Cass, Rob & Kira - Disney & Universal August 2018 - The heat index is what???

[Timon]

August 20th, 2018 - Part 3

I think we may have looked at some stores for a bit and then we headed to TOT in order to get Kira something. I wanted to commemorate her first time on TOT so we bought her a TOT hoodie/shirt. It's basically a long-sleeved shirt with a hood.

Rob got another fix...

It was now time to grab a spot for Fantasmic!

The center of the bowl is now used for Fast Pass holders but we managed to get a decent seat just off to the side a bit.

We ended up chatting with that guy holding the popcorn. He was a Floridian and super nice and we chatted about weather and stuff because he had noticed that we were watching and enjoying the amazing storm that was passing by. Sadly it was too far from us but we sure enjoyed the lightning show!

Then we enjoyed the show in front of us

My favourite part...

It's so darn pretty, we love Fantasmic!

We wandered back to TSL so we could see it at night.

While they rode the saucers again, I went and grabbed us a spot for Star Wars, A Galactic Spectacular. I got there for the last two thirds of Movie Magic, which was neat to see since I am a huge movie lover!

They met up with me just in time for SWAGS.

It was a great show and we all enjoyed it!

We waited until the crowds dispersed and then hit up the stores. Kira wanted to buy a pressed penny booked and grab some more pressed pennies.

We drove back "home" and found a little buddy waiting for us on our room sign.

Another long, full, amazing day at Disney! I had a bit of a rough go for a few hours but I didn't miss much and felt MUCH better once we got into our car and maxed out the air conditioning on me the whole way home.

 

[kastoney]

Actually, he was going through caffeine withdrawals and was getting a headache. Normally he has a coffee first thing in the morning and he hadn't gotten his morning coffee yet.

Yikes! We were in MK on the same day and I cannot fathom having hot coffee. I needed a caffeine fix a few time too but it was cold brew all the way!

The food was amazing! We ate every single morsel!

We needed to head out to make it for our Buzz FP but Kira hadn't eaten her dessert so Leah threw her cookies in a to-go container (and added a couple!) and gave Rob a cup of coffee to go! Wow, talk about going the extra mile. She got a very nice tip!

What an awesome server. The Plaza is one of our favorites. Love how you can sit down and have a relaxing meal and not have to pay much more than counter service prices.

Rob's such a coffee addict that he actually brought one of his Tim Horton's sleeves! I was laughing/snorting 30 seconds before I took this pic, who brings a coffee sleeve with them to the theme parks in the summer??? BAHAHAH

Oh I would have been dying. That is some sort of addict you have right there.

We are storm lovers! I am at my happiest when it's raining so this made us all very happy! And the best thing about Florida storms is that the winds pick up and it cools down before the storm hits and then doesn't warm up again until after it's completely gone! We prayed for storms every day, some days we totally lucked out and those are some of my favourite and best memories of the trip!

Oh so I can blame you for all the storms we encountered Thanks! If I recall these were some of the worst of our trip. We were supposed to go to Disney springs but called a last minute audible so we weren't running around in the rain. Not my favorite or even favourite

We headed for what is THE best ride to do in a storm...if you're us, that is

Great idea! Love all the pics with such few people.

No picture can capture the magic of this show but here's a few just to give you a tiny little taste of what we had the pleasure of seeing.

Amazing picture! You captured it perfectly.

If you haven't read my previous reports, let me just say I am sooooo done with stuffies!!

She has so many, we've even donated an entire garbage bag full to a local Firehall (they use them to comfort kids who are in accidents) and she still has tons!

Oh you and I are cut from the same cloth on this one. I hate, hate, hate them and my daughter has god knows how many and comes home from every Disney trip with more. I've cleared a few garbage bags out of her room over the years and they are still everywhere!

They announced that they were performing some "standard maintenance checks" and all three thousand of us groaned in unison and wondered (some out loud) why the heck they would choose park close to perform these tests.

Ridiculous!

Up next... ̶M̶G̶M̶ Hollywood Studios!

And yes, I will always call it MGM

I'm so with you. MGM all day, everyday!!!!!!!!!!

She was so proud of herself!!!

