Will we stay or will we go? We went! And had the most magical time! Hijacked 5-29-21 with a quick TR from New York City!

[tundra1]

I"ve eaten there a couple of times and both times were just not our cup of tea.... no pun intended. We've sat in the West Wing both times and it was very dark; cool effects but so darned loud! The food was very average, but perhaps it was an off day. I wish I could love it there, but combined with the ordering kiosks confusion and difficulty we experienced I think I'll stick with Skippers or Pecos for now.

I think if the little kids had not been with us, Be Our Guest would not have been as high on our list. But that restaurant was magical for them, and the food was so good!

 

[tundra1]

Joining in from Portage, WI. We're hoping to get a res for SCI-FI this coming November. We had a great meal there in 1/20. Maybe it was the server.

Have a great time! I am sure the server had a lot to do with it, but the food was not that good either. November is a great time to go to Florida! I have been to Portage many times. It is so beautiful there!

 

[tundra1]

Nice TR! Your grand daughter is so cute. We're DVC and heading to SSR for 9 nights starting November 28. Hope we have better weather (i.e. less humid and more sunshine).

Have you done any cruise TR's? We love DCL and have done 7 cruises with them so far. Had to cancel 5/20 Trans-Atlantic due to pandemic. I have two TR's on Northern Europe cruises, but all of the cruises were great.

Thank you! Aubrie started walking at Christmas, so I am so happy we took her to WDW when we did! She would not have wanted to spend that much time her stroller now!

I hope your trip in November is amazing! That should be a great week to be there, with lower crowds, decent weather, and everything decorated for Christmas. Hopefully Epcot will have all their holiday festivities this year!

I have never been on a cruise. It has been a bucket list item of mine for years (since watching the Love Boat on TV!). I will be doing a TR on our next trip in February of 2022. We will have a couple of days at WDW and then 7 nights on the Fantasy going to the Eastern Caribbean. I hope I can rent another DVC place, but we have Art of Animation booked as a back up right now. I think the kids would love it there!

 

[tundra1]

Great pics, especially the one with the parrot in flight, the rocket blast off near Everest and the Christmas tree at night. We love Pandora after dark and the FOP ride. We ridden it 10 times and see something different every time.

Thanks! We will only have two park days on our next trip, so unfortunately, we won't make it to Animal Kingdom. The pics of the rocket launch and parrot in flight were just lucky shots, but I love them both!

 

[tundra1]

Bad Terri! Bad!




Nice. I'd love to see NYC some day. Have never been... well, except for a stopover once.
I just wrote a quick TR from my trip on another travel website, but I can't figure out how to add pictures to those posts. Maybe I should hijack this thread and add it in here! LOL! I can't believe how uncrowded NYC was...


Loooove their French onion soup.
My husband ordered that and he Looooved it also!


You're not alone. I know a few people enjoy the "new norm" when it comes to characters.
The cavalcades in Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, the flotillas in Animal Kingdom, the socially distant interactions at Epcot were all great! I don't think the little ones wanted to get closer to any of the characters anyway!

Something I've never done. Maybe I will some day.
I hope they bring something like that back! They had the Kidcot activities at Epcot, the Wilderness Explorers at Animal Kingdom, and the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom at that park. It was a great way to discover all kinds of hidden treasures in those parks.

Well, yeah! You have to!
Captain Hook was great! My photo of my son and grandson together with him came out sideways, so I left that one out, but it was pretty cool!

Sometimes, I like to stand and watch the reactions of those who get hit.
Yes! Beware of spitting camels! One dad thought his kid had thrown up on him... but the kid was laughing and having a great time! it was hilarious!

Interesting! You're the first I've heard that are fans of Casey for baseball as opposed to food.

Actually, I have never eaten there. It was on our bucket list for the trip, but was not open. It is hard to beat a good Chicago Dog... I wonder if Casey's is similar?

 

[tundra1]

Ugh. It's so hard to get a boarding group! I wish there was a better way to at least know if you're going to ride or not before you have to commit to rope drop just to try to get on.

