Trip Report: Epcot is full of Construction (December 2020)

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For Day 3, I set an alarm for 8:30, but I ended up waking up at 7:45. I got around and took a shower.

It was going to be colder today-around 65 degrees. But there was a sleety snowstorm with 4-6” of snow so it’s all relative. 

We ended up leaving the room around 10. Dad was really liking these later more relaxed mornings. I still like the “go-go-go” mentality, but can appreciate the more relaxed trip. Especially as I have the opportunity to go more often I’m more open to calmer vacations.

An Epcot bus was pulling up as we got to the bus stop. As we rode, dad switched our Spaceship Earth FP+ to the evening. That way our early afternoon would be less full/stressful. It was a tight squeeze between FastPasses and our lunch reservation.

There were so many construction walls! I had heard, but it was crazy to actually see in person.

We decided to try Living with the Land, but the line was way too long for us. So, instead we visited by buddy Figment. The wait was 10 minutes and there actually was a line! I’m glad people appreciate Figment and are giving him the respect he deserves. I did some shopping in his gift shop to show my support. I was able to get a DVC exclusive pin for the Festival of the Holidays, too. 

The Pixar shorts (also at the Imagination pavilion) were starting soon so we headed in there. I don’t know how often these change, but we saw 3 shorts. My favorite was Piper. I almost cried. Next, was Get a Horse. This was classically funny and had a Walt voice. My least favorite was Feast. I didn’t write any notes on this one. I think it just didn’t stand out for me. 

Next, it was time for our The Living Seas with Nemo and Friends FP+. The line wrapped all around the building. There must have been a ride down at some point or something. But the line moved pretty fast. It’s a cute ride, but I wouldn’t want to wait longer than 10 or 15 minutes. 

Then, we checked out the aquarium. I like seeing the animals, but the aquarium glass hurts my eyes. Does anyone else have this problem? The manatees (my favorite animal) were being shy 😭 We were able to see them cleaning some of the tanks. We also got to see a Scuba demonstration in the middle of the aquarium. It was very cool to see. 

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Trip Report: Nighttime Resort Hopping (December 2019)

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After dinner, we planning on hitting up the Magic Kingdom resorts. the plan was to do Wilderness Lodge first, but after a long wait for a boat we went on a Contemporary boat.

When we got to the Contemporary, we couldn't dock so we headed to the Wilderness Lodge. I guess it worked out for us.

I wanted to see the gingerbread house. This was the first year they had one. I wanted to buy the pin for the house, but they only sell them when the house is "open" so I was out of luck. The gingerbread display is on the smaller side, but still cute.

After buying some stuff at the gift shop, we walked around a little more. Dad said we should check out Roaring Forks to see if they had the Christmas refillable mugs.

Guess what?

They did!!!

It's a Christmas miracle.

You can use them at any of the hotels, so it doesn't matter where you buy/activate them.

We watched the Electrical Water Pageant form the dock. It's one of my dad's favorite things in Disney and I enjoy it.

Then, we decided to head back to our hotel instead of doing more resort hopping. It was about 10 and we didn't want to push ourselves to far.

We took a boat to Magic Kingdom and then a bus to French Quarter. You do have to go through security when you get off the boat, but that's fine. There was a couple who had to get escorted to the bus, because they had a bottle of wine. that makes sense, because you can't bring it in the park. Just be aware in case you're shopping at the resorts. 

The fireworks were happening while we waited for the bus, so we got to see some of that.

At the hotel, I stopped by the front desk to waive housekeeping. They'll give you a $10 gift card for every day you waive. We ended up with $50. It's great, especially if housekeeping isn't really important to you like us.

I also bought a bow and two pins from the gift shop. we used our new mugs to get drinks. The French Quarter has Coke Freestyle machines which is nice.

In the room, I took some notes on the trip and put the plushes I bought in our window. I rolled out my feet with my lacrosse ball, soaked them in some cold water, and went to bed.

Steps walked: 15, 912

Up Next: Epcot is Full of Construction

Trip Report: Hoop-Dee-Dooing It!

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The boat to Fort Wilderness was a little delayed, but we weren't worried.

We check in for dinner and waited for the doors to open. I sat down and took notes on the trip so far. Dad went for a walk. The barns were under construction so we couldn't see the horses this time. My dad said he saw two fawns which is cool. 

We were seated in the third row back from the stage and our table was right in the middle. 

There wasn't honey butter-just regular butter for the cornbread. That is a true travesty.

I'm actually not the biggest fan of the food here. It doesn't have to do with the quality, but personal preference. I did pull the skin off the chicken and ate some chicken breast. I know I'm weird, but I don't like chicken skin. They had green beans instead of corn which was good. I like corn, but that's a lot of carbs for one meal. The strawberry shortcake was especially good this time. 

The show was of course fantastic. And it was Christmasy. It was different from last year's Christmas touches. 

