We Ditched The Kids! - UPDATE (7/22 - NYC trip)

[cheryllarsen]

I'm a Disney geek as well!

 

[cheryllarsen]

Thanks for sharing. This was a great read!

 

[agavegirl1]

Okay, I must post now to keep this thread avalable to me. I have been traveling to WDW sans kids for a while now (empty nest and missing kids kind of but not really). Love your report! So...following.

 

[Leshaface]

The only problem is, the boards aren’t very helpful if they aren’t updated with actual, you know, information.

I’m interested to see what they do with Avatar. I was not a huge fan of the movie. It’s basically Pocahontas or Dances With Wolves featuring 8-ft. tall blue people. However, it’s a great-looking movie, and I can see where the effects and atmosphere could make for a fun theme park experience. So I’m keeping an open mind.

The graphics were absolutely amazing. But yeah, not a fan. With that said, I think Disney will do an amazing job with Pandora and am very excited to see it!

But the Animal Kingdom has grown on me over the years. Over time, I've come to learn that the theme has lent itself to some of the most imaginative detail any of the parks have to offer. So while it might still be light on A-list attractions, it's a park that really makes me appreciate the work Imagineers do to make their parks fully immersive.

I just love Animal Kingdom! I was really not a fan when I first visited back in 2008, back when it was all about the thrills and not the little details, but now, it's truly amazing the time they took with this park. It really is remarkable! <---look what I did there!

Hey, what do you get when you cross an elephant and a rhino?


Elephino.

Wow how cool to see all that!

So stinkin' jealous!!! Have only seen this one time on my first trip and never again!

As it so happened, Julie was barely gone when they opened the single-rider line. I was sixth in line, got on a train within two minutes, and Julie hadn’t even reached the entrance to the trail before she got a text from me saying, “Done!”

Awesome!

So I did my Disney duty instead and emptied my savings account in the gift shop.

Way to keep Disney afloat

Definitely the best food and the onion rings are amazing!

 

[franandaj]

I'm glad to hear you have started the new job and so far so good!

Sorry I'm not helping out much with keeping afloat on others TRs. But they'll be there for a long time, no hurry in catching up. I'll send you a bat signal when I start the next one.

 

[stepdisney]

I just joined the party. This July will be our first trip without the DS's. Did you include the DDP? We are incorporating some signature dining in our plans, places that we know we could never afford with our boys in tow. I am enjoying your TR. We are so excited to begin our trip.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I'm a Disney geek as well!

aboard! Disney geeks are always welcome here.

Thanks for sharing. This was a great read!

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Okay, I must post now to keep this thread avalable to me. I have been traveling to WDW sans kids for a while now (empty nest and missing kids kind of but not really). Love your report! So...following.

I hear ya about missing them but not really. It depends on the day, doesn't it?

The graphics were absolutely amazing. But yeah, not a fan. With that said, I think Disney will do an amazing job with Pandora and am very excited to see it!

If nothing else, being able to ride a dragon should be cool!

I just love Animal Kingdom! I was really not a fan when I first visited back in 2008, back when it was all about the thrills and not the little details, but now, it's truly amazing the time they took with this park. It really is remarkable! <---look what I did there!

Well, aren't you clever!

It's a great park to slow down and take in the details. Best way to see it.

Aw, come on! It's funny! I stole it from the Muppets.

Wow how cool to see all that!

So stinkin' jealous!!! Have only seen this one time on my first trip and never again!

Well, it took me something like 10 tries, so it wasn't for lack of effort.

Awesome!

Way to keep Disney afloat

I figure they put so much effort into it. We should support it so others get a chance to see it.

Definitely the best food and the onion rings are amazing!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I'm glad to hear you have started the new job and so far so good!

Just give me a little time. Then I can bring this place down from the inside.

Sorry I'm not helping out much with keeping afloat on others TRs. But they'll be there for a long time, no hurry in catching up. I'll send you a bat signal when I start the next one.

Thanks! I will get back around the horn eventually. I just might have to do the quick "summary" reply instead of taking my time and inserting smart-alecky comments like I usually prefer to do.

I just joined the party. This July will be our first trip without the DS's. Did you include the DDP? We are incorporating some signature dining in our plans, places that we know we could never afford with our boys in tow. I am enjoying your TR. We are so excited to begin our trip.

We had saved Disney Visa reward dollars for a few years, so we ended up cashing those in and basically using that to pay for all of our meals. So it was like having the DDP, but without having to pay for it, which is the best scenario!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Chapter 7: Twenty Five Thousand Imported Italian Twinkle Lights.


I left you with one Christmas tree, and now I’ll start you with another.

That park-to-park bus made it incredibly easy to hop to Hollywood Studios. Why didn’t they think of that years ago?


