The Non-Disney-Regulars Trip During Covid - Sep 19-25 2020 Trip Report

Walt Disney World Trip Reports
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Monday – MK: Again, not quite rope-drop timing for our crew but headed to the bus stop at 8:45. Wow, what 15 minutes difference makes! The line for the bus was soooo long! But the buses arrived steadily, and we were at the park before we knew it. Forewarning, this is not our most efficient day. With all my diligent TP planning, it went right out the window the second we were there. We took pictures with the castle as we headed to Fantasyland, where I knew we would spend most of our day for the kiddos. We saw the Nightmare Before Christmas cavalcade as we approached the castle. Once behind the castle, the kids headed to the carousel, where we spent way too much time waiting and riding. While waiting, we did see Anastasia and Drizella in the character spot, which was fun for the girls. DS2 did love the carousel, so it was time well spent.

Mobile ordered food from Pinnochio’s Village Haus. Our group did find that we didn’t love mobile ordering. We would have preferred the ability to walk up to a place, read the menu, and place our order with a person. But, I think that is just part of the Disney learning curve. Had we better planned our food stops, we would have had better selections and quickly been on our way.

From there, the dads and girls went to 7DMT and we got rider swap. The moms and boys rode Pooh and Tea Cups in the meantime. After the rider switch, we headed to Buzz Lightyear. This was DS2’s favorite, even though he couldn’t reach the gun. After that, we got in line for Astro Orbitor. If the wait time says 30 minutes at AO, believe it. Only 1 party can get in an elevator at a time, so it is a long process. Halfway through the line, we noticed the line for Space Mtn was short, so we sent the girls and dads there. We were prepared for DNiece6 to be denied for height restrictions again but had put shoe inserts in her shoes to give her an extra boost. She barely made it on, but it meant a lot to her that she got to ride. While the moms and boys waited for Astro Orbitor, Buzz came out on stage. DS2, who is a little speech delayed, started rambling to Buzz about how he just rode the Buzz ride and defeated Zurg with the “pew pew” gun! This was one of those moments in the trip that I will always remember! Astro Orbitor was a much faster ride than I expected, but the boys enjoyed it. We all met up from there and got some frozen lemonades to cool us down. The line at CoP was forever long, and the group was asking what that attraction was. I gently convinced them all that heading back to Fantasyland was a much better use of time. So, we went to Dumbo, Barnstormer, and Ariel. All of these rides were especially a hit for the little boys. When we got to Ariel, DSIL noticed her magic band was missing. SIL, BIL, and Nephew2 headed back to Barnstormer to look for it, while the rest of us went to Ariel’s ride. DNiece6 and I rode together and had a dance party throughout the entire ride! Another memorable trip moment. Just as we stepped off the ride, BIL, SIL, and DNephew2 were next to board the ride! We quickly through DNiece over the guardrails so she could ride again with her family. Couldn’t have planned that any better.

SIL’s magic band was at Barnstormer, and the castmember said it happened all the time. We were all a bit nervous to lose ours at that point. I came up with a way to give us a bit more security. When the magic band was off my wrist, I wrapped a hair band around the one end of the strap. Then when I put the magic band back on, I slid the hair band over to hold both straps together. Not sure if that explanation helps but it was something that helped us feel more secure with our bands.

After Ariel, we were running low on time, so we high-tailed it to BMTRR. At that point, the young boys were mostly napping, so DM sat out and watched for character cavalcades. BTMRR was a much shorter line than stated, so we went to Splash Mtn next. Its one of my childhood favorite, simply because it’s a boat ride and lasts forever. It was nice to ride it one lasts time before it becomes Tiana’s ride (and we are excited for that)! After Splash Mtn, we had just 8 minutes before park close. DH and I decided to grab our kiddos and DM and make a run for it to PotC. This was important for me since DM had been waiting with the boys and PotC has some nostalgia for us. We made it, barely! We saw the line roped off just minutes after. To my surprise, it did not scare DS2. It was a great ride to finish the park day, and jumping into a line just before park closing became our new pattern. But because of that, we really eliminated our dinner options in the park and just headed back to CBR each night. We ordered pizza and had it delivered to the hotel this night.

