A Bash, a Benson, and a Banshee: A DIS 20th Event Solo Trip ** new Aug 2nd, 2017 - Complete! **

Enjoying and continuing to follow. Love your mix of photos/vids, etc. Awesome trip report as usual, Phil!!

Sure hope I'll be able to ride whenever I get back!

Thanks Heidi! Definitely hope you get there sooner rather than later!


Glad you had such a nice DISmeet!

Your pics on Everest are great, one of my favorite rides as well :)

Loved seeing all the Pandora pics. Really can't wait to see it for myself one day! Glad you enjoyed Flight of Passage!

Yeah, it was really nice to spend some time with Marie and Amber - definitely all the DISmeets were a high point of that trip and that was one I was most looking forward to

Thanks so much - i just love Everest and all the detail that went into it - on top of it just being a great ride!

Thanks! Pictures don't really do it justice either - the detail in the land is pretty amazing


I don't get it either! :rotfl: I've also seen people do it in other theme parks on certain attractions and it's just so strange.

Not that I am for throwing coins or something but at least I get the tradition of it being good luck, etc. - the ponytail holder thing I just don't get
 
can't wait to try Pandora drinks next month! ah!

I have to say that overall the drinks were a bit disappointing - not that they were terrible or anything but considering how great I thought the food was I thought the drinks could be better. The beers were pretty solid but just wish for me


I believe we saw each other right before you went to FoP. It really is quite the ride. I haven't experienced anything quite like it. I don't know how it ranks in my favorite rides since it is a simulator.

You are right Ryan - I updated the post to reflect that. Even though it wasn't that long ago still sometimes hard to keep the order of everything straight! Sometimes I wish I took notes and stuff during vacation to make the TR easier, but just hard to take the time to do that on top of everything else


Great Pandora pics, Phil! Thanks for getting this up so quickly.

Thanks Annie! I think I just wanted it to feel like the trip is still going so doing the TR makes it feel like it still is ... at least until can start planning our next trip ;)
 
So much fun on EE and FoP! It still hasn't hit me that I'll be on both of them this Sunday! For a long time I was convinced that I was going to get the strawberry margarita but the more I read about it the more it seems to be just a normal margarita that I can get anywhere like you said. I'm also not a fan of the balls so they won't add anything for me. I think I'm going to stick to beer and a bloody mary from Dawa Bar in AK. I'm so happy that you enjoyed FoP. Looks like everything is shaping up to be a great day! And YAY for DISer friends! It's nice to know you've got friends everywhere.

That's so exciting! Have a great trip - I am sure you will have an amazing time.

The margarita isn't bad - though if you won't want the balls then there really is nothing special to it. (just an FYI I thought the sangria was worse so don't get that either ;) )

If you like beer, I very much suggest the Kingaloosh at Nomad Lounger, one of my favorites!

It is cool to have friends from so many different places and then get to meet them in person - and that being in WDW is even better!


I love that you got to meet up with Dis'ers to spend you day at Animal Kingdom!

I can't believe that all the weaving was done by hand. There is so much of it and it is so detailed! It was one of the things I took countless pictures of!

I am really glad it worked out - Amber and Marie were really sweet to adjust their plans.

That is my understanding at least about the weaving - really gives it a more authentic feeling
 
I'm a bit late to the party- but so happy to be here now! I can't WAIT to see Pandora in person. Thank you for all the pictures! I also can't wait to ride FoP, since I've been hearing about it for so long. (Little known fact but part of it was designed here in MN- one of my DH's distributor's through work has been teasing me about it since 2011, since it was top secret for so long.)
 


HI
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just stumbled across your TR and am looking forward to your quick solo TR. Now back to page 1 to get caught up.
 
So caught up.

I was really impacted emotionally when he shared how the Pulse Shooting event impacted him on the Podcast episode following that horror. So I wanted to get him something
How thoughtful.
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I used the MDE app to order my lunch via the mobile ordering system.
Looking forward to this becoming used more widely through out WDW.

TY for the spoiler alert for FOP I'm trying not to see too many pics prior to our visit in December.
 


I'm a bit late to the party- but so happy to be here now! I can't WAIT to see Pandora in person. Thank you for all the pictures! I also can't wait to ride FoP, since I've been hearing about it for so long. (Little known fact but part of it was designed here in MN- one of my DH's distributor's through work has been teasing me about it since 2011, since it was top secret for so long.)

:welcome: thanks for joining! Pandora in person is pretty incredible - like, you just can't believe it is in a theme park

That is a cool fact about the ride and that you/your DH's friend has the connection!


