Completed 1/13 - Monoraaaaaaaail! - August 2023 Trip Report

[erinch]

Thank you for posting these! I am so sad tonight. We were due to leave on a grand trip to celebrate my 65th bday on Oct 23. Auto train to HRH, then AKL, 2 nights each, then Vistana for 2 weeks, with Halloween party, Christmas Party , and Jollywood nights. Been a jillion times but never not in summer. Then today my husband tripped and broke his hip. And maybe his shoulder. It is 1 am, he is safely out of surgery, with a long road ahead, and I am clutching a glass of Chardonnay and read your updates! It helped.

 

[Araminta18]

Goal: Achieved! - Sunday, August 13, 2023 (part 4)​

Foolishly ignoring the warning to take the stairs, we went for the elevator.

We were getting on at 9:27, so a total wait of 20 minutes. Not horrible!

Trevor decided at the last minute to join me, and we got lucky with the front row. Also, the more I look at this ride photo, the more I notice - there's a lot going on here!

Ride video, just for fun.

We got off the Tower of Terror and after spending some quality time in the gift shop (bought some car magnets and a case for my airpods), we were going to do Rockin Roller Coaster, but after looking at the line we saw that it was...very long. So we abandoned it and decided to go for breakfast at our favorite spot in Hollywood Studios. But we ran into a photographer!

Love that hotel. Also I am very squinty in these photopass photos...not sure why!

We made our way back to Toy Story Land and while I thought about doing mobile order, there was essentially no one ordering standby when we got there, so we did that! We got the kid's tater tots breakfast, excuse me, the potato barrels breakfast bowl, and then rootbeer and milk. It was *so* hot we weren't super hungry, so the kid's breakfast was a perfect size for us both to share.

No idea why but man, Woody's Lunchbox has A+ breakfasts.

We could book a new lightning lane starting at 10:30 (2 hours after park open, since our first lightning lane that we booked wasn't until 11:30), so we were just kind of hanging out, til we realized that at 10:30 there was going to be a show with the Toy Army Men! So of course we had to see that. Thankfully they came out a little bit late (or they came out on time but it took them a minute to walk over to where we were) so I was able to book a fastpass for MidWay Mania at 10:40. Woot!

The Green Army Drum Corps:

Funny, but man those poor guys in the full sun. It must have been so hot! The Green Army Men have always been a favorite since our very first trip in 2016 when we saw one of them playing hide and seek with a kid back in what is now Pixar Place. Such great characters to have running around.

But once the show was done, we headed right into the Lightning Lane for Midway Mania! The line was just a bit backed up - seemingly more so than standby, despite standby being posted at like 30 or 40 minutes? Lines this trip were weird. And Potato Head was working but of course the fastpass line doesn't get to see him. Trevor snuck a pic and video over the barrier:

You can see the standby line there - only a bit backed up because people were looking at the animatronic. Ended up being about 10 minutes in the Lightning Lane. I did notice this super cute "night light" though!


And look, it's that thing where you write on it and then lift up the plastic and it goes away! I had one of those when I was a kid but haven't seen it for years.

Then it was our turn to ride!

I know, you're in awe of my selfie skills.

We had a good time, trying to work together to get the high scores - we managed to get the alien spaceship to take off and the mouth opened where we could shoot in the rings. We did good! I got a score of 152,700 and Trevor got 150,800 - VERY close.

BUT FOLKS -- GUESS WHAT HAPPENED, FINALLY?!

I got Best in Vehicle!!!!! This has always been a bit of a goal of mine, so I was pretty psyched.

That is the face of elation.

Gonna end this post on that high note...

 

[Araminta18]

Thank you for posting these! I am so sad tonight. We were due to leave on a grand trip to celebrate my 65th bday on Oct 23. Auto train to HRH, then AKL, 2 nights each, then Vistana for 2 weeks, with Halloween party, Christmas Party , and Jollywood nights. Been a jillion times but never not in summer. Then today my husband tripped and broke his hip. And maybe his shoulder. It is 1 am, he is safely out of surgery, with a long road ahead, and I am clutching a glass of Chardonnay and read your updates! It helped.

