My 50th Birthday Solo Trip Blow-Out (Sept 2-13, 2017)

The next time I go to Disney I have to try the drinks more, didn't even realize they had some many drink options. Yum!


Saturday, September 2nd
I woke up early that morning of departure, eager to go! I'd already packed all but what I needed that morning, so I quickly emptied the dish washer, cleaned the cat pans one last time, set up their dry food feeder and cleaned their water fountain, set out cans of cat food and additional dishes for the pet-sitter, took out the garbage, and then finally showered. While dressing, I put on my shiny new bright green Magicband because why not?! (It rarely left my wrist for the next 12 days.) I'd allowed myself enough time to have a simple breakfast before calling for a taxi because I knew I wouldn't have time for a proper meal until early evening at the soonest--and I was glad I did.

I arrived at Reagan National in DC and checked in without incident, but we were about 10 minutes late in boarding my Southwest flight. The flight down to Atlanta was uneventful. I was a little concerned about my 30-minute window for my connection since I'd never been to that airport before and had heard stories--I'm used to dealing with O'Hare and having to transfer wings because of the stupid logistics whenever flying home to central Wisconsin. But since I was sticking with Southwest for both legs, the gates were close to one another, which was a good thing because as our plane came to a stop at the boarding dock, they couldn't get it to latch on properly to the plane. We sat there for a good 15 minutes before they finally gave up, asked everyone to stow away their carryons again and sit back down while they backed up the plane and moved to another gate. Feeling a little panicked, I flagged down one of the flight attendants to let her know that I had a connection in less than 30 minutes--she got my connecting gate/flight numbers and said she'd notify the pilot about it. Then she came back a minute later and told me my next gate was only two away and that their flight hadn't started boarding yet so I still had a little time. They finally succeeded and we were able to deplane. I had just enough time to hit the restroom before getting on onboard. Unfortunately, that leg was extremely rough and bumpy, to the point that they canceled the drinks and the flight attendants rode it out strapped to their seats. By the time I arrived in Orlando, it was after 3pm and I was already feeling a bit beat up.

One of the best perks from staying at a Disney resort is their Disney Magical Express (DME) service. It provides a special luggage tag and airport sticker that directs your luggage straight from the plane to the DME buses, meaning I never had to reclaim my bag--I could go straight to the DME service desk and board the appropriate bus that would take me to my resort, where my bag would arrive and be delivered to my room later without my needing to wait for it.

I stepped outside the airport toward my designated bus and was nearly bowled over by the virtually solid wall of humidity that hit me! Ugh! The reality of doing a Disney trip over Labor Day weekend sank in as I realized this is what I'd have to deal with for the next 9 days. I was grateful to get on the bus, which was comfortable and blessedly cool. They played Disney orientation videos and the occasional classic Mickey cartoon on the way to WDW. Unfortunately it was right around rush hour and the traffic reaching WDW was quite heavy at times, with periods where the lights changed but we didn't move. When we finally reached WDW, my bus first stopped at the Old Key West and Port Orleans: Riverside resorts before we finally arrived at Port Orleans: French Quarter. I actually liked the opportunity to see the Old Key West resort--it was very lovely and relaxed.

Once I got off the bus, I decided to stop at the Front Desk anyway, even though I didn't need to technically check in since that was handled via the My Disney app by my agent earlier that day. I wanted to get a map of the resort, I had some questions, and I wanted to ask for one of the Birthday pins I'd been told I should get. The cast member was friendly, helpful, and personalized the pin for me. :)
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I headed off to find my room. PO:FQ is what's called a Moderate Resort (meaning moderately priced), and all the rooms face the outside, akin to a motel. I had decided while booking the resort that I didn't want to pay extra for an upgrade (most resorts have tiered prices depending on where the room is located and what it faces). With the PO:FQ you have the choice of water, pool, garden, or standard (no "glamorous" views). I went with Standard. The next step up (garden view) was around $20 a night more and since it was only me and I'd probably rarely be there during the day to know the difference, I didn't feel it was worth it. I quickly discovered that the resort is so small (the smallest in all of Disney) that the differences in views were almost nonexistant--all I had to do was walk to the end of my floor and I would view the garden, and there was enough lush foliage that I couldn't see the parking lot from my room anyway. I was placed in Building 3, on the third and top floor in Room 3339. As it turned out, my building was right next to the main lobby/shop/restaurant building, so I actually had better placement convenience-wise, IMO, than those who'd paid more. Here's the view from outside my door.
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Here's my room. The decorations were simple and functional, which I appreciated. Although I was alone, I liked how the toilet and shower/bath had their own solid door, but the mirrors and sinks had the additional curtain you could draw to not disturb fellow guests. I did NOT like the choice of white coverlets on the beds. While I'm sure that's easier for cleaning, I found it offputting because they always looked unmade to me. They also made me self-conscious about staining it, and it kept reminding me of hospital beds. :crazy2:
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My main bag had not arrived yet from DME, so I quickly unpacked my carryon bags, freshened up, then headed out to wander around and familiarize myself with the rest of the resort. I was gratified to find that the resort lived up to my expectations for delivering a well-shaded, relaxed, quiet, and intimate feel that would act as an oasis from the parks. The day I took these pics it was overcast so they don't do the beauty of the place justice. It was lovely and I'd absolutely stay there again (best ratio of convenience to value in all of Disney, from what I saw on my trip). Of all the Moderate and Luxury resorts, this one had probably the least elaborate or themed pools, so I didn't think to take pictures--sorry.
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I then walked over to the boat dock with the intention of enjoying the leisurely ride over to Disney Springs (while it's within the WDW grounds and features some of the same perks, like using the MagicBands to charge to your room, same level of customer service, and and open and family-friendly environment, it is a functioning public mall with all sorts of non-Disney shops and restaurants, etc.). However, it was raining on and off and so the boats weren't running. I then headed over to the one and only bus stop at our resort (all the other much larger resorts have multiple stops) to catch a bus to DS. I'll say that in my entire stay, this was the only time I had to stand because all the seats were taken.

It took about 20 minutes to reach DS from PO:FQ (lots of stoplights and traffic). My first impression was that it was a very confusing maze with no logical layout, made even more confusing by the fact that it was dusk when I arrived. I was trying to hold an umbrella with one hand, a confusing map with just numbers (all the accompanying names were inside the crease on the other side) all while navigating through the heavy Saturday night/Labor Day crowd. While I had done a little studying of the map while at home, I'd done it from the orientation point of the boat dock--but the bus stop threw me off because I wasn't sure where I was in relation to things and it took me a while to get a clue where I was or where I was heading. It's also confusing because most all of the stores have multiple wide-open entrances without doors, so it's easy to forget which side you entered from or what direction you're heading when you leave.

All I knew was that that my blood-sugar levels had to be rock-bottom by that point because I hadn't eaten anything since the peanuts on my first leg of the flight in, and a PB&J sandwich for breakfast. I had one destination in mind by that point--I wanted to find Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar! I'd read about it, friends told me it was great, and I'm a huge Indiana Jones fan, so it was a MUST DO stop. It felt like forever by the time I finally found it. I shook off my umbrella and stepped up to the door. The group of cast members at the door greeted me with big Happy Birthdays because of my button. I told them I was just relieved to have finally found the place. One of them told me to follow her and she led me into the back and proceeded to introduce me to every single bartender in the place because she wanted them to know it was my special day and she wanted me to know each by name! :thumbsup2

My impressions of Jock Lindsey's Hanger Bar? I LOVED it. The decor was rich with details and in-jokes and an exotic collection of 1940s-era memorabilia that you would expect to find in an Indy movie, etc. The cast members were a hoot--friendly and funny and clearly enjoying themselves while still being super helpful and efficient.
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I tried a couple of crazy drinks including Reggie's Revenge, the toxic green brew in the bubbling decanter (Florida Cane 'Orlando Orange' Vodka, Midori Melon Liqueur, White Cranberry Juice, and fresh Lime Juice). I also tried the Mac's Pork Belly Sliders (crisped Pork Belly Slider with Braised Red Cabbage, Swiss, and House-made Russian Dressing served on a Butter-brushed Baguette) which were tasty and just what I needed.
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While sitting at the bar (the place was packed) I struck up numerous conversations with fellow customers as they came and went, as well as the two bartenders serving me. At one point I asked if someone could take my picture, and as she did so, the bartender photobombed me and handed me a pair of pewter "Wings"--my first magical moment!
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The next drink I ordered had to be the one in the monkey head because reasons. It was okay but I'll admit I liked Reggie's Revenge more.
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At one point another cast member entered the bar and suddenly the other cast members and a number of the customers started cheering, as if he was some minor celebrity. I was a little nonplussed as I watched my bartender walk over to him, say something and then point at me! He came over and introduced himself (sadly I can't recall his name and I can't read his nametag in the pic). He was wonderful, enthusiastic, and said he wanted to make my birthday vacation very special.
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He asked me if I knew what gris-gris is. I said that I'd heard the term before and thought it had something to do with Voodoo. He explained that yet, it came from that origin and how there were different types and how he was going to help me create my own piece of gris-gris for good luck. He handed me a penny and asked me to mark my initials on one side and to draw some sort of symbol on the other side. I drew the Mickey ears. Then he had me hold the penny in my palm and close my hand tight, then start to imagine it getting softer, like something was melting. After a minute, he had me open my hand and the penny had bent! ::yes::
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Later I was talking with a young couple that settled next to me, and we had a long and entertaining conversation, and they bought me a drink! I didn't want to abuse their generosity by ordering one of the expensive novelty drinks, so I just got a Hanger Lime vodka with soda. :thumbsup2

After probably a good two hours, I figured I should finally leave and wander a bit before heading back to the resort. It had stopped raining by then, so I explored several of the Disney-related shops looking for cool souvenirs and shirts I might want later. I found a couple of things, and just enjoyed walking around and soaking in the night life while feeling perfectly safe.
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There was a live concert on one dock, and next to the Dockside Margarita stand there was a single guitarist playing Santana-style music. He was fantastic so I decided to have one last drink for the night, ordering the Sunset Margarita (Don Julio Reposado Tequila, Cointreau, fresh Lime Juice, Sweet-and-Sour and Orange Juice), which was fantastic and became in my instant go-to whenever I wanted a drink for the boat trip home.
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After a couple of false starts, I finally figured out how to reach the boatlanding that would take me back to my resort (it's out of the way and a bit of a walk from the shops). The view along that boatride at night was lovely, calm, quiet, and relaxing. There's no question, if I have a choice between a bus or a boat, I'm going with the boat!

It took about 20 minutes to reach my resort, and my luggage was waiting for me in my room when I got there. I finished unpacking, organizing my room, and basically making myself at home.

My first overall impressions after that first evening? Excellent service everywhere I went, cast members from all strokes and levels wishing me a happy birthday (and even a lot of fellow guests), a clean and safe environment, and just lovely landscaping and decorating everywhere. I didn't have a single moments' doubt that I'd made the right decision in coming to Disney World for my first destination vacation in over 15 years. I was looking forward to my first full day at Disney!
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Saturday, September 2nd
I woke up early that morning of departure, eager to go! I'd already packed all but what I needed that morning, so I quickly emptied the dish washer, cleaned the cat pans one last time, set up their dry food feeder and cleaned their water fountain, set out cans of cat food and additional dishes for the pet-sitter, took out the garbage, and then finally showered. While dressing, I put on my shiny new bright green Magicband because why not?! (It rarely left my wrist for the next 12 days.) I'd allowed myself enough time to have a simple breakfast before calling for a taxi because I knew I wouldn't have time for a proper meal until early evening at the soonest--and I was glad I did.

I arrived at Reagan National in DC and checked in without incident, but we were about 10 minutes late in boarding my Southwest flight. The flight down to Atlanta was uneventful. I was a little concerned about my 30-minute window for my connection since I'd never been to that airport before and had heard stories--I'm used to dealing with O'Hare and having to transfer wings because of the stupid logistics whenever flying home to central Wisconsin. But since I was sticking with Southwest for both legs, the gates were close to one another, which was a good thing because as our plane came to a stop at the boarding dock, they couldn't get it to latch on properly to the plane. We sat there for a good 15 minutes before they finally gave up, asked everyone to stow away their carryons again and sit back down while they backed up the plane and moved to another gate. Feeling a little panicked, I flagged down one of the flight attendants to let her know that I had a connection in less than 30 minutes--she got my connecting gate/flight numbers and said she'd notify the pilot about it. Then she came back a minute later and told me my next gate was only two away and that their flight hadn't started boarding yet so I still had a little time. They finally succeeded and we were able to deplane. I had just enough time to hit the restroom before getting on onboard. Unfortunately, that leg was extremely rough and bumpy, to the point that they canceled the drinks and the flight attendants rode it out strapped to their seats. By the time I arrived in Orlando, it was after 3pm and I was already feeling a bit beat up.

