Chunky, We're Home! A Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Double Preview! THE END 4/12 TR COMPLETE!

[chunkymonkey]

When the cat's away, the mice will play...

Of course!

Whoa! Concentration, out the window!

Nope, no work for me from then on

Someone's in full on vacation mode, folks!

That's like me all year round!

"But I'm telling you! We cancelled our trip weeks ago!... I don't know how the room looked slept in!!!"

Too bad they didn't charge the Mollo family!

This is the second room (renovated or new) that I've seen where there's been a shower and no tub. It looks nice, but... I want a tub.

Yeah I think they are all showers now but maybe you can request a tub, I'm not sure.

Oh, really? So shocked. You could live anywhere as long as it was at Disney, girl!

Of course.

Umm... what?

The blue screen where it shows the schedule of the day and plays disney music in the background. So soothing!

"Oh, no! He's back! Tell him we're full!"

I'll mention that you're disappointed that you are banned.

What a wonderful first weekend and a second one right after!

I loved Destino and enjoyed our stay there. I love all your pictures!

It's crazy to think we were there twice in the same week! Only a crazy Disney person would do that! #guilty
I really liked the Gran Destino! I want to stay there again!

How cool that you got to ride three times...hope to do one of those previews one day!

It was a real treat!

That is one of my fave snacks too! Looking forward to getting one in March!

The ones I have gotten lately haven't been that good. Think the nutella waffle has replaced my craving for something sweet in MK.

Gran Destino looks lovely...not at all like a lot of the other WDW hotels.

It really is very different but in a good way!

I am trying to catch up on all the TR's etc...have you figured out your plans for March 8-10? I will summarize what we've got on my PTR as well and see if there is any chance of coordinating a hello at least!

I don't really have many set plans. We have a tour all day Saturday. Sunday we are doing the tea over at Rose n Crown in the morning and then park hopping all over. Monday we are in DHS (hoping to get a boarding group for Rise) and then probably Epcot in the evening or maybe MK. I'm not sure.
Tuesday we want to try for a boarding group again since our flight doesn't leave until evening so hoping we can get an early one. Then we will be in Epcot and DHS. Those two day are all we have to really experience Flower and Garden. Don't really think we will visit AK at all those Monday and Tuesday since we want to stay in the general DHS area (if we get a boarding group!) If we don't get a boarding group, I'd be really sad (boo!) but then our plans free up a bit and maybe I'll make an ADR or something. We don't have any meals planned those days.

I stayed one night at GDT when I went to MVMCP ( before a Universal trip ) . It is beautiful and o agree with you more of a deluxe feel than moderate. I wish I could have stayed longer as I didn’t get to fully experience the bars and restaurants or anything else really

It really is so nice! I felt like I was in Vegas. I am a big fan. We didn't get to eat at Toledo at all either. Our quick service breakfast was delicious though!

Just got all caught up with your updates - Gran Destino looks gorgeous!! I love that you did two trips back to back over two weekends - I've always thought doing a weekend trip down would be too stressful (LGA or JFK is my usual airport) - but you make ti sound totally doable!

Haha if I can do it anyone can! LOL. We leave from Newark so it's the same distance. If all goes well, we can be in our hotel room withina matter of hours. Of course we have been delayed before and it can be a pain but luckily no delays happened those weekends. We're going again this weekend! I hope for no delays as it's also a short trip.

That hotel is beautiful... who knew? Enjoying your report!

Thank you so much!!

 

[KathyM2]

I don't really have many set plans. We have a tour all day Saturday. Sunday we are doing the tea over at Rose n Crown in the morning and then park hopping all over. Monday we are in DHS (hoping to get a boarding group for Rise) and then probably Epcot in the evening or maybe MK. I'm not sure.
Tuesday we want to try for a boarding group again since our flight doesn't leave until evening so hoping we can get an early one. Then we will be in Epcot and DHS. Those two day are all we have to really experience Flower and Garden. Don't really think we will visit AK at all those Monday and Tuesday since we want to stay in the general DHS area (if we get a boarding group!) If we don't get a boarding group, I'd be really sad (boo!) but then our plans free up a bit and maybe I'll make an ADR or something. We don't have any meals planned those days.

