Retirement Means I'm Going to Disney! The COVID Edition

[Sydney2977]

AK Day in Asia:

After our safari we wanted to stay in Africa and explore the forest trail, but for some reason there were CM's at the entrance telling everyone it was closed temporarily. So we decided to trek over to Asia next. On the way we caught site of one of the character boats- so cute and a unique way to showcase the characters here!


As DH and I have gotten older we've found that motion sickness kicks in on some rides at times, first with the simulators and lately with some roller coasters. Last year Expedition Everest made us feel a bit queasy, but I think it was because it was so hot by the time we rode. It wasn't sweltering yet so we thought we'd give it a try. The line said 20 minutes but we were hopping on our train in less than 15. It was a fun ride this time and neither of us felt bad afterwards.
Next we decided to try Kali River, since it was heating up at the line only said 20 minutes. Again, we got through quicker and were seated on a raft with three 20-something friends across from us. It was a good laugh as we rode around not sure who was going to be in the spot that got the most wet going around the twists and drops. As it turned out no one got completely soaked, just wet enough for a cool down.
Rounding out our Asia expedition was a visit through the Maharajah Jungle Trek. It was nice to be able to not have so many crowds through here, and people took their turns to get up close looks at the animals and then let the next group have their chance.
Komodo dragon was just chilling, waiting for the paparazzi shots!


There was only one tiger out in view and just relaxing.


I will say I am not a big fan of birds (I'm actually kind of scared when they start flying around) but I do enjoy seeing the birds in this exhibit. There are some really pretty ones, and their bird houses are fancy too. They never seem to be too afraid of guests wandering through there tryin to get a good look at them.


Heading out of Asia we took a quick shot of us with the Tree of Life. I didn't end up taking lots of pics this trip (really trying to savor the experience), especially of us with the masks on, but I figured I needed a few to remember this trip by!


Up next? I need more animals!

 

[luckylady]

Wow as many times as we have been to AK I have never seen the dragon head at the entrance. Thank for the picture. Glad this time you road Everest was a whole lot better then last. Being cool outside I think is the key. Great pictures of the animals.

 

[disneyseniors]

LOL, I can relate with getting older and some of the attractions bothering us!
I can't do RRC anymore; no more turning upside down for me
I wanted to ask why you ordered with a CM at the restaurants? Do you not have a smart phone?
I ask because we don't have a smart phone, and will have to see a CM and go order. I wonder if you had difficulty doing the ordering this way? Thanks so much.

 

[Wood Nymph]

On the way we caught site of one of the character boats- so cute and a unique way to showcase the characters here!

The character boat is very cute. I love those safari outfits that the characters wear.

 

[Sydney2977]

Aaaaah! So sorry I've been away so long, and thanks for everyone still hanging in there! The two weeks before Halloween are the busiest at my work, and this past week both our owner and plant manager were out of town (one on vacation, one on business) so I was super busy making sure things were running smoothly. I am now committed to getting back to this trip report!

On a side note, DS2 and his girlfriend (not the one who has been to WDW with us before, they broke up soon after she started college last fall, that long distance thing wasn't working) took a quick trip to WDW during the week of Halloween. Her grandmother lives about an hour away and they stayed with her, spending time with her on their arrival day and the whole day before they drove home. They went during the week and did 3 parks- HS, MK, and AK., and did all CS dining.They said it wasn't really busy and while the masks were annoying they still had a good time. The only downfall was not getting to ride RotR even though they tried at 10:00 and 2:00. Just another reason to go again!

The timing of your post is perfect for us. We will be arriving at the YC tomorrow.
I usually buy one refillable mug every trip but was planning to skip it this time. But maybe I'll buy a Halloween mug. The information about the receipt is really good. I can pick up a drink without dragging the mug back and forth with me.
We love the sticky bun.
This is the first picture that I've seen of the partitions they have for the safari.
That is a really good picture of the lion. We have only seen them laying on the rocks.

So you should be done with your YC vacation by now- hope it was a blast! Did you end up getting a mug, and a sticky bun? Hopefully with the cooler weather you were able to see the lions roaming around too.

