Way Out Here, Eh? - A June 2019 TR *PTR Link Posted

[luvpoohandcompany]

Thanks for the info. I really do want to visit Portugal while I'm here. Were the resorts all inclusive or just covered the rooms? I know the all-inclusive route is big in the beach regions of Spain and Portugal.

The villa was self-catering but the Tivoli included breakfast. I like the freedom to eat at different restaurants and tend to try and steer clear of all-inclusive places unless I know someone I trust who's been as they can sometimes end up being less family friendly and more like "party people" places (if you catch my drift).

I'm soaking up the innocence now while I can because no telling when it'll all change.

Enjoy every moment! Saying that we've had no bother but we do lay down very clear ground rules eg no phones in bedroom at night until they're late teens. I do check the 12 year old's every now and again but neither boy is much into social media so all good

These statues were huge!

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME EVIE EATS ONE SPAGHETTI NOODLE AT A TIME?!?!”

at least she's eating them

Alex and I decided to split the ice cream cookie sandwich and once we had our treat, found a quiet table to sit and enjoy our spoil.

The dessert was good but way too much for the two of us. We should have waited and gotten the food when the kids and my mom were with us. There would have been plenty for five to share.

I love this photo of you! You look so happy and relaxed and carefree Cookie looks good too

Our Disney time was almost at an end, and we had a ridiculously early flight the next morning so it became an early night for us. The day had been full of thrill rides, rich food, and rare quality time together!

 

[afwdwfan]

The biggest downside to using Fastpasses was how quickly we passed everything. I really didn’t get a good opportunity to look at the details.

I've never been through the standby line and seen the Avatar in the tank or any of the other details.

I had a lot of fun watching the video and seeing how they explained the Avator world to the general public; however, I think after my tenth or eleventh visit to FOP I’ll be mighty sick of that long pre-ride act.

I think it is slightly different every time, though? I can't say for certain because I didn't ride it more than once last trip.

“Once was enough.”

My poor husband was looking a little pale. He felt about the same. Of all the coasters he did during the trip, Flight of Passage hit him the worst. It was what finally convinced him that he has reached the point where motion sickness medicine is necessary.

I'm sorry for him. I can relate though. I'm at the point though that I just start taking non-drowsy Dramamine a couple of days before our first park day and take it every morning. It seems to work well for me.

I noticed the cheeseburger pods had been taken off the adult menu, but fortunately I wanted the kid’s size anyways:

I loved the cheeseburger pods.

Once she got the number and someone answered on the other end, Alex and I heard her go, “Hello, I’m staying at your resort. I just had one quick question. I took a bus to Hollywood this morning. But I’m at Animal Kingdom now. Can I still be picked up from this park? Would that be possible?”

Oh dear.

Every year.

EVERY.

YEAR.

She visits Walt Disney World every year.

I have so many questions I'd like to ask her now...

Along with the pictures was a question….

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME EVIE EATS ONE SPAGHETTI NOODLE AT A TIME?!?!”

How else could I reply but with a bunch of laughing emojis.


To which I got back: “I’ve been sitting here for forty five minutes. The dishes have been washed, Landon’s been cleaned up, and your father and I are still sitting here, waiting.”

“I warned you she was a slow eater.”

“Yes, but one noodle at a time?”

“At least she’s eating all her food, right?”



My poor parents…they have since implemented a “NO SPAGHETTI AT NANA’S HOUSE” rule.

I can totally relate to this though.

In the time between when we scanned our bands and were loaded into our carts, I had gotten on the MDE app and tried out the refresh method for a fourth Fastpass. After a few tries I managed to get another EE pass for an hour later.

You know, when it would actually be dark…

Well, it was a good idea on paper. It's just too bad that it didn't work out that you could use that 4th FP later that evening.

Our Disney time was almost at an end, and we had a ridiculously early flight the next morning so it became an early night for us. The day had been full of thrill rides, rich food, and rare quality time together!

It definitely does look like it was an awesome time with just the 2 of you!

 

[khertz]

What a cool interaction with the animal handler! We were in our savannah view room for such a brief time, we really felt like we only got a taste. I hope we get to experience that again one day. It's amazing! I think I was more excited about seeing the giraffes than the kids!!