One of the best perks from staying at a Disney resort is their Disney Magical Express (DME) service. It provides a special luggage tag and airport sticker that directs your luggage straight from the plane to the DME buses, meaning I never had to reclaim my bag--I could go straight to the DME service desk and board the appropriate bus that would take me to my resort, where my bag would arrive and be delivered to my room later without my needing to wait for it.

I stepped outside the airport toward my designated bus and was nearly bowled over by the virtually solid wall of humidity that hit me! Ugh! The reality of doing a Disney trip over Labor Day weekend sank in as I realized this is what I'd have to deal with for the next 9 days. I was grateful to get on the bus, which was comfortable and blessedly cool. They played Disney orientation videos and the occasional classic Mickey cartoon on the way to WDW. Unfortunately it was right around rush hour and the traffic reaching WDW was quite heavy at times, with periods where the lights changed but we didn't move. When we finally reached WDW, my bus first stopped at the Old Key West and Port Orleans: Riverside resorts before we finally arrived at Port Orleans: French Quarter. I actually liked the opportunity to see the Old Key West resort--it was very lovely and relaxed.

Once I got off the bus, I decided to stop at the Front Desk anyway, even though I didn't need to technically check in since that was handled via the My Disney app by my agent earlier that day. I wanted to get a map of the resort, I had some questions, and I wanted to ask for one of the Birthday pins I'd been told I should get. The cast member was friendly, helpful, and personalized the pin for me. :)
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I headed off to find my room. PO:FQ is what's called a Moderate Resort (meaning moderately priced), and all the rooms face the outside, akin to a motel. I had decided while booking the resort that I didn't want to pay extra for an upgrade (most resorts have tiered prices depending on where the room is located and what it faces). With the PO:FQ you have the choice of water, pool, garden, or standard (no "glamorous" views). I went with Standard. The next step up (garden view) was around $20 a night more and since it was only me and I'd probably rarely be there during the day to know the difference, I didn't feel it was worth it. I quickly discovered that the resort is so small (the smallest in all of Disney) that the differences in views were almost nonexistant--all I had to do was walk to the end of my floor and I would view the garden, and there was enough lush foliage that I couldn't see the parking lot from my room anyway. I was placed in Building 3, on the third and top floor in Room 3339. As it turned out, my building was right next to the main lobby/shop/restaurant building, so I actually had better placement convenience-wise, IMO, than those who'd paid more. Here's the view from outside my door.
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Here's my room. The decorations were simple and functional, which I appreciated. Although I was alone, I liked how the toilet and shower/bath had their own solid door, but the mirrors and sinks had the additional curtain you could draw to not disturb fellow guests. I did NOT like the choice of white coverlets on the beds. While I'm sure that's easier for cleaning, I found it offputting because they always looked unmade to me. They also made me self-conscious about staining it, and it kept reminding me of hospital beds. :crazy2:
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My main bag had not arrived yet from DME, so I quickly unpacked my carryon bags, freshened up, then headed out to wander around and familiarize myself with the rest of the resort. I was gratified to find that the resort lived up to my expectations for delivering a well-shaded, relaxed, quiet, and intimate feel that would act as an oasis from the parks. The day I took these pics it was overcast so they don't do the beauty of the place justice. It was lovely and I'd absolutely stay there again (best ratio of convenience to value in all of Disney, from what I saw on my trip). Of all the Moderate and Luxury resorts, this one had probably the least elaborate or themed pools, so I didn't think to take pictures--sorry.
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I then walked over to the boat dock with the intention of enjoying the leisurely ride over to Disney Springs (while it's within the WDW grounds and features some of the same perks, like using the MagicBands to charge to your room, same level of customer service, and and open and family-friendly environment, it is a functioning public mall with all sorts of non-Disney shops and restaurants, etc.). However, it was raining on and off and so the boats weren't running. I then headed over to the one and only bus stop at our resort (all the other much larger resorts have multiple stops) to catch a bus to DS. I'll say that in my entire stay, this was the only time I had to stand because all the seats were taken.

It took about 20 minutes to reach DS from PO:FQ (lots of stoplights and traffic). My first impression was that it was a very confusing maze with no logical layout, made even more confusing by the fact that it was dusk when I arrived. I was trying to hold an umbrella with one hand, a confusing map with just numbers (all the accompanying names were inside the crease on the other side) all while navigating through the heavy Saturday night/Labor Day crowd. While I had done a little studying of the map while at home, I'd done it from the orientation point of the boat dock--but the bus stop threw me off because I wasn't sure where I was in relation to things and it took me a while to get a clue where I was or where I was heading. It's also confusing because most all of the stores have multiple wide-open entrances without doors, so it's easy to forget which side you entered from or what direction you're heading when you leave.

All I knew was that that my blood-sugar levels had to be rock-bottom by that point because I hadn't eaten anything since the peanuts on my first leg of the flight in, and a PB&J sandwich for breakfast. I had one destination in mind by that point--I wanted to find Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar! I'd read about it, friends told me it was great, and I'm a huge Indiana Jones fan, so it was a MUST DO stop. It felt like forever by the time I finally found it. I shook off my umbrella and stepped up to the door. The group of cast members at the door greeted me with big Happy Birthdays because of my button. I told them I was just relieved to have finally found the place. One of them told me to follow her and she led me into the back and proceeded to introduce me to every single bartender in the place because she wanted them to know it was my special day and she wanted me to know each by name! :thumbsup2

My impressions of Jock Lindsey's Hanger Bar? I LOVED it. The decor was rich with details and in-jokes and an exotic collection of 1940s-era memorabilia that you would expect to find in an Indy movie, etc. The cast members were a hoot--friendly and funny and clearly enjoying themselves while still being super helpful and efficient.
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I tried a couple of crazy drinks including Reggie's Revenge, the toxic green brew in the bubbling decanter (Florida Cane 'Orlando Orange' Vodka, Midori Melon Liqueur, White Cranberry Juice, and fresh Lime Juice). I also tried the Mac's Pork Belly Sliders (crisped Pork Belly Slider with Braised Red Cabbage, Swiss, and House-made Russian Dressing served on a Butter-brushed Baguette) which were tasty and just what I needed.
full


While sitting at the bar (the place was packed) I struck up numerous conversations with fellow customers as they came and went, as well as the two bartenders serving me. At one point I asked if someone could take my picture, and as she did so, the bartender photobombed me and handed me a pair of pewter "Wings"--my first magical moment!
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The next drink I ordered had to be the one in the monkey head because reasons. It was okay but I'll admit I liked Reggie's Revenge more.
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At one point another cast member entered the bar and suddenly the other cast members and a number of the customers started cheering, as if he was some minor celebrity. I was a little nonplussed as I watched my bartender walk over to him, say something and then point at me! He came over and introduced himself (sadly I can't recall his name and I can't read his nametag in the pic). He was wonderful, enthusiastic, and said he wanted to make my birthday vacation very special.
full


He asked me if I knew what gris-gris is. I said that I'd heard the term before and thought it had something to do with Voodoo. He explained that yet, it came from that origin and how there were different types and how he was going to help me create my own piece of gris-gris for good luck. He handed me a penny and asked me to mark my initials on one side and to draw some sort of symbol on the other side. I drew the Mickey ears. Then he had me hold the penny in my palm and close my hand tight, then start to imagine it getting softer, like something was melting. After a minute, he had me open my hand and the penny had bent! ::yes::
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Later I was talking with a young couple that settled next to me, and we had a long and entertaining conversation, and they bought me a drink! I didn't want to abuse their generosity by ordering one of the expensive novelty drinks, so I just got a Hanger Lime vodka with soda. :thumbsup2

After probably a good two hours, I figured I should finally leave and wander a bit before heading back to the resort. It had stopped raining by then, so I explored several of the Disney-related shops looking for cool souvenirs and shirts I might want later. I found a couple of things, and just enjoyed walking around and soaking in the night life while feeling perfectly safe.
full


There was a live concert on one dock, and next to the Dockside Margarita stand there was a single guitarist playing Santana-style music. He was fantastic so I decided to have one last drink for the night, ordering the Sunset Margarita (Don Julio Reposado Tequila, Cointreau, fresh Lime Juice, Sweet-and-Sour and Orange Juice), which was fantastic and became in my instant go-to whenever I wanted a drink for the boat trip home.
full


After a couple of false starts, I finally figured out how to reach the boatlanding that would take me back to my resort (it's out of the way and a bit of a walk from the shops). The view along that boatride at night was lovely, calm, quiet, and relaxing. There's no question, if I have a choice between a bus or a boat, I'm going with the boat!

It took about 20 minutes to reach my resort, and my luggage was waiting for me in my room when I got there. I finished unpacking, organizing my room, and basically making myself at home.

My first overall impressions after that first evening? Excellent service everywhere I went, cast members from all strokes and levels wishing me a happy birthday (and even a lot of fellow guests), a clean and safe environment, and just lovely landscaping and decorating everywhere. I didn't have a single moments' doubt that I'd made the right decision in coming to Disney World for my first destination vacation in over 15 years. I was looking forward to my first full day at Disney!
 
Tuesday, September 5th
My agenda for Tuesday was tackling Animal Kingdom, the first new-to-me park at Disney World. I'd heard so many mixed messages from friends about this place, but I was going with high expectations because I love zoos and animals in general and don't find them boring. And I'll say right now that Animal Kingdom exceeded my expectations and jumped to the top of my favorite parks. I could easily spend two days there (and nearly did), and I STILL missed a lot.

For this day I had a Fastpass for the Na'vi River ride, but was unable to score one for Flight of Passage. This meant that my best hope for riding FoP without spending half the day in line was to make a dash for it at rope-drop and then just wait it out.

I arrived via bus just as they were opening up the main park gates. Security moves pretty quickly but already there were people running for what I assumed was the Pandora portion of the park, and I was right. But it was too hot and humid, I didn't know the park well enough, and darn it all, I refuse to run at Disney World! I followed in their footsteps, though, and paused only long enough for some initial photos in front of the Tree of Life (more on that later).
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Okay, I can't really tell this story without providing a map as reference--if for no other reason than to show the scale of what I'm about to describe...
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After passing through the entrance and onto Discover Island, I swung a left at the Tree of Life and headed toward Pandora land, only to be faced with a literal wall of humanity that was gathering in the road before the bridge and was already backed up to Tiffins (#12 on the map). This was the first time I learned that although the main gates opened at one time, the "entrance" to Pandora opens at a later time--maybe to help cut down on those folks running. It was packed to tightly that you could literally feel the body heat from the people around you despite the already-ungodly mid-morning Florida humidity.

We stood like that, becoming more and more compact, for a good 30 minutes before they finally opened the bridge and allowed the crowd into the Pandora segment. My first thought was that this looked just like a herd of Wildebeest attempting to cross the Mara river. It felt just like this:

I think some folks maybe had intentions of doing the Na'vi River ride first, or they were just lost, but nearly every single other person moved in that herd, in little mincing step, onto that first right. At one point we turned right had to go through a bottleneck and across a bridge, which was fun, particularly with all the scooters navigating in the same space. Now I sort of regret not taking pictures of this experience, but at the time I was just trying to avoid colliding with others and paying attention so I didn't take a wrong turn or anything. Once we finally passed through to a wider road and the true line started to form, it was stunning and disheartening. The line snaked all the way to the African portion of the park before looping back on itself, 4-people-wide on the way out and 2-wide on the way back, with a narrow passage through the middle for anyone crazy enough to want to just pass through but mainly for those who abandoned the line and just wanted out. Fortunately most of it was partially shaded, but not all. I ended up striking up a conversation with a young couple from Ohio (their geeky jokes instantly drew me because hello, geek) and a solo traveler from Brazil; the four of us had a great time during those next 60-75 minutes which really did help to make it more tolerable because I don't know if I would have stuck with it that long otherwise. It was brutal and easily the most uncomfortable line of my vacation, the lush scenery and good company notwithstanding.

