*updated* The Energy Adventure - Helen& Andy - May 2016. Final thoughts and what's next for us...

[HelenJNT]

Index is here

Previous day is here

And now, the end is near, and so I face the final update...

So, since we’ve been back, we’ve had the blues big time. Work has been frantic for both of us, I have been promoted, which is great news (my role obviously doesn’t involve anything to do with receipts or expenses!) but is going to mean a lot more gallivanting around. The London Underground is no substitute for the People Mover!

I’m working from home today and Andy has just wandered in to my office (AKA the sofa in the lounge), pulled a face and told me “I’m bored of work, I’d rather be holidaying”.

We did think about going to DLP later in the year, as we like Paris in November, and it’s still an option but we want to see if the political climate there stabilises at all before we decide to book anything. We always stay in Paris and do a day trip to DLP on the train. I do feel that we might need a Disney top-up before long! So there may be another trip report in the works, who knows?

We need to improve on these pics from our Paris 2008 trip, I know that much:

The weather has been utterly appalling, I am writing this on the 2nd of July when it has rained non-stop for weeks and I can say I would give anything to be back in WDW right now, even in a queue behind gross men spitting water, or riding Primeval Whirl with my top round my waist. Hell, I’d even ride It’s A Small World twice in succession. Maybe not Journey Into The Imagination though, that might be pushing it.

We’ve got a week booked in Spain in September where we are going all-inclusive (#beerforbreakfast) and are going to do nothing but eat, sunbathe and sleep, if we can hold out that long. The most ironic thing about this entire trip, and the title of the trip report, is that in all we did, all the attractions and walking, and seeing and doing, we never once went on Ellen’s Energy Adventure!

What else have we been up to?

We’ve drunk from our Disney mugs…

We’ve continued with #80smovienight

We’ve taken some amusing cat photos…

We’ve finished off our Disney snacks…

We’ve looked into home improvements…

I do really like the Spaceship Earth curtains, by the way, and am giving them serious consideration for the spare room. Possibly not the Star Wars carpet though, sorry Andy.

We’ve rescued Hero from a few more rooftops…

We went to Nashville Live, where the only decent photo we got looked a bit like the rapture...

And we’ve taken yet more selfies that ALL LOOK THE SAME…

We’ve obviously talked about our next holiday to Florida and when and where that might be. At first we were all set to book up immediately but there are some boring things we need to do to the house (new bedroom furniture, hard to get excited about that really) and so it is definitely going on ice for a year.

We are going to see where we are when the free dining for 2018 is announced, and decide whether we go for it, or whether we stick to our customary three year break and book up again for 2019. Maybe Rivers of Light might actually be open then? Let’s not hold our collective breath.

In terms of where to stay, I do have my heart set on the Beach Club, plus we need to factor in the matter that we are going to be a few more years older by that point and therefore are even more likely to want to stay somewhere comfortable.

However, despite saying now that we want the luxuries of a top resort and to spend more time there, I know what we’re like. We’ll end up staying in a moderate to save the money and spend 15+ hours a day in the parks again, this negating any benefit we’d derive from a deluxe resort. I do love that Epcot area though. Maybe if we have a lottery win between now and then…

We would happily stay at the CBR again though, it was perfect for us, with the exception of the trips to reception being a bit of a ball ache every now and again.

One thing though. The table service plan wasn’t really for us. I know you’re probably screaming at the screen, wondering why, when we had such a busy holiday, that we didn’t want to take time out in the evenings to relax in a restaurant. I don’t really understand it either. Maybe we did just genuinely make the wrong meal choices in the places we went to. I think it was more around the fact that we felt we were constantly clock-watching and feeling like we had to be somewhere at a certain time, therefore having to curtail whatever fun we were having.

I’m sad we didn’t get to ride BTMR at night, or have any time to chill at Disney Springs and listen to the country music singer. There was very little “stillness” on this holiday, and perversely, I think we’d get more of that on the QSDP.

