Completed! 1/3 - MNSSHP, Star Wars Land, and a LOT of SotMK - Aug 2019 Trip Report

[SimplyGoofy]

It's obvious how excited you were for SWGE! I'm rather lackluster about it (I'm not really a Star Wars fan), but I think it will be fun to see the land.

It's too bad your server at Oga's was so bad! Even if he was stressed, he should've been nicer. Hopefully your next Oga's experience is better.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

canned my magic band and gave me a map, and saw that I had an Oga's reservation, so they sent me to another CM under an umbrella who gave me a ticket for Oga's with a time on it, and then, I was finally entering Batuu!

They really made this part so seamless and easy.

That's the foam for the Fuzzy Tauntaun drink, which I thought was neat.

So, did they just scoop some onto each drink? Intresting...

I don't know how hard it is now to get pictures here, but at the preview you definitely had to be watching and ready to immediately swoop in and get your picture taken. And they move you through this room fast! The one time you want to spend more time in line...

It seemed a little less crazy when Andy and I were there a month ago. Maybe they have figured out how to pace it a little better. But it was chaotic in there!

Cute little droid door!

I saw this too! So cute!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I love your review of SWG. I was there for a preview, however, I was not feeling well and I missed so much. I did feel the same way as you in Oga’s Canteen, we were completely ignored. We just got pictures and left.
I am excited to go back and really take in all the sights and sounds in January
Our MF ride was not the best, we were engineers and the pilots and gunners were all from the same family and they were so loud and obnoxious. I did enjoy the queue

 

[Araminta18]

Monday, August 19, 2019 (part 3):
Ronto Wrap, Blue Milk, and as Many Photographers as I Could Find...​

So, when I left off, I was in the single rider line, waiting for my second spin on the Falcon. It ended up being a 25 minute wait, and not nearly as interesting a queue as the regular line. You don't even get to see Hondo! And with 6 people in a car at a time, they don't actually need all that many single riders to fill in. Hence the wait. Still, I guess 25 minutes isn't all that bad. This time, I got assigned Engineer.

It felt like a little bit less time in the Falcon's lounge this time too (per the time stamp on my pictures, about 2 minutes). Got some good pictures though!

I look forward to the day that I get a not awkward picture here.

Also got a picture of the little hallway where Han and Leia kiss--note the "X O" on the panel.

I love this little detail--exactly like the screens in the movie.

So, Engineer is definitely not as fun as gunner. Lots of button pressing, and so trying to watch where you're going versus pressing the buttons...not my favorite. Still enjoyable though. I have written down that we got a 7440 score, but this screen only shows 1715? Anyone have any idea how the scoring works? I'm still confused. *shrugs*

I was back outside at 6:19 (yay timestamped pictures ). So, that's two rides in 75 minutes. Not too shabby.

As much as I would have liked to ride again, I wanted to see the rest of the land, and I felt like I was running out of time. Really, the whole time I had this pervasive feeling not enough time, that time was running out. Even with getting in an hour early, I didn't feel like I had enough time and my enjoyment was marred (just a little bit) by this sense that I didn't have enough time. Oh well, I guess that's why we go back.

Anyways, outside after riding, I wandered around a bit more taking pictures. Just look at this beauty.

I then wandered over to the TIE fighter, and then to the Droid Depot. I didn't have a reservation or anything, but I was still able to look around inside in both the gift shop and the depot itself. It looked really cool! But mostly I was having fun looking at all the theming in the land.

You think I can go inside that door?

I really liked the droids--they even have a broken Imperial probe droid, like in Empire Strikes Back.

I also found the landspeeders! Now I want at ride in that thing.

At that point, I was getting a bit hungry, and all the reviews had said the best food in Galaxy's Edge was at Ronto Roasters, so there I went. Only to find more amazing theming!

There wasn't a line, so that was nice. I just got the basic Ronto Wrap (note the classic Disney trash can photo ).

The Ronto Wrap definitely lived up to the hype! I mean, it shouldn't be this good, but the slaw, the sausage, the naan (or pita, whatever it is)--it all just worked. It was delicious. A bit spicy, so I kind of wished I had a glass of milk (since I'm definitely a wimp when it comes to spice), but so delicious. I didn't want to waste time sitting down and eating (see early paragraph about feeling like there wasn't enough time), so I ate it while wandering around the market.

I tried Facetiming Trevor after I was done eating to show him the market, but it didn't really work well. I was never sure how the reception actually was (despite showing that I had full bars), and it seemed like it froze a lot. It was super neat in the marketplace though. Really fun souvenirs, and different from the normal Disney stuff. It was a bit crowded though, and somehow I completely missed the Sabacc cards. I did want those, but I completely forgot about them in the moment. Or maybe they didn't have them. It was a bit crowded, but I think I was probably just overwhelmed with everything. Some of the coolest stuff was the stuff they weren't selling, like the carved porgs and the other carved stuff in that little woodcarver's area.

At one point when the facetime to Trevor was working, I passed the popcorn stand. I was on the fence about getting the popcorn, but Trevor decided he wanted the Mouse Droid popcorn bucket, so into the line I went. It wasn't too bad a line though. And side note, I really really love how they used the Star Wars font on even the credit card machines. Small detail, but appreciated.

I got the popcorn and the bucket, cause might as well try it, right?

It tasted like froot loops! Like, exactly like froot loops. Really good, though I wouldn't have thought so if someone just told me it tasted like froot loops. I would definitely get it again. Also, that popcorn bucket is adorable and we love it.

In my photos the next photo I have is this one of the little speeder bikes--I assume its there in the marketplace somewhere but I couldn't tell you where. But so cool!

Anyways, I finished up the popcorn (and my marketplace wandering) on the little balcony area outside of Docking Bay 7, overlooking the Falcon. They had several photographers stationed out there, so I stopped and got pictures. Naturally.

I do have to say that the photographers they had stationed in Galaxy's Edge were great. I mean, the pictures didn't always turn out (as is to be expected with Photopass photographers--I think we all know how they can be a bit hit and miss), but they were so nice and willing to try fun poses and just take their time with you. One photographer here saw that I was wearing my Princess Leia button that says "My Favorite Disney Princess", so she took some photos focusing on that. I think I look weird in them, and they didn't turn out the best, but it was so fun to do.

After the pictures, I kept wandering around, and ran into a line outside a non-descript building. Looking at the map, I realized it was for Dok Ondar's, which I definitely wanted to see! So I hopped in line. It was 7:05 when I got in line, and despite having 15 or 20 people in front of me, it was only a 5 minute wait. I was inside at 7:10.

Dok Ondar's was super cool. I actually really appreciated that they had a line to get in, so that once you were inside it wasn't too crowded and you could actually look at the stuff inside. I liked everything they had, but at the same time was kind of like "who would ever actually buy this?" Like these glass pictures of Queen Amidala and Princess Leia. I liked them, but not $50 apiece.

As is becoming a theme, the cooler part was the theming itself, with all of Dok's antiquities decorating the walls and everything. There was even a model of the rancor, showing what it looks like beyond just the mouth.

The animatronic itself as well--wow. Disney is definitely stepping up their animatronic game, between the Shaman, Hondo, and Dok Ondar. I spent a couple minutes just watching him.