Magic Moment: At the point in the line when it turned around and headed back, there were a couple of cast member musicians there to no doubt lift spirits a little. They were good and entertaining. At one point they noticed my nodding and smiling, and they suddenly stopped and started playing "Happy Birthday" to me, which make me and those around me laugh. It's little things like that which can suddenly turn what's feeling like an endurance test into fun.
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Eventually we reached the actual entrance to the Flight of Passage attraction and the pathway began winding uphill through some of the most amazingly landscaping I've ever seen, even by Disney standards. Photos can't really capture the scale and detail and stunning lushness and yet slightly alien feel of it all. The pictures here are from a little later in the day when I passed through again and the crowds had dispersed, but I want to show just how stunning it was. My only regret was that I didn't think to go back and visit the area after dark--next time!
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Anyway, once we were entering the attraction area proper, the speed of the line suddenly picked up and we were winding our way up and finally inside where it was nice and cool. The decor turned from alien the lab scene from the film and we got to admire and speculate at all the "future tech" and weird specimens and experiments. I managed to snap this pic quick and it still makes me laugh.
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Opinion on Flight of Passage: People asked me if the wait was worth it, and I usually respond with my own question, "Is anything at Disney worth the wait?" I think one has to put it into the proper perspective before answering that question. Was I glad I stuck in that line? Yes. Would I do the exact same wait again? No, probably not--not after knowing exactly what I was going to get in return. Did I enjoy the ride? Hell, yes! Would I recommend it to others? Well, only they can answer that question based on their own curiosity, enjoyment of immersive 3D rides, and tolerance for crowds and heat. I deliberately avoided videos or detailed descriptions of what the ride was like because I wanted it to be a surprise--all I knew was that you straddled the seat like a motorcycle and that you wore 3D glasses and it feels like riding a dragon--which was all I needed to know! :cool2:

After that experience, I nearly missed my Fastpass for Na'vi River ride, but luckily they're next to one another and I made it just in time. This attraction is far more sedate (just a boat ride through the dark) and there's a real danger in this being compared next to FoP, which isn't really fair at all. I'll just say that it was interesting, but nothing spectacular. There's honestly very little actual animatronics until the very end, and even that is one character--which IMO is a bit lame by Disney standards. I don't think this one lived up to the hype. But it's worth doing once, and it's a great excuse to sit in air conditioning for a while. But don't wait more than 30 minutes if you can help it because eh!
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From here on in, aside from meals, it's very hard for me to describe blow-by-blow events of this day because the park itself is very confusing in layout and it was my first visit, so it was the closest I've ever felt to being lost at Disney! Much of it is a blur of impressions, so I'll just summarize each attraction not necessarily relative to WHEN they happened that day.

I eventually wandered into the African portion of the park. I'll admit that this quickly became one of my favorite sections because it's so rich in detail and it's where I found the live music and it felt the most authentic--like you'd really stepped off a plane and onto another continent. Harambe Villiage was full of shops and food stands and entertainment. I just would have maybe liked more quiet seating areas to take a break from the sun (maybe there were and I just didn't find them).
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Here's a rare bit of Mickey "graffiti."
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I loved this bit of "graffiti" so much it's now my Facebook page banner.
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While in the area, I had a Fastpass for a mid=afternoon Safari ride. I knew it wasn't the ideal time to see animals, in the hottest time of the day, but I did see quite a few, some much closer than others!
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I think these guys were waiting for us...
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Speaking of Wildebeest!
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A forest of giraffe.
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And a real up-close-and-personal--that's just how close we got sometimes! There's no barrier between the truck and some of the animals.
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How hot was it? It was so hot the African Wild Dogs were in the pool!
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There were also several different walking trails to see lots of other wildlife, but that day I only had time and energy to explore one of them. You could get quite close to some of them, and the landscaping, as I've said, was just lovely and appropriate.
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At one point I came across a character "meet" with Baloo and King Louise and I went to join the line, but the handler stopped me and said they were done for the day. I started to sort of beg and point to my birthday button because they were my favorite characters and movie, but she pointed to a family walking away and said, "I just turned away that three-year-old." I laughed and said, "Ohh, in that case...You're tough!"
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Since the forum has a limit on pictures per post, this seems like a good place to break. Please see the next post for a continuation of this day...
 
Tuesday, September 5th (continued)
I had a late lunch reservation at Tiffins (on Discovery Island) that I was really looking forward to, so at some point I started working my way back to that area. I arrived a little early and was dripping sweat by this point so I sat down on a bench in the shade to wait and watch people.
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I checked into my reservation right at the time when the daily afternoon rain shower passed through, so suddenly the lobby was packed with people who didn't actually have reservations, which was one of the very few times I felt a bit annoyed because they were distracting the cast members and delaying my being seated. I just let it slide off because it wasn't worth getting upset over, and even my server gave me a look and rolled her eyes a little, so it was understood.
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The first think I noticed, of course, was the absolutely stunning decor. I can't even really describe it, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
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After speaking with my server and reviewing the menu, I went with her suggestion of doing the three-course package deal that included priority seating for the River of Light show that evening (it wasn't my original intention but she sort of talked me into it). She suggested this wine to pair with my meal and it was a good choice.
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I started off things with this tasty appetizer. I've never had octopus served this way so it was on the adventurous side for me, but that's why I was there! I'm so glad I did because it was excellent--cooked just right so it wasn't too chewy, with that hint of crispiness from the grill. I cleared the plate. (Marinated Grilled Octopus with Salsify, Saffron Aïoli, and Lemon-Caper Olive Oil)
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For the main entree I decided to keep it on the light side (just too hot out to be tempted by heavier stuff) and went with the Seared Hokkaido Scallops with Green Onion Panisse, Spring Pea Textures, and Applewood-smoked Bacon Jam. This was, looking back now, probably the best meal I had in all of Disney. It was just perfect! The scallops were just right--tender with that crisp sear, the peas brightened the plate, and that bacon jam was heavenly.
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I normally don't order desserts, but since this was a package deal, I went with the lightest thing on the menu, the Sorbet Tasting of dragon fruit and passion fruit, with Kaffir Lime Syrup, Passion Fruit Curd, and crunchy Vanilla Crouton. I'd picked right! It was a perfect finish, not too sweet and the citrus was a lovely palette cleanser. I wasn't fond of the little crouton things, though. :)
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I thought I was done, but then my server came back and set this surprise on my table! I swear, I'm going to Disney World for all my birthdays from now on! :thumbsup2 This was a collection of Dark chocolate truffle with toasted coconut, a guava jelly, and a berry meringue. They were very tasty.
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Magic Moment: After the meal, as I was finishing my wine, my server returned and asked me if I knew who Joe Rohde was. I sat up in my seat and said that, as a matter of fact, I DID know who Joe Rohde was! (Thank you, DIS!) I said that he was the Disney Imagineer responsible for all of the Animal Kingdom gorgeousness, from the layout to the Tree of Life to the very decorations within Tiffins. She grinned and said that normally they only give one of these concept collector cards to guests per visit, but since I'd guessed correctly, she was giving me TWO of them! See, it pays to do your homework!
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Afterward I waddled back into the sauna bath outside. The rain had stopped and the sun was just beating down by that point and I was severely missing a hat, so I finally broke down and went shopping for something to keep my head a bit cooler. I found exactly what I was looking for, amazingly enough!
I call this picture "The hills are alive with the sound of Yeti."
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At this point I sampled yet another of the myriad margaritas available, this time the African Margarita.
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I spent very little time in "Dinoland USA." I have to say that I HATED this portion of the park, truly. IMO even Pandora feels more natural and appropriate than this eyesore does. I didn't take pictures because I felt there was nothing I wanted to capture. It was ugly and garish, like a traveling carnival you might find in a parking lot of any town on a summer weekend, right down to the cracked tar pavement. The same out-of-the-box rides, the same "games of skill" stalls, everything. It felt utterly out of place in a park that's promoting conservation and nature. I think you're getting the gist.

I did ride Dinosaur, and it'll probably come as no surprise that I felt this was the worst attraction in Disney World. It was jolting and far too dark, to the point I couldn't even see the stuff I was supposed to be scared by. You just got the sense something was supposed to be there and you were supposed to react, but nobody could see it. You got off it wondering, "That was it?" Luckily there was no line, but even the wait in the reception room wasn't worth it...well, with the exception of this pictures.
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On the other end of the spectrum, I LOVED Expedition Everest. The setting alone is stunning--depending on your angle, the design of this attraction tricks your eye and looks massive amd realistic, even when you can see the true scale next to the roller coaster track.
See what I mean? (The genius of Joe Rhode!)
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The line inside winds you through what is supposed to be a Himalayan Expedition and Yeti Museum, so it's a wonderful mix of authentic and fake artifacts, presenting everything from mountain climbing gear to fauna from the region, from cultural relics to new articles. There's tons to look at so you don't really have time to be bored. The ride itself has a story and it has a twist I've never experienced before--at one point as you're approaching the crest of a hill and expect to go flying down the other side, you realize that the tracks ahead are ripped out! Then you start to roll backward, faster and faster through banking turns before again rising upward--then you start to roll forward again all the while being "chased" by the Yeti as it tries to grab you. The minute we started rolling backward, everybody started shrieking and laughing and it never stopped after that. The ride also benefits from the newer technology of being very smooth with tight banking curves so you don't get that whiplash effect. It was instant love for me.

I don't have pictures for the following shows, but here were my impressions of them:

Finding Nemo--the Musical: I thought this was okay. I actually arrived a little late and was expecting to be turned away, but the cast member outside escorted me in anyway, so I did miss the introduction. This was a live-action musical with actors in costumes, some of them pretty ingenious to appear like the fish were swimming. Since the original Pixar film wasn't a musical, obviously all of the songs were new to me. The singing was great and it was fascinating how they portrayed some of the trickier scenes from the film. It's an excellent way to get out of the heat and off your feet, while being entertained at the same time.

Festival of the Lion King: Holy cow! This was absolutely the best live show I saw on my entire vacation. I don't believe it's anything like the actual Broadway show (haven't seen yet), but this is a lot more like if you mixed Disney with Cirque du Soleil. It's done in theater-in-the round, with the square stage in the middle and stadium seating around all for sides. While they sing many of the songs from the film, they aren't attempting to retell the movie--they're telling their own story. The choreography and staging is fanatic and grand, and immersive because they're all around you and there isn't a bad seat in the house. They filled the room and you're caught up from the moment the lights dim. And OMG, I couldn't take my eyes off the monkeys--they were hysterical! This is one of those things you just HAVE to see because pictures don't do it justice.

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Late afternoon I was ready to have something for dinner but wanted something simple (and cheap after that lunch!). I was in the area around Flame Tree BBQ. I'd heard and read so many warning about this place that I was super hesitant to go there, but then I spotted pretty much exactly what I was looking for food-wise and decided to take a change. I didn't regret it.
I got the Smoked Turkey Breast Sandwich (Smoked Turkey, Lettuce and Tomato on Multigrain Bread and topped with a House-made Cranberry Mayonnaise served with fresh Fruit). I already had the frozen strawberry margarita and this went perfect with it. It was pretty good, too. The ingredients were fresh and the portion was just right.
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The best part, though...something all those ney-sayers leave out about the Flame Tree BBQ, is the absolutely stunning seating area behind it. If you didn't look closer while walking by, you would miss this hidden treasure behind. Just look at this! I could sit back there with a drink all day and just let the world roll by.
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This was my dinning companion, Bernie.
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I ran out of time and never got a chance to visit the Nomad Lounge--next trip!
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The Tree of Life. I don't even know where to begin with this monumental work of art. The closer you get to this giant focal point for the entire park, the more the details in the "bark" begin to appear before your eyes. The ingenuity in how Joe Rohde (hello again!) worked all these animals into a comprehensive single piece boggles my mind. I'm sorry I missed the evening light show that centers on it, but it conflicted with the Rivers of Light show that I already had a ticket for. Here are some pics that barely do it justice--see just how many animals you can spot. (I have more pictures on my return day when the lighting was better that I'll post later.)
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I topped off the day with watching the Rivers of Light show on the water. I'll admit that I don't know if it was worth the package price (the meal was, but I wouldn't pay for priority seating again). I'm not sure how there would be better or worse seating since it was all happening out on the boats and fountains of water with images projected on them. There are no fireworks at this park to protect the animals, so instead they came up with this elaborately choreographed show with constantly moving lighted boats. They used high-powered sprays of water as a projection screen, so for example you could watch the digital image of a tiger leaping from spray to spray across the lake. It was cool and pretty impressive considering all the moving pieces. It was a great winding-down show to cap off a day, watching the sun set and the magical lighting of the park appear.
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The next time I go to Disney I have to try the drinks more, didn't even realize they had some many drink options. Yum!

