What a waste of the pilot seats! 
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This is why I pull the lever from the left pilot seat! It’s really a service I’m doing.
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As long as you give two warnings it’s fair game.
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Friday was a rest day. The fam slept in, and I caught up on this trip report a bit, but the sun was calling and I had to hit the CBBR lazy river, which is my happy place. Also checked out the new Malt Shop, which has delicious shakes ($8.50) and smoothies ($7.50) Thanks @bebe80 for the callout 
For the Sabbath, we got a takeout combo package from Kosher Grill, a kosher restaurant located 10mins from CBBR. No pics as food was all sealed, but they give you 1 appetizer, 1 main, 1 side dish, 1 challah roll and 4 salad dips per person. We got 12 different dips and they were all delicious, especially the homemade hummus! That covered us for Friday dinner (heated in the family suite microwave), Saturday lunch (eaten cold) and a 3rd light meal on Sat afternoon.
On Saturday we slept a lot, though I did go for a walk around CBBR, and near the lazy river I came across a mother duck with 5 ducklings out for a stroll, in the pool area! I followed at a discreet distance and watched them cross under a person’s lounge chair, bold as you please, and continue on their way. The ducks took a wrong turn onto the lazy river ledge however, and one of the ducklings slipped off into the water, letting loose a loud cheep cheep cheep answered by a plaintive series of quacks from mother duck! Then 2 more ducklings followed over the side. Mother duck couldn’t help them. What would become of these baby birds? 
People tried to approach the ducklings to carry them out of the water, but the lifeguard waved them off, saying don’t touch them. Perhaps it’s against the law? In any case, the ducklings eventually made their way to the lazy river stairs, and an enterprising Dad placed a lounge chair on the stairs to make a sort of ramp, and the ducklings were able to climb it and return to mother duck! All the ducklings gathered under her for a nap. I returned to my room to do the same 
Sabbath ended around 630. DW wasn’t feeling well and decided to stay home while DD and I went to Epcot. We weren’t able to get an LL for Remy though, so we checked out the parts of World Showcase we hadn’t gotten to on Thursday. I tried to give DD some appreciation for her family heritage at Canada Far and Wide (her mother and I immigrated to the USA from Canada). Being a natural born 'Murican, however, DD displayed a polite indifference. I tried to impress her with Canada’s vast military technology but a few guys on horseback with sticks didn’t cut it 
Afterwards we went to The Tea Caddy in the U.K. section and bought some Twinings tea as presents for people at home. Earl Grey, Herbal Assortment, and Wild Berries.
Since we weren’t having much luck getting LL’s at Epcot, we hopped over to DHS around 930pm where we managed to score several G+ LL’s and … 
an $ILL for Rise!! I couldn’t believe it! Out of the blue, just on an instinctive “let’s look at MDE and see what’s up” … and there’s a Rise 10:30pm slot just sitting there! I grab it, pay, and this time the payment goes through!!! WOOOOOO 
I can’t believe it. Rise drops are the unicorn of the LL system - extremely rare with no known pattern, and there it was. Well, that makes up for Thursday! And this time, we get the full set of preshows, and Kylo Ren’s lightsaber in the ceiling.
Since this is our 3rd Rise, we’re paying close attention to details. Really like the first resistance scene where you’re actually outside. DD asks how it’s possible that the ship can unload you into a different area and I suppose it must physically move into the First Order building or something. Man are we happy 
There was a cool NYE party happening in front of MMRR, however we elected to focus on rides, including Saucers standby (posted 30, actual 20) and an MFSR LL (obtained by refreshing with Merlock).
^remember to let the Wookie win at the chessboard, kid. On this MFSR run we had the cockpit to ourselves, so DD was gunner while I was right pilot and got to “punch it” to hyperspace properly! The Falcon might have gotten a little banged up, though.
We left a few minutes before midnight to beat the crowds and caught the New Year fireworks from the parking lot. A happy and healthy 2023, everyone!
DW is hanging in there… a slight fever and cough but we don’t think it’s COVID. We’ll see how she feels Sunday, where we start at MK and hop to Epcot.
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Loving your trip report. Your positive energy is inspiring! Hope DW is feeling better this morning.
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Sunday, New Year’s Day, DW is feeling a bit better, so wants to go to the park but sit out most of the rides. We head off to MK for an offsite rope drop of Space to make our 9AM return time and get a jump on booking our 2nd LL. Love Space Mountain’s theming, but I realize I’d rather experience the ride in dim light rather than pitch dark, it adds to the thrill if you can get a hint of where you’re going. I seem to remember seeing some type of space elements during the ride in the past? Or perhaps RnRC and GotG have spoiled me! DD has a blast though
Next is Buzz which has a very short standby wait as expected - TP actually recommends MK on NYD mornings as crowds are relatively low, presumably with some guests sleeping in. I like that the target animatronics activate when you zap them, but I’m having a tough time adapting to the shooting rhythm compared to TSM. DD has no trouble though, and beats my score easily!
