Are You Ever Coming Home?...No! I am playing with Wizards, Farkles and Sparkling Friends

[Timon]

Claire on the other hand was dead to the world. She requires a lot of sleep, preferably during the day. Hahahaha

I'm laughing because I remember that this used to be me

I am going to admit right now that I have only seen Avatar once and that was probably about a year ago. I had never had a desire to see it and I only did because I knew Disney was building this land. It was better than I thought it would be, but still I didn’t think it was a great movie. But it did help me know why the land is designed the way it is and even though I don’t know the technical names of things, I recognized them from the movie.

We love Avatar. We saw it three times in the theatre when it came out and bought the Bluray of course and have watched it many times since. I can't wait to see all four new movies

As we went through the line, there were complaints from my daughter. Just basic…you are so lame mom type of things. I tend to sing (which I am horrible at) and dance to music. It was super embarrassing.

Awww, Kira and I sing and dance ALL the time. Sometimes she is a little shy to do it in public but then she sees me do it and then goes for it.

At one point I told her that next time I go on a 2 week trip I am going to bring someone who actually likes me.

Oooh, pick me! Pick me!!

I like you, we can sing and dance and laugh the entire two weeks

My sweet little girl is not always so sweet.

Kira is just rounding that corner now...but mostly just on trips

The bars came into place and not a single issue! Yay!!!!!

It’s just incredible. I was sad to see it end.

Glad you loved it

And just an FYI, when we left Pandora the line for Flight of Passage was about 3 ½ to 4 hours long. I heard later it was listed at over 5 for a while….however I do think Disney inflates the wait times sometimes, so it might not have been quite that bad.

Good lord, that is crazy!!! As much as I wanted to see it, I couldn't handle those crowds so we stayed away. Can't wait to get back to see it though

Of course as we traveled along the bumpy ride Claire complained that I was touching her….believe me kid….I don’t want to be touching you either.

We decided to look in some shops and keep cool that way too. I found this shirt and it is so me!

You should have a shirt like that, for sure

Hippo Butt!

Hippo Butt!!!!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I had to play catch-up so there's a lot that I should comment on but I can't remember it all. So....I'll just say that I am with you on the movie, Avatar. I watched it over the Memorial Day holiday and when it was on television. I DVR'd it so I could skip through all of the commercials. I liked it but I didn't love it. Like you, I only watched it so that Pandora would make sense to me when we visit the park.

 

[jenseib]

I'm laughing because I remember that this used to be me

I used to in my teens, but now I can't sleep too late. I slept till almost 9 one day this summer and I was so shocked. I never do that.

We love Avatar. We saw it three times in the theatre when it came out and bought the Bluray of course and have watched it many times since. I can't wait to see all four new movies

It was just OK. Just not my thing I guess....but I bet you didn't go see The Lone Ranger 2 times at the theatre and own the DVD...which you play over and over. hahaha. That guy is HOT!!!!

Awww, Kira and I sing and dance ALL the time. Sometimes she is a little shy to do it in public but then she sees me do it and then goes for it

When Claire was little she used to do stuff like that sometimes. But over the years she lost all the free spirit stuff she used to have. I wish she had a little bit of it. Paige on the other hand has enough for 10 people.

Oooh, pick me! Pick me!!

I like you, we can sing and dance and laugh the entire two weeks

I kind of did. hahaha. After all you were on a 2 week vacation too!

Kira is just rounding that corner now...but mostly just on trips

I know part of it is lack of sleep...and also I was a brat like that at her age. I knew more than my parents and thought it was funny to say things that I shouldn't. I had a talk with her about that and she did get a little better.

Glad you loved it

It really is a great ride

Good lord, that is crazy!!! As much as I wanted to see it, I couldn't handle those crowds so we stayed away. Can't wait to get back to see it though

Yep.....I don't see the lines getting any better for a while either. I have heard people hoping it will die down in the fall, but really it will be like that for a few years I bet. Not 3-4 hours, but still long waits.

You should have a shirt like that, for sure

it is soooo me!

I had to play catch-up so there's a lot that I should comment on but I can't remember it all. So....I'll just say that I am with you on the movie, Avatar. I watched it over the Memorial Day holiday and when it was on television. I DVR'd it so I could skip through all of the commercials. I liked it but I didn't love it. Like you, I only watched it so that Pandora would make sense to me when we visit the park.

