Winter Coats and Knit Hats at Disney? Is This the Twilight Zone? A Jan 18 TR Updated 9/11 & 9/13!

Pluto0809

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 25, 2012
Winter Coats and Knit Hats at Disney? Is This the Twilight Zone?

Well, it’s certainly taken me long enough to get this one started! Life has just been so crazy lately. Work was super busy plus thanks to some flooding, we did some unexpected house renovations.

So, just in case you are completely new to my TRs, who exactly are we? I’m Ariana, I’m 44 and live outside of Atlanta, Georgia with my husband Jim. I’m a complete Disney nut and I’ve slowly converted Jim into a least a Disney lover. He’s still content with a trip every other year but I need my fix way more often. So while this trip was with him, I do travel with other companions and even solo.

Here’s Jim and I freezing our butts off at AK.




We don’t have any kids of the two legged variety but we do have four dogs who we consider our kids. Here they are, Ellie, Sierra, Buddy and Remy.



We recently got rid of that nasty old carpet and replaced it with vinyl flooring. I don’t have any photos of the renovations uploaded yet but I do plan on posting some in my PTR eventually.

So let’s talk about this trip for a few minutes. We were at WDW from Tuesday, January 2, 2018 through Monday, January 8, 2018. The main purpose for this trip was for me to “run” in the 5K during Marathon Weekend. I put run in quotes because while I participate in at least one 5K every other month, I have some issues with my ankle and end up walking at least 2/3rds of most races. Jim prefers the moderates so I booked us at Port Orleans Riverside for the trip.

Up Next: Freezing Our Way Around Epcot
 
Freezing Our Way Around Epcot

Our flight out on the 2nd was not until noon because we needed to drop the dogs off at the “doggie spa” before heading to the airport. The “doggie spa” is just our vets but they have luxury suites with TVs and since our dogs are spoiled rotten they get one of those. And yes, both Ellie and Sierra love to watch TV.

Our Vet's office opens at 7 am so we were up and out the door by 6:45 am. The vet is only a short drive so I was the first one in the door when they opened. I type up everything ahead of time and usually they just staple that to their forms. But for some reason this time, the receptionist decided to transfer everything over onto the forms. I also had a few extra papers to fill out because Buddy and Remy were both getting their teeth cleaned during their stay. On top of both of those things they were having printer issues so it took a total of 45 minutes to get them all sorted out.

After we said goodbye to the babies, we headed to Jim’s work. He had to do something (I don’t ask anymore, he’s seriously married to his work and spends every minute in lines checking his e-mail) so he ran in for about 20 minutes while I waited in the car.

I was getting antsy but we finally got on the road to the airport and made it to the lot where we park. A bus came very quickly and we were at the airport with plenty of time to spare. There were definitely some heavier crowds there due to the holidays but we made it to our gate in time to get some Chick Fil A and relax a bit. I obviously wasn’t in TR mode yet and didn’t take pictures so I have no idea what we ordered.

Our flight was uneventful and we landed right on time at 1:30 pm. I don’t remember much about the DME but I do have in my notes that we were on Disney property by 2:40 pm and in our room by 3:15 pm. I know we stopped at two or three resorts before ours. I got our “room is ready” e-mail at 2:06 pm and we were in Building 28, room 2805 which was on the first floor.

We didn’t go under the welcome arch but instead came in through the Disney Springs area.




It took us a bit to find our room. Our location was not really ideal. I had requested building 34 and near transportation. We sort of got the near transportation one as it was pretty close to the West Depot. But Alligator Bayou has some pretty meandering paths and it took us a few tries to figure out how to get to the bus stop and the main lobby from building 28.



And here’s some pictures of our room. It was definitely different than when we stayed there in 2014. Not sure if we just got a different type of room or if they had renovated since then.



The white door in this next picture was the bathroom.



We had a corner room so there were two windows.



Inside of the big wardrobe.



The mini fridge was located below the TV.