HI
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just stumbled across your TR and am looking forward to your quick solo TR. Now back to page 1 to get caught up.

So caught up.

How thoughtful.
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Looking forward to this becoming used more widely through out WDW.

TY for the spoiler alert for FOP I'm trying not to see too many pics prior to our visit in December.

:welcome: - love the Max gif!

Looks like they have already pushed out the mobile ordering to some other quick service locations (in AK and MK so far I believe) - hopefully it continues to work out well as it was super helpful to have for Satu'li

NP! I know I was avoiding watching as much video of the rides and stuff and with how new things still are figured I would put that little warning in


Great update love you got to meet up with some fellow DIS'ers :thumbsup2

Thank you - I was so glad I got to meet so many people on this trip! Definitely a highlight!
 
*** Photopass Picture Update ***

Just a note that I got some of the photopass pictures from my time with Amber and Marie, I updated the posts to include them, but in case you already read those updates I thought I would add them here.

Had our ride photo from Everest (where I am behind Amber and Marie with a goofy grin on my face)
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And then the ones from in Pandora that included a Magic Shot with a Banshee!
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Quick story on the last one - I showed that to my son Peter but didn't indicate it was a magic shot - rather that "Isn't is cool what I got to see while at Disney!" - and he asked if he would get to see one when we go as he fully believes they have actual Banshees at WDW

#Parentoftheyear
 
Quick story on the last one - I showed that to my son Peter but didn't indicate it was a magic shot - rather that "Isn't is cool what I got to see while at Disney!" - and he asked if he would get to see one when we go as he fully believes they have actual Banshees at WDW

#Parentoftheyear
Ha! Your poor son will be searching high and low for one when you go again. My youngest, would NEVER let me live that down, if i did that. Seriously she would be getting married and saying remember when you tricked me that one time! Too Funny.
 
(love the backwards part of this ride - gotta remember to lift your legs to maximize the effect!)

I have never tried that before! I gotta keep that in mind for the next trip.

It was nice you were able to meet up with some fellow DISers and enjoy EE and Pandora together. It's nice when you can experience a park with fellow fans you've felt like you've known for a few years.


We were commenting on all the work it took to make something new that looks old and do people market themselves as "rusters" to make new things look rusty, etc.

One of my classmates in college had a brother whose job at Universal was to make sure the stores inside the WWoHP looked "dirty" enough. He was responsible for the fake cobwebs in corners and dust on high shelves.
It's hilarious to think of Team Members and Imaginears having to think about how to make sure stuff ISN'T clean or doesn't look brand new.


Now, I will say, at the end of the day it is still a simulator so not sure if I would wait 5 hours to ride it - but I would definitely do 1-1.5 hours, especially with how cool the queue is.

Wow, that speaks volumes for the attraction. I have seen nothing but positive reviews for the attraction, but yours is the first TR update I've read covering the ride. An hour is a significant amount of time in a Disney veteran's book. Like the tidbit on EE, I'll have to keep this mind for my upcoming trip. I am sure I won't sang a FP for Flights of Passage (only being able to book 30 days out) and I was hesitant to try standby, but now maybe I will.
 
I love the magic shot with the Banshee very cool.

Thanks! I understand the have a few magic shots (and one that is video) but I was glad we got at least that one!


Ha! Your poor son will be searching high and low for one when you go again. My youngest, would NEVER let me live that down, if i did that. Seriously she would be getting married and saying remember when you tricked me that one time! Too Funny.

Oh, I mess with my kids all the time - they definitely have learned sarcasm. My oldest loves it too and tries to do sarcasm as well and then will say "isn't this fun how we are all being sarcastic!" I also tell her that it is my job to embarrass her ;)


I have never tried that before! I gotta keep that in mind for the next trip.

It was nice you were able to meet up with some fellow DISers and enjoy EE and Pandora together. It's nice when you can experience a park with fellow fans you've felt like you've known for a few years.

One of my classmates in college had a brother whose job at Universal was to make sure the stores inside the WWoHP looked "dirty" enough. He was responsible for the fake cobwebs in corners and dust on high shelves.
It's hilarious to think of Team Members and Imaginears having to think about how to make sure stuff ISN'T clean or doesn't look brand new.

Wow, that speaks volumes for the attraction. I have seen nothing but positive reviews for the attraction, but yours is the first TR update I've read covering the ride. An hour is a significant amount of time in a Disney veteran's book. Like the tidbit on EE, I'll have to keep this mind for my upcoming trip. I am sure I won't sang a FP for Flights of Passage (only being able to book 30 days out) and I was hesitant to try standby, but now maybe I will.

