Trip Report: Baseline Taphouse

If you missed the last update you can read it here.

After I woke up from my nap we were off to Frozen Ever After. This is such a simple show, but I really like it. The whole crowd (kids and adults alike) all really get into it. I did not off a few times but that was all me and has nothing to do with the quality of the show. 

When we got out I asked if we could find somewhere to buy a pretzel. I was hoping that would help perk me up.

We ended up at Baseline Taphouse. It just opened a week earlier so we wanted to check it out anyways. Plus, my brother is really into craft beers and brew pubs so my dad wanted to get pictures for him.

I got the pretzels and I enjoyed it. The mustard was good-it's just a brown mustard. The beer cheese kind of grew on me as I ate it.

Then, we were off to Muppet Vision. I absolutely did take a nap this time. Again, it has nothing to do with the quality of the show. When I get this exhausted I basically lose control of my body.

I wanted to at least stop in Pizzerizzo since we wouldn't have a chance to eat here. Rizzo is my favorite muppet because Muppet Takes Manhattan is the movie I watched a lot as a kid. So, I wanted to support him in his new venture.

I also stole a sugar packet from the condiment bar and basically shot it. It was another attempt at a pick me up.

Then, my dad wanted to go back to Baseline Taphouse for the black cherry soda and another pretzel. I hadn't realized they had a strawberry lemonade so I was game.

The soda is weird because it has no dye and is clear. But it was good. The strawberry lemonade was delicious and refreshing.

We also got the spiced almonds. They were addicting and they had a nice kick. The whole thing was a fun afternoon snack.

Up next: More Family Time

Trip Report: Being Touristy

If you missed the last update, you can read it here.

When we finished breakfast, the plan was to be super touristy. We were going to take a big family picture in front of the castle in our matching shirts.

My one cousin, Courtney, actually made our shirts. The backs have all our names outlining the shape of a Mickey head. The names are in black and your particular name is red on your shirt. And I've worn/washed mine a lot since being home and it's really held up. I've had some issues with "professional" shirts before so that's impressive. We also had matching home made buttons.

The Friendship Faire show was finishing up so we watched that. It was cute but no Dream Along with Mickey which will always have a special place in my heart.

Then, we took our pictures. It isn't the best picture because of the sun. There is a lot of squinting and funny faces. But it is still part of my computer desktop at work. 

Hannah, my cousin's daughter, was holding her hands out like it was a Tinkerbell magic shot. I wonder if she's been doing that in all her pictures.

After pictures, our group of three said good-bye and headed to Hollywood Studios.

We had Toy Story FastPasses so that was the first order of business. I did pretty well and beat my parents which is what really matters.😉

Then we were off to Star Tours were we also had FastPasses. It was fun and we didn't get the podrace scene which I feel like we always get.

When we got off, I was really crashing. When I get this bad I know I'm basically going to pass out. 

I knew I wanted to make it to the Frozen show and Muppets so I needed to rest a little. Since we had FastPasses for Frozen in like 30 minutes we hung out in Backlot Express. I was able to get a water and took a nap. Like I literally fell asleep sitting up in a chair.

Don't worry, I've gotten better since I've been home. I still don't know exactly what was wrong, but I got a new job and that seems to have helped.

Up next: Baseline Taphouse

Trip Report: Breakfast with Family & Friendship

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

I won't like, it was a little hard to get out of bed this morning. I can't remember if I've already said this but for the last few months I've been struggling with extreme exhaustion. I knew it could be an issue while on vacation and I was able to push through for the most part. I also decided to use my cross-body bag instead of my backpack to take weight off my back.

After getting ready, I was out the door. We had breakfast reservations at Crystal Palace. Every other morning, the bus line for Magic Kingdom had been crazy so I wanted to leave early.

Of course I got lucky and a bus pulled up right as I got in line. I even got to sit because others wanted to stand. I won't turn down a seat. While on the bus I updated my trip notes since I was too tired to do it last night.

There were a ton of people at the park, but security wasn't bad.

I stopped at the bathrooms by the main entrance. Those suckers are swanky. I would've taken pictures but I didn't want to be creepy if anyone came in.

Then, I made my way up Main Street. I took some pictures and chilled on the hub grass. I had about 45-minutes to kill before breakfast.

After hanging out for a few minutes, I heard the sweet sounds of the Trolley Show. This is one of my favorite things and one of my dream jobs. I thought I'd miss it this trip, so I was glad to have the opportunity to watch it. 

After the show, I met up with my family. We waited on the patio/porch outside Crystal Palace. There were about 20 of us and we were seated pretty quickly.

Piglet visited us almost immediately when we sat down. I didn't even have time to get food.

When I got food, my first plate was mostly carbs. The second plate was more savory.

Pooh and Eeyore stopped by for pictures. When I got my last plate of mostly fruit, Tigger came.

All the kids did that parade where they walk around the restaurant. I don't know what it's called but it was cute.

The characters were great with the whole family-especially the kids. Hayley  (one of the youngest) was really loving it. Overall, the food was good. And I love a restaurant that gives you free refills on juice. I didn't like everything I tried, but that's what's good about buffets-you can try a lot of things.

Up next: Being Touristy

Trip Report: An Evening of Nostalgia

If you missed the last update, you can find it here.

After letting more of the crowd leave, we were off to the Haunted Mansion.

On our way, we saw my cousin Lisa sitting with her baby across from the Liberty Belle. We stopped to chat and she showed us some pictures of her daughter watching the fireworks. It was very cute. 

