Disney Day 5, Part 1 - Magic by Day

Sunday was the day Carter and I were going to head out for another full park day.  We had a lot of ground to cover, so we had to be efficient.  As a result, I bought the Multi-pass Lightning Lane to give us some shorter lines to work with, and it ended up being a great purchase, even though a lot of lines were a bit less than expected on standby.  But we never would have been able to do all we did without it.

We didn't get as early a start as I'd hoped, mostly because our lost food hadn't been found yet, so we had no choice but to stop by the hospitality house and grab a quick breakfast there--Mickey waffles for Carter and a Mickey cinnamon bun for me.  Then, the Magic Kingdom bus took forever to get there.  We must have just missed one, and then the next one was way longer out than usual.  We still got there around 9am, which wasn't bad.

I was so happy to be going into the park this time, after being outside it last year on our monorail resort hopping day and only being able to look at it longingly!

Of course we had to get a picture of Carter near the same baseball guy that had "photobombed" Craig and Jacob's picture the other day...

And we had to get one outside Casey's, too!

There is nothing quite like that glimpse of the castle from Main Street, and the cool thing was that the castle looked different than our previous visit--technically now the fourth version we've seen, although the first and fourth were pretty similar, aside from a more vibrant shade of blue this time around.  I think I like this version best, although the 50th birthday version was quite pretty.  

When we got in the park, I realized that the wait for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was super short--like a half hour, which was at least half what it usually is.  We couldn't get a Lightning Lane for that, so we made a beeline there.  We'd never been through the standby queue before (seemed to be a recurring theme on this trip) and it was quite delightful.  I loved these little light-up jewels!

They also had a fun water feature and spinning barrels of jewels that created projections on the ceiling.  It made the wait go pretty quick, and before we knew it, we were on!  It isn't the longest or most exciting ride, but I still love it--especially the one view mid-ride with the castle in the background over the rocks!  

After that we headed to our first Lightning Lane, the upgraded Buzz Lightyear ride.  They had recently totally redone the shooting mechanism on this ride, which made it way better than it used to be.  Still not quite as fun as Toy Story Mania, but so much more fun than it used to be!  I love this on-ride photo!

I may have won, but don't worry, Carter got his revenge later!

We were able to snag a Space Mountain Lightning Lane after that, which was super quick.  That ride hit me a bit harder than in the past.  I had some sort of crick in my neck that absolutely jolted me with one of the jerks and made me question if I should be going back to the chiropractor sometime soon.  I also had my water bottle try to open up on me mid-ride, which had me in a slight panic for the second half, in addition to worrying about what I may have just done to my neck.  All was well other than a small wet spot on my shorts.  Still fun, but yikes.

We checked the Tron wait after that, and it was reasonable--maybe 45 minutes or so--so we hopped in line.  It felt a bit longer, but all things considered, it wasn't bad.  And that ride is so worth it, even if it always feels too short!  We also had our favorite queue interaction of the trip in that line, with a dad and his daughter from Canada.  She was just tall enough to ride, so we were excitedly chatting about that.  We also talked about other amusement parks like their close-to-home Canada's Wonderland, and how they might have to downplay the ride to the mom, who was with the little baby brother.  I couldn't wait to see how she liked it once we got off.  I personally love the launch on that ride so much, both for the speed and the outside portion of the ride.  Never gets old!  

When we got off and I asked her if she liked it, she faked fainting into her dad, which was hilarious!  But she loved it!

From there we headed over to Big Thunder Mountain, which was also refurbished since our last trip.  I was excited to ride it and see all the new stuff.  Of course, as we were walking there, it looked like this:

It was a little early for the usual big afternoon thunderstorm, so I was hoping we could cram in as much as possible before it hit.  I did catch this very pretty picture of the Tangled bathrooms, as well.

From Big Thunder we could see the early stages of Piston Peak, the new Cars land, which has shut down a lot of that section of Frontierland.  I'm excited for it, but it's always overwhelming to think of the work that goes into theming as intense as Disney's!