I need to go pick it up at the library or some place so I can have Claire watch it. I think she might enjoy it somewhat after seeing the land. But it will never be a favorite of mine.

 

[jenseib]

We did finally see the Tusker House CM “watcher” leave her post and we were able to check in a little earlier than “allowed”. We were told to sit down in the waiting area and I positioned my chair to be right where the fan blew. LOL.


This area has changed since the last time we had eaten here…but that is because of the new Lion King Theatre I would assume.


It wasn’t long and we were called back, so we did get in early…YAY!!!!


We got seated and our waitress came over to take our drinks and let us know the characters were close. The place was half empty, which surprised me. So we waited and waited…and they went on break. Darn it! I was hoping to see them first then go get our food.


We were eating here for one reason only….River of Lights dining package. I am not a fan of a lot of the food here and Claire eats like a bird unless they serve steak, so money wise, we were basically paying more for the preferred seating area.


My little Claire is no longer a fan of character meets. I am sure it’s a phase she is going through, but she didn’t want to have pictures taken. I compromised and said we would take turns. I was to go first.


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Then our server came by and insisted we both get in….sorry Claire.


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Our server brought us our juice! MMMMM! We love this stuff!!!


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Our server asked if we were from Michigan….LOL. We are asked this ALL THE TIME! We said no, we are in Ohio, but right on the border. Evidently we have some sort of “accent”.


Goofy came around and it was Claire’s turn.


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And then we made a dash to get some food.


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We tried a few things, but honestly we only liked the more American type foods.


Mickey headed over and it was my turn.


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And then Donald.


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And our waitress stopped over again and took one of the 3 of us.


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Time for some desserts!


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It had been looking like rain for a while and of course as we were finishing dessert it started to pour. Now we were not upset about the rain itself. We were hot and the rain would feel a bit decent, but I didn’t want to get soaked. But what really was the annoying part is we had planned to go and take the bus back to POR after lunch to take a little rest and freshen up and with this rain people were all running towards the buses to leave. UGH!


We finished up our late lunch and paid the bill. This is one pricey meal. Again, we were ONLY doing it for the River of Lights package. Claire is over the character meals for the most part right now, and honestly, for us the food choices were not desirable…BUT of the 3 choices to choose from for the ROL package, this one is the one I knew would work the best for us.


We used the restroom and then we put our ponchos on and covered our valuables and headed out into the pouring rain….and I mean POURING!


The water wasn’t draining fast enough and we were walking through some puddles that were a couple of inches deep. ICK!

We made our way out of the park and headed to the bus. I totally misread the sign and started down the wrong lane and then had to back track again.


We made it to the bus stop and got in line and soon were on a very very full bus. We had to stand, which was fine, but it was the longest bus ride ever. We talked with the people around us. One lady had some anytime fastpasses for AK that would expire in a few days, but they were not coming back to AK again. She asked if I wanted them and I said sure. I was hoping they would be good in Pandora, but of course they weren’t. It was my understanding that they got them from Flight of Passage as they were about to load and the ride went down. I would have thought the fastpasses would have gotten them back on that ride if that was the reason they got them, but they specifically said they were not good in Pandora.


I swear our bus driver took the longest possible route back to POR. LOL. It just seemed to take forever..and we were standing with wet feet and shoes….at least I had good conversation.


We had to stop at French Quarter first, then our bus stop was to be 2nd after that…..but the bus driver took a poll and asked how many were going to each bus stop and that ended up making my bus stop now 4th I believe. UGH!


We finally did get back to Riverside though. I think once the bus left Animal Kingdom, the actual ride time to get to our bus stop was over 40 minutes.


We headed back to the room and crashed. We took our wet shoes off and laid them out to start the drying process. We were not too wet, but I think I changed my shirt.


Now we were tired and it was a long day already from the heat, but we had the ROL package and I really wanted to see the show. I would not really have a chance …at least in my mind at this point….to see them after our cruise…so it was now or never. It rained off and on and I decided to head up to the lobby and ask if they knew if the show would be cancelled. I also had my docs (which I never opened because I didn’t need anything in it) at the desk waiting for me, so I picked those up too.


