A Whirlwind 72 (minus 5) hour trip to WDW!! FINAL UPDATE 9/3!!!

[Li Li]

When I last left off, we had some time to kill before the Jungle Cruise FP+. Since we were right near the Enchanted Tiki Room, we decided to check it out because we had NEVER been in it before. We joined the line which is really the pre-show area.

We really had no idea what to expect, so we were just along for the ride. First, a tiki god introduced some birds...

After the pre-show, we filed in to sit on the benches. And, we enjoyed the show.

It was a cute show, and I'm glad we saw it. Nigel really enjoyed it as well. It just seems like such a cool throwback to an earlier time and what you saw more of in the park in the past. Or, maybe I am completely sugarcoating the past, who knows?

After the Tiki birds, I made Nigel ride the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. There was no wait! Of course, we had to ride!! I didn't realize that a camel was aimed at the riders as well as spitting on the people nearby, so that was funny. Unfortunately, I have no pictures from that ride, so just use your imagination.

After the ride, it was time for one of the best things in Disney World...I give you, the Mickey Premium Bar!!!

I thought this pic was great.

Once we had finished our ice cream treat, it was time for a boat ride in the Jungle. A CM kindly took this pic of us. I like it; I just wish Nigel wasn't so much in the shadow.

Our jungle guide was funny as usual. I don't think I've ever had a bad guide for the Jungle Cruise. My texts say we boarded right around 11:40 p.m. The standby line was at 40 minutes so the park was still pretty crowded at this time. After the cruise, I'm pretty sure we hopped into the FP+ kiosk line to choose our next ride. Either that or we went to the kiosk in Tomorrowland. In any event, we headed off to Tomorrowland. And, we chose Space Mountain as our next ride...which was not until 2 a.m.! Thats a weird experience, choosing an FP+ time for 2 a.m.

So, since we decided yet again to walk all the way across the park, we decided to visit one of our favorite attractions, Carousel of Progress. No wait, naturally. We visit this ride every trip! So much fun! Did you know? There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day. Now it's in your head, you're welcome!

After Carousel of Progress, we ran into this photo opportunity.

That's us pointing to the current time of 12:30 a.m. I thought this was a cute photo op for the 24-hour event.

As we were walking around Tomorrowland, we saw the movie area. They were playing the Incredibles, I think on a loop starting at midnight, in the area where the dance party usually happens. Lots of people was sacking out and watching the movie/sleeping! Since we are not fans of the Incredibles (I know, shocking), we moved on. Since we still had a bunch of time before Space Mountain FP+, I convinced Nigel we should join the Mine Train line! First, what else did we have to do?! Second, I desperately wanted to ride Mine Train for the 24-hour event, especially since it was pre-official opening! We found the end of the line along the fence line and began our wait. The official wait time was still reading 120 minutes.

Next up, do we spend two hours in line? And, does the ride live up to the hype?! Stay tuned...

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Glad your trip to Vegas went well Leah - that's cool that Southwest has free Wifi too - not may airlines do that!

I enjoy the Tiki Birds - but I think a lot is because Walt helped build it and it is the nostalgia factor. Probably one of the main reasons the entire universe flipped out when they changed it and made them change it back

I don't think I have ever had a bad JC Skipper either - though we have had bad "boats" where like no one else is playing along with the puns and just staring quietly .... well, and giving us strange looks for being so into it all

I mean, you had to wait for the Mine Train right? You couldn't be there and not go on it, right?

 

[KelleyK75]

I haven't ever done the Enchanted Tiki Room either. I keep hearing how everyone loves it, but we were never able to fit it in. Hopefully next trip. I am glad you liked it. We always get one (or two or three....) Mickey bars during our trip. The clock picture is great!!

 

[NigelSTW]

Li Li left out that during the 1920s section of Carousel of Progress John's mouth was broken, so the entire time it appeared as if it was a ventriloquist act. It was a bit creepy. CoP needs some love.

 

[Li Li]

Glad your trip to Vegas went well Leah - that's cool that Southwest has free Wifi too - not may airlines do that!

I enjoy the Tiki Birds - but I think a lot is because Walt helped build it and it is the nostalgia factor. Probably one of the main reasons the entire universe flipped out when they changed it and made them change it back

I don't think I have ever had a bad JC Skipper either - though we have had bad "boats" where like no one else is playing along with the puns and just staring quietly .... well, and giving us strange looks for being so into it all

I mean, you had to wait for the Mine Train right? You couldn't be there and not go on it, right?

