The 'This Trip Keeps Getting Longer' Trip: PTR About This Page:

[elbodans]

3. all things star wars at DHS (continued from 'BIG MISTAKE!)

so heather whom i love and my husband whom i love made sure that we were on the back edge of the crowd along the walkway because they know i get claustrophobic in crowds and having an out would make me feel better. we literally had our back heels up against the tape separating the standing area from the walking are (securely on the side of the standing area, since, you know--we were standing.) except that was a REALLY BAD PLAN and here's why: people are idiots.

ok maybe that's not entirely why. but the entire show, people would stop in the walkway and attempt to watch the show, often staring at it like it was totally unexpected (grrr). which mean that the CM in charge of keeping the area clear had to SCREAM AT THEM. like top of her lungs, angry yelling THE ENITRE TIME. it really made the show un-watchable. and then some people would try to squish into the standing area but that wasn't possible because it was full. so basically we were being screamed near and pushed up against the entire time. it was not good.

however, the show itself--when i was able to enjoy it--was pretty great. the laser effects are super cool and the way the sound effects work is phenomenal. and that's all i'm going to say about it because i don't want to ruin it for anyone.

and then we walked back to the dolphin for...

4. dinner at bluezoo

i have wanted to try bluezoo for years. and now i have. the end.

ok. kidding again.

the decor is awesome. it's kind of under the sea meets 1997. it definitely has a hotel restaurant vibe though, which turns me off a bit since i live in hotels (i am writing this from a hotel right now in fact.) there were also MANY conference attendees in the dining area. you could tell because they were loud and drunk and obnoxious. i know because i travel for work for a living--and in my last role did so in groups--and we were loud and drunk and obnoxious. anyway.

we ordered possibly poorly. and by 'poorly' i mean 'oddly too much'. for the three of us we shared the giant raw seafood platter, which was only meh (a definite disappointment at $50) and three appetizers--the scallops, the short ribs, and shrimp and grits. oddly, in a seafood restaurant, the ribs were the runaway favorite. though all of the appetizers were pretty darn good. it was a very expensive meal though, and i don't know that i'd return. but that's ok because hey--we tried it.

after dinner we said goodbye to heather, took the elevator up to our room and fell deeply asleep in the most comfortable bed in the (walt disney) world.

up next: day 2! don't worry, it gets better!

[elbodans]

Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara

Yay!! I am so happy to be reading this and !! I'm glad to hear that your flight was smooth. Bummer about the car rental wait and even bigger bummer about the parking lot issue!. It sounds like a great start at DHS and I am concerned that it will not stay that way! I can't wait to hear about your meal!!

it's ok. i'll spoiler alert this: the trip as a whole was FANTASTIC. the bad start wasn't so bad, and it's all (mostly) uphill from here!

Originally Posted by SuperDave

Glad you arrived with a nice start for the most part with a few minor problems! I may have been close to you where you were for the fireworks as the walkway area was just in front of me I think. Mine was for the dessert party so we had a special area to stand for the show.

bummed we didn't manage a meet up. i'm sorry about that. i was just very wrapped up in our plans. i didn't even get to spend as much time with heather as i wanted, as i was trying to make this trip special for my husband. next time!!!!

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

Good start, and seems maybe the good is outweighing the not so good. Comfy beds are always good!! I'm with you on not being the most patient person...

the good definitely outweighed everything else. sorry to make the beginning of the trip sound so blah. but then you saw my millions of photos, so you know it was a good time.

[Tara O'Hara]

Aww! . That is a double disappointment. I am so sorry for the bad experience with what sounds like a really cool show. It also really stinks to pay a lot for a meh meal. Glad to hear that it gets better tomorrow and here's t a good nights sleep!!

[chezp]

Glad you've started, although you've already had quite a few disappointments. What a mess with the parking - that is really annoying and what a shame about the Star Wars fireworks. I agree with you about people being idiots. I've seen it so many times, where people stop to watch something and you just look at them and think "really? You think it would be empty if people were allowed to stop there?"

Glad to hear things improve from here on in.

[zettarooski]

Oh man - I travel for work nearly full time as well so I am feeling all your feels. I use National too and it kills me when I have to use someone else!!

Also I hate business travel (men) at conferences. The worst! (I work in a pretty male-dominated industry).

Hope your trip starts to take an upswing!

[cubfancolleen]

I've been there at parades or shows where on the one hand you feel badly that the CM is having to yell so much, mad that people are such idiots/so purposefully non compliant that the yelling is required, and tempted to whip out some duct tape for said CM's mouth.

[SharonK0527]

Sorry Day 1 had some disappointments but glad to hear things get better from here. Sorry to hear you weren't that impressed with bluezoo. I'm a big Chef Todd English fan and have wanted to try bluezoo for years but still haven't made it there.

