Newsies' Itsy-Bitsy, Teeny-Weeny, Minnie-Polka-Dot March Trippie: March 6-13 2021 *JULY PTR UPDATE 7/4*

[alpal22]

Hi Kaitlyn! Just saying hi! Also, your replies from last Sunday were deleted due to the restoration time of the Boards (were restored to Saturday not Sunday) after the hack. Just an fyi.

 

[Newsies]

Following along...

Thanks for following, glad to have you here!

Sounds like a great first day! I'm sure you all were exhausted!!!

We were pooped!

Oh my! What a filled first day at Disney! Your food looks so good. Can't wait to read about your MK day.

It was jam packed with Pixie Dust for sure!! MK post coming right up

Delaware girl here and we just planned an unexpected trip in late July. It’s going to be hot but I’ll just be thankful to be there. My only concern is a tan/sunburn line from the mask

You know, the craziest thing was that I didn't get a tan line from my mask, but I STILL got a magicband tan!!

Oh my goodness welcome back! So glad to be reading your trip report and hearing about all the good in your life right now!

Thank you so very much for checking in!! I am so happy to have you here!!

Following along! I've lurked on your trip reports; I'm glad you're back!

Thank you so much, I am so happy to have you here!!

Hi Kaitlyn! Just saying hi! Also, your replies from last Sunday were deleted due to the restoration time of the Boards (were restored to Saturday not Sunday) after the hack. Just an fyi.

Hey there, good to see you! We were HACKED???? Ah, geez! Thanks for the visibility here, friend-- I appreciate it!

 

[Newsies]

3/7: Magic Kingdom​

I was up early enough to rope drop MK, so I decided to go ahead, get ready, and get on a bus. I got in line for the buses at around 8:30, park open was 9 if I'm not mistaken? In any case, I was caught at the tail end of that scary-looking Magic Kingdom rope drop line at Pop C. Yes, the one that everyone keeps sharing photos of. It's not bad-- don't let it scare you! The buses were running nonstop, as soon as one pulled away, a second one pulled up. We were constantly moving.

Temp and bag check went smoothly and quickly. I was at MK in no time. Mickey, Minnie, and company were waving to guests from the top of the train station which made me all teary-eyed.

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My first stop was the Emporium. I had forgotten to put on a pair of mouse ears before I left the hotel room, so naturally, I needed to buy my 230420394th pair. I bought a pair of these cute silver-pink ears AND... a forky shoulder pal. I took photos with my new #swag.

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I was ready for my breakfast at that point, so I headed towards Tomorrowland to reunite with my favorite meal in Disney World.

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Oh, Joffrey's Vanilla Iced Latte and Strawberry Iced Donut. How I long for your fresh, softness and ice cold caffeination when I am not within the sacred bubble of Walt Disney World. You can do no wrong. You are remarkable, and I love you. And afterwards, more pictures!

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As I was finishing up, my family texted me to let me know they were here, and that they would meet me in Fantasyland. Their first stop was 7DMT. The posted wait time was 55 minutes, I believe we waited somewhere between 30-40.

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We went on it's a small world, did a little bit of shopping in Fantasyland, went on Haunted Mansion, and then it was time for us to check in for our lunch reservation! We had a lunch reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern, which is now family-style for both lunch and dinner. I neglected to get any photos of the meal, but this was one of the best meals of the trip. We were seated right next to a window facing Liberty Square, so we got to see one of the cavalcades stroll by. The salad and rolls were great, the main course was amazing-- we all really loved the pot roast and macaroni and cheese in particular. The dessert was amazing! We booked this reservation to finally try the toffee cake, and it was to-die-for.

After lunch, we went on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Winnie the Pooh, then decided it was time to head back to the room for a spell. Crowds were picking up, so we decided we should take a break in our room. On our way out, we stopped to get some candied almonds and the retro Minnie popcorn bucket, and we stopped to see the princesses!

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Finally, we hopped back on a bus back to Pop Century. We spent a few hours just chilling at the hotel room, then got some dinner at Everything Pop Food Court. Our experience was like night and day between this and our first visit: we spent 20 minutes in the line to order, and then 40 more minutes waiting for our food to be ready. I ordered the cheeseburger, which was almost inedible, and stole some bites from dad's pot roast, which was just a little bit better. We vowed we would not return for dinner.

The rest of the night was pretty low-key: mom and I got drinks at the Petal Bar (I ordered my favorite, the Pina Colava, which was VERY strong here!), then we went back to the hotel room. I played Animal Crossing for a little while, then fell asleep!