We didn't have to worry about rope dropping the park. With a Park Reservation, you can enter the virtual queue at 7am from anywhere. You just need the My Disney Experience app. But, you do need a park reservation for that day to get a boarding group number.

Interesting. Have to keep that in mind.
Me too! We are going to try it, because I don't want to be shut out again!


The hallmark of a complicated ride, I guess.
Yes. Now when go back to WDW next February, we will only have two park days. Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom won out over AK and Epcot. But, it will give us another chance to score a RotR Boarding Group!

Love the pose.
That's my son! Honestly, he is a huge Star Wars Fan. I think he will love the cruise next year because they will have a Star Wars Day at Sea on one of the days we are sailing. He will have such a great day!

10 minutes!!!
I know! It was early in the morning, and everyone was in Pandora! They asked us if we wanted to stay on and ride again, and now that I think about it, I believe we did! I knew we had ridden it three times. Thanks for jogging my memory on that one!

Awww.
That baby rhino is now on the Safari with his mom. I wish I could go back and see him!

That good, huh? I'm so glad they changed the menu there. Now I have a reason to give it a try again.
It was great! The drinks were really good too! Our meal had a very similar flavor profile to what we got at Satu'li Canteen.

30...
Not 300?
30. Definitely 30.

I think we got spoiled. The crowds will be a lot bigger when we go back next year! But FOP is such a fun ride! I am glad we got to ride it 3 times.

And what's with Navi being so long? I mean... it's an okay ride, but... really??

The queue for Navi extended to the entrance of Pandora, whereas the queue for FOP extended along the river. I think most people entered Pandora, saw the sign for the end of a line, and just got in it! Honestly, the first time we walked into Pandora, we almost did the same thing, until I asked the CM which line that was. We never did take the time to do that ride.

 

[tundra1]

Wow, lots of travel!
My daughter lives in Brooklyn, and it had been 2 years since I last traveled there, so I was way overdue! NYC is my favorite city, and I still have so many things on my bucket list to do! But this trip was so different with the lack of tourists. Hotels are really discounted, no theatre, and really only locals to keep businesses going. There are a lot of vacant storefronts right now.

My sister-in-law lives in West Virginia, and we went to her daughter's college graduation. I love the Appalachian Mountains! And the people are so friendly.

This!! 100% this!!


I just read an article in the last couple of days that one Imagineer is lobbying for them to turn the spit back on.
The camels were spitting when we rode it... I wonder if someone complained and they turned them off after we were there?

Oh, don't see him very often!! Nice!
Oh, Burt was amazing! He was so interactive with the crowds! That entire cavalcade was lots of fun!

A completist in the making!
Zack is definitely more of the problem solver and puzzle guy. His brother is the daredevil!

Well, poop, but chances are pretty good that in that case, you'd likely not have ridden given the low BP #'s.
Yes, that is what we were thinking. But I don't know what's worse... getting a boarding group and not getting to ride, or not getting a boarding group at all!

I could spend oodles of time on that trail too, especially in the aviary.
I got some amazing photos along that trail. The birds are so beautiful!

The apps are so great and prevent so much backtracking and time wasting.
Thanks to these forums, I learned that before our trip, and really used it to our advantage!

I still don't understand why NRJ has such long lines over FOP consistently! IT was the same for both of my recent trips as well.

I just answered that same question for @pkondz! You two think alike!
I think it was because that line queue went towards the entrance of Pandora, so it was the first line people came across when entering the park. They saw the CM with the sign, and hopped in line, not knowing which ride they were in line for!

 

[pkondz]

I just wrote a quick TR from my trip on another travel website, but I can't figure out how to add pictures to those posts. Maybe I should hijack this thread and add it in here! LOL! I can't believe how uncrowded NYC was...

Sure! Post here. That's what I do.

Captain Hook was great! My photo of my son and grandson together with him came out sideways, so I left that one out, but it was pretty cool!

Post it anyway! Or if you really want it fixed, PM it to me and I'll send it back rotated. Only takes 10 seconds.

