Mom-Hugs and Magic: Planning our Summer 2021 Vacation - Updated - Completed, TR Started! 9/14

[brookelizabeth]

So, wow... it's been a while since I wrote a PTR or TR... at least 5 years, maybe even more! Okay, I checked, in 2012 I did part of a Disneyland TR. That was my last! Eeeeek! (and oh my gosh, my baby was so little!!) I'm feeling a little lot rusty and like an old lady using new technology.

I've done many, many Disney trips since my last trip report; however, my life got incredibly busy for the last 7 years and I just never found the time to get back here and share in the fun. But, life has now slowed down again and I find myself drawn back to these boards reading your stories and thought it was time to share my own again!

Let me start with a few brief introductions:

Me - Brook
Chief Vacation Planner and Palm Tree Hugger

2020 Flower & Garden Festival

Husband - Joe
Mr. Go with the Flow

Xcaret 2019

Son - Henry, age 13
Roller-coaster fanatic and overall GREAT kid

WDW - 2019


All three of us looking spiffy on the Harmony of the Seas, 2019


Hawaii, October 2019

We moved from NYC to Germany in November 2020. Moving overseas is a lot of work, then add the complications of a pandemic on top of that... it's been a ride! But, we love our new home and are happy we made the leap! Because we are US Citizens, we are allowed to return to the States and because we have our German visas, we can come back to Germany (even though Germany is closed off for tourism right now). Hopefully by the time of our trip things will be better, and EASIER! But, we are going - whatever it takes, bring on the testing and quarantine!


The day we flew to Germany - cozy in the Lyft to JFK with our luggage and dog!


Stylin' in the bike helmets on a recent family bike ride to a nearby town

The Plans:
We will fly to the USA in July and visit family. This is the main reason for the trip. It's been a long time since I hugged my Momma and I'm looking forward to that most of all. The time in Orlando is really just a bonus! After our time with family we will fly to Orlando for a week of fun. Four nights at WDW and 3 nights at UOR.

WDW:
We are staying in a 1-bedroom villa at the Grand Floridian! I am really excited to stay here, I've only stayed at the GF once before and it was during a work conference, so I barely had a chance to enjoy the resort. We are DVC members and we had extra banked points from no family trip in 2020, so we splurged a bit and went for the 1-bedroom. I am SO looking forward to it!

UOR:
We are staying at Portofino Bay in a Club Level room. We LOVE Universal! While I have been there a number of times and know the parks inside and out, our first family trip was over July 4th 2019. It couldn't have been a a more perfect trip and we are eager to return. We have 3-day, 3-park, park to park tickets and are especially excited for our day at Volcano Bay and of course riding Hagrid's again and the new Velocicoaster!

Up Next: Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness



Table of Contents
Intro - you are reading it!
Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness - Arrival & Park Day One - DHS / EP
Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness - Park Day Two - DHS
Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness - Park Day Three - AK
The Dreaded Flight Changes Email
Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness - Park Day Four - MK
Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness - Park Day Five - Volcano Bay
Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness - Park Day Six - Islands of Adventure
Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness - Park Day Seven (Universal Orlando) & Departure Day
Changes, of course there are always changes!
Purchases Made, Purchases Planned
A Fail, a Win and a Theme Park Mini-Trip!
A Small Update
And Just Like That...
Magic Bands!
We are home!

 

[Flossbolna]

I am here! Great pictures of your lovely family! Especially the one from Hawaii!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I am here! Great pictures of your lovely family! Especially the one from Hawaii!!

Hello, hello! And yes... that Hawaii trip was one of our favorite trips ever. We hung out with some amazing humans and attended a gorgeous wedding!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness
Arrival Day & Park Day One​

Disney planning, as you know, is not for the faint of heart! While Covid has certainly changed quite a few things, there are still plenty of details to figure out. While seeing family is the main purpose of our trip, it’s FAR less planning than a week in Orlando!

Let's dive into some plans! I hope you like pics. Because I do.

Arrival Day​

Getting There:
We still have not purchased our flights. Our flights from Germany. And time is a tickin’. This is so normal for us, we are terrible. For a while we weren’t sure this trip would happen so I held off on purchasing them; however, I currently have no excuse. None.

But, that flight purchase should happen TODAY. My DH carved out some time in his work schedule so we can sit down and get these flights booked!