As we entered, we were immediately struck by the absence of the big dumb sorcerer’s hat in the middle of Hollywood Blvd. The Chinese Theater fits the old Hollywood theme so much better than the old eyeso—uh, the hat.

We made our way to the back of the property, enjoying the Christmas decorations as we walked. This was one of our favorites:

Our first FP+ selection was the Lights, Motors, Action stunt show. Yes, I know you think this is a waste of FP+, but it’s not like there are dozens of choices here. Julie didn’t want to ride RnRC, neither of us wanted to ride ToT (I tried it once, so I’m legitimately allowed to hate it), and that leaves you with…not a whole lot. In any case, we wanted to see the show one more time before it closed for good. Last time we’d been here, it had suffered a technical glitch before we could see the grand finale, so it was good to witness the pyrotechnics one more time. Julie is really good at getting this shot.

The next FP+ was Star Tours, but we had a little time to kill. So we wandered over to the Muppet theater to watch a Salute To All Nations But Mostly America. I still think this 3-D movie captured the spirit of the original Muppet Show better than just about any of the modern TV and movie incarnations (although the first re-booted Muppet movie, with Jason Segel and Amy Adams, was well done).


Their gift shop is always worthy of a visit as well.

Next up was Star Tours. Longtime readers know that ever since they updated the ride, I have been trying in vain to experience the mythical “Darth Vader” scene that scores of DIS-ers have raved about. Over the course of separate visits to both Disney World in 2012 and Disneyland in 2014, I had ridden Star Tours four times and never once experienced the rumored Vader Scene. At this point, I was pretty sure it was an urban legend, similar to an awake lion on the safari over at Animal Kingdom. But then, while I was on babysitting duty in Disneyland, Julie and the kids rode and all claimed to have experience the nirvana of the Vader Scene while I baked in the California sun and a baby spit up on my shoulder. I have remained convinced to this day that it was all a prank designed to annoy me. And it worked.


In any case, the swirly light-up thingy scanned our Magic Bands and we headed into the docking bay for a tour of the galaxy.

I did not get the so-called Vader Scene. There was a new scene added for the planet of Jakku, which tied into the new Force Awakens movie, and featured the Millenium Falcon pulling off a move I hadn’t seen before. It was pretty cool, and made a lot more sense once I saw the movie. So that was fun. But no Vader. Because that scene doesn’t really exist.


Next, it was time for our dinner reservation. If you’re thinking, “Whoa, they just had BBQ not too long ago,” you’re not wrong. We knew we wanted dinner at the 50’s Prime Time Café. It’s our favorite place in DHS and was actually the only meal we had on this trip at a sit-down restaurant that we’d previously visited. Sometimes it’s nice to have an old favorite to re-visit.


Anyway, when I had made ADR’s, we were well within the window of resort guests, so the place had booked up pretty solid. The only time available was 4:10 p.m. So I grabbed it and we made sure to eat our lunch early, around 11:00 a.m. or so. It worked out just fine, even though we felt like we were on the body clock of a 73-year-old. No early-bird discounts at the 50’s PT, by the way.


Along the way, we saw the Hollywood Tower Hotel. I think it looks just fine from here.

We checked in at the desk and waited about 5-10 minutes before my “uncle” called us “kids” to dinner.


I love this place. Give me home-cooked comfort food over Gourmet Refined Overrated Snooty Stuff (G.R.O.S.S.) anyday.


I’m sorry to say, however, that Julie found another love on this night. Here we were, spending a romantic long weekend away from the kids in our favorite place in the world, and it turned out that she had a wandering eye. Julie fell head-over-heels in love with the PB&J Shake.

I know, you’d think that we would have had enough PB&J sandwiches on all of our road trips to make the very thought of making a milkshake out of the same ingredients turn her stomach. But clearly all of those meals were simply whetting her insatiable appetite for peanut butter and jelly swirled together into a thick, gooey sludge. I took it like a man, and did the only thing I could: drowned my sorrows in a vanilla Coke. Then I ate my way out of my depression, which always works.


Julie had the sampler (meat loaf, fried chicken, and roast beast):

I love their fried chicken, so I got as much of that as I possibly could.

The server was in character, but I suspected he wasn’t giving us quite as much grief because we didn’t have any kids with us. He seemed to be giving it more to the table next to us, although we got roped in a bit just because we were all family under that roof. Still, we got the standard gags, like having our silverware thrown at us so we could set the table, being told to eat our veggies, etc. Julie was “Princess” and I was “Scooter” for the duration of the meal. At the end, when he gave us our “grocery bill” I tried to pass it off to the family at the next table (after all, we’re all family) but couldn’t get them to take it. But despite that, the food was still terrific and it’s always going to be a favorite of ours.


We left and decided to check out the line at Star Tours again. With a quick wait, maybe we could take one more shot at that elusive Vader Scene. When we got there, the standby wait was 25 minutes. We decided to go for it.