How amazing! She certainly was brave. Mine(7) hasn't tackled Tower of Terror or Rockin Roller Coaster yet. Maybe $20 can help sway her.

As much as I LOVED TSL, I really don't get what the imagineers were thinking when they designed it. Don't get me wrong, they did an amazing job, so much detail and so well-themed but there's almost no shade.

I'm so with you. And it wasn't even the lack of shade for me, just the fact that it was so small and compact. You have 30,000 acres and you needed to make Toy Story Land that small. I don't get it.

She was a little nervous as we ended up in the front row but she rocked it and had fun!

Side note about splitting meals. They used to split your meal in the kitchen and usually they would give you extra fries, like a normal helping on each side. They don't do that anymore, they bring the regular meal out to your table and give you an extra empty plate.

Yep we encounter this all the time but its not always the case. I usually share with my daughter and would prefer just an extra plate since she eats like a bird, but on occasion they will still bring the dish literally split in 2. Just means I get to eat from 2 plates

By the time I met up with them after their show, I was feeling better but not great.

Our Fast Passes for Slinky were coming up and I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. I knew that there was ZERO A/C over in TSL and the second I started getting hot again, I felt super ill. It was like my body couldn't cool down enough.

Try poor thing. I encountered this one day too though not to the same degree that you did. Florida just needs to get outside AC!

 

[DLgal]

Have you ever considered buying a UV blocking umbrella? They help immensely on these blazing hot days. Makes it feel at least 15 degrees cooler.

 

[Timon]

August 21st, 2018 Part 1

So, I tried again to make Rob some coffee this morning, it didn't go so well.

It was obviously broken!

I thought maybe the first time was operator error but it totally wasn't

Once again, I made breakfast for my family...Kira got breakfast in bed today

Then we were off to Animal Kingdom!! Wooop woooop!

We got there at 8:30 for a 9am opening, no lines anywhere so obviously they had already let people in.

None of us have been to Pandora yet so we were very excited!

We had FP's for Flight of Passage later in the day but I knew that we would want to ride it twice so we headed straight for it and joined the million others with the same idea.

It's funny because so many people were complaining about how long the line was but the CM's were saying "This is nothin'!"

I was okay because it was almost all in the shade and in the few parts it was in the sun, I just got out of line, found some shade and then rejoined Rob and Kira when they got back into the shade.

Almost to the ride now

Once you get in the "official" queue, it was just soooo beautiful! They did an AMAZING job with the queue, I love me a good queue.

Kira was proudly wearing her TOT shirt/hoodie that we bought her the day before

When we got into the actual queue part, they handed us this..

I guess people were not reading the signs?

Once in the building, the queue got even better! If you're a fan of the movie Avatar (we have loved this movie since it came out and have watched it a zillion times and then eventually watched it with Kira, who also is a fan) you will appreciate this queue, this ride and this entire land even more! We were so very impressed!

Kira did what she did best...

And then we got to ride it finally!

It's a very tough to explain how amazing it is. It's like Soarin' but a billion times better. Soarin' on steroids, minus the terrible perspective skewing and with no one yelling out all of the destinations.

We all loved it a LOT!!! And it wasn't too bad, it took us just under an hour from the time we got into the end of the line to the time we got to the store.

We perused the main store briefly...and turned Kira into a Na'vi

I loved this store! So many unique items, not the same stuff over and over again like most other stores.


And then we headed out...

Kira got a kick out of the sky writers..

Then it was time for our Safari Fast Pass!

We explored Gorilla Falls Trail and found us some Timons...um, err, meerkats

 

[Terra Nova guy]

We ended up chatting with that guy holding the popcorn. He was a Floridian and super nice and we chatted about weather and stuff because he had noticed that we were watching and enjoying the amazing storm that was passing by. Sadly it was too far from us but we sure enjoyed the lightning show!

I like the big Florida storms too. We just don't get to see that much lightning on the north east cost.

We wandered back to TSL so we could see it at night.

I'm sad that I didn't get around to seeing it at night. I was hoping to, but by night we were all so tired from the day we didn't have the energy to walk back there.

