A Shining New Era is Tiptoeing Nearer for the TCD Gang

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

 

 

The numbers obviously refer to the date WDW opened in 1971.  I'm not sure what LHMC stands for.

 

 

 

Long Haul Mileage Calculation.

 

Or so say a bunch of kooks on some other Disney sites. 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

How did you like POR?  We stayed in Alligator Bayou in 2004 and really disliked it.  Back then the rooms were very dark.  Outdoors was so dark at nighttime that we could barely see to get to our room.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The show was pretty good too had a long story arc and ran for 5 seasons. I still have a season left to watch but the story has been better than a lot of the other stuff on tv lately. Rebels is the next cartoon coming out soon and will cover time between episode 3 and 4.

 

5 seasons?  I had no idea!  I've never seen a single episode.

 

I thought this new Rebels show was already out.  What network will be it on?

 

Boba was giving you a serious look. You might need to be careful. 

 

I bet it is insane to get out of the parade area afterward with so many people around. 

 

Nice details in the room, but I could never sleep on those beds. Yuck! 

 

Yeah, I noticed Boba looking my way.

 

It was kind of crazy there when the parade finished, but we were heading the opposite way from the crowd, so it wasn't too bad.

 

Long Haul Mileage Calculation.

 

Or so say a bunch of kooks on some other Disney sites. 

 

Yeah.  I Googled too.  That seems to be the consensus answer. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

 

How did you like POR?  We stayed in Alligator Bayou in 2004 and really disliked it.  Back then the rooms were very dark.  Outdoors was so dark at nighttime that we could barely see to get to our room.

 

I love the Port Orleans resort.

 

Always have.

 

It's the first resort we stayed at as a family- back when it was just me, Mrs. TCD and the oldest DD.  No twins.

 

I think we visited in 1993, when my oldest was around 2.  It could have been 1994.

 

I love the décor and the grounds.  And the food court.  And the pool. 

 

I had also considered booking a value room for this trip.  I think it cost me $30 more to stay at POR.  For me, it was worth it.  Very quiet and peaceful there, as opposed to the craziness at the values.  Plus, the rooms have fridges and coffee makers.

 

TCD

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Rebels will be on Disney XD if I remember right.

I like the pics of the grounds.

Boba is going to get his own movie I hear. I wonder if he will still have time to march in the parade then?

I bet he big times us and doesn't show up anymore.

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

5 seasons?  I had no idea!  I've never seen a single episode.

 

I thought this new Rebels show was already out.  What network will be it on?

 

 

Yeah, I noticed Boba looking my way.

 

It was kind of crazy there when the parade finished, but we were heading the opposite way from the crowd, so it wasn't too bad.

 

 

Yeah.  I Googled too.  That seems to be the consensus answer. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

 

 

I love the Port Orleans resort.

 

Always have.

 

It's the first resort we stayed at as a family- back when it was just me, Mrs. TCD and the oldest DD.  No twins.

 

I think we visited in 1993, when my oldest was around 2.  It could have been 1994.

 

I love the décor and the grounds.  And the food court.  And the pool. 

 

I had also considered booking a value room for this trip.  I think it cost me $30 more to stay at POR.  For me, it was worth it.  Very quiet and peaceful there, as opposed to the craziness at the values.  Plus, the rooms have fridges and coffee makers.

 

TCD

 

Look like Rebels comes out this fall on DisneyXD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Rebels will be on Disney XD if I remember right.

I like the pics of the grounds.

Boba is going to get his own movie I hear. I wonder if he will still have time to march in the parade then?

I bet he big times us and doesn't show up anymore.

 

I don't think Boba is going anywhere.

 

Disney needs to sell a lot of plastic Boba helmets.

 

Look like Rebels comes out this fall on DisneyXD

 

You are both right about that.

 

I found the official website:  https://starwars.com/explore/star-wars-rebels/

 

Now I understand why they had characters from this show in the parade and in the closing show as well.  They even had that fake R2D2- Chopper.  This ought to brainwash a new generation of kids into becoming Star Wars fans.  Very smart on Disney's part.