We will be flying domestically into Orlando, from where our parents live (well, my Mom is a snowbird… sorta…I won’t go into it), but shockingly it’s one of the most expensive legs of the flights and the times are terrible! But, we’ll make it work. At this point, I'm just happy to be going.

We have debated back and forth about flying into Tampa - it’s cheaper and has better flight times, but then there is the cost of renting a car. Plus, I would like to ride the Magical Express one last time.

We have rented cars during many trips, and I love having one at Walt Disney World since I am NOT a fan of those busses….but this trip we have decided to try and avoid a rental. We’ll see where we end up later today once those flights have been booked! Ha!

Edit: I wrote this post up yesterday, but didn't have time to post it... we did buy those flights!!! I'll share more on that in a future post.


Arrival Day Plans:
Our arrival day into Walt Disney World is a “resort day”, as we are very much looking forward to just enjoying the gorgeous Grand Floridian and it’s pools. Ideally we will arrive early-ish in the day to maximize the time.

We have tossed around the idea of a dinner at Narcoossee’s. We have never eaten here before.

Park Day One​

Let's get into the good stuff!
We had Epcot booked for our first full park day…. Buuuuut, I recently changed it to DHS. There is a method behind the madness always, isn't there?

A million years ago…when the BAH still existed, hence the picture facing the OTHER direction down the street.


If you are reading this, the reason of our park change is probably obvious, but just in case, I can sum it up in four words: Rise of the Resistance.

We have DHS booked for Park Day Two as well, but the more we chatted about our plans, the more Joe and Henry realized they 100% want to ride RotR. (I have ridden it before as evidenced by the photo above, but totally won’t mind riding again!) So, to enhance our odds at getting that precious Virtual Queue / FP return time - whatever they call it - we dropped Epcot and added another day at DHS.

IF we get RotR on Park Day One, we MAY change Park Day Two to a full day in Epcot. I have seen that Epcot is fairly easy to get last minute, so I’m not worried about it. It’s a favorite park for Henry, and he has voiced concern over “not enough time at Epcot”. But, the desire to possibly ride RotR again may win out and we stick with two days of DHS, and just do Epcot in the evenings during a Park Hop. I'm also a fan of doing Epcot on Park Day Two, as it will be a Monday and not a weekend during Food & Wine Festival.

We will decide all this on the fly.

Decisions on the fly have slowly become normal for our family, but let me tell you - years ago, I would have sweated over this! My, how things have changed….

Speaking of RotR, we have been practicing at home this week. I’ve been able to snag it 3/3 times. (And if you aren’t familiar with the process, it doesn’t actually book you in a group, so I’m not taking away from anyone actually AT WDW - I wouldn’t do that!). For years and years I’ve perfected my skills of hitting buttons on Disney websites at exactly 6:59:59 (or calling into a long hold queue), my skills have paid off. (I used to be a travel agent, this is my wheelhouse!)


Park Day One Food:
On Park Day One we will be enjoying QS. We will very likely eat at Docking Bay 7, the boys haven't eaten here yet... but we all did love Ronto Roasters! So we'll see!

Blue & Green Milk will be had:

Green for me!

Blue for Henry and Joe!


And hoping to snag a reservation at the Cantina

I might have to try the new Potato Chip Pretzel Chocolate Marshmallow Sandwich thing. That's the technical term. Sweet & salty combos are RIGHT up my alley. Totally my jam.

And as we walk around, we will recall memories of the Streets of America, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground, The Writer’s Stop and the delicious Carrot Cake Cookie. RIP.

Park Day One Attractions:
Rise of the Resistance (duh)

Smugglers Run (we were there on opening day! We were one of THOSE crazy people up at like 3 am! But, I met a dude that day who SLEPT UNDER THE BRIDGE just outside of DHS so he could be one of the first in Galaxy’s Edge. His dedication is something else….! )

(Spy the old skool DVC tote bag! I love that thing, we still use it almost every trip!)

Star Tours

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway - new to us!

Rock n’ Roller Coaster

Tower of Terror

Slinky Dog Dash

Anything else is icing on the cake!


If / when we hop to Epcot, our must do attractions include:


Test Track (one of our family favorite rides!)

I am a legit dork. I embrace it.


Soarin’

Mission: Space - I do NOT like this ride, at.all., but Henry really likes it when we all ride together, so I take one for the team. I just breathe slowly throughout the ride and focus in ONE SPOT the entire time so I don’t walk off green!

