Post by broganmc on Sept 25, 2023 7:48:23 GMT -5
I'm baaack... in Disney. Yes it's a little early but October is my birthday month so like a good little birdie I have migrated to the land of magic and wishes.
My travel companion this trip is my big sister. She's recently discovered a love of travel. Something pretty impressive for this workaholic. But she now has an annual pass and wants to visit every park every day and stay as often as possible. I am blessed in having multiple family members fall in love with Disney. No longer will I take a solo trip. I have a whole stable of willing travel companions.
We came down by autotrain on Saturday. Good time to escape Maryland as hurricane Ophelia was marching through. Wreaked havoc on the coast but gave Central Maryland and the train route just a lot of rain. And dropped temperatures down to the '60s. Perfect weather for train travel clothes and fleece blankets.
If you've never taken the autotrain, it's great for those who live in Central Maryland or above. You pick it up just south of Washington DC in lorton Virginia. Right off of i-95. Get there by 3:00 p.m. with your car. And everybody boards at 4:00. The train departs at 5:00 and takes you overnight down the coast to Central Florida. You get dinner and breakfast complimentary. We pay for the upgrade of a sleeper cabin. Gives us our own private little bathroom and seats that convert into bunk beds.
The only downside to the train is that it's not very accessible. There are two levels on this train and you have to go up a very narrow staircase. That's where the dining car is located along with the lounge car. And more sleeper cabins. But they give you a discount on the handicap cabin and they bring all your meals to you. I also bring along a laptop, a cell phone fully loaded with audio books and movies, and chargers for everything. I even bring snacks.
We had dinner early. Around 6:00 p.m. and settled in. My sister pulled up the laptop to do a little work. I put on my headphones and an audiobook. I'm recently very much into Star Wars. And I mean the expanded universe Star Wars along with the Mandoverse Disney+ series. (Dave Filoni rules! Once a rebel, always a rebel.) Currently I'm reading The Thrawn trilogy, heir to the Empire. Absolutely love that evil genius. And yes that does mean I'm following the current Ahsoka series. Love it.
Our conductor this time was a very cheery and helpful Cornelius. He took good care of us. And we had a relaxing train ride to Florida. I slept very well. Now my sister had the top bunk and it's a little high. But this is her second trip on train and she found it much more enjoyable. You have to get used to sleeping while the train is rocking and rolling. Your brain thinks you're going to roll out of bed, but you're very secure. (Accepted Georgia when we went over that big bump in the water bottles flew at my head. That woke me up, didn't hurt me just woke me up.)
With all the rain and the flooding, we were delayed an hour. So we didn't pull into Sanford until almost 11:00 a.m. . The room was still not ready at Disney. We switched the car over for me to drive and 45 minutes later we were in Orlando. There was some sort of traffic delay on i-4 at exit 72, SeaWorld. But since I've been driving down here for almost 20 years I know the local detours. So I hopped off the highway and took I- Drive down to Disney Springs.
We arrived at Bay Lake towers around 12:30pm. The room was still not ready. But we keyed our magic bands and did all the check-in. Left some of our groceries with Bell services and went off to the park. Remember my sister has the new annual pass and his declared we're going into a park every single day of her trip. Even if it's just an hour.
The weather is quite a change for Maryland. Instead of rainy and 60°, we had bright sun and a hot and humid. 90°. Time to lather on that sunscreen.
I did stop in guest relations to activate my sister's pass. Renew my DAS and get a Halloween party ticket for later this week. Easy breezy. Very little wait and absolutely no trouble.
A few minutes later we were on main Street USA. I decided to stand there for a moment and pinch myself. I still get goosebumps when I stand there in the middle of all those Halloween decorations staring at that beautiful castle. Turns me into a little 5-year-old girl again. I can't believe I live such a termed life that I get to go to Disney World multiple times a year. It never gets old.
Because we were so hot and sticky we decided our first objective of the day was to get ice cream and then sit inside air conditioning to eat it. So we stopped off at the big popcorn stand along the castle circle and found a nice table inside cosmic rays with a view of the castle. And beautiful air conditioning. Just enough time for us to follow the football game back home.
Remember we are big Ravens fans. We have season tickets. This weekend my brother R and his son went. The game did not go well. Ravens were playing the Colts And we're fairly matched or outmatched in some cases. We were ahead by 7, then behind by 6. Went back ahead by 1. Then the game was tied. Went into overtime. And we lost by three points. We were so disgusted. Brother R is banned from any other games the rest of the season. He's not allowed to go. That's the rule!
Shirking off our sorrows we went off to our first ride of the day. Haunted Mansion. I did use a DAS return time for that. I absolutely love that I can do it through my phone instead of having to go to the ride like you did in the old days. Sure you might have to wait a little bit longer but it makes it so much more convenient.
It wasn't too crowded in the park yesterday. Probably because there was a Halloween party and it closed at 6:00. Plus it's still September. Those things usually keep the crowd levels more than reasonable.