OMG, you have no idea. I didn't even GET to most of the lounges on my list. Next time I plan to build in more relaxing time so I can do more people-watching while drinking. I did get quite a few in, though--just wait until I get to Epcot. :smooth:
 


This was the first time I learned that although the main gates opened at one time, the "entrance" to Pandora opens at a later time--maybe to help cut down on those folks running.

Huh - we got there 15 minutes after the park opened and walked right into Pandora. We weren't able to get a fp for FoP either, so we waited in line for 2 hours. It actually wasn't that bad once you got into the land itself, at least for us at the time since the land was all new to us at that point and the amazing details kept us occupied! We ended up riding it again in the evening another day and waited 45 minutes, which was better!

My only regret was that I didn't think to go back and visit the area after dark--next time!

Oh my gosh - you definitely need to go back to see it at night! It is so beautiful!!

The best part, though...something all those ney-sayers leave out about the Flame Tree BBQ, is the absolutely stunning seating area behind it. If you didn't look closer while walking by, you would miss this hidden treasure behind. Just look at this! I could sit back there with a drink all day and just let the world roll by.

We ate here also for the first time during this trip and even after our many trips to WDW, we had no idea that this amazing seating area was tucked back here. We were very impressed! I loved the photo ops of Everest across the lake too and got some great pics from there.
 


Wednesday, September 6th
I woke up to the very sad and troubling news about Hurricane Irma and its likelihood of being a serious threat. I spent a little time that morning chatting with friends, asking what they thought I should do. That was probably a mistake because I got the full range from "stick it out, safest place on earth" to "OMG, you're going to die, get out NOW even if you have to walk." Yeah, that didn't really help. I reached out to my agent for her advice and how the trip insurance I'd purchased (thank god!) would work if Irma came knocking. She was already on top of things and said that there was no word from the airlines and that it was just too soon to know yet, but if I wanted to cut things short, I could probably still get out. Just for my own piece of mind, I called Southwest myself and pretty much got the same answer--that as of right then nothing was cancelled and there were flights available for earlier on Sunday if I wanted (my flight was for 1:30 pm on Sunday). I debated and then decided to just let it ride--that bumping it up a couple of hours probably wouldn't make a difference that same day, and that it would mean being up and heading for the airport before 4 am.

So with those heavy thoughts in my head, I got ready and lined up for the bus to Epcot. The last time I'd been to WDW, Epcot was still only a couple of years old. I'll state now that I'm amazed by how much--and how little--had changed since then, and not much of it for the better.

I could already tell that it was going to be a particularly hot and humid day that day (which is saying a lot!). The bus windows were opaque from condensation, and I was effectively blind for the first 5 minutes after stepping off because of this. I knew I was in for a long slog.
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After passing through security, you can't help but be drawn to Spaceship Earth, which sits right in the middle of the main pathway that takes you to Futureworld, and from there out to the huge circle of World Showcases.
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Observation: I remember a time when Futureworld was cutting edge and cool--when there were lots to see and you could easily spend half a day or more there. That's no longer the case. Who knew that the future would look and feel like an abandoned mall from the 80s? (I'm only half-joking.) Several attractions have come and gone since I was there last, but in most cases they weren't replaced so the buildings that once housed them either sit empty or were obviously re-purposed with little care to hide the fact. A perfect example would be my experience while getting in line to do a character meet with Joy and Sadness from "Inside Out." There was very little signage outside advertising that's what was inside--I wouldn't have even noticed other than I saw some folks leaving through the sliding glass doors and I paused to investigate. Inside, it was a giant room with two sets of winding velvet ropes on either side, one to the characters I wanted to see and one for Baymax from "Big Hero 6" (I'll admit I've never seen this). That was it. Just a big bare room with lines, and the characters tucked behind simple walls so they could control the crowd a bit. It felt just like waiting for Santa at the mall (no, I take that back, that has more decoration effort). I loved my meet with them but I couldn't help but think this was a pretty sad display from the outside.
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This one seemed to perfectly capture my mood that day--sadness creeping in but determined to cling to happiness!
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There was a lot of back-and-forth going on because of Fastpasses and timing, so I'll just list the attractions in no particular order.
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Fast Track: This was the best attraction, by far, at Epcot. You walk through this long introduction where you're asked to "design" a new car using a selection of digital choices until you have it just they way you want it, then you're loaded into a "roller coaster" car that's supposed to simulate how your "car" handles through all the usual test track stunts...and then it takes you outside. You suddenly accelerate into a fast banked curve and then floor it to 70 mph! OUTSIDE! I've never been on anything like that. I joked afterward that now I knew exactly how a dog must feel when it sticks its head out the window! I really wanted to ride it again but I just had too much on my plate for that day (no pun intended). I promised myself I'd do it again on my next park visit. Many of the thrill rides at Disney have auto-cameras that snap your pic as you're going through, but for some reason this one fouled up and what appeared on my My Disney account didn't contain me. Oh well...

Mission SPACE: This ride is infamous for making people literally sick, so it's got two options--mild or vomit. Even though I've never been prone to motion sickness, because this trip meant too much to me to risk spending the rest of the day curled up in a ball, and because I just wouldn't have the day to spare if I had to cut things short, I went with the mild. It was okay, sort of a NASA training run that then simulates flying in for a landing. It was fine but nothing spectacular. Maybe the vomit version will be on my list for next time, but again I was on a tight schedule.

Spaceship Earth: You know, the big globe. I couldn't say if this has changed at all from 31 years ago because I just don't remember much about it. It's one of those conveyor belt slow rides that are both displays of animatronics and history. It's interesting but mostly you're just grateful to be in the air conditioning and off your feet. What did make me jump, though, was when I instantly recognized the voice of the narrator throughout--I'm dead certain it was Dame Judy Dench. I don't know if she was from the start, but that's definitely her voice now. Oh, and use a Fastpass on this one if you can because otherwise you'll be waiting in a long line because, as I said at the beginning, people are just drawn to the massive globe.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends: The last time I was to Epcot, this was still called "The Seas" and it was so new that they were still landscaping around it. At the time it was the biggest aquarium I'd ever seen and I was blown away by it...but by today's standards it's good but not spectacular. After all, the National Aquarium was practically in my backyard for a while. But it's still impressive size-wise and again I just enjoyed being in the A/C. I only wish there'd been placed for you to sit and just enjoy watching the fish glide by--that's an attraction I never get tired of.
And this is exactly how I used to feel when I had to clean my own 120-gallon aquarium...
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There was also a conveyor ride of "Finding Nemo" which was cute. There was also some sort of show called "Turtle Talk with Crush" but I decided to skip it at that point because I was already running behind and was getting rather hungry. I sort of regret that now.

Living with the Land: This is a conveyor belt attraction that's truly unique because it's really just a tour through Disney's modern hydroponics gardening system where they grow a lot of the ingredients used in restaurants throughout the parks, etc. It's educational and very interesting if you're into that sort of thing. I know my parents really liked this one in particular, and even I enjoyed it this time, despite having no green thumb.
From there, I decided to have a small early lunch to tide me over until I could hit the Showcase. I went to Sunshine Seasons within the same building and got just a bowl of their fresh Chicken Corn Chowder. It was very tasty and exactly what I'd needed.
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Soarin': Honestly, I heard so many people rave about this ride that I had super high expectations. Sadly, my own experience didn't live up to it. I think there's a large "nostalgia" factor at play here. I'll list three reasons why my ride wasn't very satisfactory. 1) This was the only time I ran into cast members whom I felt came off as surly and unfriendly. If they were trying to affect an attitude of "flight attendant authority," it was failing because I didn't feel like I was flying the friendly skies. 2) There was a fly on the projector lens throughout the entire ride and that was pretty difficult to ignore at times. 3) It was a HORRIBLE decision to do this through a fish-eye lens (or concave screen or however they shot/displayed this film) because it effectively meant that unless you were seated squarely in the middle of the screen, your view was warped, and in my case--seated at the far end--it was warped so badly that things looked bizarre. Elephants running with all their heads twisted, a straight building bent nearly in half, etc. It absolutely killed any sort of suspended disbelief that I was actually flying over these things when they looked so warped. My final grade was a B for concept but a D for design and result. I really don't get why folks rave about it.

Tip: If you're new to Disney World, here's the order I recommend you do these 3D rides so that you feel a progressive increase of "wow" factor. Start with Mission Space (mild), then Soarin', the Star Tours, then Flight of Passage. If you START with FoP, as I did, you will very likely find that the others are okay but not in the same league, and in some cases extremely dated.

There are several other little "attractions" in Futureworld that didn't interest me, or they were down when I approached, and by this point the World Showcase was open (it opens 2-3 hours later than Futureworld), so I Skipped them and head for Mexico!

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Since the forum has a limit on pictures per post, this seems like a good place to break. Please see the next post for a continuation of this day...
 
Wednesday, September 6th (continued)
The International Wine and Food Festival: I timed my vacation just right to catch the first full week of this event and I'm so glad I did!
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In addition to the 11 permanent national showcases (Canada, UK, France, Morocco, Japan, America, Italy, Germany, China, Norway, and Mexico), this event adds 35 (!) food-centric stands representing additional nations from around the world, plus certain themes like cheese, almonds, and beer, etc. Each stand tended to offer 3 food items (usually 2 savory and 1 sweet), and at least 3 drinks (usually alcoholic) either originated or inspired by those nations or themes. The food usually ranged $5-10 per item, and the drinks (in particular the wines) were pricey since many were served is small glasses (4oz?), so it could add up quickly if you were determined to sample everything. The heat also played a big factor, at least for me, in my choices--many items sounded great but way too heavy. For instance, the cheese soup from Canada was the last thing I wanted to try when it was over 100 degrees when you factored in humidity. The wide variety of frozen drinks, on the other hand, hit the spot every time!
Here's an example of the signs in front of each stand.
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One of the first stands I came to that featured a tempting item was The Cheese Studio. I ordered The Cheese Trio, along with their recommended pairing of Leth Steinagrund Gruner Veltliner (Profiterole topped with Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese and Orange-Apricot Jam; Smoked Salmon Pinwheel with Boursin Shallot and Chive Cheese and Everything Seasoning; Strawberry Macaron with Boursin Pepper Cheese). I thought this was fantastic, all of it--and I still talk about it because it made such an impression on me. It was a terrific start!
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From there I perused the random stands before entering the Mexico section.
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It was trying to rain at that point, but only spitting, which actually felt good in the heat. I saw Donald out at a character meet and jumped in line because you almost never see the Big Five out and about. I have to say that I LOVE this sequence of photos (so I'm sharing more than just one). The group ahead of me was a bit tedious because they kept asking for more photos made up of every possible combination of their members long past the obvious patience of Donald and his handlers. When they FINALLY left after many false alarms, we were all relieved and I think it shows. Plus, we bumped hats at some point and that started a genuine exchange of goofing around.
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Inside that grade pyramid is a sit-down restaurant, several shops, and a conveyor-style ride hosted by the Three Caballeros. I didn't eat there (I've very mixed reviews) and I didn't really feel compelled to shop for souvenirs (I'm in the process of decluttering my home), but I knew some friends would appreciate this stand.
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I did ride the ride because I only vaguely remembered it from last time, and you never pass up a chance to sit in the cool air. It was definitely influenced in feel and style by "It's a Small World," only with better music.