As soon as you opened the door to the bathroom the toilet was straight ahead. This ended up being interesting for Jim and I. Probably TMI but as we’ve been married for almost 20 years, we don’t tend to shut the door when we go to the bathroom. This lead to a few awkward moments when I realized as I sat down that the toilet was very visible from the windows with that door open.



The bathroom was one long room. This next picture is taken standing in front of the toilet.



I was not a fan of the sink. The basin was very shallow and it was hard to wash your hands without touching the bottom of the sink.



Looking the other way from the tub.



We freshened up a bit then headed out to find the West Depot. I don’t have a lot of memory about bus situations but I don’t remember anything bad. I do know that we were walking into Epcot at 4:15 pm. And that was after stopping at Guest Services to activate our tickets. I had bought them through AAA and it was a very simple process to activate them. I had been worried because I had purchased my Mom’s annual pass at the same time as mine and they were on the same voucher. But the CM was able to active mine and not my Moms so everything worked out fine in the end.

I had booked two FPs for us and the first for Spaceship Earth was getting near the end. We still had a bit of time so we stopped for some pictures at the front.








Then we noticed that Daisy was out with zero line so we met her.





It was a bit windy there if you can’t tell by my hair! You will also notice the autograph book in Jim’s hand. Daisy was his very first Character signature and he did a pretty good job filling up that book over the next few days.

Well I think I will stop there and continue our freezing journey in the next update.

Up Next: A Frozen Adventure on a Freezing Day.
 


Here’s Jim and I freezing our butts off at AK.
I know all about that! I only wish our schedules would have worked out so we could have met :sad2: Someday! :thumbsup2

Ellie, Sierra, Buddy and Remy
So adorable!!! :goodvibes

This lead to a few awkward moments when I realized as I sat down that the toilet was very visible from the windows with that door open.
:rotfl:

Looking forward to more! Happy to see you back on the Boards :goodvibes
 
Following along on your January trip also...great report so far!
Sorry you were freezing. Seems impossible at Disney World! :cold:
 


Excited to hear about this trip!

Hi Ryan! It was definitely a fun trip other than the cold.

Joining in!

Hi and welcome!!

I know all about that! I only wish our schedules would have worked out so we could have met :sad2: Someday! :thumbsup2
So adorable!!! :goodvibes
:rotfl:
Looking forward to more! Happy to see you back on the Boards :goodvibes

Hi Tracy! I was bummed we couldn't coordinate a meet but I'm sure with all of trips we will cross paths again someday.

Following along on your January trip also...great report so far!
Sorry you were freezing. Seems impossible at Disney World! :cold:

Hi! If you had told me we would be wearing multiple layers, knit hats and gloves on this trip I would have thought you were crazy. I could not believe how cold it was most of the time we were there.

Can’t wait to hear about your trip

Hi! Thanks for joining in.

Yay, you started!!!!!

I am freezing just remembering how cold it was!

Hey Jackie! I still can't believe how cold it was that trip.

Joining in!

Hi and welcome!
 
A Frozen Adventure on a Freezing Day Part 1

After we met up with Daisy it was getting close to the end of our Spaceship Earth FP so we headed right there.














Jim was missing half his head in our future. I guess the cameras didn’t pick up his Storm Trooper knit hat.









Since we used our first FP towards the end, it was now almost time for our second FP of the day for Frozen Ever After which was from 4:45 to 5:45 pm. I wanted to use it right at the beginning because we had a dinner ADR at 6:00 pm. I seriously doubted we would have an issue with time but you never know.

As you can see by my next picture, we entered the FP queue right at the start of our FP. I think I was trying to get a picture of the wait time which I don’t remember now of course and it’s not readable on the photo.




We didn’t have anything to worry about time wise, we were on the ride quickly. I managed to get a handful of blurry pictures for your viewing pleasure.









Oh, these last two are a bit better.





