ShellieMay, Slinky Dog, and the SCRUNCHIEST Thanksgiving Ever! - A Nov 18 TR *FINISHED! 4/28*

[sheri18]

We are hoping to do rope drop...but with my crowd. Not sure it will happen...I am not a roller coaster person...but hoping I won’t chicken out and try slinky dog dash and 7dmt

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Attention, toys! Andy's Backyard is now open and ready for playtime! Please follow the Cast Members as they guide you. The rest of Disney's Hollywood Studios will open at 9:00. Now, it's time to play big!

That's such a cool way to announce it, too.

I was able to weave my way very easily through the hundreds of families

Three cheers for the solo WEAVE

I took a selfie with my new best friend afterwards.

So cute!

A really sweet mother and daughter saw me and offered to take my picture!

These kinds of people are the best kind of people

 

[the2ndstar2theright]

But I was up at 6, had this rush of energy and just felt the need to be at Toy Story Land.

Relatable.

That walk from the bus stop to the gate was LONG though.

We thought the same thing!! It'll be so much better once those new bus stops are finished!

I had no idea that they would decide to open TSL 30 minutes early, and I'm not sure if that's been the norm for a while to accommodate TSL crowds in general or if they decided to do it to accommodate Thanksgiving crowds.

We had something similar happen on our trip. We were running a little behind schedule, so it was after 8:30 when we got into the park (read: I'm not sure how early they opened TSL) but we were able to get in line for TSM before 9:00, and the line for Slinky was already up over an hour!

The wait time was posted at 45 minutes, but I definitely did not wait that long. We sped through the queue because it wasn't 9:00 yet, so FP+ service hadn't started!

That's honestly amazing, especially with those crowds!

There's SO much detail in Toy Story Land... it's unbelievable!

*Le sigh* I think I walked around TSL with my mouth dropped open. It's seriously so perfect, and I loved every inch of it.

I kept bragging about how when I got off of SDD, the park hadn't even opened yet. It was, in reality, like 8:58 exactly.

Hey, 8:58 is 8:58. STILL before 9:00am!!

 

[jrmint427]

I was able to weave my way very easily through the hundreds of families with mothers pushing their strollers as fast as possible, screaming at their husbands and younger family members to keep up.

Haha, that would have been me if I was at rope drop! Though it was usually whoever had the stroller struggled to keep up with the others! I kept thinking it would have been way easier to weave through the crowds without a double stroller.

There's SO much detail in Toy Story Land... it's unbelievable!

They really put so much thought into every detail! I loved the TSM queue so much that I almost wished we could have had a longer wait just to take it all in.

 

[Newsies]

I can’t see all your pictures, not sure if just my computer, glad you got in TSL early and able to ride SDD!

I really enjoyed SDD, very fun and smooth!

Ugh! It is my Firefox, I see all of the pictures on Safari!

You scared me there for a moment, I thought I was going to have to switch photo hosts again! I'm glad you were able to see everything on Safari!!

SDD is such a smooth coaster, it's almost like 7DMT!

Love this shot - have not seen one like it before. Great that you were off to a nice solo start to your day.

Thank you so much! It was a picture perfect start to a morning

UGH, you're making me NEED to go see Toy Story Land. I'm so glad you had such a magical morning and that SDD was everything you hoped it would be. And you are SERVIN with the Alien headband and shirt and Alien in the back. Stunning. Can't wait to hear about how the rest of your morning in DHS went!

Well, sis... maybe we should apply for Summer Alumn at WDW together, then we could see TSL together! Thank you once again for your sweet-as-gooseberry-pie- comments, I love you

Following! Love the Shellie May bag. I didn't know they opened TSL early either, but I'm not really a rope drop person. I'm glad you were able to get through the SDD line so fast and had a great time!

Thank you so much for being here, I really appreciate it! SDD was a blast, it surely was a pixie-dusted day at DHS all around!

 

[Newsies]

We are hoping to do rope drop...but with my crowd. Not sure it will happen...I am not a roller coaster person...but hoping I won’t chicken out and try slinky dog dash and 7dmt

I will say-- SDD looks very intimidating, but it ended up being very smooth and tame! 7DMT is also very smooth, and much smaller-- I think it's the absolute perfect coaster for non-roller coaster people!

That's such a cool way to announce it, too.


Three cheers for the solo WEAVE


So cute!