We joined BIL, SIL, and kids, who had opted to shop over run to PotC. We then just spent time hanging out on Main Street. As the park emptied, we took some great pictures with the castle, empty Main St, and the kiddos. I also got a video of DH and DD5 slow dancing in the street (tear).

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Great day !

I’m getting some touring ideas for our December trip - no littles, only adults. Tho we’ve toured with littles in the past. The ones that sleep in their strollers are so easy.

About your magic band hack with the hair bands: consider yourself a genius! We used that hack but we got it from others. :confused:

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what a magical sounding day!! any meltdowns to report? thank you SO MUCH for your patient responses to my many questions. I haven’t seen many trip reports lately that include 2 years old so i am watching yours like a hawk. And you have two with you, so that’s even better! lol. Are either of the little ones 38" yet? My 2 1/2 year old measured 37" at the Dr on Tuesday and I was rather surprised at the idea that he might be 38" with shoes on when we go in November. He is quite a little thrill seeker, so i’d probably let him try out 7DMT, SDD, KRR, and MFSR if he hits the height requirement. Barnstormer first though! Definitely Barnstormer first.

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Sounds like a lovely day with many magical moments! Those will be fun to take out of the memory box down the road. :slight_smile:

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Honestly, I can’t remember any meltdowns, but I may be looking at the trip through rose-colored glasses at this point! I do remember them being a little slow to wake up/crabby/sensitive when we first arrived at the parks on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th park days, but the first ride always seemed to remedy that. Oh, I take it back now. Wait for HS day. We left a tad early because little man was just too hot and unhappy :frowning: Minor problem. The 2 year olds were not yet 38" (our family is a little more vertically challenged). And ask away! I think what impressed me most with DS2 was him in the airport pulling his rolling backpack (adorbs) and the plane ride.

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Tuesday – DS: Originally, we intended for this to be a rest day. Ha, we learned we need separate days for shopping AND resting. Slept in and then spent the day shopping at DS. Again, we did not plan food and just ate at Earl of Sandwich. DS was pretty empty during the day. BIL & SIL said it really got busy in the evening though. DS2 found a Chewbacca stuffed toy, asked to give him a hug, and then wouldn’t put him down (too cute)!

We got back to the resort, and my amazing mom watched the kids while DH and I headed to Topolino’s Terrace for a date night. Our thought was to take the CBR internal bus to the closest section to Riviera and then walk the rest, but we quickly found out that the internal bus made a stop at the skyliner. So we jumped off and took our first skyliner ride. We really enjoyed it. Super convenient! Dinner at Topolino’s was nice, and we enjoyed drinks out on the terrace afterwards. We quickly decided a date night is a must on our future trips!

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Wednesday – HS (part 1): We were actually up and out the door 8-8:30 this day (We were motivated by RotR). We waited in line at the Skyliners for them to start running. FYI the 1st 7 gondolas coming from Pop Century got to skip the HS line at the CBR Skyliner hub. They got off their first gondola and were directly guided to get on the HS gondola. Everyone else had to head to the back of the line we were standing in. Not sure how I would have felt about that if we had come from Pop. Double strollers (side-by-sides) need to be folded to get on the gondolas but single strollers do not. We really enjoyed the ease of traveling in the Skyliner and would stay at a resort on the path again.

Arrived at HS and headed straight through temperature check, security check, and magic band tap. Well, to tell the truth, DH was stopped at security every day with our stroller, diaper bag, and cooler. Each check he experienced different ways that they handled it. Some had him rummage through the bags while they watched. And we never could quite pinpoint what was setting it off: one said a metal cantina, another said our pop cans. Obviously, HS is the largest crowd I felt but CM worked to disburse the crowds around the park. By 9:40, we were in line for MMRR! The line continued to move so it felt like the ride was already running at that point. One of the CM in line yelled out his tips for RotR for getting a boarding group: #1 Connect to Disney’s WiFi (DH verified WiFi where we were standing was much stronger. Actually, DH found the WiFi was even higher inside the building at MMRR.) #2 Pick 1 person in your group to grab the boarding group. If multiple people in the group try at once, it could slow down the process (We followed this and counted on DH’s quick fingers). I pulled up the time with seconds on my phone and counted down for DH. This worked for us, and we got boarding group #22!

