(Complete 4/20!) How Many Cookies Does One Couple Need? - Dec 2023 Trip Report

[Araminta18]

Goodbye to the Menagerie! - Monday, December 18, 2023 (part 5)​

As we left Nomad Lounge and started walking out, we ran into the second wave of the Menagerie (again for me) but since Trevor hadn't seen this group, we stopped and watched and interacted for a while. Cause adorable!



You can see one of the bird puppets there behind the bear.



The bird guys were having lots of fun - I saw the birds swooping down onto unsuspecting guests several times. Like this!

The lady had no idea until someone (I know I and several others were) told her to look up, and then she jumped and started laughing.

Honestly, it feels kind of dumb to say, but I would absolutely plan a trip around seeing the menagerie again. The animals are beautiful, the puppeteers are absolutely fantastic, and they even had wandering musicians around! We took several film clips and I put them together, if you want to get a sense of the vibe:

Also I hate my voice when I interact with them - my voice goes up like a full octave. But anyways, so much fun!

We made it to the park exit a little after 1:30, and I saw a cool poster:

I really want it!

We also got a picture together in the photo box prop thing:


And then I made us take some more pictures out front:

(dang picture limit)

 

[Araminta18]

Surprise Gideon's Visit! - Monday, December 18, 2023 (part 6)​

They had a surprising amount of photographers out, actually.

This photographer was having fun - he made all the boys pop their feet when the couples kissed.

Then we got some pics in front of the tree, which was nice, cause we weren't staring into the sun.


I love this magic shot!

And also this one! Thought wow my eyeshadow is aggressive. Oh well!

Ok, so welcome to the craziness that is me. I was on instagram at some point...don't remember when today, but I saw in the instagram stories of Gideon's Bakehouse that they had special cookie bites for today and tomorrow only: their halloween Frankenstein cookie, but in bites form! Limited to two per person, so I was like "ooooh I kind of want to try for them!" So I convinced Trevor (poor longsuffering man) to take an uber to Disney Springs (see, I learned from my bus experience the other day ). But first, Trevor got sucked in by the joffrey's stand which was offering a frozen sour green apple drink. I figured he deserved it, cause 1. it was hot and 2. he was willing to come with me to Disney Springs.

This was good - a bit sour, but nice and refreshing.

We went over to the uber area, got in our uber, and by 2:15 we were at Disney Springs. We speedwalked over to Gideon's, cause at this point I was getting worried that maybe the special bites would all be sold out! When we got there, Trevor hopped in line - they weren't doing a virtual queue, just a regular line. It was all the way to the corner, so we figured Trevor would hop in line while I asked the employees if they had any of the bites left. They checked for me and said they had some, but they weren't sure if they'd still be there by the time I was able to make it through the line, but maybe. So, being the magnanimous wife I am, I told Trevor to head back to the resort and take a nap (since it was 2:30ish by now) and I'd wait for the line and hope that I had good luck. I knew Trevor was ready for a nap because he didn't argue with me and just was like "ok thanks!" and left.

After 25 min in line, I was up here - about ready to head in! I was hoping and praying the bites wouldn't be sold out. When I made it inside, I could see there were still some bites, but then when i was about 4 people from the registers I heard an employee say that what they had out was it - no more in the back! I was nervous that the people ahead of me would want to buy them but they didn't! Phew! I was able to get 2 bags and then 3 more cookies (one regular chocolate chip and 2 cookies and cream. I have a problem. )

Trevor texted me when he got on the bus and it was about when I got into the store - he had to wait a LONG time for the bus, poor guy! I didn't have to wait nearly as long so I made it back to the room about 20 minutes after him. Actually, I even stopped for a minute or two to see the Strolling Piano!

Anyways. We ended up having about an hour to rest, before it was time for us to head to our dinner reservation.

Where were we going? Here's your hint:


We were at Yacht Club, for:

I was on a mission to try some new restaurants for us this time, can you tell? I also wanted to try the bread service here.

We checked in a bit late - about 5:30 - for our 5:15 reservation, but they seated us immediately. Thank you!

We were at a table just for two, next to a wall, which is basically my favorite way to be seated. It feels very private. We struggled with what to order, because we were hungry but not SUPER hungry, but we knew we'd have a long night. We were still deciding when the waiter took our drink orders, which is not normal for us! Normally we know what we want pretty quickly. Anyways, for drinks:

I got a Shirley Temple, and Trevor got a rootbeer. We weren't super adventurous tonight!
(and picture limit...dang)

 

[Araminta18]

Dinner at Yachtsman's Steakhouse - Monday, December 18, 2023 (part 7)​

Then they brought out the bread! I realized that while I took a picture of the accoutrements, I didn't take a picture of the bread itself. Oops!