The wait ended up only being about 15 minutes. We piled into the speeder and buckled our seat belts. Surely you’d think that on this, my sixth try, I’d finally get to experience the holy bliss of the Vader Scene.


I didn’t get the Vader Scene. And don’t call me Shirley.


Look, you’ve all had your fun. But I’m in on the joke now. I get it. There is no mythical Vader Scene. It doesn’t exist, just like the lion never wakes up at AK. Can we all just admit the truth now? Please?


The next stop was the new (at the time) Star Wars Launch Bay.

We didn’t spend a ton of time here. It was a 20-minute wait to get in, and then we’d have to watch a 20-minute movie which I assumed would basically be a commercial for the new film coming out, so we didn’t bother. We just checked out the gift shop. And while I, like @afwdwfan , was not quite in the market for a $5,000 Storm Trooper costume, I do regret not taking home a lightsaber umbrella.

Dusk was approaching, and it wasn’t quite time to see the Osborne Lights just yet. Julie and I decided to check out something else we’d never taken the time to see before—and another attraction that was rumored to have a short shelf life remaining.

How had we never been in here before? I think it was most likely that we didn’t think the kids would have been interested when they were younger. In any case, Julie and I were really glad we checked it out. We were fascinated by the memorabilia, the mulit-plane camera, and especially the models inside.

This made me really want to visit Tokyo DisneySea:

We stayed for the film about Walt Disney afterwards, and didn’t regret it in the least. It was a neat exhibit, and I hope someday they bring it back in some shape or form. There should always be a place in Disney Parks that respects and remembers the legacy of Walt, and his vision for these places.


Our last FP+ was now due, and we entered Toy Story Midway Mania. I’d been stewing over this ride for over 3 years. Not because anything is wrong with the ride, exactly. It’s just that the last time we were there, I was overcome with a sudden illness, had a defective pull-string mechanism on my shooter, and the sun was in my eyes. And Julie beat me.


Now it was time for the re-match. I stretched and did calisthenics as we wandered through the line. I rolled my head from side to side. I jogged up and down the steps. I widened my eyes and checked my peripheral vision. Then Julie smacked me and said, “You just pull a string, you moron.” So I stopped all that.


We were seated in the ride vehicle. I dabbed my finger in the air—no breeze to throw off my shots. I checked my 3-D glasses—no visible imperfections. I did a quick run-through of my vital signs—no health problems I could detect. I checked the pull-string (I really hate the pull strings. Can’t we just push a button?)—no apparent defects. I looked up at the nighttime ceiling—no sunlight leaking through. Conditions were ripe for my Comeback Performance. I lowered the glasses over my eyes, laser-focused on the task at hand.

And I triumphed! Being a gracious and humble man, I only sang “I Am The Champion” about 38 times or so as we exited the ride.


We were about ready to see the Osborne Lights, but first we worked in a quick DISMeet at an appropriate location.

We got the chance to spend a few minutes with Mary Ellen (MEK here, although she is no longer hanging around) and her husband Denny. Not only is she a fellow DISer, but they’re also fellow Delaweenies. Not too many of us around. We’d actually met them a couple of times before, but it’s always nice to catch up with them.


With that, we headed for the Streets of America to see the lights. 2015 was the final go-round for the Osborne Lights display, so we were eager to see them before they disappeared forever. Unfortunately, so were thousands of other people.


It was slow going, basically baby-stepping down the street. But we’d expected the crowds, so we just took our time and enjoyed the view. And it was a spectacular view.

I didn’t enjoy being in the crowd, but I do think it was worth enduring them just to see the street lit up like that. And then, just as I was getting ready to try and make an escape, they started playing Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24”, better known as their mashup of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Carol of the Bells”, or also known in my house as “Awesome Christmas Music”. The lights started dancing in time to the music, and we just stood there, transfixed.

I was in such a good mood after that, I even let Julie take a selfie of us. And I hate selfies almost as much as I hate vegetables.

After that, we called it a night for DHS. We hopped on a bus and headed for the Wilderness Lodge—we still needed to see some more resort decorations.


I know I’m biased when it comes to the Wilderness Lodge in general, but I don’t think any resort at WDW fits the Christmas theme better.

It’s been a few years since I’ve stayed there, and I miss the place. I’m ready to go back. Did any of you come up with that extra cash for me yet?

It had started to rain outside, so rather than chance getting wet in a boat, we took a bus to the Contemporary Resort (it was on a combined MK loop). Inside, they had a gingerbread castle themed to Frozen:

Impressive, but I liked the Wilderness Lodge decorations better.


