"GET AWAY, SCURVY!!" – A May 2017 Whirlwind Long Weekend TR

Love the pre park opening PP pictures! I'm sorry you didn't love the new welcome show, hopefully giving it another try in August will help!

Glad you didn't get stuck on Splash for too long!

Yay snacks! Glad you found the popcorn you were looking for!

Great pics with Gaston!
 
I could hardly contain my excitement as we ascended the first big lift...and then....we stopped. Mid-hill. #DisneyIsSeriouslyBroken
What an awkward place to get stuck! We got stuck on there once right at the ominous spot with the vultures.. on loop.. so we got to listen to the kid behind us cry for ten minutes because he was scared.

As a Canadian, I feel required to say that the maple flavor wasn't quite strong enough for my tastes and it was almost more just like a typical salty/sweet kettle corn.
The real question is, is anything TOO maple-y for a Canadian?

This is what "sharing them" looked like:
:rotfl2:

Meeting Gaston was pretty fab for the photo ops and the funny banter. But since I have a lot of performance experience there was something about this friend of Gaston's that just didn't quite work for me. I don't know if he'd only known Gaston a short time, but he was funny when he was delivering a line, but in between everything he said it was kind of like he kept falling out of character and got really dead in the eyes. Oh well.
I've only done this meet and greet once, but the Gaston I had was AWESOME. Give it another go next time, maybe you'll have better luck. But you did get some great pictures out of it atleast!

We were looking for another short/AC'd queue...where would we go next?.
Hmm.. Winnie the Pooh? pooh:
 
No, we don't ride our polar bears to work. (That's strictly for weekend entertainment.)
Love this your hilarious.
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This is a great pic of all of you


I'd like to experience a safe ride evac someday just to cross it off the bucket list, but this morning we had things to do!
UHHHMMMM be careful what you wish for. I got evacuated off a large hill on the Screaming Eagle Roller Coaster at Six Flags once. Walking down those tiny planks and seeing all the way down scared the heck out of me, I wanted to crawl down backwards. Never want to relive anything like that.
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Love the pre park opening PP pictures! I'm sorry you didn't love the new welcome show, hopefully giving it another try in August will help!

Glad you didn't get stuck on Splash for too long!

Yay snacks! Glad you found the popcorn you were looking for!

Great pics with Gaston!

Thanks! I'm definitely still open to the new welcome show. We didn't give it a fair shake. August for sure :)

What an awkward place to get stuck! We got stuck on there once right at the ominous spot with the vultures.. on loop.. so we got to listen to the kid behind us cry for ten minutes because he was scared.

Oh no!! As a kid this part terrified me and I hated my grandmother for taking me on the ride! That poor kid! And poor you guys for getting stuck there and having to listen to his meltdown.

The real question is, is anything TOO maple-y for a Canadian?

NEVER!! :P

Actually in all honestly, I don't usually like maple ice cream. Too much for me. Too much maple and too much sweet. But I'll put maple syrup, maple sugar, maple butter, etc., on pretty much anything. N will drink it by itself like taking a shot, and that's too far for me.

I've only done this meet and greet once, but the Gaston I had was AWESOME. Give it another go next time, maybe you'll have better luck. But you did get some great pictures out of it atleast!

I'm definitely going to have to give it another chance! Despite my concerns, we had a mostly great meet with him, but I know I've seen videos of better ones, so I still want to try again.

Love this your hilarious.
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The joys of living in Canada! Don't get me started on my pet beaver!

This is a great pic of all of you

Thanks!

UHHHMMMM be careful what you wish for. I got evacuated off a large hill on the Screaming Eagle Roller Coaster at Six Flags once. Walking down those tiny planks and seeing all the way down scared the heck out of me, I wanted to crawl down backwards. Never want to relive anything like that.

Oh no! That sounds horrible! Maybe I should reconsider. Haha
 


"Daddy Doesn't Get Any Kisses"
Disney Day 2 - Part 3


We were looking for another short/AC'd queue...and settled on Dumbo. I love this ride. It was one of the first rides N did on our first trip (Winnie the Pooh was the first), and then back in December when we rode we were the only ones on the ride!

