"Can I Get A Hangover Steak, Please?" An Adults-Only, Irma-Rific TR! - NEW PTR Link 4/11

[Tigger's ally]

So you're the ones always hogging the wet seat!

It's typically reserved for me! I even got the wet seat on Test track one day!

 

[westcoastfldisneygirl]

OMG both dinosaur photos

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Wow, surprised Tom decided to pass on Everest and would do Tower of Terror instead. I don't like big drops, but I've been on Everest a couple times. I can't I enjoy the drop on Everest, but I can tolerate it, partly because there is a bit of a turn to it, if that makes sense. But Tower of Terror is the one ride I have never done at Disney and probably won't.

 

[oceanmarina]

Great update Being the ride wimp that I am, I'm on Team Tom on this one!

You couldn't get me to put on toe on Everest or ToT

I hang on for my life on 7DMT

 

[thumper*]

Haley' face is great. Poor Tom.

 

[Raeven]

Now, I was always assuming that Tom’s “nope” ride would be Tower of Terror. We had been teasing him about it all year (I know, we’re so nice ) and he was not budging on trying it! However, when he saw how tall and steep Everest was, he immediately said, “I’m not going on that!”

I'd actually ride Everest over Tower of Terror but I don't really like either

Please excuse my strange double-jointed arms

I have strange double jointed arms too!

Mom was pretending to be a T-Rex, and I was trying to be all nonchalant.

I love it!

 

[paradesintherain]

“Nope, a deal’s a deal, and I’d rather try Tower of Terror than this.”

Good choice!

but I actually love this area as well.

Me too! I think it's super cute

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Wheee!

I am not a big fan of this area, but I totally want to get a pic like this now. So cute!

Hilarious!

OMG, your mom in this is too funny. And I totally noticed the family in the front.

 

[CaseFace5]

Hi there! A little late, but jumping in!

Love your TR so far! I always love reading about taking someone for the first time and seeing how much they love Disney. I did this with my Husband a few years ago and it was amazing!!

I am also loving your AKL pictures! I am staying there for the first time next month and really looking forward to it! I CAN NOT WAIT to see that lobby!

Can't wait to keep following along!

 

[TwoLittlePrincesses]

Just found your trip report and am totally loving it!! Can't wait to read more!

 

[Arielfan98]

Day 3: Part 2- “I’m On A Mission, In The Destination Unknown...An Expedition!”



Hi friends! As I'm writing this update, it's a winter wonderland outside! Growing up in Wisconsin, you basically expect all of December through March to be cold and snowy Although it's beautiful, it definitely has it's drawbacks!

Me watching the snow fall outside my window...


View attachment 288492



Me driving on the freeway during a blizzard!


View attachment 288493



Where I last left off, I managed to avoid riding Kali River Rapids in the event of an unexpected closure Our morning at Animal Kingdom was going off to a good start!


Also, since I completely forgot these in my last update, here are some vintage Animal Kingdom pictures for you guys





Haley, Mom, and I in 2000.





My dad and I on Kilimanjaro Safaris in 2000.


Since Kali River Rapids was down, we headed for Plan B- Expedition Everest!





We found a Photopass CM and got a shot of us all together. Now that we had decided to purchase Memory Maker, we needed to get our money’s worth! Honestly, it was so worth it; I don't think we’ll ever go back now!





As we approached Expedition Everest and Tom saw how high it was, he basically was like this…


View attachment 288494


Remember how on the first day, Mom and Tom had a handshake-binding deal? To refresh your memory, this deal stated that Tom must try every ride in Disney World at least once. But, he could have ONE ride that he could completely pass on.


Now, I was always assuming that Tom’s “nope” ride would be Tower of Terror. We had been teasing him about it all year (I know, we’re so nice ) and he was not budging on trying it! However, when he saw how tall and steep Everest was, he immediately said, “I’m not going on that!”


I didn’t try to steer him away at all. I knew that if I made Tom ride Everest, he would have never forgiven me for it Since I’m such an understanding girlfriend ( ), I told him that I would be okay with him passing on both Expedition Everest and Tower of Terror. I mean, of course I wanted him to experience all of the rides, but having fun is way more important! But, Tom said, “Nope, a deal’s a deal, and I’d rather try Tower of Terror than this.”