Oh my goodness I'm so sorry! *hugs* That's so sad - both your husband but also the disappointment of canceling a long anticipated trip is real. I'm so glad your husband is safely out of surgery, but sending you all the good vibes. I'm glad my updates can help a teeny bit!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

And then I'd seen this on the internet, so decided to try and see it in person...If you go up to the sign and look down at the bottom, the letters that have fallen down spell:

That is amazing! I’ve taken (*cough* many *cough*) pictures of this sign (and everything else in the attraction) and never noticed this! I’ll have to look for it next time.

So, yes and no. Depends on how busy it is, and how you tour. If you like doing things in the mornings, rope drop is still better because for a park like Hollywood Studios, the return times for their rides are pushed out so late in the day that if you don't rope drop, you end up waiting in longer lines in the mornings. But Genie+ and ILL can make it so that if you're ok touring later after you're able to stack LL's a bit, or if you don't mind being on your phone it works. Mostly i just don't like the 1 LL per day per ride restriction!

Thanks - I appreciate your input!

Foolishly ignoring the warning to take the stairs, we went for the elevator.

As you must.

No idea why but man, Woody's Lunchbox has A+ breakfasts.

I’m not quite sure how, but I really want to try those tots. Hopefully my husband doesn’t think I’m nuts when I eat two breakfasts…

I got Best in Vehicle!!!!!

Whoo-hoo!!! That’s great! I remember I got Best-in-Vehicle once (I think just over 200K?) and two young tween/teenage boys looked very impressed that some woman beat their scores (plus I was by myself!).

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Thank you for posting these! I am so sad tonight. We were due to leave on a grand trip to celebrate my 65th bday on Oct 23. Auto train to HRH, then AKL, 2 nights each, then Vistana for 2 weeks, with Halloween party, Christmas Party , and Jollywood nights. Been a jillion times but never not in summer. Then today my husband tripped and broke his hip. And maybe his shoulder. It is 1 am, he is safely out of surgery, with a long road ahead, and I am clutching a glass of Chardonnay and read your updates! It helped.

I’m so sorry you had to cancel your trip - it’s such a bummer to miss out on something you’ve been looking forward to. I’m glad your husband is doing well and I hope you can reschedule your trip for next year!

 

[Araminta18]

Luckiest Morning Ever! - Sunday August 13, 2023 (part 5)​

We got out of Midway Mania right at 11, so only 30 min until it was time for our Slinky fastpass! I still had to look just a little bit in the gift shop there. Didn't find anything I wanted but I noticed for the first time the theming behind the cash register -

Isn't that cute?! It's a toy cash register! Love it.

Anyways, we had like 25 minutes til our fastpass, so we wandered briefly into Star Wars land just for a few minutes. I think this was the time that we were waiting in line for photos by the entrance wall but the CM wasn't really managing the line and so it was just a clump and people jumped ahead of us and then it was just awkward. I could tell the heat was getting to me a bit, so we just let it go and wandered into Star Wars land. We saw Chewy out meeting and greeting, so that was neat. We also decided to duck into Dok Ondar's and do a little bit of shopping - Trevor bought a red kyber crystal, hoping to get a black one. I made him open it (though it wasn't like I really had to try) and filmed it:

Did he get a black one?! Yes! We were having a great day! So exciting. (also the "don't be suspicious" was in the running for trip report title - it's a line from the tv show Parks and Recreation but we were singing it a lot this trip, just for kicks)

And then it was time to go back for our Slinky fastpass! Woot! There was a bit of a line though.

And in the full sun! I was very glad for my sun umbrella - it definitely helped! Well, that plus our fans.

It ended up being about 15 minutes. But we got lucky! We were going to ask for the last row and were prepared to wait, but we didn't even have to ask! We just got it! yay!

Aside from the heat, we were having a good morning! Best in car, black kyber crystal, last row on slinky... Awesome.

Trevor, living his best life.

