It’s time for my all-time favorite type of post: the trip report! See all the posts in my 2022 Wine & Dine Half Marathon trip report. Onward!
By the time I got out of the post-race shower, Erika was back, followed shortly by Becky, who always enjoys a celebratory beer at the finish line. (Gotta remember my ID next time!) We all agreed the our best course of action would be to take a nap, so as to be well-rested prior to the late-night race after party. And so we did!
After a couple hours, we popped out of bed and rolled out of the room, picking up a Skyliner to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Man, this chill approach to park touring isn’t that bad, is it?
Also great? Smart touring buddies who know the lay of the land. Upon arriving at the Studios, we happened to notice a nearby wait times board listing Rise of the Resistance at a mere 75 minutes. A less seasoned group might have said ew, 75 minutes?! But we wise three knew that a) that’s pretty darn good for Rise and b) probably it wouldn’t actually be 75 minutes. Into the line we went.
We were rewarded with a mere hour’s real wait time before we entered the briefing room with Rey and BB-8, which Becky and I agreed constitutes the beginning of the ride because you’re having an experience, not just standing around. (Becky made the interesting observation that of our briefing room group, we were the ONLY non-Lightning Lane party admitted. Things that make you go hmmm.)
Also, it was the best Rise run-through I’ve ever had? Obviously you’ll have a slightly different vantage point each time depending on where your trackless vehicle happens to wind up, but it never occurred to me that the overall effect could be so different. Not only was the Kylo animatronic working, but I felt like the positions of our car gave us the best possible views in every scene.
Schadenfreude-esque bonus: when we exited the ride, the wait time was up to 130 minutes if I recall correctly. Timing + know-how = success!
All that rising and resisting made us a bit peckish, so we sidled out of Batuu and into Baseline Tap House just outside. I mean, we had to pregame for Oga’s Cantina, right?
Because yes, we had an Oga’s Cantina reservation! We followed up snacks and drinks at Baseline by proceeding straight back into Galaxy’s Edge for our Oga’s ADR. We wound up at one of the standing tables in the middle right next to DJ Rex, and had the good fortune of making friends with our new tablemates. Basically we had the best time.
Then our Cantina adventure ended, and there was only one thing we could possibly follow it with: the Frozen Singalong. It has been my dream to attend this show in a state of tipsy joy, and with the help of Baseline and Oga’s I DID IT. And it was EVERYTHING I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.
Every joke landing? Check! Belting out lyrics all the way to catharsis? Check! Snoap and snowflake lights and silly dancing and an atmosphere of camaraderie? Check, check, and check! Ten out of ten; would recommend. Again, please. Just Eric. Love is an open door, etc. Is this my new favorite WDW thing? Maybe!
There was still one more mission to complete before our graceful exit from the park… photos in POTATOLAND! I had ears and I intended to use them. We didn’t feel like waiting around for the full Vacation Fun movie, so we just went in through the back – the doors were standing open – and got the shot.
By then it was getting on into the afternoon-evening gray area, and we had an after party at Epcot to catch. We skippity-hopped (okay, maybe that was just me still a bit buzzed) out of the Studios and caught the Skyliner back to Art of Animation for a quick room detour. We had to rest up if we wanted to party hard, of course.
I’m going to press pause here because I have somehow already managed to turn like 4 hours of park time into the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Wine & Dine After Party was pretty momentous and deserves its post. New installment next week! While you’re waiting, I recommend you brush up on your Arendelle History 101.
Don’t forget, you can follow FRoA on Twitter @fairestrunofall and on Instagram @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions or thoughts, leave a comment or email fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!