I took a bunch of pictures of the merchandise inside to send to Trevor, to see if he wanted anything, but ended up only buying a couple Jedi and Sith tokens (little stones). They didn't have the Spira gift card. I left after about 15 minutes.

After Dok Ondar's I kept wandering around some more. Saw more droids.

Then, as I was wandering near the TIE fighter, I saw that the milk stand had no line! When I saw it earlier the line was huge, like 50 people deep. With no line, I decided now was definitely a good time to get me some milk. But which would I get--blue or green?

Blue, of course. Gotta go with the classic. I liked it, though it was definitely a bit odd. I could taste the soy/plant/whatever weirdness that was the base, but while it was odd, it wasn't bad. I do wish they would do a (non-alcoholic) milk flight or some kind of a deal so you could try both flavors without spending $8 on each one; I'd spend $10 to try both, but not $16. Especially because even though that cup looks small, it's a surprising amount of drink! I couldn't drink a whole other cup of green milk. Anyways, so there you go Disney--milk flight please.

The TIE fighter is kind of right there next to the milk stand, and of course there were photographers there. They had a tiny bit of a line, so I figured waiting in that line would be a good way to finish my milk/kill time productively.

They told me to look serious and threatening. Instead I just have a double chin. I do like the TIE fighters in the sky though.

After the pics in front of the TIE fighter, I looked inside their gift shop. More cool stuff! Though some of it felt really cheap. I mostly just took pictures of everything and sent it to Trevor in case there was something he wanted. He was intrigued by several things, but ended up only wanting me to get a key chain. I'm sure when we go to Disneyland next year he'll buy more stuff.

As I left the giftshop, the stormtroopers were out and about! I snuck a selfie with them in the background.

I kind of followed them over to the Falcon.

But then I got distracted by the photographers in front of the Falcon.

This would have been an awesome picture, except for the couple on a mission in the background.

I did appreciate the photographer here though--she did everything she could to get me a good photo with the storm troopers in the background.

At that point, it was about 7:45. The Falcon had a posted 40 minute wait, and based on how quickly the queue moved earlier, I decided it probably wasn't that long, so I got in line again. I figured even if it was a long wait, I could play on the Play App. That app is really cool; I liked it a lot, playing the games and such with Hondo. The bit in the engine room where you have to memorize disguises could get repetitive, but once you're in view of the Falcon, I liked that game a lot. But this line was so short I didn't really have time to play with the app. There was no wait outside (also LOOK at this theming--amazing!)

I entered the queue at 7:47 pm. I took a video of the engine room, 'cause I thought it was cool.

Then of the part right before Hondo, 'cause the Falcon is the most gorgeous hunk of junk in the galaxy.

I was in the room with Hondo at 7:55 pm though, for a total queue time of 8 minutes. Not toooooo shabby.

I'll leave you with this picture of Hondo, and the cliffhanger question: what role in the Falcon would I get this time? Another gunner or engineer, or pilot for the first time?

 

[Araminta18]

It's obvious how excited you were for SWGE! I'm rather lackluster about it (I'm not really a Star Wars fan), but I think it will be fun to see the land.

It's too bad your server at Oga's was so bad! Even if he was stressed, he should've been nicer. Hopefully your next Oga's experience is better.

What? No...I thought I was hiding my excitement so well Even if you're not a Star Wars fan, I'll admit I was just so excited to see Disney really nail the theming. When they are on their game and do really immersive theming, there's none better (in my opinion).

Thank you! I hope so too, 'cause next time we go Trevor will be with me and since he's the big fan, I really want him to have a good experience.

They really made this part so seamless and easy.


So, did they just scoop some onto each drink? Intresting...


It seemed a little less crazy when Andy and I were there a month ago. Maybe they have figured out how to pace it a little better. But it was chaotic in there!


I saw this too! So cute!

I think they did just scoop some of the foam out, but I don't remember actually seeing them do it, so I could be wrong. Glad it wasn't as crazy for you in the Falcon lounge area--it was the only time i've ever wanted to spend more time in a line/queue area.

I love your review of SWG. I was there for a preview, however, I was not feeling well and I missed so much. I did feel the same way as you in Oga’s Canteen, we were completely ignored. We just got pictures and left.
I am excited to go back and really take in all the sights and sounds in January
Our MF ride was not the best, we were engineers and the pilots and gunners were all from the same family and they were so loud and obnoxious. I did enjoy the queue

Oh no! I'm sorry you weren't feeling well. And I'm sorry you got ignored in Oga's as well. Maybe it is just part of their character there? But if so, they need to re-evaluate. I'm all for CMs having characters and backstories and such, but when they make you feel unwelcome, I think that's a bit too far.

I think for me that's the one (and admittedly it's a big one) downfall of Smuggler's Run. If you have crap pilots, or little kids, it can make the ride not as fun for the rest of the riders. Or if everyone else is together and being obnoxious, it feels more irritating than in other rides with obnoxious people--maybe the close quarters? Either way, I'm sorry your ride wasn't great. Hopefully your time in January will be better! Are you excited to ride the Rise of the Resistance ride?

 

[Araminta18]

Monday, August 19, 2019 (part 4):
Training with Chewie​

So what did you guess that I got for my role on my third ride of the Falcon? Did you guess pilot? You should have guessed pilot, 'cause no way was I riding the Falcon again and not requesting to be the pilot. I even asked to be the right pilot so that I could pull the lever to go to hyperspace. Huzzah!

Pretty quickly we were called back. I had to take more pictures of the Falcon--it looks so real! Exactly like the movie.

Had to get a selfie to document my time piloting the Falcon.

Pull the Lever Kronk!!!!!! Oh wait, wrong movie...

Again, with the no idea of how the scoring goes, 8969 and/or 1100? *shrugs* Still fun!

I was back outside at 8:12, so a total of 25 minutes. Not bad at all!

It was starting to get dark now, and one of the reasons I booked the late time slot was to be able to see the land in the dark and all lit up. Time for pictures! I decided to wait in the line for pictures in front of the Millennium Falcon, which were the longest photographer lines in all of Star Wars land, but even then, still only about a 5 minute wait.

Just after I took that picture, I noticed that lots of people who had made lightsabers were taking pictures with their lightsabers all lit up--it was super cool to see. I decided to get back in line to get pictures from the other side of the Falcon (they had two photographers, one kind of straight on and one off to the side), and ended up making friends with the gal in front of me who had made a blue lightsaber, and she was super kind and let me take some pictures with her lightsaber.

My serious face really sucks.

Yay for Falcon pictures! What a great photo op. You'd never know I hate having my picture taken, right?

At that point it was just a little bit before 8:30. I wanted to see what Batuu looked like at night, so I commenced wandering about again. That's really all I did--wander and take pictures and panic about running out of time. Which writing it out doesn't sound like fun at all. Huh. Disney Magic, I guess, 'cause it was awesome.

I made it back to the Resistance area for the first time since entering. It was so pretty! I was also on the lookout for a specific prop to take a picture with: the screen from A New Hope! Well, probably not the one from the movie, but one that looks like the ones in the war room in A New Hope during the final Death Star fight.

We follow the Ordinary Adventures vloggers on Youtube, and they had a video about fun photo ops in Galaxy's Edge, and this was one of them. I did find the screen, but man, was this a hard photo to take. I enlisted a kind CM in my quest, but the lighting just was giving all sorts of problems. These were the best pics I got:

Definitely appreciate the CM taking my picture though!!

