[COMPLETE] One, Two, Three, Four, Five... Do we make it out alive? -- Jan 2019 TR FINAL UPDATE 9/10/19

Elizabeth Smith

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 7, 2017
One, Two, Three, Four, Five... Do we make it out alive?
Welcome to another trip report! My name is Elizabeth and I will be showing you through a week-long journey to WDW.

Joining me on this trip was my husband Jacob.

We also had a guest appearance from some friends from college and a bunch of human-sized Mice, Dogs, and Ducks!

This trip took place between January 12, 2019 and January 20, 2019 and we decided to go during this time hoping for lower crowds and to get out of the miserable cold winter.
(an image my brother sent me of the backyard. meanwhile, we were riding 7DMT).
Why did we decide to go back to WDW, our second trip since we've been married, only 13ish months since our last trip? We had such a magical time our first trip, that we couldn't wait to go back!
What about now? Are we crazy Disney people who have DVC and go every year? AP? No, unfortunately. We still had a great time, but have no plans to go back in the near future. That's partially why it took so long to make this report... the post-Disney depression hit waaayyyy harder than I thought. LOL.
But let's hop in our time machine and go back about a month!


 
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Day 1 -- Escape from Snow Heck
Friday, January 11, 2019. I leave work, feeling smug. I go home, throw some stuff in the car, Jacob and the dog pile in too. And we're off to Cincinnati! In the car on the way there, we finally discussed over the phone with my parents that we would kind of like a ride to the airport, and of course my dad agreed.

Saturday, January 12, 2019. We wake up at 6am to see the snow already falling, and it was supposed to get really gnarly. I was sooo nervous that our plane would be delayed, or else our flight would be cancelled. Nevertheless, we were dressed and out the door by 7:10 and my dad drove us through the winter storm. We went through a McDonald's drive thru on the way, and got to the airport with no incident, though the ride was reaaalllly tense. (my dad later informed me that he very nearly crashed on the way back home, but... all's well that ends well).


Went thru security and we were at the gate a little after 8. Jacob got me a juice and we waited for our plane to arrive. My fears about our flight being delayed or cancelled quickly subsided. After our plane was de-iced, we were off and on to Charlotte. Once we were in Charlotte, we played Pokemon Go to pass the time and had BBQ for lunch. Then onto Orlando.

We made it onto a Magical Express bus very quickly. As a result, we sat watching the video loop again. We saw it like 2 1/2 times by the time we made it to the resort, which got on my nerves a little bit.... The bus stops were identical to our last trip, OKW, Saratoga Springs, then us. People on the bus were a little... slow on the uptake. One woman did not know which of the Port Orleans resorts she was staying at... Another woman got out of her seat as soon as she saw the sign for OKW. LOL. We dropped our stuff at our hotel room. (we did not take a checked-bag at all, just carry-ons, which panned out quite well).

The view of from our room.

Cute Princess and the Frog Shower Curtain.

Our room.
We went down to the dock to catch a boat to Disney Springs.


We did not make it on the first boat because a lot of people were in line, probably heading to dinner. Once we made it to Disney Springs, we only walked around a little but before going to check in at Homecomin' for dinner. We popped into the Disney Style store for like a second before we got the text that our table was ready.

They had a little teacup photo-op in the store.



We ordered the deviled eggs and ate them so fast that I did not get a picture. After lecturing myself, I remembered to take pictures of our entrees. I ordered thigh high chicken biscuits with mashed potatoes on the side, which was an excellent choice. DH ordered the fried chicken dinner, obviously.


We were far too full to order dessert, and since we opted NOT to do the dining plan this time, I felt good about our decision!
Before heading back to the resort and going to bed, we walked around World of Disney...


Potion Purple was the new hotness at the time and they had a lovely display.