View attachment 288496


My Mom was absolutely shocked, but thrilled that she could now experience one of her favorite rides with Tom! So, Tom called his family while we took on the Yeti. It was only a 10-minute wait!





Please excuse my strange double-jointed arms and tummy showing, and just look at all of our faces


After the ride, Mom turned towards me and said, “You’re right, Tom would have hated that!” We met up with Tom, said hi to his parents, and ventured towards our next destination- DinoLand USA!


As soon as we entered the area, Tom was in love Tom tends to be drawn to things that are familiar, and the kitschy, carnival theme of DinoLand reminded him of his childhood. Basically, his only experience with theme parks before this was a day at 6 Flags with me, a day at Sea World in San Diego, and lots of summers at Bay Beach amusement park (Wisconsin/Green Bay peeps, you know what I’m talking about )


I know that this is an unpopular opinion, but I actually love this area as well. The corniness is cute and has to be a big hit with kids!


Had to get a couple tourist shots…








Wheee!


Hmmmm, let’s see… if we’re in DinoLand, that must mean we are going to…


Dinosaur!! Finally It was closed for refurbishment on Mom and I’s last trip, and it’s in both of our top 10 favorite rides. I was also pumped for Tom to ride; I knew that he would love it!


Haley, however, has different feelings about Dinosaur. It has basically been a running joke since we were kids that Haley is terrified of this ride. I mean, it’s not a joke, she absolutely hates this ride and gets so scared! The first time we rode Dinosaur, we had to buy the ride picture because it was pure gold


We said hi to Clair Huxtable, and walked directly on to a ride vehicle!


And the verdict was…





Wait a second… let’s look at this closer, shall we?





Even closer?








Oh Haley, it never gets old! Not surprisingly, Haley and Ryan decided to split up from us after this They were checking out wait times on MDE, and the waits for Pandora hit a slump!


As Tom, Mom and I exited Dinosaur, we were met with torrential rain So, we did what any rational family would do, and turned right back around to ride again Once again, we walked right on!





We all tried to be silly in this picture; Tom got the timing a bit off, Mom was pretending to be a T-Rex, and I was trying to be all nonchalant. Side note- the people in the front row give me life


As we pulled into the exit dock, the CM asked if we wanted to ride again!! We almost did, but we decided that two was our limit and that we wanted to move on.


Tom loved Dinosaur; he couldn’t stop laughing about how bumpy the ride was! On our second ride, we both decided not to hang on and flop around like wet noodles just to be funny It’s actually way harder than it sounds; I felt so dizzy and disoriented afterwards!


We looked in the gift shop for a bit and saw some adorable tee-shirts. I almost pulled the trigger and bought a Safari Minnie plush, but decided against it. Luckily, the rain had stopped as quickly as it came, and Mr. Sun was out!

And I’ll leave you all with this beautiful song, which is the perfect description of how we were feeling


Coming Soon- Day 3: Part 3- “Welcome To The Jungle, We Got Fun and Games!”

​

Ha! In fact, mostly everyone in the car looks silly. Look at the front row, there's 2 scared kids and a guy picking his nose. Nice one!

 

[Mollydolly334]

LOL

By the way, I'm lurking along on your TR and loving it so far!!

Oh Haley’s face

Isn't it priceless? She's usually pretty stoic, so it's funny when you get those gems once in a blue moon!

Haha poor Tom, couldn't brave EE! But that was very noble of him to say he would still go on ToT! Can't wait to hear how that goes!

That Dinosaur picture

It'll be interesting! I knew that EE would have been problematic, so I'm glad he skipped out on that one. And we should have gotten the Dinosaur pic framed, it's perfect!

These are too cute!



Honestly, I can understand this. EE is REALLY high!



I'm with Haley. My mom loves Dinosaur, so I ride it for her, but it certainly wouldn't hurt my feelings if we didn't!

Thanks And yep, I knew that skipping out on EE was the right choice. The broken tracks combined with the backwards part..I don't think Tom's heart could have taken it! And the key is just detaching yourself as much as possible When I would ride Dinosaur as a kid, I would just repeat to myself "It's not real, it's not real, it's not real" LOL!

EE is the best! And so is your sister's face on Dinosaur!!!

Haha, yes and yes!!

So you're the ones always hogging the wet seat!

It's typically reserved for me! I even got the wet seat on Test track one day!