Claire sang about how she wanted a hippo for Christmas. And we had seen this Jim before. I like that this cast sticks around for a long time. Six-Bits and Dolly were especially good. They played off each other very well. Claire saw my shirt while walking around. She stopped, did a double take and laughed. That may be one of my proudest moments. I'm obsessed with Claire.

It was a great experience as always. Hoop-Dee-Doo is an absolute must do.

Up next: Nighttime Resort Hopping.

Trip Report: Tomorrowland Fun, Day 2, Part 2 (December 2019)

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Our next fastness was ready when we finished lunch. So, we headed to Tomorrowland to ride Space Mountain.

The CM who makes sure your lap bar is secure loved my shirt. He was super-pumped. He gave me a high-five and told me to eat all the pretzels. I'm sure CMs feel the pain because a lot of them are also childless millennials (or Get Z) who love Disney.

Next, we rode one of the best rides: the TTA. Who doesn't love the TTA? I also check what other fast passes were available and got one for Little Mermaid. I never remember what it's called-I just know the name is crazy long.

Since we were in the area, we decided to check out the Carousel of Progress. This is another attraction I haven't done in awhile. I also apparently am the least observant person. I never realized that each scene centers around a different season/holiday. Like I knew the last scene was Christmas, but I never put it all together.

I do really like COP. I don't feel the need to do it every trip, but I would be devastated if it went away. It's a little piece of Walt. 

We still had some time to kill before out Mermaid FastPasses, so we checked out Buzz. The posted wait time was 30 minutes, but we decided to get in line anyways. It ended up being about 15 minutes. And I won!

Then, our FastPasses were ready. So, we headed under the sea to see Ariel, Flounder, and friends. 

We started to head out after that. We had reservations for dinner at Hoop-Dee-Doo. Even though it's just a boat ride away, we like to build in extra time.

The Dapper Dans were performing by the Emporium so we stopped to watch. This is one of the reasons having extra time is good. It wasn't a problem for us to stop for a few minutes to see something we hadn't planned on.

Up Next: Hoop-Dee-Dooing It

Trip Report: Childless Millennial, Day 2, Part 1 (December 2019)

If you missed the last update, you can check it out here.

The plan for today was to have a late morning. This way we could catch up on some sleep. I woke up before my alarm, but around 8:30 so it was definitely some extra Zzzs.

I took a shower and got dressed while my dad still slept. He eventually got up and showered so I could be a little louder. I decorated our window for Christmas. 

We left the room around 10. Before hitting the bus stop, we checked the food court for the holiday mugs. They still weren't there.

Then, we went to the bus stop to go to Magic Kingdom. The screen with wait times didn't have one for Magic Kingdom, but the wait ended up being about 20 minutes. Be sure to plan for waits like this-especially if you have a reservation to make.

Oh, and since we were going to the flagship park today, I decided to wear my "Childless Millennial" shirt. Because I am, in fact, a Disney-loving childless millennial.

My MagicBand definitely scanned purple at the touchpoint this time.

Our plan was to go to Big Thunder, but the Trolley Show was coming down Main Street when we got there. This is one of my favorite things so we had to stop. An older woman (maybe in her 60s) stopped me and said she liked my shirt. Perhaps childless boomers and childless millennials can bond over this.

After the show we continued our journey to Frontierland. Again we got sidetracked and stopped at the Liberty Square ticket office. I wanted to get a birthday button. I didn't know this place was even here. It's very cute. There was a family already being helped and they were talking about the AP slider for the MagicBands. I completely forgot about those. I asked for them, too. They had like 4 left so we were lucky. 

The CM helping us also liked my childless millennial shirt. It's a crowd favorite.

Then, we hit up Big Thunder with our FastPasses. This is just one of my favorite attractions.

We stayed in Frontierland, and went to Tom Sawyer Island. I don't even remember the last time I went over there. We decided to just wander around and check out all the nooks and crannies.

Some of the caves are tight squeezes. But as two bigger people we made it through. The barrel bridge is quite the adventure! We kind of let ourselves get lost. 

I highly recommend going over there. It's a nice and relaxing place. The feel is so different from the rest of the park. You can relax away from the loud crowds. 

Eventually, we made our way back to the "main land". We didn't know what to do next and just started walking. They were saying the next showing of Country Bear Jamboree was starting soon so, of course, we went in. It's a classic! And the show was pretty full which was nice to see. It makes my heart happy to see this show appreciated.

When we got out it was time for our Pirates of the Caribbean fast passes. A kid sitting behind us got scared. It's easy to forget this can be scary, but it's dark and full of fire and loud noises. Just be aware of what your kids can handle. I felt bad for that little boy.

After that we were hungry. We did mobile order for Peco Bill's. We got our food pretty quick. And it wasn't too hard to find a table. It is hard to talk to my dad in this restaurant though. Even with his hearing aids he struggles when there's a lot of background noise. We took our time to eat and rest a little.

Up Next: Tomorrowland Fun