Once you get in the "official" queue, it was just soooo beautiful! They did an AMAZING job with the queue, I love me a good queue.

I only did FoP standby. I would have liked to do it standby because I heard the queue was amazing. but i was always assuming the line would be nuts. Maybe I should have tried a really early morning.

We explored Gorilla Falls Trail and found us some Timons...um, err, meerkats

Something else I wanted to do, but could never convince my family to take the time (or effort). I would have liked to see the meerkats.

 

[jenseib]

I just found this today! All caught up and loving every moment.
I can't believe what a year makes with Kira. She looks so much older! I am so glad she tried all the rides too. It really makes if fun when everyone rides all the rides.
I am about to start a TR on my summer trip...just need to finish up some organizing first.

 

[Timon]

August 21st, 2018 - Part 2

On the way over to Expedition Everest now...

Stopped for a few photo ops.

Thankfully we had FP's because it was already at a 45 minute wait!

Kira was a little nervous about this one, I think it was mainly the unknown for her. We had watched all of the POV's but you can't tell what is going in the dark parts.

She had nothing to worry about and in fact, it ended up being her favourite ride in Disney World!

She looks a little petrified in that pic but she said she loved the drop part

Cha-ching...and cha-ching!

It was now time for breakfast/lunch, which was all the way back in Pandora.

This was our first time eating at Satu'li Canteen and I was excited. A quick service restaurant that offers something different and healthier than the usual QS fare.

We got there and then used mobile order.

The problem here was finding a seat! This place is popular! And this is considered a much slower time so it must be CRAZY during the busy season. There were three tables available but they had a sign on them that said they were reserved for parties of 6 or more.

We walked around the entire restaurant about 4 times before Rob spotted 3 spaces at a "shared" table. These tables had actual signs on them saying that it was a shared table. Just as I put my tray down and Rob was about to grab a seat, some lady tried sitting down, literally on TOP of Rob!!

Good Lord, I know it's hard to find a table but...really lady??

Finally after a nasty look, she backed away. She found a table right away after that so I didn't feel bad but man, I was getting grumpy. The tray was starting to get really heavy and my food was getting cold, which I hate. They had some empty tables outside but there's no way I would have made it through an entire meal sitting in that heat.

This is going to be a lot of food compared to what we have been ordering but since this was my first time, there were a few things that I wanted to try and Rob wanted some different options on his so we all just got our own.

Rob got the chicken/beef combo with rice and herb sauce. I got the chicken/beef combo with potato hash and herb sauce. Kira got the hot dog kid's meal that is wrapped in dough instead of a regular bun with the vegetable chips and then I also ordered the kids steamed pods bao bun meal so we could all try it. Then we got the cheesecake to share.

Kira was complaining about the lack of regular hot dog bun and fries but I told her that if she tried it and didn't like it then we would stop somewhere else for her.

Guess what? She ate every single morsel minus the purple chips on top.

Close-up of mine...which was delicious!! The beef was good but the chicken was fantastic! Loved the herb sauce and the potatoes too but not a fan of the sweet potatoes but that's just me.

And an inside look at the cheeseburger steamed pod...

People say that these taste just like a McDonald's cheeseburger and yes, it does taste similar but this was kind of dry and I would much rather have a McD's cheeseburger than that again!

The vegetable chips, however, were the BOMB!! Like Kira, I didn't care for the purple ones but the rest were so good I was looking for more!

The cheesecake was okay, and well enjoyed by Rob and Kira but it was just passable for me.

I would definitely eat here again but I would try to get a table first before doing the mobile pick-up because that was a little stressful

I was having major issues with the Wi-Fi again today. I couldn't even log on for most of the day and then when I did get Wi-Fi, the app wouldn't work for me.

I ended up deleting the app, reinstalling it and then restarting my phone three times before it all worked again.

Back over to Asia again...

We watched the new bird show with Russel & Dug, which was cute and fun but I was super hot by the time we were done.

I needed to cool down so Rob and Kira rode EE again while I hung out in the air conditioned store.

I had told them to use the single rider line but apparently they couldn't find it so they went stand-by.