We called it a night after that. Once again, staying at the Poly made things easy. We could just hop on the monorail and go. Two stops later, we were back home. The Polynesian is a great resort at night—the tiki torches lit all over the resort give it an exotic feel. Our last piece of business for the night was to relax and have a Dole Whip. If you can’t take advantage of the fact that your resort serves Dole Whips, you just aren’t doing it right.

Coming Up Next: Departure day—better do the Magic Kingdom right this time.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Julie is really good at getting this shot.

Wow! That is such a cool picture!

The next FP+ was Star Tours, but we had a little time to kill. So we wandered over to the Muppet theater to watch a Salute To All Nations But Mostly America. I still think this 3-D movie captured the spirit of the original Muppet Show better than just about any of the modern TV and movie incarnations (although the first re-booted Muppet movie, with Jason Segel and Amy Adams, was well done).

I love that show. And I agree, it really captures that classic Muppet feel. But yes, I love the movie too, Jason Segal and Amy Adams are perfect for that film!

We knew we wanted dinner at the 50’s Prime Time Café. It’s our favorite place in DHS and was actually the only meal we had on this trip at a sit-down restaurant that we’d previously visited.

Me too - 50s is such a great place.

The server was in character, but I suspected he wasn’t giving us quite as much grief because we didn’t have any kids with us. He seemed to be giving it more to the table next to us, although we got roped in a bit just because we were all family under that roof. Still, we got the standard gags, like having our silverware thrown at us so we could set the table, being told to eat our veggies, etc. Julie was “Princess” and I was “Scooter” for the duration of the meal. At the end, when he gave us our “grocery bill” I tried to pass it off to the family at the next table (after all, we’re all family) but couldn’t get them to take it. But despite that, the food was still terrific and it’s always going to be a favorite of ours.

That's good to hear you had a server that was in character. Last spring when I was there, my friends and I (we were all 17 &18) we got nothing! The server was nice, but I wished not having any antics. Both your meals looked great though, and they are making me very hungry!

Julie and I decided to check out something else we’d never taken the time to see before—and another attraction that was rumored to have a short shelf life remaining.

*sigh* One of my favorite attractions... I'm wondering when they are going to get rid of it, since I haven't heard much talked about it in a while.

We stayed for the film about Walt Disney afterwards, and didn’t regret it in the least. It was a neat exhibit, and I hope someday they bring it back in some shape or form. There should always be a place in Disney Parks that respects and remembers the legacy of Walt, and his vision for these places.

I agree completely.

I was in such a good mood after that, I even let Julie take a selfie of us. And I hate selfies almost as much as I hate vegetables.

Very cute photo! I loved all the pictures of the lights.
Resort hopping and dole whips sounds like a perfect end to a night!

 

[GoofyFan1515]

That park-to-park bus made it incredibly easy to hop to Hollywood Studios. Why didn’t they think of that years ago?

They're a little slow sometimes, but they seem to get it eventually.

Apparently the sunglasses didn't fool anyone.........the paparazzi found you anyway!

Our first FP+ selection was the Lights, Motors, Action stunt show. Yes, I know you think this is a waste of FP+, but it’s not like there are dozens of choices here. Julie didn’t want to ride RnRC, neither of us wanted to ride ToT (I tried it once, so I’m legitimately allowed to hate it),

In any case, we wanted to see the show one more time before it closed for good. Last time we’d been here, it had suffered a technical glitch before we could see the grand finale,

I really hate that Pat and I didn't make it by to take advantage of that last opportunity to see it together.

I did not get the so-called Vader Scene. There was a new scene added for the planet of Jakku, which tied into the new Force Awakens movie, and featured the Millenium Falcon pulling off a move I hadn’t seen before. It was pretty cool, and made a lot more sense once I saw the movie.

Oh.....hope they still have that one when we get there in October!

Next, it was time for our dinner reservation. If you’re thinking, “Whoa, they just had BBQ not too long ago,” you’re not wrong. We knew we wanted dinner at the 50’s Prime Time Café. It’s our favorite place in DHS and was actually the only meal we had on this trip at a sit-down restaurant that we’d previously visited. Sometimes it’s nice to have an old favorite to re-visit.

My personal favorite at DHS too!

I’m sorry to say, however, that Julie found another love on this night. Here we were, spending a romantic long weekend away from the kids in our favorite place in the world, and it turned out that she had a wandering eye. Julie fell head-over-heels in love with the PB&J Shake.

Somehow when I first saw her pucker in the picture, I was guessing the PB&J shake was the culprit. When I met up with Magdalene and Katharina we did 50's PT, and Magdalene ordered it also. I hadn't ever tried it before, so she let me have a taste. I was pleasantly surprised that it made a pretty good shake!

Julie had the sampler (meat loaf, fried chicken, and roast beast):

I love their fried chicken, so I got as much of that as I possibly could.

I love the pot roast and the fried chicken, but the one time I had the meatloaf I didn't think too highly of it. Maybe it was just an off day???