Spaceship Earth - when does it's refurb start? I haven't looked into that...

Donald Duck Ride - I realize this is not the name, but we have called it this since Henry was little, obsessed with Donald Duck, and this ride. We used to visit a lot during the looooow season, back when CMs just let you ride over and over again since there was no line… I can still recite the ride by heart.

We will visit the Blow Fish in The Seas, and recall the time Henry "made friends with the fish". He still calls it his friend anytime we go!

Baby Henry offering the blow fish a drink from his sippy cup!

And, Joe wants to watch the film in Canada. I did this during my last trip, just a month after I lost a best friend of mine who was Canadian. That.was.dumb. I sobbed and sobbed through the whole thing. It’s been a year now, so we’ll see if I can keep my composure, or if I end up in a ball of tears again.

If they do a live music set in America, we might pull up some bench and watch.


Epcot Eats:
Regal Eagle - which is new to us!

It will be Food & Wine time, so chances are we’ll get a few little snacks or beverages; however, we are not big festival people.

Joe will probably want a School Bread from Norway, it’s still one of his most favorite snacks ever.

I can see myself getting a margarita in Mexico.

And a pretzel & beer in Germany, because by this point in our trip I’ll be missing German pretzels, German beers, and Germany in general - I’m sure! I will absolutely complain about the price, a delicious bakery pretzel here is less than a buck, and a cold beer from the grocery store is usually just over a buck! But, I'll order it anyway.

Up Next: Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness - Park Day Two

 

[pooh'smate]

Joining in. It is so nice to read a brookelizabeth report again.

 

[DLmama]

We're going to WDW and UOR in July too! It'll be fun to read along with your plans. This is our 1st time at Universal. Can't wait!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Joining in. It is so nice to read a brookelizabeth report again.

Well, hello there!! It's fun to be back.

We're going to WDW and UOR in July too! It'll be fun to read along with your plans. This is our 1st time at Universal. Can't wait!

Welcome, welcome!! You'll love Universal! We did it right over the 4th in 2019 and the parks weren't terribly busy, except on the 4th, ti was definitely more crowded. This year, of course, all bets are off as life is a little different... Are you writing a report?

 

[Gabrielsbigtrip]

Hellooooo! I haven't been here in years! But brings back memories of following your old reports. Looking forward to your adventure!

I hope I posted right LOL!

Carol

 

[dizneeat]

Thanks for the head's up! Securing my spot and now going back to read.

 

[Valgoof]

It is weird but kinda nice to go to Disney without the extensive plans we used to have. Morning at HS and evening at Epcot sounds perfect to me.

 

[DLmama]

Welcome, welcome!! You'll love Universal! We did it right over the 4th in 2019 and the parks weren't terribly busy, except on the 4th, ti was definitely more crowded. This year, of course, all bets are off as life is a little different... Are you writing a report?

Thank you! We'll be at Universal 7/7-10, then Disney 7/10-17, celebrating my 40th at MK on 7/16! We were supposed to be on DCL, but moved that to Feb 2022 with everything going on.

I've been thinking about writing a report, but not sure I've got the commitment. I started a dining report after our first trip in 2017, but never finished it.

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[vamassey1]

I'm here. I need to go back and get caught up.

 

[vamassey1]

Ok, I'm up to speed. Great start and I'm really happy you got your flights booked. I was starting to get worried. The news keeps saying that flight prices are going up. We're headed to WDW on May 1st and paid only $438 for 3 fights from New Orleans.

Loved all the retro pictures. I have watched Henry grow up. Will he be jumping on the bed at GF?

You can still get the carrot cake cookie @ The Trolley Car Cafe (Starbucks). It's a little different but still good. It's one of my must have treats.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Hellooooo! I haven't been here in years! But brings back memories of following your old reports. Looking forward to your adventure!

I hope I posted right LOL!

Carol

You did it right! I know I had to reset my password a while back...It's kind of fun to do this again!! Thanks for following along!

Thanks for the head's up! Securing my spot and now going back to read.

Hallo Nachbar!

It is weird but kinda nice to go to Disney without the extensive plans we used to have. Morning at HS and evening at Epcot sounds perfect to me.

Right?! I used to have everything planned to the smallest detail, and sometimes would stress if things didn't go as planned. I'm honestly not sure when that changed along the way for me, but it eventually did. Joe is so happy I'm more easy going now.... You'll see that we are wingin' it quite a bit this trip!