Yes! Beware of spitting camels! One dad thought his kid had thrown up on him... but the kid was laughing and having a great time! it was hilarious!

Actually, I have never eaten there. It was on our bucket list for the trip, but was not open. It is hard to beat a good Chicago Dog... I wonder if Casey's is similar?

TBH.... No. I think Casey's hot dogs... well... suck.
I'm a bit of a hot dog snob and those are just... not good.
However! Their hot dog nuggets are great!

We didn't have to worry about rope dropping the park. With a Park Reservation, you can enter the virtual queue at 7am from anywhere.

Oh! I didn't know that. I'm a bit out of the loop these days.

That's my son! Honestly, he is a huge Star Wars Fan. I think he will love the cruise next year because they will have a Star Wars Day at Sea on one of the days we are sailing. He will have such a great day!

How could he not!

The queue for Navi extended to the entrance of Pandora, whereas the queue for FOP extended along the river. I think most people entered Pandora, saw the sign for the end of a line, and just got in it!

I was thinking that exact thing.
"There's a good ride in here. This must be the line."

Makes you wonder how many people rode it and then said "That's it? What's all the fuss about?"

 

[buzzrelly]

we knew exactly when the Beast would be coming. It was pretty cool.

I honestly didn't know the Beast was still coming out. I was considering making an ADR here for August and now that I see this, it's definitely more appealing.

Thinking back on it, I would definitely go there again. It was expensive, but we all loved it!

Good to know! We haven't been there in years and we weren't super impressed with it then…maybe now that it's a prix fix menu, it's gotten better!

I have to admit, the cavalcades were a great hit with our family.

My niece loved the cavalcades too! But I still miss the parades.

we stopped for another Photopass opportunity. These pictures turned out pretty cute, and I was glad we stopped.

So cute!

On the way out, we passed Casey's Corner, and stopped for a couple of pictures with the namesake, himself. My son and grandson are big baseball fans, so this was really fun!

Love that!! My teens are hoping Casey's is open by August…it's always been favorite of theirs!

By the time everyone left the park at the end of that day, Rise was down for good, only running 42 groups the entire day.

Boo I really want my DS to get on in August since he's a HUGE SW fan and hasn't been since it's opened.

Zack got his last badge, and we high fived the CM for a job well done!

Caw, caw! Haha! Congrats!

 

[CruellaNY]

Caught back up! We used to love Be Our Guest when it first opened. We ate dinner there about 8x and never had a bad meal! Then it went to 2 credits and the fixed menu, we tried it once and did not like the changes so it's out for us now unfortunately. But you still need to eat in the Beasts castle at least once!

Glad you enjoyed NYC too ❤ I'm about 90 minutes north of the city so different world really but it's so nice to see it opening back up now slowly but surely and we can't wait to get to Broadway in a few months!

 

[tundra1]

Sure! Post here. That's what I do.

Okay, I will! Stay tuned!

 

[tundra1]

I am going to interrupt my Disney report to tell you about a quick trip I took to New York City last month to visit my daughter. New York had just released its travel restrictions, no longer requiring visitors to quarantine for 10 days after they arrived. However, the tourists had not returned yet at that point... so I was able to enjoy NYC in a way I had never experienced it before. Let me start by saying that New York City has been one of my favorite places to visit. There was an energy there that could not be found anywhere else I have visited. Unfortunately, that energy has dissipated quite a bit, and when I was there, it had lost the big city feel and vibe. However, there was a new hometown atmosphere, where everyone we encountered was friendly and treated us like neighbors. With the tourists not yet back, the people who are out and about are the ones who chose to stay and live there, and there is a sense of hardiness and resiliency in everyone you meet.

I have a history of encountering bad weather whenever I travel, and this weekend was no exception. It was cold, windy, partly cloudy and occasionally rainy the first three days, which curtailed some of our evening plans. However, we did get out to see some of the sights. I had always wanted to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it was on my rainy day bucket list, so we headed there. If you look on the travel advice websites, you will read about the long lines, crowded exhibits, and lots of school groups to contend with, but none of that is happening right now. Actually, attendance is limited and they were asking for people to make a timed reservation. Here are the steps outside the museum at 10:30am on a Friday morning...