When we met up again in the store, I went and showed them where the single rider line was and told them that if they can't find something, just ask a CM! What is with guys and not asking for directions?

While I was showing them where it was, I thought, why not go? I was feeling better and there was almost no one in the single rider line.

This was a fun ride because Kira and I were put into the same vehicle, she was just in front of me and next to me was a dad and then his two young adult sons were behind us. They were from England (like 90% of the people in WDW that week, the other 10% being Canadians I swear ) and were sooo funny! The boys kept screaming "The Yeti is going to get us!" the entire ride

So as we were rounding the corner, coming back to the station, I yelled out to the boys "Did the Yeti get you, mates?" and they went on to tell me how the Yeti almost got them! I love riding the rides with people like that.

After the Yeti nearly got us, we went to a place where fish are friends, not food.

And then we wandered over into Dinoland USA and rode Primeval Whirl.

We love this one even if we all need chiropractic adjustments afterwards.

By then it was time for our dinner at Yak & Yeti, so back to Asia!

We checked-in to Yak & Yeti and waited about 10 minutes for our table. While on the way to Y & Y, this was a conversation Kira and I had, it will give you a glimpse into what I deal with every day

I shouldn't complain too much because I am rather picky myself

Kira: Where are we eating for dinner?

Me: Yak & Yeti

Kira: What is THAT???!!!

Me: An Asian restaurant.

Kira: (Grumpy, angry look) There had better not be Asian food there!

Me: Umm, why yes, there will be ASIAN food at the ASIAN restaurant.

Kira:

Here is my daughter's Asian dinner

I wasn't very hungry so I just got the egg rolls and they were delish!

Rob was really undecided between two dishes, the crispy honey chicken and the sweet and sour chicken. I told him that he would prefer the Crispy Honey Chicken but our server highly recommended the S & S so he went with that.

So when he got the S & S and didn't like it at all, I reminded him that I've known him for over 22 years and I know what he likes and doesn't like

Just then the manager had come over to return our Landry's card to us and asked about Rob's food. He didn't complain about it but he told the manager that he had made the wrong choice when ordering but that he would live with his decision. She immediately went to the kitchen and brought out the Crispy Honey chicken for Rob!

He did not expect that at all and was thrilled because he loved this one.


A little bit of pixie dust, indeed!


Kira enjoyed her ice cream sandwich dessert and then we were off to Pandora again!

 

[jenseib]

mmm that dinner looks good!

Why on earth is there Asian food at an Asian restaurant? That's crazy talk! hahahaha.

Claire wouldn't like it either but looking at the kids menu maybe we'll give it a try sometime now that I know she could find something to eat there.

Claire's favorite ride is EE too. It is so much fun! I am glad Kira tackled it!

 

[gayles]

Please tell me when Jenseib will have your Recent Report . I Love the way ( Timon , Jenseib ( both have cute daughters) Also ChunkyMonkey writes Trip Reports . I learn so much . I leave in 9 Days ..

 

[Timon]

Enjoying your report. Awesome pictures!

Thank you so much

For your viewing pleasure
View attachment 354640

Oh. My. Dog.

That is HILARIOUS!!!

Maintenance Check at park closing? UGH!!

Sweet that you donate those stuffies, Kira. I know that’s hard to do, kiddo.

She won't give away her faves though. One day

Whahahahahaha!!! BEST picture so far, Cass!

BAHAHA! I liked it too

BTW, I'm already seeing the "Cass Pic Stance" in the pictures you posted. Even Kira is doing it now! Who's next, Rob?

Yup, can't help myself

Kira does it all on her own! The first five years of her life, she practically spent on her tippy toes. It's defiinitely in her DNA

Yikes! We were in MK on the same day and I cannot fathom having hot coffee. I needed a caffeine fix a few time too but it was cold brew all the way!

Another DISer in the same park on the same day HAHA!! Very cool!

What an awesome server. The Plaza is one of our favorites. Love how you can sit down and have a relaxing meal and not have to pay much more than counter service prices.

Exactly my thinking!

Oh I would have been dying. That is some sort of addict you have right there.


Totally!

