Trip in Progress report!

[CJHokie 43]

Having a little downtime this Christmas Eve, so thought I would write some things down before I forget! I've already mentioned a lot of this in various other threads, so sorry if it seems familiar. Also, I tend to get a little wordy, so I do apologize in advance.

 

We got up early last Sun. (12/20) to 27 degrees at our house near Concord, NC! Had to pull my parka out for hitching the Jeep up and loading the last remaining food. And ended up wearing it for an hour or two down the road. Headed down to some in-laws in Jacksonville for the night.  Got to see the exciting end of the Jaguars game they were watching, then the way more exciting than it should've been end of the Panthers game. Spent the night there and then headed out early Monday morning for the Fort.

 

Arrived at 11am. Didn't really have any traffic problems until we got in Orlando. I know check-in is at 1, but thought maybe we could get in.  I mentioned I had faxed in a letter, but I couldn't tell if the CM had it or not. I was having trouble hearing him. He said they could find a spot to put us in but had us blocked off with our friends who are coming in the 26th. Perfect! That's basically all I asked for in the letter, besides loop 500.  So, I said we'd just go with what they had planned and wait in the Overflow Lot. We went & unhitched and then went back to the OL. It was pretty much full, but someone pulled out right when we got to them, so we pulled in.

 

I decided to use this free time to get a modem kit, so I drove over to the Meadow store. Didn't have a site no., but the lady gave it to me anyway. She asked if I wanted to get on the waiting list for the TV box and I did just in case. Well, we do need it, but I am still on the waiting list.

 

Got a text with site no. just after 1:00, so we headed over. After lots of backing, pulling forward, turning wheels this way and that, many spectators and advisors, we got into the spot. Did the normal setup, then I started my decorating. Due to a shortage of outdoor ext cords, esp. longer ones (and I did bring a lot!), pretty much all my decorations are hidden by our Jeep.

 

That night we rode around on our bikes, checking out various loops. We heard and saw fireworks, so we beelined it to the beach and watched the rest. 

 

Tues. we had EPCOT FP+, so we headed out early, though not as early as planned because no one but me could get up. We were parked in the grass right at the entrance. Very nice.  Did some stuff we never had before during our FP times. Made it as far as China before people stared complaining (mainly Mr. CJH), so we headed back for lunch.  

 

Went back out that night to HS to see the Osborne Lights. I think we probably got there sometime in the 6pm hour, and they made us go left, to the back, when there were all kinds of people leaving, plus the rows and rows of empty spots everyone has seen pics of.  I thought the Osborne Lights would be like sardines, but it really wasn't bad at all.  Did a few other things , one of which was One Man's Dream. We had never been in there, and I really enjoyed it.

 

Oh, as far as security goes, Tues. I went with everything in my pockets to avoid bag check.  I asked a CM on the way out if I had a clear bag, could I bypass. She said no.  The next day my pockets weren't really big enough even for my phone, so I loaded up the clear bag.

 

We went to Animal Kingdom. Bag check line wasn't bad. I think I was 4th in line when I got in. I told the guard I was making it easy on him with the clear bag and he was very appreciative. I really do think I could go through no bags line with how little time it took him to look into the bag.  

 

We headed straight to Everest since the wait wasn't bad and we didn't have FP for that. The youngest wanted to ride and hadn't before. The oldest turned green the last time he rode, so he opted to wait for us. This is where I made the wrong decision. I have ridden Everest before with no problem, but I also have had a lifelong struggle with motion sickness. I can usually ride rollercoasters depending on what they do; it's the things that go in circles that get me. Well, I made it as far as the ride photos and had to sit down in a little hallway.  A CM walked by/over me to go through the door I was next to.  Then another CM came out to check on me, and he was super awesome. He offered me paramedics, a wheelchair. I asked for a bucket or something, and he brought out a trash can. Yes, I did throw up in it a couple of times. I asked my husband to go get a Coke, and he said don't worry and pulled out a bottle of Coke for me. I finally said I could leave, so we headed over to Dinosaur for our first FP. I wished I had taken him up on the wheelchair at that point. I opted out of Dinosaur, which is one of my faves and found an empty bench to lie down on and wait. But first I found some Dramamine in a store and took that.

