~~ Sew the crowds in WDW were frightful, but the weather was so delightful ~~Nov 2015 COMPLETE! ~~

[NJlauren]

Moving right along on this TR!

Congrats on a great race! It's hard in cold weather and rain! Ugh talk about making it difficult!

I know how you feel about the stripes, but personally I think you look great! I know it's hard if you don't feel good sometimes it doesn't even matter what people say you just feel blah, at least that's how I am.

Now I've never been to Via Napoli, however it's owned by the same people who own a resturant we frequent here in NJ! I actually had my baby shower there so I suspect it's pretty good!

I've never been to F&W and really would love to go but the crowds seems nuts!

I'm hoping the have some ornaments/mugs left when I get there this week!!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Hi.

Congrats on the race you did a WONDERFUL job!!! yahoo!

Loved all the pictures as usual but the one with Bradey and Simba is a great picture!!! SO SWEET!!!

Ok i am off to get some pictures edited!!!

 

[huggybuff]

And I'm caught up. Whew.

I agree, the view from your room is spectacular. I'm going to be putting a lot of thought into Jambo vs Kidani before my 2019 trip, so I was happy to hear your observations on that subject.

Excited to hear the Wave breakfast was amazing! I've got an ADR here for my first morning on my February trip. I just found out my flight has changed and I won't be getting in until 1AM (!) - then my ADR is at 7:30AM, then off to the Princess expo. Thanks United!

I think the black and white striped shirt looks great. Again, too hard on yourself.

I'm glad you had such a great time! So far.

 

[DMGeurts]

Happy Thanksgiving D!! Good luck on your 8k this morning!!!

Thank you!!! Same to you!!!! I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful!

My 8k was OK... The weather could have been much better - but I ran it and it felt good to run on Thanksgiving morning with other people.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Ever thought of selling your bags, I searched on Etsy and couldn't find anyone who makes them as cute as you do!!! I have a sewing machine but I'm a very basic beginner!!

Hi!! Welcome!!! Thanks for the compliment! Best of luck learning to sew... I am self taught (aside from my 8th grade home-ec class) as an adult and I love how much it's added to my life.

I think this was my favourite thing at AK. What a fun show. Seats not that comfortable though, agreed!! Your dinner of pizza looked awesome. Another place on my list to try next time!

I agree - I love FOLK - it is a favorite! For sure! Yes - you should try it - it was very good!

Happy Thanksgiving!
I think it's a great idea to get to World Shoecase by going to DHD first. Great choice. Your dinner looks incredible.

Thanks!!! I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful!

Yah - it made the most sense to us... It was a Saturday and we knew F*W would be crazy - and we were right!

It was very delicious!

Once again a great update with a lot of great photos. I love seeing the photos from your trip.

Thanks!!! I really enjoy sharing my trip here!

I'll say it again Your outfit looks great. I love the Gobble til you wobble on your back. How great that Alli came with you to watch.

Thanks!!! It was a fun outfit to wear and it was the right temperature for the race... I also had a black fleece jacket on over this for the first mile +, but I wound up wrapping it around my waist for most of the race, as I've said before, I run hot.

Great job on your race! I get that you were hoping for better, but I would still be very proud of that time - remember too that not only was the first half uphill, but you were in the rain and being pelted with ice pellets! Congrats on a job well done!

Thank you!!! Yes - that's true... I just always hope for better. LOL

Last weekend I finished my first 10K. The weekend before my sister thought it would be a good idea for us to run a test 10K in my parents neighborhood.in.Connecticut. I am from Indiana where it is flat flat flat. The hills killed me!! Between the hills and the rain/ice I'm totally impressed that you finished! That's awesome!

And you looked so cute! I can't stand it. How will those of us mere mortals ever live up to this greatness???

That's awesome!!! Congratulations!!! I plan to work on a 10k next. Yes, those hills can be killer... Thankfully - we live in a very hilly area, so hills are my life - it's a rare treat that I get to run on totally flat land. I knew i would finish - I don't ever give myself a choice in that... Even if I had to walk it, but I was sure hoping for a better pace than what I had. Oh well - I'll try again next year.