 

TCD

[jmaul 65]

Boba.  Rebels.  R2 Chopper.  Jar Jar.  What are you all talking about.

 

These are the only Star Wars characters I know...

 

 

And these:

 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Continuing on, it's still Sunday, May 18,  We left home really early this morning to make it to DHS by 7, and we needed to take a break.

 

So we did.

 

Around 4, we were somewhat rested, and ready to head out.

 

I had FP+'s reserved for Toy Story and RNR and TOT and a few more. That's right, I had two tier ones at DHS.  I am finding work-arounds.  This one was easy- I just used the MB's for the two TCD DD's who weren't with us to reserve a second set of FP+ reservations.  So far, that works, even if they are not in the parks.  We just have to wear their MB's.

 

In addition to being the first Star Wars Weekend, this weekend was also the final weekend of the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot.  If you live far away, and can't visit often, I suggest that you think about scheduling a visit for this exact time- you can see the Flower and Garden Festival and a Star Wars Weekend all in one trip.  Since this was the end of this year's Flower and Garden Festival, we decided we ought to pay a last visit there.  So, the plan was to bus it to Epcot and then boat it to DHS from there.  Great plan.

 

We headed out to our bus stop.  There are several bus stops around the Port Orleans resort, which is kind of a pain if you're heading to or from a park, because you're going to be stopping at all the stops along the way either coming or going.  But, that's just the way it is.  Sometimes, it makes for slow going.

 

POR is very spread out, so you need to pay attention to the signs:

 

 

We were not going to the main bus stop- we were going to the one nearest our room and that's what we did.  We were very close to it, which was nice.

 

There was a small gathering of guests waiting there when we arrived.  We knew we could be there 20 minutes or more, so we looked for a space to sit.  Just as we were about to sit, though, a bus pulled up.  And not just any bus, it was the Epcot bus.  Zero wait!  Off we went!

 

Here's a last look at the Donald and Goofy topiaries at the front of Epcot.  Well, until they slap Christmas hats on them and trot them back out later this year:

 

 

 

We decided to pop in to the butterfly garden.  The last time we were here, which was early in this year's festival, there were very few butterflies.  Today, they were everywhere.  I snapped a few photos, but now I can't see the butterflies.  They were there, though:

 

 

 

 

 

We headed out of there and then toward the path that goes along side the big flower beds.  One of the beds was dug up.  I thought maybe they were getting an early start on removing the flowers:

 

 

 

You can see down there in the water that they have one of those yellow construction fences/dams:

 

 

I guess this is some kind of construction project.

 

Are they adding some kind of thrill ride?

 

I wanted a monorail to come by so I could make this next photo more interesting.  But none came. I did capture a photo of one of Disney's black helicopters, though- its there above the clump of palm trees on the left:

 

 

Twin #2 wanted one last violet lemonade.  So, we had to wait in this line. The food booths had no separate cashiers outside the booths.  You paid and picked up the food at the same window.  It made it slower, but there were no crowds at booths to justify having separate cashiers:

 

 

These food booths have only been in use this year and last.  They attract far fewer customers than the Food and Wine booths do in the fall.  I wouldn't be surprised to see them drop the booths.  If they do, it would be a shame.  I don't think they've done enough to advertise these booths, or offer items that are interesting to the majority of guests.  To me, there's too much emphasis on trying to use flowers and plants in the food dishes.  A lot of the offerings are just plain weird.

Here's your basic big golf ball with a bunch of flowers shot:

 

I am suspicious about how well this sand sculpture has held up throughout the festival:

 

 

 

That sand must have special ingredients.

 

We stopped briefly in England so we could take a photo of Twin #2 in one of the phone booths, and then headed over to France.

 

I decided that tonight would be a good night for me to try one of those Grand Manier slushies that I've heard so much about.  They had a version of it in the booth over there on the right- but it has a few extra ingredients.  I wanted to try an original:

 

 

The original stand where they sell the slushies is to the left of the area shown in that last photo.  We headed over there to find that there was just one young lady in the booth by herself, and a line of 15-20 people outside.  Do the math.  I decided to save this idea for another day.  So we bolted.