Cool!! I think we may be in the same place at the same times for some of this!!

Sun we will be at MK day and evening
Monday we will be at Epcot day and evening
Tuesday we will also be at DHS super early to try to get a boarding group, then depending on what happens there, we will either go back to bed and come back later for our afternoon/evening plans...or with any luck have an early-ish boarding group and get to do a couple of rides before doing ROTR and then heading back for a break...

You've got my number and I've got yours so...if you think you may have time for a hello during any of these days, let me know!!

 

[MeghanEmily]

These were the breakfast chilaquiles. It was absolutely delicous! tortilla chips, green tomatillo salsa, eggs, bacon cheese, pico....yum there was nothing about this that I did not like!

This sounds so good! <3 Nom!

You both looked so Disney-chic this day! I loved your Stitch shirt and your ears!

We had a very special DIS meet that day - with @MeghanEmily and her DH Nate! I was in line to meet Wreck it Ralph when I saw them and I asked if they would like to be in the pictures with me, and so Meghan did.

Thanks so much for hanging out with us! And letting me crash your character meet

That was such a nice Dismeet! It was great to catch up and refresh for a bit. And you were right about having ADRs to get to, I think. I seem to remember we were headed to a late lunch at Beaches and Cream.

Great seeing you guys Meghan! I'm sure our paths will cross again soon!

I hope so! It was great to see you and Steve again!

I may have recorded Episode 2 of Manatees and Me. I have to find the video!

OMG please.

I mean it sounds cool and all but soon EPCOT will be nothing like what I remember from my childhood and I'm not sure if I will like it or not! (I probably will but the nostalgic side of me will probably really miss all the old stuff)

Agreed. I'm sure it'll be great, but there will be some things I miss. Like the fountain.

Steve though can probably can cover both of us in the amount of shrimp he eats

LOL I believe this.

We met up with @StarWarsMomofGirls! and her family - they were staying at the Yacht Club. It was so cute to hear the girls talk about going to Galaxy's Edge for the first time. I love how into Star Wars they are!!

Nice!! The girls so cute in her TRs, and I bet they must have been so excited for SWGE. You managed to fit in lots of Dismeeting that day!

 

[pkondz]

You guys look great.

We stopped by our new favorite popcorn stand for a refill.

I'll have to check that out.
Of course I've been saying that about the cart by Canada too... <sigh> Some day.

We had a very special DIS meet that day - with @MeghanEmily and her DH Nate!

Nice!!

We took them up to the DVC Member Lounge ounge

Nice of you.

And then I went shopping for some new boots:

You go (go) girl!

And I had a date with a manatee:

Betting you made quite the splash!

As we departed Epcot I had to take a picture with the Fountain of Nations...soon to be gone and made into a...beer garden? I mean it sounds cool and all but soon EPCOT will be nothing like what I remember from my childhood and I'm not sure if I will like it or not!

I must admit to being... a bit weary of the new changes coming. I hope it will still have the charm of the "old" Epcot.

We headed out for our next adventure: our dinner at Ohana!

Totally envious!

In the lobby of the Poly they were doing some photopass pictures and they made us do a prom pose. It always happens at the Poly, hahaha.

Drooling!

And the world famous bread pudding!

Drooling more!!!

I really do like Ohana but it's actually getting super expensive. I don't eat enough of the grilled meats or shrimp to justify the cost.

I get that. I'd still like to do it once, some day... but... Maybe if there's an epic boys trip or something.

I knew I had to watch Illuminations one last time!

Standing by for the new show...

I actually really wish they would bring back Soarin' over California like they do at Disneyland.

That'd be nice. But... yeah, doubtful.

We decided to walk around the World Showcase and I got one of these beauties:

Is that a GGS??

 

[pkondz]

Nope, no work for me from then on

That's like me all year round!

Too bad they didn't charge the Mollo family!

Exactly!

Yeah I think they are all showers now but maybe you can request a tub, I'm not sure.

Ugh. Not happy about that. I like my tubs...

The blue screen where it shows the schedule of the day and plays disney music in the background. So soothing!

Oh, okay. I may have never turned on a TV at Disney.

I'll mention that you're disappointed that you are banned.

