Soarin' Over The Pond - An Oct 2017 Adult Mother-Daughter Trip, Yacht Club, MNSSHP, F&W UPDATED 12/2 2021!!

[MrsPMcD]

Great update and so glad you came out laughing despite the less than stellar meal. I've never been to Epcot during F&W but have read lots of reports saying how crazy it is!!
I love the birthday basket and the balcony is just perfect for a glass of fizz
What a view

I had read those too and I thought people must be exaggerating but eeeew, they were not. I would not go again on a weekend!

 

[MrsPMcD]

Day Two - Happy Birthday Epcot!!

Apologies for the delay in actually posting day 2! My now not so new job is still super busy (but fun) and I was also really ill over Christmas and then we lost our fur baby so trip reporting fell by the wayside. However as our next trip to the World starts in 59 days (FP+ are all secured!) I thought I needed to hustle on with this report - if anybody is still reading it...

I actually managed to sleep all night so no checking the clock every hour and I was even woken up by alarm at 0700. We had a quick room breakfast of pitta and PB with a cup of tea (can't hit the parks without tea!) and then we were off. The sky wasn't splitting with sunshine as we walked towards International Gateway but it wasn't raining yet either! My aim was to be at IG by 0830 as I was expecting pretty big crowds for Epcot's 35th birthday and thought there might be something special happening - there might have been at the main entrance but not IG. We did get our 35th anniversary "I was there" buttons though and they were super cool. We modelled those with our 35 ears too

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IG wasn't actually too busy and we were about the 20th people there. With not much going on it was a bit of a boring wait but I used the time to check out the day's offerings on the special commemorative map. We debated whether or not to go for the merchandise but decided we would rather just soak up some memories than by more stuff, plus we already had our ears, buttons and maps!

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As soon as we were released at rope drop people started sprinting, I've seen this before with the Frozen "dash" but this was different, and a bit confusing, I definitely wondered if I was missing something. But everybody was just sprinting to the merchandise area! We wondered again if we were really missing out (there hadn't been anything I'd seen on the Disney blog that I really wanted) but decided to stick with the original plan and take advantage of being in early to get another ride on Soarin'!

Over at The Land pavilion Soarin' was a walk on and we soared all over the world on B1 again. After Soarin' we checked out the merchandise queue and woooooooow was that sucker long! It was also raining and we just weren't interested! Instead we turned back around and headed to one of our favourites, Living With the Land. When I was a teenager this was boredom central but I love it again now - I loved it at 5 &10 too just not in the "Universal Years" - anyone with teenagers I'm sure you know the scenario!! LWtL was lovely and calm as usual, we loved spotting all the plants being grown for F&W Festival and loved the 35 that they had grown with cabbages! We got some info on the Behind the Seeds Tour as we thought we might do that this year (2018). Anybody done it and recommend it?

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As we had boarded I'd noticed the LWtL Cast Member had a pin trading...banana! I guess LWtL themed! So my Mum traded a pin from her birthday pack - our first ever pin trade! We really liked doing this, it was a great way to interact with CMs. We may grab another mystery pack this year and trade again - the guys will hate that though

After our ride and pin trade we headed into Sunshine Seasons I seriously love this place. I have wonderful memories of it as a child and I think if they ever get rid of the hot air balloons I'd be seriously sad. I had my heart set on something I had seen mentioned in the special edition map - a special 35 cupcake. Wow. I really regretted splitting it with my Mum!! It was chocolate with a PB&J core and PB icing. So. Good!! Also ridiculously pretty!

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Almost too pretty to eat... almost! Oh and time for more tea too!

Our FP+ for Spaceship Earth was ready and I was super excited. It's between SSE and ToT for my favourite ride in all of WDW - just slightly different experiences. Plus, unlike LWtL I have never lost my love for this ride. It's my Dad's favourite too. I just find it instantly relaxing and super soothing. Zen! No photos here as I just really like to be in the moment on this ride. I work in comms and I wonder if that has something to do with my love for this ride. Once we exited the ride Future World was super super busy so we hopped over to WS for opening and the serenity of the gardens in China.

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One of our goals for this trip was to explore some of the pavilions more deeply and we really enjoyed the gardens in China and the Shanghai Disney display before we went in to see the 360 film. Bit of a pet peeve alert why do people go into these films just to talk, sit on the floor (when they've been told not to) and look at their phones. It's really irritating for those of us who are actually interested. Anyway rant over!

Next up we explored Italy, we always spend time in this pavilion and this wouldn't be our last visit this trip! There's a totally random sign tucked away which says "Gemma" (my name) and which I have a photo with for every trip from age 5-31! I wish I'd retaken the one I got on honeymoon as it's not great but c'est la vie!

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Next up we wandered up to Germany to the Christmas shop and to breathe in the smell at Karamel Kuche. We didn't buy anything this time but we picked out what we wanted before heading back to Norway for... our first trip on Frozen Ever After. I know this ride is divisive and I'm not a massive Frozen fan but I definitely wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Meh. It was OK but I would definitely not queue standby for it!