It's such a photogenic ride, but from our vantage point in the line I failed on the photo-taking front:

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I took a photo of this sign as a reminder to me, since I'm always the smaller guest. #shortproblems

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While we were in line, I had one of those golden moments where you listen to other people on vacation and internally judge them so hard. There was a couple in line in front of us with a small child around the age of 5 or so. The kid was being held by his dad and looked thoroughly mentally exhausted with his parents. (Based on what I heard, I suspect it's a common occurrence.) The mother kept trying to force the little guy to give her kisses and to make him take sides against his dad. (Forced physical affection and parents who aren't a united team/build each other up in front of their kids are two things that I'm not usually a huge fan of. It's one thing to joke with your kids, but this lady was intense!) This mom would just not quit, and she was right up in the kid's face, saying "Daddy doesn't get any kisses, only mommy! Right??" She leans in for another kiss and the kid totally rejects her. Bahah! Only mommy? Guess not. Then she won't give up pestering this poor lil' man! Next she has to take his picture over and over till she gets one she likes. He doesn't want to look, and when he finally does, he won't smile. She's all: "Tyler, look here! Look here, Tyler!" ...*takes photo*...*inspects photo*...to husband: "He looks constipated."

Oh man, was that queue line ever entertaining!

After Dumbo it was finally time for Mine Train. The first time I rode this we were in the very back and I found it a little too intense for me and got a little dizzy, but since then we've never been in the back and I've done just fine.

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Like a lot of you, I really like this ride, but I would never wait 2-3 hours for it like some people do on busy days. I find it a little short, but not unsatisfyingly so.

We hit another photopass photographer on our way out of Fantasyland by the Tangled bathroom area. It would have been great if the photographer had told us that our hats were casting dark shadows on our faces in all the pictures, because the magic shot with Pascale is pretty much the only picture she took where you could see our faces (and this is post-editing.) Oh well! I'll spare you most of them.

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We made our way back toward Adventureland because we had somewhere important to be! We had time to kill, so first I thought we'd do the magic carpets. We got in line, but standing there I was feeling too sick from the heat, so we left. Then I thought about the tiki room. I'm not a fan (sorry!!!), but N's never done it. We walked over and went in to wait at the theatre, but the next show wasn't for a while and I was worried about being late....so we decided to just go over and check in early for our reservation at...Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen!

At this point I'll admit that I wasn't doing too hot. ...well, actually, I WAS doing too hot. That was the problem. I was too hot! And my brain was starting to protest. I was starting to feel pretty under the weather, and I was counting on this meal in the air conditioning, with lots of hydration, and with some good wholesome food, to help perk me up.

If you read my PTR you'll know that we planned this meal as our one TS splurge on an otherwise budget trip (then one meal turned into two, but I digress...) and I was looking forward to it for the many allergy-friendly offerings.

We had an awesome experience here! Our skipper (server) was awesome, and he played it all SOO deadpan, just like the best jungle cruise skippers do. I believe his name was Robert (unless we didn't enjoy our meal, in which case his name was Paul.) He threw in lots of great gags, some from the JC ride (including the "please...get out" joke), and some original.

They brought N the famous bread service with the fenugreek honey, which looked delicious to me, but N was lukewarm on it. I tried a taste of the honey on my GF bread before he glutened it, and it was my kinda thing, but N doesn't like honey as much. (I believe the reason they didn't serve me my own honey was because it possibly contains dairy, but I could tolerate enough dairy to have a taste anyway.)

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I ordered the "Tastes Like Chicken Because it is," and it was so light and crispy and tender and delicious, with a tasty sauce. Flavourful, but mild enough not to put off a slightly picky eater like myself. Even the veg and rice were good. It was also the first time in four years I've been able to order "fried chicken" at a restaurant. Before it arrived at the table Robert came back to tell us that there was good news: they'd found the chicken. "He was crossing the road. He didn't make it." N said it didn't sound like good news, and Robert said that it was for me because it meant I got to eat today.

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N ordered the Baa Baa Berber Lamb Chops and thought they were excellent. He was between this and the whole fried fish just for the novelty of it, but he was feeling pretty hungry so Robert recommended the lamb because you have to work really hard to get a lot of food out of the fish dish.

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At one point, Robert refilled our water glasses, and he made sure to turn them around for us as he did it to show us the backside of water.

We don't have a meal here planned for August (though we may try for a walk-up if any of our days end up putting us in MK around lunchtime), but we're already thinking about adding this ADR to our January trip. It was a super experience for a moderately priced meal, and there are lots of other things I'd like to try there.

Somewhere in here we'd also gotten DAS for Peter Pan, so we gave that a try after lunch with a fairly short wait in the FP line.

