Trip Report October Convention/Family Trip

I did!!!!

Again, thank you so much for this and the Facebook post! I didn't let my daddy down!

So from this you can all figure out, we now have Flight of Passage FPs for Friday night! It is one of the 2 rides my dad requested. Thanks to Spook I snagged it when I got home tonight!

You too!!!

OMG!! We are in the teens!!! 18 days to go!

Plans are finalized! FastPasses have been acquired. ADRs have been made. MagicBands have arrived. DIY Mickey Ears have been made. Stressing over tiny details happening. Packing will commence soon!

If you follow me on Facebook you know I have this growing obsession with making Mickey Ears! I'm actually heading out later to visit Old Time Pottery, a friend sent me a picture from inside the store a couple days ago, so many flowers!!! I've already made 8 pair with 2 underway, just need finishing touches on them. And I have at least 3 more characters in mind that I really want to make. So far I've made 2 fall sets, Hei Hei, Belle, Rapunzel, Ariel, Halloween, Food & Wine and Tink. The last one has no "character" just flowers I really liked! I'll post some pics later.

So here are the "final" "plans". Y'alll know by now I often go way off base after months of making plans!

IF (and it is a BIG if) I can get Joe to drive part way down on Tuesday I would prefer this plan. We have to get there in time for the Trade show and to activate our new Annual Passes (we got the Platinum at a FANTASTIC deal) before we go to Epcot the first night.

Wednesday - Arrival day - Trade show is 12-3. We need to hit the road before the sun comes up to make it by noon so we will see. After the show we will head for Epcot for Frozen at 5:30. We will probably grab a snack or 2 at a booth before heading to MK for Happily Ever After. I am still not happy about this change. I really hope seeing it in person helps sway me. After the show we will walk back to the Contemp and if Mom and Dad take Blondie Joe and I may head to ToTWL or The Outer Rim for a nightcap.

Thursday - Lot's of Hardee's stuff going on. Breakfast and the big Finale Dinner are today. In between meals we have MK FPs for Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain and 7D Mine Train. Going to use Mobile Ordering for lunch at Casey's Corner to grab lunch.

Friday - First full day for mom and dad with us. We will head to HS in the morning. No FP here since they are set for the evening. I want to see the Frozen show and depending on lines we will hop on something or another. We head to AK around 3, I FINALLY scored FP for Flight of Passage thanks to Spook!! So we have Dinosaur, FoP and RoL since mom wants to see it again and we haven't yet. Hope it doesn't disappoint, I've heard such varied reviews. We will grab dinner at Satu'li or Flame Tree.

Saturday - Epcot - I probably should't have picked Epcot for Sat because of F & W lines but it is just how it worked out. Soarin is the only FP we have then it will be just a casual stroll around the world stopping at a few booths before heading to Planet Hollywood for dinner.

Sunday - The family leaves Joe and I today. Breakfast at Contempo Cafe (I plan on a banana) before Joe and I head to F&W to stuff our faces. Hopefully meeting up with AliceMouse in Epcot before we head to HS for dinner at the Brown Derby.

Monday - More F&W, we do have FoP FP at 6:35 so we will close out our evening at AK. At some point I want to try to head over to the Swolphin to check out the new lobby and the Phins bar. Have you see this menu??? WOW. We want to try a couple of the apps and the Smoke n' Roses drink! http://www.swandolphinrestaurants.com/menus/pdf/phinsmenu.pdf

Tuesday - Our last full day Back to Epcot for more F&W and our Wine Seminar. Going to take it slow and easy today since we have a long drive home tomorrow. We may end up in another park for the evening but I seriously doubt it.

Wednesday - DON'T MAKE ME GO HOME - ADR at Boma before hitting the road.

I have our F&W selections all picked out, Amy is graciously sending me a passport that I can write everything in. I am getting a sampler for my drinks. I've got it planned out to save some serious bucks with the expensive cocktails... Also have planned where I will use snack credits and then credits that turn into 3 snacks. Even purchasing the dining plan, we are going to come out well ahead the way I planned it.

Now just to sit and wait for these 18 days to pass...

Dad just sent me a "helpful hints" email for the convention. Along with these hints it tells about the opening and closing festivities. Really wish I could be there for the start of this whole thing!!

Welcome Reception: Be our guest at this Haunted Mansion themed welcome party! Be sure to stop by
for a spell"if you dare. Enjoy some wickedly good treats and potions in honor of the Halloween season.
The ghostly residents are friendly and the experience is appropriate for all ages. Costumes are
encouraged!

This sounds AWESOME!!!!