Outside I get a photo of the Merchant of Venus, which I like for its allusion to my favorite Shakespeare play, Merchant of Venice. Sometimes criticized for its portrayal of Shylock, I prefer to view the play as a nuanced (for the 16th century) portrayal of a Jewish character epitomized by Shylock’s “Hath not a Jew eyes?” monologue.
Now time to Meet Cinderella and a visiting princess before SB gets too long. This is always an interesting experience for DD as a Princess alum reexperiencing aspects of her childhood. Mulan is her favorite princess b/c (her words) “she’s brave, genuine, funny, down to earth, she doesn’t fit in trying to be like everyone else. So she goes and becomes a warrior, what she loves, what she’s good at, and she saves all of China.”
Cinderella gives DD a refresher on how to curtsey and Elena compliments DD’s flower headpiece. A nostalgic moment for DD!
JotLM has no standby wait so there’s just enough time to do this ride before HM. DD adores all things mermaid. I admire King Triton - perhaps a bit abrupt in teaching his daughter about boundaries but when the chips are down, sacrifices himself for her 
DW’s been taking it easy but joins us for HM. She does her best to scare me in the dark 
It’s now around 11:30 and time for Splash, our last LL before lunch. I explain to DD that this is her only chance as an adult to ride Splash, and she’ll be able to tell younger people about it someday. She pays attention with one eye and one ear open like most of my lectures. We request to sit in the back to maximize chance of staying dry and it worked great… except at the end there was a “logjam” and our boat came to a stop right next to a waterfall 
Bye Splash, it’s been a great ride!
Since the MKRR station is right there we decide to hop it back to Main Street, USA. I remember the native american teepee display vaguely from '06, but not the passage through the spaceport, which is really cool. Locomotive maintaining trajectory. Intervention not necessary.
Time for lunch now… we leave MK and stop at Kosher Eatery … DW and DD have their usual baked ziti and salad, but I have a breakfast sandwich (served all day, yay) and a chocolate shake with cookies & cream topping. This is my kind of place!
I was able to book GotG $ILL for 7PM, so we plan our evening around that. I score Remy in the afternoon while the fam naps, and pick up Mission Space and TT (the latter being especially lucky).
I really, really love GotG. Smooth, immersive, the music, the space visuals… so, so cool. I sure hope this isn’t our last time riding it this trip!
Mission Space Orange, something I’ve not done since '06. It feels weird, the skin pulling from my face, but I push all the buttons when I’m supposed to
It’s now 8:00 and I’m thinking that should be enough time to ride TT via LL and still make our Remy return window before park close… my turn to design a car this time.
… but about 5 mins from the load bay, TT stops! Argh! Text DW to tell her not to wait for us for her ice cream from L’Artisan des Glaces. TT starts up again about 8:30, we’re off at 8:40, we leg it over to Remy and tap in at 852. This time I notice the part with the oven fire above us. Eh, that’s hot! DW meets us with chocolate / white chocolate coconut and pina colada / mango ice cream ready. Yes, DW is my dream girl 
We catch the tail end of Harmonious which feels different from last year - maybe they listened to Len when he critiqued it in his Slate interview.
Well that’s it for tonight. Tomorrow we start in AK and hop to HS - and our last full day at WDW!
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Monday, our last full day at WDW! Starting at AK with a hop to DHS. Will we get FoP??
I let the fam sleep in while booking NRJ and EE for early return times. We leave CBBR at 10am, and DD manages to book us an FoP $ILL for a morning return while in the car! A budding Liner there
We get to AK at about 10:30, and we’re a bit late for our NRJ window, so we have to hustle a bit. Which way to Pandora?? Ok, I think this is it.
I know opinions are mixed on NRJ … on the surface it’s a slow boat ride through a jungle with, uh, striped blue people. But if you suspend insistence on quick thrills for a sec, and allow your mind to float free to a place of transcendental galactic harmony, you can become one with the Na’vi, yes? Well it sets the scene for FoP at least 
Last year, we caught a lucky $ILL for FoP on our last day, and the ride made a huge impression on me. The music, motion, the wind in your face, blew me away. I watched Avatar on the Jetblue flight home and I was hooked. This particular haunting melody stuck with me all year, and I listened to it whenever people annoyed me at work. Ahhh… Ahhhhh … Ahhhhh… Ahh Ah Ahhhh…
This year I paid closer attention to the details. First, I was more comfortable with my feet pulled back, riding like the Na’vi, rather than feet forward - there’s not enough toe room to sit upright. Feeling the banshee move, it’s alive! Feel the ocean spray. Beyond immersive, or as DD put it, “a very big kid ride”.