Thank you! We'll be at Universal 7/7-10, then Disney 7/10-17, celebrating my 40th at MK on 7/16! We were supposed to be on DCL, but moved that to Feb 2022 with everything going on.

I've been thinking about writing a report, but not sure I've got the commitment. I started a dining report after our first trip in 2017, but never finished it.

What an AWESOME way to celebrate your 40th!! And DCL will be worth waiting for. I cannot wait for our next cruise - which will be next summer, God willing!

If you do decide to write a report, let me know!

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

Welcome, welcome!!

Ok, I'm up to speed. Great start and I'm really happy you got your flights booked. I was starting to get worried. The news keeps saying that flight prices are going up. We're headed to WDW on May 1st and paid only $438 for 3 fights from New Orleans.

Loved all the retro pictures. I have watched Henry grow up. Will he be jumping on the bed at GF?

You can still get the carrot cake cookie @ The Trolley Car Cafe (Starbucks). It's a little different but still good. It's one of my must have treats.

I did notice that domestic flights keep going up, up, up and the good times were REALLY expensive. International still isn't too bad, since it's not happening yet here in Europe, as we are still in lockdown. But, with the vaccines FINALLY going up, and hopefully cases coming down soon - I suspect we'll see a lifting of the travel restrictions with the EU sometime soon-ish and those flight prices will go up again! Though, many travel by train within the EU - there are still lots of hopper flights.

$438 is a fantastic price!!!! Our flights were NOT cheap, but considering it's 3 flights and 2 international hauls, it's not too bad.

You know, as you mention the Carrot Cake Cookie at the Trolley Car, I think Joe has gotten it there before. I had completely forgotten! Thank you!!

And... I might encourage H to jump on the bed at the GF. So many pictures from over the years!!! At OKW in 2019 he entertained me and did it, but he could touch the ceiling. LOL!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness
Park Day Two​

I have a super busy week coming up, as DH and I are starting our German language courses! It is two evenings a week (online) and then we also have to do a few hours on our own each week. It will definitely be taking up some current free-time, especially for Joe; however, we find it VERY important to learn the language of the country we are living in. Not sure I'll ever be "fluent", German is a tough language, but I'd like to at least have the basics. All that said, I wanted to post an update here today in case the week disappears quickly under me.


Park Day Two currently brings us back to DHS — but, as you know we might end up at Epcot.

We are wingin’ it!

So, all in all, not too much new to cover here, as I covered most of our “must do’s” in the previous post.

Except…. Living with the Land! How could I forget?! We adore this ride. Just something about it. It is always fun to glide through the canals and see what they have added or changed since our last trip.

And, we will probably spend some time in the DVC Member Lounge because its a nice to place to rest and recharge the phones.

I have a pretty good feeling we’ll be hopping between the two parks, and it’s oh-so-convenient to hop between!

We can walk

We can boat

Back in 2009 we rode the boat from DHS to Epcot and our boat captain was good friends with the ducks. I’ll never forget this. He called the this duck “Cool” - as it that was his name. He stepped out of the boat, called for him and the duck flew right up.

We are big fans of the boats!

Or we can Skyliner… time-wise, this would make no sense; however, the boys haven’t ridden the Skyliner yet, so I can very much seeing this our choice for a hop! Or just for something fun to do.

We also like to resort hop and wander around the other resorts, dine at their food courts, shop at their gift shops. And especially since my DH and he has not seen Riviera yet, I am certain we’ll end up there at some point exploring the resort (and probably walking over to CBR, since it's one of the few resorts we've never stayed at before!). We have already chatted about staying at Riviera next year since we will still have "extra" DVC points that we'll be banking, and this resort is a bit more expensive in terms of points.

I LOVE this resort!! The rooms are STUNNING. It is not "in your face Disney", which I do not mind. It has Disney-touches instead.

If their coffee shop is open, I might have to stop in for one of their Cold Brews. As of 2019, they served their own blend, and it was delicious! I'm not sure that is still the case, but it is worth looking!

Just a short little little update here! I might try to hop on later and do Park Day Three.

Up Next: Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness - Park Day Three

 

[brookelizabeth]

Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness
Park Day Three​

Today we will find ourselves at AK! While we all find this park beautiful, it is still our least favorite of the four. That doesn’t mean we won’t spend a good chunk of a day, or a full day there though!