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At parts of the path it was deep with water, so I tried to walk in the shallow areas.


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I didn’t get to explore the resort much, but it really is pretty.


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I headed inside and straight to the lobby.


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I got in line for concierge as I figured that was the best place to ask.


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He called over to Animal Kingdom and they said at this point the show is going on. They wouldn’t make the call till 15 minutes before the actual show and it really only would be called off if lightening was in the area. Great! We would head back in a little bit then.

He handed me my documents envelope as well and I headed back out.


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[Lesley Wake]

Since you live in Ohio, have you heard of Fiona the hippo at the Cincinnati Zoo? I am currently obsessed with her! And I would totally get that Hangry Hippo shirt, hopefully they still have it in 3 weeks!

 

[jenseib]

Since you live in Ohio, have you heard of Fiona the hippo at the Cincinnati Zoo? I am currently obsessed with her! And I would totally get that Hangry Hippo shirt, hopefully they still have it in 3 weeks!

No I have not. But I live at the top of Ohio...Cinci is like a whole other world to us. hahaha. They even have southern accents down there.

 

[jenseib]

I decided I should take a peek inside the general store while I was up here.


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They have a lot of really cute displays in here.


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Time to head back to the room and it looks like it may be clearing up!


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And then it started to sprinkle again.


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When I got back to the room, we got ready to head out once again. We then headed to the bus stop to wait. We did not have good bus mojo this trip. We always seemed to just miss the bus. Claire actually forgot something and had to run back to the room and a bus came and went. UGH! So we waited quite a while for the next one.


The sun started shining and we were happy and just about to take off our ponchos when we arrived at Animal Kingdom….good thing we didn’t…we got another rain.


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It was like the skies knew we had just walked in and wanted to be sure we knew it was the boss. We did find some people enjoying the rain and dancing like they didn’t have a care in the world.


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One guy really had some moves.


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We found the spot to enter ROL, but it wasn’t quite open yet, so we headed off to the restroom and each got a pop and then they were just opening when we got back. They told us the concrete seats tend to be dryer than the wood ones, so we headed to those.


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We really did get a good seat and we didn’t mind waiting for the show to start.


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There were 2 shows tonight and we were at the first one. The rain really scared people away. This stadium did not fill up, which is rare. Often they have to turn standby people away and tonight most of those sections were open as well as the fastpass and dining package sections.


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Of course we would have never known that a few months ago when we made our dining reservation.


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Claire asked if this boat was part of the show….I told her I thought it was just a decoration….I was wrong. LOL.


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As we waited for the show to start they would shine shadows of animals walking across the tree line. It was almost impossible to get a good picture, but it was neat.


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As you can see, the stands across the way are not full at all.


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As show time got closer, they started putting some floats in place and some were lit up.


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[jenseib]

The show then started. I did video a lot of it, but I think I missed the very beginning …I think about 11 minutes of it. I took a lot of pictures too.


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As soon as the boats started to move, Claire was quick to let me know she was right and I was wrong!


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It was just beautiful.


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[jenseib]

I really was impressed with the show.


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We thought it was amazing and were so glad we came back and braved the rain to watch it. It was worth waiting the extra year to see it. I would probably compare it to World of Color at California Adventure, but still very different.


We looked at the app and Flight of Passage was now showing about a 60 minute wait. Let’s head that way…..except wait…we have those fastpasses so let’s use those to ride Expedition Everest in the dark! I have NEVER been to Animal Kingdom past sunset before and I have always wanted to ride EE in the dark.


We quickly got in our car and were off and Claire got scared. She said that the ride was way more scary in the dark than in the day. I was kind of surprised…but she had a death grip on my arm the whole ride and it kept getting pinched as we moved around. I told her to let go, but she wasn’t going to. LOL.


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It was super fun!!! We loved it and would have done it again, but we wanted to get over to Pandora.


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Taking the new back way over there.


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The app had updated to 80 minutes while we were in line for EE, and still showed 80 minutes, but when we arrived it was showing 120 minutes at the actual line. That’s 2 hours. UGH! Claire said she would be willing to wait that long, but I was tired and I knew we had a busy day tomorrow heading over to the port and boarding the ship. In the end I said no. I just couldn’t see waiting 2-3 hours since we had already rode it once.