I'd gotten a Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway fastpass right when I could, but not until 12:30ish? Or something like that. I clearly need to take more screenshots! Either way, it was a bit out, and that was ok, because we had our Rise individual lightning lane for now. In we went to Star Wars land!

On our way over to the Resistance area, we saw a bit of a crowd near the marketplace, and something pinged in my brain and I was like "wait a minute..." and steered Trevor over there quickly and yes! It was Mando and Grogu!!

I'd forgotten about him being out so I hadn't planned it, but what a fortunate coincidence! Yay! And he was even taking individual photos with folks - no real line, he was just kind of gesturing people forward for pics.

You can also see that he does *not* like it when you call Grogu "Baby Yoda".

We got lucky and got to take a picture with him.

We even got a little interaction too- he told us he was tracking two fugitives and asked if we'd seen them? We said no, and he said that they were probably in the cantina . Also, that Grogu animatronic whatever it is is great - he moves around and basically looks like he's alive! Fantastic.

Honestly, we were riding high - running into Mando?! Amazing!

So over to the Resistance area and onto Rise. It was a walkon with the lightning lane - we walked right into the preshow room, though the BB-8 animatronic wasn't working? That was a bit of a bummer.

Obligatory stormtrooper picture.

The line after that room though was pretty backed up:

Only about 5 minutes though, and then we were in the interrogation chamber, and then boarding our escape pod!

Our luck continued - we got the track we like best, where the head of the AT-AT is pointing at you. Otherwise the ride seemed to be a bit off - we saw B-mode Kylo Ren at the end (instead of the animatronic getting "sucked out", we saw Kylo in his ship on the screen, and we seemed to wait a few extra seconds at a bunch of spots. It didn't flow quite as smoothly as it has on our other rides, but still, Rise is a great ride.

 

[Araminta18]

That is amazing! I’ve taken (*cough* many *cough*) pictures of this sign (and everything else in the attraction) and never noticed this! I’ll have to look for it next time.

Right?! Me too! I just happened to see this somewhere online and happened to remember (which I normally don't).

I’m not quite sure how, but I really want to try those tots. Hopefully my husband doesn’t think I’m nuts when I eat two breakfasts…

DO IT. They're so good, and if you get the kids version it's small! And it's Disney - 2 breakfasts is necessary for energy.

Whoo-hoo!!! That’s great! I remember I got Best-in-Vehicle once (I think just over 200K?) and two young tween/teenage boys looked very impressed that some woman beat their scores (plus I was by myself!).

200k+ by yourself? Wow! You're amazing!!!

 

[Araminta18]

Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway - Sunday August 13, 2023 (part 6)​

After Rise, it was about 12:30, and we had our Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway fastpass to get to! (I don't actually remember the specific time...oops!) But the gift shops/kiosks right outside of Rise called to us - and we got lucky again! Trevor has been wanting this Galaxy's Edge jacket since we first saw it, but they never had his size #thanksCOVID. But today?!

They had his size! He about died from heatstroke just trying it on, but per him, it was worth it. Yay! Trevor's a big fan of "in-universe" merch that doesn't say Disney or anything, but looks like it's from the universe, so this was a great piece for him.

Jacket secured, we made our way out of Galaxy's Edge and around to Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. As we came out onto Grand Avenue, we saw Goofy heading backstage.

Hi Goofy!

When we made it to MMRR, there was a bit of a line for the Lightning Lane.

It wrapped around twice...and no shade at all! Once again I was glad for my umbrella.

On the bright side, I got to see handprints I'd never seen before -

Alan Alda! I loved him in M*A*S*H (not gonna lie, still have a huge crush on Hawkeye ). So that was kind of neat. Also...a nose print?

Was about 5 minutes to get inside (yay airconditioning!), and then another 7 minutes or so til we were in the pre-show room. Also, that is how you do a pre-show (looking at you Cosmic Rewind with your like 3 preshow rooms and bunching up...gross).

2 minutes later we were getting on the ride! They'd pulled us forward to ride with another couple, so that was nice.


Conga!

It was a little bit backed up at the end, but that just meant we got to enjoy the last room a bit more!

