JenJones - February 4 through February 6, 2016 - Bay Lake Tower

Participants: JenJones (37) , Mr. Jones (42)
When: Thursday, February 4 Saturday, February 6, 2016
From: Chicago via Royal Caribbean Cruise (Tampa)
To: Bay Lake Tower

Pre-trip
Weve had this trip on the books since Spring of 2015. We were able to sneak in a quick trip July 2015 (trip report here) and went to Anaheim in September 2015 for the Disneyland Half Marathon (no trip report, I really wanted to focus on the race), but this was the trip we were most looking forward to. I think we credit that to being able to stay at Bay Lake Tower.

We enjoy cruising with Royal Caribbean in the winter, so we had planned a 5 day trip to Key West and Cozumel aboard the Brilliance of the Seas, sailing out of Tampa on Saturday, January 30, returning the morning on Thursday, February 4. This was my fifth RC cruise, and it was on par or better than other cruises Ive taken. I wont include it in this trip report since it isnt DCL, but needless to say we re-booked another cruise (different itinerary) for February 2017 while on board. The plan was to fly into Fort Myers on Friday, January 29, visit with Mr. Jones grandfather, drive to Tampa the next day, return the rental car, tour the Florida Aquarium (I have a friend who works there), and board the ship. We would then rent a car again in Tampa after the cruise, drive to Orlando, and begin the Disney portion of our trip February 4-6.

We were planning our visit for the weekend before the Princess Half Marathon, and so we thought it would be a nice slow time to visit. We had booked so far in advance we didnt realize that while we had missed the runDisney weekend, we had inadvertently picked one of the cheerleading weekends. We discovered this after checking Mouse Planet a few weeks prior to our trip. Oh well. Weve survived the Brazilian tour groups; we figured we could survive cheerleaders too.

We rented DVC points through one of the DVC rental sites for Bay Lake Tower. The process was quick and easy. We decided on BLT due to its proximity to Magic Kingdom, as Ive always wanted to go to rope drop and never had, mostly due to the hassle of waking up early enough to do so, needing to hop on a bus, etc. BLT would allow us to wake up at a more reasonable time and walk over when we were ready. Sounded like a winning idea to us! We were also eager to check out a DVC property. Neither of us had stayed at a Deluxe resort, and as future DVC owners (we just recently closed on a resale deal) we wanted to get our toes wet and check it all out.

With points rented, car rentals arranged for, cruise booked, tickets purchased, and about $300 in Disney gift cards purchased at Target for 5% off (using the Red Card) to help pay for the Disney portion of our trip, we were ready to be off. Warm weather here we come! Or so we thought


Thursday, February 4 Day 1 (of Disney, Day 7 of trip)
Plan: Character Warehouse, Magic Kingdom (FP at Splash Mountain, Peter Pan, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train), Dinner at Sanaa, Monorail Pub Crawl, Wishes from Top of the World Lounge

Actual:
We disembarked from our cruise into Tampa bright and early at 7:30 AM, cleared customs and took a quick cab ride to the Alamo at the Westin hotel on Harbor Island. We were on the road shortly thereafter. This was exciting, as it would give us time to peruse the Character Warehouse, which Ive never been to but have wanted to check out. Ive got an Adventureland thing going on in my dining room, and Ive seen from a recent Touring Plans blog that they have a lot of the items I was coveting for sale.

Unfortunately, I-4 had other plans. There was a huge accident with an overturned car heading east, and we ended up diverting of the highway. We stopped at a Publix to pick up a beverage and snacks for the car, and since it seemed like we were in for an unusually long commute to Orlando we also made sure to take a potty break. Soon enough we were back on I-4 and finally made it to Orlando. Instead of it being about an hour, it was a 2 hour commute in and we decided against the trek to Character Warehouse after all. I was worried about missing our first FP and was eager to check into the hotel. We diverted into Celebration for another Publix stop, this time for food for breakfasts, snacks, and beer. Cant get enough of that Cigar City Brewery, and its unavailable in Chicago.