Our stomachs were grumbling by this time so we stopped back into China for a QS snack. The china QS restaurant gets really bad reviews but I love the pot stickers here (as does my husband) and my Mum likes the spring rolls so to each their own I guess!!

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On our way back to Future World for another ride on Soarin' (told you we went on it a lot!) we met my No. 1 duck in Mexico

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I love Donald, he's my favourite character to meet and is always so happy when you tell him he's your favourite. Got to love an under dog errr duck.

After Soarin' we decided it was time to leave Epcot for some pool time, via Canada, where we watched Oh Canada (more people on phones/talking) and enjoyed the waterfall! Another pavilion explored! Having reread all our trip notes now it's no wonder that my feet ached! We fairly covered some distance!!

We got changed quickly in our room and then headed to the pool via Hurricane Hannah's for lunch. Yum. I text my husband this photo as the pulled pork sandwich at HH is one of his favourites.

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We also had a Pina Colava each, although mine was virgin (boooo) as I was driving later. We had a wonderful time just chilling at Stormalong Bay, we floated around the lazy river a few times and sunbathed. Perfect remedy to Epcot sore feet!

Next up Day 2 Part 2 Adventures in car hire land, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Sanaa and back to Epcot!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Great update. Looking forward to more

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

Looking forward to reading what you thought of Animal Kingdom!!!

 

[natebenma]

Hi Gemma!

I'm late to the party, but loved what I have read so far.

What a dilemma about choosing between YC/BC CL. I think you made a good call.

What a bummer about all of the rain and all of the downed rides during your MK visit. Were you ever able to use your couple of "anytime" FP? I have to agree with you about favorite rides- Peter Pan and Big Thunder.

I swear I am always learning something new. I didn't know about the glass-blowing on Main Street. I don't spend much time shopping when at Disney so I am not in the shops often. When I was working, one of my largest clients was a boutique glass company and I got to tour their factory on one visit. It was fascinating!

What a super birthday basket for your mum!

LOL at the Universal Years. I TOTALLY know what you mean. I am there right now with my teen boys.

We had a similar experience with La Hacienda. It was our favorite meal in July 2013, then my husband and I dined there again in October 2016. It was ok, but not nearly the magical first meal we had there.

I have done the Behind the Seeds tour. I really liked it. I'll post a link here to my trip report chapter.

OMG, I love your mouse ears and especially the picture of them framing Spaceship Earth!

 

[MrsPMcD]

Great update. Looking forward to more

Thank you! We leave 3 weeks today for Florida and arrive at the Beach Club in 29 days so I really need to catch up with this trip report....!! Hopefully get the next one or two up next week.

Looking forward to reading what you thought of Animal Kingdom!!!

Watch this space

Hi Gemma!

I'm late to the party, but loved what I have read so far.

What a dilemma about choosing between YC/BC CL. I think you made a good call.

What a bummer about all of the rain and all of the downed rides during your MK visit. Were you ever able to use your couple of "anytime" FP? I have to agree with you about favorite rides- Peter Pan and Big Thunder.

I swear I am always learning something new. I didn't know about the glass-blowing on Main Street. I don't spend much time shopping when at Disney so I am not in the shops often. When I was working, one of my largest clients was a boutique glass company and I got to tour their factory on one visit. It was fascinating!

What a super birthday basket for your mum!

LOL at the Universal Years. I TOTALLY know what you mean. I am there right now with my teen boys.

We had a similar experience with La Hacienda. It was our favorite meal in July 2013, then my husband and I dined there again in October 2016. It was ok, but not nearly the magical first meal we had there.

I have done the Behind the Seeds tour. I really liked it. I'll post a link here to my trip report chapter.

OMG, I love your mouse ears and especially the picture of them framing Spaceship Earth!

Thank you for joining in and reading! I've been so slow with updates but glad you are enjoying what I've put up! I know it was such a dilemma but we really loved our YC room.

We did get any time FP and were really lucky with them. We never got back to Space but we got to FP+ BTMR at night and we rode 7DMT twice in a row on FP due to our any time passes - very lucky!

The glass blowing was so cool and such a different experience and quiet thing to do in the heart of MK.

I loved putting together the birthday basket and Mum was totally thrilled with it so it was lots of fun.

I'm sure the boys will find their Disney side again! We didn't even go to universal on our last trip and we decided not to this time too!

I'm glad it wasn't just me/the margaritas with La Hacienda then! It was such a terrible table too and I was really miffed with the management.

Oh I must check out your trip report on Behind the Seeds, I've been reading along with your report but am so behind on all my DIS reading!

Thank you re the ears, they're made by a girl here in Scotland The Merry Ear Market but she ships all over the world. I love my ToT ones too, they'll be coming up in a future instalment. We got the Epcot ears with interchangeable bows too so we an still wear them post 35th year!