We got off the ride just a little bit after 1 pm, and I'd managed to get us a Rocking Roller Coaster fastpass for immediate use, and we were hoping we'd have just enough time to ride it and get back to our 1:50 pm lunch reservation.

But then, a photographer in a spot I don't remember seeing before, right there in front of MMRR. And there was no line!


Hi Tink!

I was a bit worried about Rockin Roller Coaster because it felt like all the lightning lanes all morning had had waits, but when we got down there, it wasn't too bad.

We were in the preshow room after 3 minutes, and then on the ride 5 minutes later.

Trevor was saying he would ride it, so that was fun!

 

[Araminta18]

Rockin Roller Coaster & Woody's Roundup Rodeo BBQ! - Sunday August 13, 2023 (part 7)​

We only had a few minutes to get nervous and then we were boarding!

The launch on this coaster always gets me, but man this ride photo of Trevor cracks me up.

We were off the ride by 1:30 pm, plenty of time to make it back for our lunch reservation!

We were strolling up Sunset Boulevard when I noticed this billboard:

It's a bit hard to see, but it's advertising Paradise Pier! Which is a fun reference to Disneyland, cause Pixar Pier used to be Paradise Pier. Fun little easter egg.

We got back to Toy Story Land and Woody's Roundup Rodeo Barbecue at about 1:35 and got checked in. We got called back almost immediately (thankfully, getting us out of the heat!). I was excited to try this, even though I don't really like BBQ. I figured if nothing else it would be fun theming!

This is what greets you when you walk in!

We were taken to our seats right near the front of the restaurant.

And yes, the theming was great.

I love this little milk carton here - it's one of the doors to the kitchen, or to some backstage area. So cute!

It was quieter than you'd expect a restaurant like this to be, except for the screaming baby at the next table, but that's to be expected at DisneyWorld.

It did take the waiter a bit to come and take our order - about 10 minutes? He was nice though, we were just hungry. It was about 20 minutes after being seated that our appetizers came out. (also forgive the red lighting!)

Rootin’ Tootin Tomato Salad: Cucumbers, Pickled Red Onion, White Balsamic Vinaigrette (Plant-based)


Rex’s Romaine and Kale Salad: Apples, Dried Cranberries, Pumpkin Seeds, Green Goddess Dressing

 

[Araminta18]

Roundup Rodeo BBQ - Sunday August 13, 2023 (part 8)​

Wheezy’s Watermelon Salad: Fresh-torn Mint (Plant-based)

But honestly, the appetizer I was most looking forward to wasn't any of the salads - it was The Prospector’s Homemade Cheddar Biscuits with Sweet Pepper Jelly!

These were DELICIOUS. So good, esp with the jam. And they were warm and just *chef's kiss*. At least for me. Trevor thought they were fine, but nothing special. He's wrong though. I wish they would sell those to go, or at Woody's Lunchbox or something. SO GOOD.

The salads were good too - I like the salad with the apples (I like salads with fruit in them though), and the cucumber/tomato salad was also good. But man, those biscuits. So good.

I also got the Frozen Cowpoke Cocoa: Frozen Cocoa and Minute Maid® Vanilla Smoothie topped with Mini Marshmallows.

This was not good. Just tasted like powdered iced chocolate milk - just blech. I drank a few swallows and didn't touch it for the rest of the meal.


More theming!

Then it was time for the main courses! We got these four:

Cowpoke Corn on the Cob: Grilled Street Corn. This was...not bad, but not great. Maybe I just don't like street corn with all the various toppings.


The Claw! Veggie Slaw. I really like coleslaw, but this didn't do it for me. Maybe a bit bland?


Mean Old Potato Salad: Homestyle Red-skinned Potatoes. This was good, just a bit on the too tangy/saucy side for me?


Slinky Doooooooooog's Mac & Cheese. This was mostly for Trevor; he said it was good. I'm not a huge mac and cheese fan so no comment.