Thanks! The wifi was definitely appreciated!
I think the nostalgia factor is the big reason why people like the Tiki Birds. Just feels like a piece of history.
Yeah, I've had those boats! We always laugh at the jokes!
Hope you, Judi and the kids are adjusting to newborn baby Emma! Congrats again, and hope you are getting some sleep!

I haven't ever done the Enchanted Tiki Room either. I keep hearing how everyone loves it, but we were never able to fit it in. Hopefully next trip. I am glad you liked it. We always get one (or two or three....) Mickey bars during our trip. The clock picture is great!!

I'm glad we finally made time for it! Next up is Country Bears, we've never seen that either! Can you tell we are mostly ride people?
Thanks, I liked the clock pic too!

Li Li left out that during the 1920s section of Carousel of Progress John's mouth was broken, so the entire time it appeared as if it was a ventriloquist act. It was a bit creepy. CoP needs some love.

Bad reporter! Yes, I did totally forget this until Nigel mentioned it. Although I think we have been lucky because for as much TLC as this ride needs, we've only seen a few things not working. The mouth not moving while the dialogue just goes along was definitely the creepiest though!

 

[KelleyK75]

I'm glad we finally made time for it! Next up is Country Bears, we've never seen that either! Can you tell we are mostly ride people?
Thanks, I liked the clock pic too!

I have seen Country Bears, and in my opinion it's cute, but not something I need to do every trip.

 

[Joben]

ok so now to comment on things so far so you know I read along...it's going to be a lot so go get something to eat.
Firstly and most importantly, there are never enough dog selfies.
Nice job on the quickest ever planned trip for a non FL resident I think.
That really stinks about the plane delays, that took a big chunk of Disney time out of your day and that time is invaluable.
Starbucks...don't get me started, but I will back you up on your frustration with the kiddos and their ordering, however they are being kids and what do you expect. now the parents allowing kids to buy from Starbucks, that's my problem. I think we need to just.... never mind
so adult onset flight anxiety... yeah that is a thing and something my wife went (is going) through. She flew all over including Europe. and then age thirty hit and suddenly she does not like not being in control of the situation. What do you do if you live in STL and want to go to WDW...DRIVE A LOT
Disney Hipsters- I found that blog a while ago but now everyone else reads it so it isn't cool anymore and I don't read it anymore (where is my sarcasm font)
it's funny how many times you can go to WDW and there are still so many things you have never tried, it kills me when people say they aren't going back to WDW for awhile until Disney builds something new?!?!? fine more room for me and my elbows!
I like the Disneybounding. I think i will see some of it in my family next trip.
That Waffle sandwich is on the must do list for next time
The Tikki Room. did you know the birds for that show were the prototypes for all the animatronics for the rest of WDW. I think I read Walt saw some guy on a boardwalk or something with a bird doing a show and he bought the technology rights from the guy and it blew up after that. it wasn't seen as a useful technology by anyone other than Walt until after he did the original talking with President Lincoln show.
I'm ashamed to admit I've never had a mickey's premium bar. that will change on the next trip too
COP is one of our must do's every trip, no matter how run down that show gets. I hope that is one that stays in WDW no matter what.
wait what you don't like the Incredibles???? so I have to unsubscribe to this trip report now.
well maybe I'll hang around for a little bit more, but you are walking a fine line

 

[Li Li]

I have seen Country Bears, and in my opinion it's cute, but not something I need to do every trip.

Yeah, I have a feeling I will feel the same. But maybe I'll love it with such low expectations going in!

 

[Li Li]

ok so now to comment on things so far so you know I read along...it's going to be a lot so go get something to eat.
Firstly and most importantly, there are never enough dog selfies.

Absolutely!