Look, you’ve all had your fun. But I’m in on the joke now. I get it. There is no mythical Vader Scene. It doesn’t exist, just like the lion never wakes up at AK. Can we all just admit the truth now? Please?

It was one of the very first scenes I had after they changed it. Yoda was the one that took me the longest to see I think.

Now it was time for the re-match. I stretched and did calisthenics as we wandered through the line. I rolled my head from side to side. I jogged up and down the steps. I widened my eyes and checked my peripheral vision. Then Julie smacked me and said, “You just pull a string, you moron.” So I stopped all that.

Good for Julie! Of course, IF I ever beat Pat at TSMM I'll probably do the same thing!

We were about ready to see the Osborne Lights, but first we worked in a quick DISMeet at an appropriate location.

We got the chance to spend a few minutes with Mary Ellen (MEK here, although she is no longer hanging around) and her husband Denny. Not only is she a fellow DISer, but they’re also fellow Delaweenies. Not too many of us around. We’d actually met them a couple of times before, but it’s always nice to catch up with them.

So cool............MEK and Denny are a great couple, even if they are Delaweenies.

With that, we headed for the Streets of America to see the lights. 2015 was the final go-round for the Osborne Lights display, so we were eager to see them before they disappeared forever. Unfortunately, so were thousands of other people.

Glad we got to take it all in one last time during our November trip. It is going to be strange not having that as part of future Christmas trips!

I was in such a good mood after that, I even let Julie take a selfie of us. And I hate selfies almost as much as I hate vegetables.

I know I’m biased when it comes to the Wilderness Lodge in general, but I don’t think any resort at WDW fits the Christmas theme better.

Hard to argue with you...........

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Nice split day! This is a good example of making the FP+ work for you.

We haven't tried 50s yet. I think we are not up for the "elbows off the table" talk, and def. Not " clean your plate." I would love to see the decor, though.

I hate to brag, but I know for a fact Darth Vader exists. Just sayin'

Love the dismeet pic! So cool you got to meet up with MEK and Denny. I didn't realize she dropped out. I guess I am on FB more than here. Sad you are already up to departure day, but I'm sure you kissed your kiddos.

 

[afwdwfan]

Why didn’t they think of that years ago?

Because it was too easy...

As we entered, we were immediately struck by the absence of the big dumb sorcerer’s hat in the middle of Hollywood Blvd. The Chinese Theater fits the old Hollywood theme so much better than the old eyeso—uh, the hat.

This sounds kind of familiar.

Our first FP+ selection was the Lights, Motors, Action stunt show. Yes, I know you think this is a waste of FP+

Julie didn’t want to ride RnRC, neither of us wanted to ride ToT (I tried it once, so I’m legitimately allowed to hate it), and that leaves you with…not a whole lot.

So in other words, you don't know how to enjoy DHS anyway.

So we wandered over to the Muppet theater to watch a Salute To All Nations But Mostly America. I still think this 3-D movie captured the spirit of the original Muppet Show better than just about any of the modern TV and movie incarnations (although the first re-booted Muppet movie, with Jason Segel and Amy Adams, was well done).

Couldn't agree more. On everything you said about the Muppets.

I did not get the so-called Vader Scene.

But no Vader. Because that scene doesn’t really exist.

Just tell yourself whatever it is that you need to hear...

The only time available was 4:10 p.m. So I grabbed it and we made sure to eat our lunch early, around 11:00 a.m. or so. It worked out just fine, even though we felt like we were on the body clock of a 73-year-old. No early-bird discounts at the 50’s PT, by the way.

Hey, sometimes you've gotta miss those off-peak times at Disney World. I actually kind of like the early dinners like that. You're sitting down and relaxing and eating when the park is at its busiest and then you're ready to go enjoy the evening!

I love this place. Give me home-cooked comfort food over Gourmet Refined Overrated Snooty Stuff (G.R.O.S.S.) anyday.

I love it!!!!!

At the end, when he gave us our “grocery bill” I tried to pass it off to the family at the next table (after all, we’re all family) but couldn’t get them to take it. But despite that, the food was still terrific and it’s always going to be a favorite of ours.

Some family they are...

The wait ended up only being about 15 minutes. We piled into the speeder and buckled our seat belts. Surely you’d think that on this, my sixth try, I’d finally get to experience the holy bliss of the Vader Scene.


I didn’t get the Vader Scene. And don’t call me Shirley.

Your luck sucks.

We didn’t spend a ton of time here. It was a 20-minute wait to get in, and then we’d have to watch a 20-minute movie which I assumed would basically be a commercial for the new film coming out, so we didn’t bother.

I kind of liked the film. It showed a little bit of behind the scenes type things and some interviews with the filmmakers about their history and passion for Star Wars. But it was, in the end, a commercial for the new films. I thought it was worth seeing once but at the same time, I wouldn't kick myself for skipping it.