Now someone tell me when and where they're putting the new hat ghost into Haunted Mansion? I thought I read they had already done it but I didn't see him. I'm not even sure what I'm looking for.
Our next ride was jungle Cruise but we had a bit of a wait for that. So we went into the tiki birds first. Oh I love those tiki birds. I can't resist singing and dancing along. In my seat of course. No crazy dancing in the aisles. Cast members tend to frown on that.
Next up jungle Cruise and all those wonderful dad jokes. I just love to visit the 8th Wonder of the world, 02H 02H 02H!
By the time we finished all those rides it was a little after 5:00. And we both wanted to do some browsing on main Street. So we headed over there. I stupidly forgot my Disney 100 anniversary t-shirt. Part of a set I got for my sister and I last March. We like to go twinning. So we're in search of a new shirt to be our twin set. No luck in Magic Kingdom though. Emporium just didn't have cute enough shirts. And we don't want Halloween shirts. We want something we can wear all year round. Will try again at Epcot tomorrow. (Or rather today when I'm writing this.)
I did stumble onto my next favorite souvenir collectible, those tiny little character figurines at Arribas Crystal. Looks like they have some new additions to the collection. I picked up a little Pinocchio. I also noticed there's a Dumbo. I try to get at least one every trip. And past years I use them in my Christmas train garden but they're the perfect size for my brand new dollhouse at home. This year I picked up Pinocchio. He is adorable.
We also saw the afternoon parade go by. I forget what it's called. Some sort of heroes cavalcade.
And we left as the party guests were entering. They were only in the park for about 3 and 1/2 hours but it still felt like a full day.
And by now our room was finally ready. We have a great room for the view. It's a Lakeview room but you get to see the park from the side. That means fireworks in our pajamas!
Got help unpacking the car. Called on maintenance to fix the door for me. They still don't have automatic doors installed in these handicap rooms. So I have to get them to detach that pneumatic arm. Makes the door a lot lighter and easier to open when you're in a wheelchair.
You could tell we were in vacation mode because we were too lazy to even go grocery shopping. Instead we used instacart to have a week's worth of groceries delivered.
By the time we settled in, Halloween fireworks were going off in Magic Kingdom. Turned on channel 105 to hear the music. Turned off all the lights and we sat on the balcony to watch. They are beautiful.
So that's how we ended our night. And it felt like a full day in Disney.
Today I woke up at sunrise. Just in time to get in the virtual queue for Guardians. But I'm waiting for my brother to finish driving down from Maryland. He may not arrived until much later this afternoon. I'm so in the meantime my sister and I are going off to Epcot and enjoying food and wine festival.
My travel companion this trip is my big sister. She's recently discovered a love of travel. Something pretty impressive for this workaholic. But she now has an annual pass and wants to visit every park every day and stay as often as possible. I am blessed in having multiple family members fall in love with Disney. No longer will I take a solo trip. I have a whole stable of willing travel companions.
We came down by autotrain on Saturday. Good time to escape Maryland as hurricane Ophelia was marching through. Wreaked havoc on the coast but gave Central Maryland and the train route just a lot of rain. And dropped temperatures down to the '60s. Perfect weather for train travel clothes and fleece blankets.
If you've never taken the autotrain, it's great for those who live in Central Maryland or above. You pick it up just south of Washington DC in lorton Virginia. Right off of i-95. Get there by 3:00 p.m. with your car. And everybody boards at 4:00. The train departs at 5:00 and takes you overnight down the coast to Central Florida. You get dinner and breakfast complimentary. We pay for the upgrade of a sleeper cabin. Gives us our own private little bathroom and seats that convert into bunk beds.
The only downside to the train is that it's not very accessible. There are two levels on this train and you have to go up a very narrow staircase. That's where the dining car is located along with the lounge car. And more sleeper cabins. But they give you a discount on the handicap cabin and they bring all your meals to you. I also bring along a laptop, a cell phone fully loaded with audio books and movies, and chargers for everything. I even bring snacks.
We had dinner early. Around 6:00 p.m. and settled in. My sister pulled up the laptop to do a little work. I put on my headphones and an audiobook. I'm recently very much into Star Wars. And I mean the expanded universe Star Wars along with the Mandoverse Disney+ series. (Dave Filoni rules! Once a rebel, always a rebel.) Currently I'm reading The Thrawn trilogy, heir to the Empire. Absolutely love that evil genius. And yes that does mean I'm following the current Ahsoka series. Love it.
Our conductor this time was a very cheery and helpful Cornelius. He took good care of us. And we had a relaxing train ride to Florida. I slept very well. Now my sister had the top bunk and it's a little high. But this is her second trip on train and she found it much more enjoyable. You have to get used to sleeping while the train is rocking and rolling. Your brain thinks you're going to roll out of bed, but you're very secure. (Accepted Georgia when we went over that big bump in the water bottles flew at my head. That woke me up, didn't hurt me just woke me up.)