It was our first time driving through the MK gates to go to a hotel and it was kind of exciting to be able to do that. We arrived at Contemporarys driveway where they checked our credentials and let us in. We pulled up to the front door of Bay Lake Tower and received our much awaited Welcome Home. Mr. Jones went inside to check in while I busied myself unloading the car. We had a lot of luggage as well as the bags from Publix; it looked like we were staying for a week! I blame my father; chronic over packing seems to run in the family. The bellhop offered to help us when we inquired about a cart, and I accepted, not realizing that he wouldnt be following us up immediately, so I had a slight panic attack before we got to our room that we wouldnt be able to get into the parks. Our tickets were in one of our bags and I wasnt sure if they were linked to our Magic Bands or not of course they were but I panicked regardless. I was pretty sure we would be fine but that dread of not knowing kicked in briefly. We took the elevator to our room on the 2nd floor (7232) and enjoyed seeing everything in person that wed been looking at online in room tour videos. We had a lovely view of both Bay Lake and the Contemporary. While we knew the chance of getting a MK view was slim (we asked for standard view, lower floor, and did receive both around the corner from the elevator great location), we were actually really happy with the view we had. I was impressed. I was a little surprised at how beat up the room looked the furniture was quite scuffed and the carpet didnt seem very fresh. But other than that the room seemed perfectly nice. I did think it was absolutely wonderful to have the kitchenette. Later in the trip, however, we would see firsthand why folks had complained about the pocket door (more like a barn door) on the bathroom late night potty breaks were no longer a private event when all could be heard from the bed.

We freshened up as best we could without our belongings and decided to take off right away for the park. It was a little chilly that day so I was glad I was wearing jeans and a running jacket (from the 2014 Wine & Dine Half Marathon) with me. We set out for MK and when we went to get onto the elevator we were surprised by our bellhop with our luggage, so we turned around and escorted him back the few steps to our room.

Once again we were off and on the path to MK. When we arrived at the gates I immediately noticed the increased security presence. I went through bag check and Mr. Jones went through the bag-less entry. I ended up spinning in circles once I made it through my line. He was nowhere to be seen. Turns out he had been selected for random metal detector, and soon enough he popped out of the tent and we were off. It really didnt take up that much time. With no further issue we scanned our Magic Bands and finger prints and we were finally on Main Street USA again! By this point it was around noon so we headed over to the Skipper Canteen to try it out.

We both enjoy the Jungle Cruise so we were eager to give Skipper Canteen a fair shake. We were told there was no wait, then had to give what seemed like an extraordinary amount of information and told to take a seat in one of two waiting areas. We waited a couple minutes in the outdoor waiting area for the next host to come seat us, where he took us to the large room (Mess Hall) and we were seated at the 2-top closest to the kitchen. The room was about 30% full so it was kind of a crappy table given the options. There were what Im assuming to be managers standing close by our whole meal. Our waitress was enthusiastic. I ordered the Punch-Line Punch (very good) and Mr. Jones went with a neon green Fanta from Thailand (not so good.) We thought the entre prices were a little high and the vegetarian entre didnt appeal to me at that moment so we decided to just do appetizers and get a snack elsewhere if we were hungry later. We told the waitress that wed just be getting appetizers and she gave us a look I can only presume to be disappointment at a smaller check total. I went with the falafel and Mr. Jones went with the arepas. I thought both were very good. The waitress then put the pressure on to order dessert, which we declined. She made a joke about it, even dragging her manager into the conversation. I get that she was going for playful banter but really it just came off as awkward and ended up making us feel uncomfortable. So it was really a mixed experience I liked the food and dcor but the staff and overall experience needed some adjustments.

After lunch we walked to the Haunted Mansion, a personal favorite of mine, and got in after a brief 10 minute wait. The ride stopped several times, and we even sat in front of Madame Leota for what seemed like 5 minutes while announcements went on about staying in your Doom Buggy. We then stopped again for a long time in the cemetery in front of the singing busts. I loved it, Thurl Ravenscroft has been someone I revere for a long time (again, felt like 4-5 minutes) so I really got to study his facial expressions while we waited for the ride to resume.