Afterwards, I noticed that Chewie, Rey, and Chewie's attendant were hanging out in front of the X-Wing, so I headed that way, obviously.

It was so fun to see them inspecting the X-wing. But after they came down, I and several others got to be part of a "training exercise" with Chewie for the Resistance. This is how you know I love you all; I'm posting the video even though I hate how I sound on camera, and I'm being totally silly 'cause I was way into it at that point.

It's so fun that they have the characters just wandering. I love it!

I took some more pictures around the Resistance area, and then headed back deeper into the land. I quickly ducked back in to the Droid Depot and was able to get a picture with the life-size R2D2 there.

Afterwards I was walking back towards the Falcon but had to take a picture of the TIE Fighter all lit up as I passed by. Look at how gorgeous this is!

I ended up back in front of Docking Bay 7 on that little overlook to the Falcon. More pictures!

Porg! Too bad I didn't see it 'cause I blinked...

More pictures of the gorgeous Falcon...

I, of course, stopped for more pictures. I was hoping I'd be able to get pictures of the Falcon with fewer people in them. I think I succeeded.

Again, these photographers. Even if the pictures didn't always turn out, I really appreciated all the time they took and the fun poses they tried. It was great.

At this point, it was 8:53 pm. The park closed at 9, so with only 7 minutes left, I decided I wanted to try for a couple photos in front of the TIE fighter at night, and then race back to see if I could sneak in for one last ride on the Falcon.

I'm so awkward! Oh well.

So, that picture was timestamped 8:56. Since I'm about at the picture limit, you get one more cliffhanger! Would I make it to Smuggler's Run in time?! Would I get one more ride? You'll just have to tune back in next time for my 4th (FOURTH! Good grief) Star Wars land update. I promise this next one will be the last one....Sorry!!

 

[Araminta18]

Monday, August 19, 2019 (part 5 [oh my gosh I'm so sorry I just keep talking....last part, I promise!!]):
Excuse Me, Who All is My Crew for the Falcon?​

I did make it! I was in line for the Falcon at 8:58. I didn't write down what the wait time was, but honestly, does it even matter? Any wait at all would be extra time in Star Wars land, so bonus! The line wasn't very long though, nor was it crowded. I was able to get a better video of Hondo's spiel--as opposed to the Flight of Passage pre-show, I could watch Hondo's pre-show over and over again.

It was only about 10 minutes until I was in the Falcon lounge area.

I think this is my favorite picture at the chess table. Maybe.

So this video is from an earlier ride, but I do love how sometimes when you're in the lounge area the Falcon seems to break...not sure if that's tied to a team doing really badly in their flight, but either way it's cool.

What was my role this time? I got pilot! And I didn't even have to ask. Awesome. I was pretty psyched.

But wait, IT GETS BETTER!! When they called for my color group, I was the only one who appeared. So after a few seconds, the CM led me and me alone to the cockpit. SOLO FLIGHT! I couldn't believe it!

So how was my solo flight? It was awesome. I mean, I'm not the best pilot, but it was so much fun to have it be just me. I probably could have piloted better but I was looking around as much as I was concentrating on flying. And fun fact: if you're by yourself, the computer does all the other roles, but if you're a pilot, no matter if you choose to be right or left pilot, you still get to pull the lever to go to hyperspace. Which I appreciated, 'cause pulling that lever is awesome. I was right pilot on my 3rd ride just so I could pull the lever, and so this time I decided to be left pilot, but I still got to pull the lever. Yay!

So, my score. Still don't understand this, but hey, documenting in case I ever do figure it out. I think my overall score was 8200? The picture was super blurry.

Afterwards I asked the CM to take a picture of me to document my solo flight.

Guys, it was just so fun. Me and the Falcon. I couldn't keep the grin off my face the whole flight.

I was back outside at 9:17, so less than 20 minutes for the whole ride. Very quick! I was almost disappointed, 'cause I didn't want to leave. But the park was closed, all the photographers had disappeared...it was time to go. But that didn't mean I had to hurry. So I meandered, slowly, towards the Resistance area and the exit, taking pictures all along the way, just enjoying the lighting and atmosphere and soaking in my last few minutes in Batuu.

I'm not a photographer at all but it's almost hard not to take a good picture of this land, especially at night. Just absolutely gorgeous. And at night, with few people there, it just felt so peaceful. I really didn't want to leave.

But finally I made it to the exit.

I left at 9:24 pm, so a total of about 5 and a half hours in the land. And like I said, it wasn't nearly enough. Reading through and looking at my pictures I'm sure it seems pretty repetitive: walking and taking pictures and riding the ride. But it really didn't feel like I was repeating things and I certainly never felt bored. I wish I'd booked an early time slot so I could have stayed all day. 'Cause dangit, I definitely would have stayed. But I was so glad I got to go, and it just made me all the more excited to book a new trip so Trevor could experience it with me. And the CMs were all excited and on point (aside from the one server in Oga's)...the photographers never let on if they felt stressed or overwhelmed with picture lines...it was just really really a great experience. So glad we bought me that annual pass last year!

It was really jarring to go back into Hollywood Studios. Not in a bad way, but just for the last few hours it didn't really feel like I was in a theme park, and then all of a sudden, I was again. Still excited to be in Disney, but sad to leave Batuu. Of course, when I found another photopass photographer, I had to stop.

I got on the bus back to All Star Movies and popped into the cafeteria to look at their dessert case (wanted to see if they had any fun desserts) and saw a family looking at the Secret Menu! At All Star Movies, if you ask for the secret menu, they bring out that metal suitcase and then give you Viewmaster to actually look at the menu through. Trevor wanted to try it but we just didn't get the chance when he was with me. But at least I got to send him a pic of some people trying it!

You can see where they keep the metal suitcase, just off to the side there in between the glass and whatever appliance that is.

I don't think I got anything at the cafeteria, but really, I can't remember. Oops! But I was back in the room by about 10:20. Below is my souvenir haul from Galaxy's Edge--I laid it all out and then immediately facetimed Trevor to show him and talk to him about Star Wars land. I really didn't get a lot, surprisingly enough. I think I figured next time when Trevor and I come together we'd buy more.

The souvenir bag, the mouse droid popcorn bucket, the sprite cup, the water bottle for Trevor, the Leia magnet, my coaster from Oga's, the first order key chain, and then the Darth Vader and Yoda tokens. I did go back and buy some of the Star Wars opening shirts, but from Star Wars land itself, that's my haul.

So yea, that was my time in Batuu! I do apologize for SO many posts--I just had so many pictures I wanted to share. I know I'm gushing, but it was really a fantastic preview. I absolutely loved it, and can't wait for Trevor to see it and experience it (spoiler: we've booked a Disneyland trip for Sept 2020 and Trevor has already let me know that he'll be spending a lot of time in Galaxy's Edge. I'm ok with that ). What a fantastic day. Definitely worth making a trip just for this preview. Hopefully it was at least somewhat interesting to read about!