Cedar Plank Saloon Salmon - this said "available upon request" on the menu, and basically you just had to ask, it didn't replace anything else. Trevor said this was surprisingly good for this kind of restaurant - I didn't try it, cause fish. Gross.


Evil Dr. Smoked Ribs | Buttercup's Beef Brisket | There’s a Sausage in my Boot - Fire-grilled Pork Sausage | BBQ Chicken - with Style! These were all pretty good - I liked the brisket the best, but the chicken was good too (though poor Trevor, it was on the bone so he had to take it off the bone for me. The ribs were good too, though I really don't like touching bones when I eat so I just had a bit or so. Sausage was good too - a bit spicy.

Basically, all the sides were fine, but a bit off, and all the meat was good. I did ask for more biscuits though cause DELICIOUS!

 

[Araminta18]

Roundup Rodeo BBQ desserts - Sunday August 13, 2023 (part 9)​

After we finished with the entrees, it was time for dessert!

Interruption for a selfie! You can kind of see my completely full iced chocolate thing there in the background, as well as the biscuit basket in the center. Yum.

Our waiter then brought us out one of each type of dessert! That was nice of him, so we didn't have to choose.

Cupcake à la Forky: For Lil’ Riders, Gooey Chocolate Cake, Graham Cracker, Buttercream, Sugar Cookie


Gruff’s Peach-Strawberry Pie


Goat’s Apple Pie


Billy’s Chocolate Silk Pie and the Bo’s Lemon and Blueberry Cheesecake

These were all pretty good - nothing amazing, but decent, and cute in the little mason jars.

Hi there Forky! I think I maybe liked this one the best of the bunch? But also, look at that plate! It's meant to look like a paper plate but it's ceramic/whathaveyou. Cute!

After we finished dessert, we wandered around the rest of the restaurant a bit to see the theming, since we only saw the one part and there was a whole other room we hadn't seen!


Apparently the lighting in the other side/room was more blue, vs our side which was more red.

I love that some of the wall mural is a puzzle!


Look at the monopoly card and scrabble token as benches!

Overall, it was a decent lunch. A bit expensive, and the service was a bit slow, but the theming was great, and those biscuits man...I dream of those. The rest of the food was fine - not amazing but not horrible. I did love the sound effects - we didn't get to hear Andy coming but we did hear Sid coming!

The CMs seemed to really get into it too, which was cool. Overall, we spent about an hour and 45 minutes at lunch, which was a nice break but also ...yes, a long lunch. I don't think we'd go back, but I'm glad we did it. I just need to figure out some way to get those biscuits!!!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

(in case you haven't realized, this post and the next post will be pictures of the resort, cause 1. I have no chill and 2. it's adorable!)

This resort is great for this. We had lunch there once just to see all the statues.

we walked right on the Skyliner (yay!)

And now that they have a Skyliner! It's perfect!

Not my favorite, but the best of the bunch.

It's a great photo!

ook down at the bottom, the letters that have fallen down spell:

I think I have seen this before, but forgot all about it!

lso, the more I look at this ride photo, the more I notice - there's a lot going on here!

Lots of scared kids!!!

No idea why but man, Woody's Lunchbox has A+ breakfasts.

We love the breakfast tots.

I did notice this super cute "night light" though!

I love this room! You really feel like you got toy sized.

I got Best in Vehicle!!!!!

Woo Hoo!!!!

That is the face of elation.

Love it!

- we walked right into the preshow room, though the BB-8 animatronic wasn't working?

BB8 wasn't working for us in July either.

we got the track we like best, where the head of the AT-AT is pointing at you.

We think this too!!!

Trevor was saying he would ride it, so that was fun!

Wow ToT and RnR in one day!

Overall, it was a decent lunch. A bit expensive, and the service was a bit slow, but the theming was great, and those biscuits man...I dream of those. The rest of the food was fine - not amazing but not horrible. I did love the sound effects - we didn't get to hear Andy coming but we did hear Sid coming!

I don't think we will go here unless we go with someone with small kids. It sounds like it is fine enough but meh for the price. Also i have heard it takes forever! Which I don't get. I guess it's nice they aren't rushing people?!!?