Oh so I can blame you for all the storms we encountered Thanks! If I recall these were some of the worst of our trip. We were supposed to go to Disney springs but called a last minute audible so we weren't running around in the rain. Not my favorite or even favourite


Yup, blame us for them, we asked for them LOL! Totally my favourite!


Great idea! Love all the pics with such few people.


Amazing picture! You captured it perfectly.


Oh you and I are cut from the same cloth on this one. I hate, hate, hate them and my daughter has god knows how many and comes home from every Disney trip with more. I've cleared a few garbage bags out of her room over the years and they are still everywhere!

UGH! I feel your pain!! Plus I feel like they are a huge waste of money

One day they will break free


Ridiculous!



I'm so with you. MGM all day, everyday!!!!!!!!!!

Heck yes!

How amazing! She certainly was brave. Mine(7) hasn't tackled Tower of Terror or Rockin Roller Coaster yet. Maybe $20 can help sway her.


Money can definitely help

I'm so with you. And it wasn't even the lack of shade for me, just the fact that it was so small and compact. You have 30,000 acres and you needed to make Toy Story Land that small. I don't get it.

Yes, to all of that!

Yep we encounter this all the time but its not always the case. I usually share with my daughter and would prefer just an extra plate since she eats like a bird, but on occasion they will still bring the dish literally split in 2. Just means I get to eat from 2 plates

Oh good to know they still do that sometimes!


Try poor thing. I encountered this one day too though not to the same degree that you did. Florida just needs to get outside AC!

Yes, build a nice big, air conditioned dome

Responses above in blue.

Have you ever considered buying a UV blocking umbrella? They help immensely on these blazing hot days. Makes it feel at least 15 degrees cooler.

Yes, I have considered it often but I don't even like to carry an umbrella when it rains there. I don't think there's enough personal space for it and I don't want to pop someone's eye out.

I like the big Florida storms too. We just don't get to see that much lightning on the north east cost.


I'm sad that I didn't get around to seeing it at night. I was hoping to, but by night we were all so tired from the day we didn't have the energy to walk back there.


I only did FoP standby. I would have liked to do it standby because I heard the queue was amazing. but i was always assuming the line would be nuts. Maybe I should have tried a really early morning.

Something else I wanted to do, but could never convince my family to take the time (or effort). I would have liked to see the meerkats.

We get storms in July and August only and they are over before they begin.

I just read about your DHS day, yup, looong hot days! Maybe next time

FOP queue! Reason enough to make another trip

Awww that's too bad. Meerkats were the best part! They had some CM's out feeding them and they were just so cute and funny! Also the gorilla had his butt towards us on the glass, highly entertaining as well.

I just found this today! All caught up and loving every moment.
I can't believe what a year makes with Kira. She looks so much older! I am so glad she tried all the rides too. It really makes if fun when everyone rides all the rides.
I am about to start a TR on my summer trip...just need to finish up some organizing first.

Yay, I'm glad you found it, Jen

Yes, what a HUGE change for her in just one year! It made this trip SOOO awesome!

Ohh, I was wondering when I would be reading about that!

mmm that dinner looks good!

Why on earth is there Asian food at an Asian restaurant? That's crazy talk! hahahaha.

Claire wouldn't like it either but looking at the kids menu maybe we'll give it a try sometime now that I know she could find something to eat there.

Claire's favorite ride is EE too. It is so much fun! I am glad Kira tackled it!

HAHAHA, right?! Asian food at an Asian restaurant!

I'm glad too! We ended up doing it a few times and she talked about it the entire rest of the trip, saying she wanted to go back to ride it.

Please tell me when Jenseib will have your Recent Report . I Love the way ( Timon , Jenseib ( both have cute daughters) Also ChunkyMonkey writes Trip Reports . I learn so much . I leave in 9 Days ..

Thanks I will have to go check out ChunkyMonkey's now!

 

[tammy]

What a fun day. That food looks soooo good.

 

[Timon]

August 21st, Part 3

Aaaaaand back to Pandora we go!


Spotted these cute statues on the way...

And no huge lines this time on Flight of Passage with our fast passes!

Straight in, great FP access on this sucker!

Got matched...

And had another incredible ride on the banshee! Seriously, what a great ride! I could do this over and over and over.