MMRR was very cute, such interesting trackless technology. DD5 came off it and said she did not like it because the twister and lightning was scary. Um, excuse me. The same DD5 who rode Everest, FoP, Space Mtn, BTMRR was afraid of MMRR? This just shows you how good her imagination is. She was so committed to the ride that she didn’t enjoy the ‘out of control’ premise. We all enjoyed it though, even the little ones.

We decided to walk through TSL to get to RotR, since we anticipated our group getting called. TSM said 30-minute wait and was lined up into TSL’s walkway, but we decided to jump in line. We quickly approached the main entry into the line, and the CM asked how many were in our group. We said 9, and he directed us through the Fast Pass entrance! We looked pretty chaotic at that moment throwing strollers to park and trying to wrangle 9 people. I’m not sure if he was trying to get us out of the way of holding up the line from moving, but we walked nearly up to the front of the line through the Fast Pass entrance! We almost thought we were mistaken for a different group (maybe for disability pass) or misdirected. This definitely felt like a little bit of magic sent our way. We nearly walked straight up to the front of the line. Again, DS2 couldn’t reach the gun but still really enjoyed the ride. He is a Toy Story fan. And as I write this, I’m realizing I mostly rode with DS2 while DH rode with DD5. But they both really enjoyed every bit of the trip.

Coming off TSM, our boarding group was called. We headed to the GE, and I started seeing DH’s eyes light up like a little kid as we walked around the land. Rey and Chewy were out on the catwalk. We got to the queue and got rider switch. This time, BIL, SIL, & DNiece6 were group 2 and stayed with the boys to start. DM, DH, DD5, and I rode first. In the queue, DD5 started to look scared, although it was hard to tell with her mask on. As we prepped DD5 not to be scared, we found she wasn’t scared at all; she was just getting into character! She got stern, told us to put our eyebrows down, and told us we needed to execute our mission. DH couldn’t be prouder, and we all really enjoyed the ride.

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Wednesday – HS (part 2): We sent group 2 to ride but found that GE was lost on them a bit. It was exceptionally warm this day, especially in GE and TSL. We headed back to TSL and got in line for AS2. While the spinny rides aren’t my thing, DS2 loved it. He liked that we kept crossing paths with DH & DD5, too. SDD was a long hot wait, but we got rider swap and sent the dads and girls to go ride. The moms and boys headed to look for character cavalcades. We saw Mickey and friends and the Toy Story characters. Disney Junior was close to its next show, so we called the dads and had them run there from SDD. Unfortunately, it was full by the time they got there.

At this point, we just needed something indoors to escape the heat, so we went to Muppets 3D. From there, we ate at Backlot Express before half the group went to Oga’s Cantina. I stayed back with DM, DS2, and DNiece6. DS2 was super cranky from the heat at this point, so we went to the coolest place in GE: the wheelchair ramp next to the exit for MFSR. DS2 fell asleep and DNiece6 was talking about how she watched Star Wars on her flight to WDW. So wonderful DM stayed with sleeping DS2, and I took DNiece6 to look for characters. We took some great action pictures I’d love to share but won’t bc its not my child to share pics of. She posed with MF like she was using the force. When we walked further and saw the storm troopers, she told me she was with the Empire. I got a picture of her with her hands on her hips with the storm troopers flanking her in the background. We got up close to talk to them, and 1 asked, “Who’s in charge here?” DNiece6 answered, “Darth Vader!” Not sure the storm trooper heard her, but he responded, “I nominate you,” and pointed to DNiece6. She loved it. Then, we went and some pictures with Rey and Chewy. By then, the other half of the group were coming out of Oga’s with drinks to share with us. Not sure what exactly I drank but the hard cider was good, as well as a non-alcoholic drink that was green with pear juice (I think) and the floating balls (refreshing).

We split from BIL, SIL and kids, who headed to ToT. DH really wanted to do MFSR, so the amazing DM took both kids who were hot and tired to go look for more characters. While I had forgot to put on my motion sickness patch that morning, I knew I had to suck it up for DH. He was pilot and I was gunner. His flying was less than smooth, which really got me nauseous. As a gamer, he was a little less than impressed with the flying controls, lol. He was curious about ST but I just couldn’t handle another screen ride, so we met up with DM and kids. DS2 was still hot and cranky and would not drink. We started to head to ToT but thought better with our angry little man and headed out 45 minutes early to the Skyliner. It’s a little unfortunate that I didn’t get to use my rider swap for SDD and the kids didn’t get Disney Junior or Lightning McQueen, but these are just things for us to try on our next trip. I was glad DH got to enjoy GE.

