National Harbor

This weekend, Jennifer is an attending author at a book convention at the Gaylord National in National Harbor, which is in Maryland just south of Washington DC. This is the third year she has attended, and the second as an author.

We left Tuesday, and after stops at the Buc-ee’s in Daytona, Brunswick Georgia, and Florence South Carolina, made it to Rocky Mount North Carolina, where we stopped for the night. 

We made it to the Gaylord this afternoon, and Jennifer and Susan checked in with the convention then went to a mixer for authors and their assistants. The Gaylord is a big hotel, but not as impressive as the ones in Florida or Texas. 

We got upgraded to a suite with a view of the Potomac River and Alexandria. After putting our stuff in the room we went out to dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant with a couple of Jennifer’s friends. 

Universal Orlando

The two weeks on either side of Easter are some of the busiest times at Florida’s amusement parks, so we stayed away when not working. Last month though, Susan and I decided to get Universal annual passes again after a year’s hiatus, and Thursday evening we went to the Studios to activate them. 

Jenn and a friend went with us. At the front of the park they’ve completed the removal of the Rip, Ride, Rockit roller coaster, and starter work on a new coaster. Once in the park, we rode the Mummy, then headed into Diagon Alley. 

We had a snack and looked around the shops. We were going to ride Gringott’s but it broke down right after we got in line, so we headed out, stopping at a couple more stores on the way. 

Last night we went to Epcot to see Berlin at Garden Rocks. They played four of their biggest hits plus a cover of White Rabbit, then ended the set with a “Disneyfied” version of their first hit. Afterwards we had dinner at Regal Eagle. 

Buzz Lightyear

Thursday morning we got to do a special cast preview of the revamped Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin at Magic Kingdom. We were allowed to three guests each, and both Susan and I got a preview, so we took the kids and rode twice.

The improvements to the ride make it much more fun. The guns are now on tethers instead of attached, and the targets light up with different colors. I still prefer Disneyland’s version with the different target shapes being worth different points, but it’s much better than the old version. 

Saturday afternoon Jenn and a friend went to Tampa for a hockey match. The Lightning rallied to defeat the Ottawa Senators 4-2.

Yesterday Susan had an evening shift, so after work I headed over to Epcot to catch the first set of .38 Special at Garden Rocks. 

Garden Rocks

Friday afternoon I went into Epcot to check out the Flower and Garden Festival, which started two weeks ago. I made a circuit around the park, checking out the topiaries, gardens, and booths. I didn’t notice any new topiaries, but many were in new places. I exited the park briefly at the International Gateway to say hi to some Friendship Boat captains, then made my way back to the American Gardens theater. 

I grabbed a pretzel and a beer then waited for the first set of the night’s garden rocks performers, the Orchestra. Former members of the Electric Light Orchestra, they played several ELO songs. It was a pretty good show.

That morning, Susan and Jenn checked out of their hotel in Fort Worth and into the Marriott in Allen, which is a suburb north of Dallas. They then set up for an author signing event in the convention center next door. 

Although Jenn spent most of Saturday meeting readers and signing books, she did get to meet a few other authors. On Sunday they started driving back to Florida, and after a stop at Buc-ee’s and an overnight in Pensacola, arrived home yesterday evening. 

Lakeshore Lodge

Yesterday morning I took the first cruiser from Magic Kingdom to Fort Wilderness for breakfast at Trail’s End. A guest had told me the brisket and eggs meal was really good, but they don’t have that on the menu anymore. Work on the new Lakeshore Lodge continues.

 

Last month they put roofs on the cabins to the west of the Lodge and this month they are doing those on the east. After breakfast I walked around to the front to take some photos there.

They’ve also been working on a dock for the new Lodge. On the right is the “shoe tree”, where watercraft cast members throw their shoes when they leave the department.

I then went back to Magic Kingdom and walked around a bit. Foundations and retaining walls are being installed for the new Piston Peak Cars attraction, and Big Thunder Mountain and Buzz Lightyear are still closed for refurbishment.

In addition the buildings in the Storybook Circus area are being renovated. Minnie and Goofy were meeting in front. From there I took the train to Main Street, then headed home.

Animal Kingdom

Last Saturday afternoon, Jennifer visited Animal Kingdom with a friend. Dinoland is now completely closed, but the frame of the new show building for the future Encanto ride can be seen above the construction walls. 

They mostly went to look at merchandise and have some snacks, so they only stayed for a few hours. On the way out they took photos with Chip and Dale, who liked Jenn's outfit. With Dinoland closed, they no longer meet in their dinosaur costumes, but instead are before the entrance to the park. 

Last Tuesday night, Jenn with with some friends to Tampa to watch a hockey match. The Tampa Bay Lightning lost 5-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Susan and I spent our days off doing chores and running errands, but we did eat out a couple times and swung by Cast Connection to see what new stuff they had. 

Monday morning, Susan and Jenn left for Texas. After staying the night in Monroe Louisiana, they arrived in Fort Worth yesterday afternoon. Last night they attended a book signing at a bookstore in Dallas.

This morning I went into Animal Kingdom at opening. Besides Dinoland, Conservation Station and the train to it are closed for refurbishment. They are scheduled to reopen around Memorial Day with new experiences. I walked the trails and looked at animal habitats, but soon ran out of things to do.

Starlight Parade

Monday morning, Susan got to take a special behind the scenes tour of Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom.

Yesterday afternoon, Susan, Jenn, and I went to Magic Kingdom, mostly to watch the Starlight Parade, the new night parade that debuted last summer. Recently, Disney started repainting the castle. It’s going back to a blue grey from the pink, deep blue, and gold that they painted it for the 50th celebration. 

We had dinner at the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon, which is currently running a great discount for cast members. It had been at least a decade since we had eaten there, and then it just had simple meals. Now it has the same menu as the Liberty Tree Tavern next door, mostly Thanksgiving food served family style. 

After dinner we did a couple of rides, including the Peoplemover. I wanted to see how the refurbishment of Buzz Lightyear was progressing, but we got to see Space Mountain with the lights on.

Guests started lining up around the hub and Main Street an hour before the parade started, so we ended up watching it in front of Emporium near the Fire Station. It’s a fairly good parade, with nine floats - Blue Fairy, Wish, Encanto, Frozen, Princesses, Coco, Moana, Peter Pan, and Mickey and friends.