 

Our next FP was Kali, and while I have never had a problem with that, I was a little worried about going backwards. Wasn't great when I did, but I managed.  While warm, yesterday was overcast, so I knew I was going to get soaked. Of course that was the wettest I've ever gotten on that ride. Could not talk anyone into ride ponchos, so then I had to buy a beach towel from a perfectly placed kiosk at the ride exit. Okay, 2 beach towels - 1 for $23, or 2 for $35. Oh, I took my vinyl bag onto the ride thinking I would stick it in the center thing. I know I've read of the storage lockers on here, but didn't realize they removed the center storage. The CM loading us said people were standing up in the middle of the ride to get stuff out. Really? Oh well, the bag leaked a little and now the youngest's phone is in a bag of rice. But I saw lots of people getting on with nice purses and such.

 

We had too much time in between all these FP, so we did some things we hadn't before (Rafiki's for one.) Finally we could get on the Safari, and it was probably the most animals we've ever seen on that ride.  

 

Last night we decided to head out to MK. They were open til 3am! We did not make it to that.  So, this is where Mr. CJH made his wrong decision of the day.  We headed to the dock to take the boat over. One pulled up right when we got there, but they announced they were going out of service and another was about 5 min. away. Mr. CJH was sure it was way longer that 5 min., so he made us jump on the one to the Contemporary that was about to leave. Of course as we were heading to Wild. Lodge, we saw the other boat coming. Got to the Cont. and went up the never ending escalators to the monorail line. OMG, that was a long line. Every monorail that stopped was crammed full with minimal people getting off there. I think we got on the 5th one, then of course had to go all the way around to the MK. I think we left at 8:30 and got to MK at 10. Lines were very manageable at that point, so we rode a few rides. Kids were tired so we left right after the 11:30 Electrical Light Parade.

 

Resting today.  I have a cold now or I'm allergic to something here in FL. Trying to talk the kids into going to Univ. early in the morning. I mean, they always wake up super early on Christmas day, so why not?

 

Had new neighbors move in yesterday beside us and across from us, so I'm not sure what the odds of our friends being anywhere near us are now.

 

Will try to add some pics in a little while.

[CJHokie 43]

Wish I could make these smaller, but not seeing how.

 

 

 

 

[ependydad...Doug 176]

So sorry that you got that sick on EE. I'm usually good for one ride on that, but that's my limit (and I really don't have motion issues). My daughter can ride it over and over, though!

Your trip from the Fort to MK sounds like my average thinking and luck. :)

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

So sorry you got sick. Love the pictures though! 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Hope you feel better soon!  And your pictures are a great size.

[CJHokie 43]

Thanks for the well wishes y'all.  Gwen, I hope you are doing better! (I think you were the one with the DVT?) I'm sure that was scary.

 

The pics didn't come out as large as I feared. They do seem to be a reasonable size. 

 

Here are some more from the cart parade that just went by.  Most people just had Christmas decorations, garland, lights, etc., but this was our favorite.

 

 

And the back: 

 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Thanks for the well wishes y'all.  Gwen, I hope you are doing better! (I think you were the one with the DVT?) I'm sure that was scary.

 

Yes, I'm the one with two DVTs.  Not out of the woods yet, but feeling better.  Thank you!

[CJHokie 43]

Oh, a couple of other things...

 

1) So far it hasn't been nearly as crowded as I was expecting. Knock on wood.

 

2) I guess they're not enforcing the over 14 no costumes rule when it comes to cross dressing, as we saw an older guy in full drag, which was some kind of costume-y dress.  Maybe they were afraid to say something? 

[CJHokie 43]

Well, we are back home and I can't remember most stuff that happened, so this 2nd half report should be shorter. 

 

On Christmas day, we got up, opened presents, and then rushed the kids to get to Universal.  We went straight to HP Forbidden Journey. Wait was showing as 30 min, but I don't think it took that long. I had taken a Dramamine at breakfast and took another in line as I was getting a little freaked out. My husband kept saying it wasn't bad; he & the oldest (who also gets motion sickness) had ridden it a few years ago.  Well, pretty much right away on the ride I knew it would be bad and closed my eyes for 98% of it.  I'm sure it's a great ride if you can stomach opening your eyes.  Luckily I did not get sick, just felt bad for a little while. Got a frozen butterbeer to soothe my stomach. 