Thank you - I love Disney because I can dress up, and I think I love running races for the same reason. LOL I adore my Sparkle Skirt... Once I get these trips paid off - I hope to add another few to my collection over time... They are the best skirts ever to run in - they don't ride up ever!

Way to Go on doing the Race! That is quite an accomplishment & I love your outfit!
FOLK is my favorite thing at AK . The photo pass pictures turned out great, the one of Bradey with the lion is so cute. And so is the one of you & Suzi, your outfits & purses are so cute!

Thanks!!! I had so much fun doing my outfit for this race! I have a great idea for a theme next year too! Sooo excited!

I know - aside from KS & EE... FoLK is right at the top... Once I do those 3 things in AK - the rest is just an added bonus.

I love that picture of Bradey too - that PP photographer was really great!

Moving right along on this TR!

Congrats on a great race! It's hard in cold weather and rain! Ugh talk about making it difficult!

I know how you feel about the stripes, but personally I think you look great! I know it's hard if you don't feel good sometimes it doesn't even matter what people say you just feel blah, at least that's how I am.

Now I've never been to Via Napoli, however it's owned by the same people who own a resturant we frequent here in NJ! I actually had my baby shower there so I suspect it's pretty good!

I've never been to F&W and really would love to go but the crowds seems nuts!

I'm hoping the have some ornaments/mugs left when I get there this week!!

Yes - I am trying to get it finished up quickly... Hopefully I am not moving too fast...

The weather sure didn't cooperate for me, but in the end - it wasn't too bad. Thankfully.

Thanks!!! I was not happy about those stripes at all.... Definitely a shirt I will not be wearing alone again - maybe with my black fleece jacket over it or even my new black fleece Mickey jacket - but never alone. LOL

Oooh - that's really cool! Yes, you should try it out!

Yes - I don't have any desire to frequent it again... I am glad I did it once, but that's it. IMO - it was too expensive for what you get, and I sure ran through the remainder of my food budget quickly there.

I hope they do - I am sure they will! They had tons when we were there... I think it will be more of an issue closer to Christmas though.

I hope you had a marvelous Thanksgiving!

Hi.

Congrats on the race you did a WONDERFUL job!!! yahoo!

Loved all the pictures as usual but the one with Bradey and Simba is a great picture!!! SO SWEET!!!

Ok i am off to get some pictures edited!!!

Hi Mo!!!!!

Thank you!!!! It was interesting, cold and wet - but in the end, it was really fun!

Thanks - I agree - that one of Bradey and Simba is one of the best! That photographer was great!

Have fun editing- I know you have your work cut out for you!

Love you - miss you!

And I'm caught up. Whew.

I agree, the view from your room is spectacular. I'm going to be putting a lot of thought into Jambo vs Kidani before my 2019 trip, so I was happy to hear your observations on that subject.

Excited to hear the Wave breakfast was amazing! I've got an ADR here for my first morning on my February trip. I just found out my flight has changed and I won't be getting in until 1AM (!) - then my ADR is at 7:30AM, then off to the Princess expo. Thanks United!

I think the black and white striped shirt looks great. Again, too hard on yourself.

I'm glad you had such a great time! So far.

Hey!!! Thanks for taking the time to catch up - I know I am moving along pretty fast.

It was an amazing view - truly... I've added it to my list of places to go when I dream. It was just wonderful! We did love Jambo very much - it was a beautiful resort!

Yes!!! I was very excited to be able to snag one for Allison's upcoming trip too... I didn't think it would be too hard - but I am very excited to take her there on one of our off days. And since we will be so close to the monorail resorts - it should be an easy transportation day. I hope.