These kinds of people are the best kind of people

YES! The themed announcement made it the coolest opening I've ever been a part of!

"Three cheers for the solo WEAVE" I'm CRYING, why is everything you say just so naturally funny?!?

Thank you so much!!

EXACTLY-- I love great Disney guests!! They inspire me to try to be the one who offers to take pictures!

Relatable.



We thought the same thing!! It'll be so much better once those new bus stops are finished!



We had something similar happen on our trip. We were running a little behind schedule, so it was after 8:30 when we got into the park (read: I'm not sure how early they opened TSL) but we were able to get in line for TSM before 9:00, and the line for Slinky was already up over an hour!



That's honestly amazing, especially with those crowds!



*Le sigh* I think I walked around TSL with my mouth dropped open. It's seriously so perfect, and I loved every inch of it.



Hey, 8:58 is 8:58. STILL before 9:00am!!

Glad you can #relate!

Yes, I am desperate for Disney to finish up this bus stop construction-- however, I don't know if I'm hopeful it'll be done before our August trip!

I ran behind schedule the next day (Animal Kingdom), so I got there just before 8:00 and Pandora was already up to an hour as well!

TSL is absolutely my new favorite part of the resort!!

Haha, that would have been me if I was at rope drop! Though it was usually whoever had the stroller struggled to keep up with the others! I kept thinking it would have been way easier to weave through the crowds without a double stroller.



They really put so much thought into every detail! I loved the TSM queue so much that I almost wished we could have had a longer wait just to take it all in.

Yes! The best way to do TSL rope-drop, I found out, it 100% stroller-less!

I have good news for you-- the next update includes lots of pictures from the TSM queue!!!

 

[missangelalexis]

What a fantastic start in TSL! Love the alien headband!!

 

[Slick519]

Loving your trip report! I also have to tell you that my daughter is obsessed with Newsies so I love your username and description!!

 

[Newsies]

What a fantastic start in TSL! Love the alien headband!!

Thank you so, so much!! It was such an exciting day!!

Loving your trip report! I also have to tell you that my daughter is obsessed with Newsies so I love your username and description!!

Thank you so much for being here and leaving a comment, I really appreciate it!

Tell your daughter I said "Hi, fellow Fansie! " I made this account while Newsies was still on Broadway-- I saw it 8 times during it's run!

 

[Slick519]

Thank you so, so much!! It was such an exciting day!!

Wow- 8 times! That’s awesome! I’ll pass your message along to my daughter- thanks

Thank you so much for being here and leaving a comment, I really appreciate it!

Tell your daughter I said "Hi, fellow Fansie! " I made this account while Newsies was still on Broadway-- I saw it 8 times during it's run!

Thank you so, so much!! It was such an exciting day!!



Thank you so much for being here and leaving a comment, I really appreciate it!

Tell your daughter I said "Hi, fellow Fansie! " I made this account while Newsies was still on Broadway-- I saw it 8 times during it's run!

I think I put my response in the wrong place. Lol sorry!

 

[Newsies]

How Can I Make it Any Plain-ia?​

I decided that the best course of action for me would be to get Joffrey's coffee and go back to TSL when my family arrived later in the day, that way I'd be able to do some more DHS attractions.

... But then on my way out, I saw that the line to meet Buzz Lightyear wasn't too bad, so I got in line. After all: when in Rome, do as the Romans. When in Toy Story Land dressed as a little green alien, give Buzz Lightyear a hug. Especially when he has his lopsided little Santa Claus had on. I ended up waiting about 15 minutes, and only because Buzz Lightyear ran to check on Star Command for a moment.

Buzz Lightyear was a lot of fun, and greeted me with a big hug. This photo is a big mood.

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He was enthused about my alien ears, however, the PhotoPass attendant did not want to take photos of most of our interaction. I ended up with that photo up there and these two down below:

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I LOVE that my alien ears are giving him the side-eye in that top photo.

When I was done with my Buzz photos, I actually went to grab coffee from that Joffrey's stand outside of TSL. I grabbed a caramel iced latte and headed back towards One Man's Dream. On my walk over, I saw someone I knew from my DCP! He works at TSL on another DCP now, so it was fun to catch up and talk with him for a minute before heading on my way.

