I’m not clever enough for a snappy title - a Disney Thanksgiving ‘19 Day 4 - Epcot update 4/25

[slp87]

Family History- I (Suzanne) have grown up going to WDW/DL. My first trip to WDW was in ‘75 at 6 years old. My family was hooked! We went many times through the years and my parents bought into DVC in ‘00.

My husband Lloyd is about 75% converted. There are things he enjoys and I always try to find new things to do or tours to take. By the end of our trips he usually rents a car for a little escape.

Lauren is our daughter who lives in Tennessee. She’s 100% converted. We had not been to WDW together since March ‘12 when she was in high school.

We typically go during my spring break from teaching about every other year. So our next trip was going to be March ‘20. Lauren really wanted to join us for another family trip to WDW and thanksgiving was best since she only had to take 3 days off work.

Now that we’re on stay at home orders, I’m finally finding time to write a trip report. I’m so glad we were able to go in November considering the current situation.

My family had visited WDW at Christmas when I was in high school and we had been to DL one year at thanksgiving. We were all excited to go during the holidays and get to see all the Christmas decorations.

Thanks for joining in. Some of the details may be fuzzy because I didn’t take notes, but I’ll share what I remember.

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more

 

[sparkle78]

I love hearing about thanksgiving and holiday trips

 

[slp87]

Friday, November 22nd
Our flight left DFW very early. We arrived at BWV for a 9 night stay via DME about lunchtime. The Christmas decorations & gingerbread house were amazing! We put on our shorts, dropped our bags at bell services and headed to Epcot. Epcot has always been my favorite park since my first visit in ‘83. We walked around to Italy and thought we’d take a shot at Via Napoli a personal favorite. I had already checked on MDE and there were no openings. After a check at the desk, we were told it was a 10 minute wait. We were seated outside and enjoyed a pizza.

After lunch, we finished the lap around World Showcase, stopping only to grab some caramel corn from Germany...delish! Then decided to take a ride on the Skyliner. We rode the line to Caribbean Beach, then walked on the line to Pop/AoA, then back to the CBR station. Then we took the line to DHS. We really loved the ride and thought it was great! We had minimal wait and we might have slowed once. Because the lines were uncrowned, we requested cars that weren’t wrapped so we could enjoy the views better. After arriving at DHS, we took the boat back to BWV.

We still had not gotten our room text, so we killed some time in the gift shop and bought one of the new metal Skyliner refillable mugs. We found a shady spot by the pool and maybe 10 minutes passed when our room was ready. It was located on the lobby level, Boardwalk view just above Big River Grille, perfect. We were wiped out so we took a nap. Lauren wouldn’t be arriving till about 10, so we were on our own for supper. We walked around the Boardwalk and decided to try Big River. This was our first time to eat here and we thought it was good. It was a great evening to sit outside.

After watching some of the Boardwalk entertainment, we went back to the room to catch Epcot Forever from our balcony. Lauren arrived without a hitch and we were all ready to hit the hay for our early morning the next day.

 

[ariane37]

Joining as Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite time to visit WDW! Love your room view too, we've stayed at BW about 4x and are supposed to stay club level in July. Fingers crossed!

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

Joining along! We’ll be in Disney for Thanksgiving this year and your trip report is getting me so excited!

We love Via Napoli! Yum!

 

[sparkle78]

I just stayed at a Boardwalk for the first time last winter , on an adults only trip for a friends wedding. We had inside view by the quiet pool. It was so relaxing to sit on a bench and soak in the sun during a February.

 

[slp87]

Saturday, November 23rd

We were up for rope drop at MK. Our last few trips we’ve gotten Memory Maker. I love having it!! We take advantage of it every time we see a photographer. I make a photo book after each trip so it’s great to have all those shots.

We always follow a similar routine for our first day at MK. We headed over to Splash, BTMRR, & Pirates. We had FP for Jingle Cruise. TBH, we are not Jungle Cruise fans. Just not our thing, but we wanted to do the holiday version. It was cute. Our next FP was Haunted Mansion and we saw a couple of the Country Bears on our way there. Ok, none of knew that they now take a pic on HM, that’s why our pic is so hilarious. Just the fact that we were all sitting the exact same way was too funny. We were having a good time, I promise!! Then we rode the riverboat to kill time before lunch.