Fun with Metrics:
Steps walked: 17,672 (7.5 miles)
Ride count: 6 (Big Thunder, Splash Mountain, Millennium Falcon Smuggler's Run x4)

Up next: a lot more Sorcerer's of the Magic Kingdom and kind-of sort-of sneaking into MNSSHP....

 

[RedK]

Loving your trip report! I go solo too, and it's like reading a day I would do.

Disney naps are the best naps.

Also, so jealous of your pictures in the Falcon cockpit. Those are amazing!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Frankly, your multiple posts and great enthusiasm actually make me excited to see SWGE. On my next trip we'll be bringing our one-year-old and don't plan on much time in HS (as there's not much for her to do there), but I'll be sure to make it back to SWGE and see what we can do. You make the land look and sound very appealing!

Wow, a SOLO flight on Smuggler's Run?! That's amazing!

 

[Araminta18]

Loving your trip report! I go solo too, and it's like reading a day I would do.

Disney naps are the best naps.

Also, so jealous of your pictures in the Falcon cockpit. Those are amazing!

Thank you! Solo days can be really fun--glad you're enjoying.

Frankly, your multiple posts and great enthusiasm actually make me excited to see SWGE. On my next trip we'll be bringing our one-year-old and don't plan on much time in HS (as there's not much for her to do there), but I'll be sure to make it back to SWGE and see what we can do. You make the land look and sound very appealing!

Wow, a SOLO flight on Smuggler's Run?! That's amazing!

Oh, thank you! Yea, there's definitely not a lot for a 1 year old at HS, but just the atmospherics there could be fun for her. And definitely for you, if you're any kind of a Star Wars fan!

RIght? I'm still in shock!

 

[Araminta18]

Tuesday, August 20, 2019 (part 1):
Magic Kingdom Whimsy​

I woke up on Tuesday, still excited about Star Wars land. But I had two and a half more days, and I was determined to make the most of it. But not too determined...I didn't bother setting any kind of alarm! Still woke up at 7:45 though. My plan for the day was to head back to the Magic Kingdom: it was a Mickey's Not So Scary night, so I was hoping there'd be fairly low crowds. There were extra magic hours from 8am to 9am, but I was not going to make it in time for those!

On my way to the bus stop I made a quick pit stop at the All Star Movies gift shop: had to return one of the Star Wars tshirts I'd bought yesterday. It was the white passholder one, and it was practically see through. Back it went! And I picked up some eye drops: I think my allergies were acting up? Or something? All I know is that the eye drops were a huge help.

Anyways, headed out to the bus stop at 8:30 and saw one of the Lion King buses!

I really like how they're wrapping the buses now--makes them so festive.

Arrived at the Magic Kingdom just a little bit after 9 and took the requisite selfie with the train station. It's just such a great entrance. Love it.

Slowly made my way into the park, and ran into the Main Street Trolley show! One of the nice things about going on my own (though honestly if I were with Trevor we probably would have done the same thing, but....) was that I could really just do whatever I wanted. And so, running into the Trolley Show, I decided I wanted to stop and watch them. And it was great.

It was really hot; I felt a little bad for the dancers, as they were obviously sweating. But I really really love "Walkin' Right Down the Middle of Main Street USA" (I blame the Disneyland singalong video from the early 90s--anyone else remember that?), so was mostly focusing on enjoying that rather than how hot it was.

This was at 9:15 or so. I had a Big Thunder Mountain fastpass that didn't expire until about 10:15, so I decided to head there by way of Adventureland and play a round of Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom on the way.

Sorcerers! It's a silly game but I enjoy it. Especially now that I was on the harder level and had to figure out what cards with what strengths would work against what villains. I was really really really bad at figuring that out, but hey, I appreciate the challenge.

After that round, I was off to take on the wildest ride in the Wilderness! They were only running one side...boooooooooooooooooooooo.

Oh well. Luckily our train made it back safely--whew! A load off my mind.

My next fastpass was for Splash Mountain. This was the point in the trip where I started trying to do funny poses for the ride photos: this is me at a tea party.

My last pre-booked fastpass was for Peter Pan, so I decided to head that way and play another round of Sorcerers, since my next round was Liberty Square/Frontierland. As I walked through Frontierland, I decided that all the crowd calendars were right when they said that the Magic Kingdom is less crowded on a party day. Look at this! At 10:15 in the morning.

I finished up my Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom round (gotta save the Kingdom!) just in time for my Peter Pan fastpass. Good timing--I was ready for some air conditioning.

My one (one!) good (and by good I mean, semi-in focus) shot of the about 15 I took on the ride. Love it

After my quick voyage into Neverland, I wandered through Fantasyland and made the impromptu decision to ride the Carousel! There was no line, and it's a cute fun ride.

Look at that pretty horse.

I had a Be Our Guest lunch ADR for 11:25am, which was only about 15 minutes away. Fantasyland was surprisingly empty, so I whiled away the time taking pictures and enjoying the music. None of the pictures turned out especially good, but the pictures I took in front of Be Our Guest weren't bad. I made a friend.

I like this shot--it's so artistic!

I grabbed a seat in the ballroom and proceeded to enjoy the air conditioning and the music. Honestly, the music in that restaurant is one of my absolute favorites: the gorgeous instrumental versions of the songs from "Beauty and the Beast" - both the movie and the musical. They really really really really need to release that music on a CD. The loops on youtube that say they're the music from the restaurant are lies. End tangent.

I ordered the French Dip -- delicious.

One of the nice things about a solo lunch is that you're not being rude if you're focused on your phone the whole time, trying to get a new fastpass! There was lots of availability and choices (lots of choices, which was nice), and I decided on a whim to meet the princesses! I'd never been inside Princess Fairy Tale hall, and figured there'd never be a better time. Why not?

I was done right around noon, but as I headed out of the restaurant, I ran into a photographer! Of course I had to stop.

She was great--working with every guest in line to take a lot of shots and make sure there were some good ones. We were all squinting in the sun and she even worked around that. I love it when the photopass CMs are having fun with the guests!

After that, I entered Princess Fairy Tale Hall for the first time to meet Tiana and Rapunzel. Didn't realize that the fastpass line is in a pretty bland hallway, which was a bit of a bummer. But I did take the opportunity to snag a picture of Cinderella's glass slipper when they called the fastpass people in to the princess's room. I tried taking a selfie but it really really didn't work. Oops!

Almost am I persuaded to wait in the stand-by line, just to see the theming. Look at that slipper! Would it be worth it to wait in the standby line, if I feel a bit awkward about meeting characters?

The room where Tiana and Rapunzel meet was really lovely too. I loved the pictures on the wall from the various fairy tales.

And look at that filigree with Aurora's crown on top.

Snow White's storybook!

When it was my turn to meet the princesses, I was the only adult without kids. I was really impressed with the princesses--they had great small talk all ready to go and helped me feel at ease. I really appreciated it, as I didn't have anything for them to sign, whereas last year I'd made sure I always had my pictures with me for any characters to sign if I decided to meet them. Tiana and I talked about beignets.

Rapunzel and I talked about Halloween costumes for Pascal.

After meeting the princesses, and drooling over the theming, I went back to playing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. I played a round and then headed over to Haunted Mansion (I'd snagged a fastpass for it while I was in line for the princesses).

So scary!! I tried getting photos of Constance but none of them turned out. Oh well, I'll just have to ride again.