Next we were off to Splash Mountain for our first FP of the day. I love this ride, and the songs have been stuck in my head for weeks prior to this trip (How do ya do?!........ over and over and over. Which may be hell to some but honestly I kind of love it.) It was super fun as usual; we were in the last seat of the car behind a family of 5 consisting of Mom, Dad, and 3 younger girls. The youngest girl was scared at first but ended up loving it. It was cute to watch her transition from fear to excitement.

We had some time before our next FP so we went back over by Pirates of the Caribbean, where it was a walk-on line. We spent some time in the gift shop after looking for a specific plush character a coworker of mine wanted in October 2015 but didnt buy. I had a photo of it on my phone but the cast members didnt recognize it. After scouring all the bins with plush toys we moved on to the Tangled bathroom for a little break. I found 4 of the hidden Friends of Pascal figures plus a live anole who thought I was fascinating. What can I say? Animals love me.

Next we hit Mickeys Philharmagic with no wait at all. The show reinforced my suspicion Im getting older and should have my eyes checked I just couldnt focus on the 3-D images properly. I enjoyed it regardless, though Mr. Jones remarked that the Aladdin and Jasmine animation made them look a little weird. Theyre definitely a different stylization than the movies. It was finally time for our Peter Pan FP, which was another total walk-on. Wow! We were super lucky today with wait times. We stopped briefly over the Captain Hook/Crocodile part at the end to wait for someone unloading, so I got a chance to scrutinize the surroundings and was able to see some details I had missed before.

Then we went over to the Little Mermaid ride, cueing up behind 2 of the slowest walking gentleman Ive ever walked behind. They were certainly enjoying the details of the queue. We boarded but unfortunately we were near a few shells of people who thought it would be fun and appropriate to take flash photos on the ride of each other and the ride itself. Very distracting. I bit my tongue and didnt say anything but I was fuming. A chill pill was definitely in order so after the ride we went to The Friars Nook for a water and I went next door to Storybook Treats for a root beer sundae. While I was waiting to order, Lady Tremaine and the 2 stepsisters walked by. Anastasia walked by a woman with popcorn and asked her for some, and Lady Tremaine scolded her. It was a really cute spontaneous interaction that made me appreciate the talents of the face character actors.

We still had about 20 minutes before our Seven Dwarfs Mine Train FP and Winnie the Pooh was showing a 10 minute wait so we got in line. This was actually a much longer wait and we skipped out of line as soon as our FP window opened. We would normally not mind the wait, but we had a 5:00 dinner reservation at Sanaa and wanted to freshen up beforehand and had to factor in travel time and it was already around 3:15. I really enjoy Seven Dwarfs Mine Train so had a good experience this time as well. After we exited the ride we booked it out of the park and took the monorail back to Contemporary and walked the bridge over to BLT. We freshened up and hopped in our rental car for the ride to Animal Kingdom Lodge.

The guard at the gate at AKL was really quite pleasant, and directed us to follow the road all the way to the back to Kidani Village. We found a spot in the parking garage by the elevator and made our way to the second floor, where we were surprised to be in the middle of the floor with rooms to either side. Not the grand entrance we were expecting! We followed the signs and made it to the main lobby, where we looked around the shop to kill some time before our reservation. There seemed to be a tour group standing in the lobby by the stairwell.