Thanks!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

See you in a few days

 

[suse66]

Our first FP took us through the meandering waters of...Living with the Land,

Always the best first FP!

We had a very special DIS meet that day - with @MeghanEmily and her DH Nate! I was in line to meet Wreck it Ralph when I saw them and I asked if they would like to be in the pictures with me, and so Meghan did.

Nice! They are so great.

And I had a date with a manatee:

Manatees are awesome dates!

We headed out for our next adventure: our dinner at Ohana!
We took the monorail over to the Ticket and Transportation Center and walked to the Poly from there. Super convenient!

We will be the same in reverse after our early Ohana dinner on our arrival day in July.

This was our view outside the room which was lovely but we didn't spend any time here.

So pretty! I am doing 2 nights at SSR over the 4th weekend so am excited to check it out.

We decided to walk around the World Showcase and I got one of these beauties:

Yum!

We took a bus to Disney Springs and walked back to Saratoga from there. I got to do a little shopping and picked up this shirt for Chunkysis:

Perfect!

The blue screen where it shows the schedule of the day and plays disney music in the background. So soothing!

That's the first thing I turn on when I walk in to my Disney room.

Sunday we are doing the tea over at Rose n Crown in the morning and then park hopping all over.

You will love it! Such a great experience.

Oh, okay. I may have never turned on a TV at Disney.

What??? Blue screen is my essential background music and I have to watch Stacy at least once.

 

[Tracy161]

I mean it sounds cool and all but soon EPCOT will be nothing like what I remember from my childhood and I'm not sure if I will like it or not!

I know it! I'm anxious to see the changes, but part of me is so sad. It's like DHS... gone are the days of Hollywood I loved so much! (not that I don't LOVE SWGE, but you know what I mean!)

We headed out for our next adventure: our dinner at Ohana!

Given your outfits for that day, I wondered whether Ohana would be making an appearance

I actually really wish they would bring back Soarin' over California like they do at Disneyland.

ME TOO!

We met up with @StarWarsMomofGirls! and her family - they were staying at the Yacht Club. It was so cute to hear the girls talk about going to Galaxy's Edge for the first time. I love how into Star Wars they are!!

I know! They are definitely raising those girls right

 

[missjackiemcg]

What a perfect day! Sounds like the resort move went smoothly, the food and drinks were delicious and the extra DIS-company was perfection. Can't ask for much more than that!

 

[annie170]

All caught up!

I really like that bag you bought! I was looking at their website and they have some really cute stuff. If you don't mind my asking, how is it holding up? Are you happy with the purchase?

Gran Destino Tower looks just lovely! That's awesome that you were able to stay there.

I agree with you regarding Ohana. My husband eats his weight in steak and shrimp, but I'm all about the noodles, potstickers and veggies. My family loves it, so it won't be leaving the rotation any time soon.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

We met up with @StarWarsMomofGirls! and her family - they were staying at the Yacht Club. It was so cute to hear the girls talk about going to Galaxy's Edge for the first time. I love how into Star Wars they are!! We watched Illuminations and then walked with them back to the Yacht Club.

Sorry for my bad selection of spots... It was def not the best spot. But it was great to see you guys!

Great pic of us! So, glad you were coming for a second preview!

 

[amazingact21]

Oh man, your breakfast looked delicious! I wrote it down in my ongoing "Foods to Order at Disney" list.

Lots of fun DIS meets this day! I just read about the girls' GE preview experience, so it was fun to see them talking about it in your update.

I still can't get over there not being a Fountain of Nations in FW anymore. It was always such a classic part of the park.

 

[Steppesister]

Screw math , libations are truly the universal language!!

These were the breakfast chilaquiles. It was absolutely delicous! tortilla chips, green tomatillo salsa, eggs, bacon cheese, pico....yum there was nothing about this that I did not like!

That sounds amazing! RIGHT up my alley.

We had a very special DIS meet that day - with @MeghanEmily and her DH Nate! I was in line to meet Wreck it Ralph when I saw them and I asked if they would like to be in the pictures with me, and so Meghan did.

NICE!!! Fun meet!

As we departed Epcot I had to take a picture with the Fountain of Nations...soon to be gone and made into a...beer garden?