We had an ADR at LTT. This is one of our must-dos. Hubs likes it because he loves turkey & dressing so this was his thanksgiving dinner. Lauren & I both love the roast. It didn’t disappoint. We also love that the food is a little different than most other restaurants.

We rode Buzz, my fav, before heading back to BWV. Of course we always seem to get distracted by the Confectionery on our way out.

Stay tuned for our monorail crawl later that night...

 

[slp87]

Saturday, November 23rd continued

One of the fun things about this trip was that Lauren was now an adult and it made the experience different. We decided to do a monorail crawl to see the Christmas decorations and visit some of the lounges at each resort.

We took the bus to MK and boarded the monorail to the Contemporary. I miss the days of being able to ride in the front. First we went to see the Cinderella gingerbread house. I loved the Mary Blair look of it! We checked in at the desk for the California Grill. The bar was currently full so we had to wait about 20 minutes.

As we rode the elevator up, the hostess asked if any of us had been up there before. I said I had back on ‘85 when they had “Broadway at the Top”. That year my family stayed at the Contemporary on the Gold Key. It was similar to today’s dining plan with an appetizer, main dish, and dessert per person (fast food restaurants were excluded). It also included speedboat rentals and other recreation. We felt like we had “arrived”! LOL!

Back to Cali Grill...Lauren got the Ancho Rancho Spicy Margarita. Lloyd and I shared something but I can’t remember what it was. Lauren actually ate the ancho chile! She’s got a stomach of steel. After drinks, we were on our way to the Poly.

Poly is definitely our vibe. On our last trip Lloyd and I stayed in the DVC for a couple of nights. We’d like to go again sometime. The bathroom set up in the studio would be great for the 3 of us.

We started at Trader Sam’s. There was a 45 min wait so we went to Tambu Lounge to eat. I had recently learned about ordering the food from Ohana so we got a couple of skewers, teriyaki noodles, and egg rolls. Lauren also got a Lapu Lapu and Lloyd and I shared a piña colada, which was amazing!! We also shared a bread pudding for dessert.

Right as we walked down to Trader Sam’s our buzzer went off. Initially we sat at the bar then a group left and we got a table. The theming is so fun!!! I love tiki bars!! We all shared what I think was the Uh-Oa. So fun with fire that we sprinkled cinnamon in to make a “sacrifice “. Everybody was chanting.

Next we moved on to the Grand Flo. We took some time to look at the huge gingerbread house...Unbelievable! Then to the Enchanted Rose. Lauren had a drink and we just relaxed. In my opinion, Grand Flo would have been a good starting point, then Cali Grill, finishing at Poly. Oh well, live and learn. We caught the bus at MK back to BWV and called it a night. We'll definitely plan to do this again.

 

[slp87]

Sunday, November 24th
Today we went to Typhoon Lagoon because we were going to MVMCP tonight and since it’s a separate ticket, we didn’t use a park day today. We are HUGE TL fans. We LOVE the wave pool. The high today was only about 70 degrees so crowds were very low. We walked onto all slides and the beach was empty. We ate lunch there as well and stayed till about 1:30, I think.

We rested up before donning our ugly Christmas sweaters for MVMCP. As I researched, it appeared that the Friday before Thanksgiving week was typically the last party before the Thanksgiving rush, so I was surprised when I saw the Sunday night party. It was sold out so I knew it would probably be crowded. We got their before the actual party time so we could enjoy FP.

First, we rode 7DMT with FP and we had an interesting situation. A father and 2 young kids were in front of us. As they boarded, they obviously couldn’t ride 3 in a seat and the older of the 2 was too young to ride alone. Mom was sitting out with an even younger sibling. Because we are a party of 3, and since I’m a teacher, I told the dad he could ride with me. Welllllll, the cast members were really hesitant to do that even though the father was gung ho. They finally let us and we were off.

Next we rode the Little Mermaid (I’m sure it has a name, but I don’t know it) while waiting for Pooh & Friends. As we waited, we did a mobile order for Cosmic Ray’s. Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, & Eeyore were adorable in their Christmas gear. When we got to Cosmic Ray's it was nuts!! I was so glad we had ordered ahead. We FP’ed Space Mt. with the holiday effects. They were meh, nothing special. We went toward Main Street to see Mickey and we got to see the snow. Again, the Confectionery got us. The line for Mickey was only about 10 minutes.