We just checked out the gift shop. And while I, like @afwdwfan , was not quite in the market for a $5,000 Storm Trooper costume, I do regret not taking home a lightsaber umbrella.

Yeah, there were a few neat things in there. I just wasn't all that impressed with the selection. I mean aside from the "create your own phone case" there just wasn't much in the way of affordable and practical souvenirs.

Dusk was approaching, and it wasn’t quite time to see the Osborne Lights just yet. Julie and I decided to check out something else we’d never taken the time to see before—and another attraction that was rumored to have a short shelf life remaining.

Good call! I'm glad you got to see it!

How had we never been in here before? I think it was most likely that we didn’t think the kids would have been interested when they were younger. In any case, Julie and I were really glad we checked it out. We were fascinated by the memorabilia, the mulit-plane camera, and especially the models inside.

I can relate. I'd never been before this last trip. I wish I could have spent some more time in there, but there's definitely no way I could enjoy it with the kids. And since they don't allow strollers, taking them in while they're napping isn't exactly an option either.

Our last FP+ was now due, and we entered Toy Story Midway Mania. I’d been stewing over this ride for over 3 years. Not because anything is wrong with the ride, exactly. It’s just that the last time we were there, I was overcome with a sudden illness, had a defective pull-string mechanism on my shooter, and the sun was in my eyes. And Julie beat me.

Seriously... you have the worst luck ever.

And I triumphed! Being a gracious and humble man, I only sang “I Am The Champion” about 38 times or so as we exited the ride.

I'm glad you showed some class and good sportsmanship.

I didn’t enjoy being in the crowd, but I do think it was worth enduring them just to see the street lit up like that. And then, just as I was getting ready to try and make an escape, they started playing Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24”, better known as their mashup of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Carol of the Bells”, or also known in my house as “Awesome Christmas Music”. The lights started dancing in time to the music, and we just stood there, transfixed.

I'm really glad you had a chance to see the Osborne Lights in their final year. They're really just awesome and words and pictures just can't do it justice. The crowds definitely suck though.

And I totally agree with you about the "Awesome Christmas Music." I love that song and that is my favorite one to see the lights dance to.

I was in such a good mood after that, I even let Julie take a selfie of us. And I hate selfies almost as much as I hate vegetables.

I do too.


Says the guy who just posted like 5 selfies with his daughter on rides.

I know I’m biased when it comes to the Wilderness Lodge in general, but I don’t think any resort at WDW fits the Christmas theme better.

Again... couldn't agree more.

Our last piece of business for the night was to relax and have a Dole Whip. If you can’t take advantage of the fact that your resort serves Dole Whips, you just aren’t doing it right.

Great way to end the day!

 

[justafigment27]

What a nice final evening! I have always wanted to see the Osborne Lights ... they look awesome!

 

[DisneyLeafsFan2015]

Awesome pics!!! Would love to go that time of year and see all the different decorations. Hope to get there before "One Man's Dream" is gone.

I am with you on the ever elusive "Darth Vader" scene. Must have ridden Star Tours 10 times and no luck - Myth I tell you!

 

[MarieLightning]

Late arrival at the party, but I've really enjoyed this TR so far! I have to say I'm a bit jealous. We were there in November, and they weren't showing the usual movie at One Man's Dream. They were showing a sneak peak of The Good Dinosaur instead

Also, they do have one cart on Toy Story Midway Mania that has buttons along with the pull string. It's one of the two accessible carts. We got to use it when I went with my wife as her post-chemo celebration trip, and that was the best score she ever got.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Wow! That is such a cool picture!

Thanks! Like I said, Julie's good at it. She got this one in 2010:

I love that show. And I agree, it really captures that classic Muppet feel. But yes, I love the movie too, Jason Segal and Amy Adams are perfect for that film!

They did a great job with that Muppets movie. The second one just seemed "off" for some reason.

Me too - 50s is such a great place.

Love it! Looks like we agree on just about everything!

That's good to hear you had a server that was in character. Last spring when I was there, my friends and I (we were all 17 &18) we got nothing! The server was nice, but I wished not having any antics. Both your meals looked great though, and they are making me very hungry!

That stinks. It's so much more fun when they mess with you.

*sigh* One of my favorite attractions... I'm wondering when they are going to get rid of it, since I haven't heard much talked about it in a while.

I thought it had been closed down recently? But maybe I'm mistaken.

I agree completely.

Very cute photo! I loved all the pictures of the lights.
Resort hopping and dole whips sounds like a perfect end to a night!

You could do much worse, that's for sure.

They're a little slow sometimes, but they seem to get it eventually.

Except when they don't.

Apparently the sunglasses didn't fool anyone.........the paparazzi found you anyway!