We did walk around and I tried to take pictures, but my camera and phone could not capture the beauty of the place at night.


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Everyone I had talked to said we had to see Pandora at night….they raved just how beautiful it was. I did think it was beautiful, but I was actually underwhelmed. Sadly, I think all the hype others gave it made me expect more. Don’t get me wrong, it really is pretty, but I expected more.


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The Navi River Journey was showing about a 30 minute wait, so we decided to hop in line for that.


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We started talking to the family behind us. We found out they only live about an hour from us. Such a small world! They knew some dairy farmers that I believe my husband knows and we talked about some local things. They were such a nice family.


The ride was great and I did not take pictures this time around so that I could just enjoy it all.


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We just walked around to take it all in and see the different lighted areas.


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Again, I can’t stress enough how bad my pictures turned out. This is one place where it would be worth it to bring my 35mm camera.


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We went into the gift shop to look around.


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You can make your own avatar doll. I heard later that these babies are like 75 plus dollars!!!!


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After looking around a bit….and cooling off…we headed back outside.


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The extra Magic hours for Pandora were going to start shortly, but we decided to just head out. We didn’t want to wait that long for FoP and we did the River ride and looked around, so it was better to head back.


I was hungry and wanted a snack…and found nothing but popcorn available, which was not sounding good, so we headed out to catch the bus.


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We made our way to the bus stop and it was just a short ride back this time…Yay! I still wanted a snack, so I went in search of a vending machine and found one not too far off. It was in this little room with glass French doors. I got a few things and turned around to leave and there was a guy right there at the door. It scared the crap out of me. It was like a scene from a horror movie. Luckily it wasn’t a horror movie and he was just trying to come in to get some ice....which I am not sure how he planned to do that with me in the room as it was really small.


I headed back to the room and kind of packed up our suitcases and got our clothes out for tomorrow. I also planned to do a load of laundry in the morning, so I gathered our things together for that. I then told Claire it was time to turn off electronics and go to sleep.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Would you believe we have only seen this show once and it was several years ago. Today was our first time in the new theatre.

I love this show, but I have yet to see it in the new theatre.

They were sure the theatre was tiny and wouldn’t hold many people. They even wanted to duck under the rope to go in with the other crowds, but a CM saw they were contemplating it and came and stood over by us. She told us we were in the standby line, but many of us would still make it in.

Even in the old theatre, which from what I have heard was a lot smaller, most people got in.

This is the first we have seen the River of Lights stadium, so we took a few quick pictures.

They did a great job with this. It kind of blends in.

I love that t-shirt.

We then went and looked along one of the trails. We rarely do these trails at all and usually only go so far in.

I love those trails and usually do both when we are Animal Kingdom.

I cannot remember those fish at all. I wonder if they are new.

We then tried to check in a little early for our ADR at Tusker House, but the lady wouldn’t let us.

That is strange. I never had any issues checking in early at any Disney restaurant.

It wasn’t long and we were called back, so we did get in early…YAY!!!!

That is great that this worked out for you.

We got seated and our waitress came over to take our drinks and let us know the characters were close. The place was half empty, which surprised me. So we waited and waited…and they went on break.

How annoying.

I am not a fan of a lot of the food here and Claire eats like a bird unless they serve steak, so money wise, we were basically paying more for the preferred seating area.

That is a shame that the food was not a hit with either of you. I have only eaten there once, but I loved it.

Our server brought us our juice! MMMMM! We love this stuff!!!

I love this juice, too.

It had been looking like rain for a while and of course as we were finishing dessert it started to pour.

Oh no.

It was my understanding that they got them from Flight of Passage as they were about to load and the ride went down. I would have thought the fastpasses would have gotten them back on that ride if that was the reason they got them, but they specifically said they were not good in Pandora.

That is really strange that it was not valid for the ride that went down.

We finally did get back to Riverside though. I think once the bus left Animal Kingdom, the actual ride time to get to our bus stop was over 40 minutes.

Wow, I think that must be the longest bus ride ever in terms of Disney.