I actually read about the "lifting your feet" bit here on the DIS - it increases the feeling of weightlessness

Definitely great how many people I was able to meet up with - and Amber and Marie were definitely a priority so I was glad it worked out and we got a few hours together

I full agree - and how much skill it takes to make something new look old. We were just wondering what you put on your resume or what your job title is if you have a very specific skill/role - just with how big a project Pandora was, did they need to hire dozens of "rusters" who specialize in making things loos rusty? :confused3

Maybe because it is still new and because the queue is so cool and so much to see but I think an hour or so I would do. Maybe years down the road I will only want to do it via FP but for now I left the park feeling that way ... now for the river ride, that is a different story (but that comes later)

Not sure if you have been keeping up with the main Pandora thread but there is a lot of tracking for wait times for the rides in Pandora. It seems like wait times peak early in the morning as everyone heads there. So the best tips are:
- Be at the part ~1 hour before opening (they have been opening the gate a bit early, so maybe even like 1:15 early) and be in the first group of people heading there. By about 30 mins past park opening the wait times reach their peak
- Later in the afternoon, I guess people take their break from AK and the wait times go down a bit
- Then they build back up at the start of the evening when the bioluminescence comes on
- Then goes back down a bit during EMH
 
Great photos! Haha hope Peter isn't too disappointed when he doesn't see a real banshee!

Thanks! When I first told him he was scared and said he didn't want to see one ... but then I said they were nice and you get to ride one and then he was more excited ;)
 
Part 10: Nomad Lounge and Dinosaur
Wednesday May 31st 5:20 - 7:00pm

When we last left off I had just gotten off of Flight of Passage with Amber and Marie - who now had to leave Animal Kingdom as they were heading to a DIS 20th mini-event ... but before they left I noticed another DISer that I was excited to finally meet in person, and that was @NeuroCindy, so I introduced her to Amber and Marie and then they had to head out. Another of our DIS friends, @GAN, was currently on Flight of Passage so we waited for him to get off and then discussed what we wanted to do. It started to rain slightly and we saw in one of the threads on the board or Facebook groups for the event we had set up that some people were in the Nomad Lounge - so we thought that seemed like as good an idea as any so we headed there.

We saw the fellow DISers, including Bryan, and Zach (@AMusicLifeForMe) and his dad at the big hightop table in the middle of the Nomad Lounge. And a terrible selfie to prove it:

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I am glad we got there when we did as it started to rain fairly heavily and more people decided to follow our lead and the lounge filled up pretty quickly. Some people ordered food but it wasn't so long since my lunch so I just got a drink, which is one of my favorite beers on property, the Kungaloosh - which is a spiced excursion ale (and I swear I like the beer in and of itself, and not just because it was named after the saying from the Adventurer's Club).

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A few other DISer showed up, including Gabi, who used the "unofficial" logo I had made up for the event and printed out her own tag, which I thought was pretty cool

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As the rains came down and then tapered off we were deciding what to do as we had some time before we were meeting up with other DISers for one of our "unofficial" events which was to watch Rivers of Light together and then head into Pandora. We were checking wait times and I asked if people would be interested in riding Dinosaur as I had never ridden it before

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I know, bad DISer! Several people were up for it so that is where we headed. I know a lot of people aren't fans of Dinoland - but I love it and the whole backstory to it

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So the posted wait time was 50 minutes but it turned out to be basically a walk-on - so that was cool.

Hello Mrs. Huxtable! (I know she has done a bunch of other roles but that is the first thing I think of)

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As mentioned, I love the details they have throughout Animal Kingdom - and this is a good example as the chemical symbols on these pipes I believe represent Ketchup, Mustard, and Mayo - and this was because McDonald's was a sponsor for the ride when it first opened.

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I also did love that when you exit the ride you can see on the monitors that the dinosaur you brought back with you from your trip through time (oops, sorry, should have mentioned "Spoiler Alert" I guess) is roaming the halls

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So what did I think of the ride now that I finally rode it? ... um, it's not my favorite. Maybe it's because I have done Indiana Jones in Disneyland and this uses the same ride vehicles and same exact track layout and Indiana Jones is just sooooo much better - but I just didn't think it was that great. The car movements are great, but the animatronics aren't that impressive and it seems silly that the dinosaurs just stand there while the voice tells you what kind of dino it is, etc. Oh well, at least I have done it now and don't need to worry about pressuring my family to try it.