Nice job on the quickest ever planned trip for a non FL resident I think.
That really stinks about the plane delays, that took a big chunk of Disney time out of your day and that time is invaluable.
Starbucks...don't get me started, but I will back you up on your frustration with the kiddos and their ordering, however they are being kids and what do you expect. now the parents allowing kids to buy from Starbucks, that's my problem. I think we need to just.... never mind

Yep!

so adult onset flight anxiety... yeah that is a thing and something my wife went (is going) through. She flew all over including Europe. and then age thirty hit and suddenly she does not like not being in control of the situation. What do you do if you live in STL and want to go to WDW...DRIVE A LOT

Yeah, one of these trips I think we might go that route. We talked about it this trip but it would involve extra days off work, so...probably not. But wow, that is quite a drive. Worth it for the peace of mind and...fun pit stops, right?!

Disney Hipsters- I found that blog a while ago but now everyone else reads it so it isn't cool anymore and I don't read it anymore (where is my sarcasm font)

Lol!

it's funny how many times you can go to WDW and there are still so many things you have never tried, it kills me when people say they aren't going back to WDW for awhile until Disney builds something new?!?!? fine more room for me and my elbows!
I like the Disneybounding. I think i will see some of it in my family next trip.
That Waffle sandwich is on the must do list for next time

So good! We will definitely be back for that again!

The Tikki Room. did you know the birds for that show were the prototypes for all the animatronics for the rest of WDW. I think I read Walt saw some guy on a boardwalk or something with a bird doing a show and he bought the technology rights from the guy and it blew up after that. it wasn't seen as a useful technology by anyone other than Walt until after he did the original talking with President Lincoln show.

Cool, I hadn't heard that before.

I'm ashamed to admit I've never had a mickey's premium bar. that will change on the next trip too

Eeek! You must do!

COP is one of our must do's every trip, no matter how run down that show gets. I hope that is one that stays in WDW no matter what.

Definitely! It's our favorite classic!

wait what you don't like the Incredibles???? so I have to unsubscribe to this trip report now.
well maybe I'll hang around for a little bit more, but you are walking a fine line

HA! Yeah, sorry about that. It just doesn't grab either of us. Maybe the sequel will do the trick.

 

[Li Li]

So, I promised Nigel that I would finally try to finish up our Magic Kingdom day/night with this post! Who knew it would take this long?!

Okay, we were wandering around Tomorrowland and our Space Mountain FP+ was not for a few hours, so what were we going to do?! Wait on line for 7DMT!

WAIT! Hold the phone! In the midst of writing this update, I realized after the clock picture, we joined the line for the TTA! Yes, there was actually a full on line for the Peoplemover! I have never seen that before! Not too many pics, but let's go full on TMI and share my pain at this point.

Yep, that's my foot that Nigel snapped a pic of. (Sorry for ending the sentence with a preposition.) I had walked with these shoes on doggie walks a bunch of times so I thought they would be good for MK. Yeah, apparently they were not up to 12 hours of continuous walking. I developed huge blisters on the back of my heel for both feet. But luckily, I had brought band aids in my backpack, so I took the TTA time to apply same.
Sorry if that grosses anyone out!

All right, back to 7DMT. Obviously, we were going to stand in line at some point! As I said to Nigel, what else we were planning on doing? Nigel may have said, go back to room and sleep, but I vetoed that for now.

I think the line was still at 120 minutes and it was definitely wrapped all along the fence line past the teacups. We joined the line and bought some water from the cart CM who was fortuitously parked along the line route.

Get ready for very dark line pics! Oh, also spoiler alert if you are still avoiding 7DMT photos. I did try to avoid too many spoilers before we went as I wanted to experience it for the first time in person, but of course, Nigel watched all the videos before we went.

I have no idea what order these are in.

Dueling selfies!

The line actually moved surprisingly fast! Before we knew it, we were at the inside queue!

Special inside queue stuff above.

Bottom line...we really enjoyed it! I thought it was a fun ride and a nice family coaster! Not a super thrill ride but still interesting enough that we would for sure ride again...unlike Barnstormer. I feel like a weirdo adult riding that without kids.

So, all told, we only spent one hour standing in line! Not bad! Of course, some food was up next. We were right outside Friar's Nook which I knew had some cool-looking hot dogs, so I steered us in that direction! Here's what we got:

Yep, that is a truffled mac n'cheese hot dog! And let me tell you, it was delicious! It easily tied with the spicy waffle chicken as our favorite meal of the trip. We actually ended up giving the bag of chips away to the girls sharing our table as the hot dog itself was more than enough for the two of us. Also, I don't know if I have mentioned, but we were using our refillable water bottle with filter so we got some more iced tap water to put in that. I'm actually really happy that we brought that along. We definitely needed to stay hydrated as it was humid all night, and the filter bottle saved us form constantly buying water. It's not the Brita bottle, but similar and fit in my backpack without spilling so that was a definite plus!