 

As we headed out of the International Gateway exit, a boat pulled right up.  Perfect!  We were two for two with our transportation tonight.  I admired the nice peacock topiary on the side of the France pavilion as we waited for the boat to load and cast off:

 

 

The fake Eifel tower looks especially fake from this angle:

 

 

We proceeded slowly to DHS, making all the stops along the way.  But, then we were there, and headed back to TSMM for our second ride today.  The standby time was 90 minutes, but not for us.  We walked right into Andy's bedroom:

 

 

 

Then we headed to TOT and rode it via FP+.

 

Then on to Rock N Rollercoaster through the Artist's Entrance:

 

 

We were doing good.

 

But, now it was time for us to make a decision about where we wanted to be for the fireworks later.  We headed over to the BAH to see what was up.

 

The were setting up the VIP area for the fireworks.  If you pay $60, you get to stand in the roped-in area and eat free Mickey bars:

 

 

It's a large, heavily guarded area:

 

 

 

I was actually surprised to see how large an area they had roped off.  It is much bigger than the FP+ areas they use for guests to watch fireworks at the MK and Illuminations at Epcot.  Would that many guests pay $60 to stand in an area right next to where they could stand for free?

 

It really wasn't that crowded in this area yet, so we decided to head over to the Animation Class, where we could enjoy some air conditioning and kill a little time.  So we did.  There was some kind of problem there, though, and after we waited 30 minutes, they announced to the crowd that there was a problem with the projector the instructors use, and they were waiting for someone to come and fix it.  They said it could be another half hour.  No thanks.  We headed out.

 

Back at the BAH, we saw that the guests shelling out $60 would get to enjoy real cloth tablecloths to drop their broken pieces of Mickey Premium Bar chocolate on:

 

 

About an hour before showtime, this is how things looked in the free viewing section- lots of empty spaces:

 

 

There were places up there that we could have moved up to, which would give us a better view of the stage, but then we thought we would be too close for the fireworks:

 

 

We really debated where the best viewing spot would be.  Twin #2 had seen last year's special May the 4th be With You fireworks from just a bit back of where we were now, and said that was a good spot.  Twin #1 and I had seen the Unleash The Villains fireworks from much further down the street last September, and that really wasn't that good of a spot.  So, we compromised, and agreed to move back to behind where the couple is seated in the middle of this photo:

 

 

That seemed to give us a good spot.  We enjoyed sitting as the sun set, and it got a little cooler.  Here's s tall palm tree at dusk photo to set the mood:

 

 

As time passed, the empty space you saw in the earlier photos began to fill in.

 

And then it was showtime.

 

I'll tell you about that in the next update.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

$60 for free Mickey's Premium Ice Cream Bars is a lot cheaper than a Disney Cruise. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

$60 for free Mickey's Premium Ice Cream Bars is a lot cheaper than a Disney Cruise. 

 

That's true.

 

But, I think this area is only open for an hour and a half.  Maybe two hours.

 

How many "free" Mickey Premium bars would one need to eat to come out ahead on this deal?

 

TCD

[jmaul 65]

Way to go with the double tier 1 FP+.

 

I wish I was feeling better when we were there to stay for Fantasmic & Illuminations.  Some day.

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

That's true.

 

But, I think this area is only open for an hour and a half.  Maybe two hours.

 

How many "free" Mickey Premium bars would one need to eat to come out ahead on this deal?

 

TCD

 

they are what about $5. So the answer is 12. I will take that mission! Now who's covering my airfare, park ticket, and event cost to see me try?

[BigTom 76]

they are what about $5. So the answer is 12. I will take that mission! Now who's covering my airfare, park ticket, and event cost to see me try?

Just 12, what about the second 30 minutes

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

Just 12, what about the second 30 minutes

 

Exactly. I know I can eat at least 12 in the 60 minutes. After that Disney's loosing money. 

 

I do worry about brain freeze. Eh nothing there to worry about. 