At first I thought about heading into One Man's Dream, but then I realized I really wanted some popcorn, and I might as well pick up a Pluto popcorn bucket if I can't get an Alien one this trip. The line was kinda long, but I was able to snag my Pluto bucket and sit for a minute while I snacked on some hot popcorn and scrolled through my phone.

Almost as soon as I sat down, Grace texted me and told me that the rest of the family had just gotten off the bus at Hollywood Studios. I wasn't expecting them until later, but it didn't matter. I packed up my popcorn bucket and headed towards the front of the park. Mom and dad had to go to the bathroom, then they wanted to see Toy Story Land.

First, I insisted we took some pictures! There was a Photopass line that wasn't very long, and the CM had a fun Holiday themed prop.

Just as it was our turn, we were stopped by a certain group of Stormtroopers...

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Once they passed, it was our turn to get photos!

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Then the family really wanted to see TSL, so I told them I would bring them back there.

... After I stopped to photograph The Girls(tm) here.

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I don't quite understand this kitsch-y, 50s(?) decoration theme that DHS did this holiday season, but I LOVED these three... they represent Me and The Girls skipping glass to get coffee together.

I knew that Grace was really excited to see TSL. Seeing her face when she saw Woody after that turn around the corner from Animation Courtyard was a priceless moment, I wish I had captured it on camera! The moment we got to TSL, everyone decided that doing the stand-by line for Toy Story Mania, which was posted at 90 minutes, would be the best thing for us to do.

I got a LOT of photos from the Toy Story Mania queue.

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Just so everyone knows... I LOVE Mr. Potato Head. With my whole entire heart. I love the jokes. I LOVE the Midway Mania theme song. I just love him, okay?

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The wait ended up being true to 90 minutes. Mom and I took one side while dad and Grace took the other side. I "won" best in our vehicle, but mom really wins TSM every time because she spends the entire time shrieking and laughing with delight. It's why I always play TSM against her.

We were really hungry afterwards, so we decided to do lunch at Woody's Lunch Box next.

(Click here to continue!)​

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[amberdc1987]

Love the pics of you and Buzz!! His hat just makes it! I'm sorry the photographer didn't take more pictures. I do love the Pluto popcorn bucket though!! It's adorable!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Buzz's floppy velvety Santa hat is my new favorite thing about Christmas omg And you look so happy to see him, I'm crying. Let's go meet Buzz together! I rarely meet him so we need to make him a thing.

Your family PP photos are adorable. Grace seems so happy to have that Christmas Pluto popcorn bucket (a MOOD).

Lol the girls aka us at every DCP event that we went to together.

I don't know if I needed that HQ photo of the Peter Pan ViewMaster disc or that HQ photo needed me because I did not realize the detail on that. Disney, you stun!

Your mom is actually my mom on most rides. So reactive, it adds to the experience!

Can't wait to read about the rest of your day with your fam at DHS!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

When in Toy Story Land dressed as a little green alien, give Buzz Lightyear a hug

Honestly, the best motto to live by right there

however, the PhotoPass attendant did not want to take photos of most of our interaction

This. Okay maybe as a former CM you know more than I do about this, but why is it that some photographers take tons and tons of photos and some only take like two?? Is there a reason or is it just dependent on the CM?

but I was able to snag my Pluto bucket and sit for a minute while I snacked on some hot popcorn and scrolled through my phone

Sounds like heaven! Disney popcorn and some screen time.

So neat to read about your fam experiencing TSL for the first time! It's moments like those that make the craziness that is a Disney trip absolutely worth it.

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

Hi! I’m just joining in, but loving your trip report so far!

I’ve always dreamed of staying at the Poly and I love those deluxe studios! They’re so spacious!

It seems like the school bread in Norway just isn’t what it used to be. But OMG, I’m totally with you on the treats in France! I’ve never tried what you ate, but it sounds DELICIOUS! I always get a Napoleon and an eclair! YUM!

How awesome that you were able to get into TSL early! Isn’t Slinky the best?! Totally adore the picture of you and Buzz in his Santa hat!

 

[Newsies]

Love the pics of you and Buzz!! His hat just makes it! I'm sorry the photographer didn't take more pictures. I do love the Pluto popcorn bucket though!! It's adorable!

His hat was such a great touch for the holiday experience, I'm so glad they added it! Sometimes, PP CMs just don't take a lot-- it be like that sometimes, we just gotta roll with it! And I love the Pluto bucket, too! So cute!!

