Leaving Disney- Friday, February 20, 2026

     We slept in a little later today, though Emma wondered how we could consider getting up at 7:00 AM as "sleeping in."  She stayed in the room while the other three of us went to our last Disney breakfast outdoors.   This time, Julie got a coffee cake and fed some to a squirrel that came to visit us.

     After breakfast Scott wanted to take Julie around the Pop Century resort to show her some of the other decades.  We cut our walk short because he was having occasional muscle spasms in his ribs.  We did make two stops though.  We went through the '70s area and Abby played a little bit of Twister.  We wanted a picture of Julie by the giant Mickey phone.  It looks like the one we had when we were married and the one my parents gave her for her birthday last year.  Scott got his picture by the giant Big Wheel that sits across from the Mickey phone, on the other side of giant foosball table that makes up the courtyard.  We took Abby to the small playground to give her a chance to run around before the long car ride today. 

     While we were at the playground, Anna called us and told us that there was someone at our front door.  She could tell because she has access to our Ring camera.  We were able to talk to them through the Ring camera too.  It was the gas company who had come to work on our lines.  We did know that they were coming today, but we weren't expecting them until 10:00 when Julie had arranged for her parents to be there.  It was only 8:30.  Julie told them that they could start the preliminary work that they had to do and gave them permission to pull out the big old rose bush from the front of the house.  Throughout the morning and afternoon, we could watch them through our Ring camera, bringing in a digger and making a huge hole in our front yard to get to the gas lines.

     We made our way back to the gift shop in the resort lobby and did just a little more shopping.  Abby got a few Minnie Mouse rings and a set of pens.  Julie bought some pens for the people she works with too.  We went back to the room, finished packing up, moved the last of our stuff to the car and checked out.  We were expecting eight or more hours of driving today. 

      We stopped at Buc-ee's for lunch and gas-- the same one that we had stopped at on the way down in Daytona Beach.  We didn't have to get a picture with the statue of Bucky the beaver because Bucky himself was in the store. Of course Abby got her picture with him.  We were all able to find something for lunch there because there was a lot to choose from. The clerk said that this Buc-ees is a small one, only 50,000 square feet, "just a little, to-go gas station".  The newer ones are 70,000 square feet.  As we were leaving, we noted that there was a Bass Pro and a Costco across the street-- a veritable trifecta of Southernness in the form of mega stores.

     We stopped again for dinner in South Carolina at a Chik-fil-a because there was a play area for Abby to climb in for at least a few minutes.  After eating, Scott and Emma walked to Barnes and Noble across the parking lot in order to use the restroom and buy Julie a Starbucks.  Scott used the opportunity to buy David McCullough's 1776.

     We kept driving through North Carolina, but headed east because of where Scott wants to go tomorrow morning.  We had to stop to get gas but the pumps were pumping very slowly, almost a penny per second so it took a while to get $30.00 worth.  Our stop for tonight is in Wilmington, NC.  We arrived around 10:00 PM.

 

Disney Hollywood Studios- Thursday, February 19, 2026 [Still need to finish]

     When we first started talking about this trip, we were trying to decide what one park we wanted to go to.  We settled on Disney Hollywood Studios, mostly because it had a more shows that we thought Abby would like.  While there are some high intensity thrill rides that we'd rule out immediately for her, there were others that we thought she'd like.  Besides, there were a number of things that we wanted to experience here that we hadn't before, namely the Rise of the Resistance and a dinner at the Sci-Fi Diner.  Even though we did add another park day earlier in the week, our planning started with this one.

      We slept in until 6:00 this morning, which was later than we had been and later than we had planned to.  The food court doesn't open for breakfast until 7:00, so we were ready for that.    Even though it was a little cooler and overcast, we ate outside again.  (The clouds would burn off pretty early and the temperature ended up in the low 80s.)  After breakfast, we circled back, got Emma, and headed to the Skyliner for the park.   The Skyliner runs continuously starting at 7:00, but there's usually a big line for it first thing in the morning. 

     We made it into the park for early admissions, which happens at the entryway to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the Star Wars themed land in the corner of the park.  We "rope dropped" the Rise of the Resistance.  It is a ride that has so much going on in it that it often breaks down, but it is raved about by people who have ridden it.  We had tried to ride it once before when we were here with the Wrights, and had even bought special single Lightning Lane passes specifically for that ride, but it broke down in the day.  When it reopened, even the Lightning Lane lines were long waits, so we didn't go then.  We knew this year that it would probably still be too much for Abby, so we child-swapped the ride, which means Emma and Julie went on the ride, while Scott waited with Abby.  Julie said it was an "unusually cool ride" and "everyone should go on it."   Scott took Abby through the Star Wars area while they waited, but Abby didn't like it.  It was too atmospheric with many strange sounds and ominous looking areas.  Once Julie and Emma rejoined them, it was almost time for our first Lightning Lane, so instead of going for his turn, Scott went with the Julie and Abby to the next attraction. 

     Our first Lightning Lane was for a show that we had picked especially Abby.  It's "For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration."  It features clips from the movie and, as the name suggests, encourages the audience to sing along.  Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa make live appearances.  Two narrators link the scenes together with funny jokes.  Abby laughed when one said "Six-Seven!" and moved her hands like the meme.  The climax of the show is when Elsa sings, "Let It Go" and snow falls in the theater.   Abby was entranced but found it a bit loud.

     Emma had gone off to shop while we were in Frozen, but she joined us again for the next Lightning Lane at 10:00- Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway.  This ride is located in the replica of the Chinese Theater in the middle of the park.  It used to be the Great Movie Ride, which we liked better.  This ride features the new versions of Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and the rest.  It is a "trackless" ride, and Goofy's train cars get away from him and send us off in different directions.   It was a little loud and chaotic, but Abby later said she liked it.

      It was getting close to lunchtime.  Scott took a moment to look at the stars' hand and footprints in the courtyard in front of the Chinese Theater.  It was surprising how many of these stars have passed away since they made these imprints.  Jim Henson and Kermit first caught Scott's eye.  He wondered how Jim Henson used both hands that day.  While Scott strolled around, Julie went to order lunch at the nearby "ABC Commissary." *****

Here's an abbreviated entry for the rest of today.  Scott will fill in more details as we go tomorrow.:

• Got pictures with Mickey and Minnie
• Decided to take a break from the park.   Took Skyliner back to hotel.  Emma stayed in the park.
• Went swimming.  Laid down, but no napping happened.
• Rode Skyliner back to the park.
• Went shopping in area of Hollywood and Vine.  Picked out things to buy later. 
• Stood in line for pictures with Donald and Daisy but didn't get them.  Met up with Emma.
• Went to dinner at Sci-Fi Dine In, which simulates a 1950s drive-in movie
• Saw Mickey and Minnie shorts in theater 
• Had Lightning Lane for Toy Story Mania
• Julie and Emma went to the Tower of Terror
• Got photo taken in front of Chinese Theater 
• Finished shopping
•  Came back to hotel, Emma stayed and went to Fantasmic
• Scott and Abby went swimming again 

More details will be added soon.