Trip Report: Cavalcade Time (Day 1, Part 2 | December 2021)

 We were staying at separate hotels so we parted ways here. I walked right onto my bus, but waited about ten minutes for more guests before pulling away. I think it was the same driver we had in July. Our bus stopped at the Riviera and Caribbean Beach before Pop Century. That was my hotel so I got off but they did then continue on to Art of Animation.

My room wasn’t ready, which wasn’t a surprise because it was pretty early. So, I left my bags with Bell Services. She asked if I wanted my bags sent to the room when it was ready instead of calling or picking them up. I’ve never been offered that before and said “yes”. She said it would take awhile, but I planned to be at the park all day so I didn’t mind. 

A Magic Kingdom bus was waiting when I got to the bus stop. It was one of the double buses. I breezed through security and met my parents by the flagpole. My parents got there about 10 minutes before me. We heard the Celebration Cavalcade, but it went backstory so we didn’t really get to see it.

I popped in the Emporium, because I was looking for the Earidescent ears. They had tons so I bought a pair. 

We did have some time to kill before our Big Thunder Lightning Lane so we split lunch at Casey’s Corner. We got the corn dog nuggets with cheese sauce. It was just what we needed to tide us over until our reservation this afternoon.

Then, we went to Big Thunder which is a good ride to star your trip with. With our LL, we walked right on. I did have trouble making another reservation for Denise so she talked to a Cast Member at Big Thunder. She was able to fix it. That was the only issue with Genie+ the whole trip. We wanted to stay in this area of the park so I was looking for a Splash or Pirates LL. 

I got a 2:05 Lightning Lane for Pirates of the Caribbean so we had a while to go. We decided to go to Tom Sawyer Island because dad and I enjoyed our last time there. We really just wandered around and explored the island. That barrel bridge is kind of a leg workout.

Back in the main part of Frontierland, we watched The Country Bears. I’m always happy when the crowd enjoys the show because it’s one of my favorites.

A cavalcade was starting in 10 minutes and more would be coming every 10 minutes. So, we decided to get a seat and watch them all. The Country Bears were also hanging out on their balcony about the attraction which was cool. 

After the cavalcades, it was time to use our Lightning Lane for Pirates. When we were in line, I booked another LL at Splash Mountain for around 5 PM.

Then, we went to Fantasyland so I could take pictures. We also stopped in some stores looking for Ariel ears for one of my cousin's daughters. My parents bought those and I bought two pairs for myself at Fantasy Faire. We walked through the Castle to get back to Main Street. I’m so glad we’re able to do that still.

Trip Report: Travel Time (Day 1, Part 1 | December 2021)

 Friday, December 13th

I’m beginning my trip report the day before we’re flying again. We’re also spending the night in Buffalo through Park and Fly again. It’s just so convenient-especially if you have a very early flight. 

I took this day off so I could relax. It also gave me time to clean and spend quality time with my cat before leaving. Around 1:45 I headed to my mom’s to drop off the Murphy cat. I also talked to her for a bit. This was Murphy’s first stay with her in a couple of years, but I’m sure they’ll be happy together.

On my way to my dad’s I stopped at the bank to get cash. I don’t typically carry cash so I need it for my tips.

My stepmom did work today, so we couldn’t head to Buffalo until around 5 PM. We got dinner at Cracker Barrel which is now one of our traditions. I got a BLT and a salad which was good. 

We stayed at a new hotel this time. It was the Days Inn. We picked it because it was very close to the airport and had on-site parking. I thought it was a nice hotel and found the staff to be friendly. 

I moved some of the stuff in my suitcases around because I didn’t like how they were packed. Then, I took a unisom and fell asleep around 9:30. My goal was to start the trip off with a good night’s sleep.

Saturday, December 14th

It’s the official travel day!

And my hopes for a good night's sleep were dashed. I woke up around 1:30 and tossed and turned until 3ish. At least I tried. 

We walked out the door of our hotel around 4:45 AM. As we got to the lobby, the shuttle was just pulling away. We weren’t in too much of a rush so we waited patiently. The shuttle came back about 10 minutes later. More people showed up while he was gone. Now, there were more people than could fit. People were pretty mean to the driver who was also working the front desk. I felt bad and gave him an extra tip. So did my dad.

The airport was actually pretty busy-especially for Buffalo. But we checked in and headed to security. My stepmom’s TSA precheck fell off her account so she had to go through the regular line. Our flight was out of gAte 19 and my boarding position was A19 which was interesting. Maybe only to me. Lots of shops and restaurants were open early. They weren’t the last time we flew. Maybe things are returning to normal.

We boarded around 6:00 and that was a pretty fast process. I bought WiFi on the plane so I could buy Genie+ make a reservation at 7 AM. I was able to get a 11:25 Lightning Lane for Big Thunder. I also played with the lenses that came with Genie+. 

This was also the first flight I had without any nerves or fear. Starting Lexapro several years ago helped, but didn’t make it go away completely. I really credit watching Mentour Pilot’s YouTube channel. He covers aviation accidents which may sound terrifying. Instead, it helps me see how rare accidents are and all the efforts that go into protecting you.

I watched some downloaded YouTube videos and Disney+ videos. Olaf Presents is absolutely hilarious-highly recommend.

We landed at MCO at 8:50 which was over 30 minutes early. Fortunately, our gate was ready for us so we didn’t have to wait around. We disembarked, got our bags, and headed to Magical Express. The line was long and went back to the second elevator. But like usual, it moved fast.