And a typical exhibit hall inside...


Yes... that was as crowded as it got the entire day!

I had always wanted to see the Egypt section of the museum, and could not believe the great photo ops we had!




We had a great time strolling through the various exhibits, and actually saw pretty much everything by the time we left around 2:30pm.
Afterwards we went to Central Park and walked to Belvidere Castle.



Yes, that is exactly how crowded it was at 3pm on a Friday afternoon. We went inside and were the only people there. We did have a delightful chat with the park ranger, and he pointed out the turtles in Turtle Pond...



Yes, those are people in the distance! It was so calm and peaceful, even though the afternoon was a bit chilly.

After that we headed back to Brooklyn via the subway. The city of New York has been vigilant about enforcing face masks, and encouraging everyone to do the same. They clean the cars on the subway trains at the end of each line... a cleaning crew hops on to disinfectant all the surfaces and wipe down the benches, poles, window ledges, etc. Plus PSA's like these are everywhere!



We decided to meet up with a few of my daughter's friends that evening for pizza, and then headed to a local establishment that had live entertainment. This is a photo of how the restaurants are managing post covid. Inside capacity is limited to 25%, so many places have built these outdoor, shelters along the curb outside their restaurants. There is good air flow and many of them are heated, so it works for now! It will be interesting to see what happens once the restrictions are lifted further and there is more traffic on the streets. For now, good music is easy to find and enjoy, and that one of things that I love most about NYC!

 

[tundra1]

One of the goals of this trip was to go shopping for dresses with my daughter. She has three friends getting married this summer, in three different states, so she wanted to find a dress that could work for at least two of the three events. We decided to start at Nordstroms and work our way south from there. April is always a hit or miss month for shopping, and Nordstroms was a big miss. So we headed down to Macy's next.

Here is Midtown Manhattan on a Sunday afternoon around 1pm. Madison Square Garden is to the left, and Penn Station is to the right. I could not believe how few people were shopping on a weekend afternoon...



Macy's store is 8 stories tall and covers an entire city block. There was plenty of room to browse and plenty of open fitting rooms. But we did not find what we were looking for... so our quest continued.

We then walked down 6th Ave. and came across our first and only "crowded area" of the entire trip. There were street vendors, people passing out flyers advertising their services, the purse salespeople with their items laid out along the sidewalks on sheets, etc. I had a smile on my face! Meanwhile, my daughter suggested walking a block east and taking 7th Ave instead, so we did...

Anyway, we made it to a few other stores and finally meandered inside Nordstrom's Rack. And there it was... the absolute perfect dress! Mission Accomplished!

After that we decided head back to Brooklyn to cook dinner there. It had started to rain and was getting colder and windy, so our outdoor dining plans were looking less inviting. We stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home to pick up a few things. Again, the check out line that usually reminds me of the queues at Disney were non-existent. Here is a picture of Junior's Cheesecake (the original) in Brooklyn, with no line, and open outdoor seating... We were able to walk right up to the take out window to pick up a couple slices for dessert!



On Monday we headed out to the upper portion of Manhattan Island to visit the Cloisters Museum. This museum is located in Fort Tryon park, and overlooks the Hudson River. It is absolutely beautiful, and we shared the place with more workers than patrons. We came across this cute little groundhog while walking up the hill to the museum... It was not quite like visiting Animal Kingdom, but it brought back happy memories!



The Cloisters is a museum inside a former monastery with many medieval artifacts along with religious statues, sculptures, and carvings. There are beautiful gardens surrounding the place and several courtyards within the museum.






It was a little too early for all the flowers to be blooming, but we could see the early ones showing some color.

There is a room inside the Cloisters filled with beautiful tapestries, many of them depicting unicorns.


It was so nice to be able to spend time enjoying these exhibits and reading about their origins with no worry about holding up others. My daughter has decided she wants to get married there... I hope she marries someone rich so her dream can come true!