Park Day Three Attractions:

Any evening performances they may be having are top on our list. During our last family trip in 2019 we had sat down to watch Rivers of Light, but a storm rolled through. What we did get to see we REALLY liked! A friend of ours from New York worked on some of the floats the show uses, so it's always fun to see his work in the parks! (He also did a couple MK parade floats). I realize the show has since changed, and it might not be showing at all, but I'm keeping an eye on that! We also would like to watch the Tree of Life Awakenings if those are happening.

Flight of Passage - we definitely need to um...fly.

Expedition Everest

Dinosaur

Kilimanjaro Safaris - DH has an eye condition / is legally blind, so he generally cannot see many of the animals unless they are VERY close to the vehicle. We still do this ride on many trips, and he enjoys it enough, but we have also skipped it in the past. However, this trip it’s a must do on my list because there are now GOATS! I looooove goats! (Read about the addition of the Nigerian Dwarf Goats on the Disney Parks Blog)

If Kali is open, Henry will want to ride it and he’ll be sending up his prayers that Mom will get soaked… we’ll see if I remember the ponchos that day!

I'd really like the birds they release in the park now and I’d like to catch that show. I've only ever seen bits of it.

And we will surely walk at least one of the animal trails - maybe the one the goes around the Tree of Life. We haven’t done that in a long time.



The Animation Experience at Rafiki's is something we'd all love to do! We have always enjoyed this when it was at DHS and when we've done it at California Adventure. We haven't tried the class at AK yet. Henry is really into art, and pretty good at it too! Unfortunately, doing this takes some serious time since you have to take the train out to Rafiki's... but we'll see. It's on our radars and we'll decide on the fly if it happens or not!

A Joe and Henry masterpiece from 2011


Park Day Three Food:

Overall, we have no "must do" food here, and are wingin' it, but here are some on my radar.

Since Pandora opened I have eaten at Satu'li Canteen exclusively in this park. I have always enjoyed my meal here and look forward to it every time! However…. I might see if I can convince the family for a Walk-Up at Nomad Lounge. I’ve heard so many good things, and I think it’s something we’d all really enjoy.

We might also stop at Dino-Bite Snacks for some ice cream. I have my eye on the ice cream sandwich, or possibly a hot fudge sundae. And the boys will want Tamu Tamu Refreshments for Dole Whip. I bet Joe has no idea he can get a Dole Whip outisde of the MK... and one with rum in it! Do I keep this secret from him and surprise him on the day of?

We almost always end up getting an iced coffee from the Anandapur Royal Tea Company. Though we usually enjoy it while walking the Maharajah Jungle Trek, and with the new rules - we'll be just sitting to enjoy our drinks, so it might not happen.

I also have the fries from Mr Kamal's on my list!! I know these have been around for a while, but I have yet to try them! I've never met a french fry I don't like, "No Fry Left Behind" is my life motto. Potatoes are literally my favorite food, so these are almost a "must do" if we had one!

I think my eyes are bigger than my stomach on a hot July day in Florida....

Up Next: Park Plans, the Method Behind the Madness - Park Day Four

 

[pooh'smate]

When we at Rivera in Sept they still had their own blend of cold brew and it was good. Also a note Rivers of Light is no more.
breaking-rivers-of-light-closed-forever-confirmation-of-primeval-whirl-and-stitchs-great-escape-permanent-closures

 

[Mom2apirate&princess]

Thanks for sharing the link! So happy to be reading your trip report. It got me started planning our trip for later this year/early next year. Also, little Henry, so cute!

Tawney

 

[brookelizabeth]

When we at Rivera in Sept they still had their own blend of cold brew and it was good. Also a note Rivers of Light is no more.
breaking-rivers-of-light-closed-forever-confirmation-of-primeval-whirl-and-stitchs-great-escape-permanent-closures

That is GREAT news about the coffee, but very disappointing about Rivers of Light. I hope they bring back something eventually! It was so short lived.

Thanks for sharing the link! So happy to be reading your trip report. It got me started planning our trip for later this year/early next year. Also, little Henry, so cute!

Tawney

It's been so fun to look through old pictures and share some of those memories! Many of our trips have sorta blurred together, but looking through the pictures and videos take me on a virtual vacation! When will you be headed back?