Next was Norway. The stand-by line for the Frozen ride was unreasonable so I skipped it that day, even with the slightly diminished crowd (post-Labor Day plus news of the pending storm). Instead I wandered through the shops and then stepped into Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe. Just check out these tempting selection!
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But I was determined to try the School Bread (Cardamom Bun filled with Vanilla Crème Custard and topped with Glazed and Toasted Coconut), something lots of people listed as one of their "Must Haves" while at the parks. IMO they're absolutely right! It's now a solid "Yes!" on my list. It was lighter than it looks, not overly sweet, and the flavors were nicely balanced.
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Next was China. The showcase is beautiful, but that film inside is exactly the same film I saw 31 years ago, and it shows. It was a bit embarrassing, really, not just in the obsolete content but in the obvious deterioration of the footage. Shameful. But ultimately these showcases are the property of the nations they represent, and their responsibility to maintain and update, so I don't blame Disney in this case.
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One stand that I found a bit sad was the food stand called "Africa." As if that's a nation. Considering how every other continent was broken up to better reflect nationalities and cultures, this example was rather insulting and I'm not even from there. Yes, Morocco is already represented, but they could easily have included a stand for Ethiopia and one for South Africa or elsewhere. Not cool, Disney.

Next around the bend was Germany. Being of German decent, I'll admit that I lingered a bit longer here to shop. You want Thingamabobs? They've got plenty!
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Honestly, though, it's one of the least immersive showcases because there's just not much there--no show or ride, and not even much of a courtyard, no lovely hidden-away areas, etc. What you see in this pic it pretty much it.
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Nice selection of beers and wines, though, so I had to treat myself to a glass of Selbach Bernkasteler Kurfeurstla Riesling Kabinett from Mosel (as one does). That brought back a ton of memories when when I used to live there. I also decided to have some real comfort food (for me) and tried the Schinkennudeln (pasta gratin with ham and cheese). Yep, just like Mom used to make it (except she used turkey ham).
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Italy was next and it's pretty, but none of the shopping interested me and they don't have a show or attraction either, so I didn't linger long this round.

It was already nearing late afternoon by this point and the heat/humidity was starting to get to me. Looking across the lake and realizing I wasn't even halfway yet and then still had to cross all of Futureworld to get to my bus did some real damage to my morale, I'll admit. It's why I started to skip certain shows if there was any sort of wait, particularly if it meant standing on my feet in line.
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Since the forum has a limit on pictures per post, this seems like a good place to break. Please see the next post for a continuation of this day...
 
Wednesday, September 6th (continued)
Next up and at the top of the circle was the American showcase. Because of my exhaustion, I made the decision to skip the "American Adventure" show because there was a long wait. And I never got back at the right time to catch it later, so I have no idea what I missed. I did pause for a while in the shade after purchasing this tasty drink from Block & Hans called the Frozen Spiked Tea (with Orlando Orange Vodka). It was a proper-sized drink and it was perfectly refreshing! I'd order that every day.
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While ordering that drink, I took advantage of the lull in customers to talk with the cast member behind the counter. She was the first one to tell me that she and her family were booking rooms at Disney to ride out Hurricane Irma. I learned a lot from her about how things would go there, and how safe and secure it would be (enough food stocked to last 2 weeks, skeleton crew the whole time, their own emergency services, etc.). That really helped my piece of mind because I still was in the air about what to do about the rest of my trip. I'd spent so much money, fought for 9 months with my supervisor about the timing, and agonized for all that time about planning, that it wasn't as easy a decision to just chuck it all and fly back--it would have broken my heart and I had no idea if/when I'd ever get to come back--after all, it had been 15 years since my last real destination vacation, period! It was easy for those who travel regularly to say "Just fly out early!"

Moving on, I reached Japan. Now this has to be one of the most beautiful and immersive showcases there. Aside from the three sit-down restaurants, there is a temple at the entrance that also functions as a stage for a traditional drumming show, and a lovely garden with water features that winds through and behind the section.
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While there I was tempted to eat again and purchase these tasty Wasabi Shumai Steamed Pork Dumplings. The wasabi intimidated me but it was actually just right--just a subtle horseradish rush that complimented the dumpling rather than overwhelming it. I also ordered the recommended pairing of Yukikage "Snow Shadow" Junmai Sake. I'm not familiar with sake so I couldn't say whether this was good or bad. It was very different from grape wine, however, and much lighter--almost like a tea? The alcohol percentage had to be pretty low, though, because I didn't feel it or even taste it.
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I could easily have parked myself there and just enjoyed the tranquil beauty for a while. However...Just as I was regrouping my energy, a rock concert back at the American pavilion stage kicked in (part of the "Eat to the Beat" event in conjunction with the IF&W Festival) and they were horrible. I mean just horrible. I've heard local bar bands that were more enjoyable. It was bad enough that it made me give up my spot in the gardens and hurry on until I was out of earshot. Sigh.

Oh, but I'd be remiss to not mention the shopping in Japan. OMG, I did NOT anticipate finding so much that I WANTED to buy. If you're a cat lover like I am, there are TONS of things, and all pretty reasonably priced. I was trying to be responsible, so I limited myself to just one thing--and this is what spoke to me. I think I chose wisely--and this was only around $9, which shocked me. I decided I might have to come back on a later visit.
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Next along the circle was Morocco. This is another showcase that demonstrates just how wonderful they can be when thought is put into the layout. You could totally immerse yourself in the cool warren-like corridors of the shops that were designed to feel like passing through the middle of a Moroccan market. Colorful wares and trinkets and decorations, along with heady incense just added to the experience. It really gave you the sense that you were exploring, and I LOVED that.
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As I moved along, I noticed a couple of people with distinctive looking frozen drinks, which instantly perked up my curiosity. I noticed they were coming from the Brazil stand nearby and I discovered they were drinking frozen Caipirinhas (made with LeBlon Cachaca). It's the national drink from Brazil, using rum distilled from fresh sugar cane juice rather than molasses. I remembered learning about this famous drink while watching The Amazing Race years ago and was always curious but it's not exactly something you could order at the local bar, so I jumped at the chance! It was excellent and once again hit the spot as super refreshing.
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It was dusk by the time I reached France, and I was starting to worry about where I'd park myself to watch the evening show, but I still had some time. A lot of the shopping there, like at Italy, were more high-end stuff like leather goods and perfumes, so I didn't bother with most of the shops. I did pause long enough to get another picture taken, though.
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Oh, and to purchase one of these beauties, a La Passion Martini Slush (Vodka, Grey Goose Le Citron, and Cranberry and Passion Fruit Juice). I was hooked.
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By this time they were making announcements of the countdown to the light show and I realized that I wouldn't have time to really enjoy the last two pavilions (UK and Canada), not if I still hoped to score a decent spot. I passed through the UK area, then while eyeing the outdoor seating at the Rose & Crown restaurant (where I'd originally had reservations but cut them a few weeks before), I spied this one little corner at the end, between the wall and a drink stand cooler. There was just room enough for one person because the wall and cooler prevented other folks from crowding in behind me, the wall gave me something on which to prop my phone (I'd decided to air the show live via Facebook), and the curb gave me a place to sit until the show started. I settled in with my drink and waited. Best of all, it was a perfect viewing spot with no obstructions, and I'd found it for free.
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The fireworks and lasers were fantastic and I'm so glad I'd found the best way to enjoy them. Immediately afterward, it was obvious that the cast members had taken advantage of the show to start shutting everything down, so everyone began the mass exodus. The lights and sights were stunning along the way. You can just see the humidity in the air in this first one. :tilt:
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After the long slog back to the bus stops, I rediscovered just how wonderful it was to be staying at the smallest resort on property. The line was almost nonexistant and I was on the first one out of them. You can see the line already formed for PO:Riverside, our sister resort. No thank you, particularly at the end of the day.
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It had been a full and fun day, but I knew I'd missed a lot and was looking forward to coming back in a few days, hopefully!
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Tuesday, September 5th
My agenda for Tuesday was tackling Animal Kingdom, the first new-to-me park at Disney World. I'd heard so many mixed messages from friends about this place, but I was going with high expectations because I love zoos and animals in general and don't find them boring. And I'll say right now that Animal Kingdom exceeded my expectations and jumped to the top of my favorite parks. I could easily spend two days there (and nearly did), and I STILL missed a lot.

For this day I had a Fastpass for the Na'vi River ride, but was unable to score one for Flight of Passage. This meant that my best hope for riding FoP without spending half the day in line was to make a dash for it at rope-drop and then just wait it out.

I arrived via bus just as they were opening up the main park gates. Security moves pretty quickly but already there were people running for what I assumed was the Pandora portion of the park, and I was right. But it was too hot and humid, I didn't know the park well enough, and darn it all, I refuse to run at Disney World! I followed in their footsteps, though, and paused only long enough for some initial photos in front of the Tree of Life (more on that later).
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Okay, I can't really tell this story without providing a map as reference--if for no other reason than to show the scale of what I'm about to describe...
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After passing through the entrance and onto Discover Island, I swung a left at the Tree of Life and headed toward Pandora land, only to be faced with a literal wall of humanity that was gathering in the road before the bridge and was already backed up to Tiffins (#12 on the map). This was the first time I learned that although the main gates opened at one time, the "entrance" to Pandora opens at a later time--maybe to help cut down on those folks running. It was packed to tightly that you could literally feel the body heat from the people around you despite the already-ungodly mid-morning Florida humidity.

We stood like that, becoming more and more compact, for a good 30 minutes before they finally opened the bridge and allowed the crowd into the Pandora segment. My first thought was that this looked just like a herd of Wildebeest attempting to cross the Mara river. It felt just like this:

I think some folks maybe had intentions of doing the Na'vi River ride first, or they were just lost, but nearly every single other person moved in that herd, in little mincing step, onto that first right. At one point we turned right had to go through a bottleneck and across a bridge, which was fun, particularly with all the scooters navigating in the same space. Now I sort of regret not taking pictures of this experience, but at the time I was just trying to avoid colliding with others and paying attention so I didn't take a wrong turn or anything. Once we finally passed through to a wider road and the true line started to form, it was stunning and disheartening. The line snaked all the way to the African portion of the park before looping back on itself, 4-people-wide on the way out and 2-wide on the way back, with a narrow passage through the middle for anyone crazy enough to want to just pass through but mainly for those who abandoned the line and just wanted out. Fortunately most of it was partially shaded, but not all. I ended up striking up a conversation with a young couple from Ohio (their geeky jokes instantly drew me because hello, geek) and a solo traveler from Brazil; the four of us had a great time during those next 60-75 minutes which really did help to make it more tolerable because I don't know if I would have stuck with it that long otherwise. It was brutal and easily the most uncomfortable line of my vacation, the lush scenery and good company notwithstanding.

Magic Moment: At the point in the line when it turned around and headed back, there were a couple of cast member musicians there to no doubt lift spirits a little. They were good and entertaining. At one point they noticed my nodding and smiling, and they suddenly stopped and started playing "Happy Birthday" to me, which make me and those around me laugh. It's little things like that which can suddenly turn what's feeling like an endurance test into fun.
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Eventually we reached the actual entrance to the Flight of Passage attraction and the pathway began winding uphill through some of the most amazingly landscaping I've ever seen, even by Disney standards. Photos can't really capture the scale and detail and stunning lushness and yet slightly alien feel of it all. The pictures here are from a little later in the day when I passed through again and the crowds had dispersed, but I want to show just how stunning it was. My only regret was that I didn't think to go back and visit the area after dark--next time!
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Anyway, once we were entering the attraction area proper, the speed of the line suddenly picked up and we were winding our way up and finally inside where it was nice and cool. The decor turned from alien the lab scene from the film and we got to admire and speculate at all the "future tech" and weird specimens and experiments. I managed to snap this pic quick and it still makes me laugh.
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Opinion on Flight of Passage: People asked me if the wait was worth it, and I usually respond with my own question, "Is anything at Disney worth the wait?" I think one has to put it into the proper perspective before answering that question. Was I glad I stuck in that line? Yes. Would I do the exact same wait again? No, probably not--not after knowing exactly what I was going to get in return. Did I enjoy the ride? Hell, yes! Would I recommend it to others? Well, only they can answer that question based on their own curiosity, enjoyment of immersive 3D rides, and tolerance for crowds and heat. I deliberately avoided videos or detailed descriptions of what the ride was like because I wanted it to be a surprise--all I knew was that you straddled the seat like a motorcycle and that you wore 3D glasses and it feels like riding a dragon--which was all I needed to know! :cool2:

After that experience, I nearly missed my Fastpass for Na'vi River ride, but luckily they're next to one another and I made it just in time. This attraction is far more sedate (just a boat ride through the dark) and there's a real danger in this being compared next to FoP, which isn't really fair at all. I'll just say that it was interesting, but nothing spectacular. There's honestly very little actual animatronics until the very end, and even that is one character--which IMO is a bit lame by Disney standards. I don't think this one lived up to the hype. But it's worth doing once, and it's a great excuse to sit in air conditioning for a while. But don't wait more than 30 minutes if you can help it because eh!
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From here on in, aside from meals, it's very hard for me to describe blow-by-blow events of this day because the park itself is very confusing in layout and it was my first visit, so it was the closest I've ever felt to being lost at Disney! Much of it is a blur of impressions, so I'll just summarize each attraction not necessarily relative to WHEN they happened that day.