Next on the agenda was Philharmagic. I definitely wanted to hit this because I knew it was going to be closed for refurb during our September trip. We waited a bit in line and then enjoyed. Again, no pics, sorry!

By this time, we were just at our Space Mountain 2 a.m. FP+ time, so we headed over. We go through the line, get right up to stand on our numbers, and...nothing is moving! Lots of phone calls start and there are two rocket ships full of people just sitting there. Eventually, they unload the passengers and the announcement comes on that the ride is "down". The CMs were just talking among themselves and not really saying anything. Even though we were *thisclose* to the ride, we decided to bail and get out of line. We asked a CM how to get to an exit and off we went. As we were heading out, there were CMs stationed at the exit handing out actual paper FPs for our trouble. They were good for any of the mountains, PoTC, Winnie, HM, and I think that is it. Also, they were good until 5/31 (8 days later). So, since we were in Tomorrowland, where do you think we decided to go??? If you guessed the complete opposite end of the park, you would be correct! We decided to head over to Splash to see if it was back up and running.

Again, complete lack of pictures, but c'mon, it was pretty late and approaching almost 24 hours of being awake for us! So, we trekked over to Splash and went into the FP line. As we got to the second FP station, the lights came on and the CM went "uh oh." I was like, "Noooooo!" We just went through a breakdown at Space! Luckily, it was only a minor delay and we were on our way in no time.

None of the FP CMs actually took our paper FPs, so I thought we might get to reuse them! But, unlike the guys in front of us, I did not hide them quick enough because the CM directing us where to stand in line for our log said she would take them. I said to Nigel that I was bummed because the guys in front of us got to keep theirs! And, apparently, the CM overheard me because she handed the paper FPs back to us! That was really nice as I wasn't making the comment for her benefit, just observing to Nigel. I hope I didn't come off as whiny, but let's face it, we were approaching 3 am, so I'm sure I was not at my best. We went through Splash, which was honestly a little scary. We kept jamming. Seriously, there were several points where we were just sitting there and did not move until the log behind us came up and rear ended us!

So, we are floating along, and all of a sudden, I look and see, hey cool, there's the castle....aaaahhhh! big drop! Yeah, I don't know how but the big drop totally snuck up on me and even seeing the castle did not wake up my brain to the drop until we actually started down! Did I mention it was after 3 a.m.?! We went down and true to form, got stuck again. This time, we were stuck right next to a waterfall, so Nigel was only "slightly" freaking out that the waterfall was right next to him soaking not only him but his camera!

We finally made it off, high fived the CMs at the exit (yeah, they were definitely getting a little punch drunk too), and moved on. With our paper FPs still burning a hole in our pockets, we went to see some Pirates! Yes, we had already seen them, but you can never have too many pirates in your life! Well, when we walked up the Standby line was 5 minutes, so obviously, no need to waste the FPs. Again, no pictures, Nigel was barely functioning at this point.

So, we had wanted to stop in at Hall of Presidents at some point. But we definitely did not time it right since after PoTC, we would still have about a 15 minute wait until the next show, and Nigel did not think he could make it through the wait plus the show. In my stubborn mind, I thought I could do it, but I was likely wrong and marriage is all about compromise, y'all. Instead, we decided to use the paper FP to end our night with Nigel's fave, Haunted Mansion.

Okay guys, let me tell you, I wish I had taken a picture of what I saw because it was truly unbelievable. We hopped on our doom buggy, and you know how there is a walkway/space on the right of the doom buggies? Not where the CMs are standing and pointing, but to the right while you are sitting? Well, that whole area was LITTERED with TRASH! Seriously, it was kind of shocking. There was dozens upon dozens of empty water bottles strewn everywhere, and it was almost like the CMs gave up and thought, screw it, we'll clean later. It was definitely out of character for MK, but honestly, everyone was probably just counting down till they could go home and pass out, so who am I to blame them? It was just a really weird/shocking sight to see with all that trash everywhere. Anyway, I don't want to judge. I'm sure they were all tired too.