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Enjoying the report! Really excited for your daughter, hope she enjoys her role there!

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

I loved all of the photos of your room at Port Orleans Riverside. I love all of the details and thought that they added. Those are the things that make Disney special.

 

I am excited to hear that we may be able to get extra FP's with extra bracelets. I have family members that have AP's, so am hoping the loophole you have discovered will last until our August trip!

 

Thanks to everybody who has sent good wishes to my son! That is really nice and makes me feel good! Fiends are the BEST!!!

 

Here are the details; my son was blessed with good genes and is quite an athlete. He was playing shortstop at practice and was just going for a routine ground ball. For whatever reason when he went to get the ball, his knee dislocated. It was severe. His entire kneecap was on the side of his leg. If I didn't see it myself, I wouldn't have thought it was possible. After an ambulance ride and a couple hours in the ER, his knee was put back into place. We left that night, thinking the worse was behind him. However, we found out two days later, that he had a broken patella and ligament damage. His surgery yesterday went as well as it could, but the damage was severe and sadly the Dr. said his knee will never be the same. There are some things that he will never be able to do again. (sob) his recovery will be a year+ (sob) no skiing or ice hockey this winter (sob) The Dr. discovered he has a PCL injury that could not be repaired. While I have heard of the ACL injury tons of times, I had never heard of the less known and rare PCL injury. His patella had five pieces broken off. Each too small to screw back together, so all pieces were removed. My boy does not have his whole kneecap anymore (sob) Yesterday was a tough day........... On a bright note, we are home now and we are able to manage his pain with wonderful pain meds. Yippee!! Since he is a boy, he can pee in a pail right from the couch!! Awesome!! Everybody at school loves him and he has tons of friends, so we will have an endless stream of kids coming to visit him and cheer him up! Yeah!!! So while we are sad that this has happened and changed his athletic life at the tender age of 18, we are thankful that it is not something life threatening, thankful that he has a great Dr. and thankful that he has great friends to pull him through this!!!

 

Again, many thanks to all of the fiends who expressed concern!!! Sorry to hijack your trip report TCD!!!

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

triple post!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Heidi, so sorry to hear about your son's injury.  Thankful that the surgery was as successful as it sounds it could be.  Even though his athletic endeavors have been derailed for the time being, experiences like this can open us up to alternative paths that are transforming.   

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

I will pray for a speedy rehab and that he can go back to doing the things that he loves in the future Heidi.

That has to be tough on him right now.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Have you heard or tried this tip... Once you book the 4th and subsequent FP+ at a kiosk, you can change them on your phone. So one strategy for the 4th is to pick whatever you think will have the soonest return time, so you can use it to search for others.

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Exactly. I know I can eat at least 12 in the 60 minutes. After that Disney's loosing money.

I do worry about brain freeze. Eh nothing there to worry about.

I can stuff about 20 or 30 in my back pack and another 100+ in my giant stroller. I just need a freezer to store them in.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I can stuff about 20 or 30 in my back pack and another 100+ in my giant stroller. I just need a freezer to store them in.

 

You need to start camping with Larry.  He has that covered.  

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Way to go with the double tier 1 FP+.

 

I wish I was feeling better when we were there to stay for Fantasmic & Illuminations.  Some day.

 

You've never seen Fantasmic or Illuminations? 

 

You need to start planning another trip.  Those shows are definitely worth seeing.

 

they are what about $5. So the answer is 12. I will take that mission! Now who's covering my airfare, park ticket, and event cost to see me try?

 

I think they're more like $4, so you might need to eat a couple more to break even.

 

I actually would be interested to see if you could eat 12 in an hour.  Did you try anything like this on your cruise?  I guess it theoretically could be done, but I'm not sure you would feel real great afterward.

 

Just 12, what about the second 30 minutes

 

I don't think so, Tom.  I love a Mickey Premium Bar as much as the next guy.  But, I think after four or five, it would get hard.

 

Exactly. I know I can eat at least 12 in the 60 minutes. After that Disney's loosing money. 