We got on the elevator to the 1st floor and checked in at the reservation desk. Had I know we could have taken the stairs in the lobby we would have just done that. They inquired about the dietary restrictions Mr. Jones had given them in advance (Im allergic to shellfish and also vegetarian) and told us it would be a little wait. Though we had a 5:00 reservation, it was 4:45 and they werent seating anyone yet. The bar was right around the corner, so I ordered a Riesling from South Africa and Mr. Jones ordered the Jai Alai IPA from Cigar City. We heard what Im assuming was the waiter/bus person opening chant, and shortly thereafter our buzzer went off and we were seated. I was delighted we got a window table! I was handed a special dietary restriction menu, but when our waiter probed further he also gave me the standard menu, as there were vegetarian options on the standard menu that were not on the special menu. I forget our waiters name, but he was amazing. Attentive without being pushy, informative, patient, and timely with drink refills. Truly some of the best service Ive gotten in a restaurant in a long time Disney or not. We started with the naan appetizer with 9 dipping sauces. As a carb lover, this is pretty much my idea of a perfect meal. I really could have stopped here and been happy. But I soldiered on to the entre and Im so glad I did we both got the Potje (basically 2 stews served with basmati rice) and it was divine. I selected the Paneer Tikka and Chickpea Wat and Mr. Jones had the Butter Chicken and Roasted Okra stew. I couldnt tell you which of us was happier with our meal, but Mr. Jones is still talking about that Butter Chicken. Bellies full and another drink later we decided to forego dessert. We had seen several animals throughout the meal zebra, giraffe, African crown cranes, ostrich, hornbills, and more. The ostrich seemed a little pushy with the keeper when she came around to feed. It was great entertainment watching him put his long neck in the back of her cart to explore the offerings. She just pushed him aside like an annoying kid brother. We were thrilled to be able to take our leftovers normally that wouldnt be an option but with the kitchenette we would have access to the fridge and microwave. It's the little things. We waddled out to the car and drove over to Jambo house, which neither of us had seen. We wandered around and made our way outside but at that point it started to drizzle so we called it a night on our adventure at AKL.

Next stop was to the Dolphin to return our rental car. We pulled up to the valet and handed them the keys. It was the easiest rental car transaction Ive ever experienced, and well definitely be using Alamo for this reason again on future trips. We caught the bus to Magic Kingdom and walked back to BLT. Both of us were still incredibly full, and after an early morning and jam packed day we decided to forego our plans to go the Top of the World Lounge to see Wishes. We were in bed by 9 and could hear the fireworks starting, but I fell asleep so fast I cant say I had any regrets about our decision to skip the show. We were awoken a little later when what Im assuming was the goodnight kiss happened but again I was asleep seconds later.


Friday, February 5 Day 2
Plan: Magic Kingdom (Rope Drop), Hollywood Studios (FP at Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Star Tours, Toy Story Midway Mania), Disney Springs (Jock Lindsays Hangar Bar), Epcot (Illuminations)

Actual:
I had set my alarm for 6:00 but woke up before it went off my normal waking time is 5:00 central so its when Im using to waking up anyway. I was excited for rope drop but Ill admit I was dragging a bit from yesterday. We ate breakfast in the room, showered and dressed, then hit the path to Magic Kingdom. We arrived around 7:30, and it was COLD out (45 degrees, not really cold to this Chicagoan but way colder than I was hoping for) but we had the proper attire with us so it wasnt so bad. The area for watching the opening ceremony wasnt crowded, but on either side under the tracks folks were lined up to be the first inside. We didnt really care that much, this was all gravy for us anyway and I wanted a good view of the show. At 8:00am the Mayor of Main Street came out with other residents, songs were sung, dances were danced and the train arrived with the Big Cheese and friends. The family of the day came out and smiled and waved. It was really cute, Im glad we made the special effort to see it, but I dont know that it is a must-do for every trip.

It was an "extra magic hours" morning; the ropes were dropped and people filed onto Main Street USA. We didnt really have a plan of what to do so we veered left to Adventureland, which was roped off. After standing there for about 5 minutes (with a line forming behind us), a helpful cast member told us the area wouldnt be opening for another hour so we turned around and walked through Tomorrowland instead. After a small bickering moment about the Carousel of Progress (I wanted to ride, Mr. Jones didnt), we ended up at the teacups and rode one of about 5 full cups for the ride. That spinner in the middle was COLD. After teacups we went over to Storybook Circus but didnt find much to interest us so we turned around and walked through New Fantasyland to Enchanted Tales with Belle. We walked right in to the workshop and the show was on. It was our first time seeing this so I was dutifully impressed. It was really cute, and the kids (and adults) who participated were fun to watch. After, we walked right on to its a small world, and it was actually one of the more enjoyable times Ive ridden it, perhaps because it was so early we didnt have the normal backup of boats in the white room so we werent stuck in there for an extended period of time. It was pleasant.