I eventually wandered into the African portion of the park. I'll admit that this quickly became one of my favorite sections because it's so rich in detail and it's where I found the live music and it felt the most authentic--like you'd really stepped off a plane and onto another continent. Harambe Villiage was full of shops and food stands and entertainment. I just would have maybe liked more quiet seating areas to take a break from the sun (maybe there were and I just didn't find them).
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Here's a rare bit of Mickey "graffiti."
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I loved this bit of "graffiti" so much it's now my Facebook page banner.
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While in the area, I had a Fastpass for a mid=afternoon Safari ride. I knew it wasn't the ideal time to see animals, in the hottest time of the day, but I did see quite a few, some much closer than others!
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I think these guys were waiting for us...
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Speaking of Wildebeest!
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A forest of giraffe.
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And a real up-close-and-personal--that's just how close we got sometimes! There's no barrier between the truck and some of the animals.
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How hot was it? It was so hot the African Wild Dogs were in the pool!
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There were also several different walking trails to see lots of other wildlife, but that day I only had time and energy to explore one of them. You could get quite close to some of them, and the landscaping, as I've said, was just lovely and appropriate.
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At one point I came across a character "meet" with Baloo and King Louise and I went to join the line, but the handler stopped me and said they were done for the day. I started to sort of beg and point to my birthday button because they were my favorite characters and movie, but she pointed to a family walking away and said, "I just turned away that three-year-old." I laughed and said, "Ohh, in that case...You're tough!"
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Since the forum has a limit on pictures per post, this seems like a good place to break. Please see the next post for a continuation of this day...
I can only imagine what the crowds are going to be like when Star Wars land opens!
 
I can only imagine what the crowds are going to be like when Star Wars land opens!

Seriously, if my experience with Pandora several months after opening was any indication, I don't plan to visit Star Wars land for 2 years! I met a lot of people there who'd never seen Avatar but were still in line. Just imagine what SW would be like. Ugh, no thanks, not for a long time.
 
Thursday, September 7th
I woke up earlier than usual this morning because I had a breakfast reservation at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian resort, and because there's no direct route from my resort, it meant taking the bus to the Magic Kingdom and then hopping on the Monorail, all of which meant building in a lot of transit time. I was not only still exhausted from the late night before, but after the third straight park day, my feet were aching and no longer recovering overnight--I started out the day sore and it was only going to get worse.

I was also greeted first thing that morning with some very bad news that resolved my travel dilemma for me. Southwest Airlines had canceled my flight for that Sunday, and the Orlando Airport would be closing mid-day on Saturday. That sealed it. I was stuck for the duration of Hurricane Irma. I obviously had a lot of mixed emotions over this, matching the stream of comments coming from my friends online. Unfortunately I had no other reasonable options at this point so I deliberately stopped reading the comments--panicking in a situation over which I had little control would serve no purpose but ruin the remaining good days I had. I vowed that if I'm going to die on Sunday, I'm going to enjoy my last moments while I can and I couldn't think of a better place to be.

I followed the link Southwest had provided for rescheduling, and after doing some rough estimates on when might be the first reasonable time to fly out, I settled on mid-afternoon on the following Wednesday. I figured that Monday and Tuesday would be days of recovery and cleanup of main thoroughfares and runways, and that probably by Wednesday the airport would be up and running again with any luck. If I need to reschedule yet again, I'd face that when it came. I notified my agent and forwarded the new flight info so she could update my resort, etc. Because it was still way too early in the morning to call my Mom or my boss, I wrapped things up and headed for the bus.

When I arrived at the Magic Kingdom, it was about an hour before rope drop and it was truly abandoned aside from the random cast members. These are the sort of things you almost never see!
Here's the path from the bus stop that winds around to the right and leads to the main gate. It felt surreal having it all to myself.
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Here's just one cast member and one guest like myself. No idea why he was there so early.
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Had the Monorail car to myself as I passed through the Contemporary resort and into the wilderness between there and the Polynesian.
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Approaching the Polynesian and Grand Floridian resorts.
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I arrived at the Grand Floridian and checked in for my reservation at 1900 Park Fare.
There I discovered another stunning bit of sculpted chocolate!
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Once I was seated and the cast member took my drink order, I wandered over to the buffet. It was mind blowing and easily the biggest breakfast buffet I'd ever seen! I don't usually do buffets anymore--I simply cannot eat large portions at a sitting anymore, so I never get my money's worth out of them. But all character meals seem to be buffets, and I really wanted to do one on this trip (never did one), and of all the ones available, this one seemed to have the most characters I wanted to definitely meet, plus there were a couple of specific items on the menu I wanted to try. So there you go!
Here's the plate I made for myself. I made a beeline for the cheese blintzes, then added a little of the bread pudding with vanilla sauce, and of course it wouldn't be complete without a Mickey waffle. And in addition, I had to try their famous Floridian Strawberry Soup, which was fantastic.
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But of course there was so much commotion going on with a room full of characters that the food was barely noticed. Since I was alone and there weren't any handlers to take photos, I befriended the family next to me so we could take turns. It was a lot of fun and I captured a couple of lovely moments on top of it.
Alice came around my way first.
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Then the Mad Hatter, and he was a stitch! He was cracking jokes with everyone.
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But it was Tigger I was really looking forward to. I told him he could come home with me anytime.
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And most of all, I wanted to meet Mary Poppins. It's still probably my favorite Disney film. I asked her if she knew how I measured up and she said "Practically perfect, of course! Like me!"
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Finally, out in a windowed pantry, I found Pooh (he's a bit too big to wander between the tables).
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Here were the two Magic Moments I mentioned. I had my phone at the ready for pictures and just happened to capture these precious shots. Afterward I went to their respective families and asked them if they'd like me to email them copies. Both were very grateful and happy that I'd offered and gave me their addresses. I was glad I was able to make a little magic for them.
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After a very filling breakfast, I was headed back to the Magic Kingdom for my second day there to catch the things I'd missed the first day and to enjoy more of a stroll this time.

Since the forum has a limit on pictures per post, this seems like a good place to break. Please see the next post for a continuation of this day...
 
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Thursday, September 7th (continued)
I took the Monorail back to Magic Kingdom and found myself back on Main Street USA, lingering a bit more this time. I hadn't thought it possible, but it was actually hotter than before, or at least it certainly seemed that way. Walking anywhere that wasn't in the shade was an endurance test.
Here's a bit of Disney graffiti that cracked me up because even the vandalism was magical! Plus you can see just how humid it was outside.
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The one blessing was that it really did seem as though the park was nearly empty--not just because it was the week after Labor Day and most folks (particularly kids) were back to work/school, but because there was no question that Hurricane Irma was coming. Those who could fly out were doing so, and those who were local were busy fortifying their homes. It felt like the park was left to those of us with no choice but to stay.
This pictures were around 10:30 am and it's hard to believe the street was this empty.
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And just look at this picture! 10:30 am on a park day! You could make a postcard of this one!
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I had three Fastpasses for the day but they were very spread out and my feet were already killing me at the start despite pre-medicating.
I also had a lunch reservation for Be Our Guest, so it meant I'd be bouncing around a bit more.

Once again I headed left into Adventureland, this time to ride Pirates of the Caribbean since I'd missed it last time and wanted to make sure I got it in at least once. This was probably my family's favorite attraction all those years ago because it was a refuse from the heat--it was dark and cool and entertaining. The same is true today, although my enjoyment was tempered a little by the woman seated next to me who didn't stop talking the entire time to me. She was rattling on about how she knew Johnny Depp, etc., and I didn't believe an iota of it, but what could I do? I just tried to focus refreshing my memories and adding the "new" changes (particularly all the insertions/swaps of Captain Sparrow). Sadly, as it turned out, I never did get a chance to go back and ride again, hopefully with a quieter seatmate, but there you go. Another reason to go back.

I spent more time than usual in the gift shops of this area because I was searching for a particular t-shirt souvenir I wanted from the Jungle Cruise. I'd seen someone wearing one and it was right up my alley (it looked like an old fashioned ad for a drink elixer that featured Shrunken Ned's head), but after 30 minutes or so I finally gave up, assuming it must have been an old shirt. I was bummed, though.

Observation: Regarding souvenirs, I'd gone assuming I'd been so overwhelmed with awesome choices that I'd struggle to narrow it down, but oddly I experienced the opposite. I'm sure part of that is because I'm 50 and without kids or much close family. Partly it's because I'm currently trying very hard to declutter my life and the last thing I wanted was more knickknacks collecting dust. Partly it's because we've switched to musical chairs at work (hoteling) so we're discouraged from personalizing our desks. That ruled out the vast majority of things being sold. There were certain functional things I WAS looking for and keen to buy if they "spoke" to me, however. First was cool and unique t-shirts (sort of a specialty of mine), which I could justify because I was still using vacation t-shirts from 15 years ago that were well past their presentable stage and should be thrown out. Two was maybe a cool coffee mug or two because those are always fun and handy. Third was a really nice set of glass beer tumblers so I could retire the oddball collection I'd accumulated since college but were dated or worn and just mismatched. I did eventually find a few t-shirts, but not nearly as many cool ones as I'd hoped (so many had dates on them, or were Halloween-themed, or just not quirky enough). I got one that featured Indiana Jones, one with the seagulls from Finding Nemo with the words "Mine mine mine mine!", one from Pandora's Flight of Passage (the only one with 2017 on it because I felt that actually was significant), one with the Himalayan mask artwork for the Yeti from Expedition Everest, one with just a white shape of Cinderella's Castle that says "My happy place", one that has the Mickey Mouse ears made up of all the names of all the attractions in different fonts, and one from Trader Sam's Grotto Grog (the only one I felt was quirky and "in crowd"). Yeah, I got a few. ;) But really, that was in part because I saw so little else Disney-themed that I wanted. Now, I DID buy a number of things that weren't Disney as such but by local artists that were cat-related (the watercolor paintings at Epcot, a painted tile from a stand at Disney Springs, the plate and little bowls from the Japan shop), etc. I did end up buying three mugs for myself (Tinkerbell, one with Pooh in safari gear asking as real tiger "Is that you, Tigger?", and a really lovely non-Disney tall mug from the UK tea shop at Epcot that's just all falling cats. As for my quest for beer tumblers, it was a bust. Aside from going the etched glass route, which wasn't reasonably priced or really what I wanted, I only saw two options--one with the new Be Our Guest theme but wasn't dishwasher safe (nope!), or one that had a black base and simple ring of little Mickey ears around the rim. I debated on those a little while but ultimately just wasn't in love with them enough to spend $12 each. Sigh. Oh well, better to be disappointed than to regret purchases later, that's my motto now.

While wandering, I did snap a few more pictures of just the lovely landscaping and neat details of the park because it was a gorgeously bright day.
Here was a really neat "cooling station" of Tiki statues that shot sprays of water rather than poison darts.
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And again, you can see how empty the park could feel at times. There were still plenty of people, but there were lots of moments when I almost felt like I had the place to myself.
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One of the things I really enjoyed doing was trying to get silly selfies everywhere I went. This is probably my favorite of them all because the photobomb is epic.
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Magic Moment: Around 11 am I decided to take a break and get something cold to drink, and since I was in Fantasyland and I decided to try the famous LeFou's Brew from Gaston's Tavern. I walked up to the counter (no line) and gave her my order. We chatted a little while she was getting the drink, then when it came time for me to pay, she leaned in with a conspiratorial grin and said, "Don't worry about it, happy birthday!" I was very surprised and grateful. (That's a $5.50 drink!) She really helped fortify me for my upcoming chat. And the drink was delicious! LeFou's Brew (Frozen Apple Juice with a hint of Toasted Marshmallow and topped with All-Natural Passion Fruit-Mango Foam). I'd order that again, even if I had to pay for it!
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While sitting in the cool dining area, I decided it was time to try and call my boss about my cancelled flight, etc. I suspect he already half-expected the call but all the same he wasn't very happy about it. It's a long story, but his pushing back on my taking my vacation when I did--despite having 9 months to make other arrangements--had meant enduring his needling about it that entire time, and I knew this would never die now whenever I asked for future vacation time. That was honestly part of why I didn't just cancel my trip early and go home--because I really DID fight hard for this vacation and I refused to give him the satisfaction. Anyway, there was little either of us could do about it at that point so I told him when my new flight was scheduled. I did ask if I could just have all of the following week off since I wouldn't be getting in until late Wednesday (if I'm lucky) and would be exhausted. He said that wasn't possible, but granted my compromise of working from home those two days. Sigh.