Buzz's floppy velvety Santa hat is my new favorite thing about Christmas omg And you look so happy to see him, I'm crying. Let's go meet Buzz together! I rarely meet him so we need to make him a thing.

Your family PP photos are adorable. Grace seems so happy to have that Christmas Pluto popcorn bucket (a MOOD).

Lol the girls aka us at every DCP event that we went to together.

I don't know if I needed that HQ photo of the Peter Pan ViewMaster disc or that HQ photo needed me because I did not realize the detail on that. Disney, you stun!

Your mom is actually my mom on most rides. So reactive, it adds to the experience!

Can't wait to read about the rest of your day with your fam at DHS!

I was SO happy to see him!!! If we do Summer Alumn together, we have to meet Buzz together. And spend more time together in general. Fingers crossed.

LOOOOOOL the girls, aka us leaving the winter formal only to get lost in coronado springs together looking for the bus

The ViewMaster discs in the TSL queue are SO adorable!! You need photos with them STAT, so let's hurry back to WDW together.

I can't wait to update you again!!!

Honestly, the best motto to live by right there


This. Okay maybe as a former CM you know more than I do about this, but why is it that some photographers take tons and tons of photos and some only take like two?? Is there a reason or is it just dependent on the CM?


Sounds like heaven! Disney popcorn and some screen time.

So neat to read about your fam experiencing TSL for the first time! It's moments like those that make the craziness that is a Disney trip absolutely worth it.

I think in 98% of the cases, it's based off of the CM. Either they're new in general or new to the location they're working in that day, or just having a bad day and not feelin' it. I had a very close friend of mine in PP who loved her job, but got really confused when she was deployed to a new location, and she mentioned she was worried about the quality of her photos when she first started there.

Heaven is probably just a popcorn stand and a comfy bench with a phone charger. At least, that's what my idea of heaven looks like!

Exactly... getting to see Grace's face when she saw Woody for the first time made everything worth it!

Hi! I’m just joining in, but loving your trip report so far!

I’ve always dreamed of staying at the Poly and I love those deluxe studios! They’re so spacious!

It seems like the school bread in Norway just isn’t what it used to be. But OMG, I’m totally with you on the treats in France! I’ve never tried what you ate, but it sounds DELICIOUS! I always get a Napoleon and an eclair! YUM!

How awesome that you were able to get into TSL early! Isn’t Slinky the best?! Totally adore the picture of you and Buzz in his Santa hat!

Thank you so much for being here, I really appreciate it!

The Poly is amazing, I hope you get to stay there one day!!

That's what I was thinking, too-- I don't think the School Bread is what it used to be anymore. Thankfully, the food in France is wonderful! I need to try an eclair the next time I go!

It was AWESOME!! We loved Slinky!! Thanks so much for your kind words!!

 

[missangelalexis]

Cute pics with Buzz! And I love the family photos, so adorable!

I'm excited to see the new queue for TSMM, looks so cute!

 

[Newsies]

Cute pics with Buzz! And I love the family photos, so adorable!

I'm excited to see the new queue for TSMM, looks so cute!

Thank you so much!!

They did an amazing job with all of the TSL queues, but TSMM is especially detailed! You're going to love all of the fun surprises hidden in there!

 

[Newsies]

The Second Half of Our TSL-Venture​

So before we get into the update itself... guys, I have serious PTR fever right now. During the PTR for this trip, I said I would give PTRs a break because I never feel like I could keep them updated with useful information, but wow do I wish I had a PTR this week! On Sunday, my usual touring calender w/ crowd predictions was updated for August, and then today- MNSSHP tickets went on sale! There are two parties during the week we're there, and we bought tickets for Tuesday, August 20!! We are so excited!!

I promised myself that if I desperately needed to write another PTR, I'd at least wait until this TR was wrapped up... so until that day comes (will it ever? we may never know!), I'll just be sharing my excitement over my upcoming trip alongside my updates here!

After jumping off of Midway Mania, we decided to set our sights on Woody's Lunch Box. We were all pretty hungry at this point!

On our way out of the queue, we of course had to get a photo with the iconic popsicle wall.

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We tried to mobile order at Woody's Lunch Box, but MDE was-- get ready, this one's a shocker!-- not working for us. Sometimes, certain QS locations will turn off mobile ordering if they're getting too backed up in the kitchen and can't staff mobile ordering. But I think the app was just trash in this instance, because it told us we would be able to order at WLB... until it came time to load the menu.