We exited right by the Tangled bathroom and were surprised to see a line of people with a Haunted Mansion cast member holding the group at bay. After joining the crowd, the HM lady lead us very slowly into Liberty Square, then after a brief pause around the bend into Frontierland, where a cast member there took over. Everyone was nipping at the bit to get to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. After an announcement Splash Mountain wouldnt be open for a while, we knew everyone was trying to go to the same place. We walked along with everyone else over to BTMR and despite the crowed walked right through the que and only had to wait for one train before boarding. Unfortunately, we got the front car (I prefer the back) but there was already a long line forming for the back and I didnt think it was important enough to wait. The ride was fun as always. We circled back to Haunted Mansion and rode that pretty much as a walk on as well.

At this point I decided the early start was hitting me so we went back to Main Street and stopped in the shops. I was looking for a new wallet to replace a Mickey wallet I had bought in 2013 its starting to show its age. I also wanted to look at the Dooney and Burke purses. The Disney Blog had previewed an "its a small world" design I was interested in. Unfortunately, that purse hadnt come out yet (and the cast member didnt know what I was talking about) and I didnt find any wallets that interested me so we acted like salmon and swam upstream toward the park entrance. After a short monorail ride we were back at the Contemporary by 10:15 AM, already with a full day under our belts.

I stopped in the Fantasia shop to look for the plush my coworker wanted (she said she had seen it there too) and these cast members were much more helpful they said they used to carry it but havent since October. We then stopped at Contempo Caf so I could pick up the new resort mugs, filled up with coffee and we headed back to the room. We heated up some leftovers, cracked a beer (yes, before noon sue me, Im on vacation), and enjoyed our balcony despite the chill in the air until about 11:30, when we made our way to the Contemporary bus depot. The new digital boards were great, seemingly constantly updating. The anticipated arrival time for the Disney Springs bus kept creeping up but overall we only had about a 5 minute wait.

The bus ride to Disney Springs seemed to take a long time and we really couldnt figure out why. I dont think it was the route we would have chosen if we were driving. Maybe were wrong and it really does take that long. When we disembarked at the bus depot it took me a minute to re-orient myself to where I was and where I was going. We were dropped right by the holiday shop and very close to Art of Disney. I stayed somewhat disoriented the entire time we were there with all the construction and new things to see I had a hard time getting my bearings. We shopped around a bit then headed for the real reason for our stop a drink at Jock Lindsays Hangar Bar.

Mr. Jones is a pretty big Indiana Jones fan, and while Ive seen the films several times as well, Mr. Jones had to play me the part in the movie where Jock Lindsay appears before we went on the trip. I think I would have been clueless otherwise. We arrived and it was very empty and we easily grabbed seats at the bar. We had just pigged out on leftovers at our room so we skipped the food and went with drinks. I had a glass of white wine and Mr. Jones had a variation on a Moscow Mule. Our bartender was nice if not overly chatty at one point I wanted him to just leave us alone but cant fault him for trying to provide good service. It was nice to look at all the movie-inspired dcor too. After our beverages we headed back to World of Disney and I bought Mr. Jones a Hawaiian inspired shirt with Mickey shaped tikis for his upcoming birthday. I also stopped at the Disney Visa kiosk and picked up a redemption card for the $48 I had earned that was just sitting on my card.

As we were planning on heading to Hollywood Studios (I still type MGM Studios and have to go back and edit it. Will it be better or worse when they allegedly change the name again? Ill still type MGM so I guess it wont matter), we tried to be strategic in how to get there. We opted for a bus that had just arrived going to the Swan. After a short bus ride then another quick boat ride on one of the Friendships, we arrived at the Studios.