I liked the roasted garlic to put on it! The bread was sourdough and onion pull apart rolls. Dang I wish I'd remembered the picture!

Anyways, what did we decide for dinner! We decided to each get an appetizer (cause they sounded good) and then we'd split a steak, but get the crab cake for Trevor (cause I think crab cakes are gross.). So, I got the beef carpaccio: Pepper Relish, Hearts of Palm, Arugula, Parmigiano Reggiano, Smoked Sea Salt.

I like beef carpaccio, though I did take the hearts of palm off. Otherwise, yum.

Trevor got the Lobster bisque: Lobster Biscuit, Crème Fraîche, Espelette Oil

He said it was yummy - I had a bite but it was too fishy for me.

Then our steak!

We got the New York strip, with a baked potato, and then the "Oscar style enhancement":

Trevor liked the crab cake, and the steak had a good flavor but LOTS of fat. Not my favorite steak, but still good.

Definitely an expensive meal, and probably a bit not quite worth it, but I was glad we had tried it. And then, afterwards, we were able to just hop on the boat to Hollywood Studios! Well, mostly, but we did stop a bit to look at the train going around the display there in the lobby:

THEN to the boat

The Boardwalk at night is just absolutely freaking gorgeous.

On the dock at Hollywood Studios they had a wreath up for decoration - love it!

Trying to get in to Hollywood Studios we decided to tap into the park with our APs and then check in to the event inside the park, since the last we'd heard was that the lines to check in outside the park were crazy and the lines looked a bit long. And so 3 min later we were in the park!

This was the first time this trip we'd seen Hollywood Studios at night and I was loving it!

This kitsch type of decoration isn't my thing, but it's cute to see here - and I love all the lights in the bushes!

We kept going to the Animation Courtyard/Star Wars Launch Bay to check in to the event and get our lanyard, and on our way, we saw Ollie!

Kind of fun!

I'll leave it here for now - next up, our Jollywood Nights experience! Trevor and I had talked - we'd seen all the bad reviews of the first night, and had decided what our must-dos were (some things got crossed off our list) and that we'd try to treat the event like an After Hours event so we could at least not be super disappointed if it was as badly organized as the first night.

So...how'd it go? you'll have to wait and see!!

 

[Keladry84]

I'm enjoying seeing the seasonal pics from AK and Hollywood studios! Thanks for sharing!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I would definitely plan a trip for the Magical Menagerie! It is so special and such a unique Christmas treat at AK. I have seen this 3 years in a row and have a December trip this year!
I love all your updates and wow do you like Gideons

 

[awrites]

Magical Menagerie looks so fun! I'm glad you had a great time interacting with the animals. You're confirming my assessment (which I have in my draft for my AK Lessons Learned but haven't posted yet) that AK is a park where the touring focus is better spent on the theming and "extras" rather than the rides.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

So...I decided to have us fly in late Friday night (vs Saturday afternoon), and then do one night at French Quarter before moving over to the Contemporary.

I didn't do a pre-trip report, but if anyone is interested in my somewhat late plans for our May trip, I'm can add a couple pre-trip updates to this trip report

That all sounds super fun! And yes, feel free to add a few PTR updates here!

I do love the mistletoe magic shot.

That is adorable.

Also the way Kevin poses for selfies is the most hilarious thing.

Kevin! I'm crossing all my fingers that we cross paths with Kevin - she's awesome.

We always love Nomad Lounge and the food this time didn't disappoint. So delicious and flavorful.

I've heard nothing but raves about Nomad Lounge. I think it's unlikely we'll stop in (those appetizers wouldn't appeal to at least 50% of my family), but I'd love to stop in sometime.

I would absolutely plan a trip around seeing the menagerie again.

The menagerie looks amazing! Thanks for all the pictures.

So I convinced Trevor (poor longsuffering man) to take an uber to Disney Springs (see, I learned from my bus experience the other day ).

Oh my goodness, you went to Gideon's again?! You are hysterical!

I'm thrilled you got your bites!

I also wanted to try the bread service here.

And what did you think of the onion rolls? I haven't been to Yachtsman Steakhouse in over 10 years but I really enjoyed our meal there. The bread service was a highlight!