Thanks... I've been super hard on myself lately - but I really need to step back and refocus... My whole body image has gone down in the dumps in the last few weeks, and I am not sure what is going on? I know it's all mental - but it's still a hard hurdle to over come. I dug out my most inspiring books last night and I started reading them, in an effort to really refocus and re-frame my mind. I must be very dedicate through the holidays here, so that I am ready for Allison's trip in January. So, starting today - I am back at it again.

Thanks!!! It was a wonderful trip!!! It truly was!!!

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

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!

I plan to knock out an update or two (or more) today and tomorrow...

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

Day 4 Part 4

Bellies full - we decided to head out into the dark and the madness of Food & Wine on a Saturday night... It was quite crazy folks! Essentially - I let Suzi create a path and I just followed her lead - keeping Bradey in between us. I was never so happy to get out of a crowd in my life!

We were headed to Soarin' to use our first FP for the day...

On our way to Soarin' we stopped in Mouse Gear... I was now on the hunt for that black fleece Mickey jacket I'd found in AK earlier in the day. We found it, but only in a size Small... Yah - that wasn't gonna work. I asked a CM if they had more sizes, but she was unwilling to look or to even look it up on the app... She told me if it wasn't out - they didn't have it. Ummm - OK. I knew that wasn't true. But I also knew they restocked at night and we would be back in Epcot in the morning - so I would look again then.

I love Soarin'!!!! When we got to the front of the line (prob a 20 min wait) - I requested a front row seat... Unfortunately - I was at the very end of the theater, and due to my fear of heights - well, that wasn't the best place for me to be... In the end, I was OK - but it definitely wasn't the best Soarin' experience I've ever had.

After, we did stand-by for Nemo since the ride was walk-on, and believe it or not, I have NEVER done this ride before! It was really cute! I adored the queue for this ride - sooo well done!

On our way out of the building, we saw a Photopass Photographer at Bruce- and we just HAD to stop, there was NO way I was missing out on this one!

At some point - the gentleman behind Suzi gave her the bright idea to try to "dump" me out of Bruce's mouth.... It was quite comical... She didn't succeed - but it wasn't for her lack of trying. LOL

After our fun there - I had to stop in Starbucks for the 3rd "you are here' mug of the day... If you've been keeping track so far... I've been in 3 parks on this day and I have a Starbucks "you are here" mug from each one of them.

We decided to head out of the park, stopping for several Photopass pictures in front of SSE on our way out. We didn't really love the Food and Wine backgrounds here - but whatever...

SSE at night!!! Love!!!

And the star lit sidewalks... These are cool! I'd never seen these before either.

As we were walking out of the park... We decided - why not? Let's do all 4 parks in one day!!! Sadly, we didn't realize it before we went too far - so we had to go through bag check again at Epcot to get to the monorail station. LOL At least the line was no wait.

So, we took the Epcot monorail to the TTC - with the intention of taking the resort monorail to MK...

Phew - on our way to MK.

I've never seen this sign all lit up at night before (or if I have, it's been several years) - because we always stay at FQ, and the buses don't come this way when staying there... So, the entire trip, I was trying to get a picture of this sign, and this was the best I could do.

But the resort monorail was down... (Hmmm... Could this be my Monorail luck rearing it's ugly head?)

So we were going to take the big ferry boat... It literally had just left as we were walking up. Sigh. Rather than wait - we decided to hop the boat at the Poly...

So we walked to the Poly dock... not thinking - because the resort monorail was down, EVERYONE was waiting on this boat - thankfully it was a big one... We were at the VERY middle of a VERY long line - not sure we would even make it on to this boat, but we did - barely.

Once we were there - the crowds were INSANE!!!

Suzi and Bradey decided to wait for me on a bench near the walk way to the buses - I planned to walk into MK - go straight to Starbucks, buy my mug and leave.

As I was entering MK - the MSE Parade was just ending - and I was a fish swimming upstream in a crowd of people exiting the park... It was craziness at it's best! Even me - who doesn't normally mind the crowds - was getting very claustrophobic here... It was total madness. I snapped one picture - holding my phone up - and it isn't a great picture... But it's the one and only one I have that night in MK to prove that I was there. I had every intention of stopping for a PP photogrpaher on Main Street - but there was just NO way... The lines were soooo long,and I wanted to get out of there ASAP!