Sad. It was so meaningful and such a cool concept and execution.

I mean it sounds cool and all but soon EPCOT will be nothing like what I remember from my childhood and I'm not sure if I will like it or not! (I probably will but the nostalgic side of me will probably really miss all the old stuff

Me too. I never went as a kid, but even from 2000 EPCOT, aside from WS, is unrecognizable.

I actually really wish they would bring back Soarin' over California like they do at Disneyland. But I dont' think they ever will, at least not at WDW.

Sadly, you are probably right.

 

[buzzrelly]

Just catching up and I’m on my phone so no quotes!

I am reading about how hot you were in August and I’m dying just thinking about how hot we’re going to be in July!

I’m cracking up at your sister finding a character meet halfway round the world! Of course she would!

 

[franandaj]

We wanted to grab some breakfast first at the new quick service to see what they had to offer. I think it is called El Mercado.

Was this QS in the Tower?

Our future looked bright, although I seem to have embraced the monochromatic look:

You know I've never received this future. You guys mist select different choices than us!

I mean it sounds cool and all but soon EPCOT will be nothing like what I remember from my childhood and I'm not sure if I will like it or not!

I didn't visit Epcot until I was nearly in my 30s so I don't have any childhood memories. I may have missed most of the best of Epcot.

I mostly eat dumplings and noodles, I think it's a better deal to just order the food a la carte at Tambu lounge.

We have decided that this is the way to go. We are going to call it the Polynesian Dinner with a start at Tambu while waiting to get into Trader Sam's, and then coming back for the bread pudding. You will also see this in my TR in a couple updates.

I actually really wish they would bring back Soarin' over California like they do at Disneyland.

I just rode it Saturday and it was so cool! Love the old Soarin!

 

[Steppesister]

Posting to confirm I’m in this TR!!

 

[chunkymonkey]

This sounds so good! <3 Nom!

It was really good!

You both looked so Disney-chic this day! I loved your Stitch shirt and your ears!

Thank you! And loved your Millenial t-shirts!

Thanks so much for hanging out with us! And letting me crash your character meet

Of course! Characters are more fun with friends!

That was such a nice Dismeet! It was great to catch up and refresh for a bit. And you were right about having ADRs to get to, I think. I seem to remember we were headed to a late lunch at Beaches and Cream.

It was so fun and nice to share the lounge with friends! Ah yes! I do remember you guys going to Beaches n Cream! Jealous!

I hope so! It was great to see you and Steve again!

And so great seeing you guys too! We have to set a future date!

OMG please.

I have to find the video lol!

Agreed. I'm sure it'll be great, but there will be some things I miss. Like the fountain.

I certainly will!

Nice!! The girls so cute in her TRs, and I bet they must have been so excited for SWGE. You managed to fit in lots of Dismeeting that day!

They were so adorable!
It was a great DISmeet day!

You guys look great.

Thanks!! I love looking back at my pre-pandemic state. I can't even describe what i look like now. Blob is a good guess.

I'll have to check that out.
Of course I've been saying that about the cart by Canada too... <sigh> Some day.

I like savory over sweet popcorn so that's why I do that cart over Canada but their popcorn is great too! And it smells so good!

Betting you made quite the splash!

I did

I must admit to being... a bit weary of the new changes coming. I hope it will still have the charm of the "old" Epcot.

I hope so too. It's inevitable though, the younger generation won't understand "vintage" Epcot and soo they will be taking over the world...oh wait, no they were at the beach partying during a pandemic.

I get that. I'd still like to do it once, some day... but... Maybe if there's an epic boys trip or something.

Well, chop chop get things going, not everyone is gonna wait around for an Epic Boys trip now, right?
.
.
.
Oh wait, Disney is closed.

Standing by for the new show...

The between show isn't that great, it's ok

Is that a GGS??

Um, yeah. What else would I get?

Ugh. Not happy about that. I like my tubs...

Me too, but for a night I survived!

Oh, okay. I may have never turned on a TV at Disney.

Not even to see Stacey?

See you in a few days

We sure did and had the best time ever did we not?!?

Always the best first FP!

Such a great ride!

Nice! They are so great.

They are awesome!

Manatees are awesome dates!