 

[KittyKitty]

I was staying at Pop during the same time, Mar 3-Mar 11. I love the Pop, but the food didn't change during the stay. I decided to eat at AoA, and being so close to Skyliner I also ate at CBR, and Beach Club Market.

Great trip report.

 

[rdkeim]

Nice you had some relaxation time after your day at MK. We were NOT a fan of the food at the Pop food court. We mobile ordered from there 2-3 times then I said no more.....

 

[Hubie]

Joining in. We're DVC and scheduled to visit this November for a 9-night stay at SSR. We spent 10-nights at RR in 1/20 and had a great time. Glad to hear that the busses have been working well so far during COVID - 19. I was a little anxious about getting to the parks in a timely manner from SSR. This will be our 10th trip to WDW and hope it will be as memorable as the last nine.

We have a 6-day pass and plan to hit all 4 parks, with 2 trips to AK and Epcot. We'll go to Disney Springs on a Sat. & Sun. I know it will be packed but I expect the parks also would be.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Hello darling!

Obviously I had to come out of retirement for this one. It makes me so so happy to see you back to your old habits, living your best life away from FL and enjoying some Disney magic again. Queen behavior, truly. Also, A CAR?!?! Beat me to it, still working on that lol

I'll probably mostly be a lurker since my time has mostly come and gone here, but I'm living for all of it. Miss you so much and hope you're still doing well, as always!!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a really great day! Love the ears you bought!

 

[Newsies]

I was staying at Pop during the same time, Mar 3-Mar 11. I love the Pop, but the food didn't change during the stay. I decided to eat at AoA, and being so close to Skyliner I also ate at CBR, and Beach Club Market.

Great trip report.

"The food didn't change during the stay" isn't that the truth!!! I kept checking the app during the week and hoping that maybe the pot roast would have been swapped for a different appetizer, or else something else might have changed... same menu the entire week

Thank you for following along!!

Nice you had some relaxation time after your day at MK. We were NOT a fan of the food at the Pop food court. We mobile ordered from there 2-3 times then I said no more.....

Yeah, we ended up not returning to POP for dinner for the remainder of the trip. To me, a Mickey Waffle is a Mickey Waffle, so I went back for breakfast a few times, but this was it for lunch and dinner for us.

Joining in. We're DVC and scheduled to visit this November for a 9-night stay at SSR. We spent 10-nights at RR in 1/20 and had a great time. Glad to hear that the busses have been working well so far during COVID - 19. I was a little anxious about getting to the parks in a timely manner from SSR. This will be our 10th trip to WDW and hope it will be as memorable as the last nine.

We have a 6-day pass and plan to hit all 4 parks, with 2 trips to AK and Epcot. We'll go to Disney Springs on a Sat. & Sun. I know it will be packed but I expect the parks also would be.

Thanks for joining along!! So excited to hear about your plans for November... it sounds like you are in for a great time!! Don't be anxious about the buses or Disney Springs-- you guys are going to have so much fun

Hello darling!

Obviously I had to come out of retirement for this one. It makes me so so happy to see you back to your old habits, living your best life away from FL and enjoying some Disney magic again. Queen behavior, truly. Also, A CAR?!?! Beat me to it, still working on that lol

I'll probably mostly be a lurker since my time has mostly come and gone here, but I'm living for all of it. Miss you so much and hope you're still doing well, as always!!

MWAH MWAH MWAH MWAH MWAH!!! HELLO LOVE!!!!!

I am so stinkin' glad I brought you out of DIStirement for this!!! I miss you endlessly and Disney was NOT the same without you I love you so much and I'm so glad to have you here, even if you're only lurking!!!

Sounds like a really great day! Love the ears you bought!

Thank you so much!! I do love the ears-- I didn't see a lot of merchandise I liked this trip, but I'm glad I picked these up!

 

[Newsies]

3/8: Epcot
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Grace had class at 9:00 AM, so the parents and I wanted to be out of the room to make sure she'd have enough space and no distractions to get her classwork done. Epcot opened closer to 11 AM this morning, so we ended up grabbing breakfast at Everything Pop. I got Mickey Waffles! This time, once again, we ended up waiting pretty long (maybe 30 minutes) for our food, but we sat outside and enjoyed the sun!

We headed for the Skyliner around 10:00 because we anticipated it would be a long line, and we were right-- the morning rush line was pretty brutal for the Skyliner every time we went. We loooooove the Skyliner, so we're happy to wait, but it was about 40 minutes from the time we got in line to the time we passed through the World Showcase gates. Regardless: I was back home at Epcot and thrilled to be back in my favorite park, especially for Flower & Garden season!!!