My one lonely picture...

So, straight into Starbucks I went... Waited in an insanely long line for my one little MK ornament... Victoria also requested some empty Starbucks cups (she likes to draw on them...) - so I grabbed those too, and out the door I went - exiting the park as fast as I could, because they were gearing up to start Wishes and I knew if I didn't get out of there, I'd be stuck forever.

The second time in my life - and in ONE day - that I was never so happy to get out of a crowd.

Soooo... This was one of the worst bus experiences we had leaving MK to go to AKL... The driver was "Benny" and he had a mission to stuff as many people as possible on his buses... The queue was FULL - three full, full, full rows of people on this bus - gigantic strollers and all. We were among the last to load (when we got on it was FULL - but he insisted on stuffing about 20 more people on)... We were dead tired, and it was a long bus ride standing up... With Suzi's bad shoulder, and Bradey leaning his full sleeping weight on her - it was not a good experience - it was very painful for Suzi.

I did manage to take a picture of the stuffed bus though... Believe me - this is NOT the last time this happened on this trip. I believe it's imperative that AKL has separate buses for Jambo and Kidani - at least at park open/close.

FInally - after a very LONG bus ride back to AKL... we went back to our room... I called to check in with my family - I missed them all so much!

I hit 27k steps on this day... 4 parks - one day!

And the "You Are Here" Starbucks mug ornaments to prove it!

We were all in bed by 11:15pm.

Link to Day 5 Part 1

D~​

 

[DMGeurts]

Sunday, November 15, 2015 ~ Day 5 Part 1

Despite our long day yesterday... I was up at 6am.

I did my usual - Coffee/Dis/FB...

I showered and got ready for the day... See, Suzi likes to take photos of me getting ready... LOL

We were at Epcot by 9am - the bag check lines were easy and short. It was nice.

We went straight to Sunshine Seasons to grab breakfast. I ordered a breakfast panini - it was delicious!

The whole time, Suzi was texting with Ariana (Pluto0809) so we could meet up with her. Surprise!!!! Ariana was our secret guest on this trip!!! Hehehehe... See, the resort wasn't the only secret...

After our bellies were full - we decided to ride Living with the Land, since it was right there... Always a good ride to relax - although, I must admit, it was a little too relaxing - I could have used a nap after this one. LOL

From there - we were headed to Figment... The whole time, texting Mo - trying to find a place to meet up... At this point, they were just entering the park.

We played around a little bit in the dump shop of Figment...

And then we went out to play in the jumping fountains while we waited for Mo... I love these - can you tell?

And Bradey took a great picture of the 3 of us... It was here that we realized that we were all wearing red... I sure hope that Mo is wearing red...

Eeep!!! Finally - together at last!!!! Hugs all around!!!! We were so happy to all be together!

I needed a bio break... So we did that.

Then we headed to Mouse Gear - where they restocked the black fleece sweatshirt I'd wanted from the night before - I purchased it on the spot and sent it directly home... Loved having free shipping from the parks while we were there.

From there - we were headed to Test Track... We had a very short window on our FP times, where we could ride this ride together... So we patiently waited for this window. Passing time with pictures, of course... Bradey and Suzi have never ridden TT before - so this was their first time!

We happily entered the FP lines for TT, and we all built our respective cars...

Bradey built ours... He did very well!

Meg (Peanut) built theirs...

We had to go in 2 cars because we were a big group... But we worked it out... Another (almost) full group selfie...

Suzi, Bradey & I in front. Mo, Meg & Ariana in the back. Then the 2nd car would be Tom and the boys.

Sadly - this was the only ride we were able to ride together for the whole trip... Traveling in a big group, and the new ways of FP - it was almost impossible to time our FPs together. It's things like this that make the new system really hard to navigate and work around. People on different trips, arriving at different times, and it just doesn't work out well. But we did the best we could.