Adult time in AK sounds like it was a really great time. We are looking forward to FOP when we go back, but will have to do the rider swap thing. I'm sure it was great getting to ride a new ride for the first time together. Bummer it made Alex so sick though. I get motion sickness as well, and what works best for me is the Less Drowsy Dramamine. Since it lasts 24 hours, I can take it at night and sleep off those first several hours since it does still make me a little tired. I'm usually just fine with that and don't have any issues with Disney rides, but Forbidden Journey and Simpsons at Universal can still get to me even with the medications.

I can't even imagine visiting Disney every single year (or ANYWHERE for that matter) and not having some kind of grip on the transportation?! That's too funny!!

 

[amazingact21]

What a wonderful Disney afternoon! I'm SO excited to try FOP in May (at least, I hope I can manage to get a FP at a decent time for it!), but I am a little disappointed that I won't be able to ride it with my husband. The joy of rider swap for the next few years!

The Rider Swap life...it's a bit of a bummer but part of the parent life. Fortunately, FOP isn't a ride where you can talk or even look at the person next to you, so I guess if there's a ride you have to experience for the first time alone, this is a good one for it to be.

Your meals (especially Alex's) at Satu'li Canteen look SO GOOD! I'm so excited to eat there!

You really have to give this restaurant a try. It's the best!

I've never ridden Everest in the dark (but I'm sure I'd LOVE it as I love Everest and I love riding BTMRR in the dark!) - hopefully someday!

Riding Everest in the dark is the way to go! Getting to see WDW property all lit up at night is amazing.

I know, right. I was so nervous about riding this and I absolutely loved it.

The restraints can be a bit intimidating, but I'm glad I gave the attraction a shot!

I'm right there with Alex. FOP got me worse than any of the other rides that I've done at Disney. It's an amazing ride, but definitely has motion sickness potential.

I think it makes Star Tours and Soarin' feel tame when it comes to motion sickness. Such a shame that such an inventive attraction comes with such severe side effects.

 

[vamassey1]

Alex and I had to giggle that we were staring across at Germany:

The country we were moving from.



While sitting next to the U.K.:

Very cool.

Don’t even get me started on the panic that overtook me every time a Cast Member asked, “Where are you from?”

“Ehhhh. Well. My hometown is Florida. But I’ve lived in Germany for three years. And am about to move to England.”

I get to about “Lived in Germany” when the CM’s expression turns panicky and the regret over asking appears. They weren’t expecting such a complicated response from a simple question!

I think the CMs are trained to ask this question. I don't think they expect to get so much of an answer.

Who would have guessed sitting around doing nothing but watching the world go by would be such a memorable moment from the trip?

Awwwww.

Difficult to see in the picture, but there was a woman posing a Barbie doll on the railing and taking photos of it in various ways. I wasn’t judging her; goodness knows I do my fair share of weird stuff.

That is different.

A picture of us together to memorialize the one rare opportunity where we had to have each other’s undivided attention:

Very nice.

Seriously, though. If you’ve never seen Epcot in the spring, it’s worth planning an entire trip around the occasion.

I agree. I'm hoping to get a short trip to visit DD during Flower & Garden.

I spy with my little eye a mom exiting the bathrooms. I might’ve been visiting WDW without the kids but that didn’t change the fact that those kids forever indoctrinated me into “I have to stop at every bathroom I see” club. Thanks, darlings.

Old habits die hard. And yes I did spy you in that photo.

The English lit nerd in me thought the Shakespeare Garden was really neat; consisting of common herbs and plants that were referenced in his plays and the symbolism behind them. It was a fitting and interesting touch to the festival that I hope they bring back again.

This is really interesting.

Everything was delicious and splitting the meal was perfect. It allowed us to try a little of everything and walk away without feeling overly full. I’m not sure if the steak was worth 60 dollars for one person, but for the two of us it was exactly what we hoped for.

Sounds like a great meal. We haven't been here since 2007.

 

[vamassey1]

At the back of the bus with us was a family comprised of several teenage kids. They were being a little loud, and I got the impression they were irritating some of the other guests but not for Alex and me. We weren’t going to fault them for arguing best rides in Epcot, who used their snack credits the best way, or who got first dibs on the shower. It was heartwarming to hear the kids having a good time and enjoying their vacation. Truth be told, I hope Landon and Evie are that excited to talk about their park time when they’re older.

I love this kind of bus conversations, everyone feeling the magic.

The shining moment of the ride was when one of the girls asked her mom, “Why are you on Snapchat? It’s so embarrassing.”