It was here that I was the lucky one chosen for the metal detector. In fact, I think the security guard had his eye on me for a while because as soon as I got through bag check he was blocking my path to steer me toward the detector. It all went quick though and soon we were in. Our Tower of Terror fast pass was for 2:00 but our next FP after that wasnt until 3:00, so we wanted to kill some time so we could go from one straight to the other. We headed toward Aerosmith and did single rider. This seemed to take longer than I had hoped it would, but all in all it was only about 30 minutes. The cheerleading competition crowd was definitely here; the park felt much more crowded than we had experienced at Magic Kingdom the day before.

Next we rode TOT on our FP and then headed to Star Tours where some very clueless/rude lady with a kid pushed past everyone in FP line with no apology or explanation. The FP line didnt seem very fast this go-around; we stood in place by the security screener droid for about 10 minutes. I still havent seen the new film (shame shame shame yes I know) but enjoyed the new scene regardless. The store at the end of the ride was a madhouse with a line to get in the door. We escaped as soon as we could get through, but not before almost getting whacked by some exuberant father playing light saber with his son. I let out a yelp and I think he got the idea that a crowded store probably wasnt the best venue for their little bonding moment.

We rounded the corner and were surprised the Streets of New York were still open. I guess we were fuzzy on our attraction closing timeline because the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play lot was still open as well, and we were fulling expecting closures. We wandered up the street one last time and headed toward Pixar Place but were early for our TSMM FP, so we passed it by and headed to the Star Wars Launch Bay.

I was mostly interested in my free Disney Visa photo opportunity, despite not being a huge fan of the movies (I dont DISLIKE them; Ive just never been a huge fan). Anyway we wandered around (apparently backward) through the exhibits until we found the Disney Visa line. It took about 10 minutes and we finally got in with Darth Vader, much to my delight. Ive always gravitated a little toward the villains. Vader told me the force was strong in me and tried to recruit me to the Empire, and of course I immediately accepted why not?? It was less awkward than I thought it would be and I ended up having a little fun. Imagine that. I later learned that this was Vaders last day or so at the meet & greet glad we got him as pretty much all I know about Kylo Ren is Adam Drivers Undercover Boss parody on SNL. Anyway, as others have reported, they dont print a free photo anymore but we did immediately have access to all the photos they took without the water mark on the My Disney Experience app, so I was able to download them and keep them all. Mr. Jones was interested in the rest of the exhibits so we wandered around some more afterward. As we exited, a group of Storm Troopers was walking around outside the area which caused some major excitement for a lot of people.

We moved on to the Brown Derby patio to grab a beer (they have one of my favorites Unibrous La Fin du Monde) to kill time until our next FP and to rest our feet. Then it was on to Toy Story Midway Mania, where the ride seemed slower to me than in the past the transitions between games used to feel like they were whipping you around and this time felt more like a gentle glide. Probably a good thing after that beer we had. Mr. Jones beat me but thats ok. We were both Beavers so really nothing to be proud about.

We decided we were done with Studios, and the crowd was feeling heavier by the minute, so we went to the bus station and hopped on the bus to the Polynesian. It was time for Trader Sams! We are building a tiki bar in our bonus room at home, so weve been working on collecting the Trader Sams tiki mugs. It was finally time for the Nautilus. Expensive and delicious, and a pain in the patootie to get home as a carry on, but worth it anyway. We were able to nab seats at the community table in the middle, and service and experience were good.

Next we took the monorail to the Grand Floridian and stopped at Mizners for drinks. We figured with the beer that morning in our room at BLT, we had completed the Monorail Pub crawl, albeit less traditionally than some would accept. Mizners service was terrible one waiter for all the tables and the bar was full. We waited 40 minutes for one drink and immediately asked for the bill, then waited another 25 to wrap up. We tried catching the waiters eye a few times to no avail. Finally we were able to pay and we were off on the monorail again to the Contemporary. We decided that the Grand Floridian definitely wasnt our cup of tea its beautiful but definitely not designed for us.