 

We got quite a few things done with minimal lines and left around 1 or 2. It had started to get pretty crowded by then.  

 

The next day I took the boys to HS because we had FP. Mr. CJH was pretty much done with parks by then.  We had ToT first, but the oldest opted out in 2014, and the youngest rode it and was terrified, so it would've been just me, so we just skipped it. I can't remember what our 3rd one was, but the only reason we went was to ride Toy Story. When we got to it, the FP line was super long, so we went for ice cream and came back. It had shut down for an undetermined time. They said we would get a replacement FP for all day that could be used anywhere but Fantasmic. I was worried that if it came back on during our window but we had left the park if we would still get that. The 2 CMs I asked were stumped so they asked the supervisor who was standing there. He said we had already been given the other, so we left. It did not show up in the MDE app for a while, but I checked my email while waiting for the bus and found one about that. Turns out there was also one for ToT since it was shut down during our FP window. I got all excited thinking we could ride Toy Story twice, but alas the ToT replacement one does not allow you to do TS. 

 

Anywho, we went back that night and rode TS and I made them walk through (much slower this time) the Osborne Lights again. 

 

But in the meantime back at the campground we were waiting for our friends to get there.  As I mentioned before the guy at check-in said they had us blocked off together, but I was still stressed they wouldn't be near us since they got there at like 6pm. That morning there were 6 open sites (incl. the one next to us), so every time a camper came in, we willed them to keep going. It worked! They got the site next to us.

 

Oh, so while the boys & I were at HS during the day, Mr. CJH went to check on our status on the TV kit wait list at the Meadow. If you recall, I got a modem kit on check-in day and had to get on a wait list for the TV. I thought it was odd that I was the first one on the list (one ahead of me was crossed out and dated 9/20) and they hadn't called in 5 days.  Turns out the lady had me sign up on the wrong list. I think it was a modem list. So, there was a big kerfuffle as they basically accused Mr. CJH of lying about supposedly being on the TV list. His point was, why would I sign up on the modem wait list if I had a modem? Oh, and there was still a wait list (which I should've been at the top of by then) but a woman turning one in right then. He insisted on seeing the manager who was then telling the old lady not to deal with him. Not sure exactly what went down, but I think he pitched a fit sufficient enough that they were like, just give it to him, but not bad enough to call security. So, he ended up with it, and...it didn't really work. I guess the cable did work with our tvs, but the channels didn't match up with the guide.

 

So, we went to MK one day and had FP. I passed on Space Mt., Big Thunder, & Seven Dwarfs. Have ridden Space several times, but the last time in 2014 I felt bad after. Big Thunder has never given me problems, but I was chicken since I seemed pretty weak this time on motion. Dwarfs I had never ridden and really, really wanted to but was just too chicken. 

 

We did a day of resort hopping on the monorail while our friends were at a park. Then we did another day of that with them (last day). Will try to add pics.

 

Oh, so my friend's parents & her brother and his family were there staying offsite. Someone gave him VIP tour for Universal for one day, then front of the line tix for the next.  His whole party did not go back the 2nd day, so they invited us. Just the youngest & I went. That was awesome. We rode tons of big rides (well, I was mostly the Sherpa holding all the bags).  I think the shortest wait was 90 min and they walked us in through the exit literally to the front of the line, even on the HP rides. It was pretty crowded that day, too.  

 

On NYE, we just kinda did our own thing at our campers (some football watching, some Farkle), then went down to the beach for the fireworks.  Very nice!  The number of golf carts parked there was insane!  Our campsite backed up to that main road to the beach, which I liked for walking out the back of our site, but carts leaving after midnight were super loud - people honked and yelled til at least 1am (I think I finally fell asleep then.) I don't know if it took that long for people to get out or if the same ones were just driving back & forth a million times.

 

Speaking of golf carts, there was a gas one on our loop that had a clown car horn.  How incredibly obnoxious and annoying that was.

 

Some last notes about the campground:

 

Our friends discovered yesterday morning when we were leaving that someone had stolen their sway bar. 