Then, some more family came by so we talked some more. We also learned that my great aunt passed away. It is sad, but she had cancer and lived a good life, so we tried not to dwell on it.

We talked some more and then were off the the Haunted Mansion. But the line was all the way out of the queue, so we switched to Big Thunder. We figured we could use on of our DVC-earned FastPasses. We walked over via the wooden walkway along the water. This is our favorite way to go the Frontierland. 

After a fun ride on a runaway train, we headed back to Haunted Mansion. The wait time was still a little long-posted at 49 minutes, but we decided to get in line anyways. Plus, there's the interactive queue to help pass the time. I do really like this attraction, but it does creep me out-especially at night.

Then, we headed toward Fantasyland. I suggested trying Dumbo if the wait wasn't bad. I haven't ridden it since I was six. Apparently, we were doing some classics tonight.

Dumbo was only ten minutes. There was like no line, but there was a delay because the CM heard a weird sound. that's fine because I'm on team "Safety First".

Just dad and I rode. And we decided to sit together for old time's sake. That was a mistake. Both of us need to lose some weight and we were like sardines in a can. It was a fun, but fast ride. I will admit to being a little scared about being in the air.

Then, we decided to go to Buzz because the app said it was a 15 minute wait. It was really a walk-on and we were into Extra Magic Hours now.

At first, I was really sucking, but I pulled it together. I ended up 335,000. I may not be a galactic hero this time, but I am a Space Ace.

After that we were tired so we headed out. I guess I won't be crossing the Kiss Goodnight off my bucket list this vacation.

We did stop and each got a smoothie at Auntie Gravity's in Tomorrowland. It tasted good, but didn't agree with me. 

My parents stopped at the Emporium for some shopping, but I went straight to the bus stop. There was a bus waiting for me and I even got to sit. That was some perfect timing right there.

When I got to the hotel, I just headed to bed because I was so tired. Normally, I try to at least prep for the next day, but didn't have the energy. Gotta rest up for tomorrow.

Steps walked: 13,885

Up next: Breakfast with Family (and some Friendship) 

Trip Report: Two New Nighttime Shows

If you missed the last update, you can read it here.

Getting a spot for the fireworks show was just total craziness. The park felt super-crowded and there was like nowhere to sit/stand. I'm going to hope this is because the Happily Ever After show is still so new.

With 45 minutes to go before the show, the 3 of us were finally able to squeeze in somewhere. It was a tight fit but we were even able to sit. About 10 minutes before start time there was an announcement to stand up and fill in all available space. In the end, I think we ended up with a decent spot.

The Happily Ever After show was good and I like that some lesser celebrated movies like Hercules and Hunchback were in it. But it's also a little long-especially on tired and achy feet. We decided to try the dessert party next time to avoid the crowds. We actually tried to make reservations this time, but made that decision too late and couldn't get any.

Here's my vlog with the Happily Ever After Show so you can see our view. We were a little to the left if you're facing the Castle. It was back toward the hub grass.

         

Especially since there were so many people we decided to just stick around for the Once Upon a Time projection show. This way some of the crowds could (hopefully) leave the park.

It was another good show. Although it is weird to have two shows with lots of projections back-to-back. Is this how people feel about the water screens at Fantasmic?

And here's the video with the Once Upon a Time show:

Up next: An Evening of Nostalgia 

Trip Report: Going on a Carousel Ride

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

As has become our tradition we took a boat ride over to Magic Kingdom. I really like going there after a fun dinner at Hoop-Dee-Doo. 

We got to the park a little after 7. To us, that meant we had some time to kill before Happily Ever After. Some people were already getting spots. In retrospect, we probably should've as well.

But instead we went through the castle and off to Fantasyland. I showed my dad the Cinderella fountain because he didn't know about it. It's a pretty fountain and if you kneel in front of it, looks like there's a crown on Cinderella's head.

The carousel was only a 15-minute wait and I've been wanting to ride it for the last few trips. It did look like it was going around really fast. But I guess it has been a long time since I've been on one. It was a fun ride and didn't make me feel sick which I had feared. Although it was hard for me to get on and off. That made me feel very out of shape and fat.

The park seemed to be get more and more crowded. So, we stopped at the best bathrooms, did the Rapunzel lantern magic shot, and then we were off to get a spot for the fireworks.

Up next: 2 New Nighttime Shows

Trip Report: The Family's All Together

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

The Minnie Van was a great way to go. We were picked up quickly and they dropped us off really close to the Pioneer Hall. If we took a bus we would've then had to take the internal bus system. Who knew how long that would've taken. 

We met up with the rest of our family, got some custom buttons, and took pictures. The buttons we were wearing tonight said "We crashed the honeymoon." 

The PhotoPass photographer was really good. He took a ton of pictures and there were so many with the kids-even them just playing.

Then, it was time to head in for dinner. I was brave (for me) and asked for mac and cheese because I don't liked fried chicken and ribs.

We had 2 big tables next to each other in a "T" shape. Our waiter had a lot to deal with but he was great.

My dad got picked on by Dolly and she was like obsessed with him. She even came back after the show and offered to take a picture which was very nice. 

The kids had tons of fun especially one of my cousin's daughter, Hayley. I've never seen her smile so much. 

The show had some new songs but was still wonderful and hilarious.

After the show, we hung outside and talked for a little bit. Then, a bunch of us were off to Magic Kingdom for the rest of the night.

When we got to the boat dock a little boy said, "look, it's Rick!" to my dad because he recognized him from the show. My dad is quite the star.

Up next: Going on a Carousel Ride