Such is our life. It's not easy being this popular, but somehow we make it work.

I really hate that Pat and I didn't make it by to take advantage of that last opportunity to see it together.

Oh.....hope they still have that one when we get there in October!

I think they will, but it's now part of the random rotation. When they introduced it, everyone got that scene.

My personal favorite at DHS too!

Somehow when I first saw her pucker in the picture, I was guessing the PB&J shake was the culprit. When I met up with Magdalene and Katharina we did 50's PT, and Magdalene ordered it also. I hadn't ever tried it before, so she let me have a taste. I was pleasantly surprised that it made a pretty good shake!

It's funny--I was turned off by the idea. But when you try it, it's basically a peanut butter shake. Which sounds much more tasty. If they just called it a PB shake, it wouldn't sound nearly so weird.

I love the pot roast and the fried chicken, but the one time I had the meatloaf I didn't think too highly of it. Maybe it was just an off day???

Julie seemed to like it. I don't go out of my way for meatloaf in general.

It was one of the very first scenes I had after they changed it. Yoda was the one that took me the longest to see I think.

I did get Yoda before. But the Vader scene doesn't really exist, anyway.

Good for Julie! Of course, IF I ever beat Pat at TSMM I'll probably do the same thing!

Pat is a tough cookie in that game. I don't know how she does it. I stink at it.

So cool............MEK and Denny are a great couple, even if they are Delaweenies.

All Delaweenies are wonderful people!

Glad we got to take it all in one last time during our November trip. It is going to be strange not having that as part of future Christmas trips!

Yeah, I agree. I always loved seeing the photos.

Hard to argue with you...........

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Nice split day! This is a good example of making the FP+ work for you.

Yeah, I thought we did pretty well!

We haven't tried 50s yet. I think we are not up for the "elbows off the table" talk, and def. Not " clean your plate." I would love to see the decor, though.

You have to have a sense of humor to put up with the abuse there.

I hate to brag, but I know for a fact Darth Vader exists. Just sayin'

I don't believe you! Not listening! La-la-la-la-la-la...

Love the dismeet pic! So cool you got to meet up with MEK and Denny. I didn't realize she dropped out. I guess I am on FB more than here. Sad you are already up to departure day, but I'm sure you kissed your kiddos.

Sure, we missed them. At least, Julie did. I think.

Because it was too easy...

And here you thought government was the only entity with that problem.

This sounds kind of familiar.

I probably stole it from somewhere.

So in other words, you don't know how to enjoy DHS anyway.

I'm sure I'll be doing RnRC with my daughter on the next visit. Not sure if she will force me onto ToT or not.

Couldn't agree more. On everything you said about the Muppets.

Because I'm right.

Just tell yourself whatever it is that you need to hear...

Because it's true!

Hey, sometimes you've gotta miss those off-peak times at Disney World. I actually kind of like the early dinners like that. You're sitting down and relaxing and eating when the park is at its busiest and then you're ready to go enjoy the evening!

I don't mind eating early, either. I would much rather adjust my schedule to avoid crowds and long lines. And I'm happy more people don't do that!

I love it!!!!!

Some family they are...

Seriously. Lousy cheapskates.

Your luck sucks.

Yes. Yes, it does.

I kind of liked the film. It showed a little bit of behind the scenes type things and some interviews with the filmmakers about their history and passion for Star Wars. But it was, in the end, a commercial for the new films. I thought it was worth seeing once but at the same time, I wouldn't kick myself for skipping it.

I'm sure I would have been happy to see it if we'd been there for a full day. But on a quick half-day visit, I didn't bother.

Yeah, there were a few neat things in there. I just wasn't all that impressed with the selection. I mean aside from the "create your own phone case" there just wasn't much in the way of affordable and practical souvenirs.

Agreed. It would have been nice to see some stuff for the regular joes. I guess that's what Tatooine Traders is for.

Good call! I'm glad you got to see it!

Thanks! It was very cool.

I can relate. I'd never been before this last trip. I wish I could have spent some more time in there, but there's definitely no way I could enjoy it with the kids. And since they don't allow strollers, taking them in while they're napping isn't exactly an option either.

So I inadvertently had good reasons for skipping it.

Seriously... you have the worst luck ever.

I'm glad you showed some class and good sportsmanship.

Always. I'm very proud of my humility.

I'm really glad you had a chance to see the Osborne Lights in their final year. They're really just awesome and words and pictures just can't do it justice. The crowds definitely suck though.

And I totally agree with you about the "Awesome Christmas Music." I love that song and that is my favorite one to see the lights dance to.

We saw another song (which I forget), but that was definitely the best one.

I do too.


Says the guy who just posted like 5 selfies with his daughter on rides.

Again... couldn't agree more.

Now I want to stay at the WL again.

Great way to end the day!