Done with the Mansion, I headed back to Fantasyland for another round of Sorcerers. Being in Fantasyland worked out really well, 'cause I was able to snag a fastpass for Seven Dwarves Mine Train, for not too far into the future! But it was getting quite warm, so I caved and bought a frozen strawberry lemonade. I love these things, and only eat them in theme parks. Delicious.

After defeating Ursula (I think it was Ursula? it may have been Malificent) in Fantasyland, it was time to visit the dwarves!

The fastpass line was pretty backed up, maybe a 10 minute wait. But I won't complain--I was able to get another fastpass for Seven Dwarves for right then! Yay!

Ride #1

So nice to be able to loop back around and use another fastpass to ride again. Definitely one of the perks of going by myself in a low crowd time--all the amazing fastpasses!

I got off Seven Dwarves a little bit after two: just in time for the parade! I cut through Fantasyland and over to Frontierland, just in time to see the good fairies. They weren't out back on Friday, I assume due to the rain, so it was nice to see them today.

In the irony folder, the dragon wasn't breathing fire today! Made me really grateful Trevor was able to see it going Friday.

I played more rounds of Sorcerers over in Adventureland, and then according to my pictures I headed over to Tomorrowland. There were two photographers hanging out in front of the purple wall, but one was taking pictures with the wall at his back--so of people with the castle in the background. I'd never seen a photographer there before, but it was kind of a fun picture.

I also noticed this poster for the first time--Tower of Terror crossover!

At this point, I'm a little fuzzy on what happened. This picture was time-stamped at 3:07. My next picture is almost boarding Space Mountain, time-stamped at 3:43. Either fastpass line was moving really slowly or standby was moving really quickly! This is the problem with writing a trip report 4 months later...oops! Oh well--regardless of how, I definitely rode Space Mountain!

Always a fun trip into outer space!

Ok, apparently I've just hit the picture limit. Tune in next time for the last few hours in the Magic Kingdom and my quest to find someone attending the party that night to help me get the last of the Hitchhiking Ghosts popcorn buckets.

 

[Araminta18]

Tuesday, August 20, 2019 (part 2):
Sneaking into MNSSHP and Epcot Extra Magic Hours​

I got off Space Mountain and decided I was hungry. It had been a long time since lunch! The snack I decided to go for? A cinnamon roll as big as my head!

Yes, Gaston's Tavern was where I headed. And of course, had to get the extra icing! It worked out really well--right as I got inside it started to rain. And by the time I was done, it was mostly done raining. I call that, A+ expert planning.

I know you'll all be completely surprised by what I decided to do next: another round of Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom! I headed over to Liberty Square and ended up running into what is my favorite show in all of the Magic Kingdom and I'm still in deep mourning that it's no longer around: Muppets Present...Great Moments in History!

(But only the American parts!)

So sad it's gone. I hope they bring it back: cutting all the entertainment is a bad move in my opinion. Those shows, the streetmosphere in Hollywood Studios, those are some of the reasons we come to Disney and pay the insane prices. Take this stuff away, and it's just...doesn't feel as worth it. Maybe it will come back in the future...a gal can dream!

Anyways! Once the show was over and I'd again saved the kingdom from the villain of the moment, Pirates of the Caribbean was posting a 10 minute wait, so off I went!

With a queue like that, I wondered if maybe 10 minutes was an underestimate...I was going to be in line forever, I knew it!!! Just kidding. There was no one in line. It was great. I once again had a great time trying to get good ride pictures with my iPhone camera.

Not too shabby!

And I literally just realized that the on-ride photo from Pirates from this ride never showed up. Oops! Oh well.

After riding Pirates, I switched focus from playing Sorcerers (it was ok; I'd saved the Magic Kingdom from Hades, we're all good) to trying to get the very last Hitchhiking Ghost bucket that I needed: the Gus donut holder! When we attended MNSSHP on Friday, we'd ended up getting Phineas and Ezra, and I was king of on the fence about trying to get Gus and then we were busy enough that we didn't make it back around to try and get Gus. But after a few days, I decided I did want Gus and to complete the set after all. I'd posted here on the Dis and on a couple facebook Disney groups that I'm a part of, asking if anyone would be willing to pick one up for me since I didn't want to buy another party ticket. One fb group member said she'd be willing to pick one up for me, huzzah!! But since I was in the park, and a little bit tired, and it was 5:15, I decided to head over to Golden Oak Outpost and wait there, so I could give the gal the money. I assumed I'd be the first person in line (since it was, you know, 5:15, and the party didn't start til 7pm), but there was one other lady there who was local and had the MNSSHP pass and just was ducking in tonight to get the buckets. We had a great time sitting there on the rock wall ledge and just chatting away about the park and the party and watching the people in their costumes walk on by. It was really really fun, surprisingly. And the time went by really fast. It is one of my favorite things to do at Disney - just taking time to sit and people watch and enjoy the music and theming and ambiance. More people came to join us as the time went by, including the girl who was going to pick the bucket up for me, and the conversation got a bit bigger. We also had fun chatting intermittently with the CMs who were coming in and out of Golden Oak, getting it ready for the party; the lady who was there before me and I made friends with the manager there since he was shocked that anyone would be waiting that early! That paid off for me, because they started selling the buckets about 10 minutes before 7 pm, and they sold it to me even though I didn't have a party wristband (I know, I know). Yay! That made it easier than having the other girl buy it for me. I was super excited.

My spoils! The donuts were pretty good, though mostly just cinnamon.

With Gus safely in hand, I said goodbye to my line friends and slowly meandered out of the park. I was tempted (very tempted) to stick around and see how long I could go without having a wristband, but figured I'd already pushed my luck enough, so out I headed. Epcot was having Extra Magic Hours until 11, so I figured I'd head over that way, ride Frozen and Soarin and Test Track, and see Illuminations before it ended. Off to the monorail I went!

I got the yellow, Toy Story 4-wrapped monorail. Yay!

20 minutes later I was walking into Epcot.

So pretty! And of course the ubiquitous construction walls. *sigh*

I decided there was enough fastpass availability to dump the Test Track fastpass I had and got an immediate use Spaceship Earth fastpss. Cause I love Spaceship Earth.

The tv was on! When I was riding in February, the tv was off. So that was neat.

And my favorite part!! Going backwards, looking up at the "stars".

My picture wasn't bad this time.

After Spaceship Earth, it was about 8:20. There was indeed plenty of fastpass availability, so I grabbed an immediate use one for Test Track. That was a huge mistake. The fastpass line was ridiculously long.

This is the fastpass line; time stamp was 8:23.

When I got let into the design studio, I skipped it and pushed right out the doors into the queue again. Obviously this area was full, but still. Time stamp was 8:38.

So 15 minutes in the fastpass line to get into the design studio. I really should have bailed, since I wanted to see Illuminations. But I foolishly pressed on. Finally I made it to the ride: time-stamp, 8:50. So 30 minutes in the fastpass line.

Not sure why the lines were so long; maybe it had gone down in the rain earlier and everyone else had the same idea I did about riding before Illuminations. But I should have bailed. Time stamp of the ride picture? 8:54.