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Sadly, I was still not feeling quite myself after lunch and PP (though I'd rallied a bit, enough to feel comfortable safely walking out of the park, etc.) So N and I were about to make a new plan for the afternoon...
 
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I actually love and cherish this picture.

Aww, I love this!!

It was around this point, silly and sleep-deprived, that I told Nathan that "I really liked meeting those strangers!"

:rotfl2:

"I love how you can smell it!" He responded in the most unintentionally creepy voice ever, "yeah...the burning..." Not exactly how I meant it! ...also, N loves the smell of a burning empire. I'm a little concerned.

Don't be concerned, it just means he's a true fan!! I have the Rome Burning candle from what is now called Spireside candles because I love it too! (sadly, Spireside - previously called Anthology - candles are terrible. At least the three I have...now they just take up space. Boo!)

But he's just joining the ranks of people who love it enough to buy a candle scented that way, LOL!!

On our way out I showed N the Dooney bags and he agreed with my choice and encouraged me to get it.

I loved this print so much and almost got one for myself! I have the wallet in the Best of Mickey print, but I can never commit to the bags b/c I often need something neutral during the school year, and I don't think I'd get to carry it much. The Small World print is my favorite, and the one I think about getting the most. (but then my wallet won't match #firstworldproblems)

I frantically made N take sign photos on the way.

These came out great!


It looks like you're having so much fun! I'm sorry you were having some moments of feeling icky, and I hope it passed quickly so you could enjoy your night.

(and i agree about waiting too long for 7DMT - no way! even though i love it!)
 
I ordered the "Tastes Like Chicken Because it is," and it was so light and crispy and tender and delicious, with a tasty sauce. Flavourful, but mild enough not to put off a slightly picky eater like myself. Even the veg and rice were good. It was also the first time in four years I've been able to order "fried chicken" at a restaurant.

Awesome that they could make fried chicken for you. It looks really good too.

Before it arrived at the table Robert came back to tell us that there was good news: they'd found the chicken. "He was crossing the road. He didn't make it." N said it didn't sound like good news, and Robert said that it was for me because it meant I got to eat today.

:rotfl2:
 


We really liked Skippers. We're taking our group there in September. I got the Tastes Like Chicken too! I'm usually picky and wasn't sure I would like the sauce, but I really did!

I read on the News thread the other day that this past week someone's Skipper told them they're discontinuing the bread service... I hope not. Like you, I'm a honey fan.
 
The joys of living in Canada! Don't get me started on my pet beaver!
I know, eh? The worst thing is when the wifi goes down in my igloo and I have to take the dog sled over to the neighbours to get online. :rolleyes1

It would have been great if the photographer had told us that our hats were casting dark shadows on our faces in all the pictures, because the magic shot with Pascale is pretty much the only picture she took where you could see our faces
The photographers are so hit or miss. You get a few who really enjoy their job and try to give you the best pictures they can. But then a lot of them are just there to click the button and get rid of you.

Before it arrived at the table Robert came back to tell us that there was good news: they'd found the chicken. "He was crossing the road. He didn't make it."
I really want to try this restaurant. Jokes like that (a.k.a Dad jokes) are right up my alley. I'm not sure my wife and daughters would agree though!
 
I'm finally caught back up. Enjoying your quick trip. I don't think I could ever go bagless. Too stressful. I like having what I need. Enjoyed you DIS meet. Your meal at Skippers sounded great. I really need to try it sometime in the future.

I'm dealing with the whole Photobucket issue too, what a pain.
 
I'm glad you enjoyed your meal at Skipper Canteen!

I'm sorry to hear the heat was getting to you though :( I'm sure it was a bummer.
 
Aww, I love this!!

Thanks! I'm really happy to have this photo :)

Don't be concerned, it just means he's a true fan!! I have the Rome Burning candle from what is now called Spireside candles because I love it too! (sadly, Spireside - previously called Anthology - candles are terrible. At least the three I have...now they just take up space. Boo!)

But he's just joining the ranks of people who love it enough to buy a candle scented that way, LOL!!

I think I had heard that those Disney candles from what used to be Anthology were no good. That's so disappointing! I never rode the old Soarin', but when I rode the new one I wanted to buy something that smelled like the beach scene...which I found didn't smell like anything particularly authentic, but still smelled good! I also need an authentic-smelling waffle cone candle or soap or something. That would make my life.