And here’s our ride photo. It cracks me up that Jim looks absolutely terrified on what is essentially a kiddie ride.



We had plenty of time to spare after our ride so we headed over to see how the line was for Anna and Elsa. The wait time said 30 minutes and we had time so we hopped in.

This was my first time seeing the new meet and greet area and I found it very well themed.






Continued in Next Post
 
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A Frozen Adventure on a Freezing Day Part 2





Loved the tribute to Maelstrom.



The line moved very quickly and it wasn’t long before we were meeting the Ice Queen herself. No idea what we talked about but it probably had something to do with Jim’s birthday. Almost every character during this trip picked up on his birthday button.





Anna obviously had a lot to say.







From the time we entered the line till we walked out of the exit it took a total of 18 minutes. Not bad for a posted wait time of 30 minutes.

We continued around World Showcase and browsed the stores in Norway, China and Germany. Along the way we stopped for some PP pictures.






We checked in at Biergarten a little before our ADR time and it wasn’t long before we were seated. We were at a table with an older couple and a family of four that consisted of Mom, Dad, teenage son and their college-age exchange student. The Dad immediately let us know that he had been drinking around the world. It was quite obvious but he was a happy drunk so it made for very funny conversation around the table. He sold RVs for a living and spent a bit of time trying to convince us to come see him up north and buy one.

We were on the top tier but had a great view of the stage.




We didn’t waste any time heading up for some food. The first plate is Jim’s. He’s a much more adventurous eater than me. He grew up eating German food at his Grandma’s table and the Biergarten buffet has a lot of his childhood favorites.



And my much plainer plate which consisted of beef short ribs, potato dumplings, noodle gratin (basically mac and cheese), pretzel bread, potatoes and chicken.



Everything was delicious except for the pretzel bread. I don’t know why I keep grabbing it here because I never like it. It’s way too dry and hard. I like the stuff at Le Cellier much better. I know I went back up for a second plate of pretty much the same stuff.

The only disappointment for me other than the pretzel bread was the lack of chocolate mousse cake on the dessert section. I don’t think I ended up with any dessert that night which is unusual for me. Jim may have gotten something but I don’t have photographic evidence.

After our very amusing meal, we headed out and continued around World Showcase. Unfortunately I was pretty much done at this point. I forgot to mention in the first post that I was feeling kind of crummy at the start of our trip. I was worried that I might be getting a sinus infection. The early morning and cold were catching up to me.

We did make a few more stops on the way around. The Japan store was a must do because I needed to try to find some calendars for my Mom. She had purchased a 2017 version when we were on our November 2016 trip and really wanted a 2018 one. She had been bugging me non-stop for a few weeks to make sure I didn’t forget. I managed to find them pretty easily and bought her two different versions. There were four
different ones so I sent her pictures and she picked these two.



It’s a good thing that I got them for her on this trip because they were gone when we were there in February.

We also made stops in the UK and Canada but didn’t buy anything on this night.


We walked through Mouse Gears and made a stop at the jewelry counter. I had been looking for the Lilo and Stitch Pandora bead that had been sold out for a while. I asked with very little hope of them actually having it and low and behold it had just come back in stock that morning! It has Lilo on one side and Stitch on the other.





We headed out after that towards the buses. The wind was so bad that it was hard to walk, not a fun experience at all! We got off the bus at the front of the resort so I could buy some meds at the gift shop in the hope of clearing up whatever was going on with me. I got those and also a Pluto key chain.



After a few wrong turns, we made it back to our room. We unpacked a bit and finally fell into bed around 11 pm. I had a very early morning planned for the next day but it was supposed to be 40 degrees and pouring rain. I did set the alarm with the intention of getting up. You will have to stay tuned to see if we actually did make it to MK for rope drop at 8 am the next day.

I only traded for one pin on this day.




We definitely did some serious walking despite only being in a park from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm.



Up Next: Rain, Rain, Go Away!
 