For the last evening:

Awards Dinner & Dessert Reception: Join us for an INCREDIBLE evening of celebration. IHFA will
recognize it's heroes of leadership, charity and athleticism during the closing awards dinner. Bring your
camera because characters from Disney's Incredibles movie will be in attendance! And to end everything
on a sweet note, join us outside for a dessert reception before enjoying the spectacle of Magic Kingdom
fireworks from the comfort of our private viewing area!

Hiyo kids!!! I'm laying here in bed with the sliding glass door wide open enjoying the COOL weather
I would like to send out a personal thank you to the cast member who is controlling the weather in the bubble this week. It is Gorgeous!!!

Anywho, here goes my story!

We took off around 7pm Tuesday night. We were going to drive to St Augustine but there were NO ROOMS anywhere so we ended up in Palm Coast for the evening. It was around 11 when we got in so straight to bed we went. It was a nice enough Hampton Inn (not the nicest we've stayed in) but so hard to get out of. WOW the traffic... it took us about an hour and a half to get to Orlando on Wednesday morning. We arrived at the Contemporary Resort about 10:45. We got checked in and headed to mom and dad's room since ours was not ready yet. By the time we got there and dropped everything off, I got a text that our room was ready. So back to the drawing board lol

The rooms are really nice. We aren't in the Main Tower but the Garden Section. It is nice and quiet over here without all the fuss of restaurants, shops and the monorail. I love it. Our view is great, I'm laying here watching the boats go by now while I am typing. One negative, no balcony... Only a patio on the 1st floor rooms. I also am not a fan of the FREEZING COLD marble tile in the bathroom and foyer. I dread getting up in the middle of the night lol, gotta leave socks by the bed. And there is ZERO counter space in the bathroom. I'll attach some pics later.

After we got all settled in the room we headed for the convention center to get checked in. We had the trade show yesterday and man was Blondie on fire. She was a social butterfly!! We got tons of great little gifts from the vendors and we also had a delicious lunch.

After we headed to Epcot. We had to activate our new APs which was a breeze and into the park we went. We headed straight for World Showcase after picking up a Hide and Squeak map for Blondie. We started on the Canada side and went to the UK where we met Alice who screamed in delight when we pointed out Remy in the UK to her! We turned around and headed back as we were meeting mom in Norway and didn't want to make the entire trip around yet. We walked down to Germany and back looking for Remy and tasting a few things before our Frozen FastPass. The seat was wet so my butt was soaked grrrrrrr... We hopped on Spaceship Earth before heading back to the resort via Monorail. I'm still not a fan of Disney Transport, I missed my car. I just don't have the patience for it. LOL

Joe and Blondie grabbed a bite at Contempo Cafe before we hopped over to The Top of the Wolrd Lounge. Man was it PACKED. It was really windy and cold outside and for my first viewing of Happily Ever After I can say I wasn't impressed. While I was excited about some of my favorite songs being in it, it did NOTHING for me. Maybe in the park with a view of the castle but I doubt it. I was unimpressed from beginning to end.

Afterwards we headed to the room and crashed.

So far this morning we've been to breakfast at the conference center and now relaxing in the room before heading to MK later. Blondie decided she wants to go to Epcot with Nana and Papa... She knows we won't buy her Starbucks and a bunch of junk and they will...

More later, have a magical day friends!!

For some reason my photos are not syncing with my laptop so I will have to share them with you all later. If you follow our Facebook page, the room photos are there. If not, they will be here later or you can hop over there to see them!

https://www.facebook.com/huotaridisneyadventure/

Ok, FINALLY got my Google Pics to sync.. here ya go for the room.

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	Mom and dad's view they are 1st floor	182.22 KB
	Our view	139.4 KB
	no balcony	127.92 KB
	bathroom with no counter space	79.74 KB

Those sinks are also really low. Not sure what they were going for here...

Anywho today... which is Thursday (I think)

We had breakfast in the conference center, veggie fritatta, sausage, ham, french toast, pastries, cereals and drinks were all set up. We hung around down there talking and filling up before heading back to the room to NAP LOL yes... I told Joe I have finally gotten into the "we are going to come back mentality" because I take it so easy now. He was pretty happy about that.

we were supposed to go to MK with mom and Blondie while dad was in meetings and golfing but dad ditched golfing for Food and Wine with a bunch of the Hardees people and Blondie wanted to go with them. So Joe and I headed to MK alone. We walked over from the Contemp of course. Today was a lot of firsts again. We hopped on the Liberty Belle (1st time) to pass the time before our Haunted Mansion FP. From there we headed to Casey's Corner, mobile ordering was down so I was forced to stand in line... we took our time eating before going over to Buzz Lightyear Spin (1st time) this will also be our last time. How in the world do you know what you are shooting at??? We were nearing our Big Thunder Mtn FP and had time to kill so we found a quite spot underneath the train and just sat talking and relaxing. Again we had plenty of time until our next FP for 7DMT so we sat again and then caught the Muppets show (1st time). Then it was off to get ice cream and frapps and Joe rode Space Mtn with a 25 min wait!! By this time we were exhausted and after riding the mine train headed back to the room. We've been here napping and resting before getting ready for the big conference dinner tonight. Cocktail hour, dinner then fireworks and desserts!! WOO HOO!!!