We did find that Fast Pass Plus was great. Whilst we were usually at a park at opening time, it was nice to ride stuff as standby and wait for the fast passes to kick in, adding more as we went along. It did make planning the trip a little stressful in places, but once there, it worked like a well-oiled machine. If there are days when you want to do something else first thing, or have a lie-in, it’s great to know you still have the option of not having to queue for ages for a ride or attraction.

You’ll note the absence of a few things on this trip, namely going off-site (other than Universal). This trip really was all about the Disney bubble, and there is no way in future we would stay anywhere else. The bus transport works just fine for us and we have no intention of hiring a car. However, now we have discovered Uber (and read a load more trip reports), we might be inclined next time to go a little further afield, try some off-site restaurants and generally see a bit more. We also didn’t hit up any of the malls. I love, love, love shopping and this was a small regret of mine but not enough to really push it, as Andy wasn’t up for it at all. I’m grateful to him for preserving my cash, as I know I would have gone wild in the aisles, but I think I am within my rights to insist on a mall trip next time. Just one!

As a bit of a laugh, here's the only character meet we've ever done, on our 2013 trip:

It’s funny as we are quite sedentary at home, but really seem to go for it on a Disney holiday, as you may have gathered. Neither of us put on any weight, and we came home feeling quite proud of the distances we covered. Obviously that has gone out of the window now we are back at work and eating too many pastry based items again. I might take some trainers next time though as 10 miles a day in sandals was an achievement, if a mildly silly one.

The final essential stats from the holiday came in as follows:

19 park visits*
136 attractions
232,891 steps
103.38 miles
*not including four visits to Disney Springs.

In terms of Andy, the jury is still out on his heart. He went for some follow-up tests at the hospital a couple of days after we got back, and we are still waiting for the results. I was immensely proud of him steering clear of alcohol on the entire trip and being absolutely fine with the pace we were going at. It wasn’t me dragging him around at all, in fact, often it felt like quite the reverse. We got some flak from people we know for not cancelling the holiday but it was his decision ultimately and we are so glad that everything was fine.

And just for a treat, here’s the original #usanumberone photo…

I almost don’t want to finish this report, as it will be like admitting to myself that the dream really is over (for now). I’m very grateful to the DIBB for being such a great resource. I planned this holiday intensely, it was like having a part-time job before we went and it was great to bounce ideas off people and read up on certain things. However, there’s still no substitute for just exploring, and I think I put too much pressure on us to do every little thing and eat this or that. It’s kind of like a wedding day where you plan every little detail and then it’s over in a flash. Some of our best times on this holiday were where we decided to wing it a bit and see how the day went.

I’m really grateful to the new friends I have made on here, to everyone who helped me with the planning, followed our adventures on Instagram, and has read and commented on this report. It’s ended up being over 63,000 words, 100 pages without photos. I hope it made you laugh, made you cringe, hope I didn’t whine tooooo much, and I thank you all for taking the time to engage with me!

One thing this trip report has done is rekindle my love for writing. I used to run a fairly successful beauty blog but ended up handing it over to my co-writer a few years ago when work got in the way and I realised I had every variation of nail polish I could ever need (and only 20 nails). This morning I have taken the brave step of registering a new blog URL, for my ramblings and rants. There’s nothing on it at the moment but I’m warm to the idea of having a space to write again. I know you aren’t allowed to promote stuff on here so if anyone’s interested in reading more then by all means send me a DM.

Let’s give one final round of applause to this guy…

Let me know if you ever manage to find an unoccupied restroom anywhere in the World.

Helen x

***update - 23/07/16***

Thanks again to all who have read along with the trip report, commented, and generally made my day every day for the past couple of months.

Thanks also to everyone who asked after Andy's health. I'm pleased to say that after three painful months of waiting and wondering, he's been given the all-clear by the doctor. Looks like whatever went wonky with his heart hasn't caused any permanent damage, and as long as he's careful to stay hydrated and avoids over-indulging on alcohol and caffeine, and goes back for regular monitoring, he should be ok.

Here he is yesterday, enjoying his first beer since April. #usanumberone

[Unexpectedpenny]

Please get the Spaceship Earth curtains, they are amazing!

Your cats are gorgeous, especially Hero with his cute zebra legs!