 

Our water heater is a PITA, so I took a couple of showers in the CS. The shower head cover in one stall had half broken off, so water just gushed out. I personally would never complain about that as I have thick hair and wish my home shower had that kind of pressure, but they really should fix that.

 

The ice machine on our loop kept eating our quarters. I used it successfully once. I'm not sure why they have 7lb bags when I could've filled two. I wasn't prepared, so all the rest spilled out on the ground.  The second time we sent our oldest to get ice.  Like a half hour later we noticed he wasn't there, so Mr. CJH walked over to check on him. He said it ate his quarters and so he called the maint. number and was waiting for them to come. After we explained to him that it was Christmas Eve and he may be waiting forever, he came back.  We sent him back like 4 days later and it happened again.  No sign or anything saying out of order. So, they stole 16 of my quarters. 

 

Which I was going to mention when I checked back in but forgot.  That's another thing. I had 2 separate reservations because I added NYE later.  I had to go check in before 11 to make sure they didn't give my site to someone else and make us move.  As Mr. CJH said, any other hotel in the world could add a day on to a res. So ridiculous.  Well, that's all I can think of right now.  

 

Oh, I walked by cindymac quite often, but never saw anyone outside. But she was across from the very large group with the multi-night parties and obnoxious golf cart, so maybe she was hiding. 

[CJHokie 43]

One other thing, I was expecting crowds to just be horrible and I never really saw anything worse than spring break. Maybe we just had better timing. I think MK reached some level of closure the last 2 days of the year, but I think it was much worse last year?  The campground definitely started getting crazier the last 2 days, but I thought it was supposedly full the whole 2 weeks we were there.  I did hear 2 different people on our resort crawls complaining about how horrible it was. Maybe I just had lower expectations? Or they just didn't have the relaxing campground to return to.  

 

Oh, also forgot to add we did the HDDR one night with our friends.  I think everyone enjoyed it. 

[CJHokie 43]

Some more pics.

 

Chocolate creation at the WL

 

Gingerbread house at GF

 

And the ingredients

 

Insane site on Loop 1600. My son took the pics here and didn't really get any good ones. They had a walkway around the MH for you to walk around and see everything. Also had a model monorail set up with mini Epcot ball, Cinderella's castle, Cont, & Poly.

 

We wished they had walkways around this one on 1200. Crazy detail.

[CJHokie 43]

1200 loop was not for beginners!

 

Giant Frozen confection at Contemporary

 

Olaf looks chocolate, but we're not sure if the rest is "edible" or sand.

[CJHokie 43]

This was what happened with the NYE fireworks - they obstructed themselves with their own smoke that wouldn't clear out and just kept getting bigger and bigger.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

I heard all the food displays, like the gingerbread house smell amazing.

[CJHokie 43]

I heard all the food displays, like the gingerbread house smell amazing.

Well, I did smell the gingerbread house, but I have a cold, so I didn't smell any of the others.

 

Oh, and the chocolate scene at the WL was behind glass.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Great 1200 loop pictures!

[CJHokie 43]

Forgot to mention we let the boys do the Sea Raycers not once, but twice. 

 

First time was before our friends got there. I was going to make them share, but the youngest insisted on his own boat. I was really kinda worried as those boats are so small out there with everything else.  A younger guy working the dock invited me down to take pics.  

 

 

Then the older guy gave them the safety spiel, loaded them into the boats and sent them on their way.  Then he & I talked for a few minutes.  He was very nice and assured me they would be fine.

 

Next time they went with our friends' kids in 4 separate boats.  This time there were 2 young women working the dock and they said we could come down and take pics, but only if we put on life jackets.  We declined.  I guess that is protocol, but it apparently didn't bother the guys at all as they didn't even mention a life jacket. None of the 4 CM mentioned above were wearing them, and my friend & I are fairly confident we can walk on a dock over 2 ft. of water without a life jacket on.  I am not complaining as it really was no big deal, just another instance of rules (no matter how ridiculous) being enforced one time and not another.

 

But a great time was had by all.  

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Those Sea Raycers look like so much fun!

[CJHokie 43]

Those Sea Raycers look like so much fun!

I know, I wanted to do it but didn't!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Thanks for sharing this nice trip report and your photos!

 

It looks like you had a great time, and I know that you had some very nice (perhaps a bit too warm) weather.

 

TCD