Once off the ride, I literally sprinted outside and up into World Showcase past Mexico and near Norway to try and get a semi-decent view of Illuminations. I at least made it in time to see them blow out the lanterns, but there was tons of people and trees and I had kind of an obstructed view. But at least I got to see it! And I was well-positioned to duck into Frozen Ever After right after Illuminations ended. So not how I would have planned it (I was hoping to be off Test Track way earlier), but it still worked out.

And one plus of riding Frozen during Extra Magic Hours is that you go through the standby line and I've never been through the standby line! I got to see Oaken's store. I didn't realize the sauna window is a screen and Oaken will peek out occasionally.

The line was only about 15/20 minutes, so not too bad. I was constantly text Trevor during the magic hours, and according to our texts, the two ladies behind me in line kept hitting me with their bags. No concept of personal space--we're all gonna get on the ride pretty soon anyways! Elsa will wait, don't worry.

And just realized again that my ride photo never showed up! Huh, wonder what was going on that day?

Once off the ride, I realized I had 2 priorities for Extra Magic Hours. 1. Ride Soarin' and 2. Find something decent to eat. I decided France would probably be a good bet for food, so I headed off around World Showcase. World Showcase is SO PRETTY at night, especially when it's not very crowded.

Gorgeous!

But I made it Les Halles; the only time I've ever seen it with open tables. This was my first time at Les Halles, and it was delicious. I almost ordered a bunch of things--look at these Mickey beignets!

But my head overruled my stomach and I only got a Quiche Lorraine. It was delicious. And it was big enough to be pretty filling, despite being fairly cheap.

After dinner, I noticed that the ice cream shop there was still open, so I ducked in and got the ice cream macaron sandwich. I got one of those in February and it was delicious, so I was looking forward to getting it again. It lived up to my memory (unlike the gnocchi at Storybook Dining which was better in February rather than this time).

With my belly pleasantly full, I continued along World Showcase. It was about 10:15, so I leisurely looked into a bunch of the shops in the UK pavilion, and slowly meandered over to Soarin'. I texted Trevor that Epcot is much more pleasant in the dark, and I stand by that. Less hot, and hopefully less crowded...it was just a really nice, low-key night.

I have no pictures from Soarin', but I know me and I assume I waited for B1. And I vaguely remember there being no line; I probably rode twice. Considering there's a 45 minute gap between my picture on the bridge between World Showcase and Future World and my next picture in the pavilion by what used to be the Fountain of Nations, I'm gonna go with yes, I rode twice. There's enough time for it. I love Soarin'. Fun fact: on our trip in September to Germany, we visited Neuschwanstein Castle, and while I was definitely excited to see it for itself, there was a part of me really excited that this was another place I was seeing in real life after seeing it first in Soarin.

On my way out of the park after two rides on Soarin (that's my story and I'm sticking within it), I was again walking leisurely 'cause tired, and I finally saw the lights in the sidewalk! I keep seeing this mentioned in vlogs and blogs and such, but kept forgetting to look myself. But this time I saw them!

Very pretty.

On my way out of the park, I found another photopass photographer. Had to stop (are you sensing a theme? )

Figment even dropped by!

Course, after that, it was time for the LONG trek to the bus. Which is why when I finally made it I plopped onto the ground.

I may or may not have been a little bit tired.

Does that face look tired to you?

You can tell it was hot and humid 'cause look at those bus windows.

But I got a seat on the bus! And it wasn't that bad of a wait--the bus came at 11:20 and the pictures in front of Spaceship Earth were timestamped 11:05, so maybe a 10 minute wait? Not too bad, especially since I was sitting on the ground. It seemed like All star Movies was the least crowded/popular of the All Stars. Maybe 'cause groups tend to book Sports or Music? I have no idea, but I appreciated that it didn't feel as crowded. The lines for the other All Stars were way longer.

I made it back to the resort at 11:40 pm, which wasn't too bad. Though I was a bit (a lot) sweaty and gross. So I took a shower and got all ready for bed and talked with Trevor. Had to unwind after the excitement of the day. It was a really good day though, just doing whatever I wanted. And I got my Gus bucket!

Fun with Metrics:
Steps walked: 26,595 (11.4 miles)
Ride count: 15 (Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Peter Pan, Carrousel, Princess Fairy Tale Hall, Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarves x2, Space Mountain, Pirates, Spaceship Earth, Test Track, Frozen, Soarin x2)

Up Next: My last full day! What will I do?!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

That is a very full day! You had wonderful Fastpass luck at MK - so many wonderful rides!

I really enjoyed my lunch at BOG and look forward to it on my upcoming trip. (I'm still a bit bitter about them changing the dinner, but I can't say I'm surprised.)

You topped off your already great day well with your visit to Epcot. It's a bummer you had such a long wait in the TT Fastpass line, but I'm glad you were able to catch some of Illuminations! Plus, being right next to FEA was great!

Les Halles is always delicious - your meal looks great. I'm with you on Epcot (especially World Showcase) at night - it's just beautiful!

 

[Araminta18]

Wednesday, August 21, 2019 (part 1):
Just One More Ride into the Mine​

You think I would have had enough of Magic Kingdom, but I think I've empirically determined that it's my favorite park, 'cause I went back there again to spend my last full day at the resort. Basically, if you're bored with a full-grown adult hanging in the Magic Kingdom all day by herself, you should check out now. It's going to be very similar to yesterday!

I didn't set an alarm today either, but I still have a picture on the bus, time-stamped at 9:36. And by 9:52, I was seeing this gorgeous sight:

Today was gonna be another day of playing Sorcerers. I beat Sorcerers on the medium level yesterday, but without really knowing how the harder levels worked. Today I was playing on the hard level, and I'd done a bit of research (a very little bit) and was planning to play with a strategy and to try and beat it with a better score than "novice". For those who are curious: on the easy level (where everyone starts), your card always beats the villain, no matter what. On medium level, you have to start matching card strengths to villains, and you have to use the right card to beat the villain. On hard level, the strengths of the villains change every time, so each time you have to figure out what their strengths are and then use cards with those strengths to beat them. It was gonna be awesome!

I checked in at the fire house and started playing.

My first fastpass (Space Mountain) ended at 10:30, so after beating Cruella on Main Street, off I went to Tomorrowland! There were mostly loading one side, but then when I got to the split point, they sent me to the other side. Yay! No one in the line. I was excited enough about this that I took a selfie...which seems odd in retrospect but hey, Disney.

As much as I ride Space Mountain, you think I would have down where the camera is. Nope. Still surprised, as evidenced by this photo.

I had a Buzz Lightyear fastpass for afterwards, but despite it not being very crowded in the park, this fastpass line was nuts. It seems like it was crazy last trip too. Wonder why?

I like Buzz, but not enough to wait in that kind of a fastpass line! My next Sorcerers round was over in Frontierland, so I headed back through the hub. And of course, stopped to get pictures!

They didn't all turn out, but this photographer really liked my ears, so had me point at them for a picture. I'm quite fond of them as well, so it worked out.

Crossing the bridge over into Liberty Square, I was walking past where the Muppets do their show, and noticed that the first show was going to start in about 10 minutes. You better believe I plopped myself down on the bench/planter thing and waited. Muppets =

Sam the Eagle is my spirit animal (not really, but definitely in this picture).

I do love Sam though "but only the American parts!".

After the show, I swapped out my Buzz fastpass for Haunted Mansion (since I was right there) and went to visit the ghosts.