We just made it through our Big Thunder ride as it started to sprinkle.  It was great, and the updates were a nice touch.  I will always love that ride as it was my first ever big coaster!  

We had a Lightning Lane set up for Tiana's Bayou Adventure next door, but we were about 10 minutes too early, so we decided to go to Pirates of the Caribbean because it had a super short wait.  Well, when we came out, as expected, it was pouring with quite a bit of thunder and lightning.  We hung out in the store for a while trying to figure out what to do, as Tiana was now closed and our Lightning Lane was on hold.  Eventually the rain slowed a little bit, and we decided to have lunch nearby to see if we could wait it out and still get on Tiana within our Lightning Lane window.  So over to Pecos Bill's we went, which seems to always be where we end up for one meal or another!  While we were waiting in line, there were a few hardcore cracks of thunder--like right there and enough to even get a reaction from the cast members.  When the locals start looking concerned, you know it's a doozy.  I heard later that the top of Space Mountain may have gotten struck, but either way, it was close and loud and I was worried that it would strike a person next!  I always marvel at how things are typically business-as-usual around the parks when it rains, even with lightning.  Probably not smart, but somehow that's just how things roll, and yet I don't think I've ever heard of anyone getting struck there.  We had a good lunch, despite it not being my first choice and it taking about five minutes of wandering to snag a table.  

When we came out, it was still a little drippy outside, but not terrible.  We wandered over toward Tiana and noticed that they were sending empty boats through, which made me hope that they would open soon.  We figured that since it was one of the last things we needed to ride there, we might as well wait and hope it reopened, just like we did with Test Track.  Sure enough, after about 15-20 minutes, it opened and we were on the ride very quickly!  So quick I barely got any pictures of the very fun queue!  I did snap a shot of the bottom of the big hill while riding, though.
 

And I got this one inside.  We decided we definitely liked this theme better than the "Song of the South" Splash Mountain one.  I especially liked the fun colored illuminated bottles hanging in a few different spots, but too bad my picture didn't turn out.

I also loved these funky mushrooms!

And another great on-ride photo:

Once we got off, Haunted Mansion's wait wasn't too long at that point, so we figured we'd hit that one on the way out.  It's always a good time!  The weather was looking threatening again at that point, so I figured we might as well duck in somewhere!  The wait was maybe 15 minutes, which wasn't bad.  Every time I'm on that ride I notice something new!  Unfortunately, we got someone else's ride photo for that one...bummer, because I really liked our hitchhiking ghost!

It was once again pouring when we came out, so we changed shoes and put on ponchos for the walk out of the park.  I insisted we stop for a few more castle photos, though.  Despite the rain, I wanted to savor the new/classic blue and gray version!

And one fall decor pic for the road...

We briefly considered just taking the Monorail over to EPCOT to squeeze in a ride or two, but it ended up being a bit delayed by the weather.  Since I had already started booking Lightning Lanes at Hollywood Studios, I was worried we'd miss our window and didn't want to risk missing rides, so we thought better of it and hopped a bus to Hollywood Studios instead.  At that point the rain didn't bother me too much, because we did Hollywood Studios on a hurricane day previously and I knew it was very doable despite weather.  It was still drizzly when we got there.  Even still, I always love the retro Hollywood feel with so many fun art deco details.

Our first stop was to use our Lightning Lane for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, which now features the Muppets!  Aerosmith was cool and all, but as a girl of the 80s and 90s, I LOVE the Muppets.  From The Muppet Show to The Muppets Take Manhattan to Muppet Babies and everything in between, they are firmly implanted in my childhood and I adore them.  I sort of told myself I'd never ride this one again because it's not the most comfortable ride, but with the re-theme, I had to do it!  

The car and guitar outside both got redone...

I loved these posters near the entrance to the queue.  If you look close, most of them highlight a specific character in the Electric Mayhem band.