Thanks again for reading along!

 

[mcjaco]

I too, love the China QS. Let the haters, hate!

 

[jrmint427]

I pointed out (IMHO) the best hidden Mickey on property! I love the Steamboat Willie hidden Mickey! It took mum a while to see it but with some help from a friendly cast member on the opposite side of the water she got it.

I'm enjoying your report! But... I have been staring at this picture for too long and still do not see the hidden Mickey Where is it?!

 

[MrsPMcD]

I'm enjoying your report! But... I have been staring at this picture for too long and still do not see the hidden Mickey Where is it?!

Haha fair enough. So it's a Steamboat Willie hidden Mickey. This YouTube video talks you through it a bit. The easiest bit to see is the ships wheel and then look for his head and hat, then I'd say the next bit to see is his boot. It's a super clever one!

 

[MrsPMcD]

Day 2 Part 2 Adventures in car hire land, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Sanaa and back to Epcot!



I last left off when we were heading back to our room to prepare for adventures in car hire land! I’ve tried to make it sound exciting but really, be warned all ye who enter this distinctly non-Disney place. The last time I rented a car at Disney it was with my husband on our honeymoon and we were able to collect it and return it at the Swolphin. This time the times at the Swolphin were really restrictive and mum and I had to opt for the car care centre. After almost getting concussion on the shuttle – the driver was flying around and my head had a near miss with a metal hand rail…

(not actual footage - for the Disney Lawyers - but ya know, close enough!)

we arrived at the ‘Disney' Car Care Centre yet it is most definitely not in the Disney bubble – perhaps obviously but I think they could at least try to cheer this dismal grey place up a bit! Anyway we collected our car, which we had for 24 hours so we could get to the malls easily, and headed off to Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas for dinner. Yay for Sanaa.


As we had plenty of time we first headed over to Animal Kingdom Lodge for a good look around. I had only been to the Villas (again Sanaa) before so I was excited. I also had a secret mission… Zebra Domes!!

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We loved exploring the Lodge and spent a long time in each of the animal viewing areas. We also checked out Jiko and decided to book for our next trip – less than 3 weeks away! Jiko looks fantastic and we have booked it for my Dad’s birthday meal, he spends a lot of time in Africa so we think he will like it a lot. We were worried that it would be too loud as the noise coming from Boma was CRAZZZZZY! But the noise seemed to disappear once we were inside.

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After checking out Jiko it was on to the Mara for my next mission. Mission accomplished! I didn’t want to ruin my appetite for Sanaa so I didn’t tuck in straight away but enjoyed two for dessert in our room later – yum, consider me a fully paid up member of the Zebra Dome fan club. I feel a trip to the Mara coming on!

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We got a table with a view of the animals in Sanaa, not right at the window as we’d had on honeymoon, but one so my Mum could see easily. Mum really enjoyed seeing the animals whilst we ate. Unfortunately due to some allergies she didn’t have the best meal but mine was epic! We didn’t tackle the mighty bread service this time as Mum didn’t think she could eat all of it… she was shocked to hear that on honeymoon DH and I had eaten the bread service, a main and shared a dessert. LOL amateur!


After dinner I successfully managed to navigate the maze of back roads in Disney and we returned ‘home’ to the Yacht Club! We were pretty pooped by this time but it was still Epcot's 35th birthday and we didn't want to miss the birthday fireworks so it was back out to the International Gateway and thank goodness we went! Best. Disney. Fireworks. Ever. Not only did we get standard Illuminations which we love but then a whole other fireworks show started, pretty much my face was like this...

I still haven't got over how good these fireworks were! We were both so relieved that we had made the trek back to Epcot and had got to see this amazing show. Thank you Disney! What an end to a great day!

Next up: Day 3 shop 'til you drop, resort time and a spectacular night in the Magic Kingdom.

 

[MrsPMcD]

Day 3 shop 'til you drop, resort time and a spectacular night in the Magic Kingdom

Spending hours travelling for work is handy for catching up on trip reports that's for sure! So two updates for the price of one!


The next morning we were up bright eyed and bushy tailed for a morning of shopping, but as anybody knows you can’t shop on an empty stomach so our first port of call was finding a Perkins for a proper American breakfast! This will sound weird to US readers but going out for breakfast in the States is such a different experience and we love the pancakes in the states.


We had a great breakfast with eggs, bacon and stacks of pancakes oh and of course the whipped butter (doesn’t exist in the UK and just tastes of America for me!!) and maple syrup.


Even after breakfast we were still some of the first in the car park at the Universal end outlet malls. We did some good shopping including a new Kate Spade handbag for me and lots of yankee candles to take home. We were finished earlier than planned which meant – yay – more time to spend in the Yacht Club. Once we had dropped the hire car and transferred quite a lot of shopping bags onto the shuttle bus it was back to the Disney bubble and the serenity of the Yacht Club. I do just adore this resort.