Anyway, I put the phone away and enjoyed the rest of my drink and chatting with some folks at the next table--they'd heard my plight and felt bad for me. Their flight was Saturday morning so they were getting out in time.

My Fastpass for Seven Dwarfs came up (I was lucky to get one for each of my MK days). This time I got some great mid-ride pics!
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I'm not in this picture but I thought it captured the nature of the ride so well.
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I had just enough time before my lunch reservation to also squeeze in another character meet, this time with Ariel. This is another one of my top 5 films, so I was willing to wait in the slow-moving line. It was totally worth it because she was great. I'm always so uncomfortable with posing so this time I just flat out asked her if she had an ideas. She paused, then reached behind her and pulled out this giant Dinglehopper! Well, I knew exactly what to do with that!
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Then it was time for my lunch reservation. I honestly wasn't that hungry but this reservation is probably one of the hardest to get so I wasn't about to cancel it. It's inside the Beast's Castle and there's this long draw bridge across the moat. The line started there and there's no shade. It was BRUTAL. And even though I had a reservation, it was about a 30 minute wait before I got a seat. I did snap some pictures while waiting, though. And it really is the most immersive restaurant I visited at Disney, which is why it's so hard to get in.
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It's a quick service restaurant so there are no assigned tables and you find your own spot. I managed to grab a corner of a table in the main ballroom.
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I was torn on what to order, and I probably should have gone with my first choice and gotten the French Onion Soup, but instead I ordered the Croque Monsieur (Grilled Sandwich of Carved Ham and Gruyere Cheese and Bechamel with Pommes Frites). While it was tasty, it was way more food than I wanted or could eat. The size was huge, and the angle of the picture wrong to capture how THICK that ham was cut, with 3 slices at that! I couldn't finish half of it, plus barely touched the fries.
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On top of that, I couldn't eat there without trying the "Grey Stuff"--it's what they're known for. And the only option for getting it was by ordering the Master's Cupcake (Chocolate Sponge Cake topped with Lumiere’s special “Grey Stuff”). It was good and the cake was super moist, but by that time I was uncomfortably full. It might have been the heat, too, but I was actually starting to feel a little ill, so wasn't able to savor it as much as I would have liked.
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I decided to skip the little kids section of Fantasyland (it really IS for little kids) and finally made my way toward Tomorrowland, which I'd skipped on my first day due to time. The line for the Tomorrowland Speedway (my brother's favorite from way back) was ridiculous, even on that slow day and with the heat, so I didn't hesitate to skip it and instead headed for the attractions that involved sitting as much as possible! I had a great time at the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor because you could tell it was a live show and we had some good participants in the crowd.

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin was fun and silly.
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Next I hopped on the People Mover, which is basically a flat escalator with seats that gives you a talking tour of Tomorrowland. It's not air conditioned, but you're seated the entire time and it's just a great way to relax and still be entertained, plus some cool views.
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I next headed into the Carousel of Progress attraction. For those who haven't been, it's basically a rotating circular stage with tons of animatronic people talking about their lives from era to era. It's a Walt original attraction and so is very beloved, although it shows it's age a bit and they have to regularly update the last phase because hello, iPhones and talking refrigerators, etc. But really, it's air conditioned and you sit in comfortable seats. I really did nearly fall asleep more than once.

Magic Moment: I needed another cold drink and decided that a frozen Coke sounded just about right. The cast member passed along my order, then turned back to me and must have taken pity on me because she said, "This one's on Mickey. Happy birthday!" Awww. Seriously, these folks kept giving me little injections of happiness right when it was running low.
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I STILL had time to blow before my last Fastpass for Space Mountain around 5 pm. I sat at the drink stand in the shade for a while, just watching people because I was starting to see lots of guests in costumes for the Halloween party that evening. I was really impressed by how elaborate some of them were, particularly in that heat! I don't think we were supposed to take pictures of people, but she let me make an exception because I thought hers was just so awesome!
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By this time I was truly depleted of energy and really hurting (the Aleve wasn't helping anymore), so I was nearly dead on my feat and was struggling to stay in a happy mood. I rode the People Mover again just because it was something to do that didn't involve my feet!

I finally got to Space Mountain. This was another one of mine and my brother's favorites back in the day (we'd run around and get back in line in the last hour of the day). But I have to say--I think the thrill is gone for me on this one. It's very jerky and because you're in pitch black most of the time, you can't prepare for sudden corners, etc. I felt like I was getting whipped around and I know I heard my neck pop at one point. Luckily no lasting damage, but yeah, that's one I'm going to have to leave to the younger folks now. Sigh.
This might have been the moment my neck snapped. :^P
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Backing up a little, I should mention that because I knew about these weird park hours, and because I knew I had a huge day of eating ahead of me, I'd made the painful decision late the night before to cancel my dinner reservation for this day at 9:30 pm at the California Grill on the top floor of the Contemporary resort. It would have given me the opportunity to watch the fireworks from the awesome observation deck, but I didn't think I could make it that long, not after four straight days at the parks without a break. Normally they tend to charge a fee for cancelling with less than 24-hours' notice, but I was hoping they'd let it slide because of Irma. But the cast member on the phone kept asking questions as to why I was cancelling and I finally said that I was considering checking out and heading home because of the storm. She accepted that, but then saw that I had a reservation for the following day at Flying Fish and prompted me about that, saying, "Well, I see you have a reservation at Flying Fish for tomorrow evening. I guess you'll need me to cancel that one as well." She had me there--I was either going to have to cancel or my lie was busted. See what happens, kids, when you lie? My heart sank as I told her to go ahead. (Side note: As it turned out, there were so many cancellations later, and on the following Tuesday, that I could walk into any of the signature restaurants without a reservation, but there you go.)

So by around 5:30 pm I'd basically checked off all the attractions I was interested in, and because the park was closing early at 7 pm but the fireworks wouldn't be until 9 pm, I called it a successful day and headed toward the main gate, taking advantage of one more photog op along the way.
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At the gate, I went up the stairs to the train platform to ride the entire circuit around the Magic Kingdom, for posterity's sake and for yet another moment to reconnect with my Dad's memory a bit (he was a huge train enthusiast like Walt).

Then I got on a bus straight back to my resort. Once there, I figured I should order something for dinner but was torn on what to get. I'd never had real shrimp and grits before, so I decided to go for it. At Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory they cook-to-order so I figured that this had to be a better-than-average example because of the fresh ingredients alone. And it was very tasty, but OMG super filling and I could only finish about half of it. I stuck the rest in my mini-fridge because I thought it might be okay cold and maybe I'd get a chance to finish it the next day.
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After showering, I all but collapsed into my bed and then called Mom to let her know about my situation. The next few days were promising to be very memorable in a totally unanticipated way.
 
We were there at the MK that day as well! We took a midday break to head over to the Wilderness Lodge for lunch and then came back for the Halloween Party. The party was more crowded than we were anticipating, but the crowds during the day really were pretty good! I'll have to check my photos to see if you're in any of them, ha!
 
Friday, September 8th
Another day, another rope drop, this time for Hollywood Studios, the other new-to-me park. As you can imagine after four straight days of rope drops and full days, plus my "rest day" being a lot of walking and swimming to start with, I was running on fumes by that morning. But I was determined to push through it.

While getting ready, I debated what to do for lunch/dinner that day since I'd been forced to cancel my Flying Fish reservation the day before during my little subterfuge effort. I could have probably rescheduled it without trouble since I guessed lots of cancellations had come in, but then I factored in the logistics; the Flying Fish restaurant is not in Hollywood Studios but actually over at the Boardwalk which is attached to Epcot. It would mean taking a boat or walking to the other location. If I'd had more energy I probably would have done it, but by that point I just wasn't feeling it, so instead I looked for options within the park. There were a few options, some of them stand-out ones like the Brown Derby or 50's Prime Time Cafe, but ultimately I decided on the Sci Fi Dine-In because it would be the most unique without being obnoxious. I've heard that 50's Prime Time is a lot of fun, but as a solo diner it was just too intimidating because I was starting to feel just fragile enough that it might rub me the wrong way. I booked the reservation for Sci Fi Dine-In without any trouble, which confirmed my suspicion.

When they say that Hollywood Studios is under construction, they aren't kidding. Even the bus stops felt temporary as we pulled up and unloaded.

Observation: The energy of this park felt very different, although that could also have been a reflection of my own condition and of the pending storm. But honestly, I think it's the place itself--it feels as if the park doesn't know what it wants to be anymore. Disney has cut back so much on the whole original classic-era Hollywood atmosphere that it just feels superficial now. If it weren't for the architecture and cast member uniforms, you wouldn't know what the park was supposed to be capturing anymore. The Tower of Terror is really the only attraction anymore that fits that original theme, and the Indiana Jones stunt show at least is about film making, but the rest is just a mishmash of acquired Disney properties with no unifying thread. It's a schizophrenic park undergoing major reconstructive surgery but still without any clear path toward unification--and it shows. There's more excitement about what's coming than about what's already there, and that's rather sad. If I'd paid full price for a day at Hollywood Studios, I would have felt cheated. I don't have a lot of photos because there really wasn't that much to take pictures of.

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Walking toward the main entrance here.
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I was able to breeze through security without waiting and headed down the main street toward the center of the park.
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I want this car!
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While I had a walking plan from my agent, it turned out that her opening hours for certain things reflecting peak summer hours, not post-Labor Day shorter hours, so my plan was thrown off right at the start. However, in most cases it had little impact since the crowd was so low that line waits were very short.

That morning the new full display model for the coming Star Wars land, now called Galaxy's Edge, was supposed to debut that morning at the Walt Disney Presents exhibit, but the cast members outside the door stated that 1) it was opening an hour later than posted, and 2) the model would be delayed until after Hurricane Irma. Disappointed and with a busy schedule ahead, I wandered off. Sadly, I forgot later in the day that I'd skipped this and so never did make it back. Yet another reason to return some day...

They teased me with this on one of the construction walls, though.
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Since I was right next to the Toy Story Mania attraction and my Fastpass was opening in 10 minutes, I asked if I could just go a little early. The cast member laughed and said sure, or just go through the Stand-by Line now since it was only a 5-minute wait, then turn around and ride it again with the Fastpass! Which is exactly what I did! I was shocked--I'd heard stories that this has one of the longest stand-by lines in all of Hollywood Studios, but I got to ride it twice within 15 minutes!

I don't recall the exact order of how I did attractions after that because there was a lot of backtracking and rushing to make show times, so I'll just list things with my observations.

Star Tours: I really enjoyed this 3D ride. While it also sort of pales in comparison to Flight of Passage now, I think it still holds up technology-wise. Maybe it's because it's all digitally created rather than film footage that tends to show its age quickly. It pulled me in well enough that I actually jumped at the sudden end when "my" ship crash-landed and the nose of another ship crashed through my "windshield." I had a Fastpass for my first ride and would have liked to ride this again that day, but I never saw the stand-by wait drop below 30 minutes and I was so spoiled--not to mention sore and tired--by that point that 30 minute seemed unreasonable.

Outside of Star Tours was the stage for the regular Jedi Training shows. I caught it a couple of times and it was cute to watch the kids participate.
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There were also some nice life-sized Star Wars decorations outside and I decided to be a little goofy.
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Star Wars Lauch Bay: This is really just a static museum of film props with several character meets added in.
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I absolutely wanted to meet Chewbacca, so Rey was a nice bonus. I look like I'm trying out for a part in the Star Wars Holiday Special! :chewy:
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Magic Moment: I'd handed my iPhone to one of the photo handlers, which is common, so I could have some of my own photos as well. We were wrapping up and she was walking over to hand it back when she suddenly stopped and notice that the protective case of my phone was a picture of Han Solo in carbonite! She let out a gasp and walked over the Chewie to show him! He let out a roar and came to give me another huge hug, this time heartfelt. We had a real moment.
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While in line to meet Kylo Ren, a couple of Storm Troopers came through harassing innocent and law-abiding citizens. Then they saw my shirt and I got the serious stink-eye for a while.
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As for Kylo Ren, he wasn't impressed at all by my fashion choice and stalked all around me in a fit of pique.
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By this point I was tired of standing in lines and skipped the BB-8 meet. If it had been 3PO and R2D2 would have stuck with it, but clearly they aren't doing classic anymore and I just don't feel the same attachment to the new ones.