We got through the line pretty quickly, almost quicker than the time it took to remove and stash my poncho.  The pre-show was similar to the old one as it was still in a recording studio, but it was so fun to picture the Muppets there.  And there was a real animatronic Scooter, which felt so real that it almost felt like being in the presence of a celebrity!

The rest of the queue had some really fun details, from costumes that the band members wore (presumably real?), references to Muppet Labs, animated drawings of Beaker and a "Mahna Mahna" backup singer in the safety video, props from The Great Gonzo, and even a tiny door to the "Squeakeasy" (presumably for Rizzo and friends) next to the facade of a comedy club entrance.  It was really cute.

Our on-ride photo cracks me up because Carter looks terrified and while I look happy, if you look close I'm actually bracing myself through the launch, because I knew some headbanging (and not the fun rock 'n' roll kind) was in my immediate future.

My beloved Statler and Waldorf even made a cameo at the end (rumored to have come out of their spot in the old Muppets in 3D Theater).  That felt appropriate as it was the 30th anniversary of the day I moved into college for the first time and met Mary, and we once likened ourselves to Statler and Waldorf when we were the "stage crew" for an InterVarsity Christmas pageant.  I happened to read her post mentioning the anniversary right before, and then had to mention their appearance to her.  Good memories! (But 30 years?  Yikes!)

They also had this photo above the exit that's a Muppet version of creator Jim Henson.

Were we not already at our max for stuffed animals, I would have been awfully tempted to buy the stuffed Swedish Chef in the store.  He was so cool.  I also loved this fun mural:

From there it was off to Tower of Terror.  I absolutely love that ride as much as it terrifies me with every drop!  I almost never take a picture of the hotel lobby, but I found the ceiling particularly striking this time.

We had a fun ride, though I think the kid next to us was pretty freaked out.  His mom said something to him in Spanish that sounded...exasperated but amused?  Ha.  After that we had to start making our way over to Star Wars Land.  More pretty buildings along the way...

While wandering over there, you could see bits of the construction for Monstropolis, the new Monsters, Inc. land.  The remnants of the Muppets in 3D theater are being incorporated in (where the clock tower is), and some other new things are being built or redeveloped.  I can't wait for the flying door coaster!

We grabbed some mini churros as a snack along the way, to get us through some extra rides before a dinner break.  They were SO good.  Upon arrival in Star Wars Land, we got a reasonable wait for Rise of the Resistance, which was helpful.

This theming is among the best in the entire property, and I'm not sure if I ever really appreciated this garden courtyard space...maybe because my only other time through the standby queue was while I was still rather hurricane-drenched.

 I had a great view of Admiral Ackbar!

Had to take a quick selfie with the Storm Troopers!

 

That ride is always so fun and so impressive, though the girl who was in the front of our car might disagree.  She was buried in her mom's shoulder most of the ride!  Also, someday I will get a good picture of the AT-ATs, but darn it, the movement is always too much.

Next up was Toy Story Mania, which is always such a blast (literally), and our Lightning Lane came in so clutch!  I felt pretty guilty walking past a whole long line of people!  We had a little bit of a wait once we were in our vehicle, and I happened to notice the cute Tinkertoy prop.  The green fin on that exit sign took me right back to my childhood, playing with those at my grandma's house.  The little nightlight in Andy's room was cute, too.

Selfie in our stylish glasses!

Carter soundly kicked my butt in this game, by about 50,000 points, and was the top score in our vehicle.  His young muscles, joints, and reflexes definitely had the upper hand in getting more shots off, and rapid fire is so important.  That ride is SUCH a workout and my arm is always so tired by the time it's over.  But it is so much fun!

Had to grab a couple pics on the way out.  I love the props here so much!

We would have loved to ride Slinky Dog Dash, but after being closed half the day for rain, the line was ridiculous.  We just couldn't do 80 minutes if we wanted to hit up the rest of the things we wanted to do.  