So, we picked up our hitch hiking ghost and staggered off the ride. I was determined to have breakfast at the Magic Kingdom, so I convinced Nigel we should stop by Pinnochio Village Haus for a breakfast pizza flatbread! We were actually hungry, and it felt like it took forever! I'm sure it didn't but again, it was late/early.

Ta da! I present to you the most caloric thing you could eat at 4 am in the Magic Kingdom! It was a flatbread, covered in sausage gravy, topped with scrambled eggs, cheese and bacon! It was either really late or we were really hungry, but it was good stuff.

Nigel was definitely feeling the strain of being up since 5 am that morning (for the flight that was not there.) If I were less stubborn, I may have been tired too, but I feel like I could have powered through. But again, stubbornness, so who knows.

We wondered through Liberty Square down to the Castle where there was a dance partay! Everyone was standing in front of the DJ dancing like fools. Thriller was playing and everyone was doing the moves, including Goofy!!! You have not lived until you see Goofy doing the Thriller dance! I told Nigel to get a pic, but you really can't see Goofy, just a mass of people. Bummer.

So, we start to make our way down Main Street, but of course, we have to hit up some Photopass!

Honestly, I think we look pretty good for 4:15 in the morning!

Okay, we need to get going. Here's a pic of the clock as we were heading out.

4:21 a.m. We are slowly heading out. But WAIT! What's this? Mickey Mouse at Town Hall has only a 10 minute wait, we can do that, right Nigel??! Yeah, that "10-minute" wait actually turned out to be closer to 20. But, worth it, right?

Seriously, Mickey was great. It was not talking Mickey, but still great. Honestly, as we were just about to leave the room, I looked back at Mickey, and maybe my face showed the strain of tiredness, but he came back over to me before I left and gave me a hug, and it was just so great. It's moments like those that really make Disney so special.

We finally made it out of the gates and took our last picture.

As you may recall, we parked at Epcot, so we took the Monorail back to TTC and waited for the Epcot monorail. Again, it seemed like it took forever, but it really could not have because we got to POP before 6 am and that clock pic at MK was about ten of 5 (not 6, sorry). But, man was I done with standing by that point. I just wanted to collapse.

We trekked back to the car and drove over to POP. Look familiar?

Yep, almost 6 am and home sweet Value resort! We had hoped to grab our refillable mugs and then go back to our room, but we still were a few minutes before Everything POP's 6 am opening.

Ever wonder what POP's lobby looks like at 6 a.m.? Wonder no more.

They finally opened and we bought 2-day refillable mugs (for that day - Saturday - and Sunday). We filled the mugs with coffee and headed to the room. We like cold coffee, so we just threw the mugs in our fridge so we could have coffee in the morning without having to stumble to the food court. We followed this plan the next day too and it actually alleviated our biggest worry about staying in a value - the lack of a coffee maker.

Having accomplished grabbing coffee and a marathon 12-hour park day, we were ready for sweet oblivion.

Having searched and failed to discover where our do not disturb tag disappeared to, we collapsed into bed.

And that, my friends, concludes our first, and likely last, 24-hour event at Magic Kingdom!

 

[KelleyK75]

It looks like you guys had a fun, productive night. I'm glad to hear you liked 7DMT. It looks like a fun ride. Both the hot dog and flat bread look amazing! Too bad about Space Mountain but that's great you got to keep the FP's and ride both Splash and HM.

 

[Li Li]

It looks like you guys had a fun, productive night. I'm glad to hear you liked 7DMT. It looks like a fun ride. Both the hot dog and flat bread look amazing! Too bad about Space Mountain but that's great you got to keep the FP's and ride both Splash and HM.

Thanks! Yeah, it was great but we were dragging toward the end! Forgot to mention that MK pretty much cleared out by 3 am so it was a cool experience.

 

[Li Li]

So, thought I should keep this trip moving along since I have been sadly neglecting my PTR. We leave in 39 days!!! Woo hoo!

Anyway, can you believe it? There's more to this trip than just 12 hours in Magic Kingdom! As you may recall, we failed to locate our "do not disturb" sign. Therefore, having fallen into bed sometime after 6 am, we woke up to the sound of loud knocking around 9 am. Blurg. I was about to go answer the door and try to form the words, come back later, when they tried to open the door and realized we had thrown the lock. I think we heard a vague sorry and the door closed. And back to sleep we went. I think we finally woke up around 10:30ish? We did not plan to sleep in any later, just figured we'd go to bed a little earlier that night.