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Can you please elaborate on how this worked? It has been asked numerous times in another group I’m in as to whether that is open or not, and whether or not you can go just to be out there and have beverages or if you have to have a restaurant res in order to access. The whole bit, if you don’t mind??

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So cute!!

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Sure, no problem. We were told you need to have a reservation to use the terrace. Although, I do recollect a couple next to us at the bar was waiting to see if they could get a table without a reservation. I do remember seeing them out on the terrace. So maybe you at least need to buy a drink at the bar and pretend your sole purpose of visiting s not to go out on the terrace?

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Oh, I also forgot about the Mandalorian on some sort of bike with a baby yoga in his pod that he also got and flies around the house. The way DS2 says “Baby Yoda?” is too adorbs!

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Thursday – EP: Can I just say I loved the order we went to the parks? AK was the best choice for a weekend. AK & MK had the earliest openings and were early in our trip. HS was later in our trip, so we could get our act together and get to the park in time for a boarding group. HS & EP had later starts and were on the Skyliner. And, EP as our last day let us sleep in! We all needed it. Skyliner again was great. We got there just before opening but were let right into the park. We headed over to Frozen but stopped at 3 Happy Caballeros on the way. We were the only people in Mexico, lol! I think they started up the ride just for us. It was a nice easy ride with the whole family to start off the day. But while we rode, the line for Frozen only grew, oops. We went there next and the line did keep moving, so it wasn’t bad. We drank margaritas while we waited. It was an adorable ride, and I appreciated it much more in person than having watched the ride video with DD5.

Having not planned our meals the greatest the whole trip, Mexico pavilion called to our hungry tummies. Little to my surprise, there was indoor seating off the outdoor seating overlooking the water. We were happy to find it was basically empty and a nice cool area for us to escape the heat, since it was another hot day. From there, we headed back through Norway and saw our first promenade with Mickey and friends. We also saw the princess promenade 2 more times that day. We escaped the heat in China’s show and then continued walking WS. I would love to come back and spend more time in all the countries. I felt like we skipped through and would have liked to see more of Italy and Morocco specifically. Maybe I can convince the troops next time by doing a scavenger hunt. DS2, loving all things transportation, really enjoyed the model train set in Germany. We did see the Beauty and the Beast sing-along in France. Good way to escape the heat but not a have-to-see attraction. The audience was an especially tone-deaf crew, although that might have just been our crew, haha! DNiece6 was confused by the storyline and LeFeo inserting himself where he wasn’t in the original story. We spent some time at the gazebo in UK waiting for Mary Poppins or Alice. I think we had arrived after one just left. So, we left having not seen either and headed to TT. Once out of WS, DNiece6 noticed she had lost her special handmade Elsa/Anna mask. BIL headed back to UK with no avail, but he did see Alice.

Again, we were hot and in need of A/C. Lucky for us, we had VIP access to the conference center at TT (shh…I may or may not have an employer that sponsors the ride). We cooled down and then decided to break into 2 groups to ride the ride while the other group enjoyed the A/C. DH, DD5, and I went to ride and the ride broke down literally in front of us. They even evacuated people off the ride. It was a bummer, but they told us to check back later. So we headed to the Land pavilion where we caught Joy in the courtyard. Then, I sent everyone onto Soarin’. I had given DH the heads up that he was especially like this if he liked FoP. DM and I took the boys on LwtL, which was a fun time bonding with DNephew2 and reminiscing with DM. Halfway through the ride, both boys looked at each other and tried to escape our grasps to go play in the water and run around the greenhouse! Thank goodness for quick hands. We got off the ride and soon after, met up with the other half. DH was adamant that DM and I had to ride Soarin and the rest would go on LwtL. It was nice to get one-on-one time with DM. Nervous about our ability to stomach screen rides, we found we really enjoyed it! I especially loved all the smells (which are still identifiable through the masks)!