 

[Araminta18]

I'm enjoying seeing the seasonal pics from AK and Hollywood studios! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for reading and commenting!!

I would definitely plan a trip for the Magical Menagerie! It is so special and such a unique Christmas treat at AK. I have seen this 3 years in a row and have a December trip this year!
I love all your updates and wow do you like Gideons

Ooooh 3 years in a row? that sounds awesome. I'm jealous.
yea...i may have a problem with Gideons! The FOMO gets me; I should unfollow them on instagram

Magical Menagerie looks so fun! I'm glad you had a great time interacting with the animals. You're confirming my assessment (which I have in my draft for my AK Lessons Learned but haven't posted yet) that AK is a park where the touring focus is better spent on the theming and "extras" rather than the rides.

100% agree with your lesson learned - AK is so fun to explore!

Kevin! I'm crossing all my fingers that we cross paths with Kevin - she's awesome.

Yes!!! She's super fun to see but also to interact with. Wishing you luck!!

I've heard nothing but raves about Nomad Lounge. I think it's unlikely we'll stop in (those appetizers wouldn't appeal to at least 50% of my family), but I'd love to stop in sometime.

They change the menu a lot, but we also use it as a quiet rest spot. Maybe sneak it in that way?

Oh my goodness, you went to Gideon's again?! You are hysterical!

*clears throat* hi, my name is Tiffany and I'm a Gideon's addict

And what did you think of the onion rolls? I haven't been to Yachtsman Steakhouse in over 10 years but I really enjoyed our meal there. The bread service was a highlight!

Honestly, they were fine but nothing special. The Parker House rolls from Ale & Compass were much better!

 

[Araminta18]

Muppets Christmas! - Saturday, Dec 18, 2023 (part 8)​

We got checked in and got our fancy maps and lanyard by 7:26 (with no wait - yay!). They were nice! Heavy paper, shiny gold - the kind of stuff Disney seems to have stepped away from recently, so that was nice.

Where to first? Our one and only "must do" of the night: Disney Holidays in Hollywood - with Kermit and Miss Piggy! The show wasn't til 8:45, but after the research I'd done and some of the reviews I'd read/vlogs I'd seen about other people's experiences, it seemed like doing this show first was the way to go, so that we would wait in line mostly before the event started and then have time to explore the rest vs waiting in lines. Also not gonna lie, we like watching Tim Tracker and that's what they did and they recommended it. So over to Sunset Boulevard we went!

So pretty!

There was a little bit of a line down by the Theatre of the Stars, but not too bad. So we just hopped in line and enjoyed the atmosphere. I know it can seem like a bit of a waste to be in line at 7:30 for an 8:45 show, but with the lines still kind of long and nothing else being our "must do"...it worked for us.

We were like 30 people back? Not too bad.

It was nice to watch and hear the atmosphere -

Hi Jollywood Nights!

The nice thing about waiting is that we got to see the projection shows on the Tower of Terror that I did want to see but had kind of forgotten about. Bonus! They were super cute:

And some more atmospherics for you:

The lights on Sunset Boulevard were synched up with the projection show on the Tower! So fun. That was a fun unexpected treat - I was so glad cause when it started I was like "OH YEA!".

While we were waiting they made several comments about how Fantasmic was filled to capacity, so...definitely a crowded park of day guests.

Anyways, they let us in to the theatre at about 8:10 -

Sparkly decorations!

And on the sound booth monitors:

Kermit and Miss Piggy! Sorry for the bad picture.

We ended up with great seats down in front:



At 8:45, the show started! It was kind of cheesy, but we loved seeing Kermit and Miss Piggy. And the singing and dancing was fantastic.

Christmas Minnie and Mickey!


Kermit and Miss Piggy!

I filmed it, cause of course I did:

Enjoy!

We got out at 9:15, on a Muppet high, and where to next?

You'll have to wait and see!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I finally got a picture of "The Nutcracker" poster in the room where Daisy teaches dance lessons - I love it!

I don't thnk I have noticed that picture!

Honestly, I think Woody's Lunchbox is one of the best quick service places at all of DisneyWorld, not just Hollywood Studios. Fight me

The only thing, is the seating... It is not enough and too hot. I love those breakfast tots!

I got best in vehicle!!!!! That doesn't happen very often so I'm always VERY excited when I manage to get it. Never yet got best this hour or best today or best this month, but someday! (LOL probably not - how do you even get 300k, much less 500k?!

Woo Hoo! I joked this last trip that if you were the first ones on the ride, on the first of the month, you could be fest of everything.