When I got back to the room, we got ready to head out once again. We then headed to the bus stop to wait. We did not have good bus mojo this trip. We always seemed to just miss the bus. Claire actually forgot something and had to run back to the room and a bus came and went. UGH! So we waited quite a while for the next one.

You really were unlucky.

As we waited for the show to start they would shine shadows of animals walking across the tree line. It was almost impossible to get a good picture, but it was neat.

That sounds really cool.

I really was impressed with the show.

From the photos, this looks absolutely amazing.

I would probably compare it to World of Color at California Adventure, but still very different.

As I absolutely love World of Color, I think I would enjoy this, too.

She said that the ride was way more scary in the dark than in the day.

I am with Claire on this. I love Big Thunder Mountain, but the first time I did it in the dark, I freaked out a little.

That’s 2 hours.

That is just crazy.

In the end I said no. I just couldn’t see waiting 2-3 hours since we had already rode it once.

I am with you on that.

Corinna

 

[jedijill]

I was less impress with FoL. I thought it was beautiful but I didn't care for the story. Your pics are amazing though! Yuck on the rain....I got drenched at AK last trip too and it was miserable!

Jill in CO

 

[wiscbugs]

We really liked Rivers of Light as well. I'm not sure why a lot of people complain about it but it really is beautiful. We were at Animal Kingdom that same day (although we watched Rivers of Light later in the week)...it started pouring right as we finished watching the Flights of Wonder show so we sat in there for the next 3 hours while it just poured....and poured....and poured. Oh well, at least it stopped eventually.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

We missed Rivers of Light on our last trip. It just didn't work out as it's not showing on a daily basis. At least in February it wasn't. I have heard good things about it so I'm looking forward to seeing it. I have to agree with you on Expedition Everest at night. It's so much better.

By the time I get back to Disney I hope all the Pandora crazy lines will go away. I just can't imagine anyone willing to stand in line for three or four hours. I'll definitely need to see the movie to understand what's going on but honestly it doesn't interest me at all.

My favorite part of your trip is coming up...The CRUISE!

 

[jenseib]

I love this show, but I have yet to see it in the new theatre.

I like where it is located a lot better now.

Even in the old theatre, which from what I have heard was a lot smaller, most people got in.

I couldn't really tell if it was much bigger or now. It went up higher, that I know, but space wise it didn't seem a lot bigger to me.

They did a great job with this. It kind of blends in.

They did. I was happy to see that it didn't take away from the park.

I love that t-shirt.

It's so me.

I love those trails and usually do both when we are Animal Kingdom.

I get complaints about going on the trails (today was no different..it's too hot. LOL), but it was a nice way to waste some time. We didn't linger too long at any one spot. We really need to do the other one.

I cannot remember those fish at all. I wonder if they are new.

I am not sure. We never usually walk the full trail. They were so pretty I had to get some pictures.

That is strange. I never had any issues checking in early at any Disney restaurant.

Me either. I thought it was really odd.

That is great that this worked out for you.

Yes!

How annoying.

I wish she would have warned us of the break and we could have run up right away to get food.

That is a shame that the food was not a hit with either of you. I have only eaten there once, but I loved it.

We are picky and most of the food they serve is just not our thing.

I love this juice, too.

We LOVE it!

Oh no.

I didn't mind the rain....just that everyone else wanted to leave at the same time we did.

That is really strange that it was not valid for the ride that went down.

That was my thought. My friend who was a CM told me they don't always give them out for that ride, even if it closes because of the popularity of it and that they can't have too many people coming back later. I guess it is at their discretion.

Wow, I think that must be the longest bus ride ever in terms of Disney.

Oh yes. It was so long. I know rain played a part, but I swear he just went in circles or something. LOL.

You really were unlucky.

We has really bad bus mojo this trip. Some times we have it really good, so I can't complain too much.

That sounds really cool.

The whole thing is amazing.

From the photos, this looks absolutely amazing.

I really enjoyed the show much more than I thought I would.

As I absolutely love World of Color, I think I would enjoy this, too.

I do too. I still have it on my bucket list to get back to Disneyland and bring Claire. I really need to win the lottery or come into an inheritance.

I am with Claire on this. I love Big Thunder Mountain, but the first time I did it in the dark, I freaked out a little.

LOL. It was a different experience for sure....but so much fun.

I am with you on that.