Next was time for our mad dash to get as many rides in before EP closed. Nemo was next and then Spaceship Earth. Memorable moment: DS2 fell asleep on the backwards decent in SE. He was fascinated by the star lights and his head got really heavy. I cherish the cuddles at this age. After that, we literally ran to TT. DM stayed with the boys as the rest of us got to ride all in one vehicle. The girls loved it. DD5 said it was exactly how DH drives. We then meandered through the park taking pictures and shopping as we headed to the Skyliner. I wish the food stands would stay open later, but then no one would leave. We all left hungry and not wanting Centertown Market at CBR. So on the way back on the Skyliner, we stopped at Riviera and ate at Primo Piatto. I would highly recommend this as an idea for a quick food stop off the Skyliner. The chicken sandwich was especially delicious.

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Friday - Departure: Sad to leave, but we were all completely wore out and had had the most fun we could possibly have. Magical Express went smoothly. On this flight, Delta gave us all random seat numbers and did not pair us up at all. This didn’t work with the littles, so we just straightened it out with the gate attendant. They then put each family of 4 in their own rows. My mom was able to leave her seat and come sit with us in our row. Not the same nice flight as arrival. Airport and airplane seemed busier and less mask compliant. While it was a bigger plane, it was older so seats weren’t the most comfortable. The temperature on board was way too warm, and it seemed like we descended much faster on this flight. DD5 complained for the first time about her ears, and we just couldn’t get them to pop fast enough. DM felt unsteady the day following, as did I a few days later. Not complaining; I would absolutely fly Delta again. Just simply showing not all flights are created equal :wink:.

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Takeaways: Anything that sounds like a complaint is emphatically not! Just a note for me to remember in planning of future trips :wink:. It was an amazing trip, and I am so happy we decided to go when we did. Anyone debating going right now, I highly recommend you take the leap. Keep in mind it may not be the same Disney it has been, but it is a totally new and equally great experience.

Mask wearing is a non-issue. I am so comfortable wearing them now (as are the kids). You forget they are even on. Several times DS2 tried to eat or drink through the mask, lol. And I am so appreciative of all the other visitors who protected us as well by wearing their masks without complaint.

We did a bit of Wilderness Explorers at AK. Now DD5 won’t let me kill a spider. I must catch and release them outside. We found a table with the Kidcot postcards and stickers in China but really didn’t look at them until we got home. BIL and DNiece6 wanted to do more of these types of things, so noting that for next time. Date nights are needed. DM gets her own dinner night next time. She voted for the Boathouse.

While I felt like we didn’t see a lot of characters, we actually did! AK: Pocahontas, Mickey & friends, drummers. MK: Nightmare Before Christmas, Anastasia & Drizella, Buzz Lightyear. HS: Rey, Chewy, Storm Troopers, Toy Story characters, Mickey & friends. EP: Princesses (twice), Mickey & friends, Joy.

I’m not meant for the heat, and neither is my red-headed son. And, I never, ever want to go at peak crowd. A Jan/Feb trip sounds really enticing, even if that means no swimming.

This trip came at the perfect time. Working from home is a blessing but has its challenges. I LOVE more time with the kids, but sometimes parents get burnt out, lol. This trip renewed my fascination with my kids: their little unique personalities and what they are capable of that blows me away! While they are extra (add your adjective here) readjusting after vacation, I’m finding myself more patient and taking in their thoughts/personalities/imaginations more.

The plan is to revisit in 2022 (Jan/Feb/April). Hoping we will revisit every 2 years moving forward. It will really be a totally new experience with kids 2 years older and taller, new attractions, and a whole new experience.

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I said this in another’s post. My DH and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our date nights in Epcot. It gave us a chance to slow the pace down for a night (instead of chasing DS8 at the time). We strolled, we laughed, we drank and we were able to reconnect as a partners. I highly recommend taking a night next trip and exploring WS both as a family, and later alone as a couple.

Thanks for the trip report, my heart loves your special moments with the family. I can tell you on the other side of it that those memories will stay with you forever.

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Same!

Sounds like a really nice trip. :slight_smile: Thanks for sharing with us!

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I totally get why people get Park Hoppers now. I would do it just to eat in WS every night, lol.

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Do they have someone providing service out there or do you have to get a drink from the bar and bring it out?

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We took our drinks out with us after dinner. I did not see any wait staff out on the terrace. The bar out on the terrace was unattended.

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