I loved this print so much and almost got one for myself! I have the wallet in the Best of Mickey print, but I can never commit to the bags b/c I often need something neutral during the school year, and I don't think I'd get to carry it much. The Small World print is my favorite, and the one I think about getting the most. (but then my wallet won't match #firstworldproblems)

I love the Small World print, too! But I don't know how much I'd actually carry it since it's so vibrant. ...says the girl with a bag with Mickey and Minnie all over it.

Awesome that they could make fried chicken for you. It looks really good too.

Yeah, it was excellent! Not like a traditional fried chicken, but really good! And it was just like that on the menu with no alterations to make it allergy-friendly, which just makes it even better :)

We really liked Skippers. We're taking our group there in September. I got the Tastes Like Chicken too! I'm usually picky and wasn't sure I would like the sauce, but I really did!

I read on the News thread the other day that this past week someone's Skipper told them they're discontinuing the bread service... I hope not. Like you, I'm a honey fan.

I'm glad you also had such a good experience! We're already thinking about going back. I have other things I want to try there now! That would be really disappointing if they discontinue the bread service! It's so unique!
 
I know, eh? The worst thing is when the wifi goes down in my igloo and I have to take the dog sled over to the neighbours to get online. :rolleyes1

It's terrible!! Or when my cell phone dies, so I have to just make the penguins hand-deliver my messages for me.

A little too far with that one? Maybe.

The photographers are so hit or miss. You get a few who really enjoy their job and try to give you the best pictures they can. But then a lot of them are just there to click the button and get rid of you.

This really seems to be the case! I've heard varying info about how much/little training they're given with their cameras, etc. And some just really have a great eye...while others...not so much.

I really want to try this restaurant. Jokes like that (a.k.a Dad jokes) are right up my alley. I'm not sure my wife and daughters would agree though!

In that case, I'm sure it would definitely be your thing! It was a great experience, and the food was good, so if you can ever convince your family then there's a good chance you might all enjoy it :)

I'm finally caught back up. Enjoying your quick trip. I don't think I could ever go bagless. Too stressful. I like having what I need. Enjoyed you DIS meet. Your meal at Skippers sounded great. I really need to try it sometime in the future.

I'm dealing with the whole Photobucket issue too, what a pain.

Yeah, apparently I'm just not bagless people. And yes, photobucket is one of my least favourite things right now. How frustrating!

I'm glad you enjoyed your meal at Skipper Canteen!

I'm sorry to hear the heat was getting to you though :( I'm sure it was a bummer.

Thanks! It was a really great meal! And yeah, the heat definitely put a damper on things, but it was a good test to see how I might do in August. And things turned around later in the day :)
 
"You Don't Wanna Be that Snack Credit Hog
that Gets Made Fun of at the Family Reunion"
Disney Day 2 - Part 4


So a new plan was being made for the afternoon. And there were two things we knew for sure: I needed to get out of the heat of the park for a bit, and we'd be coming back to the park later that evening to see Happily Ever After for the first time as long as I was up for it. So the first thing we did was get a DAS for Jungle Cruise that we could use when we got back. Then we made our way out to the monorail and to the TTC, and made a plan on the way back to the #luxurysedan. (For the record, I do recognize that our vehicle wasn't a sedan at all...but for some reason this just stuck...)

I had already booked FP for Nathan for all the fun DHS rides he hasn't had a chance to ride much/ever because of me: RnR, ToT, and ST (which he's ridden before.) I told him I just needed some rest and some time in the AC which the car and our timeshare would provide, so he should go to DHS without me, take my band, and use all the FP to ride the rides I was sure he'd love. He was hesitant, both for my sake, and because he was nervous to tour the park alone for the first time, but with some convincing he decided to try it.

I dropped him off at DHS with both of our magic bands, made sure his phone was charged, and told him to let me know if he needed me to come back for him. Otherwise, I'd go drive out to the Character Warehouse store at the outlets on Vineland Ave to browse for some souvenirs for my little cousin/the wedding party, then I'd go back to the timeshare and rest for the afternoon, and I'd drive back and he would bus back to MK to meet for supper. I felt kind of like I imagine my mom felt when she dropped me off for my first day of kindergarten.

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I was incredibly impressed by myself as I drove along the busy highway, all alone, in my #luxurysedan, finding the outlets without any trouble. (My mom was shocked that I did this. I'm fairly sheltered, and it's always surprising to my family and N when I venture off on my own like a big girl. Exploring Orlando is much more stressful than exploring the tiny city I live in!)