We headed back to our room for beverages and a snack as I was getting quite hungry at that point. We wandered back to the Contempo Caf where I had a flatbread and Mr. Jones had a burger both were really subpar. We were disappointed.
At this point I was ready to call it a night but one of the big draws of staying at BLT was getting see Wishes from the Top of the World Lounge and we had already decided to skip Illuminations that night, so we headed to the DVC desk in the lobby. Because we had rented points from a member, we were technically there as the members guest, so we were granted access. We sat at the bar and had a beverage until it was time to step outside into the cold (must have been around 45 degrees) and finally watched Wishes. It was lovely! After it ended we bee lined for the room and passed out within minutes of hitting the pillow.


Saturday, February 6 Day 3
Plan: Animal Kingdom (Rope Drop), Magic Kingdom (FP Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train), Magical Express to Airport

Actual:
Sometime on Friday I had a change of heart about our day 3 plans. We hadnt made any plans to really visit Epcot this trip except to pop in to see Illuminations, and that really nagged on me because I love that park. So Friday I ditched our MK Fast Passes and switched them to Epcot instead. We woke up at our usual time, ate the remains of our food, and packed our bags.

After walking the short path to the Contemporary we checked our bags with the airport check-in desk (very courteous) and our carry-on bags with the Bell Services staff. We decided to wander around the resort because we hadnt had the opportunity to do that yet in all of our rushing to the parks. It was only a little after 9:00 AM. So we wandered the grounds, looked at the BLT pool under construction, and moved on to the path to the Magic Kingdom. It was another chilly day about in the 50s.

You may recall that I wanted to ride the Carousel of Progress the day before but Mr. Jones had protested. I pulled a major guilt trip on poor Mr. Jones, so we headed to that first and I got to ride. One young girl in the audience was scared out of her mind before it began but was singing along by the end. I think Mr. Jones would have been happier on a park bench, but ride it he did. What a good husband. Next we rode the People Mover, which we both have a soft spot for. You can imagine my delight when we got to Space Mountain and the lights were on! I snapped pictures on my phone like Ive never snapped them before. I have to say, its mildly disappointing with the lights on. Kind of ugly. Oh well.

We left after that on the monorail to the Ticket & Transportation Center and then on to Epcot. By this point it was around 11:00 and we were dragging so we stopped at Starbucks for some coffee. Next we circled the World Showcase, starting in Canada. One of the girls working in the Canadian gift shop all but assaulted my husband to compliment his Tangled themed shirt (more on that below). Next we wandered the stores in the UK but decided to skip France because I always accidentally go into the perfume store and end up with a headache. By now we wanted a meal but couldnt decide where to go. (No ADR! GASP! What were we to do??) We ruled out Chefs de France and kept moving.

We hit the shops in Morocco and moved along. We had eaten at Spice Road Table before and loved it but wanted to try something else. Next was Japan and the big department store, and then the display on cute culture or whatever its called. My nephew is into all that, so I know he would have loved it. I even found a figurine of his favorite character in one of the displays. It was a nice diversion but our stomachs were starting to growl so we kept moving.

After a bathroom break in America (no way we were eating the food there), we moved on to Italy. We seriously considered all the menus there while the flag throwing guys performed in the middle. For whatever reason we just couldnt commit so we moved on to Germany, where despite really wanting to try the buffet I was worried about a lack of vegetarian options for the price. We did stop for a beer tasting though. If it works to satiate the monks, it would work for us, right? While we were drinking our Dunkel, it started to drizzle. We left the tasting room with our drinks and out into the rain, where it was really picking up and raining harder. I didnt remember rain being in the forecast for that day so I was a little surprised. We found a spot under a tree where the pavement was dry and finished our beers there why we didnt stay in the dry tasting room Ill never know.