They truly are...calm, soft-spoken, and eats lettuce all day...wait that sounds like my husband!! I married a Manatee?

We will be the same in reverse after our early Ohana dinner on our arrival day in July.

I hope you really get to go! I need something to look forward to!

So pretty! I am doing 2 nights at SSR over the 4th weekend so am excited to check it out.

I truly hope it opens before then I have a few nights at AKL at the end of July which I booked on a whim.

That's the first thing I turn on when I walk in to my Disney room.

Right?!? I love it, it's like soothing to me, and lets me know that I'm "home"

You will love it! Such a great experience.

We did it and it was glorious!

What??? Blue screen is my essential background music and I have to watch Stacy at least once.

Yes Yes Yes!

 

[chunkymonkey]

I know it! I'm anxious to see the changes, but part of me is so sad. It's like DHS... gone are the days of Hollywood I loved so much! (not that I don't LOVE SWGE, but you know what I mean!)

I know exactly what you mean! I'm sure it will be beautiful and awesome but then it will be so...different!

Given your outfits for that day, I wondered whether Ohana would be making an appearance

Haha you know us well!

I know! They are definitely raising those girls right

TRUTH

What a perfect day! Sounds like the resort move went smoothly, the food and drinks were delicious and the extra DIS-company was perfection. Can't ask for much more than that!

It really was a great day!!

I really like that bag you bought! I was looking at their website and they have some really cute stuff. If you don't mind my asking, how is it holding up? Are you happy with the purchase?

Thank you! To be honest I haven't actually used it much but it's actually holding up very well just sitting in my house for me to admire LOL. It's actually a very sturdy bag!

Gran Destino Tower looks just lovely! That's awesome that you were able to stay there.

It's gorgeous! I would love to stay there again!

I agree with you regarding Ohana. My husband eats his weight in steak and shrimp, but I'm all about the noodles, potstickers and veggies. My family loves it, so it won't be leaving the rotation any time soon.

I know! We went back again early in March before we were all quarantined, and it was great!

Sorry for my bad selection of spots... It was def not the best spot. But it was great to see you guys!

It was fine! It's not our first time seeing the show lol! But there really isn't a bad view! The music is the best part!

Great pic of us! So, glad you were coming for a second preview!

Yes! So excited that you guys were there!!

Oh man, your breakfast looked delicious! I wrote it down in my ongoing "Foods to Order at Disney" list.

It was soooo good!

Lots of fun DIS meets this day! I just read about the girls' GE preview experience, so it was fun to see them talking about it in your update.

They are so cute and they were really excited to be able to preview GE!!

I still can't get over there not being a Fountain of Nations in FW anymore. It was always such a classic part of the park.

Right? It's going to be so weird!

That sounds amazing! RIGHT up my alley.

You'd love it, it's delicious!

Sad. It was so meaningful and such a cool concept and execution.

It was. Now there will be fountains of...beer, LOL. They better have Miller Lite for @missjackiemcg

Me too. I never went as a kid, but even from 2000 EPCOT, aside from WS, is unrecognizable.

I agree, that's probably the same time that I started to really notice all the structural features about Epcot.

I am reading about how hot you were in August and I’m dying just thinking about how hot we’re going to be in July!

I'm really really hoping you get to be hot in Disney in July!!

I’m cracking up at your sister finding a character meet halfway round the world! Of course she would!

OF COURSE! Hahaha.

Was this QS in the Tower?

It was like, behind the tower...there's an indoor path that leads right to it. It may have been the old pepper market? I'm not sure since I never stayed at CSR before.

You know I've never received this future. You guys mist select different choices than us!

I try and pick different things each time but sometimes even if i pick different things, the end scene sometimes turns out to be the same.

I didn't visit Epcot until I was nearly in my 30s so I don't have any childhood memories. I may have missed most of the best of Epcot.

I think you are right on the timeframe as I think that was when EPCOT became more than just the science-y park.

We have decided that this is the way to go. We are going to call it the Polynesian Dinner with a start at Tambu while waiting to get into Trader Sam's, and then coming back for the bread pudding. You will also see this in my TR in a couple updates.

That sounds like a good plan!!