 

I do worry about brain freeze. Eh nothing there to worry about. 

 

I want to see you try.

 

Let's get the collection started!

 

Enjoying the report! Really excited for your daughter, hope she enjoys her role there!

 

Thanks, Carol.

 

So far, so good.  She LOVES everything about the program.  She seems to have landed in a very good spot as far as the different roles go.  Time will tell.

 

I loved all of the photos of your room at Port Orleans Riverside. I love all of the details and thought that they added. Those are the things that make Disney special.

 

I am excited to hear that we may be able to get extra FP's with extra bracelets. I have family members that have AP's, so am hoping the loophole you have discovered will last until our August trip!

 

Thanks to everybody who has sent good wishes to my son! That is really nice and makes me feel good! Fiends are the BEST!!!

 

Here are the details; my son was blessed with good genes and is quite an athlete. He was playing shortstop at practice and was just going for a routine ground ball. For whatever reason when he went to get the ball, his knee dislocated. It was severe. His entire kneecap was on the side of his leg. If I didn't see it myself, I wouldn't have thought it was possible. After an ambulance ride and a couple hours in the ER, his knee was put back into place. We left that night, thinking the worse was behind him. However, we found out two days later, that he had a broken patella and ligament damage. His surgery yesterday went as well as it could, but the damage was severe and sadly the Dr. said his knee will never be the same. There are some things that he will never be able to do again. (sob) his recovery will be a year+ (sob) no skiing or ice hockey this winter (sob) The Dr. discovered he has a PCL injury that could not be repaired. While I have heard of the ACL injury tons of times, I had never heard of the less known and rare PCL injury. His patella had five pieces broken off. Each too small to screw back together, so all pieces were removed. My boy does not have his whole kneecap anymore (sob) Yesterday was a tough day........... On a bright note, we are home now and we are able to manage his pain with wonderful pain meds. Yippee!! Since he is a boy, he can pee in a pail right from the couch!! Awesome!! Everybody at school loves him and he has tons of friends, so we will have an endless stream of kids coming to visit him and cheer him up! Yeah!!! So while we are sad that this has happened and changed his athletic life at the tender age of 18, we are thankful that it is not something life threatening, thankful that he has a great Dr. and thankful that he has great friends to pull him through this!!!

 

Again, many thanks to all of the fiends who expressed concern!!! Sorry to hijack your trip report TCD!!!

 

Wow.  I am so sorry, Heidi.  You've been through a lot.  And now, this.  I admire your attitude.  You're right, he will ultimately be fine.  I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.  It's tough to see that when you're going through something like this.

 

Heidi, so sorry to hear about your son's injury.  Thankful that the surgery was as successful as it sounds it could be.  Even though his athletic endeavors have been derailed for the time being, experiences like this can open us up to alternative paths that are transforming.   

 

I agree.  I think we can all look to events in our lives that seemed to be devastating at the time, but ultimately led us to something better and unexpected.  Life is funny that way.

 

I will pray for a speedy rehab and that he can go back to doing the things that he loves in the future Heidi.

That has to be tough on him right now.

 

There are some good people on this board, and old Aaron is near the top of the list.

 

Have you heard or tried this tip... Once you book the 4th and subsequent FP+ at a kiosk, you can change them on your phone. So one strategy for the 4th is to pick whatever you think will have the soonest return time, so you can use it to search for others.

 

Truthfully, I haven't had much time to play with the 4th FP+ option. So far, since my most recent visits have just been with one daughter, the extra MB's have given us six FP+'s per day at a park.  That's been more than enough.

 

I will look into this 4th FP thing some more, though.

 

I can stuff about 20 or 30 in my back pack and another 100+ in my giant stroller. I just need a freezer to store them in.

 

I would be willing to kick in some money to pay for you to have a VIP spot just to see you try this.  The CM's would freak, I'm sure.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

You need to start camping with Larry.  He has that covered.  

 

I miss Larry.

 

TCD

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

You need to start camping with Larry.  He has that covered.

  

I miss Larry.

 

TCD

Who's this larry you guys keep talking about?