I really liked the newly remodeled World of Disney. It is a little trendier looking and kind of kitschy, but at the same time, the product displays are much cooler and makes the whole experience seem more upscale.
We hit up the pin trading store, the Co-op, and Uniqlo before we went back to the resort. I was actually pretty tired from being sick the last several days, and still not entirely over it, and from travelling all day. We thought we might visit the hot tub at the resort before calling it a night, but it was already closed for the evening, which was weird to me, but oh well. We opted to go into Floatworks for dessert, since we had mostly walked off dinner at the Springs. We got the Mickey beignet sundae.


It was quite tasty, but also quite difficult to eat. The bowl is not very big and it's kind of hard to get through the beignets with utensils. They are really more easily eaten with your hands.
We went to the front desk to get our magic bands all set up for making purchases and also decided to decline housekeeping for a gift card.
Came back to the room after that, showered, picked out clothes for the next day, and rested up for our first park day tomorrow!
 


Joining in!

Saturday, January 12, 2019. We wake up at 6am to see the snow already falling, and it was supposed to get really gnarly. I was sooo nervous that our plane would be delayed, or else our flight would be cancelled. Nevertheless, we were dressed and out the door by 7:10 and my dad drove us through the winter storm. We went through a McDonald's drive thru on the way, and got to the airport with no incident, though the ride was reaaalllly tense. (my dad later informed me that he very nearly crashed on the way back home, but... all's well that ends well).

Went thru security and we were at the gate a little after 8. Jacob got me a juice and we waited for our plane to arrive. My fears about our flight being delayed or cancelled quickly subsided. After our plane was de-iced, we were off and on to Charlotte. Once we were in Charlotte, we played Pokemon Go to pass the time and had BBQ for lunch. Then onto Orlando.
Oh gosh how nerve-wracking! I'd be right there with you, all worried about the flight. So glad it worked out with no problem. And also how scary about your dad! Glad he didn't actually crash.

We hit up the pin trading store, the Co-op, and Uniqlo before we went back to the resort. I was actually pretty tired from being sick the last several days, and still not entirely over it, and from travelling all day. We thought we might visit the hot tub at the resort before calling it a night, but it was already closed for the evening, which was weird to me, but oh well. We opted to go into Floatworks for dessert, since we had mostly walked off dinner at the Springs. We got the Mickey beignet sundae.
Boo pool hours that close early in Florida winter. :(

It was quite tasty, but also quite difficult to eat. The bowl is not very big and it's kind of hard to get through the beignets with utensils. They are really more easily eaten with your hands.
We went to the front desk to get our magic bands all set up for making purchases and also decided to decline housekeeping for a gift card.
Came back to the room after that, showered, picked out clothes for the next day, and rested up for our first park day tomorrow!
Beignet sundae! So good, but you are completely right: the bowl is too small and it is hard to eat. Still worth it though :)
 


Joining in!
:welcome:
Boo pool hours that close early in Florida winter. :(
It baffled me, because a trip to the hot tub is definitely an end-of-the-day kind of activity. It should be open after the parks close....

Beignet sundae! So good, but you are completely right: the bowl is too small and it is hard to eat. Still worth it though :)
Most definitely!

Hopping over from your PTR . Looking forward to reading more about your adventures
Thanks for hopping over! :welcome:

hopping on to follow along. We love POFQ! our favorite moderate for sure, the boat ride to disney springs is an amazing plus!
:welcome: Yes! I love the boat ride too! Soooo peaceful too!

Following along! I also love POFQ!
:welcome:POFQ is a really special resort. Love the small size and immaculate landscaping.
 
Joining in! Great start to your trip! I'm so glad your dad it back safely! Homecoming is on my list to eat at in December when we go . The food there are always looks amazing!! Can't wait to read more!
 
Day 2 Part 1 -- An Unexpected Magical Moment/Ghosts Don't Eat
We began our first day by arriving to Magic Kingdom in plenty of time for rope dropping, though we really didn't have very ambitious plans.... We of course got some castle photos on the way in. You may be able to tell from these photos that the Christmas decorations weren't quite down yet, which actually kind of disappointed and annoyed me. I'm pretty strict about Christmas decor. I permit putting them up as early as one's heart desires, as long as it's after Halloween, but after New Year's day, I want them down. I think it's tacky to leave them up...