I just rode it Saturday and it was so cool! Love the old Soarin!

I really miss it! I have to plan it so that I'm in CA when the old Soarin' is back!!

Posting to confirm I’m in this TR!!

Oh yes you are definitely here!!!

 

[chunkymonkey]

I guess I don't need to really comment on what's going on in the world now. Hope all of you are doing well. I'm working from home and although I thought it would be easy to work on my TRs, it's actually a lot more "work" to work from home, LOL. Plus I've been cooking and cleaning everything, and also our dishwasher broke. We're getting a new one delivered Monday and I CANNOT WAIT for that freaking appliance. Stay safe everyone! Hoping to close out this TR in the next few posts!

Trip #2 Day 3: A Morning at Pandora and Wine Bar George Brunch

Today was our 2nd GE preview day! Our preview was in the evening so we had the morning available and I had made FP over at AK. We were lucky to meet up with Caroline @disneyAndi14 and her DD Andi! We met up over at Satuli Canteen and we rode FoP together! Was that the first time I met Andi, Caroline? I felt like I already knew her, from all your TRs, LOL! Such a sweet and funny girl!

In Pandora:

I tried to take a Moss Wall selfie but I perhaps couldn't look at my phone because all I got was this profile, LOL, so here's me and my double chin in front of a moss wall. It actually cracks me up. Maybe it was too sunny and I couldn't look in that direction and I didn't have my suglasses on at that point.

We had a small breakfast at Pongu Pongu -

Because large pretzels are very popular in Pandora. Sivako!

And a Night Blossom:

We met up with Caroline and Andy over at Sauli and caught up and chatted.

Doing the @Steppesister - approved Chunkydump!

Here we are in the queue for FoP!

Such a great ride and more fun to be in line with friends! We didn't really do any of our other FPs because we needed to head over to Disney Springs because we had a real bruch at Wine Bar George with our friend, Chunkydust!

I believe we Uber-ed over to Disney Springs from AK, and met up at Wine Bar George. We did this brunch in May with @Lesley Wake and we really enjoyed it so we told Chunkydust all about and figured it would be the perfect pre-GE meal!

We were seated upstairs and started with some drinks. We each got a froscato with Dole Whip. I stuck to the regular dole whip while Steve got their seasonal lime froscato. They were both really good!!

To start we shared the Crispy Mac n Cheese bites, served with tomato sauce and pecorino. They were good and cheesy but not heavy.

As an entree, I got what I had last time, the Burrata served with avocado, candied bacon, and grilled toast. It also has some frisee and tomatoes. It's a wonderful dish! Chunkydust had this too and it got a thumbs up as well!

Steve also got his previous entree, the steak n eggs. He must have liked it a lot to get it again!

It was a great brunch and our first real meal of the day. We hung out and chilled until it was almost time to check in to our preview then we drove over to DHS (well, Chunkydust kindly drove us over, LOL). We were so excited to experience GE again!!

We checked in and got our special bands for that day:

Easily the prettiest special event bands, no? And it even goes with my magic band!! It was meant to be!

Speaking of meant-to-be - we were chilling inside Baseline Taphouse waiting for our time to enter, and someone came up to me and told me that she LOVED my costume from the event last night.
Apparently there was a Club 33 special event the night before to celebrate GE's opening, and apparently I was there and wearing some elaborate Queen Amidala costume or something like that.
My blank stare must have given it away that I didn't know what she was talking about so I obviously wasn't at the event, but next time this happens I'm gonna just own it and say, YES, that was ME at that exclusive party! Maybe I can just slide my way into the next event because I really was meant to be there!

Coming up...the least crowded I have EVER seen Galaxy's Edge!!​

 

[buzzrelly]

We met up with Caroline and Andy over at Sauli and caught up and chatted.

Speaking of meant-to-be - we were chilling inside Baseline Taphouse waiting for our time to enter, and someone came up to me and told me that she LOVED my costume from the event last night.
Apparently there was a Club 33 special event the night before to celebrate GE's opening, and apparently I was there and wearing some elaborate Queen Amidala costume or something like that.
My blank stare must have given it away that I didn't know what she was talking about so I obviously wasn't at the event,

Weird! But I guess that's better than her actually stalking you!