With all the rain and the flooding, we were delayed an hour. So we didn't pull into Sanford until almost 11:00 a.m. . The room was still not ready at Disney. We switched the car over for me to drive and 45 minutes later we were in Orlando. There was some sort of traffic delay on i-4 at exit 72, SeaWorld. But since I've been driving down here for almost 20 years I know the local detours. So I hopped off the highway and took I- Drive down to Disney Springs.
We arrived at Bay Lake towers around 12:30pm. The room was still not ready. But we keyed our magic bands and did all the check-in. Left some of our groceries with Bell services and went off to the park. Remember my sister has the new annual pass and his declared we're going into a park every single day of her trip. Even if it's just an hour.
The weather is quite a change for Maryland. Instead of rainy and 60°, we had bright sun and a hot and humid. 90°. Time to lather on that sunscreen.
I did stop in guest relations to activate my sister's pass. Renew my DAS and get a Halloween party ticket for later this week. Easy breezy. Very little wait and absolutely no trouble.
A few minutes later we were on main Street USA. I decided to stand there for a moment and pinch myself. I still get goosebumps when I stand there in the middle of all those Halloween decorations staring at that beautiful castle. Turns me into a little 5-year-old girl again. I can't believe I live such a termed life that I get to go to Disney World multiple times a year. It never gets old.
Because we were so hot and sticky we decided our first objective of the day was to get ice cream and then sit inside air conditioning to eat it. So we stopped off at the big popcorn stand along the castle circle and found a nice table inside cosmic rays with a view of the castle. And beautiful air conditioning. Just enough time for us to follow the football game back home.
Remember we are big Ravens fans. We have season tickets. This weekend my brother R and his son went. The game did not go well. Ravens were playing the Colts And we're fairly matched or outmatched in some cases. We were ahead by 7, then behind by 6. Went back ahead by 1. Then the game was tied. Went into overtime. And we lost by three points. We were so disgusted. Brother R is banned from any other games the rest of the season. He's not allowed to go. That's the rule!
Shirking off our sorrows we went off to our first ride of the day. Haunted Mansion. I did use a DAS return time for that. I absolutely love that I can do it through my phone instead of having to go to the ride like you did in the old days. Sure you might have to wait a little bit longer but it makes it so much more convenient.
It wasn't too crowded in the park yesterday. Probably because there was a Halloween party and it closed at 6:00. Plus it's still September. Those things usually keep the crowd levels more than reasonable.
Now someone tell me when and where they're putting the new hat ghost into Haunted Mansion? I thought I read they had already done it but I didn't see him. I'm not even sure what I'm looking for.
Our next ride was jungle Cruise but we had a bit of a wait for that. So we went into the tiki birds first. Oh I love those tiki birds. I can't resist singing and dancing along. In my seat of course. No crazy dancing in the aisles. Cast members tend to frown on that.
Next up jungle Cruise and all those wonderful dad jokes. I just love to visit the 8th Wonder of the world, 02H 02H 02H!
By the time we finished all those rides it was a little after 5:00. And we both wanted to do some browsing on main Street. So we headed over there. I stupidly forgot my Disney 100 anniversary t-shirt. Part of a set I got for my sister and I last March. We like to go twinning. So we're in search of a new shirt to be our twin set. No luck in Magic Kingdom though. Emporium just didn't have cute enough shirts. And we don't want Halloween shirts. We want something we can wear all year round. Will try again at Epcot tomorrow. (Or rather today when I'm writing this.)
I did stumble onto my next favorite souvenir collectible, those tiny little character figurines at Arribas Crystal. Looks like they have some new additions to the collection. I picked up a little Pinocchio. I also noticed there's a Dumbo. I try to get at least one every trip. And past years I use them in my Christmas train garden but they're the perfect size for my brand new dollhouse at home. This year I picked up Pinocchio. He is adorable.
We also saw the afternoon parade go by. I forget what it's called. Some sort of heroes cavalcade.
And we left as the party guests were entering. They were only in the park for about 3 and 1/2 hours but it still felt like a full day.
And by now our room was finally ready. We have a great room for the view. It's a Lakeview room but you get to see the park from the side. That means fireworks in our pajamas!
Got help unpacking the car. Called on maintenance to fix the door for me. They still don't have automatic doors installed in these handicap rooms. So I have to get them to detach that pneumatic arm. Makes the door a lot lighter and easier to open when you're in a wheelchair.
You could tell we were in vacation mode because we were too lazy to even go grocery shopping. Instead we used instacart to have a week's worth of groceries delivered.
By the time we settled in, Halloween fireworks were going off in Magic Kingdom. Turned on channel 105 to hear the music. Turned off all the lights and we sat on the balcony to watch. They are beautiful.
So that's how we ended our night. And it felt like a full day in Disney.
Today I woke up at sunrise. Just in time to get in the virtual queue for Guardians. But I'm waiting for my brother to finish driving down from Maryland. He may not arrived until much later this afternoon. I'm so in the meantime my sister and I are going off to Epcot and enjoying food and wine festival.