To which the mom replied, “Because you’re on it, and I want to keep tabs on you.”

Been there done that.

Made me appreciate that my kids are still too young to worry about those issues. Alex and I might have been at Disney celebrating a break from the school-aged madness, but at least we weren’t at the cell phones, cars, and curfew insanity.


I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it…

It will come all too soon.

The whole situation solidified why Animal Kingdom Lodge is a spectacular resort. How many other resorts can you spot a giraffe and speak with an animal handler? It’s one of the most unique hotels I’ve ever stayed at.

What a neat experience. Only at the AKL.

I can take or leave Pandora, but I won’t deny its beauty. The entire area is photo-worthy.

I feel the same way. It's soooo pretty with so many colors.

Our Fastpass window had opened.

Time to try Flight of Passage!

Can't wait to read what you thought of it.

 

[vamassey1]

Isn’t it great when you run into a Cast Member who is passionate about the company? It was a breath of fresh air, hearing this woman talk up Flight of Passage, and Alex and I made our way through the queue as excited as ever.

I love CMs like this.

And then the screen came to life and I experienced flying on a banshee.

Holy cow, that was amazing!

Yes it is!

I loved the ride so much I was about to suggest waiting in the 60 minute line for another go (What else did we have to do?) but then I looked over at Alex and realized I hadn’t asked him how he felt about the experience.

“Once was enough.”

Poor Alex. I have trouble with lots of rides too.

Alex made sure to give the nice lady specific instructions on where the bus stops were located and how to find her stop on the board. She in turn thanked him then started commenting about how nice Animal Kingdom is and how much she enjoys photographing the animals.

Every year.

EVERY.

YEAR.

She visits Walt Disney World every year.

Oh my. I hope she didn't get lost while she was there.

Just my opinion, but this is the prettiest spot in the whole park:

Beautiful picture!

Along with the pictures was a question….

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME EVIE EATS ONE SPAGHETTI NOODLE AT A TIME?!?!”

My poor parents…they have since implemented a “NO SPAGHETTI AT NANA’S HOUSE” rule.

I would institute this same rule.

Absolutely. Unfortunately, I didn’t time it right and we ended up riding during dusk. Whoops.

Better than no ride at all.

However, our first journey through the forbidden mountain would have to be our only one. Alex was done. That fellow tried to lie and say he could go on another coaster but it was his consideration talking. One look at him and I knew he didn’t have anything else left in him.

I like Everest but I'm a one and done too.

I was wondering how big there are too. I want to find them in December.

These statues were huge!

How huge?

took this pic when we were there in August.

That pretty big. They will dwarf JP.

 

[amazingact21]

I can’t believe you gave up your Dinosaur FP Wait, This is my favorite!
I can’t believe the lady at your table did not know about the buses!! How can someone be so clueless that visits every year?? Oh my!
I think you are heading to my state soon!

I'm such a chicken that Dinosaur still scares me.

I didn't realize you were from MN too. Lots of DISers up there!

Ha! Hilarious.... Gwen gags on spaghetti, she I don't make it anymore.... Oye.

No spaghetti?! I don't how you do it. That's a staple meal in my house. Definitely one of my, Dad's working late, we didn't get home from practice on time, meals.

I took this pic when we were there in August.

YES! Thank you!! That's exactly what I was looking for.

Yes, you have to lean back just a little so it stops as it hits you with a little room to spare. Otherwise, WAY too tight!

Good advice. Now that I know to expect the back clamp I'll probably be less intimidated by it.

UGH! Next time a Scop Patch!

What is this? Like Dramamine in patch form? I can't take the Dramamine pills because they make me way too drowsy (even the non-drowsy) and I didn't think Bonine worked as well, so I'm on the lookout for new methods.

This sounds a lot like Dementia sadly.

Shame on me for this, but I honestly never thought of this. Teaching lesson for me, and now I'm hoping Alex's directions helped her reach the bus stops fine.

 

[amazingact21]

Yikes- so sorry Alex got sick! I take a Bonine every night at Disney, and thankfully have done just fine. It would make me so sad to miss out on my favorite rides- the only one I cannot do twice is RnR.

I promise to give you my honest review of Christmas at the World- my oldest LOVES FoP- he did it 3 times on our trip last June! Acacia? Not so much- we can't get her to try anything... My mom and sister are going- so plenty of people to watch kiddos!