We whizzed past Africa and over to China where finally we decided to see if Nine Dragons had availability. We were seated immediately. Im not a huge fan of Chinese food but Mr. Jones loves it, and I figured there had to be options. There was exactly one item on the menu I could eat so thats what I ordered, and Mr. Jones tried a new dish. Our waiter was friendly, the meal went quickly. Not the most memorable experience but better than a crappy burger in the American pavilion so we were happy. We would have been thrilled with Mexican food but we had just been there on our cruise. Imagine, real Mexico and fake Mexico all in one week! I felt like a jet setter. We admired the new No Climbing plaque on the wall outside on the pyramid and went in so I could ride The Three Caballeros. I really enjoyed the new animatronics. That is one of my favorite rides in all of Disney for some reason. Not sure why but there you go.

Next we hit our Fast Pass on The Land and got onto a boat with no wait. It was a nice little jaunt through the world of agriculture, as always, and we got to see some of the characters in the Garden Grill doing their character meal interactions from the ride. We hopped over to The Living Seas to ride Nemo on our next FP. I know this ride normally doesnt warrant a Fast Pass but I used one anyway. The location where the FP cuts into the regular line doesnt make it feel like much of an advantage. I always look forward to the end stretch where the Nemo characters are projected into the actual aquarium. I wish the whole ride was like that the real animals are more interesting to me than the Nemo is lost again storyline. The part at the end with Peach always cracks me up.

Next it was on to the Disney Visa Character Spot, where the line took no more than 10 minutes. Now, we dont have a lot of traditions at Disney things we have to do first when we get there, restaurants we always go to, etc. but the past few trips I have tried to buy us out of the ordinary t-shirts. They dont have to match, per se, but have a common theme and identify us as a couple without being too cutesy about it. For example, for our trip to Disneyland in September 2015, I bought Mr. Jones the Mr. Incredible blue logo shirt and I bought myself an Elastigirl shirt. The Incredibles characters at the California Adventure meet & greet loved it! (Well, except Frozone I think he was jealous). I bring this up because for this trip I bought Mr. Jones a Snuggly Duckling Brewery shirt and for me an Attilas Cupcakes are Sublime shirt with a picture of a cupcake, which you may recognize as both being references to Tangled and the Ive got a Dream sequence. Or maybe you wont. Which is fine. Except Mr. Jones got compliments on his shirt all day long. And I got only one. From Minnie Mouse at the Disney Visa meet & greet. She pointed to my shirt and gave me a thumbs up. I asked if she understood the reference because no one else all day had said anything and she nodded emphatically, then gave me another thumbs up and an extra hug. Thats one good Friend of Minnie who knows her Disney stuff. Pluto was there too, and gave me a gigantic hug and wouldnt stop holding my hand. Of course I was loving it. While there is always something slightly awkward about two middle aged people without kids meeting characters, theres something delightful about it too. Thats the magic of Disney.

Next we hit the Mouse Gear, where I looked again for wallets and some small souvenirs for my coworkers but decided that to buy for all of them would break the bank so we left without purchasing anything. Our last Fast Pass was for Spaceship Earth. I miss the caveman who blows on his feet. It was my favorite part of that ride, and it remains a special memory I had with my Mom. Anyway, the rest of the ride was fine but my picture at the end of the ride was just my shoulder so our little film at the end made us laugh and laugh with Mr. Jones head and my shoulder having all the fun.

All good things must come to an end, and we had a 3:00 Disneys Magical Express bus I was paranoid we would miss, so we took the monorail to the Ticket & Transportation Center, then the next monorail to the Contemporary via the other resorts and Magic Kingdom. We were early so after picking up our carry-on bags from bell services we stopped at the Wave, where we shared a few drinks at the bar and a hot pretzel (awesome the cheese sauce is not to be missed) until it was time to sit outside (out of the drizzle) and wait for the bus. I was thrown of kilter because it was a Mears bus and not the standard looking DME bus, but they played the same video and we made it to the airport without incident after stopping at Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian to pick up more guests.

Also remarkable literally no line at security. Truly a first for me at the Orlando airport.

So that was our trip! I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed experiencing it. Thanks!