No matter, we got in the standby line which looked long, but we didn't wait that long. Once it was almost our turn to order, mom decided to go find a table. WLB was crazy busy, and if you didn't already know this, there is not enough seating. In fact, TSL has a remarkable lack of seating on the whole. If you want to eat at WLB, you're definitely going to want to eat during an off-time, and have a member of your party find a table before you order!

The QS CMs were all amazing at the Lunch Box, as usual. Our cashier was super helpful and efficient in getting our complicated DDP order through (we needed to do two separate orders since we were using both QS credits and snack credits). The window attendants were also super friendly! Everyone was great.

Mom eventually found a table, but there were only two seats. I offered to stand, but we were able to borrow two chairs from a couple sitting near us who was waiting for two more partners to join them. They explained their situation, and agreed to let us borrow the chairs until their partners came along, when we promised to give the chairs back to them. The partners did not arrive until after we were finished eating, so it was a win/win. Or at least, a win for us and a... neutral score for the other party.

Grace, mom, and I all ordered the same thing: The Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwich with potato barrels. Dad got the Smoked Turkey Sandwich with potato barrels. Mom and dad got the Cranberry-Apple Lunch Box Tart, and Grace and I got the Chocolate-Hazelnut Lunch Box Tart.

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The Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwich consisted of melted provolone, cheddar cheese, and a cheddar cream cheese spread in between two slices of garlic-buttered and grilled artisan french bread. I thought that the cheese mixture was honestly a little funky. It was tangy, but it didn't taste as strong as it smelled-- and it smelled very strong! The bread was very good. And so were the potato barrels! They were hot and crispy on the outside.

The chocolate hazelnut tart is just a homemade "artisan" pop tart with a nutella filling, maple fondant, and little chocolate crunchy bits on top (and really tiny bacon bits.) I didn't eat much of my tart. Ironically, it was one of the things I was looking forward to most! I can't really comment on it-- I took two bites of it, and I'm sure it was fine, but we wanted to rush off to our Swirling Saucers FP+, so we agreed to wrap our tarts up and save them for later.

All in all, I have very mixed feelings on Woody's Lunch Box. While I'm not sure I'll return again, I really appreciated having options that were lighter and far different than the usual burgers and nuggets that run rampant in the DHS QS scene. I recommend it... I think.

After giving our two seats back to the couple next to us, we made our way over to Alien Swirling Saucers!

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Grace and I rode together, and mom and dad rode together. Honestly, it was SO much fun! I don't think any of the four of us stopped laughing the entire time. It's a really cute ride, and the "whipping" from side to side was not as rough as I expected it to be. If you have small kids with you, this is 100% a must-do.

Once we got off of SS, we decided it was time to go back to the resort for a swim. It was hot, we had seen enough of TSL, and we were ready to go back before the crowds could get any worse. After a bathroom break, I forced Grace to take yet another photo of me-- this time, in front of the Hamm cookie!

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I love the energy in this photo... trendy bag, trendy popcorn bucket, trendy photo op spot... big trend energy.

We stopped at the souvenir cart on our way out of TSL so that mom and dad could get the souvenirs they so desperately wanted. In all, we walked away with...

- 3 light-up alien tumblers (one for Grace, one for dad, one for me)
- 2 pins
- 2 Alien Swirling Saucer toys
- A light-up slinky dog toy
- An alien ear headband for dad
- A slinky dog headband for mom

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Extra? Us? Never...

Once we got back to Hollywood Boulevard, we stopped for pictures once again. A PP CM had another really cute prop for us to use. I adore how these came out!

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We had ONE final stop we needed to make before heading back to the Poly. I dragged dad into the Trolley Car Cafe so that we could grab two of my favorite snacks in DHS, the carrot cake cookie. It got a makeover recently, but it's still delicious!

We made our way back to the bus stop. Once again, this is an incredibly long walk-- and we waited even longer for a bus. It wasn't fun. However-- it was about 2:30 when we got there, and that means I was able to get almost everything in TSL done before 2:00!

We went back to the resort and decided to head to the pool.

(Click here to continue!)​

 

[missangelalexis]

You guys lived your best lives in TSL! I love the list of things purchased And you guys all wearing your headbands is the cutest!!

Oh and yay for getting MNSSHP tickets! So exciting!