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We started in France, naturally. Grace needed breakfast, so she grabbed something quick from Les Halles, and we snooped around the area where Ratatouille would be open. Embarrassing confession time: a few blogs had been making a fuss over signage going up/construction walls coming down, so we really thought we would catch a soft open of Remy's Ratatouille Adventure while we were down here... that Thursday, Disney announced it wouldn't be opening until October 1! Anyway: Grace loves Ratatouille, so we grabbed some photos for her.

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We caught a couple of cavalcades as we made our way through the World Showcase!

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We stopped to grab our first alcoholic drink in Italy, a returning favorite of mine from the Italy F&G booth: the Italian Margarita. If you ever happen to stumble across Italy while Primavera Kitchen is serving this blend of Limoncello and Tequila, you must try it. Do NOT leave Epcot until you've had this drink... it is the ultimate thirst-quencher! Truly my favorite drink at the Flower & Garden Festival.

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From there, we tried a few more dishes at the F&W booths:
-Jardin di Fiestas - Tostada di Cochinita, braised pork on a crispy tortilla with black beans and mango relish. So good!! Really lovely mix of textures and flavors going on here.
-Pineapple Promenade - Mixed Berry Buttermilk Cake - really just pound cake with some mixed berry compote on top. This was okay, a pretty decent dessert but not something to run back to.
-Pineapple Promenade - Frozen Desert Violet Lemonade - SO! GOOD! Really wonderful, dark, unique flavor, can't wait to try this again one day!!!

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After our F&W sampler, we went on Test Track, Spaceship Earth, Soarin', and Living with the Land in pretty good time.

We made our way back through the WS through Canada. Grace stopped at the Refreshment Port because she really wanted to try poutine, so she got the original poutine and my family got some type of Italian poutine-- I didn't try either, so I can't comment on them, but Grace and the 'rents really liked both.

We once again stopped at France, where I had to try a few of the items at Fleur de Lys-- France is always my favorite festival booth, so I was very excited to try a few new dishes.
-La Vie en Rose Frozen Slushy - A frozen mixture of a few vodkas and some cranberry juices. This was honestly just okay, not anything remarkable. Neither of the other two 21+ members of my party were interested in it, so I ended up chugging 75% of it and tossing 25%... a sad day to be Kaitlyn
-Canard Confit a L'Orange aux Gnocchi a la Parisienne- This was my absolute favorite thing I ate at all of Food & Wine this year. Ugh, I am still dreaming about it!!! Tender duck, soft and chewy gnocchi... an 11/10 in my book.
-Macaron au Chocolate en Sucette- A chocolate macaron lollipop with little chocolate pearls around the top corner. This was yet another hit! I could have done without the pearls, but the macaron was so chewy and delicious... I love the texture of macarons in general, I think the soft shell with the chewy ganache is absolutely delightful, so this was another win for me.

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We walked to Japan from there, where we looked around Mitsukoshi until it was time to check in for our dinner reservation at Teppan Edo.

Teppan Edo was new to us and it quickly became a new favorite. We had a great time with a great chef and the food was outstanding! I had been pushing for my family to try Teppan Edo for a while now and I'm glad we finally made it over. Mom and I both got the steak, and I got to try some of dad's shrimp as well. Everything was absolutely amazing. We are all big fans of the Yum Yum Sauce!

By the time we left, it was closer to 8 PM, which was Epcot park close, so we headed back to the Skyliner and crashed at Pop Century after a great day in Epcot!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like such a great day at Epcot!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Caught up and following!

We drive from Staten Island when we're taking longer trips/visiting family so I know that DC traffic well! It's torture if you get stuck in it.

I bought those same ears to add to my ridiculous collection in February lol

 

[disneyAndi14]

I love Macarons yummy!
The forky on your shoulder is so cute at first I thought it was a magic shot!
Pop food court can be a nightmare, ugh!

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

KAITLYN!! I'm so happy you're back--and congratulations on the job and the car! I've been pretty much off the DIS myself, so I missed this TR when it started, but I'm all caught up. I'm so glad that you and your fam were able to escape to the magic, and it seems like your trip was off to a pretty good start! Hope you're doing well in the time since, and I can't wait to read more!

 

[Newsies]

Sounds like such a great day at Epcot!

We had a wonderful time!!

Caught up and following!

We drive from Staten Island when we're taking longer trips/visiting family so I know that DC traffic well! It's torture if you get stuck in it.

I bought those same ears to add to my ridiculous collection in February lol

HELLO!!! So great to see you-- thanks for checking in!!!