 

[SimplyGoofy]

There are so many rides I’m excited to experience - Slinky Dog, Rise, and Runaway Railway will all be new to me. You had a great run of attractions in a row!

Also, how lucky to run into Mando and Grogu! I don’t know much about Star Wars (other than the regular movies) and know nothing about the Mandolorian, but I’m excited to see Star Wars Land nonetheless.

Thank you for your review of Woody’s Roundup Rodeo BBQ! The reviews I’ve read seem to be rather mixed, with good to so-so takes on the food but high marks for the theming. I’d be interested to try it as it’s new and we love BBQ, but I’m worried it looks a little dark and would get too loud for my two kids (regular restaurant noise is fine - I’m worried about the loudspeaker announcements and such).

 

[Araminta18]

Naptime! - Sunday August 13, 2023 (part 10)​

We left the restaurant, ready to head out and take a nap! Pleasantly full, and into the Florida heat, a nap sounded good.

As we left, we ran into the Green Army Men again! This time they weren't doing the drum show, so we got a quick picture.

Salute!

There also wasn't a line in front of the entrance to Toy Story Land, so we got some photos!


I like this magic shot with the army man parachuting in, but then I figure you're probably aware of our fondness for the army men.

We made it to the front of the park, and Trevor had decided that he wanted to get the lightsaber hilt display and kyber crystal display stands they were selling back in Dok Ondar's, but we thought they might be sold in one of the stores near the front of the park, rather than having to go all the way back to Galaxy's Edge. Spoiler: they did not. So back we went to Galaxy's Edge.` Man I miss when they used to deliver your purchases to the front of the park, or even your hotel, then we could have bought them earlier and just picked them up on our way out. You think they'll bring that back soon, what with the recent announcements of price increases and bringing back park hopping at any time? Probably not, but a gal can dream!

And on the bright side, after we got the things, we say Rey and Chewy!

I don't remember what she was saying though. Oops!

And in another bonus, as we headed out, the photographer there between Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story Land had no line (as opposed to earlier when they had quite a line) so we got the picture with Grogu!


This time at the front...we did a bit more shopping. I think Trevor was looking for sunglasses or something? I don't quite remember. I got the Disney Art of Entertainment calendar - can't wait to put it up in my office! Posters of Happily Ever After and MVMCP and others.

As we meandered out, we saw a photographer out in front of the 100, with again no line ('cause it was BONKERS hot ), so we grabbed a few!


I love these Disney 100 balloons! Super cute.

We were on the Skyliner by 4 pm (yay!) and back to the hotel and the room by 4:20. LOVE IT. That Skyliner man - it's awesome when there is no wait. Just so convenient.

We immediately fell onto the bed for naptime. The a/c was going full blast - it was nice and cool and just fantastic. Disney naps just hit different, ya know?

Our plan was to go to Epcot in the evening, so I'd been stacking some fastpasses. We ended up leaving the hotel just a bit after 6, and once again, no line at the skyliner! By 6:30 we were walking into Epcot!


Look at that lovely lagoon with no barges. So much better!

First up we had a Remy fastpass, though there was a bit of a backup with the Lightning Lane.

Woof. I feel like in the two trips we've had since this has been open, our fastpass experience has always been super long lines like this. For whatever reason. 5 minutes later we were entering the building, and 10 minutes after that we were getting on the ride. So a 15 minute wait - not too bad. And we had a good ride - I like Remy, it's super cute.

After Remy we had a Frozen fastpass, but we had a little bit of time and it was still INSANELY hot, so we were slowly meandering over to Norway. We stopped and had to get something to drink! Regal Eagle was selling Blueberry Lavendar Lemonade:

It sounded yummy so that's what I got.

 

[Araminta18]

Epcot rides! - Sunday August 13, 2023 (part 11)​

Yum! Trevor got a soda - we needed sugar/electrolytes! This lemonade actually was really good. A bit pricy, but I'd recommend it.