Also - a side note... I didn't think to add the pictures from Tom's car to my Photopass - so you'll have to watch Mo's TR for those.

We played around a little bit in the cars after... And I purchased my "Sooper Cooper" Disney decal for the back of my car...

We were all getting hungry... Food and Wine was on our list today for lunch... So we all went our separate ways at this point.

Stopping for a few Photopass pictures on the way to WS.

I think I will stop this update at this point - as I have a lot of pictures from the booths at F&W... I also have a lot of thoughts.

Link to Day 5 Part 2

D~​

 

[Madilynsmommy]

Love those starbucks mug ornaments, ADORABLE! And great idea about getting extra cups for drawing on, my stepson would LOVE that! I'm stealing so many ideas from your trip report

 

[Terkina]

Once again a great update. The end of day 4 doesn't sound like fun. The start of day 5 looks great.

 

[jandlinz]

It looks like you had a fun time on Test Track. The crowds look crazy. I'm starting to worry how crazy our November trip will be next year. Did you go during Jersey Week?

 

[Wood Nymph]

We also had the pistachio gillato for dessert - YUM! Excellent meal!

I love the pistachio gelato at Via Napoli. Now if I coul just get DH to agree to go back there, then I could have it again. He doesn't like the noise and slow service.

On our way out of the building, we saw a Photopass Photographer at Bruce- and we just HAD to stop, there was NO way I was missing out on this one!

The Bruce pictures are adorable. You were lucky to have a PP photographer there at that time. The area is kind of dark for cell phone cameras.

And the star lit sidewalks... These are cool! I'd never seen these before either.

Is this your first time doing Epcot at night? Those star lit sidewalks have been there for a long time,

But the resort monorail was down... (Hmmm... Could this be my Monorail luck rearing it's ugly head?)

So we were going to take the big ferry boat... It literally had just left as we were walking up. Sigh. Rather than wait - we decided to hop the boat at the Poly...

The monorail was down for us, too, when we tried to go from Epcot to MK. We took the ferry, met our daughter and grandchildren for the Seven Dwarfs ride, and then went back to the resort. The crowds were terrible - and that was a Wed night. Did you regret trying to go to MK that night? We, did.

I hit 27k steps on this day... 4 parks - one day!

Woo Hoo!! That is some serious walking.

Sadly - this was the only ride we were able to ride together for the whole trip... Traveling in a big group, and the new ways of FP - it was almost impossible to time our FPs together.

That's too bad. At least you picked a good ride.

 

[sewdisney]

How awesome that you were able to meet up with Ariana (Pluto0809) and Mo! Mo really blew it with not wearing red! What is wrong with that girl??? (Just kidding Mo - but you were the "odd man out" !)

I agree the new Fastpass system is very difficult if you have people that are on slightly different schedules. I wish they would do something about that.

I LOVE your Minnie top D. It is adorable and you look so cute in it!

 

[DisMom1981]

I love the Minnie bag and outfit! Really fun. We just got in to Pop today and it is full capacity!! Tommy had a stomach bug episode last night after 19 hrs in the car we Finley settled in to bed in our hotel in Jacksonville and he was sick several times al over the place! Not a fun way to start the trip but luckily it moved quickly and we are here and well now!

 

[DMGeurts]

Day 5 Part 2

Here we go... Off into the madness that is Food and Wine...

I'll do my best telling what we ate, but it's really just a blur... We tried to take pictures of everything to help jog our memories, but even that - I am not sure will help? And I can almost guarantee these will be out of order, but I will do my best... We started in Canada and worked our way around counter-clockwise.

Refreshment Port... I had a Croissant doughnut with cinnamon and sugar (Cronut) and a Dasani Sparkling Water. I took a picture because I was SOOO happy to find a Dasani sparkling water at F&W... To be honest, that was my favorite food! It's what I drink at home (or similar) and I hadn't had one all week, I was missing it.