Ughhh, the DC traffic is such a killer!!! We're trying to rewire our travel plans for July specifically to miss it.

Ear twins!!!! I feel you... the ear collecting never ends!

I love Macarons yummy!
The forky on your shoulder is so cute at first I thought it was a magic shot!
Pop food court can be a nightmare, ugh!

They are SO good, especially in the France pavilion!!

Thank you-- I loved my little Forky!

It truly was one of the messiest QS experiences I've ever had on property

KAITLYN!! I'm so happy you're back--and congratulations on the job and the car! I've been pretty much off the DIS myself, so I missed this TR when it started, but I'm all caught up. I'm so glad that you and your fam were able to escape to the magic, and it seems like your trip was off to a pretty good start! Hope you're doing well in the time since, and I can't wait to read more!

WELL HELLO LITTLE MISS COLLEGE GRADUATE!!! I am SO proud of you for completing degree #1 and cannot WAIT to see how far you go in grad school! Thank you for your well wishes and for checking in here-- we need to catch up soon!!!

 

[Newsies]

3/9: Hollywood Studios
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This was another early day for us! I woke up at 7:00 to get a Boarding Group. We were assigned group 14, so mom, dad, and I elected to rope drop DHS while Grace got ready for another morning Zoom class.

Mom, dad, and I headed over to another mile-long line for the Skyliner and about 40 minutes later, we arrived at the Park. Despite the long line for the Gondolas, I was VERY shocked to see a nearly empty entry to DHS-- we scanned in and when we approached a completely empty Trolley Car Cafe, we knew we couldn't miss a golden opportunity to get breakfast within a reasonable timeframe from a Disney Starbucks location. I got an iced latte and a cinnamon roll, and my parents got coffee and split a breakfast sandwich. While they finished their sandwich, I went to check out the wait times for Rock'n'Roller Coaster. I ended up being able to do RnRC twice, the queue was dead!

I left RnRC and my parents were on their way to M&MRR. The line was about 15 minutes long, so we were on and off in no time. This is my dad's new favorite ride, he thinks it's absolutely hilarious, so he looked around at the stand that sells M&MRR merch outside of the ride, but he didn't see anything he liked, so we headed on over to Toy Story Land.

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TSL was crowded, but nothing we couldn't handle. We waited 10 minutes for Alien Swirling Saucers and then about 40 minutes for Slinky Dog Dash.

We were next to Galaxy's Edge, so we decided to just head on over. Our boarding group was called as we were walking around the land! We headed on over to RotR (Grace asked us to go on without her-- she was on her way over from the resort, but she has no interest in RotR. She's afraid of free falls, even the littlest ones, so no RotR and no ToT for her on our DHS days). This was mom & dad's first time on RotR... they LOVED IT! Especially the part at the beginning where I got sassed out by a First Order officer.

We got out of RotR and met up with Grace. Grace, Mom & Dad were ready for lunch, but I wasn't that hungry and I really wanted to make sure I made it to the Creature Stall to buy my Lothcat. There was a line to get into the bazaar at Galaxy's Edge to comply with social distancing, and it ended up being one of the longest lines of the day-- I think I stood in line for maybe 30 minutes before I was allowed in.

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I don't know ANYTHING about Star Wars lore, but I know I love LOTHCATS. They are adorable, and the ones they sell at the Creature Stall hiss and purr. I had been eyeing them up since January 2020, but put it off for the month I spent on my CP. Of course, now that I've lived through a global pandemic, my view on life has become very "life's-too-short-to-not-buy-a-lothcat," so I wanted to make sure I brought her home this trip. Her name is Elvis and I love her. This is not my pic, but this is what she looks like:

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I adore her.

We had one reservation for our DHS day, and it was for Oga's Cantina. By the time I had finished up at the Creature Stall, it was time to check in for it. Mom, Dad & Grace had just finished up a QS lunch at ABC Commissary, so once they made their way back, we checked in and were seated at the bar.

Dad & Mom got a Fuzzy Tauntaun, Grace & I got a Blue Bantha, and the four of us shared two orders of Batuu Bits.

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I had had the Blue Bantha before and let me just say... even though blue milk tastes like robitussin, I CANNOT get over how delicious this cookie is. They NEED... and I mean they NEED... to start selling this at the Blue Milk Stand or some other location in Galaxy's Edge. I would buy seven a day. I would move to Disney World and buy them until I needed to be rolled in and out of Hollywood Studios. They are easily in my top 5 desserts I've ever had a Disney. It's a buttery, flaky shortbread cookie topped with some type of cocoa krispie/rice krispie treat mixture and some gummy/marshmallow bantha horn. It is SO good.