Wow as many times as we have been to AK I have never seen the dragon head at the entrance. Thank for the picture. Glad this time you road Everest was a whole lot better then last. Being cool outside I think is the key. Great pictures of the animals.

The dragon is from when they were going to make a section to be called I think Beastly Kingdom, with magical, mythical creatures. The dragon is actually on the original AK logo too. They could always expand and add this later- dragon ride with a Mulan tie-in, something themed to the newer "Onward" movie, etc.

LOL, I can relate with getting older and some of the attractions bothering us!
I can't do RRC anymore; no more turning upside down for me
I wanted to ask why you ordered with a CM at the restaurants? Do you not have a smart phone?
I ask because we don't have a smart phone, and will have to see a CM and go order. I wonder if you had difficulty doing the ordering this way? Thanks so much.

If you are talking about ordering breakfast in the A&C Market, it was because we wanted to look around to see what they had. Sometimes we did mobile ordering on our phones, we just wanted to see what was available in person that time. It is totally not a problem if you don't have a smart phone, CM's will gladly assist you in person. Also, at TS meals, they will bring out a card to scan with your phone for the menu, but if you can't they have a paper version. I can't remember where we were that the code wasn't working that day on anyone's phones, so they were bringing everyone the paper menu.

The character boat is very cute. I love those safari outfits that the characters wear.

I think it's such a cute way to get character interactions while still social distancing! Honestly, I wouldn't be mad if they stopped the traditional whatever time in the day parades (where everyone crowds the parade route for an hour before) and just did these little cavalcades. It's a better way for lots more guests to be able to experience them without having to take a chunk of your day staking out the prefect viewing spot, only to have someone block your view at the last minute.

 

[Sydney2977]

AK Day Back to Africa

To fulfill my need to observe more animals we trekked back to Africa to see if the Pangani Forest Trail had opened , and low and behold it had! We got to observe these crazy guys for a while. Two were trying to sleep, but the one in the middle kept running between them and bothering them.


One of my favorite animals in the world are meerkats, so I love getting to see them here. They were definitely active this day, and we got to check them out eating too.


Next up was the star attraction- baby Grace the gorilla! This family is fun to watch anyway, but with a baby in the mix it's even funnier! There are times when there are lines to see her, with CM's limiting each guest in time, but this day there was hardly anyone there, so the CM's were just telling us and the two other groups about their behaviors. Grace was having fun playing with the adolescent males

and it looked like her mom was the typical toddler mom- "I need a break!"


We also thought she may be playing hide and seek with the older gorillas!


We got to check out the bats a little, though they weren't really out, and we could see the naked mole rats from afar, but that little section is closed off from being able to get up close to the cages and enclosures. We decided to skip the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch this time, since I figured we probably wouldn't be able to pet the animals.
Next on our list- a fantastical journey!

 

[Wood Nymph]

The week we were there may have been the same week that your son was there. It wasn't very crowded and we failed at getting a boarding pass for RotR. But we have ridden it several times during past trips, so that was okay.

So you should be done with your YC vacation by now- hope it was a blast! Did you end up getting a mug, and a sticky bun? Hopefully with the cooler weather you were able to see the lions roaming around too.

I decided not to get a mug this time but that was good since we mostly drank ice water instead.
The day we decided to stop for a sticky bun was the one day that they sold out early in the day. The cast member gave us a complimentary chocolate chip muffin to make up for our disappointment. We'll try again next trip.

Next up was the star attraction- baby Grace the gorilla!

We enjoyed watching the gorillas play. All the young ones are fun to watch.

 

[Sydney2977]

The week we were there may have been the same week that your son was there. It wasn't very crowded and we failed at getting a boarding pass for RotR. But we have ridden it several times during past trips, so that was okay.

I decided not to get a mug this time but that was good since we mostly drank ice water instead.
The day we decided to stop for a sticky bun was the one day that they sold out early in the day. The cast member gave us a complimentary chocolate chip muffin to make up for our disappointment. We'll try again next trip.

We enjoyed watching the gorillas play. All the young ones are fun to watch.