Everyone who went to Florida that weekend complained about how hot it was, so I'm sure even without my brain condition I would have been a little droopy by this point. At one point during the drive the temperature gauge on the #luxurysedan's dashboard read 99 degrees. Woah. It was May. Super heatwave!!

I arrived at my destination:

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I browsed around for a bit, but nothing really caught my eye. I think it's pretty hit or miss here depending on what merch happens to arrive at any given time. I did take a picture of this Dooney and Bourke bag that was 50% off for N though because he's a big Star Wars fan:

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If I'd been looking for clothing they had some neat stuff, but there wasn't anything else that interested me. On the way home I checked out a couple of those cheap/creepy/touristy souvenir stores that dot the interstate. I sadly left empty-handed, went back to the timeshare, cranked the AC, took Advil migraine and drank loads of water, and lay down for a couple of hours. During this time I was texting back and forth intermittently with N, so I got an idea of how his afternoon went:

He rode RnR for the first time, and absolutely loved it. I knew he would. (He also rode it again before he left.) I think his ride photos from it are absolutely hilarious and also adorable and fill me with love for him:

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Next he went to get in line for his first ride on ToT, and he texted me that one elevator was down and they were at half-operation so the FP line was taking a while and he was worried about missing his Star Tours FP. #DisneyIsBrokenMuch? (He followed up his text with: #webrokedisney. It was becoming a thing.)

He liked ToT, too. Score #2 in my efforts to make him ride fun rides!

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He got on ST, was sad not to be the rebel spy, finished up all his FP riding, and then didn't know what to do with himself. I kept getting texts asking what he should do when, or looking for advice. We ended up deciding to meet early at the Contemporary to do some exploring and get quick service there, and then head back to MK.

Bad idea. I should have known.

I then persisted to spend the longest 90 minutes of my life driving in circles.

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I was trying to save some money and not to use the US data roaming plan on my phone that day, so I used my TomTom GPS to try to get to CR...but it ended up taking me in the direction of Pop Century instead! Stupid. So I broke down and used Google Maps on my phone to get in the direction of MK/resorts again.

N got to the CR and waited for me. I pulled up to the parking lot and said I wanted to visit and to eat quick service, and could I park there? But they had too many events going on since it was a Saturday afternoon and the parking lot was closed to non-guests without ADRs.

So I told N I'd try the Poly instead and do the same plan there.

Also no dice.

At this point I was sensing a pattern. I get that there are guests who just park at the MK resorts so they can go to MK without having to pay for parking at the TTC, but that wasn't us. We had real plans. I even have an annual pass so I wouldn't pay for parking anyway! But it wasn't happening. Rather than keep driving in circles, I told him to revert to the original plan and meet me at MK. I drove to the TTC, parked way in the very back (texting N "Mulan 142 is far.")...

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...and got to the express monorail. While on the monorail, the family sitting behind me made me chuckle when I heard the dad warning his kids, "You don't wanna be that snack credit hog that gets made fun of at the family reunion!" All I can hope is that if I have kids, this is the family dynamic we'll have, and people will still be bringing up Disney anecdotes at our family reunions. :lovestruc

Monorail rides always tempted me to get Bay Lake and resort pictures.

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After waiting for ages on another stalled monorail (traffic clearing? Maybe. Or maybe #DisneyIsJustBroken) I found N waiting for me outside the turnstiles, and we reunited at MK.

Turns out that N loved the rides at DHS, but he was strongly opposed to park touring by himself. He told me it wasn't fun without me. :lovestruc I love that man. So while I might be the kind of person who'd benefit from a solo trip, I don't think there'll be one in N's future any time soon.
 
I'm so glad Nathan enjoyed his time at DHS! His faces on RnR are so cute and full of joy!

Sorry the character warehouse wasn't successful but at least you got ouf of the heat and were able to recharge a little!

Ugh, what a pain getting to your destination! Sorry you couldn't get to the Contemporary or Poly.

Can't wait to hear about your night!
 
Looks like N really enjoyed the thrill rides @ DHS. Sorry you had so much trouble with driving and parking. It really was hot that weekend especially in DHS. There is not enough shade there.
 
Turns out that N loved the rides at DHS, but he was strongly opposed to park touring by himself. He told me it wasn't fun without me. :lovestruc I love that man. So while I might be the kind of person who'd benefit from a solo trip, I don't think there'll be one in N's future any time soon.
Awwww... I think I could do a solo trip, but I don't think my fiance could, for the same reason. But I also don't think he'd let me do a solo trip because he would be too jealous :rotfl:
 

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