We had definitely planned to take it easy this day knowing we'd be recovering from travel and a marathon park day. So, pool it was! This was our first time at POP so we were excited to check out the Hippy Dippy Pool!

So, we get up and start getting ready. Showers for everyone. I think we were about ready at 11:30. And again came the knocking! I ran to the door and promised we were almost out of there! First, cool collage in our room.

Isn't that adorable?! Robin Hood and Pete's Dragon?! So cool!

Anyhoo, off for some food. Obviously, we are more in the lunch hour, so we pretty much joined the shortest line. We opted to split the Meaty Stromboli with side Caesar Salad.

The Caesar is kind of blocking the stromboli, but let me tell you this was so good! Especially the Caesar salad, it was delicious! Just the right amount of dressing and on the garlicky side. Yum. Honestly, we split a lot of QS meals this trip, which was great! Lots of big portions for sharing.

So, pool time, right?

Wait a minute...why is this pool deserted at like noon on a Saturday? Umm, yeah, so there was some kind of weird "bacterial" thing going on and the Hippy Dippy Pool was going to be closed ALL DAY! We looked at the bowling pin "quiet" pool and it was pretty crowded, unsurprisingly.

So, we stopped for some drinks at the Petals pool bar, which was open despite the main pool being closed.

After checking with Nigel, it appears we got those drinks at 1:39 p.m. After getting "hydrated", we moved on to the quiet pool that was a little closer to our room, the Computer Pool.

It was really nice. Here's my only small gripe about these pools. The only umbrellas are at tables with sitting upright chairs. At POR, there are lounge chairs with umbrellas and shade aplenty. If you want shade and to lounge at a value, you are apparently out of luck. Since we had a late start this morning, we were behind on the whole main pool being closed. So, by the time we got to the Computer pool, there was no shade to be had. Nigel stopped back at the room for something (no clue), and I grabbed some chairs in the blazing hot sun. I proceeded to apply copious amounts of sunblock as it felt like we were sitting on the surface of the sun. In other words, it was hot!!!

Luckily, a nearby table was only occupied by one couple, and upon my asking, she graciously allowed us to share her shade. So, I pulled my lounge chair over. #noregrets

Here we are in shaded bliss! Thank you again, kind stranger.

But wait...what is this?

Why is this pool now empty? Well, your guess is as good as mine. Apparently, the same "bacterial" issue that closed the main pool had migrated to this pool. So, now only one quiet pool was open for an entire value resort on a Saturday over Memorial Day weekend? This seems like a great thing, Disney! Anyway, given the closure of the pool, we headed back to the room to change and get ready for more adventures!

And now, I am tired, so I will continue our adventures tomorrow night!

 

[NigelSTW]

Ah-h-h the pools at Pop. It was my biggest disappointment with the resort. As Li Li noted above the lack of shade was a big downer. The way the pools are located the buildings never are able to cast a useful shadow in this realm. (I bring this up as the resort we recently stay in Las Vegas lacked umbrellas, but the buildings next to the pool made up for it. It was a better deal.)

I can understand the lack of theming at Pop. It is a value. I can understand the lack of towel service due to the same constraints. I even understand why the pools could be a bit bigger given the large number of guests on the proper due to such value driven constraints. Really, NO umbrellas unless you wish to sit upright at a table? Hasn't Disney read about the epidemic of skin cancer raging in the Western World? Has Disney management seen my pale Irish skinned who can go from white to freckle to burn standing next to a 150W lightbulb too long?

Granted, I am all about pools. If a hotel has a pool even those crummy business hotel pools I am in it for at least a dip. If a pool disappoints its amplified for me.

I am trying not to compare the pool at the Dolphin, Kidani, or POR to Pop. It is not fair, but some umbrellas around the pool would have been nice.

The whole closing two of three pools down due to "something wrong with the pools water" *cough* *cough* need to shock the pools to kill something was a bit worrisome. (I over heard CMs talking.) Especially after the closed the one pool right after I got out of it. Yikes!