DS2 was there in the parks Oct. 27-29. He did say he really missed staying on property, so we're going to try to plan a trip next Nov. or Dec. (after my busy season at work) where we all go, not necessarily staying at the same resorts, but we'll see.
Too bad about the sticky buns- that will be my luck next time I try to get one! Nice of them to offer the muffin though. The gorillas are so funny, right? I heard there is a new baby gorilla at our state zoo, and we may have to go visit soon.

 

[Sydney2977]

AK Day in Pandora:

Originally we planned to eat lunch at Satu'li Canteen, which we never tried but looked great. It was just so hot by this point neither DH or I was hungry and decided to just get a refreshing drink. We weren't sure about seating inside so we just plunked down at an outside table to look at the menu. I placed the mobile order, got a notification less than a minute later, and followed the CM at the door's instructions to proceed inside. It was quick and easy to pick up the drinks, I got a look around inside to see that with every other table blocked off it was pretty much at capacity, and went back to our outside table. Our Pandoran Sunrise drinks were super refreshing!


Up next we hopped in line for Flight of Passage. We have never been through the regular line before, only FP, so it was interesting to see.


It was posted 60 minutes wait, but still took about 40. We finally got to the pre-show, (well, this part of it anyway, they don't do the other one)


completed that, and were about to be walked in to board of vehicles, when one CM announced that there was some technical difficulty. So our group had to be marched out, up staris, then watched the pre-show again before being boarded for real. It was worth the wait- I looooove this ride! As I've said before, most simulators and even some rollercoasters make me feel motion sickness, but not this one! It's so smooth, realistic, and exhilarating.
We walked through Pandora and over to Na'vi River next. This wait was about 25 minutes. I know some people don't get this ride, but I find it very relaxing, all the little details are fun to look for, and the Shaman is amazing. I took video on my phone this time so I can pull it out and watch whenever I want.
As we were leaving Pandora it was disappointing not to see the musicians performing and knowing we wouldn't be able to see it at night with all the bioluminescent magic. Just hoping next time we go things are more back to normal.

 

[Sydney2977]

AK Day Park Conclusion:

After our Pandora experience we decided to try to find some pin trading spots. DH and I love to do this, and the boys and their GF's have gotten in on it too. I knew the experience would be different since all CM's don't have the pins anymore, but we figured we'd still get to chat and trade with the ones that were manning the boards. We headed to Discovery Island, thinking that one of the main shops there had to have one if anyone did. Sure enough, there was one set up outside, but there were a lot of people looking at the time, and I was getting a little "rumbly in my tumbly" as Pooh would say. DH agreed and suggested we just split something at Yak & Yeti cs. We strolled back over to Asia, which I found to be incredibly enjoyable, instead of fighting throngs of people like we usually do, which makes back tracking through the parks such a pain. This trip we ended up wandering back and forth a lot more than normal, with no FP plans and just a go with the flow attitude, and still got everything we wanted done. Granted, there were shows that weren't open that we would normally do (Lion King, Indiana Jones, etc.) but we would have still had time. We went with a favorite- the honey chicken that comes with rice and veggies.


We've been eating here since our first trip and the meals used to come in the typical Chinese take-out style boxes, which were sometimes difficult to eat out of because the rice was all stuck at the bottom. I like these containers much better. We were able to snag a table in the shade near the river and have a nice break.
Once done eating we headed back to the pin board and were able to each trade two. We also looked around in both the shops. Another guest that was coming right after us told us there was another board near the wood carver in Africa. We had seen him and even stopped to watch earlier but never saw the board. So back we went back and sure enough there it was near Tamu Tamu. We traded and asked the CM if there were any more boards and she wasn't sure. We got everything we wanted accomplished and it was only around 4 but we decided to head out of the park and go on a little adventure. As we were heading out through the Oasis a CM commented on our pins and told us that there was a pin board at the wheelchair and stroller rental at the front of the park. We went over only to discover it was closed for the day- only out from 11-3. Very weird, but I guess they didn't have the staffing for it. Next up we boarded a bus, but not back to YC...

