The Trip That was The Good The Bad and The Ugly Christmas thru January

[FtW Mike]

The sign looks fantastic!

I thought you and Bert saw it in person?

 

[gillenkl]

Nice trip report and great sign!

 

[FtW Mike]

Nice trip report and great sign!

Thank You kind sir. The sign was for me a no brainer Musket Mickey and The American Flag speaks to all that is great about this country

 

[friendofeeyore]

I love your Fort Wilderness sign. I would be so excited if Grumpy Aggie surprised me with one.

 

[FtW Mike]

Dec 26th was our first EPCOT day. Having learned about International Gate and Security checks at Monorail hotels we opted to skip the bus today. Took the boat over to the Contemporary and that was when Lucille Discovered she had forgotten her Magic Band. Happily the boat hadn't departed so back I went to retrieve it. The same Skipper we made the original ride actually too me back to CR and reuniting with my wife. He and I enjoyed a good laugh over it. As we no line we were quickly on the Monorail loading platform and on our way. After a quick change to an EPCOT bound Monorail we were there in no time and Happy not to deal with the lines vying to get in. As our Primary object for the day was the Live action shows in World Showcase all I had booked was a FP for SPACESHIP EARTH. Once we had completed that tour of history we did make a bee line for MOUSE GEARS to see what they had to offer. while we saw some things we like we didn't find anything we couldn't live without. So off to Canada we went. As we had a few hours before our ADR at Chef's de France and our wristbands for The Candlelight Procession that evening we both decided to get something to tide us over. All I can really remember is Lucille had a desert selection while I opted for the soup. That soup with wild rice was BEYOND GREAT.. The show here other than having a new cast was the same as last year. Despite that, we had a good time and agreed we should remember this and the food again for next year. As long as we were there we did check into the MERCANTILE shop

 

[FtW Mike]

26 Dec Cont.
Lucille found a blanket and Jacket she wanted and I did restock up on my FF soap The SS variety was conspicuously absent.
N
Next Stop was France and Pere Noel. Again a great story to watch and listen as it's being told.

 

[FtW Mike]

Dec 26 Cont.
Sorry to keep doing this but the Girls keep trying to help. As we still had time we on and did quick look arounds in both Japan and Morocco. We did consider going for the American Experience but that would mean missing our ADR window at Chef's de France and as our seating for the Candlelight Processional was tied to it we skipped it for now and headed back to France. Lucille had the Beef Short Ribs and I Opted for the Duck. Favorites for both of us. After dinner we had time to kill so again we walked to THE AMERICAN Pavilion and again had to skip the show in order to make CP. Tonight's Narrator was Edward James Olmos and he was almost as good as Gary Sinese. To hear his personal History with this show shows a true love for doing it.

When this was over we headed for The International Gate and caught a bus at the Boardwalk back to MK and then hopped the boat back to Fort. Note this only works if you will arrive at MK within 1 hour of it closing

 

[FtW Mike]

27 Dec
Today was a split day for us. Lucille stayed back at the coach while I headed off to Animal Kingdom as I had scored a FP for Flight of Passage. This was my first time on it and it was great. I also had FP for ADVENTURER'S OUTPOST. Here I lucked out and Mickey and Minnie were present. I say I was Lucky as my friends 3yr old son has a Birthday on Jan.4th. So I asked them to sign Postcard of themselves wishing him a Happy Birthday. With my prize secured I was Happy. Wait times for both DINOSAUR AND EXPEDITION EVEREST were both over 90 minutes and the single rider line at EE was over 30 min so just went back and did a quick Look tour of the Island Mercantile before doing a slow walk through Discovery Island
Back at the coach it was time for the Girls to go for a Golf Cart ride. First stop as always was the Dog Park. Then over to the 1400 loop to check on the Crazy Goat Lady and make sure the Underground Goat Yoga Studio was in full swing. Unfortunately she had gotten bad news about her Mom and was preparing to pull up stakes and head for home if need be. So we didn't stay long . We took the girls back to the coach after some looping and Lucille and I were off to the Meadows Trading Post to get 2 of the Directors Chairs, coffee cups and her Shortbread cookies.