In another observation: The stromboli and salad were quite good, and hit the spot. The only issue with Pop's dining area was the soda (yes, soda. Not pop, or soda-pop, or Coke. We're from non-Western Pennsylvania) fountain was the lack of ice. The entire time we were at Pop, Ice was at a premium. Somebody ought to invest in upgrading the ice-makers. As an American I have a right to unlimited iced cold beverage. make it in the Summer.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

wow - considering how early you were up that, er, the previous morning, you guys did great! Bummer about Space Mountain breaking down though

That breakfast pizza looks like the absolute perfect thing for 4am

That was super smart getting the coffee and then putting it in the fridge so it was ready for you when you woke up.

 

[KelleyK75]

Your food looks yummy!

Sounds like you were better off not being in those pools. That stinks about the shade. Disney definitely needed to consider that when making that area.

 

[Li Li]

The entire time we were at Pop, Ice was at a premium. Somebody ought to invest in upgrading the ice-makers. As an American I have a right to unlimited iced cold beverage. make it in the Summer.

That's true, it always seemed like the ice was out at the machines. Weird.

 

[Li Li]

wow - considering how early you were up that, er, the previous morning, you guys did great! Bummer about Space Mountain breaking down though

That breakfast pizza looks like the absolute perfect thing for 4am

Absolutely!

That was super smart getting the coffee and then putting it in the fridge so it was ready for you when you woke up.

Yeah, I'm pretty proud of that. Probably the smartest thing we have ever done at Disney! Definitely tips the scales in favor of future value stays since we need our morning coffee!

Your food looks yummy!

Sounds like you were better off not being in those pools. That stinks about the shade. Disney definitely needed to consider that when making that area.

I need me some shade! Is there a sunburn emoticon?

 

[Li Li]

When I last left off, once again a pool had been closed. So, we headed back to the room and decided to freshen up and do some resort hopping! First on our list? Crossing the Millennium Bridge (is that the name? Maybe Generation Bridge?) to visit AoA.

The AoA pool was hopping!

Look at the little girl in the Minnie outfit, so cute!

So, you may know that the AoA pool is "locked" in that you need to swipe your room key/magic band to get in. Unless, perhaps, you just grab the fence door when following behind people who are entering. I don't feel guilty at all about "sneaking" into the Big Blue pool since a) we were not actually using the pool and b) we were giving Disney money by buying drinks at their pool bar. So, guilt alleviated, here is what we had:

I had the Island Moonshine and Nigel had the Grand Margarita. Mine was fine, but a little too coconutty for me. After our drinks, we had to check out the store.

Next up, our first experience with Make Your Own Pasta. Spoiler alert: It was awesome! Fyi, we are definitely snacking around.

We got pasta with pesto, mushrooms, cheese, red peppers, and probably something else that I forgot. This was huge and more than enough to split along with the yummy garlic bread.

Thanks AoA!

Our notes say we got the pasta around 3 pm. So, we headed back to the room to freshen up and head out for more resorts. First up, we headed to the MK resorts!

We drove up to Grand Floridian to see if we could park. A sign out front said parking was restricted to guests, yada, yada. We stopped at the guard gate and explained we wanted to grab some drinks/food at the bars at Grand Floridian, and he allowed us to park. Honestly, there was a good amount of parking here.

We parked and headed off to explore.

First stop, the GFlo DVC villas. This is hands down the cutest fountain in WDW!

It's so cute; I can't even stand it!

Next up, we have to hop on the Monorail to visit our favorite Mural!

I believe we also looked in the Contemporary shops. I don't know why but I always like their shops. I think Nigel may have found the pajama pants in his size at the Contemporary store here. And of course, our favorite bar. It's out of the way and often overlooked. Just a nice location.

And, not sure what we ordered since I don't seem to have pics of our drinks. I feel fairly certain that Nigel had a beer and I had a martini. We struck up a nice conversation with a young couple from New York. They were staying offsite and looking for things to do that night. They had "heard" about Pleasure Island, but this was from some family member who had been there years ago. We explained that it wasn't really a dance club area anymore and that there was a lot of construction. We said they could go there or perhaps City Walk over at Universal. I know! The Dark Side. But I just wasn't sure they would enjoy DTD. It just always strikes me as more shopping than anything else. The bartender chimed in that House of Blues was fun because they had a service industry night, so that's where he went. I also put in my trip notes (as scant as they were) that this bartender appeared to hate his life! So, there's that. Anyhoo, I hope our advice helped and that they had a fun night wherever they went.