 

[Sydney2977]

After Park Activities:

Since we had some time on our hands until our dinner adr we hopped on a bus to the Contemporary. The CM at GF told us the night before that there was a pin board there and we figured we'd check it out. I always like resort hopping anyway. I don't know if they're clamped down on this, but where we were there you couldn't drive to a resort and come in the gate without an adr. However if you arrived by Disney transportation you could. We got off the bus at Contemporary and went up to the front desk, where we were told the pin board was in one of the stores upstairs. We looked around in both Fantasia and Bayview gifts and got to pin trade in the second store. We took my mug over to Contempo Café and got some drinks (again, no problem just showing the mug) and just lounged for a bit. It was very quiet at that time. Then we went back down, walked to MK, and got a bus back to YC.
We arrived at YC with enough time to go up to our room and drop our stuff off before going to our dinner destination- Beaches & Cream! I've tried to fit it in other trips with more of us so we can get the kitchen sink, but it just hasn't worked out. I thought at least DH and I had to eat here since we were staying right next door, and we were getting back from the parks earlier than we normally do. We had a 6:15 adr and were seated promptly upon checking in and getting our temp check. We had a nice table right by the juke box and with a view of the whole place.


Our waiter was spot on and we had great service the whole time. Thinking that we needed to save room for dessert we ordered the chili cheese tots and the cheddar bacon Ranch chicken sandwich to split. They were both delicious- perfect comfort diner food- but somehow I managed to forget to get a picture. When it came to ordering dessert it was hard to decide- everything looked yummy! I picked the No Way Jose ( pb and chocolate are my favorite combo) and DH got the fudge mud slide.


We took a couple bites and realized we were full from dinner, so we decided to take them to go after paying. Up in our room we stuck them in the fridge to keep them cool while we got showered, then relaxed on the balcony enjoying our sundaes. It was a wonderful way to end our first park day!

 

[Sydney2977]

Park Day 2- MK:

Our second park day started off with waking up after a peaceful night's sleep (no one banging overhead), getting ready (wearing our matching HM themed Foolish Mortal shirts), and deciding to place a mobile order form A&C Market. The app makes it easy, and I love that there are pictures on it to show you what you get. DH again got the platter (giving me the eggs) and I got a pumpkin muffin. By the time we went down and visited our friend on the shop side to pin trade our food was ready. We went to the drink station to get our coffee and soda and found a table out in the "hallway" to eat at. Then it was time to grab a bus and we were off to MK! I think I saw mention of this but had forgotten (and certainly didn't plan) that this was the first day MK would have Halloween decorations up! Upon entering right after 9 we were greeted by some awesome characters up on the train station!


We strolled down Main St. and got some nice views of the newly painted castle. I actually like the brighter colors- they make for a stunning background to everyone's iconic "in front of the castle" pictures. After looking at wait times it seemed Jungle Cruise was the only ride down, so we decided to start with DH's favorite- Pirates! We hooked a right and headed into Adventureland. The lines of course look long but it only took about 15 minutes to set sail. In the shop at the end we inquired about pin trading and the awesome CM pulled out a laminated page showing where all 7 spots in MK were- PotC shop, HM shop, Splash Mt. shop, the Emporium, Box Office Gifts on Main St. (mystery box), Space Mt. store, and Fantasy Faire. We pin traded with him and thanked him for helping us in our quest!
Next we decided to tackle Splash Mt. since the wait was posted at 30 minutes, and we'd have time to dry off before lunch. It look about that long to get through, and thankfully it didn't get us as wet as usual, though we were prepared to trade out masks if needed. I was kind of sad that this was our last ride on Splash Mt., but I'm super excited to get to ride it when they re-theme it to Princess and the Frog! Tiana is my favorite princess, and if it has the jazz music I'm hoping for it will be even more fun! We found the pin board in the spot where you'd purchase the ride photo and were able to trade 2 each. Another couple was pin trading as well and asked to look at our pins, asking if we'd like to trade. DH spotted a princess nesting doll on the lady's lanyard that I wanted and I asked if she'd trade for it. She said "sure" and picked out a Minnie pin I had. We traded by placing our respective pins on the counter, and put the pins in our bags. We heard her telling her DH as they were leaving "That's a keeper!" so I was very happy that she was equally excited about her trade as I was with mine!
We went to HM next- my favorite- and though it looked long the wait was only about 15 minutes. A spooky time as always, but the line for Momento Mori was around the building so we decided to try later. Walking into Fantasyland we discovered Peter Pan was only a 20 minutes wait- what?!? That never happens! This was the first time we'd actually been through the stand by line since they updated it and it's adorable!