Then as we walked out I saw the booth with the turkey legs and such but more importantly - icees! I ordered a frozen strawberry icee (and a cup of water), but the lady at the booth gave us a blue raspberry one, and when she realized, she gave me the blue raspberry one for free. Nice!

Icee!

Trevor doublefisting his soda and the blue raspberry icee. Cold drinks make that World Showcase a lot more tolerable in the heat.

Once over in Norway, time for our Frozen fastpass! The standby line was 55 minutes so we were very grateful for that fastpass.

I always like the theming inside Frozen, with the fun little lanterns.

We were on the ride within 5 minutes, and had a great time visiting Elsa's Ice palace.

Does anyone else treat this ride as a singalong? I love singing along with "Let it go". And the fireworks effect with the castle at the end - I love it!

Then, it was time for Guardians of the Galaxy! I had tried switching our park reservations to Epcot and seeing if I could get a Guardians boarding group this morning, and it worked! So we had a boarding group, and then we'd also bought Lightning Lane - we love Guardians!

See, lookit that twinkle in Trevor's eye.

We used our Lightning Lane first and 15 minutes later we were in the funnel after the pre-show.

I've never seen it so backed up! This would be a theme on our trip. They *really* need to fix this whole thing - people practically run at the end of the pre-show and then it just backs up...blech. The only bad thing about this ride - it took us another 15 minutes to get on the ride from here.

We kept trying to figure out where the camera was...we didn't find it on this ride! Also, that lady in the front was quite excited. And in case you're curious - we got "I Ran" this ride. We were hoping for "One Way or Another", cause it's the only song we didn't get last trip, but no luck. "I Ran" is still a great song.

We were off at about 8:30, and then used our boarding group to get in line again. It took us 25 minutes to get into the first pre-show room, and another 10 to get stuck in the funnel again.

Fun view though! Overall, it took about 45 minutes for us to get on the ride. We got lucky and got the back row though!

And what song did we get? Conga. Good song, just not the one we needed.

Despite the line, riding Guardians was a great way to end the night. Such a good coaster! I also love the end where Drax makes funny comments - had to film it.

 

[Araminta18]

This resort is great for this. We had lunch there once just to see all the statues.

Right? I always mean to look at the resort and we often don't but for this one I was adamant we had to look around. It's so cute!

BB8 wasn't working for us in July either.

Oh no! I hope he doesn't go the way of the cannons, where they just never work anymore.

Wow ToT and RnR in one day!

Right? I was quite impressed with his thrill rides.

I don't think we will go here unless we go with someone with small kids. It sounds like it is fine enough but meh for the price. Also i have heard it takes forever! Which I don't get. I guess it's nice they aren't rushing people?!!?

Yea, the food isn't amazing (except for those biscuits which are freaking awesome), and it does seem to take a weirdly long time. I don't know why?! Like our waiter constantly was disappearing. So odd.

Also, how lucky to run into Mando and Grogu! I don’t know much about Star Wars (other than the regular movies) and know nothing about the Mandolorian, but I’m excited to see Star Wars Land nonetheless.

It's such an amazing land - I think you'll like it just for the detailed theming!

Thank you for your review of Woody’s Roundup Rodeo BBQ! The reviews I’ve read seem to be rather mixed, with good to so-so takes on the food but high marks for the theming. I’d be interested to try it as it’s new and we love BBQ, but I’m worried it looks a little dark and would get too loud for my two kids (regular restaurant noise is fine - I’m worried about the loudspeaker announcements and such).

Yea, that's about right - the food is fine (except for the biscuits which are freaking AWESOME), but the theming is super cute. It doesn't feel very dark when you're in there - the lighting is weird and it doesn't show up well in photos but it's plenty well-lit in there. As far as the noise, I felt like it was actually kind of quiet for what it is - even the loudspeaker wasn't startlingly loud or anything. But you know your family best.

 

[Araminta18]

Cars Area Theming - Sunday, August 13, 2023 (part 12)​

Also guys I totally forgot! When we rode Rockin Roller Coaster earlier in the day, you could totally tell it had been refurbished! The lighting was better - I saw some props/theming that I'd never noticed before. A+ Disney - good job. If you haven't ridden RNRC for a while, give it a try!