I took Bonine on this trip because you suggested it to me at an earlier time, and it definitely helped me! So long as I took enough, I had no issues. I tried to convince Alex to take some right from the start but he was in denial. Stayed that way, too, until Day 6 or 7 of our trip.

I remember you comparing Evie to Acacia due to the fact that neither of them love Disney like our boys! Well, it's great that you'll have extra family around to help babysit so you can ride FOP!

Yes, such a fun day! I'm glad you were able to make it through some rides before Alex couldn't take any more. Can't wait to see what shenanigans you got into with the whole fam!

I am so happy Alex and I got that day at Disney to ourselves. We have plans to visit Aulani without the kids and this trip just made us even more antsy to go!

My boys have blocked me on all social media.....since they were 14! Luckily they are good kids and I haven't had any huge issues.

They blocked you?! Oh my goodness.
I guess because my kids are still so young, I can't comprehend a time when they won't want me in every aspect of their life. I know it's all part of them growing up, but it has to be so difficult for you, as the parent.

Same as Bill when we were there in July. Totally sucks for them. Poor Alex!

FOP seems to be the ride that causes the worst motion sickness.

 

[amazingact21]

I'm so glad you loved FoP and finally got to ride! I'm sorry Alex wasn't faring well on the intense rides though

Still sounds like a great time at AK!!

Getting old stinks. It was sad to think about the first time we visited WDW together - in 2010 - when we were thrill ride junkies to this trip, where even Everest was too intense without medication.

so good! I want another but that will need to wait for another day

On the positive, having a Sprinkles nearby means that's one less place you feel the need to hit up when at Disney Springs.

I hope you take a picture every year

Knowing me, I probably will. Every time I pass it I make everyone stop and go, "Wait, I need a pic." Who cares if I already have ten of the exact same shot on my phone?

omg hey there slow pass!!!

Exactly! Like I said, I related all too well to the slow pass joke in your report.

I'm loving your trip report. I think all parents should get away every now and then. It's good for all of you. Looks like it was a great trip.

I was very anxious to leave the kids, but once on the trip I had a wonderful time. And amusingly enough, the kids to this day ask when they can go stay at Nana's house again. So I suppose it was a win all around.

 

[amazingact21]

The villa was self-catering but the Tivoli included breakfast. I like the freedom to eat at different restaurants and tend to try and steer clear of all-inclusive places unless I know someone I trust who's been as they can sometimes end up being less family friendly and more like "party people" places (if you catch my drift).

Ahh, yes, that makes sense. I do like breakfasts included, though. Try to fill my kids' bellies before going out and exploring. If we do make it down to Portugal, I'll have to also get your opinion on some decent restaurants.

Enjoy every moment! Saying that we've had no bother but we do lay down very clear ground rules eg no phones in bedroom at night until they're late teens. I do check the 12 year old's every now and again but neither boy is much into social media so all good

Just thinking about having to create and talk about those sorts of ground rules makes me appreciate how young Landon and Evie still are. Not five minutes ago, I just had to sort out an argument over sharing toys, but I'll take that any day to dealing with cell phones....

I love this photo of you! You look so happy and relaxed and carefree

Thank you. It took me about that long to stop worrying about the kids and enjoy my time at Disney.

I'm sorry for him. I can relate though. I'm at the point though that I just start taking non-drowsy Dramamine a couple of days before our first park day and take it every morning. It seems to work well for me.

He's definitely learned his lesson this trip. Don't think he'll ever go to the parks without motion sickness medicine again.

It definitely does look like it was an awesome time with just the 2 of you!

We really appreciated the time without the kids. And the kids still to this day ask me all the time when they can go stay at Nana's house again. So another trip will hopefully be in our future.
(Of course, my mom made pancakes with extra syrup for breakfast every morning, took them to the zoo twice, and ordered fries with their Chick Fil A meals, when we usually get them the applesauce, so what's not to love about Mom and Dad being away??)

 

[amazingact21]

I hope we get to experience that again one day. It's amazing! I think I was more excited about seeing the giraffes than the kids!!

AKL is where you bought into DVC right? If so, I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to catch an animal handler chatting to guests.

We are looking forward to FOP when we go back, but will have to do the rider swap thing. I'm sure it was great getting to ride a new ride for the first time together. Bummer it made Alex so sick though. I get motion sickness as well, and what works best for me is the Less Drowsy Dramamine. Since it lasts 24 hours, I can take it at night and sleep off those first several hours since it does still make me a little tired. I'm usually just fine with that and don't have any issues with Disney rides, but Forbidden Journey and Simpsons at Universal can still get to me even with the medications.