We have the QSDP next year and were contemplating upgrading it but I think reading your comments has confirmed its not for us. With the amount of ice cream and other snacks I eat I don't always want a big meal in the evening!

That is a lot of steps, good going!

Hope you hear back with Andy's results soon and he is ok.

Your trip report has been hilarious, honest and very readable. Thank you so much for taking the time to write it. I've got my fingers crossed for your lottery win, for selfish reasons so you can return sooner and I can read more of your trip reports!
xx

[JenD1]

Oh Helen what an amazing trip report. I've loved it from start to finish especially the ranty bits (Brett happyhaunt would be proud!). You have made me desperate for our next adventure next August. I'm not surprised at all that neither of you gained weight-you were constantly on the go! Thanks again for sharing, you're a star. 👏🏻 Now I really need that chocolate fix. 😊

[HelenJNT]

Originally Posted by Unexpectedpenny

Please get the Spaceship Earth curtains, they are amazing!

Your cats are gorgeous, especially Hero with his cute zebra legs!

We have the QSDP next year and were contemplating upgrading it but I think reading your comments has confirmed its not for us. With the amount of ice cream and other snacks I eat I don't always want a big meal in the evening!

That is a lot of steps, good going!

Hope you hear back with Andy's results soon and he is ok.

Your trip report has been hilarious, honest and very readable. Thank you so much for taking the time to write it. I've got my fingers crossed for your lottery win, for selfish reasons so you can return sooner and I can read more of your trip reports!
xx

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Thankyou. I think we will get the curtains, just got to get the time to sort it all out.

Everyone loves Hero. He's so friendly - too friendly - and does get in some silly scrapes.

We didn't find the TSDP worked for us but I know people who love it. It's just about whatever suits you really.

Thankyou for your lovely comments. Really glad you enjoyed the report.

[HelenJNT]

Originally Posted by JenD1

Oh Helen what an amazing trip report. I've loved it from start to finish especially the ranty bits (Brett happyhaunt would be proud!). You have made me desperate for our next adventure next August. I'm not surprised at all that neither of you gained weight-you were constantly on the go! Thanks again for sharing, you're a star. 👏🏻 Now I really need that chocolate fix. 😊

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Thankyou. Funnily enough, Brett encouraged me to do this TR and gave me plenty of advice so he's pretty much responsible.

Oh, I hope next August comes round fast for you. Will you do a report?

Thanks again for reading and all the nice words!

[Excited6910]

I will DM you shortly for the blog info

I've loved reading along. Well done with the no weight gain thing. We walked about 268,000steps (not including waterparks) and I still managed to gain 6.5lb but it was well worth it.

I hope Andys results come back quickly, it's horrible sitting waiting. And I hope that all is ok.

Congrats on the promotion!

Your cats are adorable. I did laugh about the antics once I knew that He was ok, little scamp!

Every day over the last few weeks the first thing I'd search the dibb for was your next post now I don't know what I'll do when it's time for my morning coffee!

[Dimple]

I've really enjoyed reading about your trip, I'm so sad it's over😢 love your writing style!

[JenD1]

Originally Posted by HelenJNT

Thankyou. Funnily enough, Brett encouraged me to do this TR and gave me plenty of advice so he's pretty much responsible.

Oh, I hope next August comes round fast for you. Will you do a report?

Thanks again for reading and all the nice words!

See more...

No I doubt I'll do trip report. I'm not patient enough to take the time. That's why I utterly take my hat off to all you people who do. I will however put a few pics on afterwards. I'm so looking forward to going back and staying at AKL. Special holiday so pushed the boat out a little. Our next holiday is next Saturday. Going to Whitby for 2 weeks without the boys (who've been warned no parties or we'll cancel Disney (yeah right Jen)) so this chuffin' rain needs to stop! Anyway bye for now. Enjoy a relaxing holiday in September! 😊 X

[hornetgirl]

Thanks for a fabulously funny and engaging trip report. I've loved reading - and laughing - along with you

[katnav]

Have loved reading your trip report. You have also helped me decide that upgrading from qsdp to ddp is not for us either. Hope the post holiday blues don't last too long!