Back out into (theme park) reality again where I took this same photo probably for the third time.

And then we decided to hike over to Dinoland again to ride Dinosaur.

Rob always gets a kick out of seeing the Albertosaurus, which was a dinosaur found solely in Alberta, the province where we live.

After saving a dinosaur and travelling way back in time, we spotted a couple more...unusual dinosaurs.

And back to one of our faves...Primeval Whirl

A huge storm was on the horizon and coming our way

So, guess where we walked again?

To Asia...then to Africa....again.

Grabbed us a Dole Whip in Africa and donned our ponchos.

Man, we were getting around today.

It started to rain harder as we walked over to Pandora, which made it even prettier!

We thought maybe we could go sit in the outside tables at Satu'li Canteen but when we got there we found out that everyone else and their dog had that same idea. It was raining relatively hard now and everyone was looking for cover.

We walked towards Na'vi River Journey and decided to hop in line despite the 60-minute wait time. Just as we got under the sheltered part, the skies opened up and POURED!! Torrential downpour along with lightning and thunder!!!

I'm really bummed we missed it! I would rather be watching the storm from a covered area than stuck in a queue where I could barely see or hear it. It was interesting because people behind us were crowding in towards us to be under the shelter and this one family who was way back behind us just sent their little kids up with us. They looked lost and sad and everyone around us were confused about where they came from. It was odd. I get it, they didn't want their kids to be wet but the whole thing was just kind of weird. These were little kids, like ages 3, 5 and maybe 7 ish and were clearly not happy to be surrounded by strangers not knowing where their parents were.

This queue was the exact opposite of Flight of Passage. It's like they spent all of queue budget on FOP and then got here and said:

Imagineer 1: "So, how can we make this queue cool?"

Imagineer 2: "We have $5000 left, let's make a large round gazebo, hang some fake plants from it and make people snake through it, over and over."


Imagineer 1: "Perfect!"




I kind of feel the same way about the ride, actually.

Imagineer 1: "So, we just spent, like most of our money on Flight of Passage and those floating mountains, but we need another ride here so people don't complain too much. What should we do?"

Imagineer 2: "I know! Let's make a Na'vi-themed Pirates ride! It will be amazing, we can use animatronics for all of the cool, unique animals you see in the movie, surround them by huge, cool Na'vi people, we can build the Tree of Souls, man, it will be awesome!!"

Disney CEO: "Let's do one third of Pirates, use screens for everything and stick in one cool Na'vi right at the end singing the same thing over and over!"

Imagineers 1 & 2: "Yes, boss!"



That's all I got to say about that.

It was very beautiful though

When we got out, we were met with the most beautiful view evah!

The storm was over and the sun was setting.

I took so many photos, it was soooo gorgeous!!

Rob took photos of me taking photos

What a weirdo

We did a little shopping in the store and then sadly left Pandora for the final time that day.

We were headed to Asia once again, with a quick stop to watch this..

And another quick stop for Rob to get his fix...

Then we watched Rivers of Light but we didn't feel like walking over to the seating area to sit with the crowds, so we just watched from the back corner, which was perfect for us!

Kira didn't even watch it really, she was reading her HP stories. Yup, the show was that good.

It worked out perfectly actually because before it was over, we popped over to EE and literally walked on the ride!

Then we came out and walked back on

This time there were more people because there was a rush of people coming from ROL show but the wait wasn't long. And we got to see the screens with our names on them.

Most people don't even notice these.

Kira was kind of done with us at this point. She was being very anti-social, I think she was missing her alone time in her room on her iPad

She refused to sit with us so we sat together for both of these rides, which was just fine for Rob and I

We were thinking of something to do for the final pic on EE and since it was fitting at the time, we decided to gross out our kid.

She grabbed a few more pressed pennies before we sadly said good-bye to EE. She would talk about riding EE for the next week, that's how much she loved it!

I know I took photos but they have disappeared somehow but next up Rob and Kira took a spin on Kali River Rapids. The park was about to close but they made it with two minutes to spare!

We headed to the front of the park and perused the stores one last time and watched the Tree of Life projection show for a bit.