So, next it was off to our Lightning Lane for Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway.  I really do love that ride, and much like Haunted Mansion, I notice new details every time!  After that, it was finally time to grab some dinner.  We decided to go to the ABC Commissary, which had a meal I wanted to get last time but had to skip because Carter wanted to eat somewhere else.  Well, once we got there, I saw something else on the menu and decided to get that instead.  Maybe next time (again) for the other one!  Carter actually did have that meal--the Buffalo chicken grilled cheese--and I had shrimp tacos.  Both meals were really good!

We needed to run back into Star Wars Land for our Millennium Falcon ride, and Carter decided we should stop at Star Tours along the way.  It's not my favorite, but it is fun, and there was a kid in our row (possibly special needs because they came in separately, which I assume meant they had the DAS pass) who was totally buying in, which was cute.  And it's a tradition, going all the way back to tiny Jacob, that I had to get a picture of Carter in the glasses!

With that, our daylight was fading and evening was upon us--but we still had a busy home stretch to go!  But that's going to be its own post! 

Disney Day 4 - Back Home (but not THAT Home!)

Saturday morning I woke up to use the bathroom, and I immediately suspected my feet would not survive consecutive park days.  Add in that we were transferring resorts and had some packing up to do that morning, which would set us back, and that we'd probably have better luck at Magic Kingdom on a Halloween party day Sunday (as people don't pick the park that day because non-party guests have to leave early and miss fireworks), and it made the decision pretty easy to postpone our second park day to the following day.  

We had to do our final pack-up before taking our luggage down to bell services for our transfer.  It's a little crazy to have to pack up all of your stuff in the middle of the trip, but I suppose it was a good test run for going home, to figure out where we might be short on space after Jacob's Under Armour shopping sprees and the purchase of a hippo.  Fortunately, Carter's new suitcase arrived the previous evening and it worked great for repacking his stuff.  We were even able to have bell services dispose of the old one (farewell, old friend!).  

The one downside to doing a resort day on a transfer day is that I usually feel the need to keep extra stuff with me (like swim stuff, ponchos, and my computer) because we will have pool time and might have some downtime before the room is ready.  I want to be prepared for everything, not to mention that in some cases I need the space for whatever doesn't fit in my suitcase!  That meant hauling around an extra heavy bag for half the day in that awful heat...ugh.

Before we headed out, we took a few more pictures of the room now that it wasn't covered in the boys' mess!

The couch we barely got to sit on because Jacob's bed was folded down on it from the moment we walked in the room

We dropped off the bags and briefly split up.  Carter and I went back down to Sanaa to get him breakfast, as he loved his previous breakfast there.  On our way back out, we spied this rather large turtle that lives out on the savanna but in an enclosure right up next to the building.

Then we stopped over to Jambo House to look at souvenirs.  We knew there was a tiny blue carved soapstone hippo we wanted (an homage to the blue hippo at home that started it all), and I was also looking at this other really cool decorative carving that looked a bit like an eternal knot.  I really wanted to get it, but I wasn't sure if it would fit in my luggage or make it home safely crammed in full luggage, so I held off.  I was going to think about trying to make it back if I didn't find any other souvenirs, though spoiler alert: I did not.  Boo.

From there Carter and I took the bus to Animal Kingdom and then hopped on an Old Key West bus.  Craig and Jacob had already headed over there to get a head start on some pool time, and that was our first stop, as well.  It was so nice to be back at Old Key West.  Just seeing the sign on the way into the resort and the familiar sights made me so happy.  It truly is our home away from home there.  After stopping to change, we headed to the pool, which was lovely as always.  It also remains my favorite slide!  After about an hour of pool time, we were getting pretty hungry, so it was time to wrap up and head to lunch.  We wanted to eat at Olivia's right there at Old Key West, but they close between 2 and 5 and we had just missed the end of brunch.  So, we decided to go over to Port Orleans for lunch instead.  We hopped on the boat to Disney Springs and then transferred to Port Orleans French Quarter.
  