What was left of the cronut that I forgot to take a picture of... I think I remember this one being a good size and tasting pretty good...

Canada... We ordered the Canadian Cheddar Cheese soup... I know that Suzi threw her's away... She offered it to me, and it was all I could do to eat my own. It was OK - but I definitely didn't want her portion.

Dominican Republic ... I know we ordered Soufflé de yuca: Yuca soufflé topped with griddled cheese - it was good...

And Bradey had Pescado con coco: Seared grouper, pigeon peas and rice with coconut sauce... He liked it. I had a bite of his when he was done, and I agree - it was good.

In France Suzi and I decided to stop for a Grand Marinier slushie... I had orange and she had lemon... I wish I would have had the lemon.

Japan... Bradey had the Miso Udon: steamed shrimp, vegetables, and noodles in a spicy broth and I think we all shared a bite or two of the Teriyaki gyoza bun: Steamed bun filled with chicken, vegetables and sweet teriyaki sauce, which was OK.

While we were in Japan, we did find a Photopass photographer... And we had a few good photos taken here...

We surprised Bradey with this one...

Belgium... This is a little fuzzy... I think I got this? Belgium waffle with berry compote and whipped cream . And I think Suzi and Bradey ordered one of each - the above and this: Belgium waffle with warm chocolate ganache and whipped cream . But she was only charged for and received the latter. I know Bradey enjoyed it.

Yes - that is berry in my teeth... Whatever - I was chewing... LOL

At the American pavillion, we decided to take a break and listen to the Voices of Liberty... Always beautiful! We also tried to meet up with Monica again, but due to some confusion about where VoL were singing, we weren't able to meet up this time.

New Zealand... We searched for a while for this stand, Bradey really wanted to try the venison. Seared venison loin with wild mushroom marsala sauce and kumara dumpling... I don't remember him eating all of it? If I recall correctly - he didn't enjoy it as much as he enjoys venison at home. I seem to remember Suzi offering the remainder to me, but I don't like venison anyways, so I didn't eat any.

No photos of this? I think we were sick of food photos by this time? LOL

Finally - at the end of Food and Wine, we decided to detour into Norway and try out the famous School Bread... Now, this - this is ahhhhmazing! Also photographed... My beloved Dasani water... Mmmmm.... I really want to post this picture twice - it was THAT good. If you've never had one, I suggest you RUN to WS as fast as you can and order one immediately... You might as well get one to go too.

Bradey and Suzi's...

As I was sitting here eating this, I was talking to Suzi about A) I couldn't believe I'd never had this before (It totally leaves my beloved Napoleon in the dust!). And B) I wish I wouldn't have wasted all that $$ on F&W when I could have eaten these all day and been happy...

Don't get me wrong - I am glad I was able to enjoy the experience... But all in all - I think I spent way too much $$ on it, and I could have had a full meal for half the price, and actually feel satisfied... Vs. snacking around the world and never really feeling like I ate much of anything. In the end, I don't feel like I got my $$s worth, and I don't have any desire to do F&W again. I know many people enjoy it, but the lines and crowds just weren't enjoyable, and I never found any food that I really loved.

So, the next time I go to WS... I will be stopping in Norway - and getting School Bread - and maybe an extra for the road. At $4.19 for this HUGE thing, compared to the $5-$7 price tag on the F&W offerings at 1/4 of the size... Really not a good value in my opinion.

We left Epcot at 2:30pm... We were tired and needed a break.

We took the bus back to AKL and were in our room at 3:09.

Suzi did some laundry, and I took a nap.

We still had a full evening planned ahead of us.

Link to Day 5 Part 3

D~​

 

[DMGeurts]

Sorry all - I forgot to do replies this morning before I did my next update... Hopefully you see these.