Then took a traditional photo of Kira as we said goodnight to Animal Kingdom.

She also went in 2007 but I don't think I took a photo here that trip.

Once again, we opened and closed a theme park! My feet were feeling it though. Today was a big walking day and I did over 27K steps! I developed a couple of blisters on the bottom of my feet just as we were heading to our car to drive home.


Back to our "home" to find our froggie dude hanging out near our door again.

Tomorrow...Epcot!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Rob always gets a kick out of seeing the Albertosaurus, which was a dinosaur found solely in Alberta, the province where we live.

Cool! I knew about Albertosaurus, but I didn't realize it was in the queue.

After saving a dinosaur and travelling way back in time, we spotted a couple more...unusual dinosaurs.

They look good. I had been hoping to see Donald's Dino dance party (or whatever it was called) but just never got around to it.

We walked towards Na'vi River Journey and decided to hop in line despite the 60-minute wait time. Just as we got under the sheltered part, the skies opened up and POURED!! Torrential downpour along with lightning and thunder!!!

Interesting. I was checking my trip notes. On that day, we went shopping at the outlets and were driving home during this storm. While I enjoy some Florida thunder and lightning, I did not enjoy driving in it. It was the heaviest rain we saw all week, I was driving on the I4 and it was like a blizzard, total white out from the rain, couldn't see a thing. Luckily it didn't last too long. And I believe I have some pictures of that beautiful sunset that I may have in my trip report eventually, although mine are taken from our room at ASMu and not nearly as nice as yours.

Imagineer 1: "So, we just spent, like most of our money on Flight of Passage and those floating mountains, but we need another ride here so people don't complain too much. What should we do?"

Imagineer 2: "I know! Let's make a Na'vi-themed Pirates ride! It will be amazing, we can use animatronics for all of the cool, unique animals you see in the movie, surround them by huge, cool Na'vi people, we can build the Tree of Souls, man, it will be awesome!!"

Disney CEO: "Let's do one third of Pirates, use screens for everything and stick in one cool Na'vi right at the end singing the same thing over and over!"

Imagineers 1 & 2: "Yes, boss!"

Love it! I cannot disagree with this at all.

Once again, we opened and closed a theme park! My feet were feeling it though. Today was a big walking day and I did over 27K steps! I developed a couple of blisters on the bottom of my feet just as we were heading to our car to drive home.

Nice one. I wasn't able to accomplish that, the heat was kicking us in the pants. I managed to avoid significant blisters, but it's never easy on the feet.

 

[BLAZEY]

Yay another update! I'm all caught up now! I even went back and read all the other reports! (We went to Vancouver on the weekend so I had time to kill waiting for the the ferry and on the ferry!)
Rachel like the Albertosaurus and Edmontosaurus (the have a bone at the wilderness explorer spot) as well. It's great that Kira has conquered her fear of coasters! So much easier to enjoy the ride if you don't work yourself into a tizzy before you get on. Rachel does that. works herself up in line, then really enjoys the ride. Then the next time we go she forgets that she loved the ride last time and works herself up while in line again. Rinse and repeat! Are you housebound? My uncle who also lives in Calgary posted picture of the early snowfall and says its not the light fluffy stuff but more the heavy wet crap that we get her when it does snow. murder to shovel and drive in. My mum's family moved to Victoria from Edmonton in the 1960's but some of the family stayed behind in Alberta. My DH was also born in Calgary so he has family there too.

 

[Lesley Wake]

It's a very tough to explain how amazing it is. It's like Soarin' but a billion times better. Soarin' on steroids, minus the terrible perspective skewing and with no one yelling out all of the destinations.

I can't wait to take my mom on it! I know she loves Soarin, so of all the rides at WDW, FoP is the only one I'm planning us to do twice.

Guess what? She ate every single morsel minus the purple chips on top.

The hot dog actually looks really yummy!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I'm loving your trip report. A whole new world opens up when the kids start riding all the big rides. Good for her for trying everything and making a lot of cash along the way.