If I hadn't been so tired and we didn't have such a busy day coming up, I probably would have, but I was just beat at that point. I can tell I am getting older. I now need a little sleep while I am vacationing.

 

[jenseib]

I was less impress with FoL. I thought it was beautiful but I didn't care for the story. Your pics are amazing though! Yuck on the rain....I got drenched at AK last trip too and it was miserable!

Jill in CO

I really like the show, but this time I was so tired that it made it hard for me to stay awake. LOL. It was too soothing and comfy in there. When I am that tired, I really can't sit down for a period of time or I want to fall asleep. (unless I am on a plane....then of course my body won't let me sleep)

We really liked Rivers of Light as well. I'm not sure why a lot of people complain about it but it really is beautiful. We were at Animal Kingdom that same day (although we watched Rivers of Light later in the week)...it started pouring right as we finished watching the Flights of Wonder show so we sat in there for the next 3 hours while it just poured....and poured....and poured. Oh well, at least it stopped eventually.

I really enjoyed it. It was much better than I thought it would be. That rain was so crazy. I guess Florida had quite a rainy June. More than the usual 15-20 minute shower a day.

We missed Rivers of Light on our last trip. It just didn't work out as it's not showing on a daily basis. At least in February it wasn't. I have heard good things about it so I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Bummer. But yeah, when it opened it wasn't every night. It really should be though.

I have to agree with you on Expedition Everest at night. It's so much better.

It was so much fun.

By the time I get back to Disney I hope all the Pandora crazy lines will go away. I just can't imagine anyone willing to stand in line for three or four hours. I'll definitely need to see the movie to understand what's going on but honestly it doesn't interest me at all.

I hope it does too. I bet it will be a few years though before Flight of Passage has manageable lines. It's such an awesome ride that I can't imagine not wanting to do it each trip.

My favorite part of your trip is coming up...The CRUISE!

Mine too!!!

 

[jenseib]

Day 4, June 28, 2017, Boarding the Fantasy


Today was the day! This was the day this whole trip had been based on….cruising for 10 nights! Woohoooo!!!!


I had been messaging between all my friends over the course of the last few days and also had been following the facebook group. You know that rain we had yesterday….it was really really bad in some areas and many of the people who had flown in yesterday were having trouble landing. Some flights had been redirected to Tampa and then either had to have the passengers get a rental car to get to Orlando (or Port Canaveral) or they refueled and waited it out and then flew to Orlando once the storms passed. Others said they had been circling the airport for an hour or 2 before they could land. It made me really happy we had come in the day before.


I got up early and showered and gathered the laundry I wanted to do and set off to find the laundry room


por41 by Jenseib, on Flickr


It was basically just around the corner.


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I headed inside and started my load.


por45 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Just an FYI, they no longer take cash....you must use a credit card to pay for the machines.


por46 by Jenseib, on Flickr


por47 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I assume this was the towel cart for the pool that just had not been pushed out yet for the day.


por48 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And there is a vending machine to purchase your laundry needs if you didn’t bring any with you.


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If you want to sit with your laundry….you can snack as well.


por50 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I headed back to the room and got everything kind of reorganized and packed. I got Claire up and told her to get showered and ready for the day and I went off and put my clothes in the dryer when the time was right.

Then I headed up front to wait for the Alamo shuttle to take me to get my car.


por51 by Jenseib, on Flickr


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I went up about 15 minutes or so early. I just had a fear of them coming early and me missing the shuttle.


por54 by Jenseib, on Flickr


So I took a few pictures while I waited.


por55 by Jenseib, on Flickr


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The shuttle came right on time.


por64 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Another family joined me and we were off. I don’t even think we made another stop. I talked with the other family, who were going to Legoland (I believe) today. We had a great driver too and he told me how to get back to Riverside, which was really easy.


We soon arrived and I headed in and checked in and headed out to my car. I never took a picture of it, but I think it was an Altima. Very nice for what we needed, but it takes me a little bit to get accustomed to driving a different car. I ended up renting a car for the day for a couple of reasons, but the main reason was it would get us to the port much earlier than DCL transfers would and it was only $6 more than what DCL transfers would cost us. So I figured that was the best option for us.