Moving on, we hopped on the Monorail to the Poly. We lucked into two seats at the bar at Tambu Lounge! Woo hoo! It was hopping as usual for a holiday weekend. We saddled up to the bar, and I was determined to have the drink I had only read about until now...the Lapu Lapu!

Nigel had a Manhattan.

Let me tell you, the Lapu Lapu did not disappoint! It was fruity and boozy and delicious! We struck up a conversation with the bartender, and I asked him if he was sick of making all the Lapus, and he said it was a lot better now that Disney started ordering pre-cut pineapples. He said they used to have to cut and hollow out the pineapples by hand themselves! Yikes!

So we had to check out the menu. We definitely wanted to try the sticky wings. True confession time: We have never eaten at Ohana! So, we were going to cheat a bit and get the wings at the bar.

The picture is a little dark, but we ended up with the sticky wings, beef satay (beef with chimichurri sauce) and Crisp Breads and Dip (assorted breads with pesto, red pepper hummus and baba ghanoush). Yes, I totally cheated and looked up the menu. All of this was great. I think we both especially liked the honey coriander wings, very tasty! We were definitely full! Bonus at Tambu Lounge, I could watch the Pirates game while we were there! Cool beans. Our notes indicate we got our food around 7:30ish.

Our next stop on the tour was back at the Grand Floridian for Mizner's Lounge. For some reason, Nigel is not as enthralled with the GFLo as I am. I don't know why but I just love it. Maybe it's because the TV show of my childhood, Full House, had their Disney episode at the GFlo. Maybe it's because I got to stay there when I was 11 or 12, and we had a castle view! (Dad had a business meeting in Orlando). But whatever it is, I love the whole vibe, right down to the band playing outside the lounge! Enough of my gushing. What did we do? Grabbed another drink, of course!

And, worst picture ever! Sorry about that! But we grabbed a glass of wine each around 8:30. We enjoyed the lounge and then walked around the resort.

We checked out the new pool features, which are Alice in Wonderland themed. Very cool.

And then, we headed back to the resort. We stopped by the food court and picked up an Oreo cupcake and of course, filled up our mugs with coffee for the next morning! We were off to bed as we still had one more thing to accomplish in this whirlwind weekend...Star Wars weekend!!!

To be continued...

 

[NigelSTW]

I love me the Outter Rim. It's my favorite spot for a cocktail in the entire WDW. You have the monorail right there. The distinctive smell of the contemporary. The hustle and bustle, and yet its down there and I'm up here enjoying an adult beverage. The Tambu Lounge runs close to the Rim for my favorite adult cocktail spot. A visit to WDW without at least an attempt to saddle up to the bar just does not feel right. The food was quite tasty. The wings were a mess to eat, but boy they sure felt good in my tummy. The bartender was a machine. A true professional. He could chat it up, and yet stay onto of the backlog of thirty parents, and especially fathers dying for the sweet release from family stress that only a expertly crafted Old Fashioned can bring.

Oh. For the record at the Petals pool bar, I consumed the Miller Lite. It tasted like any other Miller Lite. I enjoy the Fat tire, but don't quite get why it is all the rage at the moment. Those crazy twenty and thirty year olds and their hipster brands.

GFlo - I like to visit. I have no desire to stay. I don't know if I think it is overwrought, the staff just isn't nice, or the color scheme is just so pale and white. Maybe its all the pricey shops that scare me into fleeing. I just am always glad I visited, and I am happy to leave. Perfect would be to visit the GFlo and then retreat back to the WL. Someday, my dream might come true. Until then retreating back to Pop was fine.

After we left GFlo and headed back to Pop we stopped by the movie under the stars playing by the main pool. It was Toy Store 3, I think. For a holiday weekend with what appeared to be a packed booking I thought more folks would turn up to see the movie.

As Li-Li state despite the delicious noms through the evening, I needs my evening sweet. We purchased some sugary food stuffs and coffee and headed back for some much need rest. We had at best four hours of sleep the night before and probably 9 hours total in the previous 48 hours. It had been a good day. We checked out the neighboring AoA (whose pool is superior to Pop in every way) and did the Monorail loop.

The next day had inshore the highlight of the trip for me.