Trip Report: Dinner & Fireworks (Day 4, Part 3 | December 2022)

 We checked out the gift shop at The Meadows Trading Post. I was getting hungry so I ate a snack from my bag. We also sat there for a while to rest and I looked at restaurant availability. But we didn’t book anything. Instead we took a bus to the Settlement so we could eat there. 

They had food trucks which we checked out, but none of them spoke to me. Instead we mobile-ordered from P&J’s Takeout. I got the chicken nuggets with fries. They had strawberry shortcake so I got that since I was missing Hoop Dee Doo. My fries were a bit under-cooked, but overall it was a good dinner. 

We took a boat back to the Magic Kingdom. My stepmom called it a night and headed back to the hotel. Dad and I walked to the Grand Floridian. We wanted to catch the Electric Water Pageant. The walk wasn’t bad, but there’s almost no shade so be careful in the sun.

Enchantment started soon so we watched outside of Gasparilla Grill. I don’t understand why they don’t pump the music in.

Then, we headed inside to check out the Gingerbread House. It was done in the Colors of the 50th anniversary.

We went back outside for the water parade. Sadly, we had the wrong time. This isn’t the first time this has happened to us. Someday we’ll see the parade again. 

Instead of walking to Magic Kingdom, we took the monorail. We did the whole loop to let the crowds leave the park disperse. That was a good move. Plus, it’s always fun to ride the monorail.

Dad and I took the respective buses back to our hotels. I stopped at the Pop Century gift shop to buy some Powerade. I also bought some pins. I try to get a magnet when I stay at a new hotel, but they didn’t have one.

In the room I updated my vlog and then headed to bed.

Today’s Highlight: Boat to myself

Steps Walked: 22,607

Trip Report: An Easy Morning (Day 4, Part 1 | December 2021)

 Tuesday, December 7th

Today was going to be a slower day with no real park plans. We did have a park reservation at Magic Kingdom. So, I at least wanted to scan-in just in case I wanted to go to a different park later. I did think about going to see the morning show, but decided it was too early.

I left the room around 9:30 and took a bus to Magic Kingdom. I did bring a notebook with me because I was behind on my notes. The bus line was pretty long but moved fast.

The Dapper Dans were out on the train station so I sat by the Christmas tree and watched them. I waited a bit to see if characters came out, but they didn’t so I headed out. Our plan was to meet at Hoop-Dee-Doo at 11:30. We would be doing horseback riding at Fort Wilderness later. 

I had a boat to myself so I sat in the front. The horn honking was pretty loud and the captain apologized. But I didn’t mind.

My parents texted me to say they saw characters at the train station. I guess I should’ve waited a little longer.

I wandered around the Fort and a little bit while waiting for my parents. There was a sign that they were starting a Wine and Woodworking event tomorrow. I don’t really drink but that sounds like fun. I also ate a protein bar and updated my notes a little.

When my parents arrived, we checked out the newly-renovated Tri-Circle D barn. The ponies were getting ready for a wedding. A family was there to do a pony ride so we watched them for a bit.

After spending time with the horses, we went to look at campsites. My parents recently bought a trailer so they wanted to research the different loops. Then we took a bus to the front of the resort. There are maps but I’m still very confused by how the internal bus system works. 

Trip Report: Charlie Does Christmas (Day 2, Part 3 | December 2021)

Club Tinsel was going when we got out. Naturally, Charlie and I had to dance. We then hopped on the TTA. It’s one of my favorites and is even better at night with all the lights in Tomorrowland. They were handing out snacks and drinks when we got off so we got in line. It was a long line but it moved fast and they were walking around with coolers handing out the ice cream and Mickey bars. I got a water and popcorn. Santa Stitch was rocking out at Club Tinsel so I popped over again.

Then, we rode Space Mountain. It’s a classic and always helps make my back feel better after a ride. It’s like a chiropractic adjustment. It was a walk-on and I thought about riding it again, but the walk out of the queue and then back through it is a lot.

Instead we went to Cosmic Ray’s for hot cocoa and cookies. Sunny Eclipse was playing, too. Charlie also took part in the free/included options. The hot chocolate wasn’t very hot, but I’m ok with that. I don’t like very hot drinks.

We did want to try one of the event-exclusive treats. So we mobile-ordered the apple pie funnel cake from Sleepy Hollow. It was a big disappointment, sadly.

The fireworks were starting soon so we went to get our spots. DVC had a special viewing area in the hub grass. You just had to reserve it ahead of time. There was a service dog there which was fun, because I always like seeing a pupper. 

After the fireworks, we went toward the Castle for the next stage show. We stayed near the curb so we could turn around and have a good view for the parade, too. The show was fun and I’m always a big fan of a nighttime parade. #teamspectromagic 

At this point, all the party stuff we wanted to do was done and we had about an hour to go. So, we tried to take advantage of short lines and go on rides.

First, was Haunted Mansion which had a 13 minutes wait. Then, we rode Peter Pan which was a complete walk on. We had like five minutes left so we had a boat to ourselves which was actually a little creepy. 

As we made our way out of the park, I took pics. They also gave us cute marshmallow treat on our way out. I went to bed pretty quickly because I was tired and had to get up early tomorrow for Genie+ stuff.

Today’s Highlight: Christmas Stage Show

Steps Walked: 23,476