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EPCOT_FROZENRIDE_20180102_408710156192-L.jpg
This is incredible :)
 
Loved the tribute to Maelstrom.

That's so cool!! I still haven't met the sisters from Frozen. I was really hoping to this trip, but most of the time we wanted to just keep moving, so we didn't even ride FEA! Closest I came was seeing one of the boats behind the ride as we ran by backstage.


This picture is SO cute!

It was quite obvious but he was a happy drunk so it made for very funny conversation around the table. He sold RVs for a living and spent a bit of time trying to convince us to come see him up north and buy one.
That is hilarious! At least it made for funny conversation rather than drunk and annoying! Did he get you convinced to head North and purchase your RV? :)

I was worried that I might be getting a sinus infection. The early morning and cold were catching up to me.
UGH that is simply awful with how crummy the weather already was supposed to be!!

What a great pin!!!!! I remember trying to find a Dumbo pin for Jimmy on our 2016 trip as a bit of a joke because he had a huge meltdown when I made him ride. I wanted a pin to commemorate how he "survived" LOL At that point everywhere I asked the only Dumbo pins that existed were the really expensive anniversary edition set. This one is just awesome!
 
Yay joining in! Sounds like a busy first day! Love the character pics and I'm glad it was a good dinner in Germany! I hope you ended up feeling better!
 
Joining in! How lovely it must have been to wear hoodies and hats at Walt Disney World :) We're always going in the hottest times of year and melting away --- would love to experience the Parks without that heat!
 
This is incredible :)

I know! And that's not the best picture from the trip either.

That's so cool!! I still haven't met the sisters from Frozen. I was really hoping to this trip, but most of the time we wanted to just keep moving, so we didn't even ride FEA! Closest I came was seeing one of the boats behind the ride as we ran by backstage.
This picture is SO cute!
That is hilarious! At least it made for funny conversation rather than drunk and annoying! Did he get you convinced to head North and purchase your RV? :)
UGH that is simply awful with how crummy the weather already was supposed to be!!
What a great pin!!!!! I remember trying to find a Dumbo pin for Jimmy on our 2016 trip as a bit of a joke because he had a huge meltdown when I made him ride. I wanted a pin to commemorate how he "survived" LOL At that point everywhere I asked the only Dumbo pins that existed were the really expensive anniversary edition set. This one is just awesome!

You should try to get in a meet with the sisters next time, they are fun to interact with. Plus the lines are much shorter now. I totally forgot about seeing the boat backstage!

Nope, no RVs for us. I don't have any desire to own one of those.

Dumbo pins are super hard to find. I look for them all the time and probably only have three or four. I was really excited to see find that one.


Yay joining in! Sounds like a busy first day! Love the character pics and I'm glad it was a good dinner in Germany! I hope you ended up feeling better!

We did get quite a lot done despite only being at Epcot for a few hours. Unfortunately I never did get better and ended up at the doctor's office when we got home.

Joining in! How lovely it must have been to wear hoodies and hats at Walt Disney World :) We're always going in the hottest times of year and melting away --- would love to experience the Parks without that heat!

I definitely like being at WDW when it's cooler but this trip was just crazy. I've never experienced cold like this at the parks. There were a few days that it barely got above freezing. Even with four layers on, we were still cold!
 
Rain, Rain, Go Away!

My original plan for Wednesday, January 3rd was MK till noon with FPs for Pirates, Big Thunder Mountain RR and Haunted Mansion and then brunch at Chef Mickey’s. After brunch I was going to head to the Race Expo to get my packet and Jim was going to do who knows what at that time. Then finally we were going to end the day at Disney Springs.

But when I woke up that morning, I still felt crummy and one look outside had me heading back to bed. It was pouring down rain and only about 40 degrees. Definitely not weather I wanted to face that morning. Jim of course was up, he always gets up around 5 am no matter what the day, but he had his work computer to keep him happy. I ended up sleeping another hour which really helped me feel better and then I got up and slowly got ready.