We went back to see Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor holiday version. Now this is a show I love! It’s always hysterical. Hubs and I have both gotten picked on separate trips. Lloyd is very quiet and does not like attention to be drawn to him so he was convinced that I knew exactly where to sit so he would get picked. Sounds like paranoia to me.

We went through the hub toward Liberty Square and got a cookie at the Golden Horseshoe. We wanted to see the parade because one of Lauren’s friends from dance was in the Toy Story section as a dancer. We stood across from Pecos Bill’s and she was on our side as they came down the street. It was so exciting!

We rode BTMRR with maybe a 10 – 15 minute wait. This is one ride was always do during the day & night. We also got a cookie from a stand by the river. Thoughts on MVMCP…..hmmmmm….I’m glad we did it, but I wouldn’t do it again. Mostly because we’re all older and not really into all the shows, treats, etc. I think it might be more fun with young kids. It was definitely crowded so getting around was tough. It's definitely best to go in with a plan so you're not wandering around wasting time.

 

[sparkle78]

Very cute photo with Pooh and friends

 

[slp87]

Monday, November 25th
Today we were at Epcot for park opening. For Epcot to be my favorite park, I actually can’t remember a lot of what we did today. Because we were staying at the Boardwalk, we entered through the International Gateway. I didn’t think the IG was much more crowded since the opening of the Skyliner. Only once was there a long line, and it moved quickly. In all our years staying at BWV/BCV, the rope drop process has never been the same. We were let in and a line was formed. I think it started near the Refreshment Port. We were at the coffee hut between Canada and UK.

We went straight to Soarin’. I loved the original and I love the new version equally. I think the music is what makes it for me. I think we rode Living with the Land next; I know we rode it at some point. My husband is in agriculture, so we always enjoy the ride. We’ve taken the Behind the Seed tour twice and it’s great! Lauren was in 4th grade the first time and even she really liked it. It’s one of the most affordable tours and I highly recommend it!

We had FP for Spaceship Earth next. I’m really excited to see what the update has. My family visited the first year of Epcot’s opening and there have been MANY changes through the years. I remember the original Communicore and some of the awesome experiences, the original Imagination ride with the Image Works was my favorite, and later Horizons. I love what is planned. I’ll miss the Fountain of Nations, just for sentimental reasons, but the update is needed.

We went back to the Character Spot. I think it was not too long after we were there that it was closed for the new Mouse Gear. I like seeing the characters in Epcot because the line is usually manageable and due to the FP tiers we’ve used this as a tier 2 FP in the past.

We had lunch back in the Land at Sunshine Seasons. This is also one of our must eats. It’s got a great variety and it always good. I got the turkey club and I think Lloyd & Lauren got Mongolian beef. Disclaimer…..Lauren is the MOST pickiest eater in the world. Always has been and there’s no rhyme or reason to what she eats.

Before our afternoon break, we had FP for Test Track. Our goal is to always make the absolute worst car. Obnoxious, ugly with no hope of winning. Unfortunately, our car didn’t show up for us.

As we headed back to IG, we stopped for a few photopass photos, then Lauren wanted to go in the Rose & Crown for a drink and cheese plate. This is her latest thing, cheese plates…..idk. Now in all my years, I had never stepped foot in the R&C. We had a good time! Loved the piano player.

As we headed back to BWV, we thought we’d take a lap on the Skyliner since Lauren wasn’t with us when we rode the last time. For some reason they were closing it down. No big deal for us, but there was a family in front of us going back to CBR and were not happy. I started thinking that I would hate to have been in Future World, walked back to the SL to leave then told it was closed and have to walk to the front of the park to catch the bus. Hopefully, the kinks will be worked out soon.

 

[hrttech]

We were there during the same time so I'm really enjoying your report. I felt the same about MVMCP. One and done for us

 

[ariane37]

We just did MVMCP last year for the first time since 2012 and I liked it more than I thought I would! But I also agree the parties are more fun with small children

 

[rdkeim]

Enjoying your TR! That's my favorite time of the year to go. Now I would go back at any time as long as I could go. We had a trip scheduled for March then rescheduled for Sept. Now I'm not sure that will work out? I like your laid back touring style - I think that comes with having been there many times. You got some very nice PP pictures - you and your DD look like sisters!