You guys

OMG both dinosaur photos

Dinosaur has some of the best ride photos of the bunch! People look either entertained, bewildered, or terrified!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Wow, surprised Tom decided to pass on Everest and would do Tower of Terror instead. I don't like big drops, but I've been on Everest a couple times. I can't I enjoy the drop on Everest, but I can tolerate it, partly because there is a bit of a turn to it, if that makes sense. But Tower of Terror is the one ride I have never done at Disney and probably won't.

See, with Tom, it's more about him being able to see how high up he is. I think that the park with the broken track, plus going backwards, would have given him a heart attack! At least with Tower of Terror, you only see how high you are for a split second, otherwise you just get the stomach-drop feeling! Maybe someday I'll get Tom on EE... I was very proud of him for trying ToT though!

Great update Being the ride wimp that I am, I'm on Team Tom on this one!

You couldn't get me to put on toe on Everest or ToT

I hang on for my life on 7DMT

Haha, hey, different strokes for different folks! Of course, I would never put Tom on a ride I knew he couldn't handle, and I knew he would be okay on ToT!

Haley' face is great. Poor Tom.

Haha, Haley's face is priceless! And don't worry, Tom may surprise you in the next few updates

I'd actually ride Everest over Tower of Terror but I don't really like either



I have strange double jointed arms too!



I love it!

Haha, I guess that's a common opinion; lots of people are saying that! And YAY glad I'm not the only one with weird arms; although it is a fun party trick

Good choice!



Me too! I think it's super cute

Haha, thanks And yay! I don't think it's out of place at all, I mean as long as it's a heavy theme I'm all for it!

I am not a big fan of this area, but I totally want to get a pic like this now. So cute!


Hilarious!


OMG, your mom in this is too funny. And I totally noticed the family in the front.

Haha, thanks! It would be such a cute photo op, especially for your two girls

I was very proud of Mom! We didn't notice the family in front until later, but we were cracking up!!

Hi there! A little late, but jumping in!

Love your TR so far! I always love reading about taking someone for the first time and seeing how much they love Disney. I did this with my Husband a few years ago and it was amazing!!

I am also loving your AKL pictures! I am staying there for the first time next month and really looking forward to it! I CAN NOT WAIT to see that lobby!

Can't wait to keep following along!

and thank you so much! Glad to have you!

It certainly was amazing being able to take Tom to Disney for the first time; I felt like I was experiencing it for the first time all over again!

AHHHH you will love AKL so much! The theming is out of this world... the first time we walked into the lobby, our jaws were hanging on the floor

Just found your trip report and am totally loving it!! Can't wait to read more!

and thanks so much So happy to have you here, new update should be coming soon!

Ha! In fact, mostly everyone in the car looks silly. Look at the front row, there's 2 scared kids and a guy picking his nose. Nice one!

Haha, love it they definitely did better than the three of us!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Day 3: Part 3- “Welcome To The Jungle, We Got Fun and Games!”



Hello my friends! First of all, I just want to say…





I hope that your holidays are filled with love and happiness I am excited to have a nice, relaxing weekend with the people I love the most!


Where I last left off, Mom, Tom and I had just ridden Dinosaur two times in a row while Haley and Ryan set off for Pandora! Meanwhile, back at AKL, Dad was doing a whole lot of this…





He was in his element!


Mom had been wanting to ride Primeval Whirl for a while (she’s crazy and she LOVES this ride), so that’s where we headed next. I thought that Tom would start getting nervous when he saw the height, but he surprisingly hopped right on!


Last year, we had a really awkward CM encounter while boarding this ride. The CM basically was super grumpy and lamenting about how “all of these people were enjoying themselves on vacation and I’m stuck at work.” Luckily, we had no such encounter this time and boarded without issue!


Tom was a little squirmy at the top of Primeval Whirl, but he actually loved it! In fact, we stayed in the car and rode it twice in a row since there was no line! AK was basically deserted this day; I think it was a combination of Irma and everybody crowding in Pandora.


Our tummies were starting to grumble, so we knew that lunch was in the near future. But first, we decided to do one last attraction…








It's Tough To Be A Bug! My favorite… Actually, this show is starting to grow on me a bit. I know what all of the “jump scares” are now so I’m not as nervous as I used to be!