My new plan was to just take it easy and then head straight to our 12:30 ADR at Chef Mickey’s. But Jim started to get restless and the rain slowed down a bit so he talked me into heading to MK after all. We ended up heading out to the bus stop around 9:30 am. Of course by the time we got to MK it was pouring again. We were well past our Pirates FP and into our BTMR one. Neither one of us wanted to ride BTMR in the downpour so we headed to Pirates. We splashed our way there through lots of deep puddles and made it to Pirates which had no wait at all.

I took zero pictures during our time at MK because it was too hard to get my camera out from underneath my poncho. We didn’t even get a ride photo from Pirates, it never showed up in my account.

After Pirates, we had a little time before our HM FP so we ducked into The Country Bear Jamboree. Definitely more than a time filler for me as it’s one of my favorites and Jim was just happy to be out of the rain for a bit. I will say it was the most crowded I’ve seen that show thanks to the weather!

We also went in and out of some stores looking for gloves for Jim. I had brought a pair with me but he hadn’t and his hands were freezing. Unfortunately they were sold out everywhere.

We then used our HM FP.

I finally have some pictures to show you because we stopped for some PP pictures after the ride. The photographer was able to stand under an awning out of the rain to get these.





This next one turned out pretty darn epic. The CM asked us to act scared. I guess scared for me looks like opera singing and for Jim it looks like freezing to death.



By the time we finished with HM there wasn’t much time for anything else before we had to leave for our Chef Mickey ADR so we made our way out of the park via the Emporium.

We decided to take the Monorail rather than walk to the Contemporary to stay out of the rain as much as possible. We got there a bit early so we sat on a bench for a while and then I checked us in 15 minutes before our ADR. We got our picture with Mickey.






We found a seat in the very crowded waiting area. And then we waited, and waited, and waited. It was almost a ½ hour after our ADR time before we were called back. I was OK because I had eaten breakfast a bit later than morning (we had brought breakfast foods with us) but Jim was quite hangry by the time we were seated.

We were seated along the back wall in the room that is straight ahead from the check in desk. And while we were eating, the rain stopped, the clouds disappeared and the sun came out!

We ordered our drinks, I went with coke (no drinking till after the race for me) but Jim got a Mai Tai which, as you can see, he was very happy about.




We got our plates and Jim went with more of the lunch type items.



While I went with more breakfast items.



Serious carb overload there but that’s what I wanted the day before the race. Everything on my plate was delicious except for the grilled chicken tenders. I was trying to be healthy and picked those instead of the fried ones but they were really dry and kind of nasty.

Then the characters started coming around. Donald was first, he’s Jim’s favorite.






Goofy was next.





We had a bit of a break after Goofy so we went up for more food. I know Jim got another savory plate but my first one was pretty big so I just got some more of the mac and cheese and some dessert.



I definitely love Chef Mickey’s mac and cheese! I probably should have skipped the brownie for some more of the Oreo Bon Bons. It was just OK but I could eat those Bon Bons all day, every day.

Mickey visited us next.






And then my favorite guy Pluto!





And finally, Minnie.





I know Jim got some dessert but I can’t seem to find any pictures. I also am pretty sure that he got a birthday card signed by all of the characters but once again I failed to take a picture.

We loved this meal and I especially liked being able to have both Mickey waffles and Mac and Cheese in the same meal. Brunch is definitely my favorite at Chef Mickeys!

So I think I’ll end the update there for now. But here’s a fun question for those of you who have read my past TRs and know Jim’s obsession with T-shirts. Anyone want to guess how many he bought during our time at Disney Springs?

Up Next: Lines, Lines and More Lines!
 
Yuck, I'm sorry the weather was so crappy! But at least you got to squeeze in 2 rides and a showing of the Country Bears!

All the character pics from CMs came out cute! Glad to hear brunch is good there!

Hmmm, I'm going to guess 3 shirts!
 

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