We were going to head to Winnie the Pooh, so got into the correct position at the rope, but still I managed to see a few bits of the stage show from where we stood. The castle itself slightly obscured my view, but I was able to catch my first glimpse of Mickey. <3
As you can probably imagine, Winnie the Pooh was not high in demand, so we were actually the very first guests to get on the ride!

I actually got startled when Tigger popped up the first time. LOL.
Once we wrapped up our first ride of the day, I wanted to grab breakfast before our first fastpass window opened for 7DMT. We went to Gaston's Tavern because I was quite determined not to miss out on the giant cinnamon roll this time around.

It was not at all crowded in there so we didn't have to wait in any line and had our pick of any table to sit at and eat our breakfast.

I really enjoyed the details of the little dining spot and would recommend it!
But now our 7DMT fastpass had opened up and I was ready to get on our first major e-ticket ride of the trip!

It was as fun as ever and we got front row seats, which makes for a great photo, of course.
Our next fastpass wouldn't be for a while, so we hit up some other Fantasyland favorites, such as it's a small world.






I cannot emphasize how much I love the ride, annoying, repetitive song and all. It's beautiful, from the bright colors, to the message. I get a little teary-eyed sometimes when I think about it, really.
While we were on the theme of dark rides, we hopped on Little Mermaid, since of course the wait was still short.



I would claim that the Ursula animatronic is my favorite of all of WDW, were it not for the objectively more impressive animatronic in NRJ in AK. But, perhaps, this is my favorite in MK? I don't really much care for the ride, but this robotic sea-witch does something to me whenever I lay eyes on her. She's so huge, and the way her jaw and chin flap is just astounding!
When we wrapped up with those two rides, our next FP window had still not opened, so we moseyed over to see about a character meet and greet. By this time, the park had not yet been open for an hour. We went over to Pete's Silly Side Show and saw a line had formed outside of the "tent". I then saw a sign that the meet and greet did not commence until 10am, which would be any moment. The line was actually for Daisy and Minnie, and the Donald/Goofy side only had one family in it. We hopped in that line. When 10 o'clock hit, there was a pounding from the inside of the door. I figured some CMs. But when the doors burst open it was none other than Donald and Goofy! I was so delighted to see them swing open the doors. They led us through the queue and got into position for their meet and greet. The whole experience was so surprising and unplanned on our end, it felt like wonderful happenstance that we got there right at that time! I tried not to get too emotional so I could take a decent photo.



After this most magical meet and greet, we hit up Mickey;s Philharmagic while we were in the vicinity. It was much better to me than the last time I had seen it. I think we were able to get seats more in the middle of the theater since it wasn't full, and as such the 3D came across a lot better.

We went over to Frontierland at this point. Out next fastpass was for BTMMR, but since the Splash Mountain wait was low, we went on it first and I got my first hypocritical Ziploc baggie.

Oh wait, it's not a single-use plastic, because they encourage you to reuse the bag! LOL.

We stayed fairly dry on this trip and enjoyed the wait in the cool (in both senses of the word) queue beforehand. I love this attraction! This would be the first of many enjoyable rides on this beloved attraction.
We then rode BTMRR. Now, on my last trip, I just didn't understand the hype. But something has changed in me. This time around, I really got into Big Thunder Mountain and thoroughly enjoyed the whole ride (except the part with the screeching bats). Now, since we had decided to squeeze in Splash Mountain which resulted in us using our BTMRR FP toward the end of our window, it was time for our Haunted Mansion fastpass. We were bristling with anticipation for our first of several journeys to flirt with the happy haunts and have a brush with death.


We actually got the photopass with the hitch-hiking ghost. I just wish we were all pointing in the same direction, seems like we're heading different places... Which I guess is true! We were then headed to lunch and he was probably heading... somewhere else, since ghosts don't eat!
 