Below are pictures of Little B showing off his Post Cards to his Buddy, Drake.

I don't know if anyone else plays Fairy GodMailer but IMHO it is so worth it. His Mom and Dad have video of this I am sure at some day will a source of great embarrassment and even more smile than it did that day.

 

[FtW Mike]

28 Dec
This was a return to AK day for me but with My DW with me. The Tree outside the entrance was the same as last year so we only spent a few minutes admiring it before heading in. We actually caught sight of the Ant Eater as it was pacing back and forth near the entry to it's enclosure. Then off to Pandora. We misssed the drummers show but had plenty of time to look around before enjoying the Navi River Ride. Lucille has a severe fear of heights so FOP for her is out. From here it was back thru Pandora and to Africa.
According to MDE wait times for nearly 90 min on average for all shows and attractions so we opted to done of our favorite things, walk around the Tree of Life and see how many animals we can identify. As we approached the entrance for It's Tough To Be A Bug we saw the wait time was only 10 minutes and as we had an hour before our ADR at Yak and Yeti we elected to go become Honorary Bugs. Dinner at the Y&Y was great as always. I had the Crab Cakes a Change from usual Duck and they were beyond Great. Lucille opted for her normal Chicken Lo Mein and loved it.
As it was still early we caught the last showing of UP for the day. Not a Favorite for us but it would run till more traditional dinner time and hopefully some of the crowds would thin out as we made our way to the exit to get back and feed the girls

 

[FtW Mike]

29 Dec
Today we both would head over to DHS. Again this was more for holiday decor than anything else. We were happy to learn that the Ft W bus stop is no longer the furthest from the park entrance. The weather was dreary with periodic showers so were were not planning on a whole lot. We did catch the Star Wars show before heading into Toy Story Land. Not a great show but a good chance to see the the Principle Characters in the franchise and have a hot coffee and chocolate to warm up with. In TSL all we were doing was Midway Mania but did take some time to look around .
Then it was off to STAR TOURS. I love this ride. The addition a few years back of so many different destinations made it likely I would get a different destination 4 of the 5 times i would ride it. It seems that again they have changed to 1 destination to tie in with Smugglers Run and rise of The Resistance. can't say I am a Fan of the the current story line. Wen I was done with my tours we wanted to go and just look around Galaxy Edge. The walkway into it was a solid mass of people. It was worse than New Years eve in Times Square pre-corral days.
Happily There was just a 15 minute wait for The Muppets so over there we went. That show like HDDR is still as corny as the first time I saw it and I still love it. The sea of humanity to get into GE had not subsided any so as our ADR was still 2 hours away we decided to see if we could check out Indiana Jones. We arrived with 20 minutes to spare before show time and it was FULL. This was an absolute first for me. I have never seen that. We filled our time wandering the shops till it was near time for us at Prime Time Cafe.
Here I had the Crab Cakes followed by Salmon while Lucille had Soup and the Pot Roast. After dinner is back to the girls

 

[FtW Mike]

30 Dec
This was a day where had plans and they by and large had to be put to the side. DISNEY water does not agree with the Girls as a rule so we do our best to limit it. In the Coach we fill their bowls from the the bottled water we bring and get while we go shopping. Katie however can be a problem. Let her see someone else in a water bowl and obviously they are into the GOOD STUFF and she needs to join in. I do my best to keep her away but I can't be everywhere at all times. So both of them got some from time to time while we were in the Dog Park. They both tried the puddles that formed from time to time as well. This day both need some Imodium. So Rather than spend the afternoon in Disney Springs as planned we stayed close and did lots of walks . We where soon seated. I know she did the Hummus and Pita Chips for and The life I me I can't remember her entree. I had the Crab Cakes followed by the Fish and Chips. Crab Cakes was a good choice and I wish I could say the same as the Fish. It wasn't fresh in fact it had been frozen and then MICROWAVED. The Cod filet was too hot to eat while the batter was cold and falling off the Cod. If I wasn't worried about the Girls I would have sent it back. When we left we did go check out the Star Wars shop and it had nothing we hadn't seen over in the DHS shop so it it was off to the bus stop and the Fort