After that we walked through Fort Tryon Park. We passed several people walking their dogs. What a great place to live near!



This is a view of Washington Bridge through the trees...


We then stopped for lunch and headed to Union Square in Manhattan for our final afternoon...

 

[tundra1]

Monday evening was going to be my first and only opportunity to see the sunset. We decided to head towards Union Square Park to check out the Farmer's Market and stop by the Strand Book Store.


We then walked towards NYU and stopped for a coffee and to enjoy some music in Washington Square Park.



After that, we took the subway to the Ferry Landing, and hopped on the East River Ferry to Brooklyn. The stop at Brooklyn Bridge park is closed for construction, but we were able to get off at Pier 6 and walk the few blocks to DUMBO. Our goal was to meet up with my daughter's roommates for dinner. After dinner, we wanted to stop by Ample Hills Creamery, since their location at Disney has closed. Every time I have tried to stop there, the line has been wrapped around the building and down the block, but on this evening, we were able to walk right inside. Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, here I come!



Ice Cream in hand, we walked down to the river walkway and enjoyed our treat, watching the sunset and seeing Manhattan's evening lights come on...




It was a great girl's trip and a wonderful quick getaway! I can't wait for Broadway to reopen this fall and hopefully bring back more tourists. But I was glad I had this opportunity to visit NYC and experience this Covid-era version of one of my favorite places!

 

[tundra1]

Sure! Post here. That's what I do.

Post it anyway! Or if you really want it fixed, PM it to me and I'll send it back rotated. Only takes 10 seconds.

Okay... here it is!



TBH.... No. I think Casey's hot dogs... well... suck.
I'm a bit of a hot dog snob and those are just... not good.
However! Their hot dog nuggets are great!

Good to know! I will remember that for next February!

Oh! I didn't know that. I'm a bit out of the loop these days.
It is time to open up that Border!




I was thinking that exact thing.
"There's a good ride in here. This must be the line."

Makes you wonder how many people rode it and then said "That's it? What's all the fuss about?"

Oh, if I had wasted an hour in line to see Navi River Journey and missed Flight of Passage, I would have been so disappointed!

 

[tundra1]

I honestly didn't know the Beast was still coming out. I was considering making an ADR here for August and now that I see this, it's definitely more appealing.

While we were there, the Beast came out 3 times. He went from being very serious and formal during the first two visits, to becoming very happy, friendly and playful the third time! It was fun for us adults to see the transformation! I definitely liked his playful personality much better!


Good to know! We haven't been there in years and we weren't super impressed with it then…maybe now that it's a prix fix menu, it's gotten better!

Yes, all of our entrees were excellent!


My niece loved the cavalcades too! But I still miss the parades.

I love a parade too, but my grandkids...not so much. These were perfect for them!


Love that!! My teens are hoping Casey's is open by August…it's always been favorite of theirs!

Yes, I hope it is open when we go in February of '22. According to @pkondz, the hot dog nuggets are the best!


Boo I really want my DS to get on in August since he's a HUGE SW fan and hasn't been since it's opened.

That is why it is nice to have a back up trip in the works! My bucket list is constantly growing, and we definitely want to get on Rise of the Resistance!




Caw, caw! Haha! Congrats!

Zack now has that Wilderness Explorer Book hanging on the bulletin board in his room! He really enjoyed the experience!

 

[tundra1]

Caught back up! We used to love Be Our Guest when it first opened. We ate dinner there about 8x and never had a bad meal! Then it went to 2 credits and the fixed menu, we tried it once and did not like the changes so it's out for us now unfortunately. But you still need to eat in the Beasts castle at least once!

Glad you enjoyed NYC too ❤ I'm about 90 minutes north of the city so different world really but it's so nice to see it opening back up now slowly but surely and we can't wait to get to Broadway in a few months!

OMG! We had the best time! I have been up to West Point a few times, and that area of New York is so beautiful. Next year, I will be back in NYC again for sure!