Such a photogenic mansion!

The ghosts were frightening today.

But I was able to get a nice (well, nice-ish) picture of the ballroom. It is my favorite scene.

I was done with Haunted Mansion right around 11:30. I had a reservation at the Plaza at noon for lunch, so just enough time for a round of Sorcerers and then over to the Plaza.

When I checked in, they had this sign up:

I'm a chocoholic--I knew what I was having for dessert! To compensate, I got the strawberry salad for lunch. Not really to compensate though, I just really really like this strawberry salad.

The shake looked even better in person! A whole donut, ice cream cone, and marshmallow. Yum. The whole meal was yummy, actually. I really like the Plaza.

While I was at lunch, I was on the app and found myself a fastpass for Seven Dwarves for 12:30. Yay! I finished up my lunch and walked over to Fantasyland. The fastpass line was a little backed up, but not too horribly bad.

And again, the benefits of long fastpass lines is time to pound the app and find more fastpasses! I've decided going solo is the only way to go, cause I found ANOTHER fastpass for Seven Dwarves! A few more minutes of modifying it and I was able to get it for use at 1:15. Huzzah! Basically, a combination of low crowds + single rider = good fastpasses.

Ride #1 down.

With my next fastpass, I came back around for another trip to the mine.

I love the face of the little girl in front of me. Ride #2 down!

After that, I was starting to flag a bit, so I decided to head to my favorite resting spot in the Magic Kingdom: Tom Sawyer Island and the rocking chairs. No one was there when I arrived, thankfully, so I plopped myself down in the rocking chair and took a little catnap.

After about half an hour, I got to see the parade go by. Not the best vantage point, but if you've already seen it, definitely decent!

After the parade I went back to sleep for a bit. Such a nice napping spot, though definitely a bit hot. But good enough--I slept until about 3:15 or so. Once I woke up, I was working the app again, and got myself another Seven Dwarves fastpass for 4:45 pm. Single rider is the way to go people!

I played some more Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom in the meantime, finally making my way through the hub. I spotted a theme park duck taking advantage of the waterfall--he had the right idea.

While I couldn't hop in the water, I did take his cue to cool down, stopping at the Cheshire Cafe to get the "Wonderland Slushy" - Raspberry Lemonade with Grape and a Candy-coated Straw. It was delicious! I sat down in the shade by the Tea Cups to drink it. (also, as I write this, its 33 degrees and raining...the heat obvious in these pictures seems so wonderful! even though it was a little bit miserable at the time).

There was a father and daughter on the teacups waving to Mom every time they came by, but the mom was sitting next to me and missed it every time (I can't remember if she was attending to the baby in the stroller or on her phone or was just distracted). I thought it was hilarious, so I started waving back at them since the mom wasn't. Oh the things that amuse me.

After my drink, I played a round of Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom in Fantasyland, until it was about time for the Seven Dwarves fastpass I found while I was on Tom Sawyer Island. They put me in the front row, so I decided to try my hand at a POV video for Trevor. Didn't turn out too bad, if I do say so myself!

I do like how you can see me with my phone on the ride photo. (ride #3)

I'm sure you can imagine what happened next...I dove back into the app to see if my pattern would continue and I could snag another Seven Dwarves fastpass. And it did! I got one for use right away. I was really excited! This time I got the back row.

(ride #4)

After this I had a run of amazing luck--I guess people were bailing on their fastpasses because it was so hot? And the benefits of being a single rider? Essentially, I kept my nose in the app as soon as I got off the ride and was able to keep finding Seven Dwarves fastpasses for pretty much immediate use. I couldn't believe it--I'm thoroughly spoiled now, but it was a really fun afternoon of Seven Dwarves rides.

I tried "sleeping" in the first ride photo. It kind of worked. (Ride #5).

This is my "I can't believe I'm heading in for ride #6" face. Also, this is how backed up the fastpass line was, so I had time in line to refresh the app looking for my next ride.

Yea, definitely a little punchy at this point.

I did the "tea party" pose for the first photo this time. Ride #6.

Such a pretty ride!

Yea, at this point it was about 5:30. I decided I should probably stop being greedy and go do something else. You'll have to tune in to the next post to see what I do!

 

[Araminta18]

That is a very full day! You had wonderful Fastpass luck at MK - so many wonderful rides!

I really enjoyed my lunch at BOG and look forward to it on my upcoming trip. (I'm still a bit bitter about them changing the dinner, but I can't say I'm surprised.)

You topped off your already great day well with your visit to Epcot. It's a bummer you had such a long wait in the TT Fastpass line, but I'm glad you were able to catch some of Illuminations! Plus, being right next to FEA was great!

Les Halles is always delicious - your meal looks great. I'm with you on Epcot (especially World Showcase) at night - it's just beautiful!

The fastpass luck continued the next day--I've decided being a single rider is reason enough to do a solo trip!

Glad to find another BOG fan! I love it, though definitely more the ambiance than the food. I hope its wonderful on your upcoming trip!

Me too, especially now that Illuminations is gone. And yes, getting on FEA so quickly definitely made up for it a bit.

Les Halles is delicious--I can't believe I haven't been there before. But I think I'll plan all my Epcot time at night in the future--I just like it so much better than the oven it feels like during the day.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Wow, I bow to your Fastpass-aquiring abilities! That is so many rides on 7DMT!

That milkshake is CRAZY! It looks absolutely delicious but also absolutely HUGE! I do like the Plaza... it's such a small restaurant, but it hardly feels like you're in the middle of Magic Kingdom. The food is pretty tasty, too!

I look forward to seeing what you decided to do next!

 

[DisneySweetTooth]

Did you find the hard level of Sorcerer’s more fun? Or is it frustrating? I like the sound of not all cards “winning” all the time.

That Chocolate Extreme Shake looks awesome! Am definitely going to have to try one of those if I get the chance.

I headed over to Liberty Square and ended up running into what is my favorite show in all of the Magic Kingdom and I'm still in deep mourning that it's no longer around: Muppets Present...Great Moments in History!

(But only the American parts!)

So sad it's gone. I hope they bring it back: cutting all the entertainment is a bad move in my opinion. Those shows, the streetmosphere in Hollywood Studios, those are some of the reasons we come to Disney and pay the insane prices. Take this stuff away, and it's just...doesn't feel as worth it. Maybe it will come back in the future...a gal can dream!

Totally agree! I loved Great Moments in History. The entertainment in general adds so much to your experience of the park.

 

[Araminta18]

Wednesday, August 21, 2019 (part 2):
Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom​

What does one do after riding Seven Dwarves multiple times when it's hot? Dole Whip! I really wanted the raspberry dole whip, so off I headed to Adventureland and Aloha Isle.

Raspberry is my favorite favorite flavor, so I'll be honest, I may like this a little bit better than the original...don't hate me! It was delicious. Though, maybe the dole whip float is slightly better...hmmm...may have to do a taste test comparison next time. There was a bit of a line, but it wasn't too bad. And I enjoyed taking the time to sit down (and refresh the app looking for more fastpasses. I got a Splash Mountain one for about half an hour in the future, which I snagged 'cause it was hot.

Afterwards, I went back to my quest to save the Magic Kingdom! It helped that that round was in Adventureland. No, that didn't influence my choice of snack at all... . Once I'd defeated the villain, it was time to take a refreshing trip to Splash Mountain!