I didn't think I was going to like the Batuu Bits, but I actually really liked it. I'm a pretty picky eater at home, so I ventured into the world of chermoula for the first time with the bits. There was a really delightful mix of spices going on to dip all of the little "bits" into. While the bits ended up getting a little messy because some of them were really small, the bits themselves were very very delicious-- basically just "potato chip"ified vegetables (and some stray chocolate merengues?).

Here's where I need the help of the DIS: WHAT are these weird, curdled looking green things that I've circled in red? They were absolutely delicious and my favorite part of the platter, but I have NO idea what they are. Now I must turn to the DIS in hopes that these are truly some weird vegetable and not something simple that I'm going to look like an idiot for asking about. Help:

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I also really liked the potato-chipified seaweed!

After lunch, I was ready to crash. Mom and Grace wanted to stay in the park a little while longer, but dad and I went back to the resort, where I took a FAT nap.

When Mom & Grace came back from the park, we were then faced with the conundrum of making dinner plans. We decided we wanted to go off-property to a) save some cash, and b) get some food that was better than what was being served at Pop. This, we think, is going to become a new normal for us. We used to love the convenience of staying on property and never having to travel outside of the "bubble" on vacation, but now that the Dining Plan is a thing of the past and food prices are skyrocketing, we think we're going to be eating a lot more meals off property in the future. We've already planned two off-property nights for our July trip (WHICH, by the way, just had a mostly successful ADR day! I think I'll do a mini PTR update after this).

We ended up at Miller's Ale House at my suggestion, since it was a favorite on my second program. My family was skeptical to try it at first but ended up loving it as much as I do. I was reunited with my favorite dish in Orlando, the Mountain Melt-- basically just french fries topped with chicken fingers, cheese, and any type of sauce you'd like. If you are looking for a casual place to get dinner one night, Miller's is a great place for bar food and drinks!

After dinner, we grabbed ice cream at Twistee Treat. I got a vanilla twirl with oreo pieces! Then we headed back to the resort for a peaceful night of sleep after a big DHS day.

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[goodeats]

I've never had that dish, but could it be dried okra? My local sprouts has veggie chips and one of the components is dried okra. Is it all crunch/dehydrated? I've never been to Ogas.

I'm enjoying your trip report! I don't ever plan to rent a car in Orlando, but I agree that eating offsite is more appealing these days.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

I wish the DIS had the uwu face emoji (you know the one) on here cause that's what I'm feeling when I heard you and the fam went to Miller's. Love the Mountain Melt and I've been so many times now across both my CPs. Iconic locale. I'm so glad that with all the changes you're showing your family those places and getting to experience it more yourself. Also, pitchers of Sangria there are FIRE.

Side note: RIP the days when I used to scare the smaller travelers at Creature Stall with the Worrts and their tongues. Miss those days but yay for Elvis the Loth Cats!

 

[Kerr84]

They aren’t wasabi peas are they? Like mushed before fried a little?

nevermind! I was looking at old descriptions.

 

[Newsies]

I've never had that dish, but could it be dried okra? My local sprouts has veggie chips and one of the components is dried okra. Is it all crunch/dehydrated? I've never been to Ogas.

I'm enjoying your trip report! I don't ever plan to rent a car in Orlando, but I agree that eating offsite is more appealing these days.

Ah, that is a great idea!!! I just looked it up... it definitely looks possible with the ridges, but I'm not 100% sure!

Thanks for checking in and following along!!

I wish the DIS had the uwu face emoji (you know the one) on here cause that's what I'm feeling when I heard you and the fam went to Miller's. Love the Mountain Melt and I've been so many times now across both my CPs. Iconic locale. I'm so glad that with all the changes you're showing your family those places and getting to experience it more yourself. Also, pitchers of Sangria there are FIRE.

Side note: RIP the days when I used to scare the smaller travelers at Creature Stall with the Worrts and their tongues. Miss those days but yay for Elvis the Loth Cats!

I'm SO glad they were a fan of Miller's!!!! Believe me, I tried to sell them on a Sangria pitcher, but neither of my parents drink it so tragic.

Now it's MY turn to uwu at you reminiscing on your days in GE... uwu uwu uwu. We miss GE Timmy!!!!

They aren’t wasabi peas are they? Like mushed before fried a little?

nevermind! I was looking at old descriptions.

Ahh, good idea though!! I'll have to ask around about the Batuu Bits, it looks like I'm not the only one having trouble identifying these tasty green crunchy things!