Hmm, I'm wondering if I should try this method. I feel like Dramamine works the best, but even the non-drowsy makes me so tired. Like to the point where I'm groggy and falling asleep on my feet. This trip I tried taking Bonine before bed every night. It worked pretty well, but the longer I was on my trip the more I had to take to feel 100%, which I didn't especially love.
Maybe I'll try the Dramamine on a short trip and see if it still makes me feel tired in the morning.

I think the CMs are trained to ask this question. I don't think they expect to get so much of an answer.

You're probably right. Easy and friendly question.

Sounds like a great meal. We haven't been here since 2007.

That was probably when the restaurant was still 1 TS credit and made more sense to go to. The food was delicious, but I don't think the steak was worth 60 dollars for one person.

I was wondering how big there are too. I want to find them in December.

They're a lot bigger than I thought!

That pretty big. They will dwarf JP.

You have to get a picture of this!

 

[Steppesister]

What is this? Like Dramamine in patch form? I can't take the Dramamine pills because they make me way too drowsy (even the non-drowsy) and I didn't think Bonine worked as well, so I'm on the lookout for new methods.

It's like dramamine, but called scopalamine. It makes you less drowsy and is worn as a patch.

Shame on me for this, but I honestly never thought of this. Teaching lesson for me, and now I'm hoping Alex's directions helped her reach the bus stops fine.

Nah, I didn't mean to shame you in any way at all. Just that's how it struck me.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

No spaghetti?! I don't how you do it. That's a staple meal in my house. Definitely one of my, Dad's working late, we didn't get home from practice on time, meals.

Oh we eat pasta, just in other forms and shapes.... No long skinny noodles!

 

[amazingact21]

It's like dramamine, but called scopalamine. It makes you less drowsy and is worn as a patch.

I'm writing this down so I can buy some for our next trip! Thanks!

Oh we eat pasta, just in other forms and shapes.... No long skinny noodles!

Ahhh, okay. I was thinking about my go-to dinners and became a little sad at how many involved pasta.

 

[natebenma]

Hi!

So sorry I'm late to joining in. I LOVE your reports.

Our son is a unique little guy with many notable qualities. The only one worth telling here, though, is how old he’s become lately. He’s not listening to his personal idol, Peter Pan, at all and is growing up faster than my little heart can keep up.

So beautifully written and poignant.

This trip became a study in two children’s varying personalities and interests, as seen in the following example:

Priceless!

called Nana nowadays (or, apparently, @GrandmaZ here on the boards, something she did not tell me until a few weeks ago!):

That is hilarious!

 

[natebenma]

Wow! What a monumental pre-trip.

That is a lot going on with your move and planning for your extended trip "home". Once again, I'm impressed!

Poor Alex. That is awful that his trip was so miserable.

Your random meet with khertz was awesome. You never know where you will encounter a DIS friend!

 

[natebenma]

Yes, indeed. Alex and I were headed down to Orlando to bask in our childless millennial inner selves.

Bring on the pretzels…

That was you???

She could have cared less if I were in the room. By this point in her life, injecting medicine for a barking cough was just routine for her. This was the fourth time it had occurred; Evie probably thinks this sort of thing is part of having a cold.

In other words, she wasn’t freaking out.

That was all me.

Poor kid. But poor mom

Recovered from my rookie mistake, Alex had to again drive the Disney Facts 101 into my head.

You know you have done a proper job when Alex knows the drill and is able to remind you of the traditional photos.

 

[natebenma]

Evie definitely has that frown down!

How cool that you got to meet up with cindianne320. My family's first DISmeet outside of the park was with MissyRose and PixelDust. At Shake Shack (DC).

That could be their official slogan. "Shake Shack. The official meet-up spot for Disney-crazies"

Maybe that needs a bit more work.

****************************************************

I love your comment about the animals being separated and punished for not playing nicely with the group.

But I love Alex's comment even more. "You are Alicia, at Disney, without the kids"

Get out there and have all the fun!

 

[Steppesister]

I'm writing this down so I can buy some for our next trip! Thanks!

It is RX here, but maybe in the UK you can get it OTC?? Never hurts to ask though... pretty common med here and I saw MANY in the parks on my last few trips.