Love those starbucks mug ornaments, ADORABLE! And great idea about getting extra cups for drawing on, my stepson would LOVE that! I'm stealing so many ideas from your trip report

I know - I really love them!!! I love the cups, but V would kill me if I brought home another mug for her to try to make room for in my cupboards. LOL So, I opted for the safer option. Hehehe... It wasn't easy getting the extra cups home - I had to stuff them with socks... thankfully - she doesn't actually drink out of them when she is finished drawing on them.

Once again a great update. The end of day 4 doesn't sound like fun. The start of day 5 looks great.

Yes, that bus ride wasn't any fun... It was pretty crazy! But Day 5 was awesome!

It looks like you had a fun time on Test Track. The crowds look crazy. I'm starting to worry how crazy our November trip will be next year. Did you go during Jersey Week?

We did -t he crowds were much crazier than we hoped they would be. The entire time Suzi was planning the trip, she was having a hard time getting reservations for both the resort (any resort) or dining... So that was our clue... We kept hoping that Disney was just holding back, but they weren't - it was truly crowded. Not as bad as Thanksgiving week, but much worse than years past at this time of year.

I can't remember if it was Jersey week or not? Suzi might know? We were there Nov 11-17.

I love the pistachio gelato at Via Napoli. Now if I coul just get DH to agree to go back there, then I could have it again. He doesn't like the noise and slow service.


The Bruce pictures are adorable. You were lucky to have a PP photographer there at that time. The area is kind of dark for cell phone cameras.

Is this your first time doing Epcot at night? Those star lit sidewalks have been there for a long time,

The monorail was down for us, too, when we tried to go from Epcot to MK. We took the ferry, met our daughter and grandchildren for the Seven Dwarfs ride, and then went back to the resort. The crowds were terrible - and that was a Wed night. Did you regret trying to go to MK that night? We, did.

Woo Hoo!! That is some serious walking.

That's too bad. At least you picked a good ride.

Yes - that gilato was amazing!!! I love it! The whole meal was great!

I know - I saw that photographer, and I really didn't even give Suzi and Bradey an option - I just went. LOL Those are definitely some of the most fun pictures from our trip!

Not the first time I've gone to Epcot at night - but the first time in recent years... I only recall being there twice at night - in 2003 and in 2008, not since then.

Well, I certainly asked myself what I was thinking when I went back in there. LOL It was crazy!!! MK is always so horrible! The crowds in WDW are so bad all of the time now - with all of the resort expansion and building - they really NEED a 4th and 5th park to disburse some of these crowds. It's getting to the point that Disney isn't very enjoyable because there is just too many people - and that has nothing to do with the ride wait times, it's just the crowds in general.

Yah - that was some serious walking!!! It was fun to know how much I actually walked in WDW though. That was cool.

Hehehe... Yes, we did. It was fun to ride Test Track all together.

How awesome that you were able to meet up with Ariana (Pluto0809) and Mo! Mo really blew it with not wearing red! What is wrong with that girl??? (Just kidding Mo - but you were the "odd man out" !)

I agree the new Fastpass system is very difficult if you have people that are on slightly different schedules. I wish they would do something about that.

I LOVE your Minnie top D. It is adorable and you look so cute in it!

Yes - It was so fun to be able to meet up with both of them... We've been chatting and planning this trip together for months - but we decided to keep the Ariana portion a surprise. It was so fun to have her there with us! Hehehe... By the time we all realized we were wearing red - Mo was already coming through the gates.

Yes - it was very frustrating... There were a few times during the course of the trip where we were able to meet up, but then one group had FPs and the other didn't and the stand-by lines were too long... So we'd just meet, say hi, give hugs and split up again. It was a bummer and I wish Disney could somehow get around this.

Thanks! I do love that top a lot. It's already packed for our January trip!

I love the Minnie bag and outfit! Really fun. We just got in to Pop today and it is full capacity!! Tommy had a stomach bug episode last night after 19 hrs in the car we Finley settled in to bed in our hotel in Jacksonville and he was sick several times al over the place! Not a fun way to start the trip but luckily it moved quickly and we are here and well now!

Thank you!