Happy to be back on the boat!

Jacob loves the burger at Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory, and Carter and Craig decided to get jambalaya!  I had a really good pulled pork sandwich.

Jacob decided he was too full to get beignets that day, so we figured we'd skip it and go back another day for those.  We were getting ready to take the boat back to Disney Springs to go back to Old Key West and wait for our room, but a thunderstorm was coming in so the boats were closed.  We had to take a bus over to Disney Springs instead and transfer to Old Key West from there.  It started absolutely monsooning just as the bus was picking us up, so it was a rather wet boarding process and it rained so hard that the bus leaked a bit!  Unfortunately we had to go through security at Disney Springs despite just hopping back on another bus, which was a massive pain with the extra heavy bag from carrying around transfer day stuff.  Luckily the rain was slowing down by then, but it was still pretty drippy as we made our way to the next bus.  

While we were at Port Orleans, we got notified by text that our room was ready.  Initially I was a bit annoyed because it was in the Southpoint section, where we've never stayed before.  It's the farthest one out and it wasn't one of the two neighborhoods that I had requested.  Fortunately, it was one of the first buildings in the section, so it ended up being in a pretty good spot after all--only about an eight-minute walk to the hospitality house and just a minute or so to the bus stop.  

One annoying thing when we got back and tried to grab our luggage was that they lost our food and water that we had left with bell services for the trip over.  At least all of our luggage was there, but it was annoying to know we had food and snacks that we didn't have access to.  It took pretty much an entire extra day to find them, which meant we didn't have our snacks, water, or breakfast items for that evening or the next morning.  So much for trying to save money.  Another disappointment was that the Dole Whip machine was broken the entire time we were there, so there was no key lime Dole Whip.  That was a huge bummer because the key lime swirl is the best, and I kept holding off on other Dole Whip because I was holding out for key lime!

When we got into our room, we were surprised to see that it was the reverse layout from the one we've had every other time we've been there.  Same space, but our bedroom was off to the left instead of the right.  It was odd being in essentially a carbon copy room, but everything was a mirror image to what we're used to!  We had a golf course view this time, but sadly the course is under refurbishment so it was a little rougher around the edges than usual.

Giant bamboo tree next to our patio

We relaxed for a bit in the room before getting ready to head off to dinner, but once again, a nasty storm hit.  That made going much of anywhere for dinner a bit more complicated, but we got a reservation at Olivia's and hopped a bus to get there.  Along the way, there was a gorgeous rainbow outside.  I wish I could have gotten a better picture, but by the time we got to the hospitality house, it was starting to fade.  

We had to wait a bit longer than we were expecting because there were a lot of people taking up tables with post-meal chit-chat.  While we waited, I snapped some pretty pre-sunset photos.  It's such a lovely resort at all times of day.

We finally got seated and our meal was delicious as usual.  Jacob got his beloved prime rib, Carter got the southern fried chicken, Craig got salmon, and I got the bacon jam cheeseburger.  The boys had wanted to do a night swim after dinner, which I usually love, but I was so full and the last thing I felt like doing was put on a swimsuit.  I just wanted to hang out in the room for a bit, so I walked back myself while the boys stayed back and eventually shot hoops for a while.  On my way, I captured EPCOT fireworks from a distance. 

It was such a peaceful walk home, despite the distant booms.  Upon arrival at the room, I ended up doing an hour or more of work.  This vacation hit at a terrible time for my work projects, but honestly, there's never a good time.  If I would have gone earlier in the summer, it would have delayed getting other projects moving, so my timelines would have been messed up that way, too.  So the best I could do was keep up with email every couple days and see what I could move forward when I checked in.  I managed to push a few things forward, which was helpful for when I got back on Tuesday.  That time alone was much-needed and very well-spent.

The boys came back just as I was wrapping up, and that was pretty much it for another day at Disney.  Not exactly our most productive or efficient day ever, but it was really nice to be back home at Old Key West and ready to go for the last full day of our trip!