Bug glasses selfie


Tom really enjoyed this. A Bug’s Life is one of his favorite Disney movies; he actually has a small statue of Hopper in his room that talks! Mom and I tolerated it; the best was hearing Tom yelp when the bugs were under his seat He thought that was the coolest thing ever!


Our next destination was some much-needed lunch. I made an executive decision on where to eat: Flame Tree Barbecue! We had never tried this before, and it’s the best-reviewed QS in Animal Kingdom!


It was 1:30 PM, and even though we had a dinner ADR at 5:15, we just needed something to hold us over. We decided to all share some chilli cheese fries and the #1- Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Sampler. Mom and Tom opted for beers while I got some Mandarin Orange Lemonade- yum!





This totally hit the spot! We gobbled it up; I especially loved the pork, beans, and jalapeño cornbread! Even with three adults eating this, we STILL couldn’t finish it. Flame Tree BBQ gives you a lot of food Plus, it was hotter than you-know-what out, so this break in the shade was what we needed.


While eating, we saw a man epicly slip and spill his soda everywhere. He looked like a real-life gif






Luckily, he was okay and a CM came to his rescue!


After we finished our lunch, we decided to head out of AK and start planning out our afternoon. Haley and Ryan had just gotten off of Flight of Passage (they had only waited around 50 minutes!) and said that it was amazing! They were going to stay at Animal Kingdom a bit longer and take a bus directly to DHS.


I wanted to board a bus to DHS right away as well and just have Dad meet us there, but Mom really wanted to stop back at AKL. Begrudgingly, I agreed I’m usually not one for mid-day breaks.. But maybe slowing down would actually do me some good?





One last shot before leaving Animal Kingdom. Once again, Mom wanted to show off her safari-esque romper!


Also, you might have noticed that we DID NOT ride Kali River Rapids today!! Score: 1 for Molly!


Boy, was Mom right. I am totally in the mid-day break camp now It was wonderful, we just chilled in the room for about 20 minutes and looked at the animals! I also changed into sandals since it was hot, and Tom changed into a more lightweight tee. He had been dying all morning in his cute (yet hot) Hawaiian shirt! Plus, you’ll recognize his new tee-shirt as one that I bought him on Mom and I’s last trip





Some zebras chilling outside our balcony!


Once Mom and Dad were ready, we headed out to the bus stops. A DHS bus wasn’t predicted to come for about 15 minutes, so we all just sat and checked our phones while waiting. And then… I saw it…





I had had my suspicions the past few days, but I was trying to stay positive since there were no official announcements. But, CNN is about as official as it gets The article stated that WDW parks and Disney Springs would be closing at 9:00 PM on Saturday September 9th, and staying closed until Tuesday, September 12th. To put this into perspective, we left for our trip on September 6th, today was September 8th, and we were scheduled to leave Disney late on September 12th.


Honestly, I wasn’t too shocked. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized… If Disney wasn’t doing nighttime spectaculars for the next 3 nights, then we wouldn’t get to see Happily Ever After. Plus, that was almost 2.5 park days lost on a 6-night trip.





Now, I usually have a rule that I try to abide while at WDW: No crying in Disney. This, of course, excludes happy crying (I break that rule about 5 times a day in WDW ). But, I try to keep sad/frustrated crying to a minimum, because Disney World is a happy place and I wouldn’t want to ruin my time.


However, after reading the news, I kind of lost it Of course, I hadn’t told my parents or Tom anything I had just read, so they all were in shock when I just started bawling out of nowhere Tom was Boyfriend of the Year and sort of just let me cry on his shoulder for a little bit, and my Mom (being her amazing self) told me that we could maybe do a quick trip next year to make up for things.


I briefly thought about skipping Fantasmic tonight and trying to see Happily Ever After instead, since it was the last night we could see a nighttime show. But, then we would have to cancel our ADR at Beaches and Cream. Plus, I figured we should see Fantasmic tonight instead; HEA just premiered, so I knew that it would have a longer park life than Fantasmic and I would have plenty of more times to see it in the future.


The park closures also made Tom and I start to re-think our plans for tomorrow. We had originally planned on hitting up Universal Studios the next day with Haley and Ryan, since Tom was desperate to see Simpson’s Land. But now, we were questioning spending more money on Universal tickets when we would have extra Disney days to use up.