[SuperDave]

Too bad the fireworks show was a bit rough with the people standing in the walkway and your meal at Blue Zoo was a bit off. Many of the convention crowd can be drunk and obnoxious. We had some of the convention crowd in my hotel at the B Resort in Disney Springs, but most were fine and not complaints.

Sorry we couldn't meet up, but it was sort of last minute as I was departing just a few days after I asked you about it. No worries and perhaps another time!

[elbodans]

Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara

Aww! . That is a double disappointment. I am so sorry for the bad experience with what sounds like a really cool show. It also really stinks to pay a lot for a meh meal. Glad to hear that it gets better tomorrow and here's t a good nights sleep!!

it totally gets better. and i'm over the meal cost. i'm glad we went. we likely will not return. good to know!

Originally Posted by chezp

I agree with you about people being idiots. I've seen it so many times, where people stop to watch something and you just look at them and think "really? You think it would be empty if people were allowed to stop there?"
:

i have to continue to repeat to myself: they aren't you. they don't know. but it continues to shock me how few people know how to 'do' disney. we were walking behind this couple in AK and they were pushing a stroller towards everest. and the dad was like 'will she be tall enough?' and the mom was like 'yeah i don't really know i just made this fastpass because it's extra magic hours'. first--that last part doesn't even make sense (you don't NEED fastpasses during EMH) and second, her kid was, like, two. they stopped them at the height measure thing. i just don't get it. it's an expensive vacation. do a tiny bit of research!

ok sorry. i didn't mean for that to be a rant. rant over!

Originally Posted by zettarooski

Oh man - I travel for work nearly full time as well so I am feeling all your feels. I use National too and it kills me when I have to use someone else!!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. i'm glad it's not only me!!!!! seriously.

[Colexis Mom]

Sorry for the rough first day! Looking forward to more!

[Cam22]

Good grief with the parking! A sign would have been a simple courtesy. Thank goodness for a great bed at the end of the day!

[elbodans]

so i'm not going to get to all of this, but let's start with day 2:

Day 2 Table of Contents

1. a short summary of the boring stuff--a morning in future world.
2. off to a not-great start at food and wine fest (aka: food and wine fest on a saturday.)
3. lunch plan b.
4. wilderness lodge and actual wildlife.
5. my husband becomes a small child in the magic kingdom.
6. that time the bartender actually got so angry she started throwing things.

***

1. a short summary of the boring stuff--a morning in future world.

we planned to kind of sleep in this morning, except i was all like WE ARE IN DISNEY WORLD LETS GO LETS GO LETS GO. our morning had a tiny downside, as we had to move our (small amount of) stuff from the dolphin to our car, which was parked in the far, far, far corners of the swan parking lot. i could get into why this was annoying but i won't.

after dropping off our stuff at around 8:30am, we made our way around the lake to epcot. i couldn't decide if we should take the boardwalk way or the beach club way, so i let doug decide. we chose the boardwalk way and it was lovely and empty in the morning.

as we walked through the as of yet unopened world showcase, doug checked the wait times and noted that there was only a 20 minute wait for soarin. and we were like: if we can do that now as a walk on, we don't have to try to make our 11:30 fastpass. so we headed towards the land.

except that by the time we got there seven minutes later, the wait time was 45 minutes. and we were like: nah. so we did living with the land, which is one of my favorites.

we then made a decision to head over towards test track to see about the single rider line. which was at 65 minutes at 9:30am. so we didn't do that, but instead did mission space. i was tossing around the idea of doing the orange side--which i've never done--but chose to do the green side first. because claustrophobia, i chose to not get on again after our first blast off. i feel that was a sound decision.

it was then time for our spaceship earth fastpasses, which are oddly necessary now. back in the old days there was never a line for spaceship earth; now there always is. anyway. so we did that and then we had a half of an hour before our soarin fastpass was ready. our initial plan was to do some food and wine festing before soarin, stretching out that FP until the ends of its use-time. but at the last minute i decided i didn't want to walk back and forth, so we 'killed' 20 minutes in mouse gears and showed up exactly one minute before our soarin fastpass was ready.

and...now i have to sleep. more tomorrow!

[Cam22]

I love the walk around Boardwalk or Beach Club into the International Gateway, especially early in the day when it is quiet and peaceful. Bummer that Soarin's wait time increased so quickly.

[SuperDave]

Glad you got some things in before the F&W Festival. Epcot was crazy that day as you'll see on the last day of my TR as I was there before heading home. I did do Soarin' that day as I had a FP+ in the am and it's amazing how those wait times can "Soar" like that!

[Tara O'Hara]

What a lovely morning n Epcot!!