I hit the road and soon was parking near our building. I ran in the room to let Claire know I was back and to be ready…and I headed to the laundry room and gathered my dry clothes (and it was funny to see how many people were drying shoes this morning after yesterday’s rain)….and back to the room to pack them up. We loaded the car up with our cases and took off for the front of the resort. We were going to buy water at the gift shop to take on the ship. I had recently found out that most of the resorts sell cases of 12 oz bottles of water for something like $6.99. I had no clue they did this before or how long they have been doing this. I think to buy a case of 16oz bottles on the ship was something along the lines of $40, so this was by far a bargain and I wouldn’t have to make another stop.


I took a few pictures as we headed in.


por65 by Jenseib, on Flickr


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I then decided to buy TWO cases of water as we could always use extra for our park days after. We paid and hauled them out to the car and I had Claire take them out and I put them in one carryon bag….which became VERY heavy then. LOL.


Messages were being sent, and Jeanne had headed to the port early to have breakfast with a friend. Cass and family were just about ready to leave too.


I set Siri to take me to the port and off we went……


She took me through a lot of back roads. At one time we were behind this truck and just totally laughed.


saw by Jenseib, on Flickr


Um….why is there a chainsaw sticking out of the back of this truck?


After about ½ an hour I said to Claire that I can’t believe we haven’t gotten on the highway yet. So far we had just gone through all these back roads and it was taking forever!!! She looked at my phone and said it said we had like over 2 hours before we arrived. WHAT?????? It barely takes an hour to get there. OMG! So then some not so nice words were flying out of my mouth.


I pulled over at a Walgreens and reset the directions…again it gave me a long route. What the heck? So I reset it again and scrolled through the options and finally found the short way. We took off and the highway was literally ½ mile from where we were.


And we were off!....again! Claire had been texting Cass’s daughter Kira all morning. Kira is 10 and they had been texting on and off before the trip. I kept asking her to ask Kira where they were and my best guess was they were about 10-15 minutes ahead of us now.


As we got closer we looked for the ship and finally saw it…but I couldn’t take a picture since I was driving.


Cass arrived and had Kira tell us that there was a long line of cars to get into the port for drop off. UGH! I guess it didn’t surprise me….but still UGH! Cass’s husband Rob dropped her and Kira off about the time I was getting into line.


Hello Fantasy!


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embark9 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Hello long line of cars.


embark12 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We moved slowly and really there was nothing we could do, so we tried to be patient…which was hard.


Jeanne messaged she was on the car shuttle bus. They decided not to drop their bags off and just take them on the shuttle with them….so she was on her way.


embark10 by Jenseib, on Flickr


embark13 by Jenseib, on Flickr


As we waited and got closer I saw a Budget shuttle go by and saw Jeanne in the window. I quickly messaged her that I saw her. They were letting shuttles go in before cars, so she got in faster, but we weren’t too far behind….however we were just dropping off our bags. We did make it up to the curb and sent off our bags and then pulled out and headed over to Alamo….well sort of. Siri was telling us to go out a different way and the signage was horrible, so we went in some circles first (as well as several other cars) before we got out and on our way to Alamo.


I have anxiety on days like this. I just want to get checked in and be on the ship. Until that point I am a bundle of nerves and I was trying to remain calm….I would have 10 days on the ship and it was hours before we would even be sailing out….but several of my friends were in the terminal….and I was missing out!

 

[dolphingirl47]

After about ½ an hour I said to Claire that I can’t believe we haven’t gotten on the highway yet. So far we had just gone through all these back roads and it was taking forever!!! She looked at my phone and said it said we had like over 2 hours before we arrived.

Goodness, where was Siri trying to take you? I am glad you got it sorted out in the end.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

Goodness, where was Siri trying to take you? I am glad you got it sorted out in the end.

Corinna

She was trying to take me on all back roads....no thanks!

 

[Lesley Wake]

I totally didn't know about WDW resorts having cases of water! I checked and POFQ does too-that means I no longer need to get a Prime Pantry delivery! Yes!

 

[ukintheus]

You've had a crazy morning already juggling laundry, rental car and driving. I'd be a bundle of nerves too, we've never driven to the port. I'm sure it's super easy but it sounds like a lot of hassle to do the rental car drop whenever I read about it. And I'm lazy!