There was a short wait for Under the Sea so we took that in next. Then it was just about time for our lunch adr so back to Adventureland we went. Jungle cruise was still down we noticed. We had never eaten at Skipper Canteen before and I thought it would be nice to try. From the moment we checked in the CM's were in character and it was like being on the Jungle Cruise with the corny jokes and puns- very enjoyable if like us you enjoy that sort of humor. I liked the openness with the high ceilings. We were seated in the main dining area but there is also a library and back room as well.


DH ordered the Dr. Falls steak and I chose the "Tastes Like Chicken" which is odd for me since I usually go for the odd items. Both meals were delicious- we sampled each others plates- and very filling. Our waiter kept our water glasses filled and the jokes coming in between and our meal came out quickly and fresh. The dipping sauce for the chicken tasted great over the rice too and we were stuffed byt the time we cleaned our plates.


I would give this place two thumbs up and definitely come back. next time I want to try the falafels so then I can get the Kungaloosh for dessert!

 

[disneyseniors]

Following along. I'm glad to hear the review on the Skipper Canteen
It looks great!

 

[Handykapper]

Awesome job.

 

[Handykapper]

Awesome job.

 

[Sydney2977]

Following along. I'm glad to hear the review on the Skipper Canteen
It looks great!

If you haven't tried I'd recommend! Even with the masks on the CM's did a super job of communicating and getting those jokes in.

Awesome job.

Hope you're enjoying!

 

[Sydney2977]

MK Day Afternoon:

Upon exiting Skipper Canteen we noticed Jungle Cruise had just opened up and the wait was only 15 minutes! We jumped in line and were boarding out boat in more like 10 minutes. Our Skipper was really good- she threw some extra jokes in we hadn't heard. Next we wandered to Fantasyland and I got some nice up close shots of the back of the castle and it's new paint job.


We caught a show of Mickey's Philharmagic with just a 10 minute wait and then Pooh with only a 15 minute wait. When we were on Pooh I got a text from DS1's GF that she was working at 7DMT so we popped over to say hi. She was working the disabilities entrance so we got to chat for a bit, then she nicely let us go on in at that point of the regular line (which is about where we would have got to had we been in line and not talking to her!). All these attractions were fun as always. We also pin traded in Fantasy Faire and looked at some of the other gift shops.
We wanted to go ride BTMRR but it was showing closed (and remained that way for at least two hours). At this point DH was getting a hankering for his favorite Disney treat- a Dole Whip. We cut back over that way and were surprised to catch the Princess Cavalcade! It was such a cool way to see the characters and not have to stake out a spot!



Merida on horseback, Tiana and Rapunzel in the gazebo, and then Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Elena, Jasmine, and Cinderella on the large float- a princess lover's dream come true! They were so great waving to the kids, blowing kisses, and pointing and talking to individual guests. Right now, it's the closest they can get without having the normal meet and greets, and they were doing their best to make especially the youngest guests have that magical experience.
Since we were in that neck of the woods we popped into the pin trading store to look around. On our way out they were running another cavalcade- this time the villain one. Led by Gaston it also featured the Queen of hearts, Capt. Hook, then Jafar, Maleficent, and the Evil Queen on a float with Chernbog. I have a snow globe that greatly resembles this float, so it was cool to see a life size version!


We eventually made it to our intended destination of Aloha Isle, and I opted for something a little different- the Kakmora float! It has coconut soft serve, pineapple juice, blue curacao, and a Kakamora cake pop and was super refreshing, not to mention adorable, especially for a Moana fan like me. DH went with the traditional Dole Whip float.


After enjoying our snack we took in a show at the Tiki Room and figured we needed to check out the one land we hadn't yet visited...