 

[Steppesister]

However, the tourists had not returned yet at that point... so I was able to enjoy NYC in a way I had never experienced it before

That was me my first trip back to Disney in January. It was surreal. And I loved it!!

I have a history of encountering bad weather whenever I travel, and this weekend was no exception. It was cold, windy, partly cloudy and occasionally rainy the first three days, which curtailed some of our evening plans.

Dang! Bummer!

Afterwards we went to Central Park and walked to Belvidere Castle.

One place I've never been. Looks very interesting.

Anyway, we made it to a few other stores and finally meandered inside Nordstrom's Rack. And there it was... the absolute perfect dress! Mission Accomplished!

YES!! Success!

We came across this cute little groundhog while walking up the hill to the museum... It was not quite like visiting Animal Kingdom, but it brought back happy memories!

Not quite like the Meerkats, but.... kinda! LOL!!

Looks absolutely beautiful!

I recognize that and wonder if it inspired a Bradbury and Bradbury wall covering/art they sell. Hmmm....

 

[pkondz]

New York had just released its travel restrictions, no longer requiring visitors to quarantine for 10 days after they arrived.

Please... let things continue returning to normal!

However, the tourists had not returned yet at that point... so I was able to enjoy NYC in a way I had never experienced it before.

Happy for you.

I, on the other hand, have never been to NYC. And I'd love to!

There was an energy there that could not be found anywhere else I have visited. Unfortunately, that energy has dissipated quite a bit, and when I was there, it had lost the big city feel and vibe.

Really! I'm surprised.

I had always wanted to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Me too!

Lovely photo.
Who is who?

Yes... that was as crowded as it got the entire day!

Excellent!
Now you'll be permanently spoiled!

Yes, that is exactly how crowded it was at 3pm on a Friday afternoon. We went inside and were the only people there.

Wow!

and then headed to a local establishment that had live entertainment.

"live entertainment"...

Such a thing exists??

She has three friends getting married this summer, in three different states, so she wanted to find a dress that could work for at least two of the three events.

That will keep her hopping!

Madison Square Garden is to the left, and Union Station is to the right.

Really! I had no idea they were close to each other.

Anyway, we made it to a few other stores and finally meandered inside Nordstrom's Rack. And there it was... the absolute perfect dress! Mission Accomplished!

We came across this cute little groundhog while walking up the hill to the museum... It was not quite like visiting Animal Kingdom, but it brought back happy memories!

The Cloisters is a museum inside a former monastery with many medieval artifacts along with religious statues, sculptures, and carvings.

Sounds cool.

We decided to head towards Union Square Park to check out the Farmer's Market

See? This is what I mean. I've never been. I'm very surprised there's a Farmer's Market in The Big Apple.

Pretty.

we were able to get off at Pier 6 and walk the few blocks to DUMBO

What's "DUMBO"?

After dinner, we wanted to stop by Ample Hills Creamery, since their location at Disney has closed. Every time I have tried to stop there, the line has been wrapped around the building and down the block, but on this evening, we were able to walk right inside.

Okay. I'm sensing a theme here. You're saying there weren't a lot of people?

Look at those smiling faces!

Oh, if I had wasted an hour in line to see Navi River Journey and missed Flight of Passage, I would have been so disappointed!

No kidding!

 

[tundra1]

That was me my first trip back to Disney in January. It was surreal. And I loved it!!


One place I've never been. Looks very interesting.
I love Central Park, and Belvidere Castle is very near the Metropolitan Museum Campus. It is also near the Brambles, which I also love wandering through. You will need to add that to your bucket list!

YES!! Success!
My daughter is 6 feet tall. It is always a challenge finding the perfect dress! The fact that we found it in one weekend was cause for a celebration!
Not quite like the Meerkats, but.... kinda! LOL!!

Looks absolutely beautiful!
I really loved the Cloisters... it was so peaceful and serene.

I recognize that and wonder if it inspired a Bradbury and Bradbury wall covering/art they sell. Hmmm....

The museum gift shop had all kinds of items with that unicorn tapestry image... bags, stationary, ornaments, mugs, etc.