Disney World!!
I have not been to WDW (Walt Disney World) since January 2018 when I completed the Dopey challenge. So many things have changed that it made me almost feel like it was my first visit.
We stayed at Caribbean Beach, which I have stayed at before. We were able to get a pirate themed room (squeal!!!) We also ended up with a corner room that had spectacular views of the water. The downside is that we were the furthest south room, and it was a half a mile walk to the lobby which is the only place to get food or drinks on site. Yes, there is an internal shuttle. However, I took it to get a small snack and some water, and it literally took 90 minutes!! 30 minutes waiting for the shuttle (see pic of local wildlife) and getting to the lobby, 30 minutes to get my order, and another 30 to get back to the room. Thankfully, we had a relaxing day planned.
The first park day was at Animal Kingdom. I got up early to be there at opening as I had to go on Flight of Passage. I have only ever been on FOP using a fast pass, so this was my first time seeing the regular queue line. The details are extraordinary!
Due to covid, the shows were all closed, so no Lion King. Also, only 8 rides were open. After grabbing some “pandoran” food for an early lunch, I hung out at the Tree of Life, checked out some animals, and then went on Expedition Everest. That ride is so fun too!
My friend met me in the park, and then we headed off to the Magic Kingdom. So, the way the new system works is which ever park you have a reservation for that day, you have to scan in there before you can park hop to another park. We had a late lunch reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern. After, we went on the Haunted Mansion. The “elevator” wasn’t running due to covid, so we just walked straight through and onto the ride.
Because I am a diehard Rapunzel fan, we took some pics next to the Rapunzel wall. Then we headed to the Peoplemover which recently reopened. While on the Peoplemover, we saw where they are building the Tron ride. We called it a day and then headed back to the hotel.
The next day was supposed to be another Animal Kingdom day, but neither of us felt up to it. So, we had a pool day instead. We went to the main pool which was pirate themed too! They had a cool waterslide, which of course, I had to go down a few times. It was a fun, relaxing day.
Next up was Epcot! From Caribbean Beach, you take the Skyliner directly to Epcot. This was the first time either of us had been on the one’s at WDW. The ride is very smooth and each bucket is quite large (holds 10). The Food and Garden Festival was going on still, so we got to try some fun things like a lobster poached citrus salad, potato pancakes, and of course, a dole whip with coconut rum. We then got in line for the Frozen Ever After ride. About 30 seconds into the wait, it started pouring rain. I have been in WDW many times and it has rained. But never like this. It was raining so hard that is hurt. I looked at the ground expecting to see hail because it was that bad. No hail, just large rain drops. Within 10 minutes, we were soaked. I was literally wringing out my shirt and mask. The rain finally stopped as we were headed into the ride.
After the ride, we headed to Germany for the potato pancakes. While enjoying our snack, it started to sprinkle…again. It didn’t take long for this sprinkle to again turn into a downpour. We headed into a local shop that was already filled with people. While deciding what to do next, we found out that this storm was supposed to last at least another 60 minutes. We knew the Skyliner was not going to be running as there was lightening that was pretty close. We walked to the front of the park which took about 20 minutes because of the rain and all the construction. Once there, we found out that WDW in fast had not added out hotel to the bus route yet, so we beelined it for the taxis. Probably the best money spent the entire trip was the $15 for the taxi ride to the hotel. We were both bummed as we wanted to spend the whole day in the park especially with the festival happening.
The last park day was also scheduled for Epcot, but we both really wanted to go to Hollywood Studios. We took the Skyliner to Epcot, scanned into the park, turned around and walked back out, then took a boat to Hollywood Studios. It was my friends first time take the boat. We literally took every form of transportation available to us on this trip. Plane, train, bus, boat, skyliner, taxi, monorail, etc. Once in Hollywood Studios, we got in line for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad. Such a fun ride. I could not stop laughing!
After, we walked to Star Wars Land to check it out. It was very crowded. The line to get into one of the main markets was over an hour long. Once we found that out, we left the line and continued checking out the area. Then we walked through Toy Story Land which was even more crowded than Star Wars Land. After, we headed towards Rockin’ Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror to do some shopping. My friend has certain things she wanted for her family and knew those stores would have them.
After our fun day in Hollywood Studios, we took the boat back to the Boardwalk to have dinner with another friend at Trattoria al Forno. I noticed the back of the wine bottle said that this wine was made exclusively for Disney Parks. While I was shocked, I probably shouldn’t have been because, ya know, its Disney.
After the lovely dinner, we took the boat back to Epcot where we caught the Skyliner back to the hotel. I had to repack as I was leaving very early in the morning for Roatan. The “tragical” express was picking me up at 4:45am and since I had so much luggage, the porter was picking me up at 4:15a. But, one last beautiful sunset before I go.
Cheers!
- Wander With Mekela