 

[Wood Nymph]

Our waiter was spot on and we had great service the whole time.

We had a really good server at Beaches and Cream, too. We haven't eaten there in ages but because of the reduced attendance, we have been able to get reservations there. I had a root beer float, which is almost like having dessert but in the beginning of the meal, instead of at the end.

We strolled down Main St. and got some nice views of the newly painted castle. I actually like the brighter colors- they make for a stunning background to everyone's iconic "in front of the castle" pictures.

I like the repainted castle, too. I think it looks much better now.

Walking into Fantasyland we discovered Peter Pan was only a 20 minutes wait- what?!? That never happens! This was the first time we'd actually been through the stand by line since they updated it and it's adorable!

We were surprised to find short lines, too.

We cut back over that way and were surprised to catch the Princess Cavalcade!

I love the cavalcades but missed most of the MK ones. I would love to see these continue once the Covid restrictions are finished.

 

[footballmouse]

Sounds like you were having some great days so far.

 

[Sydney2977]

MK Day Conclusion:

We knew Tomorrowland would be our last stop of the day, but before that we figured we'd hit the Main St. stores and find the pin boards before they closed them like the day before at AK. The Emporium had a long line to get in, and we didn't want to waste ride time, so we decided to hit it on our way out. We did get treated to a marching performance from the band!


At Box Office Gifts we got to do mystery pin trading. They have a box (I think they used to use this at The Chapeau hat store) with numbers on the tops of each compartment, and you can pick two numbers. The CM shows you those two pins and you are allowed to trade if you want. I didn't get anything I wanted but DH did trade 1 pin. On our way back up Main St. we caught the Boo To You cavalcade and it was adorable! The song does get stuck in your head though...




When we got to Tomorrowland Buzz only had a 20 minute wait posted, but it was pretty much a slow walk on. Of course DH beat me, but I did better than I usually do (I think because he was concentrating on directing our vehicle where I could aim easier). Next up was Space Mt. This ride is hit or miss for us- sometimes we feel fine, other times it will make us queasy or give us a headache. There was a 10 minute wait posted, but it was literally a walk on- so much so that there was no one even waiting in the boarding area and the CM's said to pick a seat! I sat in the back and DH sat in the front on one car and the ride was very fun- both of us giggling and woo-hooing the whole time, then not feeling a bit bad afterwards. We almost went to ride again since there was no wait, but we figured we better not press our luck. We did get to pin trade with the CM in the gift shop though. We walked over to Carousel Of Progress, one of our family's favs for nostalgic reasons (seriously, the theme song will begin to be sung by someone when we get together) and there were three CM's coming out and the closed sign was put up! It was only 5:30, but we guessed they closed early since it isn't as popular of an attraction. If this was our only MK day we would have been bummed out, but we knew we'd have to make sure we went earlier next time.

I had been raving to DH about the chicken waffle sandwich at Sleepy Hollow since I tried one three years before when I went to MK with DS2's band trip, but he's never had one. This was the perfect time to try one again. We made it over to Liberty Square in time to place our order, and there were just a few other groups in the shaded outdoor seating area next to it. The birds over here are apparently trained to pester guests into dropping food for them, and they were relentless! One young couple made the mistake of dropping a chip for them, and from then on all the birds just circled around them and left everyone else alone. DH agreed with me that the sandwich is spectacular, with its sweet and spicy glaze on the chicken and slaw to cool it down. Plus it's filling but not overly heavy, even on a hot day like that.

It was about 6:00 when we were done eating, so all rides were closed, but the Emporium was still letting guests in. We got in line, which started down by Casey's, and it moved pretty smoothly. We took our time looking around, did find the pin board to trade, and decided to get two little picture frames with 2020- one for each of us- that were buy one, get one free. Then we made our way to the bus stop and didn't have to wait but 5 minutes before a bus pulled up to take us back to YC. Since it wasn't too late, we took a walk around the lake to BW and hit the two pin trading spots there, then strolled back to YC. We were all cleaned up and relaxed and into bed at a decent time. After all, we did have a breakfast adr the next morning at 9:00 that we had to travel for...