I do not like where the uber/lyft drop off is at Disney Springs - its all over by the Rainforest Cafe and its so far from the main area. But we put on our ponchos and

I kind of like taking the busses TO Disney Springs for this reason...

As we got near the buses a CM asked us where we were going and when we told him he walked us to a bus and told the bus to take us to Saratoga Springs, so we got our own bus! Woohoo!

Man, there must have been so few people left in the park!

The new restaurant Eet by Maneet! I'd seen a couple reviews of their bread service with the dips and was like heck yes. And tonight was a good night for it - we'd had a late lunch so we weren't starving but we could eat. So I was like I'll duck over and get it to go! By 9:01, I had this baby in hand:

YEAH!!! We should have gotten this when we went but got different things. Which we excellent.

Not gonna lie I really wanted this for the whipped paneer cheese but the whole thing was delicious. Definitely worth it.

YUM!!! I will have to get this next time.

I even stopped for a minute or two to see the Strolling Piano!

I love the strolling piano!

Your pictures of AK of Nomad lounge and the menagier make we want to go at christmas again!

 

[awrites]

At 8:45, the show started! It was kind of cheesy, but we loved seeing Kermit and Miss Piggy. And the singing and dancing was fantastic.

Oh, fun! I love the Muppets and suspect I'd get a kick out of the show. Glad you enjoyed even if it was a little cheesy!

 

[Araminta18]

The only thing, is the seating... It is not enough and too hot. I love those breakfast tots!

That's true - they need more shade and more seating at Woody's! One of the few things I liked about covid at Disney was that they weren't letting people do that and it made eating there so much more pleasant! There was plenty of seating. I think they're working on more seating there, off to the left of the order building, but we'll see if it helps.

Woo Hoo! I joked this last trip that if you were the first ones on the ride, on the first of the month, you could be fest of everything.

oooooh that's brilliant! I kind of want to try this now lol

Oh, fun! I love the Muppets and suspect I'd get a kick out of the show. Glad you enjoyed even if it was a little cheesy!

Aren't the Muppets great? We need more Muppets back in the park!

 

[Araminta18]

Tip Top Club and Pictures! - Saturday, Dec 18, 2023 (part 9)​

Next up in our Jollywood Nights adventure, the Twilight Soiree at the Tip Top Club! Our expectations for this had gone down a lot after seeing some reviews of the first night, which was probably a good thing! It was very very crowded, and the band was playing along with pre-recorded tracks, and the CMs weren't wearing any kind of themed or special costumes at all, so really the only thing that made it "special" were a few banners and signs. So I'm glad we'd seen some reviews, otherwise I would have been super disappointed, cause the announcements made it seem like a super swanky fun club, but it didn't really have that atmosphere at all.

Expectations being moderated, we enjoyed what little theming there was, and got a few photos before we left for other things to do.

I did like this poster!!

And they had this banner up.

To their credit there was a photopass photographer so we got these two shots:


Props to the photographer for waiting and getting the picture without anyone in the background!

Done with the Tip Top Club (which is a fantastic idea and they really ought to try again with a better execution), we headed up Sunset Boulevard.

Definitely a bit less crowded than earlier! They had a lot of photographers out on Sunset Boulevard, so we stopped.


And an awesome magic shot!

Hi Kermit and Miss Piggy!

We decided to continue on the photo train, heading towards the Animation Courtyard where they had a couple special cameras/magic shots. But on the way we ran into more photographers, including one who had some props!

Ollie there is an effect but the instruments we have are props, which is kind of fun.

Definitely a bit of an awkward pose but still fun.

 

[Araminta18]

How Silly Can We Be? - Monday, Dec 18, 2023 (part 10)​

Once inside the Animation Courtyard, there was a bit of a line, but not bad at all - we waited about 12 minutes. They had two options:

Both were videos, but one was "Slow Glo: -which did a slow motion thing, and then "Celebrate" which was a combo of fast and slow parts. You could only do one, so we did the "Celebrate" one. Everyone in line was super self-conscious, but determined to have fun with it. You really had to pre-game out what your action/moves were going to be, so lots of room for silliness! The CMs operating the cameras were super helpful too. Anyways, without futher ado!

We felt silly, but it was still fun.

And then when we finished, the line was super short (like maybe 3/4 minutes), so we decided to get back in line and do the slow-motion one.

Definitely an experience, and nice that we didn't have to wait super long in line to do both of them. I just wish we were more creative and could have come up with better things to do!