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	View from the Liberty Belle	104.13 KB
	stuck on the HM in the graveyard	32.73 KB
	our terrible Buzz scores	95.49 KB
	selfie time	96.62 KB
	Muppets show	141.28 KB

They really are, I have all of my stuff in one of them and we are using the other one.

SO I guess I need to catch up!!!

Thursday night dinner was fantastic!!! Room was set up with red lights under the tables, Incredibles backdrops and the city over the podium. We spent lots of time with Mr and Mrs and Frozone!! Lots of time LOL Cocktail hour was put to good use with Captain and cokes and then a nice glass of Pinot Noir for dinner. We had salad that had bacon brittle on top. YES, BACON. BRITTLE. It was to die for. Dinner was chicken, carrots, asparagus and truffle mac and cheese. Everything was really good, didn't seem like the typical "conference meal" if you know what I mean. Awards were given out (dad was a presenter) and after we headed out to dessert and fireworks.

If you have ever been to the Contemporary, if you are out front the Convention Center is over to the right. We were out there with a perfect view of the Fireworks (Halloween Party) with the music piped in, desserts and another open bar! Dessert of the night was chocolate sphere dropped in to liquid nitrogen once they cracked it they covered everything inside with caramel. There was a macaroon, a brownie, a piece of chocolate, marshmallows and little silver crispy ball decorations. (I have a video on our page) Along with doughnut holes with ice cream and cherries soaked in Jack Daniels and assorted cookies and ice creams for sandwiches. I had a chocolate sphere and a white russian. It really was a great night!!!

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	conference room for dinner	725.28 KB
	menu and dinner	481.54 KB
	desserts and view	418.4 KB
	with the Incredibles Dad and his partners and wives	638.27 KB
	our little fam	97 KB

I really have no idea what day is what so I think I am on Friday...

Today was HS and AK but first the boys had to play golf. Blondie wanted to go with them even though she didn't bring her clubs this trip. Mom and I headed to HS on our own to wait on them. She wanted to do TSM and threatened to beat me. THAT didn't happen lol. We also caught the Frozen show which is always a hoot. I laughed until I cried. It was getting a little later in the morning and we hadn't heard from the boys so we grabbed an Empanada Platter. OH my was this good!!!

Once they finally caught up to us, they were hungry so back to eat for them then on to Rock n Roller Coaster. Only a 35 min wait!! My dad rode which was a BAD idea... He didn't get pukey sick but he didn't feel good for a while after. ToT was 2 hours so we skipped it and headed to Launch Bay, no Rey this day which was a bummer but we didn't tell Blondie so no issues there.

It was time to head to AK. 1st FP was Dinosaur, I don't think my parents and Blondie enjoyed it LOL. We got put into different cars oops and all I could think was my mom is gonna kick my butt for this one. B and I rode Primeval Hurl while on that side of the park BEFORE eating dinner. We had Flame Tree so I could get the new Mac and Cheese and boy was it yummy!!!

From dinner we headed to Pandora. Flight of Passage was FOUR hours for the wait. One of the ride rooms was down... Luckily our FP got us in and out fast. My mom didn't want to ride it and was hesitant thru the whole line. In the end she LOVED it. She said it is much better than Soarin and she wants to do it again!! When we rode Soarin today she said it was lame We were all tired and crabby at this point but B wanted to ride Everest so Joe took here. I sat with mom and dad to watch the Tree of Life Awakening. That was about it for Friday! More later!!

Joe and I move to AKL tomorrow while everyone else heads home...

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	hollywood studios	567.77 KB
	rock n roller coaster	651.63 KB
	dinosaur	1.07 MB
	food and PW	597.75 KB
	Pandora	254.38 KB
	Pandora	288.83 KB

I really loved it. Nothing fancy but just perfect!!!

Saturday - woha Saturday... Plans were to go to Epcot for Soarin (dad's other request) so early FP then hit a couple of booths before the crowds get terrible. This is what we did last year and it was a success. This year... NOT. SO. MUCH...

It was shoulder to shoulder at 11am when the booths opened.We did the best we could starting in Canada. By the time we got around to Norway, the lines were out of control. We had enough and we took off. Blondie was having some sort of meltdown so we decided to go play putt putt. Well she wasn't having any of that either so we went to the room for naps. She wasn't having THAT either so it was a fun afternoon.