On to EE which we didn’t get to last year b/c it was being refurbished. We did it last in '19 and I remember little except for the halt and reversal. DD hung onto my hand in the dark cavern when the Yeti growled - a reflex action
Afterwards Dino, which we bailed on last year b/c of LL’s cutting in front of us, and the SB line seemed to never move. This year however we had the LL, so we sailed through and DW was able to join us. Funny story: I can’t find my sunglasses after the ride! I fumble around in the storage pocket and now I’m “that guy” holding up the ride, when I feel a tap on my shoulder, and the lady behind me says, “I’m a nurse, I notice things” and reaches up, takes my glasses from where I’d parked them on my head, and hands them to me. Yet another example of a nurse knowing invaluable information you can’t get from a book
Last attraction before lunch was Nemo - the LL gave us “Orchestra” seats which made DD happy as she really likes this little fish. The show seems to have more props and elaborate sets than last year. Very well done - like a 30 minute Broadway show - and at the end bubbles rain from the sky!
Lunch back at CBBR is leftovers from the fridge and some more shakes/smoothies from the Malt Shop. DD, naturally, had already started on hers when I took this pic.
For our final evening at DHS, I was able to get LL’s for TSM, ToT, and RnRC. TSM is probably our overall favorite WDW ride, b/c it appeals to all of us, and for its replay value. I notched my highest score of the trip - 162k! Best at DHS for the day was 212k, so that was a legit good score
I try to chicken out of ToT - something about the ride scares me. Maybe the random nature of the elevator drops? But DD’s having none of it, and I go through with it for her sake 
This time though, I come prepared. We get a 3-seat row to ourselves, and I opt for the middle seat so I can grab both handholds. I tune out Mark Silverman’s “That door is opening once again, and this time it’s opening for you” and focus on anticipating the drops, and grip tightly on the handholds each time. That’s it! I hacked it! The ride doesn’t phase me, and I’m all proud of myself, til I notice DD has her hands up in the air to increase the thrill factor. Uh, I’m not at that level, kid!
We close with RnRC - that ride’s really growing on me - and get one last photo at the Crossroads before it’s time to go.
Back at the hotel though, DD and I notice we’re coughing just like DW. In fact that cough sounds suspiciously like a cough we’ve heard all over WDW. Not good. Tomorrow I’ll go get some rapid COVID tests…
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You’re much braver than me with ToT. I rode it once years ago and that was the only time. I am definitely not ok with unpredictable free fall type drops.
Sorry you’re all not feeling well. I hope your tests come back negative and I hope you feel better soon!! I’ve really enjoyed following along.
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Sincerely enjoying your report.
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I enjoyed your storytelling, pics, gifs and videos. Fingers crossed you don’t have Covid.
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I will try your ToT hack next time (I was shown up by DD6 last trip—she remained on the ride—and loved it—while I took a ride on the chicken elevator instead).
Fingers crossed no covid! Of course, a cough is no fun either way. I hope you all feel better soon!
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We’ve all tested positive. Symptoms are thankfully mild - coughing, feverish, fatigue, runny nose. Like a bad cold, really, but we’ve had worse.
It does put the kibosh on the rest of our trip, but there’s still a lot of good here. This is the first time we’ve tested positive since the pandemic began, and the precautions we’ve taken have delayed us getting sick for almost 3 years. Looking back over this trip, there really isn’t anything I can point to that was especially risky - I attribute the infection to increased transmissibility of this year’s variants, and an accumulation of small risks, and eventually something got through. 
Also, we’d already finished most of our Disney trip. Tuesday was going to be a rest day anyway, so we spent the day chilling in our room. Today we’d planned to go to Universal, but I didn’t buy the tickets - there was no advantage to buying in advance - and now I don’t have to, so that saves some money at least
I want to thank TP, starting with Len, the moderators, and all forum and chat posters for educating me this year. Our trip was a huge improvement from last year - we were able to get all the LL’s for our target ride list - fam got to sleep in - and we managed an incredible number of rides given the time we were in the parks. Thanks for reading this TR - it’s truly a pleasure to be a part of this community!
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I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve all caught covid @DWJoe. You seemed very cautious too.
Wishing you all a healthy recovery.
Thanks for sharing your trip with us. It’s been lovely to follow along.
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Oh no!!! Stupid Covid. Hopefully it stays mild and yall are on the med soon!
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I really enjoyed reading your trip report. 
you accomplished so much!
I am so sorry that your whole family has COVID. I’m also very impressed that you’ve avoided it so far. I hope your cases continue to stay mild!
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I hope you all continue to have mild symptoms!
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I’m sorry you had to miss your UOR day and I pray that the symptoms stay minimal. Like you said - so many positives and the timing was better than it could have been. 
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Oh dang, I’m sorry you all got it. Hope it stays mild and you all feel better soon.
It was fun to follow along.
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D’Oh! Sorry to hear about the positive tests. But glad you had a nice long trip with plenty of good memories. Hope symptoms stay mild and that you’ll start planning your next trip soon.
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I’ve really enjoyed your trip report! You and your family got to do so much and seem like such a fun group. Sorry about the Covid, though. I guess you were lucky to still get your trip in (mostly!) Here’s hoping for mild cases and a short duration.
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