Anyways, photos done, we decided to head back into Toy Story Land and see if the lines were short for Edna Mode, or for any of the rides.

Fun little present projection.

Well the lines weren't short for Edna, but Frozone had just come out and had basically no line so we figured hey, why not!

Then Trevor had to go to the bathroom so I wandered around dancing to the music from the DJ

and taking pictures.

Fun little photo op

Then back into Toy Story Land!

Hi Woody!

Yea, I made Trevor do a slightly blurry selfie

We spent a little bit of time looking around -

But the line for Slinky was longer than we wanted (posted about 25 minutes), so we passed.

Alien Swirling Saucers however was a walk on, so we walked on that!


We split up cars so we could slide around more.

It was great fun. We thought about staying on and riding again, but decided to move on into Star Wars land! Once there, the Falcon was posting 10 minutes so we figured why not! Then, we got a bit lucky - we ended up being the last group directed to one side of the ride (they have two chess rooms, etc) and so we got our own Falcon!

So blurry but I love Trevor's face there.

dang picture limit!

 

[Araminta18]

Exploring More of Jollywood Nights! - Monday, Dec 18, 2023 (part 11)​

I tried to film a little bit...at least the bit with Trevor sending us to lightspeed!

The CM was super nice and took a picture of us too.

It honestly was a really fun ride - all the CMs in the chess room were super high energy and friendly, and we got two things of coaxium so yea, we're basically amazing.

From here we thought about trying to ride Rise (we'd gotten a boarding group) but the line looked backed up so we decided not to spend the time. They did have a photographer by the Xwing with essentially no line, so we did that instead. (not sure if you're sensing a theme to this event...and to my trip reports in general - all the photos!)




This is the Life Day orb! it was a physical prop but it kind of looks photoshopped or like a magic shot, doesn't it?

At this point, we were at a bit at loose ends - the ride lines weren't quite as low as we would have liked, so we decided to just keep going around the park and see what we ran into. And right outside Grand Avenue, we ran into Snow White and Dopey!

They had a long line so we didn't wait, but it was fun to see them out and about.

Continuing on around the lake, we had a great view of the tree!



Lookit all those fun decorations!

We also ran into Chip and Dale in their Rescue Rangers outfits!

Their line was super short, so we decided to wait and meet them! Right as we got up to the front though, they needed to take a break for a minute.

I'll leave you with a pic of their tree til they come back!

 

[Araminta18]

Rescue Rangers and a Snack! - Monday, Dec 18, 2023 (part 12)​

Chip and Dale came back super quickly (like maybe 3 or 4 minutes) and then we got to meet them!

It was a fun meet and greet, though at this point I don't remember what we talked about. Maybe flying?


After meeting Chip and Dale, we were right by Gertie so of course we had to buy the Gertie cookie! Luckily there was no line, so it only took like a minute or two.

Hi Gertie! The cookie was actually pretty good - better than you'd think. And super cute.

As we kept walking around the lake, we got some photos with the tree:


Hi there Stitch!

We also saw Powerline, but his line was SUPER long so we didn't wait.


Then we got some snacks! We were right by one of the food venues that had the snack I wanted - the Sandy Claws Hot Cocoa: dark chocolate hot cocoa topped with cherry whipped cream.

This was yummy- warming and very chocolatey and cherry.

This booth also had the Christmas tree cookie stack:

It looked cute but I don't like those types of cookies and neither does Trevor so we just looked at it.

Our meander put us right onto the main drag, passing these weird looking poodles.

BUT I saw a cool photo op with a present prop! And no line!

(ok one more but picture limit...sorry!)

 

[Araminta18]

Coasters and Towers! - Monday, Dec 18, 2023 (part 13)​

There was just a light inside, but it was cool!

At this point, it was about 11:15, and the event ended at 12:30 pm, so we had a bit over an hour. We'd done a lap of the park and while there were still some lines, it was definitely manageable (as seen by our low waits for the special camera magic shots and Chip and Dale). We weren't interested in the Nightmare Before Christmas show, and the only characters I was interested in were Mary Poppins and the penguin (they switched out with Snow White and Dopey) and I wasn't interested enough to wait for them, since we'd met Mary, Bert, and two penguins in Disneyland Paris a bit over a year ago). So what to do!

We decided to ride rides: Rockin Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror!

I don't remember how long the posted wait was for Rockin Roller Coaster, but this was where we caught up with the line. Not too bad! 10 minutes later, we were on the ride:

Trevor's so brave, riding it again.