Muppet Vision 3D: Honestly, this show was hit-or-miss for me. There wasn't really a line, but our tiny crowd had to stand in this pre-show lobby for what felt like forever while waiting for the theater to open. The only thing I got excited about was that Sweetums--full sized!--suddenly appeared through a side door, stomped through a roped off section trying to fix something, then stomped back and disappeared before I could get a decent picture. Once inside, the show is as if you're seated in the familiar Muppet Show theater. It's really just a lot of "oh wow, it's 3D" effects that had all the kids jumping up trying to grab things, etc. I was just happen to be sitting and in the A/C.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid: This was essential an elaborate puppet show onstage that retold highlights from the film. The puppetry was quite good, with vivid neon colors and the same great music (although I was severely disappointed that they didn't do "Kiss the Girl"). The opening song, "Under the Sea," was definitely the high point. Ariel herself was portrayed by a human (and she was fantastic and personalized how she sang her songs), while the puppets were scaled to match her. It was a short show, though.

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular: This was a very elaborate and impressive production demonstrating the complexity of producing an action film with practical stunts by recreating, roughly, some of the most famous action sequences from Raiders of the Lost Ark. There's a scene of Indy escaping a series of booby-traps before snatching the golden idol and then outrunning the giant boulder, then an long action fight sequence in the market place, then finally a recreating of the big boxing sequence of Indy boxing with the giant Nazi while the Flying Wing aircraft is rolling in a circle and things are exploding everywhere. It was quite enjoyable and you could feel the heat from those explosions. There's no doubt anyone could have been injured at any time because the stunts were real. Definitely the best show at Hollywood studios and, IMO, on a par with the Lion King Spectacular at Animal Kingdom for one of my favorites of the whole vacation. And it's not just because I'm an Indy fan and bought the t-shirt. :smooth:

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: I LOVED this ride. It instantly become one of my favorite rides, period. I'd never been on this type of thrill ride before (yeah, I don't typically do amusement parks). It starts with a slow ride as you're introduced to the idea that the hotel is haunted and you're entering the Twilight Zone as a set of elevator doors opens, and then you start dropping and jolting up and dropping again in completely random and unpredictable patterns and lengths of time, so no ride is the same. You get a real and lasting sense of free-fall that genuinely makes you scream. Fantastic!
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I even enjoyed the lovely walk up the line outside, beautifully shaded and landscaped. The line was so short that you didn't need a Fastpass, so I didn't get to linger as much as I would have liked in the lobby to enjoy the detail. As soon as I was done the first time, I headed right back into line again! Again, got to ride it twice within just about 15 minutes.
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Rock 'n' Roller Coaster: Okay, I have mixed feelings about this. I'll say right off that I hated the decor of the entire attraction. It was ugly and felt completely out of place with the theme of the park. If the rest was supposed to capture the beauty and glamour of 40s era Hollywood, this attraction captures all the beauty of a 1990s Los Angeles back ally. And the last thing I think of when I think of Disney is Aerosmith. There's nothing remotely family-friendly about that. I really don't know what they were thinking when they added this, but it just demonstrates what a mishmash of things this park is. That being said, the roller coaster itself it pretty good. I didn't have a Fastpass for this and the line was much longer than I'd expected--I think there must have been a breakdown for a while or something because we barely moved for a long time. By the time I finally got close enough to see the cars launch (and I DO mean launch) I actually said "Whoa!" out loud as it shot off. I've never seen one escalate that fast! So there's an instant thrill out the gate as it presses you back in your seat. It's also the only coaster at Disney that goes upside-down in loops. It's also in the dark, which as I stated with Space Mountain, isn't as much of a thrill for me as it used to be because I felt jolted around too much because I couldn't anticipate directions. And meanwhile Aerosmith music is blaring in your ears. When I got off the ride, I experienced a mix of residual adrenaline and a pending headache. It might have just been the heat and edging dehydration, but I didn't really feel driven to ride it again that day.
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For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration: I debated over whether I wanted to put myself through a Frozen sing-along, but because I'd pretty much already done everything I'd wanted to do by 1 or 2 pm, I decided to just go ahead and try it. It was actually better than I'd feared, with enough originality to not be a complete rehash of the film--the antics of the hosts with self-referential humor helped make it entertaining. Watching the kids in the audience (and it was a very small audience, the place was more than half empty) was really the best part. And yes, it ended with an encore spectacular presentation of "Let It Go" that was pretty impressive, I have to say.

Sci Fi Dine-In Restaurant: I'm so glad I did call in a reservation for this, because by the time I showed up for mine, it was starting to rain and people were piling in and hoping to get a table quick and they were being turned away. It's decorated to feel like you're sitting in a convertible car, while trailers and clips from B-rated 1950s sci fi horror films, odd news clips, and old drive-in concession stand ads played. I didn't think to take a picture of my drink or food. I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea and their BBQ wings. The drink was good but the wings were way over-sauced to the point it just dripped off, so it was a bit messy. Tasted fine, though.
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All through the day we were getting little rain showers, but around 3 pm the skies started getting much darker and ominous. I was taking a break near Star Tours, monitoring the wait time to see if it ever dropped, but with no luck. I checked the rain ap on my phone and it was saying that a thunderstorm was on the way and would probably wash out the rest of the night. By that point I'd pretty much seen everything I'd wanted to see, I wasn't feeling very good, and it was still a good 5 hours before the evening shows. I had no enthusiasm for hanging around that long, and no energy to hop to another park or anything, so I made an executive decision and just bailed, realizing that I wouldn't be able to see the famous Star Wars night show this trip. I just didn't have it in me anymore. I barely did any shopping at this park either. I walked through one side of the main street back to the gate, mainly because it was air conditioned, then headed for my bus back to my resort.

I have no doubt that I probably would have enjoyed this park a bit more if I weren't already feeling so sore. Without a break day, I just wasn't getting an opportunity to get off my feet for long and it was taking its toll. I swore I'd never plan a vacation this way again.

When I got back to my room, I found this waiting for me on my table. It was a flashlight and instructions on what to do when Hurricane Irma arrive and how Disney would be handling things. It was a relief to see they were on top of things and taking it seriously.
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WDW is definitely hard on the body when you do full park days back to back. We did the same thing and after three full days in the parks plus half days on either end of those, I was really feeling it in my feet and legs as well. I'm planning to go back next Labor Day week and will definitely be scheduling a resort/pool day into the middle of my trip this time!

I was impressed reading all of the reports from people who weathered Irma there. Disney really does seem to do a great job during hurricanes and I can see why locals evacuate there!
 
Hi, Maryland Neighbor! Thanks for your review, especially the parts about D.Springs. We are headed there this coming weekend after Irma changed our plans for a September visit. Don't tell my boss...
 
Wednesday, September 6th (continued)
The International Wine and Food Festival: I timed my vacation just right to catch the first full week of this event and I'm so glad I did!
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In addition to the 11 permanent national showcases (Canada, UK, France, Morocco, Japan, America, Italy, Germany, China, Norway, and Mexico), this event adds 35 (!) food-centric stands representing additional nations from around the world, plus certain themes like cheese, almonds, and beer, etc. Each stand tended to offer 3 food items (usually 2 savory and 1 sweet), and at least 3 drinks (usually alcoholic) either originated or inspired by those nations or themes. The food usually ranged $5-10 per item, and the drinks (in particular the wines) were pricey since many were served is small glasses (4oz?), so it could add up quickly if you were determined to sample everything. The heat also played a big factor, at least for me, in my choices--many items sounded great but way too heavy. For instance, the cheese soup from Canada was the last thing I wanted to try when it was over 100 degrees when you factored in humidity. The wide variety of frozen drinks, on the other hand, hit the spot every time!
Here's an example of the signs in front of each stand.
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One of the first stands I came to that featured a tempting item was The Cheese Studio. I ordered The Cheese Trio, along with their recommended pairing of Leth Steinagrund Gruner Veltliner (Profiterole topped with Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese and Orange-Apricot Jam; Smoked Salmon Pinwheel with Boursin Shallot and Chive Cheese and Everything Seasoning; Strawberry Macaron with Boursin Pepper Cheese). I thought this was fantastic, all of it--and I still talk about it because it made such an impression on me. It was a terrific start!
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From there I perused the random stands before entering the Mexico section.
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It was trying to rain at that point, but only spitting, which actually felt good in the heat. I saw Donald out at a character meet and jumped in line because you almost never see the Big Five out and about. I have to say that I LOVE this sequence of photos (so I'm sharing more than just one). The group ahead of me was a bit tedious because they kept asking for more photos made up of every possible combination of their members long past the obvious patience of Donald and his handlers. When they FINALLY left after many false alarms, we were all relieved and I think it shows. Plus, we bumped hats at some point and that started a genuine exchange of goofing around.
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Inside that grade pyramid is a sit-down restaurant, several shops, and a conveyor-style ride hosted by the Three Caballeros. I didn't eat there (I've very mixed reviews) and I didn't really feel compelled to shop for souvenirs (I'm in the process of decluttering my home), but I knew some friends would appreciate this stand.
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I did ride the ride because I only vaguely remembered it from last time, and you never pass up a chance to sit in the cool air. It was definitely influenced in feel and style by "It's a Small World," only with better music.

Next was Norway. The stand-by line for the Frozen ride was unreasonable so I skipped it that day, even with the slightly diminished crowd (post-Labor Day plus news of the pending storm). Instead I wandered through the shops and then stepped into Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe. Just check out these tempting selection!
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But I was determined to try the School Bread (Cardamom Bun filled with Vanilla Crème Custard and topped with Glazed and Toasted Coconut), something lots of people listed as one of their "Must Haves" while at the parks. IMO they're absolutely right! It's now a solid "Yes!" on my list. It was lighter than it looks, not overly sweet, and the flavors were nicely balanced.
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Next was China. The showcase is beautiful, but that film inside is exactly the same film I saw 31 years ago, and it shows. It was a bit embarrassing, really, not just in the obsolete content but in the obvious deterioration of the footage. Shameful. But ultimately these showcases are the property of the nations they represent, and their responsibility to maintain and update, so I don't blame Disney in this case.
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One stand that I found a bit sad was the food stand called "Africa." As if that's a nation. Considering how every other continent was broken up to better reflect nationalities and cultures, this example was rather insulting and I'm not even from there. Yes, Morocco is already represented, but they could easily have included a stand for Ethiopia and one for South Africa or elsewhere. Not cool, Disney.

Next around the bend was Germany. Being of German decent, I'll admit that I lingered a bit longer here to shop. You want Thingamabobs? They've got plenty!
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Honestly, though, it's one of the least immersive showcases because there's just not much there--no show or ride, and not even much of a courtyard, no lovely hidden-away areas, etc. What you see in this pic it pretty much it.
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Nice selection of beers and wines, though, so I had to treat myself to a glass of Selbach Bernkasteler Kurfeurstla Riesling Kabinett from Mosel (as one does). That brought back a ton of memories when when I used to live there. I also decided to have some real comfort food (for me) and tried the Schinkennudeln (pasta gratin with ham and cheese). Yep, just like Mom used to make it (except she used turkey ham).
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Italy was next and it's pretty, but none of the shopping interested me and they don't have a show or attraction either, so I didn't linger long this round.

It was already nearing late afternoon by this point and the heat/humidity was starting to get to me. Looking across the lake and realizing I wasn't even halfway yet and then still had to cross all of Futureworld to get to my bus did some real damage to my morale, I'll admit. It's why I started to skip certain shows if there was any sort of wait, particularly if it meant standing on my feet in line.
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Since the forum has a limit on pictures per post, this seems like a good place to break. Please see the next post for a continuation of this day...
This pictures of you and Donald are priceless!! You look so happy! So good to see.
 

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