Oh, one last example of the details in Dinoland - I noticed this sign which means the imagineers went to the trouble to create a new sign that looks like an old sign that was painted over ... love stuff like that

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Coming up next, back to Pandora for a quick bite to eat and then Rivers of Light
 
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Part 11: Satu'li Canteen for Dinner and then Rivers of Light
Wednesday May 31st 7:10 - 9:35pm

So after Dinosaur we decided to head back to Pandora as a number of us wanted to eat at Satu'li Canteen. Most of us used the app to do mobile ordering, although @GAN didn't have the option on his app - so not sure what was up with that as everything looked right. I opted to try one of the bowls and I was excited to try the Chili Spice Fried Tofu option - I got it with the red and sweet potato hash and the charred onion chimichurri sauce on the side. I also got the Chocolate Cake dessert and a Hawkes' Grog Ale to drink. The food was excellent, the tofu was tasted and actually did have a little bit of spice/heat to them (not too much or anything, but I am used to things that say they are spicy having no spice to them at all in theme parks, so this was nice to see). The cake was quite good - though really just chocolate and a bit rich, so probably best to share. The beer was pretty good - it is a wheat beer and was smooth and lighter than the Mo'ara High Country Ale. I think I could see it being the more refreshing option on really hot days in Animal Kingdom, but between the two I definitely though the Country Ale tasted better and had more to it. Definitely a really solid counter service meal - and a good sized portion as well!

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After eating and chatting a bit it was time to head to the meeting place for the "unoffical" event for the evening. We were meeting over by the Flights of Wonder theater and I mad a quick pit stop to pick up one of my favorite things in Animal Kingdom, the Dole Whip with Dark Rum from Tamu Tamu Refreshments. It was as good as I remembered, but with the heat did melt a bit so it made it challenging to get bits with both the Dole Whip and the Rum without dripping everywhere. Still, thumbs up!

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I then met up with the group and we were able to get someone to take our picture. I am not going to be able to remember everyone's name, but Zach (@AMusicLifeForMe) is in the back middle and he was the one who did the organizing for the Animal Kingdom "unofficial" events and it was very much appreciated

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We then headed over to the Rivers of Light theater - we had all arranged for FastPasses for it so we would be sitting together in that section. I do like how at night at Animal Kingdom they put up these light up signs to direct people

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We then got situated and had great seats, towards the center of the stadium and about half way down the stone benches. While we were waiting the My Disney Experience App came to life for me with the activity they had added to help people explore Pandora. The idea is they would ask you questions that you would have to research or just remember from your time in the area. It was an automated thing though and I think my answers got it confused a bit and then I, well, I got a bit snarky with it - but it was getting a little frustrating. I think I messed it up by answering too much at a time and it only woudl apply part of my answer and then ask me a question that I had already answered previously. Oh well - still neat that they added this feature I think and was something to do while we waited for the show to start (we had gotten there about 40 mins early)

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About 10 minutes before show time they started to bring in the lotus flowers and then the animal floats. It was definitely calm and pretty - though I think some people thought that was the start of the actual show and were commenting that they could understand why people found the show a bit boring ... but then they realized it was just the show getting set up. The Tiger Float wasn't working so we only had 3 out of the 4 animal floats in the show.

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Then the show proper started!

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So I know the show has gotten some mixed reviews but I absolutely loved it. It is beautiful and has a nice message - and includes a ton of images of animals with their babies, etc. Plus the main song, We Are One, is just beautiful and very catchy. The ending isn't huge and so I get why people want a bigger finale, but I think overall the show fits Animal Kingdom really well and I would definitely see it again.

Coming up next - back to Pandora!

TTFN
 
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Great update Phil! I was going to meet up with you guys at Nomad but decided to hit the line for NRJ instead. That rain really did come down for a while but luckily ended soon enough. I regret not getting into Satuli to try some of that food but there is always next time.

I can't believe you hadn't done Dinosaur! Test Track and Dinosaur are two of my favorites.

Great photos of RoL. I agree that I really liked he show as well and it has a nice message.

I think I will finally pop up in the next update ;)
 
Getting out of the rain and into the lounge sounds like it was a nice break!

Well, at least you can cross off Dinosaur from your to-do list! Not one of my faves either.

Glad you enjoyed your meal at Satu'li Canteen!

Nice that you could all get together to watch ROL! Glad to hear a positive review of it!
 

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