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Once we wrapped up our first ride of the day, I wanted to grab breakfast before our first fastpass window opened for 7DMT. We went to Gaston's Tavern because I was quite determined not to miss out on the giant cinnamon roll this time around.
LOVE this cinnamon roll, so much :) And I totally agree about the theming of the Tavern--very well done

It was as fun as ever and we got front row seats, which makes for a great photo, of course.
You got such a great photo! I love it :)

I cannot emphasize how much I love the ride, annoying, repetitive song and all. It's beautiful, from the bright colors, to the message. I get a little teary-eyed sometimes when I think about it, really.
So I'm not a huge fan, but last time I rode I found Don Quixote and Sancho and that just made the ride for me--I loved it. So I do appreciate all the fun details hidden in the ride.

But when the doors burst open it was none other than Donald and Goofy! I was so delighted to see them swing open the doors. They led us through the queue and got into position for their meet and greet. The whole experience was so surprising and unplanned on our end, it felt like wonderful happenstance that we got there right at that time! I tried not to get too emotional so I could take a decent photo.
What a great experience! It's these magical experiences that really make Disney trips special. Your photos look great!

We actually got the photopass with the hitch-hiking ghost. I just wish we were all pointing in the same direction, seems like we're heading different places... Which I guess is true! We were then headed to lunch and he was probably heading... somewhere else, since ghosts don't eat!
I love this photo! But I can sympathize with the desire to all be pointing in the right direction.
 
I am enjoying your TR.
Returned from WDW 7 days ago it feels like 7 years ago.
Welcome! :welcome: I feel like our last trip is becoming more and more of a distant memory! :(

Hi!!!! I am here and following along! Can't wait to hear all about the trip.
Thank you! Welcome back!:welcome:

So I'm not a huge fan, but last time I rode I found Don Quixote and Sancho and that just made the ride for me--I loved it. So I do appreciate all the fun details hidden in the ride.
The small details in iasw make the difference for me and I feel like each time I ride it I see something new!

I'm following along and enjoying your report!
Thank you for joining! Welcome welcome! :welcome:
 
Day 2 Part 2 -- Saving Turtles Over Lunch
We made out way to Skipper Canteen after a thrilling and chilling ride on Haunted Mansion. We checked in a little early and enjoyed the little outdoor patio seating area which was really cozy feeling, somehow.

It kind of feels like a real person's back porch out there, just more ethnic. We were called in to our table, on accident, kind of. They were supposed to summon someone else, but made a mistake. Oh well!
They took us in past the mess hall and into the secretive, amazing S.E.A. room, which was beautiful. It was like a secret library setting and very fancy and posh with eclectic details.

This was the wall behind me. It had an ornate carved detail.
Our waitress was named Zita and she had a really cool European accent of some sort. She really fit the part. She was a little less corny than the Skippers of the Jungle Cruise, but that suited me just fine. And she still made plenty of BAAAAAaaaad jokes. And when she brought us our drinks, she inquired if we were interesting in saving the turtles (meaning, did we want to forgo straws). We agreed to protect marine life and she was literally the only waitress we had all week who gave us the option, even if she seemed like she would have guilted us otherwise! LOL.

Here is the view from my seat of the whole S.E.A. room. The rug is amazing!

This is a little hidden secret on the menu if you pull up the page that the items are listed on.

Here is the other side!
I ordered Chicken Pad Thai and Jacob got the lamb.


I think Jacob enjoyed his more than mine. I found my Pad Thai to kind of just taste like generic stir fry. It didn't have the spice or peanut-y taste of normal Pad Thai.
The most stand-out delicious part of the whole meal was BY FAR dessert. We ordered the Kungaloosh, which had so many layers of flavor and they were all like level 100. It was a chewy brownie-like chocolate cake topped with some kind of cashew ice cream and a caramelized banana. There is supposed to be coffee powder on it, which I had them put on lightly, since I'm not huge on coffee, but the amount of coffee was appropriate and added some needed bitterness to balance out the sweetness. Loved it. My only wish, is that it was bigger... And that it was in my mouth right now.
We were able to snag a 4th rolling fast pass for Jungle Cruise while we were in the restaurant since we were feeling so inspired by lunch. We went right over!