We decided to head to Disney Springs around 5:45ish, you know, right when the rain was starting. We went to the Coca-Cola building for a look around and meet the Polar Bear. If you haven't met him, go... He is so awesome!!!

We went ahead and checked in a little early for our ADR at Planet Hollywood but they were PACKED. We did get to our seat a little before our time so not too bad. Now, I have heard so much negative about PH. It's a chain, Guy Fieri sucks, blah blah blah. So here is my impression. It is LOUD, I am not gonna lie about that. We could still carry on conversation but it was busy, there is music playing and lots going on. Movie clips, videos and a planetary show are all shown on the inside of the dome. SO COOL!!! The memorabilia is plentiful of course and the staff was great. Anthony our server was fantastic!!!

The food. I knew we wanted one of the awesome milkshakes so we skipped appetizers to save room. Blondie got Spaghetti and Meatballs, Dad, Joe and I got burgers and mom got the potato wedge dippers. Man the burgers were good. I should have gone with the American Kobe which Joe got, it was even better!!! The fries are fun (3 different kinds) and the Donkey Sauce I put on everything!!! Now to the Milkshakes... We ended up ordering the Chocolate for the 3 of us. Me, Joe and Blondie... they are much smaller than we expected. I loved the texture of the milkshake, it was more icy than creamy but that is how I make mine at home so I was happy. Joe and Blondie thought it was more like chocolate milk. I assume they make up the glasses and have a bunch ready. The candy on the outside was almost stale. This is the best way to describe it. The kit-kat was kind of chewy. Overall, it was a bust. Luckily the burgers were fantastic or I would have been disappointed all around.

After dinner we split up with my parents and Blondie for about 30 minutes as we have some friends who live in Celebration that we met at the golf club we are members of in GA. They were catching a movie so we had one drink with them before then headed to the resort for our last night at the Contemp. AKL and a super strange day to come...

I have to upload some pics, they will be in the next post!

Planet Hollywood Dinner

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	supernova shake chocolate comet	430.14 KB
	burgers and sketti	426.15 KB

Sunday Bloody Sunday - I thought this day was going to go A LOT different than it did...

So today mom, dad and Blondie are headed home and Joe and I will be staying a few more days. Dad wanted to leave around 8:30 but sent a text at 8 that he was ready. By the time I got Blondie moving and showered it was about 8:30 anyway. We said our goodbyes and finished packing up as we were heading to AKL to check in today. While getting ready, I snagged an ADR for The Wave. 2 buffets and 2 full bellies later we were ready to face the day!!! Or so we thought...

I stopped at the front desk because I was trying to make a FP that kept trying to cancel our ADR.. no bueno... I went ahead and checked out because I was told it would make our DDP show up on the phone faster... Checked out, here we go...

First off, Joe wanted to swing by LBV golf course to grab a shirt Blondie wanted and to look for polo shirts for our nephews. From there we headed to Disney Springs, I wanted to look in World of Disney, UNI QLO and get a pin from Planet Hollywood which I forgot to do last night. You would have thought all of the parks were closed and it was pouring rain. It was almost impossible to even walk in World of Disney, I didn't last more than 10 minutes and HAD to leave.

I got what I needed from the other stores and back to the car we went. This was also supposed to be a F&W day but we passed because we didn't want to fight the locals crowd again. We decided putt putt was in order. Winter Summerland here we come or not, it is also closed for refurb along with Blizzard Beach Fantasia Gardens here we come ONE HOUR WAIT TO PLAY??? Let's go check out Phins in the new Swolphin lobby $10 to self park for 30 minutes.

By this point I was just angry, let's go to AKL and get checked in. This went smoothly thank goodness. I was excited to see my dining plan on my phone but guess what??? I'm still waiting on it to show up days later. Concierge tried, IT tried, I tried no luck. It's just not my day at all. At this point it's 1:45 room is not ready so we head to HS. We get parked, get in and in line for Star Tours and guess what??? I get the "your room is ready text". So we head back to freshen up before going BACK to HS for dinner and to meet up with Abby and her hubby for a quick drink at the new Base Line Tap House before our dinner at The Hollywood Brown Derby. It was a short but great little meet up and we all walked over together as they were going to catch the Star Wars fireworks.

We checked in for our 7:30 ADR and we were seated immediately. I still had wine from the Tap House so I finished that and ordered another. We started with the Beggars Purse which was AMAZING!!! I could have just ordered a dozen of those and I would have been happy. But we ventured on. I had the Filet and Joe had the Pork. Both were delicious and we got the sampler to go for dessert. Park was closed when we left so we walked slowly out of the park and back to the room. I was looking forward to a good nights sleep and sleeping late. Little did I know... Damn kids next door. I've never heard such racket on any of our trips and now they have drums...

Pics later!