I really love these ears.

Such a great picture, right?

There was a pretty good backup of logs waiting to get off Splash Mountain, so I pulled up the app again and started to refresh. An immediate use fastpass for Big Thunder Mountain popped up, so I figured I should definitely continue my mountain rides!

Oosh, look at that line! The park really didn't seem that crowded, and obviously there was good fastpass availability (at least for a single rider), but *shrugs*. I really like Big Thunder, but they didn't seem to have all the effects going. I'm looking forward to riding Big Thunder at Disneyland, since apparently their version has way better effects.

After Big Thunder, I headed to Fantasyland to continue saving the kingdom. Fantasyland is my favorite land to play Sorcerers in because all the portals are so close together! As opposed to Liberty Square or Adventureland where you're traipsing up and down the whole length of the land. Too bad there are only two villains in Fantasyland and 3 in both Liberty Square and Adventureland. Oh well.

By that point it was a bit after 7, and I was hungry! I decided to go back to Pecos Bills, since I enjoyed the kids meal I'd had there the other day, and that topping bar is awesome. But I was foolish this time and was enticed by the fajitas. Foolish foolish mortal--I was expecting actual fajita steak slices (though I don't know why, it's obviously a quick service), but it was just just really dry shredded chicken and pork. I sprung for the guacamole and loaded up on the toppings bar. Not as good as my nachos the other day, but decent.

After dinner, back to saving the Magic Kingdom! Up and down Adventureland and Liberty Square/Frontierland I went. My goal was to finish before the fireworks, cause I really really wanted to see Happily Ever After and after the show the firehouse was closed, which is where you're supposed to go when you beat the whole game.

Well, I did beat it, but not until after the fireworks. Darn! And I didn't take any fireworks pictures, apparently. I guess I was deciding to be "in the moment". I went to Fantasyland to watch them since I so loved watching it there in February with my Mom. It was still fun, but not as fun as it was last time with my Mom. Aww I do love Happily Ever After though in general--Hercules, Hunchback, Tarzan...all my childhood feels! Gotta love being the target demographic.

So after the fireworks I rushed back and finished the last portal or two, and beat the game. As a novice, which means...I didn't do well. At all. I don't think I ever successfully figured out a villain's weakness to beat him--it took me the full two (or was it three? Can't remember) tries to beat each and every villain. I thought I figured out Jafar's weakness when I was playing him, but I guess I didn't. Essentially, I like the concept of the harder game, but it's a bit too hard for someone who isn't local and can't come all the time and get really familiar with the game. I mean, I'd played it for hours this trip and still wasn't familiar enough with the effects of each card/power in order to tell which was the weakness of each villain, etc. So it did end up being a slog for the last few villains, since I felt like I just couldn't figure it out, so was using random cards and hoping. And getting it wrong. Oh well. Still fun overall though.

So, besides wanting to see Happily Ever After, I also went to Magic Kingdom for the Extra Magic Hours! When I beat Sorcerers it was about 9:30, so I decided to head to Jungle Cruise. I feel like sometimes they close Jungle Cruise for Extra Magic Hours and I wanted to make sure I rode it. Apparently I was not the only one with this idea.

It was about a half hour standby wait. Probably the longest wait all trip...I'm so spoiled.

Still worth it though! Jungle Cruise at night is really fun in my opinion.

None of my other pictures turned out though. Oops!

After Jungle Cruise, Extra Magic Hours had officially started, so I decided to head over to Tomorrowland, which had been sadly neglected by me after my first morning ride on Space Mountain. Where did I end up stopping?

I was going to stay for more than one show, but it ended up being more full than I thought, so I only stayed for one. Oh well. I was going to say it's a hidden gem but I guess not all that hidden! And probably only a gem if you like dad jokes, which I totally do.

However, next up was the peoplemover, which is an acceptable substitute for a second round at the Laugh Floor.

There were more lines than I thought/wanted for the headliner rides, so I ended up riding all the kiddie rides with no waits. It was really fun, actually, since I didn't want to waste a fastpass/time during the day, and they're prettier at night anyways. Like Dumbo!

And Barnstormer...

And Little Mermaid! This ride isn't affected by nighttime, but the queue theming does look gorgeous at night.

After Little Mermaid it was a little past 11:30. The park closed at midnight, and I didn't really have anything else I wanted to ride, so I just amused myself by taking pictures and enjoying the Magic Kingdom at night. So pretty!!

Too bad this one got a bit washed out.

I may have gone a little nuts with pictures. A little.

The bus took a little bit, so I didn't get back to the room until about 1 am. And according to my alarm clock, I didn't go to bed until just before 2 am. Late night! Still worth it. Especially since it was my last full day. But since I didn't fly out until the afternoon, at least I had one last morning!

Fun with Metrics:
Steps walked: 25,440 (10.8 miles)
Ride count: 16 (Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarves x6, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, Peoplemover, Dumbo, Barnstormer, Little Mermaid)

Up Next: Home! Or is it....

 

[Araminta18]

Wow, I bow to your Fastpass-aquiring abilities! That is so many rides on 7DMT!

That milkshake is CRAZY! It looks absolutely delicious but also absolutely HUGE! I do like the Plaza... it's such a small restaurant, but it hardly feels like you're in the middle of Magic Kingdom. The food is pretty tasty, too!

I look forward to seeing what you decided to do next!

It was absolutely delicious! I didn't eat the whole donut though. Or the ice cream cone (well, I ate the ice cream, just not the cone). I totally agree! Doesn't feel like you're in the Magic Kingdom, but rather in a fancy restaurant in the middle of Main Street. Yum.

Did you find the hard level of Sorcerer’s more fun? Or is it frustrating? I like the sound of not all cards “winning” all the time.

That Chocolate Extreme Shake looks awesome! Am definitely going to have to try one of those if I get the chance.

Totally agree! I loved Great Moments in History. The entertainment in general adds so much to your experience of the park.

So, I thought it was more fun at first. But I wasn't ever able to actually figure out a villain's weakness, so I ended up having to take all two or three tries each time. By the time I got to the 8th or 9th villain, it felt like a bit of a slog. I feel like the only way to really do the hard level is to be local and play a lot, so you're familiar with what each attack type looks like and be able to figure out what the weakness is for each villain that time. Otherwise, it's just guesswork, and I don't think I ever guessed right. I think I'd almost like a level in between medium and hard. Or maybe I should have spent more time on the medium level?

Do it! Apparently The Plaza has different extreme milkshakes each month. And I think Beaches and Cream has their own kind of crazy milkshakes too. Messy, but I admit I love the trend of over the top milkshakes.

I did read that Great Moments in History is coming back for Christmas, so at least it's not gone forever and for good! Maybe they'll bring it back more often.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Mmmm, a raspberry dole whip?! That sounds wonderful!

And the Fastpass luck continues! Rides on both Frontierland mountains sounds fantastic.

It's a bummer your dinner wasn't the best, but your late evening with fireworks, more attractions, and many pictures sounds delightful. I also tend to ride Dumbo and the Barnstormer during evening EMH - the lines are shorter (or non-existant) and the rides are definitely so pretty!

You had a very late night, but certainly made the most of your day!