because I was stressed with all the problems we were having. I thought this was so sweet of her! I was loving this and we both used it many times to fill up on soda.