The whole atmosphere is so calming from the smells to the lighting, aaahhhh.

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Back in the room we decided to just chill on our balcony and watch the world go by rather than make the trek to the pool. We enjoyed a makeshift lunch on the balcony of pita, peanutbutter, some hard cider and zebra domes – lunch of champions. We read and enjoyed the view on the balcony for a while and then I decided to go for a wander around the Yacht Club. I picked up some more snacks in the new Ale & Compass grab and go section and then poked around the shop for a while before taking the external route back through the secret door to our room. Bliss!

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Soon we were on a bus to the Magic Kingdom! We had a meal booked at Skipper’s Canteen but first we had a Fast Pass to set the scene… off to the Jungle Cruise!! We had a good skipper and enjoyed our cruise through the rivers of the world. It was great to take our tour right before our meal and I would really recommend doing this if it works for you. It just adds a little more to the theming as you can get straight off your boat and stroll into the restaurant, when you’re a proper DisNerd this is great. We are eating in Skipper’s Canteen again on this trip and as soon as our last FP+ is scanned in AK that day I’ll be checking FP+ for Jungle Cruise.

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It took us about 30mins to get seated in SC once we checked in which was pushing it a bit as I’d wanted plenty of time to find a good fireworks spot but it di dgive me time to be nosy and look at all the Imagineering details/find ones I had read about. Once we were seated we were also frozen!! The air con was up so high that I was yearning to get back outside to warm up – this is odd for us given that in Scotland you’re usually desperate to get inside to get warm… We were in the main Mess Hall. I would probably rather have been in another smaller (and probably warmer) room but there was no way I was asking for a different table having waited so long!

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Probably no surprise as I’ve already said we are going back but YUM! Probably the best meal I had on this trip. The dim sum (S.E.A. Shu Mai) were fantastic and the ‘tastes like chicken, because it is’ was absolutely delicious. I spoke to the manager at the time and said as much, also asked him to please not ‘dumb down’ the menu – I’d read mixed reviews and lots said the food was too adventurous for Disney! He assured me there was no intention to make the menu less adventurous so that’s great! I also had a couple of glasses of the Sangria which was good, pretty authentic tasting.


After our meal it was time to find a good spot for Happily Ever After, unfortunately it was now 830pm… so our spot was OK for the fireworks but we could barely see the projections. Lesson learned and this year I’m expecting a delay in seating so have booked an earlier table! I wasn’t too worried about the projections as (I know they’re not the same) we would see some at MNSSHP and we were also in the luxurious position of knowing we would be back in 6 months!!

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When Wishes finished I was really sad and I do still wish I had seen it one more time but Happily Ever After was wonderful! I definitely cried and even 6 months later typing this on a business trip I can feel my eyes welling up! It was really special to listen to the music, see the fantastic pyrotechnics and share it with my Mum. So special. I enjoyed watching her face and seeing her reactions.


When the fireworks finished we were also really excited as the park hours had been extended (not EMH) and whilst loads of people rushed for the exits we had two more hours of park exploration including a FP+ for BTMR, HOW exciting!! We’d never ridden BTMR in the dark so this was something we were both really looking forward to. However to avoid being crushed by those running for the buses we stayed in our spot and clung to the railings until this had passed...

We made our way over to Frontier Land enjoying the MK at night. I love looking at all the lights around Liberty Square and seeing the Haunted Mansion at night. It’s also nice to really stroll through the parks. This is the way we generally tour now, I heavily plan using FP+ and rope drop but then we just chill and see what’s available/take in the details. It means we end up doing things like Carousel of Progress, People Mover and the Tiki Room which we love but wouldn’t do in our old days of “Commando Style touring” then it was about getting on as many thrill rides as possible but these were also the ‘Universal Years’ @natebenma Now I work in a creative industry and can’t get enough of the details.

Anyway, I digress. We arrived in Frontier Land and we were soon off to Tumbleweed! We LOVED BTMR at night! It was so much more fun (I love it anyway) but the details at night and the enhanced feeling of speed was great. I made sure to take note of the party in the tavern and pointed it out to Mum too.

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Now it was time to cash in our “any time” FP+ - if you remember on my Mum’s birthday in MK both Space and Peter Pan had been down so our concierge had given us two FP+ to use on anything at any time. Score! We were off to do another coaster at night!

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We criss crossed back across the park to New Fantasyland, stopping to watch the Liberty Bell paddle steamer which was beautifully lit. The queue for 7DMT was still 90mins or so but trusty FP+ in hand we were soon boarding our mine carriages and getting ready to sing-along with the dwarves.

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7DMT was LOADS of fun and we had a great train of people who all sang along in the mine – so much more fun when everyone sings – yes? Or do other people find it annoying??!

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Having worked in the mine and sped back to Snow White’s cottage we wondered what to do with our other FP+….. hmmmmm well how often can you go straight on 7DMT again? Never! So that’s exactly what we did!