Then, Tower of Terror!

The Season's Greeting show was going on while we were in line - kind of fun! I don't remember the wait time but it was moving pretty good.

They had a poster advertising the Tip Top Club!

Also I don't remember seeing this fun display before, with the fancy gloves and purses and perfume bottles. Honestly Tower of Terror theming is just top notch.


It ended up being about a 15 min wait, mostly in the boiler room. Not too bad!

We got off at about midnight, and with Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam scheduled for 12:30, we decided to head up towards the Chinese theatre.

One more Tower of Terror picture with a basically empty street behind us!

Up at the Chinese Theatre, it was not very crowded at all! So I grabbed a seat on one of the little low fences cause my feet hurt.

Fun projections! There was a DJ there in front too playing some fun tunes (including "All I Want for Christmas is You"

Trevor though decided to run over to Star Wars and sneak a ride in. I told him to have fun, cause I was gonna enjoy sitting down and listening to the music.

 

[Araminta18]

Jingle Bell Jingle Bam! - Monday, Dec 18, 2023 (part 14)​

And then I changed my mind and decided to walk up by Grand Avenue to see if Mary Poppins and the Penguin were out and if so, was the line short?

On the way I saw more decorations -

Not sure what these are besides giant light up balls, but they're kind of fun.

Mary and the penguin were out! But their line was long, so I just took a picture and then headed back to my nice seated spot by the Chinese Theatre.

Trevor had a great ride on Star Tours: he didn't get Naboo! He got Jakuu, then the Falcon with Rey, and then the Sith Planet. It's a miracle!

He made it back to me pretty soon before the show started.


The show was great! I've never seen Jingle Bell Jingle Bam before (when it was part of the regular entertainment offerings vs being part of a hard-ticketed event), so I was excited for a new-to-me show. It was cute! I liked all the images from Disney films.

Trevor filmed it, so there you go.

With the show over, it was time to head out. But we wanted to get a couple more pictures we'd forgotten to get earlier, so we headed back to Sunset Boulevard.

Practically empty!


This was the one I wanted: Holidays in Hollywood!

And then we found some super cute advertisements on the benches and things along Sunset Boulevard.



Seriously a real Hollywood Tower Hotel that we could stay in would be amazing!

 

[Araminta18]

Good Night to Jollywood Nights - Monday, Dec 18, 2023 (part 15)​

A couple more pictures of the signs and decorations 'cause I couldn't help myself. I promise this is the last post for this day though!

Love the wreaths and garlands here.

And one more of the Tip Top Club cause pretty.



Snowing on the main street at Hollywood Studios!


On our way out, I caught a glimpse of the mascot himself all lit up in neon!


Not sure how we missed it before! Or maybe it wasn't out cause we entered before the event technically started. I'm gonna hope it's that.

We meandered out, and I got one last picture of Hollywood Studios:

Disney100!

At the bus stop, a bus came after only 3 minutes or so. Woo hoo! and 20 minutes later we were back at the hotel.

I noticed for the first time those cute little hidden mickeys in the railings up above!

And our fun little wristbands!

Overall, we had a good time. We got lots of fun pictures, the Holidays in Hollywood show with Kermit and Miss Piggy was good, we rode some rides and even met Chip and Dale. That being said, it felt like...not a lot for the money, and not up to the level I'd expect (aka, comparing it to MVMCP). I don't know that we'd do it again as is, but I love the idea of Jollywood Nights - just needs to be better executed.

Tomorrow we fly home.

Fun with Metrics:
Steps walked: 20,395 steps (10.4 miles)
Ride count: 7 (Safari, Everest, Dinosaur, Alien Swirling Saucers, Millennium Falcon, Rockin Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror)
Savings due to AP discount: $26.14 (little bit of merch but mostly dining discounts)
Cookie count: 3 (plus 2 bags of cookie bites. )

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

ended up being the last group directed to one side of the ride (they have two chess rooms, etc) and so we got our own Falcon!

But is it good to have your own falcon? Not that I have ever kept our scores, but would you have a lower score?

This is the Life Day orb! it was a physical prop but it kind of looks photoshopped or like a magic shot, doesn't it

I love this one, even if it looks photoshopped.

I've never seen Jingle Bell Jingle Bam before (when it was part of the regular entertainment offerings vs being part of a hard-ticketed event)

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam is my favorite! We loved the dessert party they used to do with it. If they brought it back in that capacity, I would be lobbying hard to go back!