Dole Whips are also a great way to start the day, take a mid-morning break, break up the afternoon...

 

[franandaj]

As we entered, we were immediately struck by the absence of the big dumb sorcerer’s hat in the middle of Hollywood Blvd. The Chinese Theater fits the old Hollywood theme so much better than the old eyeso—uh, the hat.

Oh look! She is wearing her WDI shirt!

Our first FP+ selection was the Lights, Motors, Action stunt show. Yes, I know you think this is a waste of FP+, but it’s not like there are dozens of choices here.

I agree with you there. We had some FP+ choices at Epcot that were sort of wastes, but all the good things are in the Tier 1 category. Once you choose that, you don't have much left!

I still think this 3-D movie captured the spirit of the original Muppet Show better than just about any of the modern TV and movie incarnations (although the first re-booted Muppet movie, with Jason Segel and Amy Adams, was well done).

However, I did enjoy Muppets Most Wanted even if it wasn't your typical Muppets characters.

If you’re thinking, “Whoa, they just had BBQ not too long ago,” you’re not wrong. We knew we wanted dinner at the 50’s Prime Time Café. It’s our favorite place in DHS and was actually the only meal we had on this trip at a sit-down restaurant that we’d previously visited. Sometimes it’s nice to have an old favorite to re-visit.


Anyway, when I had made ADR’s, we were well within the window of resort guests, so the place had booked up pretty solid. The only time available was 4:10 p.m. So I grabbed it and we made sure to eat our lunch early, around 11:00 a.m. or so. It worked out just fine,

I don't mind doing things this way, you miss a lot of the crowded times.

I love this place. Give me home-cooked comfort food over Gourmet Refined Overrated Snooty Stuff (G.R.O.S.S.) anyday.

Feel free to use that Acronym over my TR (when I get it started), although this trip I don't think we had too much of that!

I’m sorry to say, however, that Julie found another love on this night. Here we were, spending a romantic long weekend away from the kids in our favorite place in the world, and it turned out that she had a wandering eye. Julie fell head-over-heels in love with the PB&J Shake.

I'm surprised after all the PB&J that you have endured that she still found a love for it!

Julie had the sampler (meat loaf, fried chicken, and roast beast):

I thought about getting that one on our trip.

I love their fried chicken, so I got as much of that as I possibly could.

But ended up thinking like you, why dilute a good thing. More Chicken!

The server was in character, but I suspected he wasn’t giving us quite as much grief because we didn’t have any kids with us.

I'm going to guess that's what they did with us too.

At the end, when he gave us our “grocery bill” I tried to pass it off to the family at the next table (after all, we’re all family) but couldn’t get them to take it.

What kind of family is that??? Can't help out someone in need?

Look, you’ve all had your fun. But I’m in on the joke now. I get it. There is no mythical Vader Scene. It doesn’t exist, just like the lion never wakes up at AK. Can we all just admit the truth now? Please?

Tell you what, come back out to California and we'll ride Star Tours until you get the Vader Scene.

We didn’t spend a ton of time here. It was a 20-minute wait to get in, and then we’d have to watch a 20-minute movie which I assumed would basically be a commercial for the new film coming out, so we didn’t bother. We just checked out the gift shop. And while I, like @afwdwfan , was not quite in the market for a $5,000 Storm Trooper costume, I do regret not taking home a lightsaber umbrella.

I don't think they sell the light saber umbrellas at the one in California, being that it never rains out here.

Julie and I decided to check out something else we’d never taken the time to see before—and another attraction that was rumored to have a short shelf life remaining.

I really hope they don't take that away, and if they do, they find somewhere else to put it.

And I triumphed! Being a gracious and humble man, I only sang “I Am The Champion” about 38 times or so as we exited the ride.

With that, we headed for the Streets of America to see the lights. 2015 was the final go-round for the Osborne Lights display, so we were eager to see them before they disappeared forever. Unfortunately, so were thousands of other people.

Yeah. I know the feeling.

I was in such a good mood after that, I even let Julie take a selfie of us. And I hate selfies almost as much as I hate vegetables.

I'm glad that you were able to enjoy them!

I know I’m biased when it comes to the Wilderness Lodge in general, but I don’t think any resort at WDW fits the Christmas theme better.

I really wish we could have made it to the WL. It does look like some really pretty decorations.

We called it a night after that. Once again, staying at the Poly made things easy. We could just hop on the monorail and go.

I loved that about staying there!

Our last piece of business for the night was to relax and have a Dole Whip. If you can’t take advantage of the fact that your resort serves Dole Whips, you just aren’t doing it right.

Totally!

 

[Flossbolna]

Ok, I am finally caught up - I was 5 pages behind!!! I have bad news for you: those park to park buses have been around at least since my 2007 trip... For the MK they used to go to the TTC, but now they go directly to the MK, so even more convenient...