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After our second ride through the mines we were getting pretty pooped. We’d shopped til we dropped, explored the rivers of the world, eaten in the crew’s canteen, seen amazing pyrotechnics and ridden through Tumbleweed and jewel mines but we weren’t ready to call it a night. We had something in mind that we needed to tick off our Disney bucket list… any guesses?


With 20 mins still to park closure we decided to explore the area of New Fantasyland we seldom go to. I also want to recreate a photo of my Mum and I on Dumbo when I was 5. However… Mum HATES Dumbo, mainly because as a child I LOVED pushing buttons and when you pushed Dumbo’s button he went up and down and my Mum felt horrendously travel sick! Having promised not to push buttons or pull levers as it is these days we got into the non-existent queue for Dumbo. Somehow Mum managed to make Dumbo go down! She must have realllllly not wanted to ride. So I settled for a photo in stationary Dumbo.

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Mum blatantly just humouring me in this pic

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We still just had time to hit one more ride so Mum wanted to try out the Barnstormer which I will never queue for… and Mum found out why. I’d never been on before but I knew how short it was and how long the queues can be. It was a walk on for us but it took us longer to work our way out of the queuing system than the ride took! Anyway it was fun to do and the park was now closing. We headed back to Main St to grab some peppermint tea from Starbucks. Just as we left Starbs (Main St Bakery for the traditionalists - myself included) with our tea in hand the reason why were in the park so late started… The Kiss Goodnight! This was super special to see and hear and was one to tick off our list!

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Thank you Photopass photographer for capturing our tired but happy bucket list moment!


Pretty exhausted and with tea in hand we boarded our bus with aching feet that longed for our comfy YC beds!

Another epic but exhausting Disney day!


Next up: “instead of a certain and watery doom our trip took us next to…Typhoon Lagoon!” plus ALL the candy and Halloween fun at MNSSHP

 

[natebenma]

Yikes on your car rental adventures!

But YAY on Zebra Domes and Saana. I have not dined there yet, but it is on my list. The food and ambiance sound incredible.

Oh, wow, I'm so glad you were blown away by the EPCOT anniversary fireworks. Isn't it great to just be able to stroll over to EPCOT and then back to your room without much trouble? Where did you watch from?

 

[MrsPMcD]

Yikes on your car rental adventures!

But YAY on Zebra Domes and Saana. I have not dined there yet, but it is on my list. The food and ambiance sound incredible.

Oh, wow, I'm so glad you were blown away by the EPCOT anniversary fireworks. Isn't it great to just be able to stroll over to EPCOT and then back to your room without much trouble? Where did you watch from?

I do love Sanaa! And it was as good the second time which, as we've discussed, isn't always the case at Disney!! I don't find the main dish sizes too large either so you aren't left feeling totally stuffed which is nice....and leaves room for dessert!

I know you get so spoiled at YC/BC it's just so easy. BCV is such a treat for that! We watched from the bridge between France and the UK, we were lucky to get a spot so close to the start. This trip I've booked Tokyo Dining for our first night so that we can watch the fireworks from the balcony up there, so hoping for a good view/experience. Plus we all love sushi - well three of us do and it's growing on mum, as the sushi there looks spectacular we're pretty confident she'll be happy!

 

[natebenma]

I loved your laid-back morning of shopping and lounging around the Yacht Club with your makeshift lunch on the balcony.

What a great idea to ride Jungle Cruise before a meal at Skippers Canteen. I made a last minute decision to dine there (solo) right before the end of my last trip and I had made a last minute Fast Pass for The Little Mermaid. I can't remember if Jungle Cruise was available.

I enjoyed my meal there.

the ‘Universal Years’ @natebenma

Ain't that the truth. Rushing from ride to ride to ride.

I have enjoyed the trips I have taken with girlfriends and my solo time with opportunities to take in the details.

for awesome coaster rides at night. I haven't been on a mine train when everyone has been singing. I think I would like that.

I'm glad you got Dumbo pictures, even if you didn't ride.

I haven't been on Barnstormer but I imagine the experience is kind of like Flight of the Hippogriff at IoA. I remember reading one hilarious trip report where the rider tried to hold their breath during the whole ride since it was so short (they almost succeeded)​

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This is such an awesome picture!

 

[natebenma]

We watched from the bridge between France and the UK, we were lucky to get a spot so close to the start.

That's where I typically watch from, especially if it is an end of the night trip into EPCOT.

I haven't dined at Tokyo dining but I have been impressed with the reviews I have seen. Should be a great first night experience.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Love that you put up the video explaining the hidden Mickey It seems so easy to spot once someone points it out lol
What a great day you had. Plenty going on from start to finish. Love the 'happily tired' photo of you and your mum at the end

 

[MrsPMcD]

What a great idea to ride Jungle Cruise before a meal at Skippers Canteen. I made a last minute decision to dine there (solo) right before the end of my last trip and I had made a last minute Fast Pass for The Little Mermaid. I can't remember if Jungle Cruise was available.