 
They took us in past the mess hall and into the secretive, amazing S.E.A. room, which was beautiful. It was like a secret library setting and very fancy and posh with eclectic details.

Oh jealous! Every time I eat there we get seated in the main room. The SEA room looks so cool!

The most stand-out delicious part of the whole meal was BY FAR dessert. We ordered the Kungaloosh, which had so many layers of flavor and they were all like level 100. It was a chewy brownie-like chocolate cake topped with some kind of cashew ice cream and a caramelized banana. There is supposed to be coffee powder on it, which I had them put on lightly, since I'm not huge on coffee, but the amount of coffee was appropriate and added some needed bitterness to balance out the sweetness. Loved it. My only wish, is that it was bigger... And that it was in my mouth right now.

That sounds amazing!! And now I’m hungry...
 
Day 2 Part 3 -- The Pall of Hesitance... and a Parade!
After cruising several rivers, we hiked back to the Frontier and saw Jacob's people: The Country Bears.


This was the best time I've ever had at the Country Bear Jamboree, I think. While the park was not that crowded, the theater was full!


The audience laughed at all the right times and the spirit there was great! And I was able to hear every line of every song, which is rare with those older audio-animatronic shows.
Next, we decided to see the Hall of Presidents, or as Jacob called it, the "Pall of Hesitance." He was concerned that people were going to be nasty about the current administration since they have had security and what not there.

Jacob was enamored with the Andrew Jackson bust, as a Tennessean.

All went well, though. The show was inspiring enough!
As we emerged from the theater, we observed that the Parade rope was up. And some man remarked that the parade would begin at 2:30, and he was quite wrong, BUT we took his word for it and just decided to camp out for it and as a result we had amazing view of the parade!




Rapunzel waved right at us and I promise you that Flynn smoldered at me as well. I may have blushed. I'm not proud.











It was an amazing parade and I'm so glad that guy didn't know what he was talking about because it actually was worth it to be there early for it!
 
Day 2 Part 4 --The Space Race
I am still feeling productive today, so I figured I would get in another update while I'm motivated. I got to leave work early because we had a mouse situation. :scared1: There are only two mice I like, and this little fellow was not one of them. LOL. But he afforded me a chance to go home and nap, and as a result you're getting this update earlier than I normally would have. So, thank you little mouse.

When we left off, we had just watched the Festival of Fantasy parade with an AMAZING view outside of the Hall of Presidents. Timing is everything, because right at that moment the Liberty Belle pulled up to "port." We scurried over and hopped on! I actually really like this ride. It's not normal amusement park entertainment. The narration is fun and the views are amazing!




A very relaxing afternoon activity.
A few hours had now passed since our lunch and we were ready for a snack, specifically the Dole Whip. We hoofed it over to the Aloha Isle Refreshments kiosk and got a vanilla pineapple swirl. Yum.

I recommend the swirl because it adds a little extra sweetness to cut through some of the acidity of the pineapple and its still especially refreshing!
Now we had another fast pass, this time for Buzz Lightyear, so we made our way to the exact opposite end of the park.

While I may look like I'm putting the effort in, my score was terrible and I do blame it on my gun whose button was a little broken.
Snack time again. We jumped over to the Cheshire cafe for a pepperjack pretzel. It apparently likes to move around and we had to hunt for it a little bit.

Delish!
Now we decided to ride Space Mountain since stand-by was not so bad. Like maybe 20 minutes, if I remember correctly. I downloaded the Disney Play app and played the little space race game in line. It was alright and helped pass the time. The premise is that as you play the game and make your way through the line, you will power up a spaceship to be raced with other players in the queue. I could never get my ship powerful enough to really do well in the races.

Yay for Space Mountain!
We made our way to the people mover to relax a little after an exciting space race.


Thus ended our tour of Tomorrowland, at least for the time being.
Of course, I couldn't help but grab this famous shot on the way to Main Street.

What can I say? It's cute!
 

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