Awww... That is so sad... I sure hope that everyone is feeling better soon. And bummer that it is so busy! But I love the picture of the 3 of you - that is so cute!!! I hope you have an amazing trip, despite the fact that it started off rough... and lots of Pixie Dust!

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

Day 5 Part 3

Rejuvenated after my nap, and Suzi's laundry done, we decided to head out again....

I was really looking forward to tonight - but since I'd never done this before, I really had no idea what to expect.

We were in line for the DHS bus at 6pm, but we had to wait a while for the bus.

Finally, we arrived at DHS at 6:30... The bus dropped us right at the front - so that was nice.

We stopped at the tree for Photopass pictures... I was really curious about how these would turn out, because it's super dark here... See - they turned out great!

As soon as we got into the park, we spotted another Photopass person, who was clearly bored... So, we asked him to take a few pictures of us... This was fun - and he took some pretty great ones.

On our way down Hollywood Blvd, I spotted Photopass Joe!!! Remember Photopass Joe from earlier in my TR??? Well, here's our promised selfie... And also a few more pictures that Joe took of me...

I hugged Joe good-bye and promised to stop in to see him in January.

We tried for Star Tours, but it was a 40 minute wait... Nope... No thanks!

But we were hungry... So, we decided on dinner at Backlot Express - since it was right there. I ordered a bacon hamburger (my first burger for the trip) and fries with water. It was good. If I remember correctly - I only at the bottom half of the bun, but I could be wrong?

We started heading back toward the Osbourne Lights... And ooooh what a magnificent sight!!! I've never seen anything like this! I cannot believe that this is going away... It's incredible! My pictures do not even begin to do it justice.

It wasn't until later, when I was perusing FB, I discovered that we were standing near Mo during this time... Sigh - we could have met up again.

We waited in line for this photopass picture forever! But it was worth it - we'll never get one like it again!

Osborne Lights were beautiful - amazing - incredible... So sad that they will never be here again!

Tired and ready to head out... We started towards the exit...

Upon exiting... We saw a bus line that was beyond frightful... We waited for 25 minutes for the first bus to arrive. On top of that - there were 2 scooters and a wheelchair to board... Yah. Believe it or not - they stuffed all of us on to this bus, again it was packed and awful!

The bus line in front of us (all of us got on to this first bus... Plus the 2 scooters and a wheelchair!)...

And the bus line behind us... Quite a few of these people got on this bus, as well.

Seriously - something needs to be done about this bus situation in WDW. It's getting bad.

We were back to Jambo at 9:15...

Our Mileage for today:

I sat on the balcony for a few minutes to enjoy the view - sad that our trip was coming to a close.

Link to Day 6 part 1

D~​

 

[Terkina]

Sounds like a great day. I know I put the recipe for Norwegian School bread on the DIS but I can't remember if it was in my own trip report or if it was in someone else's trip report.

 

[Madilynsmommy]

↑
Love those starbucks mug ornaments, ADORABLE! And great idea about getting extra cups for drawing on, my stepson would LOVE that! I'm stealing so many ideas from your trip report
I know - I really love them!!! I love the cups, but V would kill me if I brought home another mug for her to try to make room for in my cupboards. LOL So, I opted for the safer option. Hehehe... It wasn't easy getting the extra cups home - I had to stuff them with socks... thankfully - she doesn't actually drink out of them when she is finished drawing on them.

Great Idea! But yeah probably not good to drink out of them after lol!!!!!

 

[Madilynsmommy]

Super bummed I'll never see the Osbourne lights in person ever again

They are pretty special!

 

[sewdisney]

Oh, those lights look beautiful! I bet they were breath taking in real life! I have always wanted to go and see them, but unfortunately, I never did. I can't believe they are going away either.

The pictures look delicious of the School Bread - what is it? Is it just a roll with something sprinkled on top?

 

[texasaggie1998]

Great report! So excited to see the Osborne Lights when we go in December, but really sad it will be the last time!! Thanks for all the pictures!