Anyways, after finishing our second Guardians ride (which was awesome!), we slowly meandered back towards the International Gateway. Though right outside of Guardians you can see Spaceship Earth - it's a great view, so I filmed it with the music and lighting going:

We made it to the International Gateway and the skyliner station a little before 10 pm, and only encountered a small line.

It was only about a 2 minute wait - man the skyliner is awesome.

Back at the hotel 20 minutes later, we started to head back to the room but then I was like WAIT! I wanted to see the Carsland theming! So we started heading that way, though I had to take this picture of the cute little octopus on the side of one of the Nemo buildings.

"Aw, you made me ink!"

Also, I'll apologize in advance - the next two posts are going to be full of pictures of the Cars area, 'cause it's fantastic.

Leaning Tower of Tires!


I love that the direction signs are like road signs, especially the Route 66 sign.


Fillmore!


Trevor wanted to take a picture of me with Fillmore and the Wheel Well Hotel.


Lightning and Sally! Also, notice that Sally has headlights but Lightning doesn't -- cause they're stickers!


Sarge's hut!


The lighting made it hard to get a good picture of Sarge, but this is the best of the bunch.


And the motel!

 

[Araminta18]

All the Cars Land Theming - Sunday, August 13, 2023 (part 13)​

More pictures! Sorry


Tow Mater! Notice he has one headline out.


Cozy Cone Motel, with refrigerated air - refrigerated air sounds amazing, not gonna lie.


Casa Della Tires!


Ramon!


I love that they have these road signs!


And just in case you can't read them all:
Think Sheriff's slow?
You Won't Get Busted?
Think Again
Cause He's
Not Rusted
Rusteze!

Doc! Not the sheriff.


Ornament Valley!

There's the sheriff! And I love the cheesiness of that Radiator Springs sign.

 

[Araminta18]

Landscape of Flavors Dinner - Sunday, August 13, 2023 (part 14)​

One last Cars Land photo -

Mater Used It
Dang Near Fainted
Looked Like He
Had Just
Been Painted

I am 100% here for the poetry on the signs.

Definitely worth the detour! We ended up back at the main building at about 10:30, and had two goals: one, to get something that would let me secure my ears on my bag when on rides, and two: get dinner. Normally I secure my ears to my bag with a tiny little cloth dog collar I'd gotten at Target, but I'd forgotten to bring it with me. So I was hoping the gift shop would would carry small little dog collars that I could grab and repurpose.

And you know, shopping in such a fun setting is just a bonus!

We found a 101 dalmations cute little dog collar, so yay! And then we spent some time browsing around looking at what else was there - it's kind of a huge gift shop! We didn't buy anything else but we had fun looking.

Then, dinner! It was a bit close to closing, so there wasn't a ton left, and a surprising amount of people there, so we ended up having to wait a bit. But eventually we had our food:

Breadsticks with alfredo sauce (I ate two of the three already )

And chicken tenders and fries:

They don't look super appetizing, but they hit the spot. It was too hot for us to really want to eat anything in the park, so nice to grab some food in the a/c.

Then it was back to the room.

But first some more theming pictures in the dark! Hello snarfblatt!


Shiny Ursula!

Back at the room we had to pack up a bit since tomorrow we were moving over to the Contemporary!! But the benefit of packing cubes - I'd specifically separated out our clothes for this part of the stay so we could leave all the rest of our clothes and things packed up, so it wasn't too big a lift. And then, in bed! The heat was killing us, but we'd had a really good day.

Fun with Metrics:
Steps walked: 25,306 steps (11.1 miles)
Ride count: 10 (Tower of Terror, Toy Story Midway Mania, Slinky Dog Dash, Rise of the Resistance, Mickey& Minnie's Runaway Railway, Rockin Roller Coaster, Ratatouille, Frozen, Guardians x2)
Savings due to AP discount: $61.79

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

The Skyliner is great! I hope they extend it to Disney Springs one day. That would make getting over there so much easier!