 

[Timon]

August 22nd, 2018 Part 1

After three long days at the parks and blisters on the bottom of my feet, I decided we needed to have a break today during the hottest part of the day. Epcot has very little shade so it was a good decision for all of us. We would still open the park and then close it but we would be leaving after lunch.

We got a close parking spot then through security...

A quick photo op, of course!

And then we visited our Leave A Legacy tile. I always get a kick out of checking out our almost 20-year old photo

This is probably the last time we will see them as the rumour floating around is that they are getting rid of them soon.

The park wasn't open yet but it was too sunny over by the rope, so we waited in the shade on the side.

Rope drop selfie

Once it opened, we joined the mad dash to Test Track.

Sneaky me bypassed the design room so we passed about 100 people

Here we go!

We got stuck on the ride for about 10 minutes right before you go outside.

At least Kira was happy to ride it this time.

Then it was off to Mission:Space!

We did the green side so we could check out the new mission.

We got all the way into the briefing room when panic sunk in and Rob realized he didn't have his phone on his hip!

I told him that it probably came off when he got off of Test Track, maybe got tangled and pulled off with the seat belt.

I checked my Find My Friends app...yup, sure enough, it was at TT still!

We were almost on the ride and I kept checking the app and it hadn't moved so we decided that it was a good sign and that we would do Mission:Space and then run over and grab it. I was assuming that it was with a CM.

We all loved the new mission but Rob was eager to head over to TT.

He ran ahead while Kira grabbed a pressed penny.

We then headed over to TT to meet up with Rob. He had to go through the exit and check with the CM there.

Kira decided to test out some cars while we waited.

Rob came back, phone located and secured

He wasn't very happy with himself but hey, it happens!

Whew! That was a close one! Not finding his phone would have changed our plans for that day

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Time for World Showcase rope drop...

And then our first time on Frozen Ever After!

We all loved it and I thought they did an amazing job considering they had to work within the confines of the old ride.

Spent some time in China procuring several pressed pennies...

By now, we needed a break. They needed a snack and I needed some A/C.

We took the long, hot walk over to a great place for a snack, Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie in France.

Rob got a chocolate croissant, which, you know is his go-to snack if you've read any of my previous trip reports and he also got a chocolate beignet for kicks and giggles Kira got her go-to, a chocolate chip cookie! Rob also got his coffee

Way too happy

I tried really hard to get Kira to speak French to the CM's but she refused so I brushed off my bilingual cobwebs and spoke French to everyone I encountered. Mostly just to show Kira that French is not just spoken in Canada. Plus it gets Rob pretty...excited.

I actually had a bite of everything and it was all delicious! Sickly but delicious, nonetheless

After stuffing their faces full of carbs and sugar, we headed home!

To Canada, that is.

Well, with a quick stop in the UK for a pressed penny machine.

 

[cntkg1]

Soooo, are you really not going to tell us what happened to those little kids? Did mom and dad finally claim them or do you and Rob now have 3 children?

That has to be the MOST beautiful sunset picture I ever saw!! Just beautious!!

No chocoloate croissant for you? I know how you love those too.

BTW, love love love the matching t-shirts!!!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Another Canadian following along! I must know - where did you get your Canada t-shirts from? DD15 and I are headed back to WDW soon and I just love wearing a Canadian tshirt while at Epcot!

 

[jenseib]

Please tell me when Jenseib will have your Recent Report . I Love the way ( Timon , Jenseib ( both have cute daughters) Also ChunkyMonkey writes Trip Reports . I learn so much . I leave in 9 Days ..

It's here....Sorry Cass for distracting..

https://www.disboards.com/threads/cruising-for-practically-free…yep-i-said-free.3710065/

We were thinking of something to do for the final pic on EE and since it was fitting at the time, we decided to gross out our kid.

I am totally laughing at this picture. The people behind you seem grossed out too.

That sunset in Pandora was amazing! It really is a beautiful place, but it still needs more rides. I agree about Na'vi River...Super short and kind it whipped together as a last thought.

I have yet to go through the full FOP queue. The first time was fastpass and the 2nd was at rope drop and they weaved us through the fastpass line that time too.

I did enjoy River of Lights, but it's not something I need to see again any time soon.

Enjoying all your posts and pictures!!!!