It definitely added to it and was good fun, I think the boys would love this so I hope there are FP+ available this time around. I don't think standby would be an option being so close to Easter! That would be less magical...

I'm glad you got Dumbo pictures, even if you didn't ride.

If Mum can be persuaded I may try again this one, Dad took the original from the Dumbo in front so we could try that!

I haven't been on Barnstormer but I imagine the experience is kind of like Flight of the Hippogriff at IoA. I remember reading one hilarious trip report where the rider tried to hold their breath during the whole ride since it was so short (they almost succeeded)

Lol I'm pretty sure that would be possible on the Barnstormer! Never went on Flight of the Hippogriff but pretty glad we never queued if it's similar in length!! I would not highly recommend the Barnstormer unless, like us, you have a bit of time to kill and it's a walk on!

This is such an awesome picture!

It totally captures the moment!

That's where I typically watch from, especially if it is an end of the night trip into EPCOT.

I haven't dined at Tokyo dining but I have been impressed with the reviews I have seen. Should be a great first night experience.

The only issue with this location is, as we've found twice, if the wind is blowing you can get ash in your eyes!! Ouch!

Love that you put up the video explaining the hidden Mickey It seems so easy to spot once someone points it out lol
What a great day you had. Plenty going on from start to finish. Love the 'happily tired' photo of you and your mum at the end

Haha I couldn't think of another way to point it out!! It's hard to describe!

 

[MrsPMcD]

Day 4 Part 1: Instead of a certain and watery doom our trip took us next to Typhoon Lagoon!

We’d planned a waterpark day today after our late night at MK and because we’d be heading back to MK for MNSSHP tonight. However that didn’t mean staying in bed til noon, we still had a park to rope drop, it was just an hour later than the “dry” parks!

Untitled by travelbug_1986__10, on Flickr

The top I'm wearing is actually an original Typhoon Lagoon top from the early 90s! My Mum bought it on our first visit (for herself and I inherited it) Shout out to my Mum's amazing laundry skills that it still looks this good!


Picking a water park for us is a no brainer. We LOVE Typhoon Lagoon, it is my happy place – if I’m having a bad day this is where I go in my head. We do like Blizzard Beach and we try to do both if we have a longer holiday but TL is our favourite and full of great nostalgia. This holiday we also had a new ride to check out! Miss Adventure Falls!

Untitled by travelbug_1986__10, on Flickr


With the (weird and unhelpful) changes to the water park buses we decided we would take a Minnie Van (yay!) so after a quick stop at Ale & Compass market place for a smoothie and protein bar we were off in our Minnie Van to TL. We loved our Minnie Van and our driver was wonderful. She gave us loads of info about Disney and, my favourite part, she played the area music for TL which really got us in the mood, it was wonderful – my Mum is desperate to use a Minnie Van again this trip. We arrived and immediately the park opened – well to the lockers etc anyway. We picked up towels, rented a locker and headed off to rope drop Miss Adventure Falls. Now it wasn’t exactly HOT this morning so our time in our raft was ummmm chilly! But we still laughed and whooped as we enjoyed the new ride and then got straight back on. Unsurprisingly not many people were around that morning so we had a very quiet TL almost to ourselves!

Untitled by travelbug_1986__10, on Flickr


Next up was multiple trips up, down and around on Crush ‘n’ Gusher. My parents were the first to try this ride (of our family not of anyone in the world!) soon after it opened – they’d gone on a trip for my Mum’s birthday, without me (!) how rude! And ever since it has become a firm favourite. With an almost empty park and no queues we rode at least 5 times before moving on. Now although we love TL that’s about it in terms of the actual rides we love – we just like spending time there! So we hopped on the lazy river (still pretty cold!) and took a relaxing (ish it was chily) bob around the whole park. Now when the sun is splitting the sky and the heat is hot this is one of my favourite things to do, today not so much! However next up it was time for some serious exercise! The wave pool! I’m always one of those people really close to the rope that treads water, surfs the wave and then sprints back to the front. I LOVE the wave pool and I’ve been at the front since I was 5! As an adult now I find it crazy that I could swim in the waves at that age but I loved it – I could swim lengths by the time I was 18 months so my parents weren’t being irresponsible I hasten to add! My mum doesn’t like swimming so much so she bobs in the shallows and watches. After surfing to my heart’s content I swam back to meet Mum and we decided to head ‘home’ for some lunch.


On the way back with no time pressure we just took the bus via Disney Springs but it wasn’t ideal. At Disney Springs we hopped on a bus for the Boardwalk so we could grab something to eat at the Boardwalk Bakery. We both just had a pretty standard chicken salad but we were both saving room for the real treats… Mum had a favourite of hers, carrot cake whilst I nipped next door to Ample Hills Creamery. Having got to try all the flavours that I fancied I settled on PB Wins the Cup and Toffee Coffee Toffee. Best ice cream I have ever had, I am counting down the days until I get it again. This time I’ll just be having the Toffee Coffee Toffee it was insanely good. I know DH is excited about just being allowed to try everything before deciding! I did have to sit in the rain (under an awning) to eat it but nothing was dampening my Disney high at this point!