After getting the tears out of my system, I boarded the bus with a much more relaxed attitude. Hey, we were the ones who willingly travelled to Florida, knowing that Irma could become a huge storm! I was fully aware that the crying over park closures (especially when others were in danger) would look entitled, and I was determined to make the best of the trip from now on!


In a way, it actually made me feel a bit better, because I felt less pressure to make the trip "perfect." Because, well, we knew that we were in for an interesting ride the next few days Fortunately, the rest of my family wasn’t too affected by the news, and off to DHS we went!


Happier mindset starts...now!


Coming Soon- Day 3: Part 4- “Hooray for Hollywood!”

​

 

[thumper*]

The park closures also made Tom and I start to re-think our plans for tomorrow. We had originally planned on hitting up Universal Studios the next day with Haley and Ryan, since Tom was desperate to see Simpson’s Land. But now, we were questioning spending more money on Universal tickets when we would have extra Disney days to use up.

Good thinking on your part I'm interested to see what you guys decide to do.

 

[CaseFace5]

I never used to be into midday breaks either but they honestly do make a difference, even if only for a short period of time.

Interested in seeing how Irma affected the rest of the trip. I do love your attitude though, hope you were able to enjoy whatever it was you guy ended up doing!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like the rest of your afternoon was fun! Especially since you didn't have to ride KRR!!

I'm sure it was sad when the closures officially happened and the realizations of your park time being cut short finally hit you

But I bet you all made the best of what time you had!!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Meanwhile, back at AKL, Dad was doing a whole lot of this…

It's what Dads do best. I know...I have first hand experience!

This totally hit the spot! We gobbled it up; I especially loved the pork, beans, and jalapeño cornbread! Even with three adults eating this, we STILL couldn’t finish it. Flame Tree BBQ gives you a lot of food

That looks awesome! I've read good things about Flame Tree but I've never been there. My family's AK day usually starts with the Tusker House breakfast because the girls enjoy the characters, so we're too full for lunch and then we normally have left AK before supper time.

 

[Lesley Wake]

However, after reading the news, I kind of lost it Of course, I hadn’t told my parents or Tom anything I had just read, so they all were in shock when I just started bawling out of nowhere Tom was Boyfriend of the Year and sort of just let me cry on his shoulder for a little bit, and my Mom (being her amazing self) told me that we could maybe do a quick trip next year to make up for things.


I briefly thought about skipping Fantasmic tonight and trying to see Happily Ever After instead, since it was the last night we could see a nighttime show. But, then we would have to cancel our ADR at Beaches and Cream. Plus, I figured we should see Fantasmic tonight instead; HEA just premiered, so I knew that it would have a longer park life than Fantasmic and I would have plenty of more times to see it in the future.


The park closures also made Tom and I start to re-think our plans for tomorrow. We had originally planned on hitting up Universal Studios the next day with Haley and Ryan, since Tom was desperate to see Simpson’s Land. But now, we were questioning spending more money on Universal tickets when we would have extra Disney days to use up.


After getting the tears out of my system, I boarded the bus with a much more relaxed attitude. Hey, we were the ones who willingly travelled to Florida, knowing that Irma could become a huge storm! I was fully aware that the crying over park closures (especially when others were in danger) would look entitled, and I was determined to make the best of the trip from now on!

Aw man, you are totally allowed to cry! I was definitely freaking out a lot about the storm ruining the trip and spent so much time just looking at satellite photos before I decided to get there earlier!

In a way, it actually made me feel a bit better, because I felt less pressure to make the trip "perfect." Because, well, we knew that we were in for an interesting ride the next few days Fortunately, the rest of my family wasn’t too affected by the news, and off to DHS we went!

You know, the same thing happened for me. Once I knew all my careful plans were totally gone, it was easier to relax!

 

[Raeven]

I hope that your holidays are filled with love and happiness I am excited to have a nice, relaxing weekend with the people I love the most!

Merry Christmas to you too!

Also, you might have noticed that we DID NOT ride Kali River Rapids today!! Score: 1 for Molly!

I saw people doing it when it was freezing out we didn't get it

To put this into perspective, we left for our trip on September 6th, today was September 8th, and we were scheduled to leave Disney late on September 12th.

Aw, this was part of why I ended up changing our trip I just wasn't sure how many days the parks would be closed. At least they didn't end up being closed as long as they thought!