Untitled by travelbug_1986__10, on Flickr

Untitled by travelbug_1986__10, on Flickr


With the rain still coming down and a pretty busy evening ahead of us we headed back to our room, via the secret YC door – great shortcut from the BW, to chill. Mum read whilst I watched Moana and then had a power nap.


Next up: Boo to you and you and you and you - happy Halloween!

 

[MrsPMcD]

Life update and....Day 4 - Part 2 BOO! To You!

Well hello again DIS boards. Not sure anyone will still be reading this report after a 3.5 year hiatus BUT I want to finish up this report as I am so Type A it has been bugging me.

Quick life update!

I've since changed jobs AGAIN (within the same organisation), moved house and we have a new fur baby after losing our beloved Gus (17.5 year's old) We are now proud fur parents to Brinkley (points to anyone who knows where we got his name?!) who is now 4(!) and a German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) totally nuts, totally loveable. Pre pandemic we were also on our travels to parts of the world we'd not seen before, Greek Islands, Bali and Copenhagen, Florida Keys (there may have been a mini Disney trip in there too! As well as some other travels. 2020 we even managed a ski holiday pre-pandemic in blissful ignorance (the UK locked down a few days after we got home) and we've not been on an airplane or left Scotland since We have done a fair amount of local exploring, getting to the coast when local restrictions have allowed.

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But I am guessing all my fellow Disnerds agree that...




BACK TO THE TRIP!!

We left off (3.5 years ago in trip writing time - wow!) Back in our YC room taking a Disney Disco Nap in order to get ready for MNSSHP!

We'd decided to Disneybound instead of going for a full on costume at MNSSHP so we'd ordered custom ears from Rachel at The Merry Ear Market (remember our Epcot ones from earlier in the trip? She did those too) Mum loves purple and wanted to go as a villain so chose Maleficient and I wanted to pay homage to my favourite ride so went as a Bell Hop from ToT! As I write this my ToT ears are behind me on a shelf in my office, bringing a little bit of Disney to my day, I'd also found some ToT patches on Etsy and sewed them onto a maroon t-shirt, added a gold belt and ta da, Disneybound!

We'd decided to leave early for the party and wander through Epcot so that we could take the Monorail to the GF first for a pre MNSSHP drink! Neither of us had been in the GF and we were excited to visit. As it was still absolutely torrential with rain (making us very nervous about MNSSHP!) we took the inside route from the YC to Epcot but as the rain kept getting heavier we decided to detour into Martha's Vineyard first. It was pretty quiet in there, just us and a couple of the (ever present) convention people who gave us some weird looks, again, no YOU GUYS are out of place It's perfectly normal for two grown women to be in ears and Disneybound costumes here! Side note- does anyone else just LOVE the mix you get (got?!) at some Disney bars? Love the wasabi and the candied nuts, so yum!

Once we had finished our drinks we got pretty lucky and the rain stopped to give us a nice clear walk out the back door of the BC and round to the International Gateway. When we reached the monorail station it was only a 2 minute wait and we were off to the GF! We changed at the TTC with a minimal wait there and then we were arriving at the GF. This is the first pic I have of Mum's costume too, her tshirt had a really cool cut out at the back with black slashes which added to her villainous theme!

After exploring the beautiful lobby at the GF and admiring all the Disney touches we headed to Mizner's - we visited Mizner's again on a subsequent trip, always loved the service, sound from the orchestra and the views, keen to go to the new (to us) bar now its had its Beauty and The Beast updates - anybody like it/miss Mizner's?

After another margarita we decided it was time to hit the Magic Kingdom for MNSSHP! We were so excited and were particularly happy that the weather was clearing, yay for parades and fireworks - phew!

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Now at this point I would like to say that prior to attending MNSSHP, when we'd been looking at what we wanted to see/do my Mum was ADAMANENT that we would "not be wasting time trick or treating, why would you bother?"

So obviously the first thing we did was....

I think my Mum had forgotten her absolute obsession with all things USA Peanutbutter candy flavoured! Queue me being taken to EVERY trick and treat station we passed that night, lol! Perma on the hunt of more PB Snickers squares!

We also decided that we probably wouldn't bother queuing for any character meet n greets so...

Yup! Haha. Anyway, in the queue to meet Pooh (poet!) we were next to the sweetest little girl so I (checked with her mum) shared out some of our glow stick bracelets with her (have you even prepped for Disney if you've not bought cheap glow bracelets off Amazon before you go?!) She was SUPER cute and acted like these were the best things ever, who knew?!

This is probably my favourite pic from the night though, the characters were brilliant! Even though there was a queue, you didn't just get rushed through for one click and go. The characters were dancing with people, crashing selfies and staying in character - Tigger was hyper! It might be blurry but it captures the moment perfectly (and it was HOT!)

We also swung past the 7 Dwarves but didn't want to queue, lovely photo opp though!

More evidence of us with our trick n treat bags! I think this was actually before MNSSHP had even started as people without wrist bands were being ushered out. The Photopass CM was also NOT up for taking photos Ummm you're on Main St, right in front of the castle, people are going to ask you for photopass photos!!

Anyway, whilst we'd been agreeing everything we didn't want to do, we'd been certain that we wanted to get a good spot for the first running of the parade. I thought we'd head over 30 mins in advance and to my surprise it was still pretty easy to get a good spot - yeh I had made a rookie error and NOT read the times properly! An hour early but hey, we got a good spot and we took it in turns to save the spot, poke around the shops and get some teas from Starbucks! Sometimes it's just really nice to plonk yourself down on Main Street and take it all in/people watch! We also got to take advantage of the roving Photopass photographers and got loads of photos!

Soon it was time for the Headless Horseman to ride! WOW! That is so spooky! He stopped right at us and 'stared' well, he would have if ya know, he had a head Worth the 60+ min wait for our spot!! Once the main parade started we were spellbound! The ghost dancers and grave diggers were my favourites, by far and again the front row spot was SO worth it, the dancers were amazing - making spooky eye contact and getting so close.

The floats are also amazing! The pirates were awesome and loved the Haunted Mansion float - didn't take many pics of the parade because I really wanted to be in the moment and take it all in. Wow is the Boo To You song catchy though! It was still 'playing' in my head as the very first thing when I woke up the next day!

Next up we ended up doing MORE trick or treating and it was then time for the Fireworks, HalloWishes! By this time Wishes had finished running so this was also our opportunity to say farewell to at least a version of Wishes. What else is there to say about Disney fireworks though? Amazing! Thank you, Disney!! the parade was 9:15 (not 8:15!) and the fireworks were 10:15 so the trick or treating was super speedy!

I had also really wanted to see the Hocus Pocus Villain Specatcular, I hate horror movies so for me Hocus Pocus is my go to Halloween movie! It's not Halloween in our house until Hocus Pocus has been on! Hocus Pocus was running at four different times but we went for the 1045 show, straight after the fireworks. Despite our unplanned character meetings and trick or treating, all our times were running very well!

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Now it hadn't exactly been a late or chill morning so we were starting to fade pretty fast by the time Hocus Pocus was finished- perhaps they'd put us under a spell! We'd also now seen all the shows we wanted to see but we really wanted to explore more of Magic Kingdom and we did have one particular spot that we COULDN'T leave without visiting....

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Again, WOW!! Madame Renata and the Butler outside the Haunted Mansion were absolutely hysterical!! We stood and watched them make fun of (oblivious) people for a while and then headed into the mansion. Now I wasn't at all for using any MNSSHP time for rides but this didn't count as 'a ride' and this was such a highlight of our night! We walked straight through the queue which was even spookier than usual, straight up to the doors and were greeted by a CM who was in full-on character mode and led us straight to the Stretching Room. There were only about 10 guests in there when they closed the doors and led us through a seance! They got us to stand really close together in a circle and then got really into character - not going to lie I was scared! I was also pretty sure they were going to try to make us jump so I was on full alert We were then plunged into darkness and when the lights went back on, the CM was standing right at one woman's shoulder - well she SCREAMED and I was just relieved it wasn't me. The trip through the HM was then the spookiest ever and they spaced out the Doom Buggies so you were properly alone! SO. SPOOKY!!

On the way out we stopped for the great photo opp with the lantern prop - Mum was properly just humouring me now and REALLY wanted to go back to the resort and SLEEP! But she played along, what a sport!

By now it must have been about 1130 as the second running of the parade was in full flow. We crossed at a designated point somewhere around Liberty Square and then using mega Disnerd knowledge, jumped into Casey's Corner and straight through all the (empty) shops to the exit. As we were walking through we were, obviously, getting blasted with 'Boo To You' again and all the shop CMs were dancing along too - they must never be able to get that out of their heads!!

As we crossed under the railway station there was time for just one last must do...

With that memory made and photo pass ticked off, it was time to hit the buses! I think we ended up waiting quite a long time and in the end just jumped on a Boardwalk Bus as they were just NEVER COMING!! So once we got to the Boardwalk there were yet more steps to take until we could fall in to bed! Have you even done a day at Disney if your feet aren't aching?!

Up next a day at Animal Kingdom!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Hiya. It’s been a while but I’m all caught up. Boo to you looks amazing. Love all your photos. Sounds like a brilliant day. We love water parks too and they always feel like a “day off” even though my feet are knackered going up all the steps to the various rides . I’m betting you slept well this night